"...Will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children..."

In the book of the prophet Malachi we read these verses: "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction" (Mal. 4:5-6). The words of this prophecy relate to the last time, and they will certainly be fulfilled. And, accordingly, several questions arise:

When will this time come? Who will be the prophet Elijah? What fathers and children are being discussed? How does this relate to us?

It is difficult to give unambiguous answers to all this, as more complex questions will arise. But it is clear that some kind of relationships should occur between parents and children that will bring them closer. And these relationships will be initiated by the one whom Sacred Scripture calls the prophet Elijah.

We read in the Gospel that this prophecy already had its first fulfillment in the time of Jesus. And the Lord Himself confirmed this by calling John the Baptist the prophet Elijah. We read in Matt. 17:10-13: "The disciples asked him, 'Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?' Jesus replied, 'To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist."

I want to note the phrase: "The prophet came, and they did not recognize him." If not for Jesus's words, then perhaps no one would consider John the prophet Elijah even now.

From Christ's words one can assume that in our days few will recognize the true prophet whom the Bible calls Elijah, since we are not given detailed descriptions of his activity, but only the Holy Spirit will be able to indicate that this is the one of whom the Bible speaks.

The spirit of the prophet Elijah will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and after this - the hearts of children to their fathers. It is important to understand this sequence and think about at what age of children this turning should occur. It is customary to consider and call children children until the teenage period. But in fact, my children always remain children for me at any age. And if we consider children's attachment to parents, then the hearts of children up to 12-13 years old are strongly attached to their parents, and parents have no problems with their younger generation.

But an interesting age comes when children stop being children and their bodies begin to transform, their worldview begins to change, and they themselves begin to mature. It is at this time that many parents, not knowing how to behave and relate to their teenager, lose control over maturing personalities and even manage to spoil relationships.

Offering various people information and books on raising children for God, I noticed a common need: many parents who have a teenager in their family asked for books about raising and influencing teenagers. And if people ask for something useful, then they should be given it.

The heart of an offended or humiliated father will not by itself strive toward that teenager who is in open opposition to parental authority and asks: "And what will you do to me?" Not knowing how to behave in such a situation and why this happens everywhere provokes much of what spoils relationships, destroys love and brings discord to families.

The internet and all kinds of information for any taste have made children unnecessary, and their upbringing optional. But God has not forgotten about His creation, and He desires to turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. And this happens in the lives of those who study the principles of love for a teenager, who understand how the Heavenly Father relates to us, who do not wish to give the enemy of souls even a millimeter of their territory.

Who is the prophet Elijah in our time? I think I will not be mistaken if I name God's messenger Ellen White, who through her dedication made a huge contribution to God's work and left behind a huge spiritual legacy in the form of letters, books and various articles on spiritual topics. Her works also included books on raising children and teenagers.

And although this woman is no longer alive, her works continue to perform great work and fulfill God's prophecy about the last days.

Any information through modern researchers that turns parents' hearts to children is also a fulfillment of the prophecy written at the end of the book of Malachi.

The carnal heart will not want any turning, and the hearts of the sons of men who are in opposition to fathers are unlikely to seek ways to reconciliation. What can heal destroyed relationships and build the correct model of behavior between generations? Only God's love is capable of giving people what they have lost, what has cooled in them due to the multiplication of lawlessness. Without revelation from above and without knowledge of God's character, people can invent anything. But God's plan is to reveal God's image to man, and then restore this image in the life of everyone who desires and thirsts.

God also does not wish to turn the hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers in evil, so that they unite in coalitions and fight against Him.

Every father and every mother who understand that their children are not enemies, but a heritage from the Lord, that these are people who need to be correctly understood and unconditionally loved, and will begin to ask for this love from God, can become Elijah. Every parent can, based on the promise from the book of the prophet Malachi, ask for the spirit of Elijah for themselves and, receiving what is requested, do what the Lord expects: acknowledging their mistakes, building dialogue, showing interest in the teenager's world and life, learning the basics of unconditional love.

Teenagers need the spirit of Elijah manifested through their parents' attitude, and they will gladly fulfill the second part of the prophecy about themselves: "...and will turn the hearts of children to their fathers." God does not destroy families and relationships, but creates them, restores ruins, teaches all members to be loving and friendly.

God is love, and the spirit of Elijah is a practical manifestation of this love. When fathers ask God for love for their children, then God's Word comes alive in their lives and begins to fulfill what it was spoken for.

For God there is no greater insult than when His representatives, bearing His name, manifest another spirit and create an image of another god, and instead of love sow seeds of discord and enmity.

There is no need to wait for the prophet Elijah in the distant future - one needs to become him today, and the Lord will help correct all mistakes, teach to love rejected children, will begin to answer all prayers for one's teenagers and show how to restore what was destroyed many years ago.

Even if your children are already adults and have their own children, then Malachi's prophecy will also work for them if you allow God to endow you with the spirit of Elijah.

Of course, it would not be superfluous to study the life of the prophet Elijah himself, John the Baptist and the advice of those through whom the Lord teaches to love one's teenager and build bridges in these relationships.

Also, all fathers should understand that they are also someone's children and can become initiators of the fulfillment of prophecy toward their own parents, if something was destroyed in these relationships.

1. Please read Luke 1:17; 1 Kings 18:21; Ps. 126(127):3; Prov. 17:6; 29:15; Jer. 31:3; Col. 3:21; Isa. 49:15; Matt. 7:11; Hos. 11:4; Eph. 4:32; Joel 2:28, in light of this lesson.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What was revealed to you in this book?

4. What does the phrase "spirit of Elijah" mean in the context of family relationships?

5. Why does the prophecy first speak of turning the hearts of fathers to children, and then children to fathers?

6. Can Malachi's prophecy be fulfilled repeatedly in history, and if so, how?

7. What modern factors most destroy relationships between generations?

8. Why do many parents lose connection with children precisely during the teenage years?

9. Why does the heart of an "offended father" not naturally strive toward the child?

10. Why is unconditional love so important precisely during the teenage years?

11. Is it possible to restore relationships with already adult children, and how to do this?

12. What to do if the initiative of reconciliation does not meet a response?

13. How to avoid repeating former mistakes in restored relationships?

14. What specifically can you do today to "turn your heart" to children?

15. How has this book changed your understanding of the parental role and family relationships?