Isaiah 40:3 (ESV) “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” This is the prophetic root.

Some teachers of the scrippture say when you die you goto heaven

1. A Cleverly Written Riddle (Scripture-Rooted)

Matthew 6:20

The phrase "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" comes from Matthew 6:20, where Jesus instructs His followers to focus on accumulating spiritual wealth rather than material goods that can decay or be stolen. The full verse states: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal". This teaching is part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus contrasts the fleeting nature of earthly treasures with the enduring value of heavenly rewards.

Riddle of the Forerunner

I call fire from heaven, yet I am not the Light.
I silence false gods, yet I am not the Word.
I never taste death, yet I must return.
I stand before kings, yet wear no crown.
I turn hearts before judgment falls,
Yet when I come, many do not see me at all.

I walk in skin once clothed in hair,
I cry in deserts and palaces alike.
I decrease so Another may increase.

Who am I when I confront?
Who am I when I prepare?
Who am I when the Lord Himself says,
“If you can receive it — he is I”?
-Immanuel

(Answer: Elijah — fulfilled in John, completed in Christ)

2. Sermon Version: “Elijah Has Come — Do You Have Ears to Hear?”

Text: Malachi 4:5–6, Matthew 11:14, Matthew 17:12

Brothers and sisters,

God does not repeat Himself — He fulfills Himself.

Israel waited for Elijah to fall from the sky in fire,
but God sent him wrapped in humility, clothed in camel hair,
crying not from a mountain, but from a wilderness.

“For Elijah has already come — and they did not recognize him.”

Because they wanted power without repentance,
miracles without mercy,
judgment without humility.

Elijah called down fire.
John called down conviction.
Jesus called down salvation.

Elijah confronted kings.
John confronted hearts.
Jesus confronted sin itself.

Church, the question is not “Is Elijah coming?”
The question is:
When God sends truth clothed in humility — will we receive it?

3. Poetic Prophetic Message

“The Spirit and the Power”

The fire once fell from heaven,
but now it burns in hearts.
The thunder on Carmel
has become a whisper in the wilderness.

Once he stood before Baal and shouted,
“How long will you limp between two opinions?”
Now he stands before souls and whispers,
“Repent, for the Kingdom is near.”

The mantle did not vanish —
it changed hands.
The chariot did not disappear —
it descended into flesh.

Do not seek Elijah in the clouds
when Christ is standing before you.
Do not wait for fire from the sky
when the cross is already raised.

4. Comparison: Elijah vs John the Baptist vs Jesus

5. Why Some Still Expect a Future Elijah

Some still expect Elijah because he never died, because Malachi prophesied, and because humanity often looks for fire when God sends a voice.

“Elijah does come — and Elijah has already come.”

Elijah points.
John prepares.
Jesus redeems.

This is My beloved Son — listen to Him.