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John evidently said he was not Elijah because the Jews to whom he was speaking would have understood him to mean he was the literal return of Elijah, which he was not. Jesus, however, told the disciples that John was the return of Elijah because He knew they would understand that John was indeed the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. They understood that John the Baptist possessed the same spiritual qualities evident in Elijah. (21:3) Similar to Jewish expectations about Elijah, many Christians argue that the same Jesus will return bodily. This expectation rests upon the belief that the Scriptures should be understood literally, meaning that Jesus departed physically and therefore will return in the same manner. However, as the Bible indicates, Elijah was also taken up into heaven without having died. Yet, as we have seen, Elijah returned, not in his former body, but spiritually, in the person of John the Baptist. Moreover, John the Baptist was born on earth and did not literally descend from heaven.
(21:4)
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