Malachi, the last author in the Old Testament, ends his book not with closure but with anticipation:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:5-6
About 450 years later, the angel Gabriel referenced this prophecy when he announced the upcoming birth of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias. Gabriel said that John would come “in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah],” bringing children and parents together “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).
During the Savior’s post-mortal ministry in the Americas, He recited Malachi’s prophecy, asking his disciples to write it. (See 3 Nephi 24:1; 25:5-6.)
The angel Moroni also referenced these verses when he visited Joseph Smith in 1823. Like the angel Gabriel, he paraphrased the prophecy instead of quoting it word for word:
| Malachi (Malachi 4:5-6, 3 Nephi 25:5-6) | Gabriel (Luke 1:17) | Moroni (JS-H 1:38-39) |
|---|---|---|
| Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: | And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias | Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. |
| And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. | to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. | And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. |
Taken together, these three versions of the prophecy tell an important story: Strong families prepare the world for the return of our Savior. This surely includes immediate families, but it also includes extended families, even reaching back through generations. As God plants in our hearts the promises He made to our ancestors, as far back as Abraham and beyond, our hearts naturally turn to them in gratitude and love. We consequently grow closer to our own parents, siblings, and children, and we become more prepared to stand again in the presence of our Savior.
On April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple, the prophet Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, declaring, “the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi.” He gave them power to unite families eternally, and said, “by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16).
What can we do today to help fulfill Elijah’s promise of parents and children turning to one another in love?
One thing we can do is simply to spend time together and pay attention to one another. The Family Proclamation reminds us that “successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”
Our friends, Elder Clark and Sister Christine Gilbert, recently shared a practice in their home which helps them take advantage of precious time with their children:
Christine and I focus on what we now call “threshold moments,” those times when children come and go from our home. No matter what else we are doing, everything stops in those moments. That means phones go down, the TV turns off, and the entire focus turns to that child. Sometimes this leads to formal teaching opportunities, but it always reminds our children that we love them, and they are valued in our home.
“Finding the Savior in the Proclamation,” Brigham Young University—Idaho Devotional Address, 23 September 2025
Today, I will prepare for the Savior’s return by strengthening my relationships within my family. I will show family members that they are important to me by giving them my time and attention and prioritizing my relationship with them over other goals and pursuits.
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