We must be the voice of one crying out in the wilderness

to make straight the way for the Lord's second coming.

When Jesus cried out on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”

(meaning, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”),

some of the people standing there heard Him and said,

“This man is calling for Elijah,” while others said,

“Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him”

(Matthew 27:46-47, 49, Korean Modern Bible).  

Why did they think Jesus was calling for Elijah?  

Could it be that when Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli…” (meaning “My God”),

they thought He was calling for "Elijah"

(which means “My God is Yahweh”)?  

Perhaps the reason they thought this was that the Jews were waiting

for the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5, which says:

"See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you

before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes." 

When the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites

to question John the Baptist, asking,

“Who are you?” and John honestly replied,

“I am not the Christ,” they then asked,

“Then who are you?  Are you Elijah?”  

The prophet Malachi’s prophecy about “the prophet Elijah”

(or “a prophet like Elijah,” Korean Modern Bible) refers to John the Baptist.  

The Jews were expecting the “prophet Elijah” to come, as promised in Malachi 4:5.  

Therefore, when Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,”

they assumed He was calling for Elijah.  

They thought that Elijah would come and save Him from the cross. 

However, they misunderstood the prophecy and did not truly understand the Scriptures.  

The “prophet Elijah” promised by God was not a savior.  

As the prophet Isaiah foretold, he was merely

"the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’”

(John 1:23, Korean Modern Bible). 

We too should be the voice crying out in the wilderness,

preparing the way for the Lord’s return.