John,

You had written:

Who is God talking to in this scripture?  My guess would be His Church, believers, or is this for Israel?

Or, are  we all going to see Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord?

Yes, that is a really great question!!!

You had also quoted these last three lines of the old testament, from Malachi chapter 4:

4:4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

4:6 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

Your point about, "or is this for Israel?", makes sense, considering Malachi is a prophet to Israel, especially in light of the first three chapters.

Your point about seeing Elijah, before the great and dreadful day of the LORD, considering the whole world, also makes sense:

Malachi 4:6c  lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

That refers to the earth, not just to the land of Israel.

Also, if Elijah will be one of the two witnesses, spoken of in Revelation 11, then he will be seen by the earth:

Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

  9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

  10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

However, the question as to whether church age believers will see Elijah, is related to someone's understanding of how/when end-times events happen.

People who believe in the post-tribulation catching away, consider that those alive at that time, will indeed see Elijah.

People who believe in the pre-wrath catching away, likely consider that those alive at that time, will see Elijah,

if they also believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses.

Those who believe in the pre-tribulation catching away, do not consider that church age believers will see Elijah.

I haven't heard of any others, who believe that Elijah comes before the catching away, so I wouldn't consider that.

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