According to Jewish tradition Biblical prophecy ended with Malachi. To a people at the end of their rope the prophet offers this last word about the Coming One: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 3:24). That makes sense out of the angelic word addressed to Zechariah about the birth of his son, John the Baptist: “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). In John, a new prophet has arisen to fulfill Malachi’s promise of making a way for God.
