Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Again, the doctrine of Elias can be very confusing. The apostles are interested in making a connection between this vision of Elijah and the scribes teachings regarding the return of Elias. They were asking Why is it that you, the Messiah, have been with us for thirty-two years, and now Elias has finally appeared on this mount, whereas the teaching of the scribes has been that Elias would come first or before the Messiah? (Robert J. Matthews, Studies in Scripture: The Gospels, 308) What they dont seem to have understood is that Elijah and Elias are two separate individuals, and the prophecies regarding them are also separate. The scribes taught that an Elias would come who would restore all things. This teaching comes from many ancient prophecies (see Acts 3:21), which are no longer available to us. Our Old Testament has been stripped of any prophecy about an Elias who would come to restore all things (See Mormon Doctrine, 454). It is evident from the questions they asked that both the
