Elijah

By the first century, it was an established tenet that Elijah would be the first forerunner of the Messiah.

Malachi 3:23-24 I will send the prophet Elijah [(a rendering for King Messiah) the “sun of victory” who shall arise at the end of days to bring Healing] to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day (that day will burn like an oven all the arrogant and all the doers of evil will be burn to ashes) of the Lord. He (the Messiah) shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents, so that, when I (God) come I won’t strike the whole land with utter destruction.

The great and terrible day can be validating on a simple term, as the very last day of tribulation. As a reminder, the tribulation period equates to a total of 3.5 years.

With all said and done the Messiah does have a forerunner known as The Messenger and the first temple. With confusion and others group modifying the scriptures, the last two thousand years speaks of it loud and clear.