Russian Icon - St Prophet Elijah

Saint Elijah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahab (9th century BC). According to the Books of Kings, Elijah defended the worship of Yahweh over that of the Phoenician god Baal, he raised the dead, brought fire down from the sky, and was taken up in a whirlwind. In the Book of Malachi, Elijah's return is prophesied "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord," making him a harbinger of the Messiah.