Malachi Lesson #07

Related Articles

Malachi

September 21, 2015

Malachi Lesson 01

January 11, 2010

Malachi Lesson #02

January 11, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

MALACHI 4
Lesson #07
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ELIJAH

• Memory Verse: Mal 4:2a “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;…”

• When Israel asked, “Where is the God of justice?”, the prophet began to talk about the second coming of Christ when God will begin to set in motion all the final judgments and prophetic fulfillments.
• Chapter 4 is filled with unfulfilled prophecy.
• Read Mal 4:1-6
  • The non-believer:
    • What is “…the day cometh…”? (1) To what day does Malachi refer?
      • This day is what many of the Old Testaments prophets called the “Day of the Lord”.
        • This is a prophetic phrase that refers to a period of time that begins with increasing spiritual darkness, continues through seven years of the darkness of the tribulation period, pierced by the sudden light of Jesus’ second coming at the end of the tribulation period, and ends with the brightness of Christ’s millennial kingdom on earth for 1000 years.

 

• “…that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

 

(1)
• The Day of the Lord ends with the final judgment of non-believers called the great white throne judgment. It is this judgment that Malachi speaks of as burning like an oven, for finality of this judgment ends in the lake of fire for eternity.
  • Read Rev 20:11-15
    • This lake of fire is not annihilation but an eternal punishment of torment.
• The believer:

 

• “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…”

(

 

2)
• This is a promised healing and restoration of all areas of life including man’s relationship with God.
  • The one who brings this healing:
    • His title is Sun of righteousness.
      • Of course this is Jesus Christ, but you will notice that He is not called the “son” of righteousness, but the “sun” of righteousness.
        • What is the significance?
          • We are used to thinking of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, for it is as a beloved son who came in mercy to save is the way that we see Christ in his first coming to earth.
          • However, in his Second Coming, we see Him come more fully as God for He comes to judge in righteousness and truth in the brightness of His glory.
          • In His second coming, the Bible speaks of Christ as the day star (2Pet 1:19), the bright and morning star (Rev 22:16), an everlasting light (Isa 60:2, 19-20), and the sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2).
      • The brightness of His second coming occurs in the Day of the Lord in the same way that the rising son breaks through the darkness of night.
        • The brightness of his coming destroys the wicked and produces light for the believer.
          • Read 2The 2:8
          • Read Psa 84:11
          • Read Isa 60:19
  • The healing that Christ brings at His second coming:
    • Spiritual healing for Israel (Zec 12:10)
    • Physical healing for all humans in Christ’s kingdom for 1000 years.
      • Isa 35:5-6
      • During Christ’s kingdom on earth there will be no sickness or death (except for direct rebellion against Christ). In other words, the curse that God placed on this earth en Gen 3 because of the original sin of Adam and Eve will be suspended.
  • The healing aspect of righteousness:
    • The basic characteristic of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom on earth will be righteousness. (Isa 11:4-5)
      • Righteousness is based on God’s truth.
        • The result of the characteristic of righteousness is peace on earth for 1000 years.
        • When people live under righteousness, there is holiness among the people. (Zec 14:20-21)
• What the people must do:

• The Holy Spirit impressed the prophets to warn Israel of coming judgment if they did not live according to the Word of God.
  • In Malachi’s period of time, they were supposed to live according to the Law of Moses until the Messiah came.
    • The Law told the people the nature of God’s will for them, for it expressed the holy nature of God’s character.
    • They were to specifically keep the Law of Moses as God set before them and not all the additions that the scribes and Pharisees added.
      • It is the principles of God empowered by the Holy Spirit and incorporated into a life that changes the heart and not just the knowledge in the head.
    • Because this would be the last time God would speak to them before the first coming of Christ, they must be prepared:
      • …with a holy, repentant life.
      • …to know what to look for so as to recognize the Messiah when he came.
• What the people must look for:

 

• “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD

 

(5)
• Malachi gives the people a key sign so they would be able to recognize the Messiah.
  • Elijah, the prophet, will come first. Therefore, they are to look for someone that fulfills this prophecy of Elijah.
    • Remember that Malachi already talked about the messenger that would come to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah in Mal 3:1.
      • We determined that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of that prophecy.
        • There were some that asked if John the Baptist was Elijah. (Mat 16:14)
• However, John the Baptist was not the only fulfillment of this prophecy. How do we know this?
  • Notice the timing given in verse 5.
    • Elijah would appear before the coming of the day of the Lord. From this verse, we discover that John the Baptist did not fully fulfill Malachi’s prophecy because the Day of the Lord has not come and yet John the Baptist has come and gone many years ago.
      • This is the classic example of the nature of all Bible prophecy, that prophecy is fulfilled twice. We have already seen that John the Baptist was the first fulfillment at the first coming of Christ and now we must look for a second fulfillment as the Tribulation period comes on earth just before the second coming of Christ.

 

• 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.”

 

(6)
• The ministry of Elijah:
  • In all the scriptural verses about the coming of the prophet Elijah, we gain some insight in the ministry of this Biblical figure both in the first coming of Christ and in the His second coming.

Scripture	Prophecy	First Fulfillment in John the Baptist	Second Fulfillment in one of the Two Witnesses
Mal 3:1-6	Prepare the way before the Messiah comes	Yes	Yes
Isa 40:3	Prepare the way before the Messiah comes	Yes	Yes
Mat 3:1-6		“Repent for the kingdom is at hand”A voice in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Baptism of repentance for sin
Joh 1:19-23		John the Baptist said he was not literally Elijah but that he fulfilled the spirit of the prophecy.
Mat 11:7-15		John the Baptist is Elijah if they would receive both John’s message and the Messiah to whom John pointed.	Because the Jews did not receive John’s message of Jesus, the Messiah, there must be a second fulfillment.
Mat 17:11-13	Elijah shall come to restore all things	Elijah came already but they killed him	Elijah must come again to restore all things.
Mal 4:5-6	Elijah will come before the Day of the Lord to reconcile parents and children		Elijah will come in the Tribulation Period before the second coming of Christ to preach reconciliation to God, their ancestors, and their family.

 

• The second fulfillment of the coming of Elijah:
• In the tribulation period, God will raise up two witnesses. One of these will be Elijah. The other one will probably be Moses.
  • Read Rev 11:3-12
    • There is a similarity of ministry between Elijah’s ministry in the Old Testament and the two witnesses in Revelation. Elijah stopped the rain for 3 ? years (1Kin 17 Rev 11:5-6) and called fire from heaven to consume the enemy (2Kin 1:10-12 Rev 11:5)

• The Jewish belief regarding Elijah, Moses, and the Messiah:
  • Every time the Jews celebrate the Passover, they leave an empty place at the table for Elijah and drink a cup of wine to Elijah.
    • The Jewish Talmud claims that several wonders will accompany the coming of Elijah and the Messiah who will come within close proximity in time. (remember that John the Baptist was to prepare the way for Jesus’ first coming. Elijah will do the same for Jesus’ second coming.)
      • The Jews believe that Elijah will bring Moses back to life.
      • They believe that Elijah will reveal the secret location of the 3 holy vessels, the Ark of the Covenant, the pot of manna, and the container of sacred anointing oil.
      • They believe Elijah will carry the royal scepter of Judah which God promised will not depart from Judah until Shiloh (the Messiah) comes (Gen 49:10).
      • They believe Elijah will transform the Promised Land leveling mountains to make way for the Messiah. (Isa 40:4)
      • They believe Elijah will restore all Jewish tribal identities. (Mal 3:3 Mal 4:4-5)
      • They believe Elijah will be one of 8 ruling princes that form Christ’s ruling cabinet in the millennium.
        • Will this Elijah be the original Elijah or a person “like” Elijah? John the Baptist was “like” Elijah. Therefore, it is unclear which will occur when the two witnesses appear.
          • Because the Jews are looking for Elijah in conjunction with the coming of the Messiah, the activities of the false prophet will parallel in many ways the miracles of Elijah and that of the two witnesses. Therefore, the Jews will believe that the false prophet is the fulfillment of Mal 4:5-6 and that the antichrist is the Messiah.

• For the identity of the two witnesses, Elijah (representing the prophets) and Moses (representing the law) will fulfill Malachi’s final prophecy.

 

• “…lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

 

(6)
• Malachi ends his book with a conditional threat.
  • If the people do not receive the message of reconciliation at the second fulfillment of Elijah and do not accept Christ, the earth will be forever cursed.
    • The word “curse” means = to set apart for complete extermination.
      • All mankind deserves the curse of God because of sin.
      • Judah deserved the curse because of Malachi’s evidence in this book:
        • They turned their backs on God’s love.
        • They hated God’s name.
        • They corrupted God’s temple.
        • They desecrated the worship of God with corrupt sacrifices.
        • They defiled their marriages.
        • They defrauded God in their offerings.
      • Read Gal 3:13-14
        • Jesus Christ is the solution to the curse.
          • Christians, too, often treat God in the same way as the Israelites. If that is true of your life, you need to repent and seek a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • We know from prophecy that the Jews will receive Christ at the second coming.
    • Read Zec 12:10-12
      • In this passage, we see this acceptance of Christ in the middle of the battle of Armageddon.
      • In this passage, we see the crucified, resurrected Christ forgiving His people.
      • In this passage, we see the reconciliation of families prophesied by Malachi.

• Summary:
  • From Malachi’s little book, we have come to understand the importance of a real relationship with God on a daily basis. The Israelites were satisfied with a ritualistic religion of tradition when God wanted a personal communion with His people.
  • From Genesis to Malachi God tried every way to bring His people into that personal relationship, but they consistently resisted.
  • Finally, God gave them over to their own rebellion and stopped sending them prophets to speak to them for 400 years. He had given them everything they needed to know. Now they must wait for God’s perfect timing before God would send His Son, Jesus Christ to demonstrate His great love through the sacrifice on the cross.
• Review:
  • Meaningful principles that benefit a believer’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ:
    • =1= God’s profound love was manifested to Israel through Malachi’s prophecy,
      • An ungrateful heart is blind to God’s love and blessing. Many times a period of problems in life is extended because of ungratefulness. This was true of Israel and still is.
    • =2= Spiritual discernment was lacking in the leadership of Israel so that they did not realize their traditions did not honor God.
      • Self-deception results in a carnal life that creates a distance in one’s relationship with God.
    • =3= Serving God as ambassadors was God’s call to them and to us.
      • However hypocrisy is the result of an outward face of commitment with an uncommitted heart.
    • =4= Attitude in service to God
      • The Israelites served with half a heart, without interest, in boring ritual, and a lack of sufficient preparation. Christians today often have the same bored attitude toward serving God.
    • =5= Action in service to God
      • Defective sacrifices desecrated the temple and worship in order to financially benefit the priests.
        • Christian leaders that do not give to God in a sacrificial way, but benefit themselves in ministry are as hypocritical as the Jewish priesthood.
    • =6= Accountability in service to God
      • God promised judgment to the priesthood for their hypocrisy.
      • God promises chastisement to the New Testament believer for his hypocrisy. We will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to answer for our actions when Christ comes for His church.
    • =7= Divorce and mixed marriages in Israel were outside of God’s will for Israel. These practices were evidence of unfaithfulness to wives and unfaithfulness to God’s will.
      • Christians express unfaithfulness in their lives in various ways.
    • =8= Giving to God or Robbing God
      • Giving to God cheerfully by his free will reflects the believer’s love, faith, and obedience to God.
  • God sees His people as precious jewels, polished for His glory.
  • God wanted the Israelites to be ready for His coming. Like the ten virgins in the parable that had oil in their lamps, God wants us to be ready for Christ’s second coming with the oil of the Holy Spirit in our hearts in a living relationship with Him.. (Mat 25:1-3)

The End May the footsteps of the Lord cross your path with thereality of a living relationship as you live on the edge of Christ’s second coming!