I will send my messenger

[face2face]

The words are taken from Malachi 3:1 and have long been used to show the work of John the Baptist in preparing with the way for Christ's ministry.

A man sent from God (John 1:6) and because he was the messenger of God Who was revealed in His Son Jesus it can be said that God had visited his people!

Matthew 1:23
Luke 7:16
Luke 9:45
Luke 10:22
John 3:2
John 13:20
John 13:31
John 14:9

His work was to prepare however, we also know the return of Elijah is also a secondary fulfillment (Malachi 4:5) something which caught the Jews off guard when questioning John of his true identity; he told them plainly he was not Elijah. It is true that John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah, but not as Elijah. The work of Elijah is set aside for the second advent of the Lord which is introduced to us in Isaiah 40.

An important point

Both their work of preparation is and will be to introduce a new age.

I've noticed a number of believers here do not have an accurate vision of the events leading up to the Lords return.

tbc...

 

[shortangel]

thank you for shareing that, great perspective here

 

[face2face]

John Baptist went to Judah to prepare the people to receive the Lord; Elijah will go to the tribes of Israel scattered throughout the earth to educate them in the fact that the one who will then have returned to the earth is the Messiah and to call upon them to receive him.

This work is critical in restoring the Throne of David in fulfillment of God's promises to him.

The work of John the Baptist is briefly set forth in Matthew 11:10; Luke 1:76; Matthew 17:12; that cf Elijah in Malachi 4:6; Matthew 17:11; Mark 9:12; John 1:21

The work which John commenced so well will be completed by Elijah when the Lord's comes in Glory.

This is that work!

Malachi 4:6.

 

[face2face]

Malachi 3:1

We come to our first issue with this prophecy

3:1 “•I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

The question whether the Jews sought the Lord comes with a resounding NO!

Of course this statement doesn't imply that they would do so.

The Jews had been asking, "Where is the God of judgment?" Malachi 2:17 complaining that they did not receive just treatment! This statement "the Lord whom ye seek" is in answer to their query.

He whom they asked for would come and execute judgment - but not in the way they desired

 

[face2face]

Don't you love the Word of God in how it's presented so consistently? And when it fulfilled so precisely you must be in awe of it!

3:1 “•I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

The first advent was suddenly and likewise will the second! Matthew 24:29; Revelation 22:12

Sudden and unexpected both advents will be given Holy Men to prepare the way for the Lords return.

This is why prophecy is so important and when you have people making it of no affect, only the believer is the one who is hurt.

 

[Jack]

Amen! Jesus is God the Creator.
Colossians 1
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

 

[face2face]

Malachi 3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

All of us know that His people ultimately makes up his temple, for the temple is the dwelling place of God - so God through His Son came to His Temple 2000 years ago (John 1:11), but his people rejected him, so he commenced the work of building a new temple with living stones (1 Peter 2:6-8) drawn from both Jews and Gentiles (2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:20-22)

I wouldn't expect anyone in this forum to disagree with these points so far.

 

[face2face]

Malachi 3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Who is the messenger of the covenant?

 

[Brakelite]

Don't you love the Word of God in how it's presented so consistently? And when it fulfilled so precisely you must be in awe of it!

3:1 “•I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

The first advent was suddenly and likewise will the second! Matthew 24:29; Revelation 22:12

Sudden and unexpected both advents will be given Holy Men to prepare the way for the Lords return.

This is why prophecy is so important and when you have people making it of no affect, only the believer is the one who is hurt.

The first advent was expected by those who knew and understood the prophecies, such as Simeon and Anna. For them, the coming of Messiah was no surprise.
There will be a similar expectation of Jesus at His second advent. For those who don't study and believe the prophecies, the second coming will come as a surprise, even a shock.
KJV 2 Peter 3:3-7, 10-12
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

 

[face2face]

Who is the messenger of the Covenant?

The Lord Jesus Christ is the messenger of the covenant.

2000 or so years ago he appeared as the sacrifice, confirming the covenant made to the fathers as per Romans 15:6; Hebrews 9:15 but the work is net yet completed, and at the second coming of the Lord, will see it consummated

Zechariah 9:11
Jeremiah 31:31-54
Ezekiel 20:37-38

This is stated ironically, as they did NOT delight in God! They had excused their poor conduct by inquiring: "'Where is the God of judgment?" Malachi 2:17.

Interesting that the prophet used the Military name of God! (a lesson for Israel you think?)

Yahweh Sabaoth -

He is the Commander - Isaiah 13:4 Revelation 19:11

The use of this title in this verse is as a hint, warning guilty Israel of the Power they were opposing!

 

[Wrangler]

The words are taken from Malachi 3:1

Amen! Jesus is God the Creator.
Colossians 1
16

It's so funny how trinitarians just ignore verses they don't like and desperately want only verses they prefer to be on the table for discussion. It's rude and hijacking. FYI, Col 1:16 as support for trinitarianism, has been refuted many times in other threads. Let's stick to Malachi 3:1 for this thread. Thanks!

 

[face2face]

There is a lot to consider in Malachi 3:2.

Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.

Both advents of the Lord Jesus witness a time of intense trouble for Israel!

For the troubles of the first advent see Mark 15:13; Luke 21:24.
For the those of the second see Jeremiah 50:7; Deuteronomy 4:30; Hosea 6:10; Jeremiah 29:12-14; Jeremiah 3:21 - Jeremiah 4:2

If anyone has any questions about these prophecies please feel free to ask.

For those who think God has abandoned His People - this study isn't for you

 

[face2face]

If you read Jeremiah 3:21 to 4:2 you will find something rather beautiful unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel (a critically important prophecy!)

It includes the call of God and an answer to His people which will be revealed to them in the last days.

The troubles of Israel, at the second advent are outlined in Jeremiah 3:21.

The call of Yahweh, and answer of His people are given in Jeremiah 3:22-25.

Israel will at last acknowledge that in God alone is salvation found. In Jeremiah 4:1 the conditions of return are shown them, and they are told to accept Him in whom all the nations shall bless themselves. The trouble of the last days shall purge out the unfaithful from among Israel as per Zechariah 13:8-9 by such judgments that the question may well be asked:

"Who shall abide"..."Who shall stand?"

To stand is to be justified, to be shown to be upright. Psalms 1:5; Daniel 12:13

The average Christian who hardly reads their Bibles is in deep trouble when the Lord comes!

 

[face2face]

Malachi 3:2 For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap

The fiery judgments to be poured out upon both Jew and Gentile will purge the world of iniquity.

Isaiah 1:25
Zechariah 13:9 compare with Jeremiah 6:30.

Jeremiah 6:30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’ because the Lord rejects them.” (notice the word play with "reject"!)

The use of a fullers soap is interesting; it was an alkali derived from herbs and used in cleaning alluded to in Isaiah 1:18 & Psalms 51:7. The writer is using this imagery to describe the cleansing process of Israel when Christ returns at his second coming as per Zechariah 13:1.

Whenever possible it's a good habit to identify with Bible imagery as it's there to lead us to important lessons. So far we can appreciate Israel will be purged and cleaned of their godlessness and idolatry, a work not undertaken by the Lamb, but when Elijah comes to prepare the way for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, will that purging work begin. ...the time of praying for the peace of Jerusalem will be upon us! Psalms 122:6

 

[Jack]

It's so funny how trinitarians just ignore verses they don't like and desperately want only verses they prefer to be on the table for discussion. It's rude and hijacking. FYI, Col 1:16 as support for trinitarianism, has been refuted many times in other threads. Let's stick to Malachi 3:1 for this thread. Thanks!

Col says Jesus created all things. He is indeed God.

 

[Wrangler]

Col says Jesus created all things. He is indeed God.

Unable to help yourself and stay on Malachi?

 

[Brakelite]

The fiery judgments to be poured out upon both Jew and Gentile will purge the world of iniquity.

I'm going to suggest an alternative reasoning behind the second coming. The Refiners fire is falling now. God is purifying His people now. When Jesus comes, the church has already been cleansed of sin and unrighteousness. Without spot or wrinkle. What takes place when He comes is not a cleansing of the church, but of the planet. Sinners are destroyed. The church is taken away. The planet itself is left behind with no life upon it but that of Satan and his angels. This Satan's time of being chained... Charged with circumstance having no-one to tempt. Nothing to do for 1000 years but to consider his own coming destruction.
Now is the time for the people of God to be fully sanctified by the word of truth. Tomorrow may be too late.

 

[face2face]

I'm going to suggest an alternative reasoning behind the second coming. The Refiners fire is falling now. God is purifying His people now.

You need to define "His people"...if you mean converts then yes this is a constant work of the Lord however if you are suggesting Israel then no. This time of great suffering, even greater than the Holocaust is yet to come. I wont go into that now as it's jumping a head but Zechariahs prophecies are yet to be realized.

When Jesus comes, the church has already been cleansed of sin and unrighteousness. Without spot or wrinkle.

True of the Elect Saints!

What takes place when He comes is not a cleansing of the church, but of the planet. Sinners are destroyed.

Correct but not all...many will survive those coming judgements.

The church is taken away.

Correct - some have suggested into a high mountain but I'm not concerned about the location!

The planet itself is left behind with no life upon it but that of Satan and his angels.

We part ways here Brakelight majorly (sorry).

Daniel 2:44 •In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future

This above prophecy reveals the process of Christ and the Saints grinding the disobedient nations to chaff, something that will happen in the stages of his 2nd coming.

So much is to take place during these times, I hope to detail these in due course. (keep in mind, not all nations will be rebellious...some will kiss the Son - others will be punished with no rain etc Zechariah 14:17

Of course end of the 1000 years will see the blue text ultimately fulfilled.

This Satan's time of being chained... Charged with circumstance having no-one to tempt. Nothing to do for 1000 years but to consider his own coming destruction.

Now is the time for the people of God to be fully sanctified by the word of truth. Tomorrow may be too late.

I will resist from being diverted from this consideration of Malachi and Christ's work with Israel upon his return - your view of the adversaries at end times might be a lot different to mine, so lets park that for now rather than finding disagreement.

God has revealed His Will in these prophecies and its no easy thing to piece them together. (Some things I am dogmatic on but the order of events never!)

For now the work of Elijah will be to purge Israel of the dross and bring them into the land to enable them to do what they did with David 2 Samuel 5:3 - but now the greater David has come.

What's important for me to state is this study in Malachi is dealing with the events of Elijah and his work....now at this time many things have already happened in the earth and likewise a lot to take place afterwards.

It is therefore important to have a clear vision!

The example of Christ ‘who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross’ as per Hebrew 12:2 is an important point when looking at this prophecies, we need to understand and to fix our attention upon the events that will occur upon the earth, prior to, and after the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Earth. Amos 3:7 is important also - things are revealed to those who diligently search! 2 Samuel 23:5 cmp Psalms 145:19 reveals God is willing to show these things to us and bless us accordingly.

Thanks for your response
F2F

 

[Phoneman777]

The words are taken from Malachi 3:1 and have long been used to show the work of John the Baptist in preparing with the way for Christ's ministry.

A man sent from God (John 1:6) and because he was the messenger of God Who was revealed in His Son Jesus it can be said that God had visited his people!

Matthew 1:23
Luke 7:16
Luke 9:45
Luke 10:22
John 3:2
John 13:20
John 13:31
John 14:9

His work was to prepare however, we also know the return of Elijah is also a secondary fulfillment (Malachi 4:5) something which caught the Jews off guard when questioning John of his true identity; he told them plainly he was not Elijah. It is true that John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah, but not as Elijah. The work of Elijah is set aside for the second advent of the Lord which is introduced to us in Isaiah 40.

An important point

Both their work of preparation is and will be to introduce a new age.

I've noticed a number of believers here do not have an accurate vision of the events leading up to the Lords return.

tbc...

Do you believe Elijah returns during the "last 7 yeras of tribulation" after the church disappears?

 

[face2face]

Do you believe Elijah returns during the "last 7 yeras of tribulation" after the church disappears?

Hi Phoneman
I am away at present with poor connection...when I get back I will prepare a response.
Thanks
F2F