MALACHI
450 BC ?
The author of this book is not known. Mal'ak is a title not a name.
Written after the 2nd Temple was rebuilt. Abuses to the sacrificial system had crept in and divorces and mixed race marriages were in large number.
Like Haggai and Zechariah, Malachi was a prophet – the last – to the people who came back to Jerusalem, first under Ezra and Zerubbabel and, later, Nehemiah.
Malachi began with a message for his own time:
Rebukes to the people, for slackness and carelessness in Yahweh's worship.
Rebukes to the priests, for ignorance and injustice.
Malachi also prophesied the First Advent and concerning the messenger selected to prepare the way before Him (Christ).
Malachi also prophesied the Second Advent.
Malachi in the Hebrew is Mal'akiy and means 'My messenger'.
Malachi is H4401 and from H4397 mal'ak, meaning despatch as a messenger, a representative.
Yahweh's states His hatred for Esau. The Edomites infiltrated the Israelite priesthood and masqueraded as Israel. Their efforts were successful back then, and still hold strong today as all the “churches” teach that the Jews are Israel. They are NOT! They are the synagogue of Satan.
Malachi opens with the Israelites being concerned with the Edomites.
Malachi closes with the concerns of the Israelites of their own brethren.
Malachi 1:1 The burden (prophetic utterance) of the word of Yahweh to Israel by Malachi.
The Israelites of the Old Testament are the same people as in the New Testament.
The “churches” teach that the Jews are Israel and the NT is for the “church” who takes the place of Israel.
True Israelites and descendants of Adam are the Anglo-Saxon peoples of the white nations of Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada and America. The Jews are the mixed peoples of the descendants of Cain and of Esau.
The Bible, NT and OT, are written by, to, for and about the generations of Adam.
1:2 I have loved you, saith Yahweh. Yet you say, Wherein hast you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith Yahweh: yet I loved Jacob,
The children of Israel are concerned with the children of Esau more than themselves.
This is very much like today, Judeo-Christians (most of whom are Israelites and don't know it) are more concerned about the Jews and the state of Israel.
1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons (jackals) of the wilderness.
Jeremiah 49:17-18
17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith Yahweh, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
1:4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we (Edomite Jews) will return and build the desolate places; thus saith Yahweh of hosts, They (Edomite Jews) shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them (Jews), The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom Yahweh hath indignation for ever.
Above, in Jeremiah, 'man' in Hebrew is 'ish', a mortal, any mortal man. Next, 'son of man' is 'awdawm', the Hebrew word for the race of Adam.
Jeremiah verse 18 is a prophecy that has happened. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jews left Palestine and did not return until the late 1800's and after the instigation of WWI and II, and managed to break the yoke of Jacob, in 1948, by stealing the land of Judah, the Promised land (known today as Israel).
Indeed, no Adamite (white man) dwells in Palestine today. Yahweh does not lie.
The border (or territory) of wickedness is that Jewish state of Israel.
1:5 And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, Yahweh will be magnified from the border of Israel. (Isa 34:5-17, 63:1-6; Jer 49:7-22; Eze 25:12-14, 35:1-15; Amo 1:11-12; Obadiah)
The 'border of wickedness' is different than the 'border of Israel'. Verse 5 is not talking about the Jew state of Israel, but the territory of the children of Israel wherever they are. Just think, which nations of the world magnify Yahweh? The white nations, especially America, well at least we did the first 200 years.
Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour My righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let Yahweh be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a master, where is My fear? saith Yahweh of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name. And you say, Wherein have we despised Your name?
We should respect the history of our ancestors and learn from their mistakes.
Yahweh is speaking about the Edomite priests that have crept into the Levitical priesthood. This also includes those Levites that followed the practices of the Edomites.
These Edomite Jew priests taught that the name of God, Yahweh, was to holy to speak. This is because they know that the name of our God has power. Today, their efforts have worked because we call Him Lord, which is NOT His name, but the name of the Jews God Baal.
1:7 Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar; and you say, Wherein have we polluted You? In that you say, The table of Yahweh is contemptible (disregarded, slighted).
1:8 And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person? saith Yahweh of hosts.
The offering of blemished sacrifices, they are more concerned with personal gain.
Leviticus 22:22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, you shall not offer these unto Yahweh, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto Yahweh.
Deuteronomy 15:21 And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, you shalt not sacrifice it unto Yahweh your God.
1:9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that He will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will He regard your persons (stature in life)? saith Yahweh of hosts.
Hosea 13:9 O Israel, you hast destroyed yourself; but in Me is your help.
1:10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do you kindle fire on Mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith Yahweh of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
This is addressed to future priests. Less than unblemished sacrifices will not be accepted.
1Corinthians 9:13 Do you not know that those which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they attending at the altar are partakers with the altar?
1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles (Nations); and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the heathen (nations), saith Yahweh of hosts.
'Gentiles' is a Latin word that means, a nation, tribe, or race of people. Any nation.
It does not mean 'non-Jew', as the “churches” and the Jews teach. It simply means 'Nations', and depending on the context, it could be the Nations of Israel (12 tribes) or other nations of peoples.
1:12 But you have profaned it (His name, Yahweh), in that you say, The table of Yahweh is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even His meat, is contemptible (disregarded, slighted). (Verse 7)
1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and you have snuffed at it (as in contempt), saith Yahweh of hosts; and you brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus you brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith Yahweh.
Leviticus 22:20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall you not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
1:14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto Yahweh a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith Yahweh of hosts, and My name is dreadful (awesome) among the heathen (nations).
Psalm 47:2 For Yahweh most high is terrible (to be had in reverence); He is a great King over all the earth.
The priesthood was not to sacrifice the blemished. Yahweh deserves the best.
Malachi 2:1 And now, O you priests, this commandment is for you.
2:2 If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My name, saith Yahweh of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.
Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if you wilt not hearken unto the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you:
By the 2nd century BC, the name of God, Yahweh, was forbidden by the Edomite priests to be used.
2:3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
The Israelite Levitical priests that rejected Yahweh wound up race mixing with the Edomites.
2:4 And you shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant might be with Levi, saith Yahweh of hosts. (Num 3:11-13)
Yahweh rejected the offerings of the Edomite priesthood and honors His covenant with Levi.
The same thing happened with Cain and Abel. Cain was the son of Eve and the serpent (Devil), so God refused his offering. Abel was Adam's son and God accepted his offering. (Gen 4:3-5)
2:5 My covenant was with him (Levi) of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared (reverenced) Me, and was afraid (in awe) before My name.
Numbers 25:12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
2:6 The law (torah) of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity (injustice) was not found in his lips: he walked with Me in peace and equity (straightness), and did turn many away from iniquity.
Talking about the Levitical priesthood.
Deuteronomy 33:10 They (Levites) shall teach Jacob your judgments, and Israel your law: they shall put incense before you, and whole burnt sacrifice upon your altar.
Jeremiah 23:21-22
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Talking about the Edomites that took over the Levitical priesthood.
2:7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law (teachings) at his mouth: for he is the messenger (mal'ak) of Yahweh of hosts.
The title of this book, mal'ak, a messenger of Yahweh.
2:8 But you (Edom) are departed out of the way (apostasized); you (Jews) have caused many to stumble at the law; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Yahweh of hosts.
2:9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as you have not kept My ways, but have been partial in the law.
These were the Edomite Jews that eventually took over the sect of the Pharisees. They distorted the laws of Moses into the 'traditions of men' (Judaism), and murdered Christ.
This also includes those Levites that strayed from Yahweh to follow Edom.
1Samuel 2:30 Wherefore Yahweh God of Israel saith, I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me for ever: but now Yahweh saith, Be it far from Me; for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our (fore) fathers?
These are the liberal Israelite priests speaking for Edom. Esau was Isaac's son too. But since Esau despised his race and birthright and he race mixed with Canaanites, his seed is not acceptable. That is why Yahweh chose Jacob and his seed. The children of Israel (us).
2:11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of Yahweh which He loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god (racial alien god, a foreign god of the land).
Ezra 9:1-2
1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Nehemiah 13:23 In those days also saw I Judahites that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
Yahweh forbids race mixing.
2:12 Yahweh will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto Yahweh of hosts.
Nehemiah 13:29 Remember them, O My God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
2:13 And this have you done again, covering the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
Judah repeated the accusation made in verse 11.
The man Judah race mixed with a Canaanite and had 3 sons, 2 of which Yahweh slayed.
The House of Judah (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi) race mixed with Canaanites, Edomites, and strangers of the surrounding regions.
2:14 Yet you say, Wherefore? Because Yahweh hath been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you hast dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant.
Proverbs 5:15-18
15 Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well.
16 Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only your own, and not strangers' with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 2:16-17
16 To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Yahweh forbids race mixing.
2:15 And did not He make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That He (Yahweh) might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Ezra 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
2:16 For Yahweh, the God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away (divorce): for one covereth violence with his garment, saith Yahweh of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously. (Matt 5:31-32, 19:4-9)
Yahweh hates divorce.
2:17 Ye have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When you say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
The “churches” encourage race mixing. They say “He delights in it” OR they say “where is the judgment?” They sure don't follow scripture they shun it.
Matthew 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before you. (Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76, 7:27)
Prophecy of John the Baptist
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send My messenger (John), and he shall prepare the way before Me: and Yahweh, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple (body), even the messenger (mal'ak) of the covenant, whom you delight in: behold, He shall come, saith Yahweh of hosts.
John was also a mal'ak, a representative for Yahweh.
3:2 But who may abide the day of His (Christ's) coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: (Joel 2:11; Rev 6:17)
3:3 And he (John) shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he (John) shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto Yahweh an offering in righteousness.
John was sent to cleanse the Levitical priesthood in order that they may offer Christ in righteousness.
Baptism of water was by John for the Levitical priesthood and for Christ. John was the last Levitical priest and Christ was the last sacrifice. When Christ died, the priesthood and baptism ended. Christ is now our High Priest. The only way to be baptized now is by being immersed in the knowledge and understanding of the Word.
Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn My hand upon you, and purely purge away your dross, and take away all your tin (difference, separation from sin):
1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Yahweh, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Since Christ died, and the ritual ordinances expired, we, the holy seed, a priestly kingdom, must offer 'spiritual sacrifice' to Yahweh. This would be done by immersing ourselves in His Word. And practicing it.
3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger (sojourning kinsman) from his right, and fear not Me, saith Yahweh of hosts.
Verse 5 is speaking of the Jews.
Zechariah 5:4 I will bring it forth, saith Yahweh of hosts, and it (His curse) shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of Yahweh of sabaoth.
3:6 For I am Yahweh, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed (brought to an end).
Sirach 48:10 Who wast ordained for reproofs in their times, to pacify the wrath of Yahweh's judgment, before it brake forth into fury, and to turn the heart of the father unto the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
We deserve death for our disobedience and whoredom to Yahweh. Since Yahweh keeps His word, He honors His promise to Abraham.
Christ came to fulfill the promises by dying for us so we may remarry Him, if we act like a bride of righteousness.
3:7 Even from the days of your (fore) fathers you are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return?
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do you.
Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say you unto them, Thus saith Yahweh of hosts; Turn you unto Me, saith Yahweh of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts.
3:8 Will a man (adam) rob (qaba) God? Yet you have robbed (qaba) Me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed (qaba) You? In tithes and offerings.
3:9 You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed (qaba) Me, even this whole nation.
The Sopherim (Jewish Scribes) understood this verse to say that it was Israel "cursing God" rather than "God cursing Israel." I have a few translations that make this correction:
"With the curse YOU are cursing [me], and me YOU are robbing—the nation in its entirety."
And:
"With a curse you curse Me, and Me you are defrauding—the nation, all of it" (Mal. 3:9,Concordant Version of The Old Testament).
Brenton's Septuagint has: Malachi 3:9 And you do surely look off from Me, and you insult Me.
The Syriac has 'circumvent' where the KJV has rob(robbed). Qaba H6906
The context in verse 7 has falling away, turning aside (H5493). When it is translated to verses 8-9 circumvent means to keep back tithes.
3:10 Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith Yahweh of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven (the sky), and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Lev 27:30; Num 18:21-24; Deut 12:6, 14:22-29; Neh 13:12)
3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith Yahweh of hosts.
Amos 4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm (other races) devoured them: yet have you not returned unto Me, saith Yahweh.
3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land, saith Yahweh of hosts.
3:13 Your words have been stout against Me, saith Yahweh. Yet you say, What have we spoken so much against You?
3:14 You have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of hosts?
Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of your ways.
3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Psalm 73:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Psalm 95:8-9
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work.
3:16 Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared (revered) Yahweh, and that thought upon His name.
3:17 And they shall be Mine, saith Yahweh of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the land is Mine:
Deuteronomy 7:6 For you art an holy people unto Yahweh your God: Yahweh your God hath chosen you to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the land.
3:18 Then shall you return (to Yahweh's worship), and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.
Psalm 58:10-11
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily He is a God that judgeth in the land.
Chapter 3 continues in the Hebrew, there is no chapter 4.
Malachi 4:1 (3:19) For, behold, the day cometh, 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 Yahweh of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of Yahweh come.
4:2 (3:20) But unto you that fear (revere) My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with (spiritual) healing in His wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Aryan symbol of the Phoenix.
Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore He saith, Awake you that sleepest, and arise from the dead (ignorance), and Christ shall give you light.
4:3 (3:21) And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith Yahweh of hosts.
Obadiah 1:17-18
17 But upon mount Zion (children of Israel) shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for Yahweh hath spoken it.
4:4 (3:22) Remember you the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
4:5 (3:23) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh:
Matthew 11:14 And if you will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.
4:6 (3:24) 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 (land) with a curse.
Zechariah 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith Yahweh will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem (Israelites); Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
Zechariah 5:3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.
So we can see that the prophecy of Malachi warns us of the Edomite usurpation of the Levitical priesthood.
That John the Baptist was sent to cleanse the Levitical priesthood and prepare the final sacrifice (Christ).
That the Edomite Jew race will be destroyed upon our Prince's return.
We must be prepared, fit and ready for Him by immersing ourselves in His truth, knowledge and understanding.
Yahshua Christ, in the New Testament, said 'I and My Father are one.' Here He emphasized the changelessness and inherent consistency of the Godhead, and because of that, the people of His covenanted promises, all the sons of Jacob, are NOT utterly cast out and destroyed. When Christ came at His First Advent, He said that He wa specifically sent to 'the house of Israel', those descended from the twelve sons of Jacob.
So, as we close that part of the Bible known as the Old Testament and open that known as the New Testament, we have reason for expecting a continuation of the story of Israel's place in Yahweh's great plan for salvation of the Adamic world, and the final victory over the Adversaries of our God.
MALACHI– CHURCH DOCTRINE VS. SCRIPTURE
Below are 3 sources of what the modern churches preach today about the book of Malachi.
The purpose is to expose the apostasy and perversion of the scriptures, and to educate our people about the truth of our heritage. That we, the anglo-saxon race who are the descendants of ancient Israel, are the people of Abraham's seed and therefore the heirs of the promises of Yahweh. Not the Jews who distort and pervert the scriptures and teach the 'traditions of men'.
Biblehub.com
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and is a book of Prophetic Oracle. It is a post-exilic book, meaning it was written after the return from captivity in Babylon. The prophet Malachi wrote it approximately 430 B.C. Key personalities include Malachi and the priests. The purpose of this book is that Malachi wrote to ensure that the hearts of the Jews (Judaean Isrealites) was right and that they were keeping God first in their lives.
• In chapters 1-3, Malachi identified the sins of the Jews, including their priests.
A true statement. Even though there were some Israelite Levites that followed the Edomite Jew priesthood, the warning was about the Edomite priesthood.
He prophesied that God would send a messenger to prepare the way (this is John the Baptist), “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts” (3:1). Finally, he addressed the topic of tithes and offering and that God is stolen from when people disobey it. Tithing is not necessarily money.
• In chapter 4, the last chapter of the Old Testament, Malachi addressed, “the great and terrible day of the Lord” (vs. 5). He teaches about the coming judgment when God will set them ablaze in His holy anger. The them are the Edomite Jews (read also Obadiah). He also gives hope to the faithful with the Book of Remembrance. Those who do the will of God and are righteous will be spared.
Malachi, the last book of the Bible, ends very differently than it began in the book of Genesis. Let us compare them:
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This was a beautiful and perfect relationship with God.
Malachi 4:6, “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Consider the large contrast between the very first verse and the very last verse. Afterward, consider that “the sin of mankind” made all the difference. The Old Testament begins with the magnificent power of God’s creation and ends with fear and separation from God and in need of a Savior. The Old Testament closes with a sad dreary clunk...
Actually it closes with the prophecy of the destruction of the Jews and all their evil.
It also closes with the expectation of righteousness.
Biblestudytools.com
Summary of the Book of Malachi
Author
The book is ascribed to Malachi, whose name means "my messenger." Since the term occurs in 3:1, and since both prophets and priests were called messengers of the Lord (see 2:7; Hag 1:13), some have thought "Malachi" to be only a title that tradition has given the author. The view has been supported by appeal to the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT (the Septuagint), which translates the term in 1:1 "his messenger" rather than as a proper noun. The matter, however, remains uncertain, and it is still very likely that Malachi was in fact the author's name.
Background
Spurred on by the prophetic activity of Haggai and Zechariah, the returned exiles under the leadership of their governor Zerubbabel finished the temple in 516 b.c. In 458 the community was strengthened by the coming of the priest Ezra and several thousand more Jews (Judaean Israelites). Artaxerxes king of Persia encouraged Ezra to reconstitute the temple worship (Ezr 7:17) and to make sure the law of Moses was being obeyed (Ezr 7:25-26).
Fourteen years later (444) the same Persian king permitted his cupbearer Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls (Ne 6:15). As newly appointed governor, Nehemiah also spearheaded reforms to help the poor (Ne 5:2-13), and he convinced the people to shun mixed marriages (Ne 10:30), to keep the Sabbath (Ne 10: 31) and to bring their tithes and offerings faithfully (Ne 10:37-39).
In 433 b.c. Nehemiah returned to the service of the Persian king, and during his absence the Jews (Judaeans) fell into sin once more. Later, however, Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem to discover that the tithes were ignored, the Sabbath was broken, the people had intermarried with foreigners, and the priests had become corrupt (Ne 13:7-31). Several of these same sins are condemned by Malachi (see 1:6-14; 2:14-16; 3:8-11). The priests became corrupt because of the Edomite Jew influence.
Themes and Theology
The theological message of the book can be summed up in one sentence: The Great King (1:14) will come not only to judge his people (3:1-5; 4:1) but also to bless and restore them (3:6-12; 4:2).
Although the Jews (Judaeans of the house of Judah) had been allowed to return from exile and rebuild the temple, several discouraging factors brought about a general religious malaise: (1) Their land remained but a small province in the backwaters of the Persian empire, (2) the glorious future announced by the prophets (including the other postexilic prophets, Haggai and Zechariah) had not (yet) been realized, and (3) their God had not (yet) come to his temple (3:1) with majesty and power (as celebrated in Ps 68) to exalt his kingdom in the sight of the nations. Doubting God's covenant love (1:2) and no longer trusting his justice (2:17; 3:14-15), the Jews (Judaean Israelites) of the restored community began to lose hope. So their worship degenerated into a listless perpetuation of mere forms, and they no longer took the law seriously.
Because of the Edomite Jew priesthood perverting the laws of Moses to fit their own doctrine.
Malachi rebukes their doubt of God's love (1:2-5) and the faithlessness of both priests (1:6 -- 2:9) and people (2:10-16). To their charge that God is unjust (2:17) because he has failed to come in judgment to exalt his people, Malachi answers with an announcement and a warning. The Lord they seek will come -- but he will come "like a refiner's fire" (3:1-4). He will come to judge -- but he will judge his people first (3:5).
Because the Lord does not change in his commitments and purpose, Israel has not been completely destroyed for her persistent unfaithfulness (3:6). And because of the promises to Abraham. But only through repentance and reformation will she again experience God's blessing (3:6-12). Those who honor the Lord will be spared when he comes to judge (3:16-18).
In conclusion, Malachi once more reassures and warns his readers that "the day [that great and dreadful day of the Lord,' 4:5] is coming" and that "it will burn like a furnace" (4:1). In that day the righteous will rejoice, and "you will trample down the wicked" (4:2-3). So "remember the law of my servant Moses" (4:4). To prepare his people for that day the Lord will send "the prophet Elijah" (not Elijah himself, but the spirit of Elijah) to call them back to the godly ways of their forefathers (4:5-6).
Insight.org
Who wrote the book?
The final book of the Old Testament, Malachi received its name from its author (Malachi 1:1). In Hebrew, the name comes from a word meaning “messenger,” which points to Malachi’s role as a prophet of the Lord, delivering God’s message to God’s people.1 Malachi offered no other identifying information about himself, leaving out markers typical of other prophets such as his father’s name or the current leader of Israel.
However, based on the content of the book, it becomes clear that Malachi delivered his message of judgment to a Judean audience familiar with worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem (2:11). The people of Judah had turned away from the true worship of the Lord, leaving themselves under judgment and in need of salvation.
Where are we?
Malachi certainly wrote to the people of Judah (Malachi 1:1; 2:11), but the historical setting becomes clearer in Malachi 1:8. Here the prophet used the Persian word for governor, indicating a time period between 538–333 BC, when the Persian Empire ruled the Promised Land. Malachi also wrote about the corruption of the temple sacrifices, meaning that he likely delivered his message many years after the Israelites rebuilt the temple in 515 BC. The prophet’s concerns mirror those of Nehemiah’s, suggesting that Malachi prophesied to the people while Nehemiah left the city for several years, beginning in 432 BC (Nehemiah 13:6).
Why is Malachi so important?
Malachi’s unique position as the final book of the Old Testament offers a glimpse into the hearts of Israelite men and women, members of a nation that had been specially chosen by God, descendents of Abraham, and inheritors of the rich tradition of the Jewish (the rich tradition the children of Israel, the Jews are not Israel, they are children of Esau and Cain) people. Their history told of glories like the exodus from Egypt and the faithfulness of God to King David. But they had also experienced the judgment of wandering in the desert and the shame of exile from the Promised Land.
At the time of Malachi, well over a thousand years after Abraham’s era, the Israelites had the advantage and weight of history on their side; they could see the shining rewards of faithfulness and the punishments associated with judgment, even to the point of being uprooted from their land. But even then, with all that perspective, the book of Malachi teaches us that they still strayed from the Lord’s path. They needed God’s intervention as much as ever, so this book, as a final statement of judgment in the Old Testament, anticipates God’s saving work through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Yes, He will preserve His people, the children of Israel, and destroy the children of Esau (as told in Obadiah).
What's the big idea?
The people of Judah began to be exiled from the Promised Land in 605 BC, returning from Babylon seventy years later. By the time of Malachi, they had been back in the land for more than a hundred years and were looking for the blessings they expected to receive when they returned. Though the temple had been rebuilt, the fervor of those early returning Israelites gave way to a thorough apathy for the things of God. This led to rampant corruption among the priesthood and a spiritual lethargy among the people.
This commentator has it backwards. Since the Edomites dwelled in Judaea while the Israelites were in captivity, when they came back, the Edomites had taken root in the priesthood, leading to corruption.
Malachi came along at a time when the people were struggling to believe that God loved them (Malachi 1:2). The people focused on their unfortunate circumstances and refused to account for their own sinful deeds. So God pointed the finger back at them, and through Malachi, God told the people where they had fallen short of their covenant with Him. If they hoped to see changes, they needed to take responsibility for their own actions and serve God faithfully according to the promise their fathers had made to God on Mount Sinai all those years before.
How do I apply this?
Throughout Israel’s history, the nation failed and God called His people back to Himself. Each time, Israel would fail again, prompting the cycle to begin again. God’s final word of the Old Testament concerns judgment for sin and testifies to our inability to love Him without the help of His grace.
Do you struggle to follow God consistently? Malachi’s call prompts us to live faithfully before God and offers hope that God is not yet through with extending mercy to His people (Malachi 3:1; 4:2, 5–6).