The Dreadful Day of the Lord:
Malachi 4:5-6 (NIV)— “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
Read more about Elijah by clicking here:
First let me state that Malachi is not the last book of the Old Covenant the book sits just before Psalms and after Zechariah. Secondly, the dreadful day of the Lord is not the day Jesus entered the scene. In fact, Zephaniah 1: 1-14 (NIV) explains in detail what this day would look like for the Israelites. Many commentaries state that this verse points to the arrival of Jesus and Elijah in the form of John the Baptizer. This verse must be due to Israel disobedience and what is about to happen to them as a consequence of their willful disobedience. Again, it is necessary to read Zephaniah chapter one. What about Elijah, where does he come into play here and what will Elijah accomplish? In Malachi 4:6 (NIV) we have Elijah’s mission statement: “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.”
Another meaning for the last two verses on Malachi chapter four most likely has to do with the great tribulation period spoken of in Daniel, Joel and Revelations. What I find interesting is the last verse of chapter four is a reversal of Luke 12:53 (NIV) “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Below is the text from Zephaniah 1:1-14 (NIV)
“The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord
“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth when I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth, I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea—and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble. When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth, I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests—those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited. On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit. On that day, declares the Lord, a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be destroyed. At that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad. Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine. The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.”
Contrary to what many scholars have to say the passage in Malachi has nothing to do with John the Baptist or Jesus; this has everything to do with two specific events: 1: What was about to happen to Israel because of their sin, and 2: a forward look into the future of what will happen during the great and terrible day of the Lord as mentioned in Daniel chapter nine, Joel chapter two, Matthew chapter twenty-four, Mark chapter thirteen, Luke chapter twenty-one and Revelations. Man will once again deny the Lord and return to the way it was before the flood when the wickedness of man’s heart caused God to end what he created and start over with a select group of individuals. When the Lord returns this time, there is no starting over with a select few individuals. Followers of Christ will receive rewards, those who are not followers will suffer and finally be judged and the second death announced, and for many, that will be the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Mark 13:19 (NKJV) Jesus said: “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.”
Can you imagine what it was like at the beginning of creation? What do you consider this statement to mean? Is it a factual statement or an idiom of some kind? Some use this statement to show that humankind was created the same day as the cosmos was created. I personally believe this type of thinking is nothing more than justification for one’s pitch of a young earth. I do not believe Jesus was talking about a young earth, but He was letting us know that the world (cosmos) was going to experience such a catastrophic period that it will be like how everything began. Personally, I would not want to be around during this time of global if not interstellar upheaval.
Again, the message in Malachi chapter four has nothing to do with Jesus first appearance, or that of John the Baptizer: It is a reference to what already happened and then to the great tribulation! Please read Matthew chapter twenty-four for yourself and see what is happening today and what is about to happen tomorrow. And be wary of those who like to prance around with their heads held high thinking they know better than anyone else. They believe they are wise while all along they are being discovered as fools.
To see what is currently happening in our world that aligns with the great and terrible day of the Lord click here.
Read the book for yourself and allow the Helper to reveal to you the meanings of Jesus’ words. Do not rely on man, including myself to give you information that you as a follower of Jesus should already know. If you believe and are His, you will know things that no mortal can teach you. You were given access to the Lord once you accepted Him as your Lord and King. You simply know things that cannot be explained or even shared with those who are not His. If you try to share anything to someone who does not belong to Christ Jesus, they will not understand a word you say, it would be like you are speaking a foreign language, indistinguishable for all know languages.
No matter what is happening in our world know that you belong to Christ Jesus and that He will protect you and take care of you. It might not be the way you would like, but know He will help you no matter what situation you are in. Remain steadfast in the faith constantly relying of Jesus instead of yourself.
Be safe and at peace knowing that soon you will be with the Lord of glory for all eternity.
Blessings and peace to all.
Mike
19 April 2022
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