“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”
~ Malachi 4:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you know what the name is of the last book in the Old Testament? Do you know who wrote the last book in the Old Testament? The last Old Testament book may have been written by a guy by the name of Malachi. Do you know what the name Malachi means? Malachi means messenger. Your grandpaa believes that the Malachi Book was written by Malachi even though some guys think that the last Old Testament book may have been written by another one of God’s messengers and not by a guy by the name of Malachi. Malachi sent a letter to God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who God had allowed to return to Jerusalem from where they had been living in Babylon as captive slaves. Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah at different times led assembled groups of these God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids back to Jerusalem. Forty-eight years after Jerusalem was overrun by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army, Zerubbabel led an amassed group of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids from Babylon to Jerusalem to live. Babylon is called Iraq today. Ezra led eighty years later another accumulated throng of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids to Jerusalem to live. This collective troupe of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids rebuilt the temple of God that was located in Jerusalem. About twenty-six years after Ezra led his horde of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids to Jerusalem, Nehemiah led another assembled group of God’s specially guys, gals and kids to Jerusalem to live. Do you know what Nehemiah did when arrived in Jerusalem? Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s razed walls. The Babylonian army had demolished and burned Jerusalem’s walls when they plundered Jerusalem and captured God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who were still living in Jerusalem. There were a couple of other prophets besides Malachi who God used as spokesmen during the time when Jerusalem was being resettled by guys, gals and kids who God had specially chosen for Himself. These prophets were Haggai and Zechariah. These two guys encouraged God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who were living in Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God that was located in Jerusalem. Malachi – as God’s messenger, was sent by God to warn God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids to not give up believing in Him and following Him or . . .
Malachi 4 is the very last chapter in the Old Testament. This last chapter in the Old Testament announces the pending arrival of a very special day. What do you think was the very special day that Malachi announced in the message which he was passing on from God to God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids? This very special day is the Day of the Lord. What do you think will take place on the Day of the Lord? Verse 1 says “‘Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’” Your grandpaa does not know if this Day of the Lord that Malachi wrote about in his letter to God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids is about Jesus’ first visit to planet Earth or it is about when Jesus returns to planet Earth for a second time. Malachi also wrote about Elijah in this chapter. Malachi did not know that he is referring to John the Baptist when he wrote about Elijah. John the Baptist would be born about 400 years after God had Malachi write his letter. After Malachi scribed his letter and up until Jesus came to planet Earth – which was about 400 years later, everything went quiet on planet Earth. There are several books in the Apocrypha – which the Catholic Church uses, which reports on the years between when Malachi wrote his missive and when Jesus was born.
Your grandpaa hopes that he has not been boring you with a lot of history stuff. Your grandpaa wishes that he had known when he got older more of the Old Testament history – like how it all fits together. Your grandpaa when he was a kid went to a Christian school, attended Sunday School and went to church every Sunday with your dad’s grandma and grandpa. Your grandpaa met your grandmaa when your grandpaa was studying at Dordt. Dordt is a Bible College that is located in Sioux Center, Iowa. Your grandpaa learned a lot about the Bible when he was a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Your grandpaa has read and studied through the entire Bible several times. It seems like every time that your grandpaa reads or studies the Bible, the Bible tells him new things. Reading and studying the Bible over and over again is a really good thing to do. The Bible is a living book that teaches. The Bible’s Old Testament prepares its readers for the Bible’s New Testament. Malachi gave hope to the guys, gals and kids who were revering God’s name. These specially chosen guys, gals and kids who revered God – which means to hold in the highest regard or to worship, were so happy about the hope that God had given to them that they would jump up and down like young calves do when they get outside after having been locked up in a barn all day. Have you ever been so happy that you have jumped up and down? Your grandpaa remembers the first time that he hit a homerun. Your grandpaa was the only eighth grader on his softball team. The other players your grandpaa’s softball team were all bigger kids. Your grandpaa remembers running as fast as he could around the bases and then sliding across home plate. Just as your grandpaa slid across home plate, your grandpaa yelled really loud. Your grandpaa’s dad thought that your grandpaa had hurt himself when he yelled but . . . your grandpaa was just super happy that he had hit a homerun. Your grandpaa is really happy now to be on God’s Christ-follower team. Your grandpaa cannot help but revere God for giving him hope that he will not burn as stubble in a fiery furnace on the Day of the Lord.
Malachi 4 (159)