Malachi 3:1-2Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:These are the opening words of the Chapter 3 in the Book of Malachi, the final book in what we know as the Old Testament. The latter part of the second verse is what gives us the timeframe. It is clear that this in when Christ comes back to judge!A refiner's fire is the process where the precious metal is seperated from what is called the "slag" or leftovers from the melting process. Fullers' soap, basically a form of alkali, is very similar to lye soap. The clear theme here is that this coming will indeed be a purification; that is to say the separation of the wheat from the chaff. This is yet another Old Testament book which speaks of the Second Advent!
I see this as applicable to the judgment falling on the House of God first. You do not refine when you seperate the wheat from the chaff. This is the scourging the Father will give to every child He receives. Hebrews 12:1-29
Malachi 3:3And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.The first will be the Levites. Why? Because the Levites are the priests and teachers; this places a heavy burden on teachers of our Father's word to be correct. We certainly should not be afraid to teach the Word by any means. However, consider this a Biblical warning to those who teach false doctrines under the guise of being servants of YHVH.
Ditto on the fables, brother.
Malachi 3:4-5Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 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 from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.These verses speak for themselves. YHVH will be swift in judgement.
And are not those things being practised by wayward believers in Christ? This would be the vessel unto dishonour as the Lord will chasten ever child He receives that they may be partakers of His holiness.
Malachi 3:6For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.In other words, our Father remembers! He changes not, and when you accept him [Christ] as your Lord and Saviour, he remembers. This is to say, do the work and you will be remembered for it when it counts. You'll be spared the fate of those who did not know God and went against him.
1 Peter 4:16-19 Note verse 18. Notice again the reference to His appearing in 1 Peter 5:1-4. How can those that be ready go through the refiner's fire? This leads to the elect then as the vessels unto honour: the chaste bride of Christ for being ready.
Malachi 3:7Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?Remember the ordinances given to us in the form of His Holy Word. Return unto him, follow what he has so excellently laid out before you in the Bible, and he will take care of you. This doesn't mean that life will always be fair and that suddenly it will be easy, but he shall be with you "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).
His ordinance is John 14:6 John 5:22-23 But becuase they do not return for they do not see themselves as departing when they see the Holy Ghost as another "go to " Person of the Trinity.Those left behind will be restored to the path of righteousness for His name's sake as Jesus is their first love.
We'll skip ahead now to verse 13:Malachi 3:13-15Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye 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 the LORD of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.The accuracy of this statement is simply amazing. Does it not sound like the very words (modernized, of course) that we hear today! "There's no God... There's no point in serving God... Terrorists, criminals, other religion's members all seem to prosper..." and so on. You even here of self-made Christians preaching that the Bible doesn't apply anymore or that "things have somehow changed."Verse 15 tells us the reality that some of these people will prosper, for a short time here on Earth. However, you have seen in the previous verses, if you leave God, he will leave you in the final judgement. I can assure you beloved, that is somewhere you do not want to be.Have faith:
For all the holy rollers and applying faith for gain, they do so by going around the ordinance of John 14:6 by going after the "Spirit of God". Being left behind at the pre-tribulational rapture event is where no believer wants to be for being wayward, but verse 15 states that they will be delivered as it will lead to verse 16 being restored to the path of righteousness for His name's sake that God will hearken unto them and record them.
Malachi 3:16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.The key concept here is again that God remembers. Flip over to Psalms 56 for a moment.Psalms 56:2-11Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.Each and every single time one of His are attacked, led astray, or hurt in any form for that matter it goes into the book. In other words, again we see that He remembers all.
Including those that did not feed them, clothe them, nor visit them when they were sick or in prison.
Here's the reward for those who trust in Him and the final consequence for those who do not.Revelation 20:12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.Revelation 20:15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.Revelation 21:27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
You left out some important verses in Revelation 20 for context of the kind of judging being gievn.Revelation 20:10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.That is after the 1000 year reign of Christ. Satan is casted into the pit and released after 1000 years and he succeed somehow by luring many to rebel with him against the Lord. Of course, the devil is defeated.Is it not strange that those that went through the great tribulation would have their deeds recorded; those that have been rebellious? Is it not even stranger that Revelation 20 is when everybody is judged save for the elect?
We now return to the two final verses of Malachi 3:Malachi 3:17-18And they shall be mine, saith the LORD 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. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.Here we are provided with a more short term benefit as well. When you accept Christ and listen to what he has to say in the Bible, you'll be able to discern the good from the bad. God stays with you.
What better way to mark that return when they are left behind to go through the great tribulation. It has to be a singular event for the hour of trial to start for all on the earth.
Malachi 4:1For, 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 the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.Does the burn theme sound a bit familiar? It hopefully should.
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
2 Peter 3:7But 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.2 Peter 3:10But 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.There are certainly many more passages where the connection can be made, but again here is another bookmark in the Word to lead us. When this day comes and this judgement is made, the latter part of verse 1 of Malachi 4 tells us there will be nothing left. This, my friends, is the lake of fire.
I disagree. The earth will not go in the lake of fire. This is a different fire. The Refiner's fire as well as the wrath of God. You had mentioned the refiner's fire earlier, but in adding to this for the bowl judgments on the earth is the wrath of God which is the fire withheld for judgment on ungodly men. First one was the Flood. The next one is the fire.
Malachi 4:2-3But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye 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 the LORD of hosts.A prophecy fulfilled. See Luke 1:78. Jesus came and gave us what we needed to know. This was for those who hold reverence in their heart of the Lord.
No comment.
Malachi 4:4Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.Hearken back to Malachi 3:7. Remember God and he will most certainly remember you. Come to Him and He'll come to you.
John 5:39-40
Malachi 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:Another example of prophecy fulfilled. Elijah literally means "My God is YHVH!"
No comment yet.
Finally, we are left with the last verse of the Old Testament. Perhaps the words aren't quite what you'd expect them to be:Malachi 4:6And 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."Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
Comment: The prophet will be sent to warn the wayward to repent. If they do not, judgment will fall on the earth as the hour of trial will try all that live on the earth.
It is written in another book that the earth will be smote with a curse. Let's look at another Old Testament book of prophecy to find out about this curse, flip back a book.Zechariah 5Zechariah 5:1-2Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.Here we have a flying scroll, about to reveal something very important.Zechariah 5:3Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: 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.Zechariah 5:4I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it 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.This is the curse spoken of in the final verse of Malachi. This curse is felt by those who do not open their ears to the Word.Zechariah 5:5Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.Now our Father is revealing something very important to us. For those of you who believe in the Rapture, I want you to pay the utmost attention to this part of Zechariah 5.Zechariah 5:6And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.An ephah is a basket. This basket goes forth all over the Earth of the curse.Zechariah 5:7And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.This is the woman spoken of in Revelation. The whore of Babylon.Revelation 17:3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.Zechariah 5:8And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.Similar comparisons and explanations are drawn in Revelation 17.Zechariah 5:9Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.Sound familiar? This is where you'll find the rapture theory in the Word of God. This was written thousands of years before this idea formally materialized as we know it today. Still ready to fly away?
I do not see this as a reference for the rapture theory at all. I haven't used it. If the curse is going to be on the earth, I fail to see your point about not flying away.
Just in case you're not convince, God's Word has one more thing to say.Zechariah 5:10-11Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.The phrase "land of Shinar" is another name for Babylon. That's where that basket baring the curse will go. This is where those who will fall victim to the rapture deception will head. These are not my words, this is the Word of God.
I disagree. Those falling victim to the deception of another baptism of the Holy Spirit that comes with evidence of tongues are in the land of Shinar. That is what they get for climbing up another way.. for not seeking the gift from Jesus Christ. They sought another spirit to receive and they call that spirit the Holy Spirit and that is why they do not understand about returning to Jesus for they fail to see that they had departed from Him.Seems like your scriptural warfare are for the wayward: not for speaking against the rapture. Just because you do not understand the promise of Jesus coming to receive us unto Himself so that where He is NOW, there shall we be, does not neglect the coming judgment on the House of God for how can it come unless the rapture does?
