Malachi 3:1-5

The messenger and the Messiah -- Malachi 3:1-5: Messiah would come. However, before His coming there would be one to prepare His way. Malachi wrote, "Behold, 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." (Malachi 3:1) In Matthew 11:10 Jesus made it clear that this was a reference to John the Baptist. Isaiah also prophesied of John as "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3) John's work was to prepare the people to receive the Messiah. John preached that the people should repent and prepare for the coming of the Savior. He announced that the Messiah would appear in a surprising manner and He would come to His Temple. He would give a New Covenant for the people through His death on the cross. No one will be able to stand God's final judgment. When Jesus came He came as Redeemer. His second coming will be with fire and judgment. When Jesus read Isaiah's prophecy in the Temple He stopped reading before the announcement of God judgment. (Luke 4:17-20, Isaiah 61) He was then speaking of the beginning of His ministry, not the end of the world. Malachi spoke of both the beginning and the end of Jesus' work. There was first the purifying and then the judgment. The Jews had many sins either to be forgiven in Jesus or to face in judgment. They had (1) Practiced sorcerers, (2) Committed adulterers, (3) Been false sweaters, (4) Taken advantage of people that they hired to work, (5) Abused the widow, and the fatherless, (6) Refused to help strangers, and (7) Failed to fear God.