Malachi 4:1-6
1 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 the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But 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.
3 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.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 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.
Contents: The day of the Lord and coming of Christ as «sun of righteousness.» Elijah to be forerunner of the day of the Lord.
Characters: God, Moses, Elijah, Christ, Malachi.
Conclusion: The great day of the Lord is impending, a time of terror and destruction upon all whose hearts have been stout against God, but followed by the coming of Christ as the sun of righteousness with healing in His wings for all who have looked to Him. «Come quickly, Lord Jesus.»
Key Word: Day of the Lord, Malachi 4:5.
Strong Verses: Malachi 4:1; Malachi 4:2.
Striking Facts: Malachi 4:2. The Old Testament closes with the promise of the rising of the «sun» of righteousness. The New Testament closes with the promise of the rising of the «morning star» (Revelation 22:16). The morning star precedes the coming of the sun, which finally ushers in the day. Christ is coming to the Church as the «morning star» in the last dark hours of the age (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 prior to the great tribulation). At the close of the tribulation He is coming as the «sun» ushering in the Millennial day, and Israel's history will then be resumed.