Malachi : The Final Warning (Chapter 4)

Malachi 4

LESSON #10:  Jesus Christ Came and Destroyed the Wicked Jews in 70AD (4:1-6).

1. The Lord warns of war and judgment to clearly reveal the righteous and wicked (4:1).
   1. They had stoutly spoken against the Lord by accusing Him of unfairness (3:13).
   2. They had stoutly argued that serving the Lord was vanity, without profit (3:14).
   3. The rebellious Jews had argued that the wicked were set up and delivered (3:15).
   4. But the previous chapter was concluded with a promise of just judgment (3:18).
   5. Our prophet specifically uses the “proud” and “all that do wickedly” from 3:15.
   6. The coming day of wrath would reveal the differences between 4:1 and 4:2.
2. The coming day of fiery judgment is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies.
   1. Keep the close connection to a Sun of righteousness coming with healing (4:2).
   2. He came with salvation and healing the first time (Luk 1:46-55,67-79; 2:25-40).
   3. Jesus specifically and clearly told of this burning day (Matthew 21:33 – 22:7).
   4. Keep the close connection to John Baptist coming before this dreadful day (4:5).
   5. Elijah is clearly and only John the Baptist (Mat 11:1-15; 17:1-13; Luk 1:13-17).
   6. John the Baptist specifically and clearly told of this burning day (Matt 3:7-12).
   7. A single day of judgment is not limited to the final day of time (Is 13:6,9,17).
   8. The Romans desolated Israel without root or branch – the nation was ended.
      1. Titus in 70AD through Hadrian in 136AD destroyed Israel (Deut 28:68).
      2. God preserved Nebuchadnezzar’s roots, but not Israel’s (Daniel 4:15,23,26).
      3. Daniel foretold the desolation of Israel would scatter them (Dan 9:27; 12:7).
      4. John said, “An now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees” (Mat 3:10).
      5. Jesus said Jerusalem would always be under Gentile dominion (Luke 21:24).
      6. James concluded rebuilding of David’s house was Gentiles (Acts 15:13-18).
      7. Paul said that the Jerusalem in Palestine had been rejected (Gal 4:21-31).
      8. Paul said God’s wrath was come on them to the uttermost (I Thess 2:14-16).
      9. There is not another shaking, the kingdom here is the last (Heb 12:25-28).
      10. The present citizens of Jerusalem and Israel are Khazar Gentiles by their own admission – descendants of Ashkenaz from Japheth (Gen 10:1-5).
3. But the coming of Jesus Christ would be salvation and blessing of the faithful (4:2-3).
   1. Those who fear the Lord have very different character than the wicked (Pr 14:2).
   2. Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, and Anna and many rejoiced at His birth.
   3. These righteous, who had been persecuted by the wicked, would be vindicated.
   4. There are numerous figurative expressions in these verses for word pictures!
      1. He is our Sun – the bright and morning star! The dayspring! The daystar!
      2. He is Righteousness – THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jer 23:6).
      3. He came with healing – binding up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 53:5; 61:1).
      4. He came with wings – the protective arms of birds (Ru 2:12; Mat 23:37).
      5. They shall prosper as calves in a stall – protected and fed (Ps 92:12-14).
   5. They shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes by the Roman legions.
   6. The contrast here is the retribution of the wrongs identified before (3:13-18).
4. Moses’ law was the law of God until Shiloh would come to gather the people (4:4).
   1. Consider: this is the last word until John Baptist – there were no more prophets.
   2. Consider: the law was not preached by John Baptist – he preached the kingdom.
   3. Consider: Jesus Christ was the end of the law for righteousness for all believers.
   4. Consider: the law was God’s ordained revelation for their peace and safety.
   5. Consider: the Pharisees and Sadducees were formed and corrupted Moses’ law; for they established the traditions of the elders to make vain the worship of God.
   6. Consider: if they had heeded this word, they would not have crucified the Lord.
   7. Consider: the law of Moses had blessings for obedience and curses for sin.
   8. Consider: the law of Moses foretold their ruin by Roman legions (De 28:64-68).
5. Before the great and dreadful day of Jerusalem’s destruction, God sent a prophet (4:5).
   1. These last two plain verses are postponed far off into the future by futurists.
      1. Missing fulfilled prophecy steals the faith of God’s elect of His glory.
      2. Missing fulfilled prophecy confuses God’s elect of the events to come.
   2. Elijah the prophet is clearly and only John the Baptist (Matt 11:1-15; 17:10-13).
   3. And He warned them of this great day of judgment rather clearly (Matt 3:7-12).
   4. Jesus spoke plainly of the written vengeance coming on them (Luke 21:20-33).
   5. He had already warned them of being surrounded and destroyed (Lu 19:41-44).
   6. And He warned some women at His crucifixion of it coming (Luke 23:26-31).
   7. Peter quoted Joel about this great and terrible day (Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32).
   8. And Peter ended his sermon with many other words of warning (Acts 2:40).
   9. And Paul warned that the wrath of God was come upon them (I Thess 2:14-16).
   10. Such a destruction of the wicked confirms the hope to the righteous (Ps 58:10).
6. Elijah’s ministry would be to convert the nation and avoid God’s curse upon them (4:6).
   1. The only part of the earth truly intended was Moses’ land and John’s land.
   2. John did come with the ministry of repentance in these words (Luke 1:13-17).
   3. John’s ministry was to tell every class of person how to repent (Luke 3:10-14).
   4. The scribes knew the birthplace of Jesus, so they should have recognized John.
   5. The Old Testament ends with a curse, and the New opens with Jesus Christ.