INTRODUCTION

A. Malachi is the last in a long succession of prophets proclaiming the coming of the Messiah.  Malachi was connected with the reform movement of Nehemiah and Ezra, and condemned the same sins which they condemned.  His name means “My messenger.”  With his message, the mouth of God becomes silent for four hundred years.  The next voice we hear is that of John the Baptist.

B. Three times God’s messenger proclaims, “Behold!”—“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1); “For behold, the day is coming” (Malachi 4:1); and “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).  Who is this messenger?  Who is this “Elijah”?  And what does all this have to do with the “Millennium Mania”?

C. Many have missed the mark on Malachi 4:5.  Jesus hit the mark dead center.

DISCUSSION

I. THE CONDITION OF THE TIMES.

A. The people had been restored to Jerusalem and the temple wall rebuilt.

B. They had become sensual and selfish and had grown careless and neglectful of their duty.

C. The people had become wearied with worship that would please God.

D. The priests had become negligent in instructing the people of God.

1. Malachi 2:7,8.

2. 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

II. MISSING THE MARK ON MALACHI 4:5.

A. Our texts:  Malachi 3:1 and 4:5.

1. Commentators agree that Malachi 3:1 refers to the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist.

2. Many are unclear or uncertain as to the identity of the “Elijah” of 4:5. 

B. Men predisposed to premillennialism have missed the mark on Malachi.

1. Found in a book meant for teaching children:  “Malachi spoke not only of Jesus’ first coming, but also of the Second time He will come to earth.”1

2. Another suggests:  “Close by reading aloud Malachi’s solemn declaration concerning the second advent of Christ for which we wait, Malachi 3:16-4:6.  Yes, the Sun of Righteousness will come with healing in his wings.”2

3. A writer, who would have us master the Old Testament, wrote:  “While there have been many forerunners—such as John the Baptist, Augustine, Calvin, Meno Simons, Luther, Zwingli, Moody and Graham—the final day will reveal the one who is the summation of, and more than, each of these.  He may well be one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3-12.”3

4. Another comments:  “Revelation speaks of two witnesses who are to appear in the last days (see Rev. 11:3-12).  I do not know who the second witness will be, but I am almost sure that one of them will be Elijah.  At the Passover Feast, in the Orthodox Jew’s home, a chair is put at the table in which no one sits.  It is for Elijah who shall come.  When John the Baptist appeared the Jews thought he was Elijah, but John the Baptist was not Elijah in any sense of the word.  The Scriptures do say that he could have been, but he wasn’t—and that’s the important thing.  If Christ had established His Kingdom, then John would have been Elijah.  How could that be?  I do not know because it didn’t happen that way. That’s an ‘iffy’ question for which we cannot really have an answer.

“‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.’  John the Baptist was not the fulfillment of this prophecy because he was announcing the Messiah, the Savior of the world.  John said, ‘…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). That is a little different from announcing the great and terrible Day of the Lord that is coming.”4

5. Referring to 2 Peter 1:19 (“until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts”), the author states:  “The day star speaks of the rapture of the church when He will take the church out of the world…We now leave the Old Testament, where the hope is the coming of Christ to the earth to establish His Kingdom.  But in the New Testament we ought to be like the wise men who were looking for the star.  We are still looking for the Day Star to appear when he will take the church out of this world.”5

6. I would suggest that these writers have not only missed the mark on Malachi 4:5, but they are way off.

III. HITTING THE MARK ON MALACHI 4:5.

A. Our texts:  Malachi 3:1 and 4:5.

1. Commentators agree that Malachi 3:1 refers to the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist.

2. Many are unclear or uncertain as to the identity of the “Elijah” of 4:5.

B. Is the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5 the messenger of 3:1; that is, is he John the Baptist?

1. Remember what one man concluded:  “When John the Baptist appeared, the Jews thought he was Elijah, but John the Baptist was not Elijah in any sense of the word.  The Scriptures do say that he could have been, but he wasn’t—and that’s the important thing.  If Christ had established His Kingdom, then John would have been Elijah.  How could that be?  I do not know because it didn’t happen that way.  That’s an ‘iffy’ question for which we cannot really have an answer.”6

2. John would have been the Elijah, but he wasn’t?!  Why must this be the case?  The author does not believe the church is the kingdom.  To him, the kingdom has yet to be established, and thus there must yet be an Elijah to come.

3. The premillennialist then must twist the meaning of Matthew 11:14 to fit his belief.  Note Matthew 11:11-15.  The premillennialist commentator writes:  “John the Baptist fulfilled the prediction of the messenger to come, as recorded in Malachi 3:1.”  Then he goes on to explain that John would have been the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5 if Israel had accepted Christ at His first coming, enabling Him to establish His kingdom.7

4. The Wycliffe commentary on Matthew 11:14 reads:  “Jesus states that if the Jews had fully received Him and His Kingdom, John would have fulfilled the OT prediction (Mt. 17:10-13; cf. Lk. 1:17).  Since this did not occur, John did not fulfill all that was predicted of Elijah; and hence the complete fulfillment is still future.”8 Commenting on Matthew 17:12 (“Elijah has come already”):  “God in his foreknowledge knew that Israel, at the first coming of Christ, would not be ready for the final Elijah’s ministry, and so he sent John ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah’ instead.”9  Again, the premillennialist hears what he wants to hear, not what Jesus is saying. 

5. Jesus said, “If you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah to come” (Matthew 11:14).  Then Jesus added a statement (repeated often while He was on earth and in His letters to the seven churches in Asia):  “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (v. 15).

a. The significance of His statement is that truth is truth—even if one chooses not to accept it, it is still truth.  One whose heart is open to truth will receive it.

b. Many of the Jews would not receive the words of Jesus.  They would not accept the fact that John was the “Elijah” to come.  They were looking for an earthly king and kingdom.  Jesus was not what they were expecting—they rejected Him.

c. Their rejection of Him as King, Son of God, Savior…made Him no less those things.  Their rejection of John the Baptist as the forerunner and “Elijah” did not mean that John was not.

d. Their fathers had rejected the prophets sent to them and they were not different—but what God spoke through the prophets came to pass despite their rejection of the prophets and their message.

e. One, today, who rejects the fact that the church is Christ’s kingdom is predisposed to reject the fact that John was the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5.

6. The Bible is the best commentary.  Note Matthew 17:10-13 and Mark 9:9-13.

a. Jesus said, “But I say to you that Elijah has come already.”

b. “The disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

c. Their understanding was correct, or Jesus would have corrected it.

d. The expected “Elijah” (Malachi 4:5) had “come already”--and he was John the Baptist.

7. The Jews understood that “Elijah must come first, “followed by the Messiah.”  Jesus declared to His disciples:  “Elijah has come.”

a. Brother H. Leo Boles comments:  “…Since the messenger of the Messiah had already come, they might expect the Messiah; or if Elijah was to herald the Messiah, and John was Elijah, then Jesus was the Messiah, ‘he that is to come.’”10

b. An angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias to announce the coming birth of John the Baptist.  The angel, in referring to and quoting from Malachi 4:5 and 6, said:  “He will also be before Him [referring to Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah, [then the angel quotes from Malachi 4:6] ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

C. Let’s not miss the mark.

1. The angel knew that John was the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5; Jesus knew that John was the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5; the disciples understood that John was the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5; I am thus sure that John was the “Elijah” of Malachi 4:5.

2. Many of the Jews rejected the fact because they looked for an earthly king.  Premillennialists reject the fact because they look for an earthly king.  But the fact is, “Elijah has come” and prepared the way for the Messiah.  The Messiah has come, is King, and His kingdom, the church, has been established.  He who has an ear to hear will hear and enter Christ’s kingdom.

CONCLUSION

A. Malachi [My messenger] closes with great expectation and warning:  “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5,6).

B. The silence of four hundred years is broken by the “Malachi messenger.”  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).  And seeing Jesus, John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!…I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29,34).

C. Jesus’ final words answered the long-asked question concerning the coming of the kingdom—“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

1. Just ten days later the kingdom of God came with power just as Jesus had promised (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:5).

2. Upon learning and believing that Jesus truly was the Christ, more than three thousand repented and were baptized for the forgiveness of sins and were added to the church, that is, were “transferred into the kingdom of the Son” (Acts 2; Colossians 1:13).

D. The New Testament closes with great expectation and a blessing:  “Behold, I am coming quickly!  Blessed is he who keeps the prophecy of this book…Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:7,14).

E. Malachi shouted, “Behold He is coming!” and warned of a curse upon those who would reject Him.  Jesus came and provided for our salvation and entrance into His kingdom.   He rules!  Jesus promises, “Behold, I am coming quickly!”  He will surely come again to receive us—Are you ready and awaiting His return to receive you?
 

ENDNOTES

1 Blankenbaker, Frances, What the Bible Is All About for Young Explorers (Regal Books, Gospel Light Pub., Ventura, CA, 1996), p. 211.

2 Mears, Henrietta C., What the Bible Is All About (Regal Books, Gospel Light Pub., Ventura, CA, Second Revised Edition, 1997), p. 350.

3 Kaiser, Walter, Mastering the Old Testament, (Word Inc., Dallas, TX, 1992), p. 487.

4 McGee, J. Vernon, Through the Bible Commentary Series, Malachi, (Thomas Nelson Pub., Nashville, TN, 1991), p. 97.

5 Ibid., p. 103.

6 Ibid., p. 97.

7 McGee, J. Vernon, Through the Bible Commentary Series, Matthew Chapters 1-13, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1991), p. 156.

8 Pfeiffer, Charles F., Old Testament Editor, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, (The Southwestern Company, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1962), p. 948.

9 Ibid., p. 960.

10 Boles, H. Leo, Commentary on Matthew, (Gospel Advocate Co., Nashville, TN), p. 246. 

        Bob Burt
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