Malachi 1 This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org "Malachi" in the Hebrew tongue means "my messenger". Malachi was written about four hundred years before the time of Christ. The book was written in 374 B.C., which was about twenty years after the Jews returned out of Babylon. Though "Malachi" was a Jew, of the House of Judah, this book is addressed to the ten tribes of the "House of Israel". They are those tribes that were scattered hundreds of years earlier, by about 722 B.C. Malachi 1:1 "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi." This "burden" is a prophetic warning from the Lord to the "House of Israel", by Malachi. The House of Israel, and the House of Judah were separated at this time. Malachi 1:2 "I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? Saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob," The name "Jacob" went to the larger part of his house, that part being the ten tribes comprising the House of Israel, and not the house of Judah, also called the Jews. Malachi 1:3 "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness." God is not talking about the children of Esau, when He stated, "I hated Esau". God was directing His gate to Esau. In Romans 9:13, it states that God hated Esau when he was a unborn child in the womb of his mother. This hatred dated back into the first earth age, and you have to understand what happened in that first earth age, to see the cause of God's hatred. Paul explains the reasons for that hatred in Romans the ninth chapter. You also have to understand that when Esau sold his heritage, God removed that heritage from him, and it became Jacobs. When God hates it is for a specific reason. The heritage that Esau's children are living in today, are exactly as God said; it is a waste land for dragons, which properly interpreted is "Jackals." To understand the conflict between Jacob [Israel], and Esau, we must go to Genesis 25:23. "And the Lord said unto her [Rebekah], two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." These two nations spoken of, Jacob and Esau, are the United States, Britain, and other Christian nations which represent "Jacob; while Esau [meaning "red"] is Russia and her people. The name comes from Russia's ancient name of "Rosh". God hated the man Esau, his nation, and his Godless system. Malachi 1:4 "Edom saith, We are impoverished [beaten down] but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down: and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever." "Edom" is the land of "Rosh", or Russia of today. The Russians know the state of their condition even today, as they run to Jacob as a common beggar. They have tried ten year plans, and five year plans, to build their farming and industry, yet none of their efforts have worked out. Have you ever wondered why? The answer is right here; God said "I will throw down". Though they try, they will never succeed, because God is set against them. For the past seventy five years Russia has let it's communistic leaders delete God from every part of their lives. They have killed God's people by the millions, as Christians and pastors went to their death. Why would anyone invest in a land that God has said, "I am against." If you think these people have changed one bit, your wrong. This indignation is never going to end in this earth age. God said it, and wrote it down through Malachi. Malachi 1:5 "And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel." There is a great deal in this verse. It is addressed to the leaders of Russia ["they"], They are called "the border of wickedness" in verse four, and Ezekiel 38, 39. It tells us how Rosh [Russia] will come right to the border of wickedness, and there they will be destroyed, as they pressed towards the border of Israel [the United States, and the Christian nations]. Malachi 1:6 "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?" God is relating the father - son relationship, and that of a servant to his master. He is reminding us that He is our father and master. Now he asks, "Where is my honor?" This is not only directed to Russia, but the false priests around the world today. As we see the perversion, idolatry, and heathen custom creeping into all the churches, and by redefining these words, acts, and doctrine, they have convinced their flocks it is of God. By doing this, God says here, your despising God's name. Malachi 1:7 "Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible." What is the bread that we offer on the altar of God in these days? The bread is "the body of Christ", offered in our communion services. You pollute the body of Christ when you filter in many of these traditional heathenistic practices. By doing that you are making the "table of the Lord" contemptible. Malachi 1:8 "And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts." The tithe is the Lord's, and the first fruits of our flock [labor]. Malachi calls attention to the fact that the offering is a love offering. The first, and the best. Prior to Christ's death, offerings became commercialized, with the sale of those mite infested and diseased birds, which became man's offerings to God. If you would approach the governor in such a fashion, how would he receive you? Of course he would think your nuts. So how do you approach God? When you offer polluted bread to God's altar it is offered to the false Christ. It means you do not know the difference between the true and the false Christ. God has a just reward for those who will be taken in by the false christ, and his system. They give their tithes to the work and advancement of their false doctrines, and preparing the minds of people to receive the false christ. God is going to allow the false christ to come first, and give him the authority [power] to appear to be the True Christ. [Revelation 9:1-4]. Many who call themselves Christians will rush to this first christ, because they have been taught to do so; However, when they do go to him, they will become harlots, in a spiritual sense. This false christ is the Antichrist, and his system is "Mystery Babylon", but in the minds of the deceived, he is the True Christ [Jesus Christ]. They will have done this because they have not studied to know the truth from God's Word, to know the "true bread from the fake [false] bread". We can imagine why Jesus Christ will be angry upon His return, for instead of finding a virgin bride, His Church; He will find a whore, who went chasing after the false messiah in ignorance. What a day of shame it will be for many. Malachi 1:9 "And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will be regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts." When you take your perverted, blind and diseased animals to the governor and say; Dear governor, we love you, so please take these wretched animals as an offering to you. The whole thing sounds crazy, doesn't it. The governor will think you have flipped your wig, and out of your mind. Now put that in a spiritual sense. What do you think our Heavenly Father wants from you? He wants your love, which is shown through your offering to Him. However, when you don't even know the difference between the true and the false Christ, that puts you in a great deal of trouble. In this generation, most Christians will make that wrong choice. This generation doesn't know whether to put on the gospel armor of God, or play with it. God is not a beggar, and this idea of Him chasing and pleading with you is nonsense. He gave you His Word, He showed His love on the cross, and if you snub it, it's your very soul your playing with. He doesn't need you, but you need Him. Malachi 1:10 "Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for [that ye might not] kindle fire on mine altar for nought [in vain]." I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand." God is saying that you might as well close your church doors, and quit if your not going to do it God's way. As long as you follow in the manner, and give offerings in that way, God will not accept your offerings. Malachi 1:11 "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts." This verse will come true, and shall come true in the Millennium age period. Then, all will offer a pure offering to the Lord. They will come from every nation on the face of the earth. Malachi 1:12 "But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible." "Ye are the priests, and they have profaned the table of the Lord", for this is done through their false doctrines, such as the rapture theory, and any other doctrine that would lead God's children to follow the Antichrist, and be misled by the children of Satan [the Kenites], or any part of that one world system. When those "would be priests" hear the word of God poured out on them, they think it is contemptible, and those who teach God's Word are held in contempt. These priests, or ministers, are more interested in mind-control, then in teaching truths from God's Word. Malachi 1:13 "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn [taken by violence], and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord of hosts." We saw what Christ thought of those sick offerings in Matthew 21:23. Now let's relate that to today, and our relationship with our Lord. Many today say, I just don't have the time to study His Word, and to pray to Him is just below my dignity. Yes, you offer things, and money to the Lord, but you just need the write off on your taxes. Do you listen to a man of God, to understand exactly what God is saying in His Word, or is it an obligation to you? Do you see what God is saying in this verse? He is saying you are stiff-necked, and could care less about your time with me; your offerings are low class, and damaged goods, and you expect to stand before the Living God of the universe and find favor with you? God finds your offerings more detestable that the governor would. Friend, if that is your attitude then you will be shamed. What do you worship God for? God's house is for teaching God's Word. God is the only one, in the end, to say if you are acceptable to Him, and for His kingdom. Malachi 1:14 "But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt [blemished] thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen [Gentiles]." In every Chrich of God there are good people, striving to know and understand God's Word. Pastors stand in their pulpits Sunday after Sunday, year after year, and preach everything but the Word of God. They allow their flock to grow up to be nothing but a bunch of starved spiritual babies, no more along then the day they came down the isle, if they ever did. When one of the flock strives to know the truth, they are smothered with traditional dogma, and false doctrine. In this fourteenth verse, God is putting a curse on ANYONE WHO STANDS AND PRETENDS TO BE AN AUTHORITY IN GOD'S WORD, AND DECEIVES GOD'S CHILDREN [the babes in Christ]. On that day of His return, shortly now, it will be dreadful for you, if this applies to you. Ezekiel 34:1-16 details exactly what God thinks of false shepherds, and what will happen to them. People who say, "God said thus," when He did not are going to be dealt more harshly than any entity of living beings. Next time you open your mouth to speak for God, watch what comes out. It is time for repentance, if it applies.
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