~ Jesus Christ Is the Purifier of His
People ~
The Bible is about Jesus Christ
~ “Jesus
said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken! Did not the
Christ have to suffer these things
and then enter His glory?’ And beginning
with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).
In
the Book of Malachi Jesus Christ is the Purifier of His People, the Refiner’s
Fire, and the Fuller’s Soap. He is also
the Sun of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings (3:16), and the Messenger of the
New Covenant.
It
was some 400 years when Mark wrote his Gospel in which he opens by quoting
Malachi. “‘Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before
Me. And the Lord, whom you seek,
will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom
you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says
the Lord of hosts” (Malachi
3:1). “The beginning of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger [John the
Baptist] before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
prepare the way of the Lord; make
His paths straight’” (Mark 1:1-3). Notice the last part of that Malachi passage—“the Lord, whom you seek,
will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom
you delight.” We know that shortly after
John began his ministry our Lord appeared on the scene. Malachi clearly foresaw and prophesied the
Messiah—Jesus Christ.
Comment ~ We
have only touched the surface of Christ in Malachi.
additional comment: Compare these passages from Scripture:
Malachi 1:2-3
– Romans 9:13
Malachi 3:1*
– Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2*; Luke 7:27 (*
= noted above)
Malachi 4:6 –
Luke 1:17
The Apostle
Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the
reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17).
~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS
CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~
(1) Approximately once a month ALN posts an
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~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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