Faithfulness and Malachi

Anytime you go against what God says and you do things your own way, you despise His name!

Fred R. Coulter—December 30, 2023

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Faithfulness and Malachi is a very interesting combination, because we're going to see some things in the New Testament first, and then in the book of Malachi about faithfulness.

Faithfulness in this world is a very rare thing. So, we'll get that to you in a minute, but let's look at some news here.

There's still a lot of financial problems going on in China, and there are multiple financial executives committing suicide. So. we'll see what happens. We need to keep our eye on that.

Mass Migration—got an article that NGOs: non-government organizations that work hand-in-glove with the government. With this immigration thing that is happening, it is enriching the Catholic Church to the tune of billions of dollars, because all their NGOs are involved in dispersing the immigrants throughout the states, and was planned way before the election occurred.

Now then, this also tells us and reflects back on what God has always showed us, that when a nation—because He judges all the nations all the time as we find in Jer. 18—that when they do evil, He will punish them.

What we are seeing is not just an idiot president, but a massive move by Satan who has permission from God to do it, because those who profess Jesus deny Him.

If you don't believe that, just do a Google search and look up the 50th most evil 'Christians,' and guess who they are? All the evangelists! And the leading one is Kenneth Copeland. We'll have more to say about him.

But anyway, trying to solve the problems by going after the effect. Yes, they need to solve the effect of the problem. But you can't solve the problem until you get at the cause, and the cause is that this nation has left God!

Even the cursory things that the Protestants teach. You go watch Daystar and Trinity Broadcasting Network, and it is a zoo. They are not teaching anything about the Bible, but against it.

Concerning the immigrants, remember that they have come from the most wicked ancestral background of any people in the world, Central America.

If you don't believe that, you just watch NatGeo on all of the finding of the lost civilizations, and you will see that is true.

Here's another one: Archbishop claims blessings for same-sex couples proves Pope Francis is 'servant of Satan'
{https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/archbishop-blessing-same-sex-couples-pope-francis-Satan}

So even in the Church of Satan, there's an argument over who's righteous. Doesn't it make you wonder?

The Mystery of the Human Heart & the Vortex

A lot of us think of it as a pump, because we hear the pulse, or feel the pulse. But the truth is, it's a vortex. Everything that there is follows the vortex pattern.

The blood flowing in the streams of our veins comes as a vortex. There is the head, and then a vortex. You turn on the water, Northern Hemisphere, there's a vortex from right to left. Northern Hemisphere, it's from left to right. Amazing!

The earth's spinning on its axis. That's an amazing thing! Everything about it, and think about everything that is on it, if you can. It's all held there by gravity. It's spinning, but as it's spinning, it's also moving. What it creates is a vortex pattern behind it. Also, that's the way that the universe is, a vortex.

All plants grow that way. Do you know how trees grow that way? Do you know there are rings on trees? It's what makes it strong, because it is vortexed. The branches come out at certain spaces on the vortex pattern of whatever plant it is.

Now then, let's take our minds and let's apply it to the heavens. Everything in the heavens operates on a vortex. If you look down on the earth from a satellite, which is up there in the atmosphere, and you look down and you watch the weather report, we're talking about a hurricane. What are you looking at? You're looking at a vortex!

Out of that vortex comes tornadoes. What are they? A vortex! So, that's quite an amazing thing. Now then, they're beginning to find that the universe is greater than they have ever imagined. They're saying that a massive object distorts space-time.

Well, it doesn't distort it, they just have discovered another pattern in it. There are objects in the universe so massive, often clusters of galaxies. Think of that, clusters of galaxies!

That's why you need to get to the James Webb Telescope website and look at some of the things that are there. You hear me talk about it often, because I go to that often because that's one way that I understand. I realize that we are just a speck of dust. By the way, you were impregnated by a vortex.

Faithfulness

What God wants us to do is to understand what kind of faithfulness that we need!  

One of the things we need to understand concerning faithfulness we find in 1-Cor. 2 because we're like a speck of dust, and that's the title of our book, From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born?

Now then, this is why God wants everything based on belief, obedience, and love. And the greatest revelations are going to come when we're resurrected.

We live in an age and a time when we have the whole Word of God, and we'll talk about that a little bit more in relationship to faithfulness, and then we'll get to Malachi.

1-Corinthians 2:9: "But according as it is written, 'The eye has not seen…'"

No human eye has seen, and what little bit we can see out there is so superficial; yet, awe-inspiring, that it gives us a lot of hope.

"…nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man..." (v 9).

You can't think it up on your own! This is where people get into trouble with God's Word. They think that they can add to it!

I just recently reviewed two Church At Homes that I have done in the past, called Was Jesus a Sorcerer? Now, that sounds so absolutely ludicrous that it shouldn't even be spoken of. But did you know that there are people who believe that? Because in their hearts, they have added to what they think is their interpretation of God!

But the Bible says, "…neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit…" (vs 9-10).

So we understand things spiritually that the rest of the world and other people do not understand. And they can't grasp it. That's why God does the one by calling; 'many are called, but few are chosen.' Now, that becomes really important,

"…for the Spirit searches all things—eventhe deep things of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man, which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God" (vs 10-11).

How important is it for today? Let's look at something else concerning love and keeping.

We're going to learn something that's very important today: The difference between keep and do, or keep and practice!

Revelation 3:8—Christ is talking to the Church of Philadelphia: "I know your works…."

You can read all there is there throughout the entire Bible, and the judgment of God comes upon our faith, because we say we believe in Jesus? Our works!

If you believe that it also has the meaning in the Greek, you obey! Same way with the word hear. If you hear the Word of God that is inherent in it, you obey!

Verse 8: "I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no one has the power to shut it, because you have a little strength, and have kept…"

Now, we're going to focus on the word kept. What does that mean?

That comes from the Greek, which is 'tereo': to keep, guard and protect. So, that's more than just disobedience.

Where do we keep the Word of God outside of the Bible more than any other place? In the mind and in the heart!

How does God do that with His Spirit? That's why it says there in 1-Cor. 2 that it's understood spiritually.

"…because you have a little strength, and have kept… [guarded & protected] …My Word and have not denied My name" (v 8).

How do you deny the name of Jesus Christ? By not doing what He says!  That's the way it is in the world.

Now, let's look at one more, because you have to, first of all, believe and then you keep! This keep is a little different, which is the second step in keeping

• the 1st step is believe!
• the 2nd step is to practice, and that comes from the Greek word 'poieo.'
• the 3rd step is 'tereo,' which is:
• to guard
• to protect
• to preserve
• to promulgate

That ties in with public, publish and preach! That's why God has the written word!

This word is 'poieo,' and it is used for everything having to do with action and carrying out a task:

Luke 6:46: "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord'…"

Isn't that what they do? Yes, indeed! Let's look at it this way:

What is this simple prayer that they have? Who is that smiling preacher that you can't stand? Joel Osteen, he's #2 on the most evil of the fifty. He's always smiling, saying, Lord, Lord, enter into—have the Lord.'  You say, 'Lord, enter my heart.'  Can't happen!  Why? Because if you say, 'Lord, enter my heart,' you're doing the calling!

It's God Who has to do the calling. We answer Him!He doesn't answer us. Now, IF we repent and we call upon Him for forgiveness, He will hear, He will forgive! But then we have to do this:

Verse 46: "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' but you do not practice…"

In both cases, all of these that we're talking about here are participles. That's equivalent to the English gerund, which means you are not practicing,  present tense ongoing whenever there's a participle.

"…but you do not practice what I say? Everyone who comes to Me…" (vs 46-47).

You come to God, and if you come to God the right way—not demanding that He come into your heart, and you do whatever you want—coming in repentance and wanting forgiveness…

Verse 47: "Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and practices them…"

What does practice mean? To do something on a continual, regular basis!

What is the Sabbath? The 7th day on a continuing basis, down through time on a rotating orb called the Earth:

• which is the head of the vortex of its path going around the sun
• which is part of a galaxy
• which is a vortex in which we have been planted with the Earth

So you see, from the very smallest thing of God to the very greatest of God, everything comes from Him. This is why we are to practice them.

Faithfulness and the Book of Malachi:

Before we go to Malachi, let's come to John 14. John uses the word keep by the Greek word 'tereo,' which means:

• to keep
• to do
• to protect
• to guard
• to preserve

If you're going to preserve it, that also implies that you publish it, and you publish it faithfully!

God wants us to use our free moral agency to choose what is right, to choose God's way. The way that people deny the name of Jesus is profess His name, but don't do what He says! Like Jesus said, 'Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but don't do what I say?'

John 14:15: "If you love me, keep…"—'tereo'—the strong keeping, not just obeying in the letter That is making it an active part of your thought and mind and your heart, and you're:

• protecting it
• guarding it
• living it
• doing it

"…keep the commandments—namely, My commandments'' (v 15).

That's how we continue to receive the Holy Spirit of God. Because He says:

Verse 16: "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter… ['parakleatos'] …that it may be with you throughout the age: Even the Spirit of the Truth…" (vs 16-17).

• What pricks our conscience more than anything else when we go wrong? God's Spirit!
• How does He do that? He convicts us that what we did was not right and leads us to repentance so we can overcome it and put it away!

"…which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it, but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you" (v 17).

See how He emphasizes this. Notice this is what He's telling the apostles, because they were the ones who would have carried the word out.

He says later that the Holy Spirit would 'bring to your remembrance everything that I have taught you.'

Verse 21: "The one who has My commandments…"—anyone who has the Bible! Everyone who has the Bible is obligated to do this, right here:

But they don't do it! That's why you've heard the phrase, 'Take the Bible off your bookshelf and blow the dust off and find out what it says.'

Verse 21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them ['tereo'—present tense, always, continually] …that is the one who loves Me…"  

So, you see how belief, obedience, and love are tied together.

"…and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him" (v 21).

That's the call that goes out, and we have to answer the call.  We come to God His way!

Verse 22: "Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, 'Lord, what has happened that You are about to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word…" (vs 22-23)—'tereo'—more than just the commandments; every word!

"…and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him" (v 23).

That's the most important thing, having the Holy Spirit of God within us. Then when it is there, what kind of love do we develop?  We develop love based on bringing every thought into the captivity of obedience of Jesus Christ; every thought!

Now that is a lifetime practice! But because with free moral agency, our minds can go astray very easily if we are not continually:

• coming to God
• coming to His commandments
• coming to His Word with His Spirit

to do what He wants us to do!

Verse 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words…"

That's a perfect description of those who say, 'The Old Testament has been done away or fulfilled, and Jesus came to abolish the Law.'

"The one who does not love Me does not keep My words…"

What does that say about the love that is professed by all of these Protestants and Catholics? It is empty and it is hollow and it is meaningless because it doesn't have the substance of the commandments of God and the Spirit of God!

Verse 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me."

Rejecting the highest of all, but God says we are to love Him. How? With all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, all our being!

When we do that, as Jesus told the doctor of Law when he was asked, 'What is the greatest commandment?' and he said that, to love God that way. Then Jesus said, 'You are not far from the Kingdom of God.'

In other words, He was telling this doctor of the Law—the highest educated person in the community—that unless you live it, the words are hollow!

Now let's come to the prophet Malachi. You'll see why I bring this out in just a minute, because this becomes very important. We're living in a time of the conflict between Esau and Jacob right now.

Let's notice what God says of Esau, and then we'll find out what kind of Jesus they have.

Malachi 1:1: "The burden…"

This means that this is a heavy duty message of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. The first thing He says is:

Verse 2: "'I have loved you,' says the LORD…."

All down through time, God has loved Israel. When you go to Isaiah 43:24, God says of Israel, 'I'm the one who is saving you; yet, you made Me serve with your sins.' Doesn't that fully describe worldly Christianity? Yes!

Verse 2: "'I have loved you,' says the LORD. 'But you say, "In what way do You love us?"…. [He answers back]: …'Was not Esau Jacob's brother?' says the LORD. 'Yet, I loved Jacob. And I hated Esau…'" (vs 2-3).

You look at that and say, 'Why would God hate Esau?' You look up any concordance and you'll find that God hates a lot of things. For the churches, Rev. 2 & 3:

• What does He hate? He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans!
• What is that? It is essentially what we see in modern-day Protestantism and Catholicism!
• What is Esau's view of Jesus?
• Are they willing to come to God and say:

Yes, I know that you have loved Jacob, and he was my twin brother. And I know that you have hated me, but I come to you in repentance.

Real repentance? No!The worst kind of Jesus has been invented. Here it is. Let me read this report:

The ongoing fight against the Jewishness of Jesus
Published: 28 December 2023
GUEST COLUMN, Michael Brown, Townhall.com
{https://www.liberalfirst.com/opinion/15398-the-ongoing-fight-against-the-jewishness-of-Jesus}

You would think this would be pretty easy to get right: according to the Gospels, Yeshua (Jesus) was born a Jew in an ancient Jewish city in the historic land of Israel. But no, all this must be disputed, after all, how can Jesus be the liberator of the oppressed if He Himself was born to an oppressor people in an oppressor city? The narrative must be changed.

Stop and think! I want you to go to the home page {truthofgod.org} and you download the link: Herbert Armstrong In His Own Words, where when he was going to some of these leaders in the world, he was saying that Allah and God were the same. Not true!

So what was he doing? He was preaching a false gospel of an unseen hand from somewhere to save the world! So, he fell into the trap of Esau! He later repented of it. We're thankful that he did.

So, here's the way they changed the narrative:

…for many years, we have heard that "Jesus was a Palestinian," or, more fully, "Jesus was a Palestinian freedom fighter,"

He belonged to Hamas! No!

• you talk about changing the Bible
• you talk about changing the Word of God
• you talk about going against God

That's why God says, "I hated Esau…";

…suggesting that He led an armed revolt against – guess who?—the Israeli Jews!

Jesus was not a Jew, they say:

…Aljazeera News, "Remember: Christ was a Palestinian refugee."

How about that? There's much more to the article, so I'll put that aside.

The book of Malachi has to do with faithfulness and unfaithfulness.

Verse 3: "And I hated Esau and made his mountains a desolation, and his inheritance to be for the jackals of the wilderness."

Isn't it interesting that the descendants of Ishmael—all the Arabs—and the descendants of Esau live in some of the most desolate places in the world? How do you like the Sahara Desert for being desolate.

Verse 4: "If Edom says, 'We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places,' thus says the LORD of hosts, 'They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall be called the border of wickedness, and the people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.'"

Why? Because the most evil people have come from Esau! That's why you read in 1-Sam. 5, about God telling Saul to go down and destroy the Amalekites. All of them, young and old and everything. That's all didn't do it.

Verse 5: "And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, 'The LORD will be magnified beyond the border of Israel.'"

We're going to see that right now. God is going to begin to work with the Jews, and "…the LORD will be magnified beyond the border of Israel" means it's expressed in another way, Jesus said concerning the Gospel, 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.'

Verse 6—now he's talking about the priesthood. So we can draw parallels with this with the ministry today. Note Ezek. 33 about how God takes to task the shepherds that clothe themselves and leave the people naked.

Verse 6: "'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My fear?' says the LORD of hosts to you, 'O priests…'" [Where does this go back to?] …who despise My name….'"

A little later He talks about the covenant of Levi. But what happened with the first priest of the children of Israel whose name was Aaron? He despised the name of the Lord by making the golden calf! (Exo. 32); then saying, 'Let's have a feast unto the Lord.'

So despising God had been a weakness with the priests and the Levites down through time. There have been good ones like Eliezer. There have been evil ones. So, it's been difficult.

"…says the LORD of hosts to you, 'O priests, who despise My name…'" (v 6).

Anytime you go against what God says, you despise His name!

"…And you say, 'In what way do we despise Your name?'" (v 6).

The answer is, you do it your way!

Remember the two sons of Aaron? They were told to always keep the fire burning on the altar! Why? Because God started that fire from heaven Himself! So, it was to be a continuous fire of God.

They let it go out. They despised the name of God. They thought, 'We'll fudge and we'll start another fire.' What happened? God struck them dead!

You've got this trait running through the descendants of Levi and Aaron that always pop up and you have corrupt priests.

The book of Malachi was canonized in the year 209B.C. What we're reading here is a prophecy coming down to 169B.C. when the priesthood was so corrupt under Onias III that he sent Antiochus Epiphanes in to desecrate the temple, and offer swine's blood on the altar, which was a complete rebuke of the priesthood who despised the name of God! Here's how they do it.

Verse 7: "You offer defiled bread upon My altar. And you say, 'In what way do we defile You?' In your saying, 'The table of the LORD is contemptible.'" If you offer a blind animal for sacrifice! They're to be perfect!

"…And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor…." (v 8).

Same thing today. Look at the Protestant and Catholic doctrine and even in some of the Churches of God. There are some hints of it, too; that they're doing it their way. People look at it and think, 'What is this?'

"'…Offer it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you, or accept your person?' says the LORD of hosts" (v 8).

 How would it be? You're going to go visit a governor of a state. Let's say that's the state of Kansas where they have a lot of cattle. You're going to bring him a present, so you bring him a blind bull, and offer this as something great for him. He looks at it and here not only is it blind but it's skinny and ill-fed. Will he accept it? No! He will look upon the priesthood as contemptible!

He says do this, v 9: "And now entreat the favor of God…" How do you entreat the favor of God?

• by repentance
• by obedience
• by love

As the priest will say a little later, to teach the people.

Verse 9: "'And now entreat the favor of God, that He will be gracious unto you. This has been by your own hand, and now will He show regard for you?' says the LORD of hosts."

No! Adding to the Word of God or omitting the Word of God Is exactly what they are doing. This is exactly what we find in Rev. 2 & 3.

Verse 10: "'Who is there among you who will even shut the temple doors or kindle a fire on My altar without being paid? I have no pleasure in you,' says the LORD of hosts. 'I will not accept an offering from your hand.'"

Here's a prophecy, a prophecy in the future right here and this will be during the Millennium.

Verse 11: "'For from the rising of the sun even to its going down, My name shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering, for My name shall be great among the nations,' says the LORD of hosts.

Now then he comes back. So here again we find the way that God interjects a prophetic statement that appears to be out of context of what we're reading.

This is how God hides the Truth of what He's going to do from people who don't understand the Sabbath and Holy Days.

He says to the priests, v 12: "But you are profaning it when you say, 'The table of the LORD, it is polluted; and its fruit, His food, is contemptible.'" The way of God is the best!

Verse 13: "You also said, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!'…."

That's what they did with the offerings, the sacrifices, the Sabbaths, the Holy Days! Weariness!

"…And you have snuffed at it in contempt,' says the LORD of hosts…." (v 13).

Does that not describe Protestant and Catholicism? Yes!

"…'And you bring that which was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick, and thus you brought an offering. Should I accept it from your hand?' says the LORD. 'But cursed be a deceiver who has in his flock an acceptable male—yet, he vows and sacrifices to the LORD a blemished one, for I am a great King,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and My name is feared among the nations'" (vs 13-14).

Again, going out into the Millennium. We don't come to God and give Him our afterthoughts. We don't come to God and do the bare minimum that we think we can get away with, because that's contemptible! How is that loving God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and being? It's not!

I want you to take what we're studying today and go and study Rev. 2 & 3 about the seven churches. You will see that some of the same problems that we're reading in Malachi were taking place within the Churches of God.

In the works of the Nicolaitans, He said He hated, and He hates the things offered in sacrifice to idols, which is called today by the Catholic Church the 'Sacrifice of the Mass' or the 'Eucharist.' It's called by the Protestants, 'communion' or the 'Lord's Supper.'

The Passover commemorating the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the whole world is what God wants us to know and to honor and to keep and to keep in the way that we said earlier by guarding and protecting it.

Look at what they've done to the Passover. Absolutely horrendous! I'll have more to say about that later on.

Malachi 2:1: "'And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.2: If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to My name,' says the LORD of hosts, 'then I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yea, I have indeed cursed them already because you do not lay it to heart'" (vs 1-2).

I've got a whole 20 pages of statements down through the centuries from the 1600s till now by every major Sunday-keeping church saying, We know the Sabbath is what the Bible teaches, but we keep Sunday.'

That is contemptible! What did James say? If you break one of the Royal Laws, you have broken them all! They didn't lay it to heart, and they know better!

Some people say that they're blind. Yes, they're blind, but they're willingly blind! They're doing as much as saying, 'Put the blindfold on us, because we don't want to see that Sabbath. But take the blindfold off, and we'll keep Sunday.'

Here's what God says, v 3: "Behold, I will rebuke your seed; and I will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your appointed feasts…."

Doesn't that describe all of the holidays of this world? Now, you know what dung is. God is very descriptive.

When I was a boy growing up, I had to milk the cows, and I had to clean out the manure trough, because that's where the dung was, and throw it outside in a stack.

That's what God says He thinks about Halloween, Christmas, New Year, Easter, the whole thing. It's all a pile of dung! There are other words you can use with it that are the same.

"…'And one shall carry you away with it. And you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, so that My covenant might be with Levi,' says the LORD of hosts" (vs 3-4).

He wanted them to remember. He made this covenant with Levi, and Aaron was the first one to disobey it.

Verse 5: "My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him for fear; that he might fear Me, and he was in awe before My name. The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned away many from iniquity" (vs 5-6).

That's what Levi did at first. So, this tells us, whenever there's a teacher, a preacher, a minister, evangelist—it doesn't make any difference—as long as you teach:

• the Word of God
• the commandments of God
• the love of God

and you are doing it and living it, God will hear it! But:

Verse 8: "'But you have departed out of the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Therefore, I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, just as you have not kept My ways but have been partial in the Law'" (vs 8-9).

Perfect description of what's going on in Christianity today. No faithfulness at all!  They have compromised the Law.

They'll say that you need to do this because you bring up: 'we ought to keep the Sabbath, we keep Sunday.'

• Is it then okay to murder? Well, no, you can't murder!
• Is it okay to commit adultery? No, you can't commit adultery unless we approve gay marriage and all of that, then you can do anything you want.

And on down the line! Being partial in the Law!

Verse 10: "Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously, each man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?"

• Isn't that what they do?
• Isn't that what the Jews do today?

Look at the abominations that their rabbis teach!

• they hate Jesus
• they reject Jesus
• they despise Christians

Oh, they're happy to have their businesses profit at Christmas time because of 'all of the stupid Gentiles that buy all of these gifts from us and make us rich.' But that Jesus we'll have nothing to do with it!'

Verse 11: "Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god." That's what happens:

• when you embrace Molech
• when you embrace a false Jesus
• when you get into a covenant with them

It's the same as marrying a false god!

• What did Israel do with the covenant of God?
• When the covenant was made with Israel, He became a Husband to them

That's what it is! Now, what about the Church today? We are to be the Bride; we are to be married to Christ, Who is God!

Verse 13: "And this is a second thing you have done, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, weeping and groaning, so that He does not regard the offering and no longer receives it with delight from your hand."

You can see that with some of these Pentecostals, they weep and cry and dance around and all of that. God does not accept that!

Verse 14: "Yet, you say, 'Why?' …. [God, why do you say this?] … Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously…"

Now then, He brings up about divorce. Didn't Jesus have to talk to the scribes and Pharisees about divorce? Because they had it that anyone could divorce his wife by writing a bill of divorcement and giving it to her, rejecting the Law concerning adultery!

That's why Jesus said, 'In the beginning, God made them male and female, and a man shall leave his father and mother in cleave to his wife, and they too shall become one flesh.'

For those who have been married a long time and have been faithful, we all understand that. Those who don't, you've got a tear in your life, and the only One Who can heal that is God, and with real repentance and dedication to Him.

They didn't understand why God was not accepting what they were bringing Him.

Verse 14: "Yet, you say, 'Why?'…. [Why do You do this, Lord? After all, we're good people!] …Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth against you. "…you have dealt treacherously—yet, she is your companion and your covenant wife. And did He not make you one? Yet, the vestige of the Spirit is in him And why one? That He might seek a godly seed. Therefore, guard your spirit, and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth" (vs 14-15).

So, here's a verse that says to everyone: If you have marital problems, husband and wife, get over your selfishness. The husband, get over your presumptuousness. The wife, get over your trying to dominate your husband. Become one flesh. Love one another. Do things the way that God wants.

Everybody's going to have trouble in their marriage. That's because of human nature. But what are you going to do when it takes place? Today, people are not even married; they're just shacking up together.

Put the thing in the back of their mind, 'Well, if this doesn't go right, I'm out of here.' God hates that!

Yet, that has been within the Churches of God. There was one case where two ministers swapped wives in the Worldwide Church of God and remained ministers!

Do you know why God tore down Worldwide Church of God? Because of the sins in high places and the sins within people's lives and the sins within the ministry! God removed it completely! I'll tell you about that sometime.

Verse 16: "The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'I hate divorce—and the covering of violence with one's garment,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Therefore, guard your spirit, and do not act treacherously.'"

This is directly to all of the ministry today! Do not act treacherouslywhen you will not repent and understand Truth and teach it to the brethren. You are dealing treacherously!

Verse 17: "You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet, you say, 'In what way have we wearied Him?' When you say, 'Every evildoer is good in the eyes of the LORD, and He delights in them'; or, 'Where is the God of judgment?'"

Giving permission to sin and saying, 'Sin is good.' Now they don't express it quite that way, but that's exactly what happens!

Now then, right in the middle of that, here comes your prophecy of John the Baptist. Why? Because John the Baptist came to a wicked and an adulterous generation as the messenger to prepare the way for Jesus Christ to come!

Malachi 3:1: "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in Whom you delight. Behold, He comes,' says the LORD of hosts."

How did Jesus make Himself known at the temple? John 2, He came in there and what did He do? He overturned the tables of the money exchangers!  The money was rolling everywhere. Jesus told them to get all those animals out of there and clean it up.

They came up to Him and said, 'Who are you?' And He said, 'Destroy this temple in three days, I'll raise it up.' Talked about His resurrection.

Here's the prophecy; v 2: "But who can endure the day of His coming?…."

Verse 2 jumps right ahead to His second coming. That's why it's important to know the Sabbath and Holy Days with these prophecies.

When you come to a prophecy that is put right in the middle of something that appears to be unrelated, because you read when Jesus came, He didn't do any of this when He was there. So, this is His second coming.

Verse 2: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness" (vs 2-3).

In type that will be us in the resurrection, Because during the Millennium there will not be any offerings.

Verse 4: "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to the LORD, as in the days of old and as in former years."

In other words, we will establish proper and right worship of God in the Millennium.

Verse 5: "And I will come near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely, and against those who extort from the hired laborer's wages—and against those who turn away the widow, the orphan, and the stranger because they did not fear Me,' says the LORD of hosts." All that will be reestablished!

• Doesn't this one verse, verse 5, say what's going on today in all countries of the world? Yes!
• Is anybody taking care of them? Look at the homeless, wherever it is, it's amazing!

He wants everyone to remember v 6: "For I am the LORD, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed…. [a plea for us from that time down to this and to the 2ND return of Christ] …From the days of your fathers, you have gone away from My statutes, and have not kept them…." (vs 6-7).

God always calls for repentance! This is what He's doing here!

"…Return to Me…." (v 7). How?

• in repentance
• in fear
• in confession
• in meekness
• in contriteness

"…'Return to Me, and I will return to you,' says the LORD of hosts. 'But you say. "In what way shall we return?" Will a man rob God? Yet, you are robbing Me. But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings!" (vs 7-8).

Then it goes beyond that. That's really a small thing. You're cursed with a curse because you're robbing me, even this whole nation.

Well, if you're not preaching the Truth and if you're taking money like all of these rich ministers do—spend it on themselves and not serve the brethren—what are you doing? You're robbing God!

Verse 10: "'Bring all the tithes into the treasure house, so that there may be food in My house. And prove Me now with this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'to see if I will not surely open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out a blessing for you, until there is not enough room to receive it.'"

Then God will take care of the devourers and so forth.

Verse 12: "'And all nations shall call you blessed; for you shall be a delightful land,' says the LORD of hosts." That's the setting up of the Millennium!

He again rebukes them and shows the difference between the unfaithful and the faithful.

Verse 13: "'Your words have been all too strong against Me,' says the LORD. 'Yet, you say, "What have we spoken so strongly against You?" You have said, "It is vain to serve God; and, what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?"'" (vs 13-14).

That's all this false religion, all this false Christianity going on.

Verse 15: And now we are calling the arrogant blessed…." Think of that!

Think of Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland, satanic evil men!

"'…Yea, they that work wickedness are built up, they even tempt God, and are delivered.' Then those fearing the LORD spoke together…" (vs 15-16).

Here's what's going on in the world, and then here's what's going on with the people of God. Who is God looking at and listening to?

Verse 16: "Then those fearing the LORD spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And the LORD listened and heard. And a Book of Remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD, and for those who thought upon His name. 'And they shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts…"  (vs 16-17).

Go back and this confirms everything in the New Testament, right here.

Verse 17: "'And they shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'in the day that I will make up My own special jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.'"

So this covers faithfulness and Malachi. There are many parallels here in the book of Malachi that you can look at going back in time to the history of Israel and going forward in time into the New Testament.

Malachi 4 is about the "Sun of Righteousness and the third Elijah, we'll cover it at another time. But today this is what we are living in. These are the days that we're confronted with.

Scriptural References:

• 1 Corinthians 2:9-11
• Revelation 3:8
• Luke 6:46-47
• John 14:15-17, 21-24
• Malachi 1:1-14
• Malachi 2:1-6, 8-17
• Malachi 3:1-10, 12-17

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Jeremiah 18
• Isaiah 43:24
• Revelation 2; 3
• 1 Samuel 5
• Ezekiel 33
• Exodus 32
• Revelation 2; 3
• John 2
• Malachi 4

Also referenced:

Book: From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? by Fred R. Coulter

Church At Home {churchathome.org} Was Jesus a Sorcerer?  #1 & 2

Articles:

• Archbishop claims blessings for same-sex couples proves Pope Francis is 'servant of Satan'

{https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/archbishop-blessing-same-sex-couples-pope-francis-Satan}

• The ongoing fight against the Jewishness of Jesus

Published: 28 December 2023
GUEST COLUMN, Michael Brown, Townhall.com
{https://www.liberalfirst.com/opinion/15398-the-ongoing-fight-against-the-jewishness-of-Jesus}

FRC:bo/po
Transcribed: 1/3/23

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