39) The Book of Malachi

MALACHI is the last book of the Old Testament in the sacred English Bible. Malachi was the last of the prophets to the restored remnant of Israel after Haggai and Zechariah. Malachi preached against the apostasy of the priests and the apathy of the people. The spiritual state was similar to the condition in Nehemiah 13. The priests did not serve with diligence, love, or sincerity. The priests were more concerned for their financial gain than the spiritual condition of the people (Isa. 56:9-12; John 11:47-48; 1 Tim. 6:5-10). The sins of the priests were used by the people to justify their own worldliness (1 Sam. 8:1-6; Jer. 5:30-31).

Malachi focused on holiness because the LORD God is going to judge everyone for his or her actions and attitudes (Eccl. 12:13-14; Mal. 1:11; 2:11; 3:3, 16-18; 4:2; Rom. 14:12). The holy God requires holiness for His children (Lev. 19:2; 1 Thess. 4:1-7; 1 Peter 1:16).

The major doctrine of this book is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus and its glorious events. The thirty-ninth book of the Old Testament ends with the word curse. As every age, the Old Testament ends with depravity, degradation, and devilment. The worst devilment will obviously occur during the Tribulation under the deception and dictatorship of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3-4). The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed man from the curse of the law (Acts 13:39; Gal. 3:13) and the Lord Jesus will set up a glorious kingdom on earth for 1000 years. The book contains 4 chapters and 55 verses.