
Prophecy 30 of 30 · Timing
The Lord comes to his Temple
God sends his messenger to prepare the way, and "the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his Temple".
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Hebrew · Leningrad Codexעִבְרִית
1הִנְנִ֤י שֹׁלֵחַ֙ מַלְאָכִ֔י וּפִנָּה־דֶ֖רֶךְ לְפָנָ֑י וּפִתְאֹם֩ יָב֨וֹא אֶל־הֵיכָל֜וֹ הָאָד֣וֹן ׀ אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֣ם מְבַקְשִׁ֗ים וּמַלְאַ֨ךְ הַבְּרִ֜ית אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֤ם חֲפֵצִים֙ הִנֵּה־בָ֔א אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃hinni sholeach mal'akhi ufinna-derekh lefanay ufit'om yavo el-hekhalo ha'adon asher-attem mevakshim umal'akh habberit asher-attem chafetzim hinne-va amar ADONAI tzevaot
JPS 1917 · Jewish translation
1Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye delight in, Behold, he cometh, Saith the LORD of hosts.
World Messianic Bible
1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me! The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Behold, the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, is coming!” says the LORD of Hosts.“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me! The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Behold, the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, is coming!” says Yahweh of Armies.
Malachi 3:1. Transliteration simplified. Read the whole chapter
Fulfilment · New CovenantWMB
Matthew 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
Luke 2:27-32 He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Yeshua, that they might do concerning him according to the requirement of the Torah, then he received him into his arms and blessed God, and said, “Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
John 2:13-17 The Passover in Judea was at hand, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables. To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
How rabbinic tradition reads it
Read as Elijah's return before the Day of the LORD (Malachi 3:23), which is why a cup for Elijah is set at the Seder.
Why Messianic Jews read it as Yeshua
The Lord must come to the Temple while it stands. It was destroyed in 70 CE. Yeshua was presented there as a baby and taught there.
Look at the text for yourself
Read Malachi 3:1 slowly, in the Hebrew and the JPS translation above. Then ask the question the Ethiopian official asked: "Who is the prophet talking about?"
Sources
- Malachi 3:23 (English 4:5)
- The cup of Elijah at the Seder
- Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), via OpenScriptures. English: JPS 1917; World Messianic Bible (public domain).