Who Can Endure the Day of His Coming?

"‘Behold, I send My messenger to prepare the way before Me, and the Lord Whom you seek will suddenly come to His Temple; the Messenger of the covenant in Whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts” quotes the prophet in Malachi 3:1 [RSV]. He then adds in verses 2-5, 2. “But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; 3. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord. 4. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1 spoke of two messengers who were to come. The first of these was to prepare the way of the Lord, and we see in the Gospels that John the Immerser fulfilled this. The second was to be the Messenger of the covenant, and this is Jesus Christ. Although there is general agreement about who these two messengers are, disagreement arises over whether verses 2-5 above from Malachi chapter 3 refer to the first advent of Jesus, or to His second coming at the end of time.

I am of the opinion that these still refer to Jesus’ first coming, and not His second, and here is why. During the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, He did cleanse the Temple, not just on one occasion, but twice. The first of these two cleansings occurred at the beginning of His ministry as recorded by John in chapter 2 of his Gospel, and the second happened during the week of Jesus’ crucifixion, and it is recorded in Matthew 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19. Hence, the reference to the coming Messenger as being like a refiner and purifier of silver and a launderer (fuller) using soap to cleanse the filthy garments of the sons of Levi, the priests who had turned His Father’s house into a den of thieves, is understood.

When we submit to undergoing baptism, we, too, are said to be clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27). Our sin-stained garments are replaced with the pure garments of Jesus. We are called to be a nation of priests, holy and acceptable to God since we are wrapped in His Son and our Savior. The Hebrews writer tells us Jesus is our High Priest in Hebrews 2:17 and John reveals that all of us who are washed in His blood are priests in His service and Kingdom: 5. Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on Earth. To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood 6. and made us a Kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. (Revelation 1:5b-6 [RSV]) Once again, we see Jesus fulfilling the purifying of the “sons of Levi” prophesied in Malachi with His first coming and the giving of the gospel plan of salvation. Because we are all “sons of Levi” through each and every one of us being priests of God who have been cleansed by His precious blood, we are all able to boldly and “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:17 [RSV]).

Jesus fulfilling of this prophecy seems to me to have taken place during His first advent. Additionally, whenever individuals realized Who Jesus was, literally God in the flesh, they reacted as people always do when in the presence of the Almighty: They prostrated themselves in obeisance. No one can be in the presence of God without knowing of their unworthiness due to their sins. No man can “endure the day of His coming” for all are guilty and stand condemned, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 [RSV]).

Lastly, the prophecy of Malachi 3:2-5 teaches that when this advent of the Messenger, the prophesied Messiah to come, occurs, He will act as a cleanser, and not as a destroyer. “He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap,” writes Malachi. The coming of this second Messenger will be awesome and terrible, but with a purpose. Both the refiner and the launderer work to clean, not to destroy. The purpose of Jesus’ first coming was not to destroy, but to cleanse us from our sins. As He Himself said in Luke 19:10 [RSV], “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” We have already noted how this cleansing and refining was accomplished when one chooses to obey the gospel. It is not until the second advent of the Lord occurs that He will come as a destroyer, for at that point He will crush all His enemies, with the last enemy destroyed being death (1 Corinthians 15:26).

The Feast of Dedication

Hanukkah (or Chanukah), otherwise known as the Feast of Dedication or the Feast of the Maccabees, was a Jewish festival observed for eight days from the 25th of Kislev, which we call the month of December. It was instituted by Judas Maccabeus, his brothers, and the elders of the congregation of Israel in the year 165 BC in commemoration of the reconsecration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and especially of the altar of burnt offering, after they had been desecrated in the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC. The significant happenings of the festival were the illumination of houses and synagogues, a custom probably taken over from the Feast of Tabernacles, and the recitation of Psalm 30:1-12. The Feast of Dedication was celebrated during the time of Jesus’ ministry, and it is mentioned in John 10:22-24 [RSV]: 22. It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; 23. it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the Temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24. So the Jews gathered round Him and said to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."

After the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire was divided among his four generals known as the Diadochi. Nicator Seleucus took control of the eastern provinces. Antiochus IV, a later Seleucid king, named himself Epiphanes, which means “god manifest.” He was the prophesied evil monarch from Syria – the ultimate “king of the north” – who came down and defeated “the king of the south” and took possession of Judea in Daniel 11:21-30.

Antiochus had the Jewish High Priest assassinated, and installed a man of his own inclination in his place. He instituted Greek customs throughout the Jewish population and finally ordered the Jewish religion abolished completely and replaced it with his own pagan gods. Anyone who failed to abide by his decrees, he had executed. His forces desecrated the Jerusalem Temple and its altar of worship by slaughtering a swine on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus with his own likeness in the sanctuary. Antiochus typifies the Antichrist in the Book of Revelation who will set up an abomination (an idol of himself) that causes desolation (those who love the true God to flee Jerusalem), and this occurred when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus also warned His followers of the coming destruction and abomination when He said in Matthew 24:15-18 [RSV], 15. “So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16. then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17. let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; 18. and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.”

After the Jews retook Jerusalem under the Maccabees and the Temple was cleansed, the lamps of the sacred lampstand needed to be lit. There was only enough oil found to keep the lamps burning for one day. It would take a messenger a week to bring fresh supplies, but no one wanted to wait that long to rededicate the sanctuary. Miraculously, they lit the lampstand and the oil lasted eight full days!

God made a prophecy about the Second Temple in Haggai 2:9 [RSV], saying, “‘The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘and in this place I will give prosperity,’ says the Lord of hosts.” How could this be, seeing how Solomon’s Temple (the former house) contained five glorious elements that were missing in the present house (the Second Temple rebuilt under Zerubbabel) of Haggai's day? These five items were the Fire from Heaven on the Altar; the Ark of the Covenant; the Glory of the Divine Presence (Shechinah); and the Urim and Thummim. In addition to these missing spiritual elements, the physical structure of Solomon's Temple was so ornate and elaborate than the 2nd Temple that those who were old enough to remember it (the survivors of the Babylonian exile) wept aloud when the foundation was laid (Ezra 3:12).

The latter glory of the second house was greater than that of Solomon's Temple because the glorious Son of God, the “light of the world” (John 3:12 [RSV]), had come into the Temple. Jesus came into the Temple during the Feast of Dedication. The Light of the World Who filled the Temple with glory was asked, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” He had confirmed again and again that He was the Messiah by His signs, wonders and miracles. Even the eight day miracle of Hanukkah pointed to Jesus the Messiah. In Jesus Christ is fulfilled the promise from God of prosperity, for as the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:7-8 [RSV], 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8. which He lavished upon us.

During the Festival of Lights, the Menorah is lit by a servant candle. Although the “Shamash” is located above the other candles, it must bow low to light them. Jesus humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant, and shared His glorious light with us.

The fulfilled prophecy of Haggai 2:9 is only one of over 300 prophecies fulfilled that confirm that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah of Israel. The probability of one man fulfilling only 48 of the over 300 prophecies is one in 10 to the 157th power. Not only did the miracles that Jesus performed attest to the fact that He is the Son of God, but the statistical evidence is proof beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus is Adonai, the Lord.

Is He the Lord of your life?