Malachi 4:6

Malachi revealed only one future forerunner of Messiah before the day of the Lord in view, perhaps the more prominent of the two. Elijah was a very significant person in Israel’s history because he turned the Israelites back to God at the time of their worst apostasy, when Ahab and Jezebel had made Baal worship the official religion of Israel. Moses established the theocracy on earth, but Elijah restored it when it almost passed out of existence. Similarly the eschatological Elijah will unite the hearts of the Jews to turn back and worship Yahweh.

At His first coming Jesus said that because of Him families would experience division. Some fathers would believe on Him but their sons would not, and daughters would disagree with their mothers over Him (Matthew 10:35-36; Luke 12:49-53; cf. Micah 7:6). When this Elijah comes, he will cause the Jews to believe on their Messiah, as many did in Elijah’s day. They will unite over belief in Him.

If the Lord would not send this Elijah, and if he did not turn the hearts of the Jews back to God, the Lord would have to come (in the person of Messiah) and strike the earth with a curse. Because the Jews will turn to Jesus Christ in faith (Zechariah 12:10), blessing will come to the earth, not a curse (Malachi 4:2-3; cf. Zechariah 14:11; Romans 11:26). This is another reference to millennial conditions.

The Jews of Malachi’s day needed to remember their Law and practice it to prepare for the coming day of the Lord. As Jesus said, Moses wrote of Him (John 5:46). Had Malachi’s audience and subsequent generations of Jews paid attention to the Law of Moses they would have recognized Jesus for who He was at His first coming. This was the last revelation that God gave His people before the forerunner of Messiah, whom He promised in Malachi 3:1, appeared some 400 years later. They had plenty of time to get ready.

In Malachi’s day the people needed to return to the Lord or He would smite the land with a curse. This is really what happened since they did not return to Him. The Israelites’ problems occupying the land God gave them since the Babylonian captivity is evidence of their failure.

Fortunately for them, and for the whole world, God did not cast off His people Israel because they rejected His Son (Romans 11:1). He will send another powerful prophet, like Moses, to His people in the end times. They will believe the message of that Elijah and will turn to Jesus Christ in faith when He returns to the earth (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26). Then Messiah will initiate a righteous worldwide rule that will last 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6) rather than smiting the land with a curse.

"Genesis reveals the entrance of the curse into the human family (Genesis 3); the last word of the O.T. shows the curse still persisting (Malachi 4:6); Matthew begins (Matthew 1:1) with Him who came to remove the curse (Galatians 3:13; Revelation 21:3-5; Revelation 22:3)." [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 982.]

"The warning that ends the Old Testament is not absent at the end of the New (Revelation 22:10-15), but the difference is that there grace has the last word (Revelation 22:21)." [Note: Baldwin, p. 253.]