This is the last Old Testament Sunday School lesson for 2014. I love the Old Testament and encourage all to really study what is written. It has so many messages for today.
Old Testament Scriptural Summaries
and Selections
Zechariah Chapters 13-14;
Selections from Malachi
Gospel Doctrine Class, Sunday
School Lesson #48
"The Great and Dreadful Day
of the Lord" - Malachi 4:5
Reference: Old Testament Gospel
Doctrine Teacher's Manual, (2001), 225-29
Old Testament Student Manual
Kings-Malachi, (1982), 341-356
Old Testament Seminary Student
Study Guide―Malachi.
The Words of the Twelve Prophets, Monte S. and Farres H. Nyman
The purpose of this lesson: "To
encourage class members to (1) prepare for the Second Coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ, (2) pay an honest tithe and generous offerings, and (3)
experience the blessings that come because of the sealing power of the
priesthood" (from the Teacher's Manual).
The Book of Zechariah (from my
chapter summaries book: The Last Twelve Prophets)
Zechariah
was a prophet in Jerusalem. He was the
son of Berechiah, who was “the son of Iddo the Prophet” (v. 1). Iddo was
one of “the priests and the Levites” who accompanied Zerubbabel, the son of
Shealtiel, home from exile in Babylon (see Nehemiah
12:1, 4, 7) (Old Testament Student Manual−1 Kings-Malachi,
(SM) p. 341). His ministry is dated approximately from 520
B.C. to 518 B.C.; he prophesied at the same time as a witness of Haggai.
Although
the writings of his visions, like Haggai's, are to encourage the people of
Judah to repent and build the temple, "the primary subject of his message
is Jesus Christ. His prophecies about
Christ relate to both his ministry in the meridian of time and his second coming"
(The Words of the Twelve Prophets, Monte S. and Farres H. Nyman, p.
121).
Zechariah's
book can be divided into two parts: the
first eight chapters include the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Cleon Skousen states "in a single night
Zechariah had eight visions which are set forth in his first six chapters"
(The
Fourth Thousand Years, p. 775). The last
six chapters "are prophecies of both appearances of Jesus Christ−his
ministry in the flesh and his coming in glory in the last days" (Nyman and Nyman, p. 121-122).
The
following explanation of the visions is from the Student Manual (p. 341):
"The [exiled] people began to lose faith in God. These visions
of Zechariah thus came at a most important crisis. To his [Zechariah's] countrymen they were a
bright panorama of hope, revealing the marvelous providence of God, and His
love for His people."
The Book of Malachi (from my
chapter summaries book: The Last Twelve Prophets)
Malachi
was the last prophet in Judah to write in the Old Testament. His name means "my messenger" which
seems appropriate for a prophet.
Scholars believe his book was written about 430 B.C., "nearly one
hundred years after Jews began returning from Babylon to the land of
Israel" (Old Testament Seminary Student
Study Guide-Malachi).
Malachi
followed Haggai and Zechariah, who also prophesied in Judah after the remnant
returned to Jerusalem. He is thought to
be a contemporary of Nehemiah―prophesying about "four hundred years before
the birth of Christ" (Old Testament Student Manual:
1 Kings–Malachi, p. 351). "[He] is one of the most frequently
quoted Old Testament prophets. New
Testament writers quoted Malachi’s writings, the resurrected Savior quoted
some of Malachi’s teachings to the Nephites so they would have them in
their records, and the angel Moroni quoted some of Malachi to the
young Prophet Joseph Smith, telling him that Malachi’s prophecies
would be fulfilled in the latter days." (Old
Testament Seminary Student Study Guide―Malachi.)
It
is interesting to note that Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in approximately
600 B.C., "nearly two hundred years before the time of Malachi.
The Nephites, therefore, could not have obtained the words of Malachi except
from the Lord." (See 3 Nephi 24 and 25.) However, the Nephites in
the Western Hemisphere had many prophets continuing up to the end of the
Nephite people (recorded in the Book of Mormon.) (Old Testament Teachers
Resource Manual, 2003, pp. 215-217.)
Malachi's ministry
was to call the people to repentance and remind them of the Lord's promises to
them . "He taught about the restoration of priesthood sealing power,
marriage and divorce, and tithes and offerings. He also prophesied concerning a
messenger who would precede the Second Coming of the Savior. Much of the book
of Malachi applies to the latter days." (Old Testament Student Manual−1Kings-Malachi, (SM), pp. 351-356).
Prophecies that have been fulfilled in preparation
for the Second Coming
Malachi 3:1 - "Behold,
I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he
shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."
"Malachi
prophesied that a messenger would prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord’s mortal ministry, and Joseph
Smith is the messenger who prepared the way for the Second Coming"
(see Matthew 11:10; Joseph Fielding
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie,
3 vols. [1954–56], 1:193–95, 3:10–14; quoted from Teacher's Manual).
Malachi 4:5 - "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:"
President Ezra Taft Benson said,
“[The Savior’s] coming will be both glorious and terrible, depending on the
spiritual condition of those who remain” ("Prepare
Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord,” New Era, May 1982, 49;
quoted in the Teacher's Manual).
"Malachi prophesied that the
prophet Elijah would return before the Second Coming. …This prophecy was
fulfilled when Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple (April 3,
1836), restoring the keys of the sealing power" (see D&C 110:13–16) (Teacher's Manual).
Malachi 4:6 - "And he shall turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to
their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with
a curse."
Q.
What does this mean? A. "It means
to be sealed to all our ancestors—our 'fathers'—and to all our posterity—our 'children'—forever.
Because of the sealing power of the priesthood and the temple ordinances for
the living and the dead, families can be bound together for eternity" (Teacher's Manual). (See also Luke 1:17; 3 Nephi
25:5–6; D&C 2:1–3; Joseph Smith—History 1:37–39.)
Prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled before the
Savior comes
Zechariah 10:6-9 - "And they of
Ephraim [in the latter-days] shall be like a mighty man, and
their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall
rejoice in the Lord. I will hiss [call] for them,
and gather them; for I have redeemed [saved] them: and they shall increase as they have increased. And I will sow [scatter] them among the people: and they shall remember me
in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again [to the Lord]."
"Those
who follow Christ… will find a God who cares for His people, who uses them to
carry out His purposes in the earth, and who will restore both Judah and
Ephraim to their rightful place before the Lord" (Student Manual, p.
346).
Zechariah 12:1-4; 8-9 - "The burden [message
of doom] of the word of the LORD for [the
enemies of] Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and
layeth the foundation of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within
him" (v. 1).
The
Lord will make Jerusalem a "cup of trembling" to the people round
about when they come "in the siege" both against Judah and
Jerusalem. In that day, Jerusalem will
become "a burdensome stone" when "all the people of the earth [are] gathered together against
it." The Lord will smite every
horse and rider [symbolic of military
power] as he will watch over Judah. (vv. 2-4).
"In
that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he
that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of
David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before
them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek
to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (vv.
8-9).
"A
great war will be fought in and around Jerusalem, but the Lord will intervene
and save the inhabitants of Jerusalem from destruction" (Teacher's Manual).
"Many
of the prophecies of the last days include tragedies such as war, natural
disasters, and widespread wickedness" (Teacher's
Manual).
D&C 38:28-30 - "And again, I say unto you that the
enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives. Ye hear
of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great
wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land. I
tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore,
treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men
reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak
in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if
ye are prepared ye shall not fear."
Prophecies that will be fulfilled when the Savior
comes
Zechariah 12:10 - "And I will pour upon the house of David, and
upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace [mercy] and of supplications: and they
shall look upon me whom they have pierced [crucified], and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for his only son, and shall be in bitterness
for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
Zechariah Chapter 13—Two Parts of the People Will Die
As
we left Jerusalem (in chapter 12), all the people were in mourning as they have
seen with their own eyes, that Jesus is the Messiah. Now, the Lord continues: "In that day
there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness" (v. 1). —This is a direct reference to the "waters of baptism" needed
to wash away the sins and uncleanness of those who have been spared in Israel
(Nyman & Nyman, p. 133).
"In
that day" the Lord will cut off the names of the idols, because the
Messiah has revealed himself to the people. The false prophets and unclean
spirits will leave the land and be remembered no more. And if any son tries to prophesy falsely, he
will be accused by his father and mother, who will "thrust him
through" for his lies in the name of the Lord. "In that day" all the false
prophets will be ashamed and revealed for their false visions. And he shall say, "I am no prophet"
but a keeper of cattle (vv. 2-5).
Then,
one shall say unto him [Christ],
"What are these wounds in thine hands?" Then he shall answer, "Those with which
I was wounded in the house of my friends" (v. 6).
In the next verse, Zechariah
skips to the meridian of time when Christ is betrayed and taken prisoner by the
chief priests and soldiers: The Lord cries, "Awake, O sword, against my
shepherd [Christ], and against the
man that is my fellow [who stands next to
me], smite the shepherd, and the sheep [the
disciples] shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little
ones" (v. 7).
“The
offending of the disciples took place when Jesus was taken prisoner, and they
all fled. This flight was a prelude to the dispersion of the flock at the death
of the shepherd. But the Lord soon brought back His hand over the disciples.
The promise, ‘But after my resurrection I will go before you into
Galilee,’ is a practical exposition [explanation]
of the bringing back of the hand over the small ones, which shows that the
expression is to be understood here in a good sense, and that it began to be
fulfilled in the gathering together of the disciples by the risen Saviour.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary,
10:2:399; quoted in SM, p. 348.)
Again, as is true also with
Isaiah, Zechariah switches back to the battle of Armageddon with a prophecy
that two-thirds [parts] of the people
of the land will be "cut off and die." The one-third [part] who have come through the fire, he will
"refine" and "will try
them as gold is tried:" [thus humbled] they will call on his
name, "and I will hear them:" I will say, "It is my
people;" and they shall say, "The LORD is my God" (vv. 8-9).
"But
who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he
appeareth? 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." (3 Nephi:24:3-4.)
Chapter 14—The Second Coming of the Lord
"The
day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil [wealth]
shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against
Jerusalem to battle and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled [robbed], and the women ravished; and
half of the city shall go forth, into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city" (vv. 1-2).
"Then
shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in
the day of battle." And in that day
"his feet shall stand… upon the mount of Olives, which …shall cleave [in two] in the midst thereof toward the
east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the
mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." The righteous saints will flee before the
terrible earthquake to the valley in the middle of the mountain for safety
where the Lord has come (vv. 4-5).
"As the
Jews flee through this avenue of escape they will see their Messiah who has
come to deliver them. In gratitude and joy they will throw themselves
at the feet of the Deliverer and discover the wounds in His hands and feet.
Suddenly they will realize that their Messiah is the Messiah who came to them
before, and the Jewish nation will be converted to their God" (SM. p. 294).
“All [the prophets] speak of [this day]; and
when that time comes, the Lord [will] come out of His hiding place. You can see
what a terrible condition it is going to be; and the Jews besieged, not only in
Jerusalem but, of course, throughout Palestine are in the siege; and when they
are about to go under, then the Lord comes. ” (Smith, Signs
of the Times, p. 170; quoted in SM, p. 294.)
Now, as was shown to the Nephites
(see 3 Nephi1:15-19) at the time of Christ's birth, for a day and a night and a day,
there is no darkness "that at evening time it shall be light" (vv.
6-7) (Nyman & Nyman, p. 134).
In that day
"living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former
sea [Mediterranean], and half of them
toward the hinder sea [Dead Sea]: in
summer and in winter shall it be" (v. 8).
"This [earth]quake will evidently create a huge
spring in Jerusalem which will form a new river, flowing westward to the
Mediterranean Sea and eastward to the Dead Sea (see Zechariah
14:8–9; Joel 3:18; Ezekiel 47:1–5). Because of
this river, the Dead Sea will have its waters healed, that is, it will become a
lake with verdant foliage surrounding its shores and fish teeming in its waters
(see Ezekiel 47:6–12). (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 286; quoted in SM, p. 294.)
"And
the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one LORD,
and his name one" (v. 9). And the land shall be turned into a plain;
and it will be lifted up, and inhabited in her place. "The area around Jerusalem, which is now
very hilly and steep, will be smoothed out and become like a plain” (SM, p. 134). The land
will be inhabited and there shall be no more destruction; and Jerusalem will
become a place of safety (vv. 10-11).
The
Lord will send a plague to all those who fought against Jerusalem;
"Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume
away in their mouth." In that day, a
great tumult from the Lord [confusion or
panic] will result in fighting among the heathen. Judah will conquer those armies of nations
who have come to Jerusalem with their gold, silver, and apparel, and they will
gather it together in great abundance.
And, those from the defeated armies of the nations who have survived will
be converted to the Lord and will keep the yearly feast of tabernacles at
Jerusalem (vv. 12-16).
And
to the families left in the earth who will not worship "the King, the LORD
of hosts" will the Lord withhold rain.
The Lord particularly mentions the "family of Egypt" who, if
they refuse to keep the feast of tabernacles, will not have rain and the Lord
will send a plague on them. This is the
same punishment for all nations who refuse to worship the Lord (vv. 17-19).
Elder
Bruce R. McConkie commented: “During the millennium, the Lord will use the
forces of nature to turn people’s attention to the truth.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 499; quoted
in SM, p. 348.)
D&C 45:56-57
"And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be
fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise
and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for
their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall
not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day." Now, in the wonderful Millennial day even the
bells on the horses will say, "HOLLINESS UNTO THE LORD;" and all the
pots in Jerusalem will serve the Lord as they are used to cook their
meals. "[And] in that day, there
shall be no more the ‘Canaanite’ in the house of the LORD of hosts" (vv.
20-21).
Joel 3:17―" So shall ye know that I am the Lord your
God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then
shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass
through her any more."
"In beautiful
imagery, Zechariah taught that in the Millennium peace and
righteousness will prevail to a point where everything (symbolized by such
trifles as the trappings on horses and earthen jars) shall be holy and pure and
where ‘there shall be no more the Canaanite [the wicked] in the house of the Lord of hosts’” (SM, p. 248-249).
Malachi teaches about the blessings that come to those who pay tithes
and offerings
"Will
a man rob god? Yet ye have robbed me.
But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?" and the Lord answers: "In
tithes and offerings." And for that
the whole nation is cursed. The Lord urges them: "Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [food] in mine house, and prove [test]
me now herewith…if I will not open you
the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it" (vv. 7-10).
"To
Israel, ancient and modern, the Lord promised to ‘open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it’ (v. 10). All material and spiritual things are His to give as
He sees fit. Included in His ‘blessings from heaven’ are revelations from Him
in one’s personal life. All blessings are, of course, conditional (see D&C 82:10; 130:21; 132:5). He desires to bless His faithful children abundantly" (see 1 Corinthians 2:9) (SM. p. 354).
"And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits
of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all
nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land" (vv.
11-12).
“The devourer” may mean locusts and other pests to agriculture, but it
may refer to Satan as well.…The implication is that our efforts to provide for
ourselves would be blessed and bear fruit in their season" (SM, p. 354).
President
Gordon B. Hinckley said: "The Lord will open the windows of heaven
according to our need, and not according to our greed. If we are paying tithing to get rich, we are doing it for
the wrong reason. The basic purpose for tithing is to provide the Church with
the means needed to carry on His work” (in
Conference Report, Apr. 1982, 60; or Ensign, May 1982, 40; quoted
in the Teacher's Manual).
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