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Author Topic: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4  (Read 6228 times)

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Athanasius

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #15 on: March 15, 2022, 01:26:27 PM »
They didn't have their history.

This seems dubious. Surely those in Egypt had some inkling of personal and social history? Why is God incinerating people? No, I didn't watch a 23-minute video lacking timestamps (I watched Zelenskiy instead), so feel free to refer me to where you mention this in the video.
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Fenris

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #16 on: March 16, 2022, 10:31:01 AM »
How can you not see it is necessary? I don't get that.
Because God can hear prayer and save people wherever they are.

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And? The point is, not everyday is the same. Some days are more significant than others. How can you not see  this?
That doesn't explain why someone has to time their travel for a great distance to be in Jerusalem right before the messiah comes. And I'm the "legalistic" Jew while you're the "faith saves" Christian. Yet you're saying a specific act is necessary and I'm saying it's not.

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Did you watch my video? I told you the reason. If a man should not go to Jerusalem  when called, that man will be incinerated.
  Yeah. And I don't find your video convincing. So I keep asking "why?"

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I agree, and the Jewish exiles are making Aliyah as we speak. When the time comes, those who fear the Lord will be called to Jerusalem. Some will come; other's won't. Those who don't will be incinerated.
Again.

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,  and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,  then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.  Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it.

Or Ezekiel 37

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

Or Isaiah 11

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.

Or Isaiah 49

This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
 
“See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips."

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As I say, Jewish exiles are making Aliyah right now.
Those verses say that God is going to bring those exiles back.

CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #17 on: March 16, 2022, 01:57:31 PM »
They didn't have their history.

This seems dubious. Surely those in Egypt had some inkling of personal and social history? Why is God incinerating people? No, I didn't watch a 23-minute video lacking timestamps (I watched Zelenskiy instead), so feel free to refer me to where you mention this in the video.
The statement you quoted wasn't mine. I never said, "They don't have their history." My post was messed up. I'm having a hard time with the quote feature.

The Lord says he is going to incinerate people. He doesn't say why, except to say that this event is correlated with "the great and terrible day of the Lord." Other prophets reveal that God intends to purify Israel and specifically Jerusalem.

You don't need to watch my video. Just read the passage.
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CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #18 on: March 16, 2022, 02:35:54 PM »
Because God can hear prayer and save people wherever they are.

Of course. We agree on that point. In general, it isn't necessary for anyone to visit Jerusalem to pray for salvation, and neither does one need to visit Jerusalem to pray for the deliverance of the nation. God can hear and respond to us anywhere and anytime.

Nevertheless, the prophets speak of a day when God himself will rule from Zion. (Christians believe Jesus Christ will fulfill that prophecy.) Before Yahweh begins to rule from Zion, he will cause a series of disasters to befall the land of Israel, increasing in intensity and severity until the coming of the Messiah. The prophets call this the "purging of Israel" removing unrighteousness from the land. 

Malachi and Joel give us a limited picture of that time period, and if I understand them correctly, the purge will begin with a locust plague three years running. The entire nation will be under severe pressure because all food will be gone. In the fourth year, a new set of worms will begin to appear, hinting at a fourth locust attack. At that time, the call will go out for the faithful in Israel to come to Jerusalem, i.e. the house of God, to pray for deliverance. Around that same time the Lord will send his army of fire, to burn up everything in its path. Those who make the trip to Jerusalem will survive the fire. Those who don't make the trip will be turned to ash.

Isaiah 4:3 It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.

"Necessity" is understood within that context. Why is it necessary to leave home and visit Jerusalem? Two reasons: 1) demonstrate faith, and 2) avoid being incinerated by fire. God can hear a prayer from a person living in Tel Aviv, but if that person is at home in Tel Aviv when the fire comes, that person will end up dead.
 
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Yet you're saying a specific act is necessary and I'm saying it's not.

In the context of that particular time, it will be important to obey the call. 

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Those verses say that God is going to bring those exiles back.

What did you imagine that would look like?
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Fenris

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #19 on: March 16, 2022, 04:43:50 PM »
God can hear a prayer from a person living in Tel Aviv, but if that person is at home in Tel Aviv when the fire comes, that person will end up dead.
Why do you limit God like this? God can save anyone, anywhere, from anything, including His own fire.
 

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What did you imagine that would look like?
God describes it

Isaiah 49: This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.
 Kings will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
    those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

 Can plunder be taken from warriors,
    or captives be rescued from the fierce?

 But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
    and your children I will save.
 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine.
Then all mankind will know
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Athanasius

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #20 on: March 17, 2022, 04:21:12 AM »
The Lord says he is going to incinerate people. He doesn't say why, except to say that this event is correlated with "the great and terrible day of the Lord." Other prophets reveal that God intends to purify Israel and specifically Jerusalem.

You don't need to watch my video. Just read the passage.

Wasn't it Putin who recently suggested that any Russian who doesn't return to Russia, from the West, will be regarded as a traitor? I'm wondering if it's okay when God does it, but not okay when Putin does it, because...? Of course, this is a purposely absurd comparison as a means of suggesting that perhaps God isn't going to incinerate Jews for not returning to Jerusalem... You know, assuming they're able or are aware of the call to return, and all that.

If we were in the mid-1940s and aware of the creation of the (then?) modern state of Israel, how long would it have been until God incinerated those Jews who didn't return? How does the historical perspective inform us?
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RandyPNW

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #21 on: March 18, 2022, 02:59:21 PM »
I understand, I think, what you mean by "sheer horror" with regard to our existence. I can only explain it this way. I took my kids to see Grand Coulee Dam. I stood on the road, overlooking the spill way and I felt something in my solar plexus -- a very powerful feeling of awe and fear. I have felt that before and I feel it occasionally since then. I feel it when I attempt to comprehend infinity, especially when I try to wrap my mind around my place among 7 billion human beings. I'm sure you can imagine many other times when the the infinite or the eternal shows itself.

I get excited about the Grand Coulee Dam because the power it generates makes other states jealous! ;) Actually, I'm very grateful that we have a great river running through our State, good for power, fish, and beauty. It won't change me into an anti-fossil fuel guy, but it certainly makes me pro-environment! :)

As to our existence, I agree with A. to some degree. Life has a certain "dread" about it, even if we know the truth. It seems a lot hangs on the few short years of our lives we have here.

On the other hand, look at it in perspective. When we die, the greatest part of our lives haven't even begun yet. And the suffering ends. Maybe death is not so bad?

But putting people to death *must* have a clear-cut Divine reason, or it can't be God at all. The big deal, which many reject, is the fact of the human Sin Nature. Once we "bite the apple," we can't turn back. And the more we move in a certain direction, the more difficult it becomes to turn back.

Thankfully, one day the battle over our own nature will be over. And I think we should put off being judged to death by God as long as we can so that in God's infinite wisdom we can accomplish what He wants for us to do as individuals.

RandyPNW

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #22 on: March 18, 2022, 03:11:32 PM »
Cady, I watched with interest your video. I believe I've also seen one like it before. Anyway, as usual there are points we would agree and points where we would disagree. Regardless, I enjoy the videos, and appreciate the bits that actually help me to understand some things better or refine my view somewhat. That's the value in doing this--you're trying to align us better with God's word.

Of course, some of it obviously is interpretation. I see the "Day of the Lord" as a term that has different meanings in the Bible, depending on context. And it can be worded in different ways.

For the most part, I see it applied historically and eschatologically. You seem to have a sort of historical/eschatological combined approach, seeing the last days as the "Day of the Lord." I'm forgetting what was in the video somewhat because I watched it when you first posted.

I see the Day of the Lord in an eschatological sense as the "last day," which are words Jesus himself used. It is the actual 24 hour day in which he returns.

John 6.39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

I also see the Day of the Lord often used in the OT Prophets for a day of Divine Judgment, associated with an event of great consequence in a nation. For example, Israel experienced a "Day of the Lord" when God brought judgment upon the nation for their backsliding and sin.

Luke 17, interestingly, refers to "days" and a "day" of the Lord, which I believe are applied historically. Jesus spoke of his earthly ministry as "days" in which he was with his Disciples. They would miss those days.

But he also spoke of a "day" in which judgment would begin in 70 AD, ultimately ending in the 2nd Coming. In that "day" the Romans would gather as an Army around Jerusalem, and desolate the temple, as well as the people.

That was a "day" of punishment, but there is also an allusion to the "day" of the 2nd Coming. Jesus seemed to be comparing the judgment to be revealed at his 2nd Coming with the judgment about to befall his people in 70 AD.

Jesus seemed to characterize the entire NT age as a time of "Jewish Punishment," as in days like the time before the Flood when mankind were given freedom to indulge their Sin Natures, until Divine patience had run out.

Luke 17.2 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
« Last Edit: March 18, 2022, 03:14:49 PM by RandyPNW »

CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #23 on: March 19, 2022, 04:18:19 PM »
Why do you limit God like this? God can save anyone, anywhere, from anything, including His own fire.
You are focused on hypotheticals. CAN God save anyone? Yes. Does he? NO. Malachi says that the arrogant and evildoers will be ashes under the souls of the feet. I'm not making this up. I'm not speculating.
 
Malachi 4 does not contradict Isaiah 49.
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Fenris

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #24 on: March 19, 2022, 09:12:11 PM »
Why do you limit God like this? God can save anyone, anywhere, from anything, including His own fire.
You are focused on hypotheticals. CAN God save anyone? Yes. Does he? NO. Malachi says that the arrogant and evildoers will be ashes under the souls of the feet. I'm not making this up. I'm not speculating.
Malachi 4 in entirety

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”


Do I revere God's name? Of course. Do I practice the law of Moses, as given at Horeb? Yes.

I am not seeing the problem.

CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #25 on: March 22, 2022, 06:59:48 AM »
Cady, I watched with interest your video. I believe I've also seen one like it before. Anyway, as usual there are points we would agree and points where we would disagree. Regardless, I enjoy the videos, and appreciate the bits that actually help me to understand some things better or refine my view somewhat. That's the value in doing this--you're trying to align us better with God's word.

Thanks. I appreciate your interest and what I am trying to achieve. I meant to respond to this post earlier but I got distracted. Sorry about that. 

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Of course, some of it obviously is interpretation. I see the "Day of the Lord" as a term that has different meanings in the Bible, depending on context. And it can be worded in different ways.

For the most part, I see it applied historically and eschatologically. You seem to have a sort of historical/eschatological combined approach, seeing the last days as the "Day of the Lord." I'm forgetting what was in the video somewhat because I watched it when you first posted.

I see the Day of the Lord in an eschatological sense as the "last day," which are words Jesus himself used. It is the actual 24 hour day in which he returns.

John 6.39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

Yes, remember the "plot outline" timeline I presented in the video? I argue that the "Day of Yahweh" is a chain of events (darkness, gloom, etc.) leading up to the second coming of Christ. In John 6, Jesus is speaking of the last day of that chain. The Day that Yahweh asserts himself overtly and with great power comes earlier.

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I also see the Day of the Lord often used in the OT Prophets for a day of Divine Judgment, associated with an event of great consequence in a nation. For example, Israel experienced a "Day of the Lord" when God brought judgment upon the nation for their backsliding and sin.
We should discuss this because, so far, I haven't found any references to the "Day of the Lord" that refer to any other time in human history other than the moment in our future when God brings about his kingdom on earth. I could be wrong and I suspect that scholars will disagree with me, but of the few cases that I have explored, the moment of "fulfillment" has no historical evidence to support the contention. But I just haven't the means to explore this further. I don't have access to historical records.

Quote

Luke 17, interestingly, refers to "days" and a "day" of the Lord, which I believe are applied historically. Jesus spoke of his earthly ministry as "days" in which he was with his Disciples. They would miss those days.

But he also spoke of a "day" in which judgment would begin in 70 AD, ultimately ending in the 2nd Coming. In that "day" the Romans would gather as an Army around Jerusalem, and desolate the temple, as well as the people.

Yes, but I am focused on the "The day of Yahweh", which refers to the moment in human history and specifically in Jewish history, when it is God's turn to establish his kingdom of righteousness over the world. The phrase "Day of Yahweh" understands the term "day" figuratively the way we would understand the phrase "the dawn of a new day."  The world will experience a new beginning, a fresh start, when Yahweh once again rules from Zion over a righteous Jerusalem.

Christians understand that Jesus, God incarnate, will perform the will of his father on earth. At that time, Jesus will rule from Jerusalem and the apostles, ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel, will have hegemony over the entire planet.

Another way to think of "The day of Yahweh" is analogous to the way we say, "order of the day." The Day of Yahweh begins the moment that "the order of the day" is Yahweh's agenda, his values, his goals, his priorities, his will.

In the Malachi Video, I introduce the concept of the "plot outline", which helps us understand that the "Day of Yahweh" begins with the run-up to the coming of the messiah, i.e. the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The chain of events increases in intensity, inevitability, and significance until the "last day" when Jesus returns. 

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That was a "day" of punishment, but there is also an allusion to the "day" of the 2nd Coming. Jesus seemed to be comparing the judgment to be revealed at his 2nd Coming with the judgment about to befall his people in 70 AD.

Jesus seemed to characterize the entire NT age as a time of "Jewish Punishment," as in days like the time before the Flood when mankind were given freedom to indulge their Sin Natures, until Divine patience had run out.
I agree. Jesus mentions a time of "great tribulation", which begins the moment Daniel's 490 years run out. In my view, the GT started with the stoning of Stephen. Herod increases the intensity of the tribulation and once the Jews go to war with the Romans, the entire city of Jerusalem comes to ruin, and the people are sent into exile; and they remain in exile until God sends for them.

Anyway, thanks for watching the video. Right now,  I am working on a companion video concerning the first two chapters of Joel.
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CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #26 on: March 22, 2022, 07:24:23 AM »
Why do you limit God like this? God can save anyone, anywhere, from anything, including His own fire.
You are focused on hypotheticals. CAN God save anyone? Yes. Does he? NO. Malachi says that the arrogant and evildoers will be ashes under the souls of the feet. I'm not making this up. I'm not speculating.
Malachi 4 in entirety

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”


Do I revere God's name? Of course. Do I practice the law of Moses, as given at Horeb? Yes.

I am not seeing the problem.
I'm not sure there is a "problem" to be solved here. (But I don't know. Maybe. I often times have difficulty with this form of communication, since it is a struggle to remember the course of the discussion.) If I recall, you are wondering why someone living in Israel needs to travel to Jerusalem to call upon the name of the Lord.

And we both agree that in terms of personal devotion to Yahweh, one can worship him anywhere in the world and at any time. One can call upon his name anywhere and at any time. And there is no place that we can go, as David writes, where God can not hear us. We don't need to go anywhere because he is never far from any of us.

That having been said, it is my contention that the prophets speak about a future chain of events leading up to the moment when Yahweh will once again rule over Israel from Zion, and ultimately gain hegemony over the entire world.

One such event involves the purification of the land of Israel, when the Lord will bring upon the land a locust plague which will eat every plant such that both animals and people run out of things to eat. When it appears that the nation is about to be wiped out, the priests will call the people to Jerusalem to pray for the deliverance of Israel. In the mean time, Yahweh brings fire on the land such that everything is destroyed by fire. Those who come to Jerusalem and remain will survive. Those who don't come will be burned up in the fire. In this particular instance, the saying is literally true, "those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved": i.e. delivered. And as Isaiah says, the survivors who remain in Jerusalem will be called "holy unto the Lord."

Malachi 4 opens with the statement, "surely the day is coming . . ." and so, we are talking about a moment in time, a moment in the future when it can be said, "the day is here."

As you say, the people can call upon the name of the Lord from anywhere. In fact, Jewish people world-wide can pray for the deliverance of Israel, and they probably will. Nonetheless, in this instance, Yahweh wants those living in Israel at the time to make the trip to Jerusalem. He has his reasons. But those who obey will survive. And he will protect them there.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2022, 07:36:01 AM by CadyandZoe »
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Fenris

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #27 on: March 22, 2022, 09:59:55 AM »
If I recall, you are wondering why someone living in Israel needs to travel to Jerusalem to call upon the name of the Lord.
Or more generally, why one needs to "prepare" for the coming of the messiah. In my view, the day before the coming of the messiah (or the era for that matter) is no different from any other day. Our mission remains the same. And I don't think it matters whether one ascribes to the OT or the NT.


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And we both agree that in terms of personal devotion to Yahweh, one can worship him anywhere in the world and at any time. One can call upon his name anywhere and at any time. And there is no place that we can go, as David writes, where God can not hear us. We don't need to go anywhere because he is never far from any of us.
Agreed!

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That having been said, it is my contention that the prophets speak about a future chain of events leading up to the moment when Yahweh will once again rule over Israel from Zion, and ultimately gain hegemony over the entire world.
Again, agree! This is what the prophets speak of.

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One such event involves the purification of the land of Israel, when the Lord will bring upon the land a locust plague which will eat every plant such that both animals and people run out of things to eat. When it appears that the nation is about to be wiped out, the priests will call the people to Jerusalem to pray for the deliverance of Israel. In the mean time, Yahweh brings fire on the land such that everything is destroyed by fire. Those who come to Jerusalem and remain will survive. Those who don't come will be burned up in the fire.

The priests have no sway in Jerusalem any longer. There is no temple.

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In this particular instance, the saying is literally true, "those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved": i.e. delivered. And as Isaiah says, the survivors who remain in Jerusalem will be called "holy unto the Lord."
Which chapter are you citing? I need context.


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Malachi 4 opens with the statement, "surely the day is coming . . ." and so, we are talking about a moment in time, a moment in the future when it can be said, "the day is here."
I cited Malachi 4. Yes, it speaks of the dawn of the messianic era. But it doesn't say anything about going anywhere. The criteria appears to be " All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,”  and “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays."




CadyandZoe

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #28 on: March 23, 2022, 06:30:09 AM »
If I recall, you are wondering why someone living in Israel needs to travel to Jerusalem to call upon the name of the Lord.
Or more generally, why one needs to "prepare" for the coming of the messiah. In my view, the day before the coming of the messiah (or the era for that matter) is no different from any other day. Our mission remains the same. And I don't think it matters whether one ascribes to the OT or the NT.


Quote
And we both agree that in terms of personal devotion to Yahweh, one can worship him anywhere in the world and at any time. One can call upon his name anywhere and at any time. And there is no place that we can go, as David writes, where God can not hear us. We don't need to go anywhere because he is never far from any of us.
Agreed!

Quote
That having been said, it is my contention that the prophets speak about a future chain of events leading up to the moment when Yahweh will once again rule over Israel from Zion, and ultimately gain hegemony over the entire world.
Again, agree! This is what the prophets speak of.

Quote
One such event involves the purification of the land of Israel, when the Lord will bring upon the land a locust plague which will eat every plant such that both animals and people run out of things to eat. When it appears that the nation is about to be wiped out, the priests will call the people to Jerusalem to pray for the deliverance of Israel. In the mean time, Yahweh brings fire on the land such that everything is destroyed by fire. Those who come to Jerusalem and remain will survive. Those who don't come will be burned up in the fire.

The priests have no sway in Jerusalem any longer. There is no temple.

Quote
In this particular instance, the saying is literally true, "those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved": i.e. delivered. And as Isaiah says, the survivors who remain in Jerusalem will be called "holy unto the Lord."
Which chapter are you citing? I need context.


Quote
Malachi 4 opens with the statement, "surely the day is coming . . ." and so, we are talking about a moment in time, a moment in the future when it can be said, "the day is here."
I cited Malachi 4. Yes, it speaks of the dawn of the messianic era. But it doesn't say anything about going anywhere. The criteria appears to be " All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,”  and “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays."

First, you asked for chapter and verse. My statement is a paraphrase of Isaiah 4, where he talks about the survivors, those who enter Jerusalem and stay put.

Second, I agree. Malachi doesn't mention a trip to Jerusalem. I am taking my cues from the prophet Joel, which will be the subject of my next video. In that context, Joel also speaks about fire and burning. He fills in more of the narrative picture, speaking about consecrating a holy assembly. Where is the assembly held?

Joel 2:1 "Blow a trumpet in Zion"
May the Lord richly bless you.
Video: "The Days of the Son of Man"

RandyPNW

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Re: Day of the Lord - Malachi 4
« Reply #29 on: March 23, 2022, 11:37:41 AM »

We should discuss this because, so far, I haven't found any references to the "Day of the Lord" that refer to any other time in human history other than the moment in our future when God brings about his kingdom on earth. I could be wrong and I suspect that scholars will disagree with me, but of the few cases that I have explored, the moment of "fulfillment" has no historical evidence to support the contention. But I just haven't the means to explore this further. I don't have access to historical records.

I'll have to revisit this subject again--it's been awhile. Does "God's Day" have a technical definition referring to the eschaton, or not? Are words like "day of salvation" simply another way of saying, "God's day?" Are they intended to be distinct technical descriptions, or merely synonymous phrases?

We know "day of salvation" is applied by the author of Hebrews not to the eschaton, but to today for example.

Heb 4.7 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”


Micah 7.4 The best of them is like a brier,
    the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
    the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
    Now is the time of your confusion.


Psalm 69.13 But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.


Psalm 119.126 It is time for you to act, Lord; your law is being broken.

Isa 7.17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.

Isa 48.16 “Come near me and listen to this: “From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.” And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, endowed with his Spirit.

As you can see, the Lord's Day, the time God acts, and the time the Lord does anything do not appear to have any clear lines. When a term like "the Lord's Day" becomes a technical application to the eschaton, I don't know. I personally approach the context before I try to read what I think is a technical term back into a passage. But I'm open...

Here is an application that appears to stretch out the Lord's Day and Time over an extensive period of time, whether from the time God's promises something to Isaiah to the fulfillment of the prophecy, or from the time Christ made a new covenant with us at the cross until our resurrection from the dead.

This may show that a Day of the Lord may extend as "salvation" from the Cross to the Eschaton, or as "judgment" from judgment of Israel in 70 AD until her final judgment at the end of the age.

Therefore, a "day" can refer either to a single 24 hour day, or to a general period of time, limited by the context of the salvation or the judgment. This may apply throughout the NT age, or to a period of time considered the "endtimes."

Isa 59.21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2022, 08:25:02 PM by RandyPNW »

 

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