Malachi (My Messenger) Chapter Three Verse One
This verse is so beautiful and echoes throughout the holy scriptures on so many different levels showing that Jesus Christ is Lord and God who instituted the New Covenant in his Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Since the Bible is supernaturally inspired by The Holy Ghost there is no possible way I could cover every cross reference and prophetic fulfillment but I will pray the same Spirit fills me to cover the topic properly and glorify Him.
Malachi 3:1 King James Version
3 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.
The speaker in this verse contextually is YHWH or the LORD, and “my messenger” is the forerunner and last prophet of the Old Covenant, St. John The Baptist, sent to proclaim God’s Christ to the world and preach repentance.
Mark 1:1-3 Legacy Standard Bible
The Preaching of John the Baptist
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’”
Romans 1:1 Legacy Standard Bible
The Gospel Exalted
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God,
Is it the Gospel of Jesus Christ, The Son of God? or the Gospel of God? (Isaiah 52:7) It is both, and the phrases are used synonymously throughout the New Testament because they recognized Jesus as God. Jesus also confirmed that the Gospel (“good news”), is the bringing to memorial of the events of His life and ministry on earth along with His deity and anointing.
Matthew 26:6-13 Legacy Standard Bible
The Costly Perfume
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good work to Me. 11 For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Isaiah 40:3-5 Revised Standard Version
3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
John 1:14-15 Revised Standard Version
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. 15 (John bore witness to him, and cried, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.’”)
John the Baptist “CRIED” out, proclaiming the glory of the Lamb, who comes to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), the prophet Isaiah knows the King Messiah having His way prepared for Him is YHWH. Isaiah continuously writes about this LORD’s anointed being sent to suffer on our behalf, and redeem the human race for their sins.
Jeremiah 31:33 Legacy Standard Bible
33 “But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
The Lord (Psalm 110:1) having His way prepared for Him by John The Baptist, who prepares the road for the mal’ak habberit — the Messenger of the Covenant — Christ Himself, who is also the prophetic embodiment of the new covenant and able to fulfill all laws, and forgive all sins with His salvific Blood, since He is the truth (John 14:6) in His very essence by nature of being God.
Matthew 26:26-28 Legacy Standard Bible
The Lord’s Supper
26 Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it. And giving it to the disciples, He said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 11:10-11 Legacy Standard Bible
10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3, solidifying the fact that He is indeed the Lord God Almighty and the Messiah of the covenant sent to reconcile mankind and teach us humility and self-giving love.
Matthew 21:14-16 Legacy Standard Bible
14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things which He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”
Psalm 8:1-2 King James Version
8 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
Malachi 3:1 Revised Standard Version
The Coming Messenger
3 “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.
It’s interesting the speaker is YHWH in Malachi 3:1, He makes it clear the way being prepared is for “ME”, but He also says the Lord of the covenant who is coming owns the temple that He is coming to…”suddenly come to HIS temple”…isn’t the temple owned by God? (Matthew 21:12) where we worship The One Sovereign God? As we can see in the passages above Christ came to the temple after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem doing miracles of healing, and the crowds and children began praising Him, begging salvation “Hosanna” (Psalm 118:25-26), the Jews questioned this because they believed Jesus was merely a man making Himself out to be God and took this to be blasphemy. Jesus responds by quoting Psalm 8:1-2, a psalm about The Father giving His Christ who is equal in essence, begotten not made, complete and utter dominion over all creation for eternity, so no wonder the children cannot help but praise The Lord Jesus! I would too. (Psalm 8:5-6)
Isaiah 25:9 Revised Standard Version
9 It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Luke 2:30-32 Revised Standard Version
30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a Light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.”
Isaiah 42:6 Revised Standard Version
6 “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
I don’t want to go on too long because this verse truly echos throughout the entire New and Old Testament and I never get tired of it. As we can see Jesus is the God of the Covenant that took flesh in the Holy Theotokos for our salvation, because He loves each and every one of us personally (Isaiah 43:1, John 10:3) not because we did anything to earn it.
“Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness, saying, ‘Speedily will He come, and will not tarry; and, The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom you look.’”
— Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, Ch. 23 (c. 96 AD), citing Malachi 3:1.
Christ is Lord.
Leave a Reply