Scriptural Highlights

• Zechariah and Malachi prophesy of many events of the last days.
• Malachi teaches about the blessings that come to those who pay tithes and offerings.
• Malachi prophesies of Elijah's return to the earth to restore the keys of the sealing power.

A study of this lesson should encourage to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay an honest tithe and generous offerings, and experience the blessings that come because of the sealing power of the priesthood.

Historical Background

Who Was Zechariah?

1. Son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet.
• Iddo returned from exile with Zerubbabel.
2. Zechariah was called to minister to the Jews who King Cyrus had allowed to return to Jerusalem from exile.
• They had started to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, but the work lagged for several years because of difficulties with the Samaritans.
• Zechariah & Haggai came along about 520 BC and inspired them to finish the temple.
3. Date of his mission: about 520-518 B.C.
4. Contemporary Kings:
• Judah = Zerubbabel. He was first governor appointed by the Persians to lead the Jews in their return to their homeland. He had governed for about 18 years by the time of Zechariah's mission.
• Persia = Darius. It was under his rule that the Persian Empire reached its greatest extend.
5. Political conditions:
• Judah was still a vassal state to Persia.
• The Jews were unable to claim more than about 1/4 of their original territory. Other groups, such as the Samaritans, had occupied their territories.
6. Religious conditions:
• Those who had returned to Judah were primarily the devout men of Judah, who had come back to establish religious life and rebuild the temple.
• Their failure to rebuild the temple had brought about a spirit of religious indifference which was retarding the progress of the people.

Who Was Malachi?

1. Nothing is known about this prophet. The name Malachi is not used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
2. Date of his mission: about 460 B.C.
3. He ministered at a time when Judah was ruled by a governor.
4. Political conditions:
• Judah was a vassal state to Persia.
• A spirit of discontent existed among the people. They had come to realize that theirs was not the glorious return of which the prophets had spoken.
5. Religious conditions:
• A spirit of religious indifference and moral laxity existed.
• People had come to doubt the divine justice of the Lord.
• Priests and temple workers performed their rites in a disinterested, ineffective manner. Improper sacrifices were being offered.

(Source for above historical data: Duane S. Crowther, Prophets & Prophecies of the Old Testament)

Events Of The Last Days

Prophecies That Have Been Fulfilled In Preparation For The Second Coming

1. READ MALACHI 3:1. The Lord's messenger to prepare the way for his coming.
• HOW WAS THIS PROPHECY FULFILLED?
• Joseph Fielding Smith: "Malachi speaks of the Lord sending his messenger to prepare the way before him, and while that does have reference to the coming of John the Baptist, it is one of those prophecies in the scriptures that has a double fulfilment. It has reference also to the coming of the Prophet Joseph Smith, because that messenger which was to come and prepare the way before him, was to come in this day." (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:193)
• WHY DOES THE LORD NEED A MESSENGER TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR HIM?
• I think the key lies in the next verse where it asks, "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?" If the Lord were not to prepare a people for his coming, who would "stand when he appeareth?"
• Joseph Fielding Smith: "I can testify that when the Lord will come, he will, find faith upon the earth. That faith, however, which he will find, shall be limited to a very small portion of the inhabitants of the earth, He will not find faith in the nations abroad to any noticeable extent; he will not find faith among the peoples of the earth who have not received the gospel as it has been restored. But there will be faith among those of the house of Israel who have been gathered out from the nations and who have repented of their sins and received the message that came through the Prophet Joseph Smith." (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:10)
2. READ MALACHI 4:5-6: Elijah to return before the second coming of the Lord.
• HOW WAS THIS PROPHECY FULFILLED?
• Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836.
• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ELIJAH'S RETURN?
• Bruce R. McConkie: "No tradition was more firmly planted in the hearts of Jewish Israel in Jesus' day than the firm belief that Elijah the prophet would come again to prepare the way before the expected Messiah. Both John and Jesus were assumed by some to be this ancient prophet come again. To this day devout Jews set a vacant chair at their table for Elijah when they celebrate the feast of the Passover. In part, at least, this universal belief grew out of Jehovah's promise given by the mouth of Malachi" (The Millennial Messiah, p265).
• Joseph Smith: "The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelation, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven....
       "Now comes the point. What is this office and work of Elijah? It is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed. He should send Elijah to seal the children to the fathers, and the fathers to the children....
       "I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and if you will receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah....
       "We cannot be perfect without the fathers, &c. We must have revelation from them, and we can see that the doctrine of revelation far transcends the doctrine of no revelation; for one truth revealed from heaven is worth all the sectarian notions in existence." (HC 6:251-252)
• WHY IS IT HELPFUL TO KNOW THE SOME OF THE PROPHECIES THAT PRECEDE THE SECOND COMING HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED?
• It enables to see that the Lord is in the process of carrying out his plan. It encourages us to do our best in keeping the commandments and preparing for his coming.
       Most mornings, before heading off to work, I like to watch the weather to see what the coming day will bring. Satellite photos, doppler radar, and observation stations let me know if a storm is coming. Based on what the weather forecast tells me, I make appropriate preparations for the day. The fulfillment of prophecies tells me that the Lord is continuing to move forward with his eternal plan. Knowledge of their fulfillment motivates me to better live my life and spiritually prepare, just as I might prepare for the weather events of a particular day.

Prophecies That Are Yet To Be Fulfilled Before The Savior Comes

1. READ ZECHARIAH 10:6-8. Judah and Joseph to be gathered.
• The gathering of Judah and Joseph is being fulfilled in our day.
• B.H. Roberts: "Summarizing these prophetic blessings we may say, that to the tribe of Ephraim is given the place and honor of the first born in Israel; that to him pertains the 'pushing of the people together'--Ephraim's part in the gathering of Israel in the last days; that the seed of Manasseh is to become a great people, while Ephraim is to become a multitude of nations--greater than Manasseh, as is becoming to the tribe of the first born--'they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh;' that the land possessed by Joseph's posterity is to be peculiarly great and fruitful, blessed with the precious things of heaven, with the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, for the chief things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof; that Joseph is as a fruitful bough whose branches run over the wall (i. e. his possessions extend in some way beyond the recognized boundaries of Israel's Palestine inheritance); that Joseph's arms and hands shall be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; that the God of Israel shall help Joseph and bless him with the blessings of heaven above, of the deep, of the breasts, and of the womb (i.e., he shall be blessed in his posterity); that the blessings of Jacob had prevailed above the blessings of his progenitors, 'unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills,' (perhaps a greater territorial inheritance); that these blessings of Jacob which had 'prevailed' above (i.e., exceeded) the blessings of his progenitors, should be realized by Joseph." (New Witnesses for God, 3:98)
2. READ ZECHARIAH 12:2-3, 8-9. A great war in Jerusalem. The Lord to intervene.
• WHAT IS THIS WAR?
• The Battle of Armageddon. The events described in these verse precede the Lord's return to earth in glory.
• Bruce R. McConkie: "All the desolation and waste which attended the former destruction of Jerusalem is but prelude to the coming siege. Titus and his legions slaughtered 1,100,000 Jews, destroyed the temple, and ploughed the city. In the coming reenactment of this 'abomination of desolation,' the whole world will be at war, Jerusalem will be the center of the conflict, every modern weapon will be used, and in the midst of the siege the Son of Man shall come, setting his foot upon the mount of Olives and fighting the battle of his saints. (Zech. 12:1-9.)" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:659)
3. READ ZECHARIAH 14:8. Living waters to go out from Jerusalem.
• See the discussion Ezekiel's vision of a river flowing from the temple in Lesson 44.
4. Many of the prophecies of the last days include tragedies such as war, natural disasters, and widespread wickedness.
• HOW CAN WE MAINTAIN HOPE WHEN WE HEAR OF THESE PROPHECIES AND WITNESS THEIR FULFILLMENT?
• If we have studied the scriptures and the words of the prophets, we know that difficult times are ahead. Brothers Blaine and Brenton Yorgason wrote a wonderful book entitled Spiritual Survival In The Last Days. In the first section of the book the Yorgason brothers outline some of the difficulties that will challenge us as we approach the time of the Second Coming. They then list some practices that will enable us to spiritually survive through these difficult times. These include:
• Gaining a personal testimony and what we need to do to accomplish that..
• Sincere and humble repentance.
• Following the Lord's living prophets, which includes:
• Food storage.
• President Wilford Woodruff: "Lay up your wheat and other provisions against a day of need, for the day will come when they will be wanted and no mistake about it. We shall want bread, and the Gentiles will want bread, and if we are wise we shall have something to feed them and ourselves when famine comes." (JD, 18:121)
• Avoiding debt.
• President Gordon B. Hinckley: "I am suggesting that the time has come to get out houses in order....
       "I urge you, brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage." (Ensign, Nov. 1998, pp53-54)
• Living the Word of Wisdom.
• Sexual purity.
• Temple attendance.
• Receive personal revelation.
• Strive to rear spiritually unified families.
• 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

1. READ ZECHARIAH 14:3-4. The Savior will stand on the Mount of Olives.
2. READ ZECHARIAH 12:10 & 13:6. The Jews to recognize Jesus.
• D&C 45:51-53: "And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
       "Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
       "And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king."
• Bruce R. McConkie: "After his resurrection our Lord showed his disciples in Jerusalem and the host of Nephite Saints on this continent the nail marks in his hands and in his feet. (Luke 24:36-43; 3 Ne. 11:14-19.) At the Second Coming these same wounds will stand as a witness to the Jews that he is the Crucified One, their King whom they rejected in the meridian of time. (D. & C. 45:51-52; Zech. 12: 10; 13:6.)" (Mormon Doctrine, p174)
3. Zechariah 13:2: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land."
• False idols, unclean spirits and false prophets will be destroyed.
4. READ ZECHARIAH 14:5. The righteous to be caught up to meet the Savior.
• WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS PROPHECY?
• D&C 88:96:98: "And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
       "And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven--
       "They are Christ's, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God."
5. Zechariah 14:9: "And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one."
• The Lord will be king over all the earth and will rule during the Millennium.
• Bruce R. McConkie: "The keys of the kingdom -- the right and power to govern the Lord's affairs for and on his behalf -- have been held by prophets in all ages, but when the Lord comes to reign personally upon the earth during the millennial era, he will take back the keys. Those who have held them will make an accounting to him of their stewardships at the place called Adam-ondi-Ahman at which gathering Christ will receive 'dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him.' (Dan. 7:13-14.) Eventually in the celestial day, 'the keys of the kingdom shall be delivered up again unto the Father'." (Mormon Doctrine, p413)
6. READ MALACHI 4:1-3. The wicked will be destroyed and the righteous spared.
• See also Zechariah 14:12-13 and Malachi 3:13-18.
• Joseph Fielding Smith: "It will be impossible for the people of this class to remain on the earth during the Millennium, for they would be as much out of their element as a fish out of water. The changed condition of the earth, which will be of a terrestrial order during this thousand years, will be suited to the capacity of those of the terrestrial world as well as those who have kept the celestial law, and they shall have part in the first resurrection. 'And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection, And it shall be tolerable for them.' (D.C. 45:54.) But with those of the telestial order, this will not be so. These are they who are as stubble who shall be consumed when Christ comes, according to the words of Malachi." (Way to Perfection, pp302-303)
7. WHY DO YOU THINK THE LORD HAS REVEALED THESE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE LATTER DAYS, THE SECOND COMING AND THE MILLENNIUM?
• D&C 45:34: "Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled."
8. HOW CAN WE PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE SAVIOR?
• D&C 45:57: "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."
• President Ezra Taft Benson: "As we live the commandments of God, we can look forward with joyful anticipation to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and know that through our efforts we are worthy, with our loved ones, to dwell in His presence for all eternity. Surely nothing is too hard to gain this great goal. We cannot let down for a moment. We must prove, every day of our lives, that we are willing to do the will of the Lord—to spread the restored gospel, to bear testimony to the world, to share the gospel with others." (Teaching ETB, p341)

Malachi: Blessings That Come To Those Who Pay Tithes And Offerings

1. Malachi 3:8: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
• HOW DO PEOPLE "ROB GOD" BY NOT PAYING TITHES AND OFFERINGS?
• Brigham Young: "There is any amount of property, and gold and silver in the earth and on the earth, and the Lord gives to this one and that one—the wicked as well as the righteous—to see what they will do with it, but it all belongs to him. He has handed over a goodly portion to this people, and, through our faith, patience and industry, we have made us good, comfortable homes here, and there are many who are tolerably well off, and if they were in many parts of the world they would be called wealthy. But it is not ours, and all we have to do is to try and find out what the Lord wants us to do with what we have in our possession, and then go and do it. If we step beyond this, or to the right or to the left, we step into an illegitimate train of business. Our legitimate business is to do what the Lord wants us to do with that which he bestows upon us, and dispose of it just as he dictates, whether it is to give all, one-tenth, or the surplus." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p305)
• Since all that we have belongs to the Lord, for us to not return whatever portion he requests is robbery. It belongs to the Lord.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PAY A FULL TITHE?
• First Presidency Letter: "The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay 'one-tenth of all their interest annually,' which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this." (Mar. 19, 1970)
2. READ MALACHI 3:10-12. Bring your tithes into the storehouse.
• WHAT BLESSINGS HAS THE LORD PROMISED US IF WE PAY TITHING?
• The blessings will be so great that there will not be room enough for them.
• The Lord will "rebuke the devourer" and preserve the fruit of the field.
• All nations will call us blessed.
• WHAT BLESSINGS HAVE YOU RECEIVED AS YOU HAVE PAID TITHES AND OFFERINGS?
• Often we focus on the blessings to us individually and as families. We have all been blessed as tithing has enabled the Church to carry forth its mission. Because millions pay their tithing, there are sufficient funds to build temples and chapels, aid the missionary work, and pay for the other temporal needs of the kingdom. Compare the current status of the Church to that at the time President Snow reemphasized the law of tithing.
• WHAT SHOULD BE OUR MOTIVATION FOR PAYING TITHES AND OFFERINGS?
• President Gordon B. Hinckley: "Now, do not get me wrong. I am not here to say that if you pay an honest tithing you will realize your dream of a fine house, a Rolls Royce, and a condominium in Hawaii. 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." (Ensign, May 1982, p40)
• Fulling living the law of tithing helps us to prepare for actively living the greater law of consecration.

Summary

It is appropriate to end our study of the Old Testament with this lesson. The events of the Old Testament led up to the time of the Savior's life upon the earth. Like the people of Old Testament times, we also look forward to the coming of the Savior, his return to earth. As we have seen, many of the ancient prophets saw our time and prophesied in great detail about the events the would precede the Second Coming. We are privileged to live in a time when we can see prophecy fulfilled. If we live righteously, we can aid in the fulfillment of these prophecies.

The study of the Old Testament has not been one of just looking at ancient peoples in their ancient settings. The stories and principles that rang true thousands of years ago, still ring true today. This makes an ongoing study of this marvelous book important in our lives. All of the Standard Works make frequent reference to the Old Testament. We should keep this in mind as we continue in our gospel study.

Next Week

The Big Quiz: Genesis to Malachi