Malachi 4:5 & 6 –
First – to all … sorry the engineer/lawyer came out of me on this one!! Malachi 4 is the last chapter in the Old Testament … the last two verses are:
<5>“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. <6> His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
The last two verses become the contention of Jesus being the Messiah … many claim John the Baptist is Elijah and he was the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus … the Scribes and Pharisees of the Jewish religion claims that Elijah has not come yet and say that’s the reason Jesus is not the true Messiah …
Now I read it different from others (based on a quick search of the Internet) … I see it discussing the end times, and Jesus must return during those times. If the scriptures are 100% literal in the Old Testament and the New Testament teachings that John the Baptist is Elijah are not right … then Elijah is to come before Jesus in the end times.
This was done for two reasons … first, chapter 4 is very short … second, it shows you how many ways one can interpret the Word!! It also shows why other religions do not believe Jesus is the Messiah.
I can only say what I know … Jesus is the way, the truth and the light …
Proverbs 5:15 –
“Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife.”