Dear Remnant Bride Inquirer,
First, there are new Remnant Bride Radio broadcasts online at . They are:
The Human Body: Effecting Prayer, Prophecy, and Intercession
Marriage and Divorce A third program should be posted Monday as well titled, “Remnant Bride, 101.” It is an introduction to the Bride, where I answer some of the basic questions about the Bride and the Bride work. Also, new interviews are being added at The Byte Show at . http://www.thebyteshow.com/Now for the main subject of this e-mail. Recently I sent the following e-mail to some brothers for their reply: OK brothers, tell me what this
closing chapter of Malachi speaks to.
1. "
For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says Yahweh of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.2. "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.3. "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says Yahweh of hosts.4. "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.5. "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet during the coming of the great and terrible day of Yahweh.6. "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."What is the furnace? Who is the sun of righteousness? Why is the law of Moses referred to? The last two verses are a given and have been addressed in the writings a number of times.Upon receiving their replies, I provided the following information, edited for your readability. All of their replies regarding
the burning furnace were that it would be the fire in Zechariah 13, burning the third part of the church, the third 1,000 year period. But one has to look at this chapter as a whole. In The Great Tribulation, page 4
, we clearly saw that the great and terrible day of Yahweh spoken of here is the 2,000/3,000 year period of the church. If the church received the full 3,000 years, it would be, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken us,” and Yahshua would have to come in wrath.
What is it that cuts those days short from three to two and averts that wrath? Of course it is the Elijah second Remnant. When we back off and look at this chapter, we find that it addresses one primary matter—the great and terrible day of Yahweh and how to stop it.So one must ask,
where else do we read about a burning furnace/oven?
In Genesis 15:17, we read the following regarding the covenant Yahweh made with Abraham:
It came about when the sun had set, that
it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these [split covenant] pieces.The Hebrew word translated here as “oven,” is the identical word in Malachi 4:1 translated “furnace.”
These two testimonies are the same thing. Also, this is the same thing as the chariot of fire and horses of fire that passed between Elijah and Elisha. Furthermore, it is the same thing as the burning seven-branched lampstand that separated the two olive trees.
Thus, the burning furnace in Malachi 4 is the period of Christianity. This makes sense when you consider the problem being addressed here. Furthermore, what will happen to Christianity if its days are not cut short by the Elijah? The church will perish. One of the brothers rightly drew the comparison of this tree in Malachi 4 with Nebuchadnezzar’s tree in Daniel 4:14-15.
So why is one tree left without a root and the other left with the root? One of the most confusing aspects of the Scriptures is that Yahweh prophesies both what He would do if He did not have mercy (remove the root), and what He does when He has mercy (leave the root). Thus we see testified in Malachi what would happen to the tree if Yahweh did not send the Elijah—the church would lose its source of life. In Malachi 4:1 He sets forth this very problem/prospect, calling it the great and terrible day of Yahweh in verse five.In verse two, those who fear His name are the latter-rain Bride. Who then is the sun of righteousness that has healing in its wings? He is the preacher of righteousness that is foreshadowed in Noah (2 Peter 2:5), and precedes the flood of the Spirit that covers the earth. He is the Elijah spoken of in verse 4. He is the sun-clothed woman who brings forth the man child (Revelation 12:1-5). Remember, this chapter addresses two chief elements—the great and terrible day of Yahweh, and the Elijah. Those who go forth and skip like calves are the Bride who fear Yahweh’s name.
Thus, this verse could just as well read:
The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings [Elijah]; and you who fear My name will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.The promise is that the Bride will go forth and skip about like calves from a stall when the Elijah sun of righteousness rises. I used to bottle feed and raise calves, and know first-hand what that which is spoken of in this verse looks like. I remember when we got our first two calves. We kept each of them in an eight by four-foot stall. One day we took them out into the pasture to get some exercise. I will never forget watching those calves run and jump. Their legs and agility were not yet developed and they would bound up and down and then bolt off in a burst of energy, sometimes only to stumble and fall. They were so very cute and loved their time out. This is promised to be the experience of the Bride with the rising of the sun of righteousness, which would be evidenced when the Elijah finally arises in his appearance. These are the second Remnant calves let out, while the first Remnant calves are pictured as being left in the stalls in 1 Samuel 6:10.In verse three, treading down the ashes under our feet reminds me of the altar in 1 Kings 13:3. Here we read:
"This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken, 'Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.' "
This was the altar of Jeroboam, who set up the two golden calves, picturing Christianity. In like manner, this altar appears to speak of Christianity. Christianity’s altar needs to be split 2,000 years and 2,000 years, and its ashes spilled out in the Millennial reign. This event or time is in the day of Yahweh, the long awaited Millennial reign when Yahshua comes to build His kingdom. As with Jeroboam, this is a witness against Christianity and, as you know, is necessary in order to make them clean—splitting them (Lev. 11:3). This will expose Christianity and its teachers and pastors for what they truly are, even as it exposed Jeroboam and his hand (works) withered. And even as the prophet healed Jeroboam’s withered hand, so Yahshua will have to heal Christianity’s withered hand (works). This very thing is attested when He healed the withered hand of the man on the sabbath:
And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep [Christians], and if it falls into a pit [death] on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other (Matthew 12:10-13).This miracle took place as a testimony of what takes place for Christianity, but is truly what must take place for all men. Now for Malachi 4:4. Why would Yahweh invoke Moses here in this chapter, immediately before identifying Elijah in verse five? Who is it who was on the mount of transfiguration with Yahshua? Moses and Elijah. Who is it that Peter invoked in his second discourse, speaking of the latter rain—Moses and Elijah. In Acts 3:18-23 we read:
"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.But preceding Him must first come the Elijah, whom clearly Peter next speaks of:
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [in other words, the calves can be let out of the stalls and go forth and skip about];and that He may send Jesus,
the Christ appointed for you [who cannot come until Elijah comes and stops the great and terrible day of Yahweh.
Without the Elijah and the obedient people, Yahshua could not come],whom heaven must receive [Yahshua has been in heaven for 2,000 years] until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. [There is only ONE person ever mentioned relative to the restoration of all things, and that is Elijah.]"Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 'And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'Clearly established in numerous testimonies—such as Elijah fulfilling the promise given to Moses regarding seeing Yahweh’s glory (Exodus 33:21-23), Elijah ascending alive where Moses died, and Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration—there is no question that
the “prophet like me” is Elijah. (Read
for more information on this.) This is further confirmed by the fact that here in Malachi 4, Moses is once again mentioned in concert with Elijah. These two men are the two-part Remnant; and the fact is, the Elijah-fulfillment twelfth apostle is legally a Moses, “a prophet like me,” occupying an office that is a part of the first Remnant (
). This passage in Malachi 4 confirms that the Elijah is being spoken of in Acts 3. Pretty simple, wouldn’t you agree? This chapter lays out the problem of Christianity, the burning furnace; its need to be split; and the outcome of the Elijah, the sun of righteousness who rises. Will we physically heal men? That is to be seen. But one thing is certain, we WILL heal the first Remnant, and in time heal the body and the nations. They cannot be made complete without us (Hebrews 11:40).One additional point here.
You will notice that, appropriately, the sun had set when the furnace passed between the covenant parts—the period of darkness during the time of Christianity when no man can work (John 9:4-5). But, it is the sun-of-righteousness Elijah who marks the beginning of the sunrise. One of the brothers emphasized Yahshua’s coming as the sun of righteousness. Indeed He is. But keep in mind that Elijah must first stand in His place and restore all things.
Once his work is done,
that place passes to Yahshua, and he decreases and Yahshua increases. Then
the light will fully shine. But before then, through the Elijah the light and righteousness of that sun must come by the one(s) who precede and prepare His way—the obedient people. Regarding Malachi 4, another brother noted to me that I am a man of righteousness who lives in Salem (MO). Then he pointed out Hebrews 7:1-2, which says:
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. I do take hope in this, that Yahweh will indeed effect this work that we each long for and so desperately need. May Yahweh begin a work in His Elijah that prepares the way for Yahshua’s return, the One to whom all the glory belongs. May He fulfill His word—and we take hope that He will fulfill His word in us to His glory. Blessings to you,
Gary
