Book of Malachi - Ch. 1, Vs. 11 (02/05/2023)

She's like, who put that human in a cane cart?

She said me! I was just like, sorry. I knew it was her.

It's awkward. So she had bottoms up.

She was resting it all the time. And she says, oh! Hold this up for me.

Sorry. That's cool. Wow, that's scary.

Well, they're cute. Good morning, everybody.

Good morning. We've got lots of ground to cover today, so I'm going to go ahead and get started here. A couple, or I guess it was just last week.

Feels like forever ago. Yeah, this time last week we were getting into verse 11 of Malachi chapter 1.

And we are going to start there again today. And we were just kind of starting to get into some of the parts of it, or some aspects of it that I'm pretty excited about.

And so hopefully we'll be able to cover that today. But here we are.

We're at verse 11. Again, Malachi chapter 1. And leading up to this, starting around verse 6, leading up to this, we start hearing a lot about the sins of the priests specifically at this time.

And we've already kind of seen some foreshadowing of the state that the people of Israel are in at this time.

And we're eventually going to get to the people themselves. But it starts with the priests.

And so starting around verse 6, we start learning about the fact that they are just a profane group of men at this time.

They're offering defiled sacrifices, polluted bread upon the Lord's table, which they find contemptible.

They dishonor their father. They dishonor their master. All these things. And we're just going down the list of, again, just this terrible state that the priests find themselves in.

And that Malachi, or I should say God through Malachi, is now pointing out to them. And then you get to verse 11, which is where we ended last week.

And let's see here. It says, For from the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the

Gentiles. And in every place incense shall be offered into my name, into pure offering.

For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts. And so, I mean, this very interesting and certainly new in the context of this book concept is just thrown right in the middle of the sins of the priests that we're talking about.

And we talked a little bit about how there's a little bit of debate as to, among certain commentators, as to whether or not this is the

Gentiles literally making offerings, present tense at this time, while Malachi, the prophecy of Malachi is taking place, or if it's future tense.

And this is actually a prophecy about things to come. And last week, we kind of reached the conclusion that it had to have been, it has to be future tense.

Because not only of the immediate context of Malachi, which we'll be getting more to in a little bit, but also the fact that all of the

Old Testament, anytime it's talking about the sacrifices or the offerings of the Gentiles, it's talking about it, talking about them as being pagan offerings and sacrifices, something that was abominable to the

Lord. Certainly not acceptable, certainly not pure, as it lays it out in verse 11 here.

So, we were trying to kind of sift through the different commentaries there or conclusions that those commentaries reach.

And it seemed pretty clear that it is, in fact, future tense. But we ended last week with looking at some passages that lay out the reality that these pagan offerings, the fact that if Gentiles were to offer anything at this point in time in history, it would have been pagan, it would have been a pagan offering or a pagan ritual.

And so we ended last week with looking at some passages that lay out, okay, what exactly does that look like from God's perspective?

Hey, Dad, I'm getting a little bit of feedback. You want to turn mic number four down just a little bit. I'm hearing a ring from up here.

So we read Deuteronomy chapter 13, verses 6 through 11 last week. And it was literally telling us, you know, if someone is going to tempt you or entice you to serve other gods, take part in these pagan rituals, pagan sacrifices.

If you were going to offer sacrifices, these pagan gods thrust those people out of the camp and then stone them, put them to death, because if you don't, what their goal is, what their ultimate goal is, is to thrust you away from the

Lord, which brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, which is what it said in verse 10, that passage in Deuteronomy.

And then it ends by saying, and all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.

So we'll pick up where we left off last week and just read a couple of more passages that are, that will kind of solidify the idea that has to be future tense in this verse 11 of Malachi, when it's talking about the

Gentiles, the offerings that the Gentiles will bring to the Lord. The time

Malachi was being written hasn't happened yet, but will take place in the future. It's a prophecy rather than happening at this time.

Y 'all don't have to go here. I'll just read this one kind of quick. It's just a few verses, but just to pick up on the idea that these pagan sacrifices certainly weren't acceptable to God at this time.

Habakkuk chapter two, verses 18 through 20, it says, What profit is the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it?

The molten image and a teacher of lies that the maker of his work trusted therein to make dumb idols.

Woe unto him that saith to the wood awake, to the dumb stone arise, it shall teach.

Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the

Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. There are many other examples,

Deuteronomy and the first kings and Psalms and Isaiah that talk about that. The concept of, well, not the concept of, but telling us from God's perspective what he thinks about these false gods.

And of course, the rituals and sacrifices that come along with it. So not only is, not only would, again, kind of picking up where we left off in the debate of whether or not this is present or future tense.

This particular translation, if it were, keep in mind, there are commentators that put it in the present tense.

There are also certain Bible translations that put that phrase in verse 11 that says incense will be offered into my name.

There are some Bible translations that put that in the present tense as well. So not only would it contradict these passages that is laying out very clearly what

God thinks about these pagan rituals, but it would also contradict the very context in Malachi.

Because later in Malachi, it is certainly affirmed that obedience to the

Mosaic law is a very important thing. It's strongly emphasized throughout Malachi that they need to be, that they need to return to the law rather than continuing down the path they had been for some time, about 70 years at this point, which was straying further and further from it.

So you can't have God accepting these pagan Gentile sacrifices, and a few verses later,

Malachi reaffirming the importance of the Mosaic law, which as we've read, I guess it was week before last, we were in Leviticus chapter 22, is like the opposite of what

God had ordained, especially from these particular offices that would be offering sacrifices.

So again, to kind of rehash our conclusion or to beef up our conclusion of last week, that it is going to be in the future tense and that it makes perfect sense within all these contexts as well, is that it also corresponds with a lot of other

Old Testament prophecies that we're predicting a time when the Gentiles, as it's talking about in our passages in Malachi here, will see the light and become worshipers of the

Lord as well. So y 'all can turn here because this is interesting. If you want to go to Isaiah chapter 49, this is one of the passages where it breaks down the reality that this is something that has been prophesied about long before even this prophecy of Malachi came forth.

And so this is something that the Lord's prophets had been telling the

Israelites, God's people, was something that was going to come into the future.

And so it makes perfect sense that this verse in Malachi just goes perfectly in line with these other passages.

So first of all, this is really interesting. It says, listen, this is Isaiah 49, and I'll read the first verse and then

I'm going to skip down a little bit, but it says, Listen, O Isles, and to me, and hearken, ye people from far.

The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

So who is Isaiah talking to all of a sudden? He's starting to shift his focus from his brethren, his people that he has been talking to chapter after chapter throughout

Isaiah up to this point, and then he shifts his focus and he's talking to the people in the isles, people from far.

Skip down to verse five for a second. It says, And now sayeth the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring

Jacob again to him. Though Israel be not gathered, yea, shall I be glorious in the eyes of the

Lord and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to rise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel.

I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation and to the end of the earth.

Thus sayeth the Lord, the redeemer of Israel and his holy one, to him who man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhoreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise.

Princes also shall worship because of the Lord that is faithful in the holy one of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Pretty amazing passage there. Obviously, it's talking about it's a prophecy, not only that the

Gentiles or that he will be a light to the Gentiles, but of course, that Jesus will be ultimately be that one that brings them to that light.

Another passage talking about this. You don't have to go there. It's just a couple of quick verses. But in Daniel, chapter seven, starting verse 13, it says,

I saw in the night visions and behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven.

And came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in his kingdom that shall, which shall not be destroyed.

So again, another prophecy this time of Jesus's second coming. But it is also prophesying about the reality that the

Gentiles will be brought in in the future. So now the question could be in verse 11,

Malachi talking about the church age Gentiles is beginning.

Is this prophecy perhaps a prophecy of and we were kind of talking about this at the end of last week.

Dad brought this thought up. Once we establish that, yes, this is definitely the future tense.

And we can infer a future tense in verse 11 because of the context. When it says, my name shall be great among the

Gentiles and then every place incense shall be. Of course, that was inserted by the KGB translators.

Rightly so shall be offered unto my name in a pure offering. We can we can feel pretty confident that that is future tense at this point.

So once you establish that, the question now is, could verse 11 of Malachi be talking about the church age

Gentiles, which would have began when Jesus came on the scene and after, which would include us as well.

Or is it talking strictly about the millennial kingdom when Jesus comes back and we are now living, of course, in his kingdom.

And obviously by then we will be offering and making offerings and all sorts of awesome things with him being on the throne of David.

I and again, we touched this at the end of last week, but I personally believe it's talking about both. And one of the reasons why

I think it's talking about both. And what I mean by that is that this prophecy in Malachi that says the Gentiles will make a pure offering.

The reason I believe it starts at the time of maybe you could say

Jesus's ministry, but certainly after Pentecost and then all the way through to the end, essentially all the way through the millennial kingdom, is because of a very familiar passage that we happen to be right in the middle of studying in Dad's verse by verse study at this time.

So I'll just read this really quick. But. This is really interesting.

So Romans 15, 15 says, Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly into you in some sort is putting you in mind because of the grace that is given to me of God.

Verse 16, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the

Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. And that's the verse we've been on for for many months because Dad has used that as a springboard to go topical.

And we've been doing the believer priest, the studies of the believer priest. And so what do you think about that,

Dad? Could Malachi be prophesying here, not only of perhaps physical sacrifices that will be giving in the millennial kingdom, but also the spiritual sacrifices that we as believer priests are offering now at the time of Paul, including us today.

What do you think about that? Because we we kind of hit on a little bit last week, but not in huge detail.

When you were first getting into this, I was sitting back here thinking that it seemed to me that it easily could be a fore view of both

Adventist and Christ. I mean, you know, the after the first day of it, you have church age, right?

And the kingdom is in the heart. And you just gospel say that the kingdom is in the heart right now.

It's not in the world yet. And then when Jesus comes back the second time, it'll be physical for a thousand years in the world.

I think it is, too. And which is interesting for a couple of reasons, because, well, number one,

I mean, I do think it's pretty clear because Paul is talking specifically about offerings that the

Gentiles are making at this time. Malachi, while, you know, obviously it's like quick and to the point, this is a single verse we're talking about.

It hits it and moves on it. There's nothing here that would exclude spiritual sacrifices or offerings and strictly include, you know, physical.

And I think it does include physical because, again, in the millennial kingdom, I believe we will be doing that. But I believe it reaches out and kind of grabs a broader time frame and actually begins around the time that the

Gentiles are brought in the first time and continues through, which is really cool because this verse, if that is correct, and I don't see why it wouldn't be, because the context seems to support it pretty clearly.

But what's cool about that is verse 11 of Malachi would be a prophecy of all of the months we've been spending on our duties as a believer priest.

The things that we are capable of doing and can do at any point, of course, being as long as we're walking in the spirit.

And so you have a prophecy in the last book of the Old Testament here talking about us at this moment in time and our ability to make offerings, as it says in verse 16 of Romans 15, the offering up at the

Gentiles might be acceptable. We have the ability to offer acceptable sacrifices being sanctified by the

Holy Ghost right now. And it was prophesied in verse 11 of Malachi. Pretty cool.

OK, so now with the future reality of the Gentiles offerings being established again,

I believe the first advent of the Lord all the way through the millennial kingdom. Let me ask this question now.

So we're going to move on from that. And this is another interesting thought to me anyways.

Maybe it'll be interesting to you all as well. I don't know. But let me ask you guys this question. Is verse 11. Let me read it one more time and then

I'll ask the question. For from the rising of the sun, even until the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the

Gentiles. And in every place incense shall be offered into my name.

For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts. And this is right in the middle of him talking about the sins of the priests and eventually the people as well.

He's rebuking them. He's upset with them. He eventually is going to start laying down his disciplinary actions beginning of chapter two for the actions they are taking part in.

So now my question is, is verse 11 kind of could it be kind of considered the end all victory for the

Gentiles? And kind of this cool moment where we being Gentiles right now sitting in this room can see this.

We're like, well, you know, it's too it's too bad for God's people here or the

Israelites, because obviously they went so far from the

Lord. And we are now stepping in and he's bringing us in because of his total disappointment of them.

Could that be what this is? Kind of the kind of this big victory for the Gentiles or. And perhaps at first glance, that could appear what it is, or could it possibly be a warning within a warning?

In other words, obviously, he got here is getting really strict and has been rebuking for several verses and will continue to do so for a few more chapters in this book.

He is he's giving the Israelites warning. But does that necessarily mean it's not a warning to us as well as Gentiles in this age?

Well, let me let me kind of catch the chase here and get to where my mind goes when

I consider this, because I believe it is a warning to both. Not just the priests, not just the

Israelites. My first thought when I read verse 11 in the context of Malachi goes to another familiar passage that we recently went through.

Well, not that recently. It's been a little while at this point, but in Dad's verse by verse study of Romans.

We need to take God's response to Israel and especially the priests irreverence as a warning to ourselves as well, because we.

As branches can be broken off just like they were. Go to Romans chapter 11 for a second and we'll start in verse three.

I'm sorry. Verse 13. But let me give you a little bit of context that of what is happening leading up to this verse.

And this is a very interesting concept to me, because in my I mean, I believe it's like it's like Paul is bringing in the human the reality of the human viewpoint and the responsibility of man.

Right smack dab in the middle of several passages on either side of this that are all about the sovereignty of God.

Very the most some of the most powerful passages we have regarding the sovereignty of God. And yet he points out the response, our personal responsibilities, individuals as collective right here as well.

So the context of what we're about to read is in chapter 10 of Romans. Paul starts explaining that God's promises to the

Israelites have not failed, but rather. The Israelites at this time are struggling with unbelief and zeal without knowledge.

So they are sitting over there thinking God's promises are failed, have failed. Where are all these things that he has promised our forefathers, the patriarchs, all these things.

And Paul's like, guys, you have struggled with unbelief that has blinded your eyes to the very

Messiah himself. He's already come and gone. You missed that. And while I know you're a zealous people and I can testify that myself, it's zeal without knowledge.

You do not have an understanding of the reality of what's going on here.

So that's what chapter 10 is all about. And then it moves into chapter 11 and Paul affirms that a remnant, according to election, will be preserved.

But those that will fall of Israel are for the salvation of the

Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy. And those that fall, talking about the

Israelites, those that do fall are the riches. Let's see here.

Sorry, I have this context handwritten because I wrote this in last night and it's really messy. The riches of the

Gentiles are for the riches of the Gentiles. And that's leading right up to this verse 13 that we're going to pick it up here in a second.

So Paul is kind of laying out exactly what is happening to these otherwise ignorant

Israelites that are very zealous. But for all the wrong reasons, or at least they are conducting that zeal in the wrong way.

And he's saying, look, after he finishes everything in chapter 10, he says, is

God going to cast away his people? God forbid. And then he gives an example of,

I think it's Elijah saying to God, I'm the only one. And then God says, no, there's actually 7000

God fearing men. Don't worry. There is a remnant. So Paul uses that as an example to say there is a remnant still.

So he's not casting away his people. There is still a remnant preserved by the election of grace. All that's in chapter 10.

But then he does explain what about those Israelites that are going to fall away? Well, it's for the salvation of the

Gentiles. So let's pick it up at verse 13 of chapter 11 of Romans. And again, what are we?

Why are we looking at this passage? Could verse 11 of Malachi not only be a warning to the priests?

Well, not just verse 11, not just verse 11, but really all of Malachi. Could it not only be a warning to the priests and the people, but also to us as the

Gentiles? And the verse 11 says we'll step in and offer incense to the Lord ourselves.

All right. So Romans 11, 13. For I speak to you Gentiles. All right.

So Paul is talking to us straight away here. Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the

Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means

I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them.

OK, so he's literally saying by my office coming to you

Gentiles and giving you guys my attention. If that may be, if that may provoke to emulation, some that are of my own flesh.

In other words, Israelites, other Israelites, that maybe some of them will be saved. Picks it up at verse 15.

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world. What is he talking about there?

He's talking about the Gentiles, the reality that God not only died for a remnant of his people, that being the

Israelites, but for a remnant of every single race of human beings that are in existence.

For if casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall be the receiving of them be but life from the dead?

For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root be holy, so are the branches.

What's the root? The root is Jesus himself. So any branches that are growing off of this root that is otherwise perfect and holy.

So are the branches. Verse 17. And if some of the branches be broken off. This is where it gets really interesting.

And Paul is talking about a lot of what we're reading in Malachi. I mean, I think he's talking about a broader scope of history.

But what we're talking about in Malachi certainly falls within that. And if some of the branches be broken off.

These are the priests. These are the people that Malachi is prophesying against in our study here.

And thou, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them. Who's the wild olive tree?

That's us as Gentiles. That verse 11 in Malachi is prophesying about.

Being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them. And with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree.

So we get to partake in Jesus himself being the root. Boast not against the branches, but if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

God, I mean, it's important to note that while this is all a really cool thing, that Paul is using this really interesting analogy to describe.

God is the one doing the grafting here. We couldn't bear the root ourselves. We certainly can't boast about the fact that we've been grafted in because God did the grafting himself.

We were just wild olive branches sprawled all across the earth. With nothing but the ability to benefit from the fact that we were grafted.

Verse 19 says, that will say then the branches were broken off that I may be grafted in.

So right there, he's talking about the fact that we as Gentiles might try to make a little bit of room for boasting here.

Even though, even if we realize that we didn't do the grafting ourselves, we could be like, well, yeah, but those branches are broken off so that we could be grafted in.

So we must be pretty special, right? He says, you will say that, that will say the branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.

Verse 20, well, Paul continues, because of unbelief, they were broken off.

So right there is the crux of Malachi that we're in, we're studying. They are being punished, rebuked, cursed, which we're going to get to shortly.

All of these things were happening to them because of unbelief. And because of that, they were literally broken off from the root, which is

Jesus himself, their Lord. And thou standest by faith, talking about the Gentiles again.

We stand by faith, but not high -minded, or I'm sorry, be not high -minded, but fear.

So here's where I believe Malachi is just as much of a warning to us in this age as Gentiles, as it was to the priests and these people.

I realize it was a different dispensation. Obviously, we are not going through the motions of worship as the priests were required to do at this time.

But God is the same, and God gets just as upset with our disbelief as he was with the disbelief of his priests and his people at the time of Malachi.

What was the result? He broke them off. He broke those branches off. So Paul is telling us, because of that reality, because God does not change, and because he is just as righteous and just toward unbelief to us as he was for them, we shouldn't be high -minded, but instead we should fear.

We should be afraid of what is happening in Malachi, because the same thing could happen to us.

And it will tell us that in just a second. Verse 21, for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee.

So a couple of things really quick. Number one, we need to fear, because, and again, this is where I believe

Paul is literally bringing in the human viewpoint here, the responsibility that we have in everything that God shows us on a daily basis, the fact that our belief needs to be unwavering.

Because if the natural branches start wavering and lose their belief and be broken off, he might not spare us either, being the wild olive branches that have been grabbed in.

Now, I believe this is twofold. Number one, I think it's a warning to people that claim to be

Christian, that take on the name of God, Jesus, of his works, claim to be doing works in his name, perhaps even join a local church, and are now then responsible for the testimony of that church as an individual as well, but are actually a tear, or maybe just a lost sheep that hasn't been notified yet, as Brother Otis would say.

But at the moment, they couldn't care less about that. All they care about is the societal gain of being a church member, because if you're living in the

Bible belt, why not? And so all they care about is the societal gain of being a church member.

Then they go out and they go nuts during the week, between Sunday and Sunday, and because of that, are then responsible for the testimony of that, not only of that local church, but again, also

God himself, all these kinds of things. So I think this is a warning toward people that would dare take on a testimony of God, of a local church, of the works of the

Lord, use his name to, I don't know, again, for societal gain over anything else.

I think it's a warning to those people, because those people, what he's saying is, if you dare include yourself in the ordained, what is the word

I'm looking for here? In kind of this ordained reality of, let's just say, of joining into a local church, and then you go out there and you live your life as if you are not a peculiar person, an unchanged, that is going to come back to bite you, and you will be broken off, just as my priests were and as my people were, for their unbelief and for the testimony that they defiled at the time of Malachi that we're reading.

Again, I believe Paul is probably talking about a more broad scope here, but Malachi is certainly included.

So I believe you get to verse 21, and I believe that's a warning to the tares or maybe even the lost sheep that are in a church, taking on the name and acting as if that is a part of their life, where they go out and they defile the testimony themselves.

So I think it's a warning there. But I do think it's also just as much a warning to God's people, because we do have a human nature, and we can still either find ourselves boasting, like he was talking about in verse 19 of this passage, or perhaps forgetting the reality that, you know,

I mean, we go right back to Dad's topical on the believer -priests. I mean, we have a duty, a responsibility as believer -priests to be doing the imperatives that we've been studying in chapter 15 of Romans.

And so I think it's a warning. I think it's a twofold warning there. We'll pick it up in verse 22.

It says, Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God on them which fell, severity, but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shalt be cut off.

So the warning continues specifically talking about the Gentiles here. And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be graft in.

So again, he's talking about the results of belief in his name. They will be graft in and get to benefit from the fat of the root, which, of course, we know is

Jesus himself. For God is able to graft them in again. So what he's saying now is there was a time when the natural branches were broken off.

When they were broken off, I grafted in these wild olive branches that now get to be the partakers of the fat of the root.

But don't be high -minded, you wild olive branches. He's talking to us as Gentiles, because I can just as easily break you off, cast you out, and graft in the natural branches again.

So he leaves no room for high -mindedness, for boasting, for any of that.

There's zero room for it, and it's a perfect analogy that Paul is using here. Verse 24, for if that were cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and were grafted in contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel.

He's reaffirming what he talked about in the beginning of chapter 11 of Romans here. Until the fullness of the

Gentiles be come in. Is this not what's being talked about in Malachi 111?

It's the reality that because of the mistakes and the shortfalls that these priests and ultimately the people of God that we'll get to in later chapters of Malachi, because all of this has taken place, the

Gentiles are going to come in. They will be grafted in, and he ends talking about the fullness of the

Gentiles, of course, which is taking it a step further. So in terms of the branches being broken off.

And the warning that Paul has given the Gentiles here, that could be considered kind of a broad warning against the collective

Gentiles, but that are that are kind of taking part in that blessing of being grafted in in some form.

But what about a more specific warning given to local churches also made up of Gentiles?

I'll get to that in a second. But first, what are y 'all's thoughts so far in terms of, you know, how that passage that we just read, that lengthy passage in Romans 11, how that could be kind of corresponding with our passage in Malachi?

I don't know. I think it's pretty interesting. Go ahead, Dan. Well, I think that it's obvious that,

I mean, it really didn't hit me until recently that when

Paul was talking about the Gentiles not boasting because the others were cut off, we could be too.

I always thought that was sort of allegorical. I didn't want to be seen as a warning, a real maybe even prophecy of Paul.

And then a couple of years ago, I started thinking about it. And I began to think, well, it actually is happening because look at the modern church.

The example of the two preachers sitting behind me in the airplane last week when we were coming home from our trip.

Right. One Roman Catholic, the other a Methodist, just chanting up like they were best buddies.

I wanted to ask the Methodist what it was like to see a buddy with another.

They were best of buddies. And the entire conversation was about homosexuality in the church, getting big pastors, and how there's new truth now that we didn't have because we didn't understand everything a few decades ago, and how even the different kinds of designations and different types of sexes humans can be now.

That's all they talked. They never talked about the Bible. They never talked about anything other than that for two hours.

And I'm thinking, well, and this young man is going to go preach to 3 ,000 people in Dallas the next day because we flew home on Saturday.

He's going to preach to 3 ,000 people. And that's the mindset he had.

And you think about the modern church and the very thing you just read about in Malachi where God said,

I'm not even accepting your offerings because you're hypocrites. It's happening now. These churches have no power.

These pastors have no power.

Flowery speech and big presentations, maps, things like that.

And I think you're onto something there where you're seeing Paul's comment that's actually prophetic in a sense that it is going to, the church is going to fail just like it will fail in her mission.

The church will fail in her mission. I just had two of my best friends in the world walk in a day ago.

John and Charlotte Posey over here. Good morning, guys. Hey, y 'all can remind me of a name.

When Charlotte and I first got saved and started back to church, what was the man's name who had the pretty little blonde eyes?

Bo Wilkins. Bo Wilkins was teaching on Wednesday night.

I guess it was Wednesday night. He had a special class he was teaching. One of the king judges for sure. Love it.

I didn't know he was a king judge back then. Good for him. So then he was teaching on the dispensations, which was very interesting to me.

I'd never heard about it yet. Of course, I'd heard about it anyway. I'm a brand new Christian, but he was talking about the dispensations.

And what was fascinating about it was at the end of each lesson, you know, the next week he'd talk about the next dispensation.

But he would show how whichever one man was in, man failed. Even in the

Garden of Eden, wherever they were. And then he went through all the way through to the end with the

Millennial King, where at the end they rise up against Christ. And at the end of that one, where everything's led by Jesus himself for a thousand years, and then man still failed.

I thought it was fascinating that his whole point of the teaching was to show there's a gravity of man in every dispensation.

And I think Bo was right about that. It was a great lesson. But I think this is going to show that the church, the

Gentile church age is failing. It will fail to do its job. And there's a verse in Revelation chapter 10, verse 7, that I think is proof of it.

But you have to understand one word in the verse, it's kind of a word formula throughout the

New Testament where you see the word mystery. It usually only means one of two or three things. But all of it relates to the indwelling of the

Holy Spirit in the church. Being different than the Old Testament. And it's called the mystery.

So it either talks about – it always alludes to that, but it could have other meanings like the rapture, things like that.

It has to do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the church. And here's what it says. But in the days of the voice of the seven angels – so here we see the seven angels in the trumpets in the book of Revelation.

Seven trumpets. And when the last one sounds, during that time period of what that one announces is the second coming.

I believe now. Nevertheless, look what it says.

But in the days of the voice – that means the sounding of the seven angels when he will sound the trumpet, the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

And the mystery of God is the church. It's the indwelled church. So it's saying that the beauty of the church, its business on the earth is finished at that point.

And I think what's fascinating, it says as he declared to his servants the prophets, which is what you're teaching on in Malachi.

So if you want to ask questions, Malachi, apply to us. There's your answer. Right. And I believe it applies twofold.

Number one, the Gentiles – well, let's say the fullness of the

Gentiles. So that would be specifically the bride of Christ within the church age.

But also, to Dad's point, a warning to the church – to churches around the world that want to take on the

Lord's name but go and defile the testimony as the priests were doing themselves. Let me –

I'm going to go back over to Romans 10 for a second and read a couple of verses and we'll end it there because I won't have time to go to the next passage.

I'll save that for next week. But I gave you guys some brief context before we read the passage in Romans 11.

Go to Romans 10 for a second. Oh, I'm sorry. Hold on. Maybe it's the beginning of 11. OK, yeah, sorry.

Just go to the beginning of chapter 11 of Romans. And Paul's about to address, again, this question of does this mean that God's casting away his people?

And he says, God forbid. The same question could be asked when you read the passage we just read where it says he's going to cast away – he'll cast away you just as he did the natural branches.

So don't be high -minded but fear. So then you could ask, so is God going to cast away his people, talking about the

Gentiles now? And the answer would be the same, God forbid. And this is how that's true. It says in verse 1 of chapter 11, after he finishes talking about Israel's disbelief in chapter 10, their zeal without knowledge in chapter 10, he talks about all that and he says,

I say then, in verse 1 of 11, hath God cast away his people? God forbid.

For I am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew.

And remember, starting at verse 13, it starts talking about the responsibility of man, the responsibility that we have to not be high -minded but to rather fear so that we will not be cast away as the natural branches.

But the context begins with God's sovereignty. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew.

And then he uses this really cool story. He says, What ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

Lord, they have killed thy prophets and digged down thy altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

I'm the only one left, is what he thought. But what hath the answer of God unto him?

Paul asks. I have reserved to myself 7 ,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

Even so then, at this present time, also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

And if by grace, then it is no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more of grace.

But if it be of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work.

What he is saying is that, yes, the natural branches, and he's about to get to the, well, not an allegory per se, because I believe it's an actual warning, you know, using this image, using this picture of the tree with the branches to describe it.

He's about to get into that. But first he lets them know, look, I'm about to tell you the natural branches were broken off.

And that there is a chance that the new branches that are grafted in could be broken off as well.

But it's not in totality, because God, he starts it by saying he will not cast away his people which he foreknew.

That's the remnant. And just as that was true with the 7 ,000 in Israel, the same is true with the

Gentiles. To dad's point, it's not truly an allegory, it is a legitimate prophecy and a warning against us as Gentiles, all of the churches around the world, to not defile the testimony that we willingly take on, that we then bear the responsibility to uphold and to ensure that the rest of the world, when they look at that testimony, actually see

Jesus and not defilement, rather. And if we do that, we'll be broken off.

A majority of those branches will be broken off. But that does not mean that his people will be cast away, because Paul told us that that will never happen.

Those that he foreknew, he's not going to cast off. So it's a warning to the broad Gentile church, to the churches of the world that make up of Gentiles.

It's a warning to all of them. This, I believe, again, this Malachi passage, chapter 11, as well as what we just read in Romans, because the same thing that's about to happen to the priests, which maybe we'll get to next week,

I'm not sure, and to the people that it describes after that, can happen to the Gentiles just the same, despite the fact that Malachi just told the priests that the

Gentiles are going to be coming in before long, and they will be offering a pure offering. It doesn't mean the Gentiles are safe.

It's not this end -all victory for the Gentiles, again, per se. It's actually a kind of a reality check that we are now put in the position to live up to the standards the priests were supposed to, but failed.

And if we failed, we will be broken off. The Gentiles as a whole can be broken off.

The church can fail and be broken off, just as Israel as a whole failed.

That doesn't mean the remnant, the 7 ,000, won't be saved. They will not be cast away. Same is true for the Gentiles there as well.

Super, super deep stuff that Paul is bringing to the picture here, bringing the picture. We don't have nearly enough time to go through all of the everything that is involved there, but we'll leave it there for now because we ran out of time.

We'll pick it back up next week, probably again at verse 11, because I have other passages I want to look at while we're on this particular topic of the

Gentiles before we finish up chapter 1 of Malachi. Does anyone have any other thoughts you'd like to share before we dismiss?

I think it's happening before our eyes. It's accelerating. Yeah, for sure.

I mean, it couldn't be more apparent that this is a reality. That what Paul is saying, we are not safe from being broken off as well.

And again, I say we. I'm talking about Gentiles collectively that are churchgoers that want to take on that testimony.

They then have to bear the responsibility, just like the priest did. So, yeah, it couldn't be more clear. And what will happen?

Eventually, we'll have to go through a cleansing phase so that the bride of Christ, that remnant that won't ever be cast off, will be 100 % pure like a virgin when

Jesus comes back. All righty, let's see here. Pop Pop, would you mind dismissing this in prayer, please?

Heavenly Father, Lord, we just come to you today thankful that you've given us this opportunity to come together in this special word.

Lord, we just ask you to help us apply it to our lives and help us understand all the meaning of their word and how they affect us and how they affect the way that we should go out into the world and shine a pure light.

We just thank you for all that you do for us. Be with us as we go into the service.