Malachi was the last of the Hebrew prophets. His name means, “The Messenger of Jehovah.” His mission was to reinforce Judah’s belief and confidence in God and remind them of their responsibilities as members of a covenant community with God. The concept of the Covenant of Israel is fundamental to Malachi’s message. Malachi’s prophecy concluded the Old Testament canon and contained not only a divine rebuke for sin, but also, a divine promise of rescue.

Malachi spoke for and represented Jehovah to the Israelites. His prophecy is supposed to have been written during the time of the absence of Nehemiah, the governor, from Jerusalem. The period of his absence is thought to have been one of religious decline. This prophecy serves as a reproof for their wayward and evil course and a warning of the just retribution that must surely follow if they did not repent and turn to God.—Mal. 2:1; 3:6

Malachi’s prophecy, therefore, may have served a double purpose: first to reprove and stimulate the people of that time, and secondly, and more importantly, to give a general lesson applicable all the way down through the centuries since. His prophecy closes with exhortations and promises respecting the coming of Messiah, for whom the Jewish people had at that time waited for more than fifteen centuries. “The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple.”—Mal. 3:1

Malachi was the last messenger to Israel prior to John the Baptist, who was the immediate forerunner of Christ. (Matt. 11:10,11) Christ was the coming, great messenger of Jehovah’s covenant and it would have been well for Israel had if they had heeded the warning and prepared their hearts to receive the Lord’s Anointed. While this prophecy primarily applied to Israel, as shown by the Lord and the apostles, it had a much wider application. In a fuller sense it was addressed to spiritual Israel (Rev. 2:10) and applies to the second advent of the great “Messenger of the Covenant,” Christ whose work will fully accomplish all of these predictions. —Gen. 22:18; John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16,17

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Today, there is much suffering in the world, but this is not new. Man has suffered ever since Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. But now, in addition to the usual afflictions associated with the reign of sin and death, the world is passing through a period described prophetically in the Scriptures as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) This distress is worldwide, and because of it, people wonder whether there is a God in heaven? If so, why does he not seem to be doing something about the suffering of his human creation. The answer to this question points out the difference between God’s plan for mankind and fallen man’s endeavors to alleviate suffering.

The Bible reveals that ever since man transgressed the divine law in the Garden of Eden, God has been working to extricate His human creation from death—the result of man’s transgression. God is not looking for man to tell Him what to do about human suffering. God has his own plan, formed before the foundation of the world, which from century to century has continued moving forward toward completion.

This plan will bring to an end all human suffering including destruction of “the last enemy … death.” (1 Cor. 15:26) The fulfillment of this plan applies to Adam and Eve, and to every human being who has lived since their time. God loves His human creation who lived before the Flood (Gen. 7,8) just as much as He loves the people of today and, indeed, every intervening generation. When Jesus said, “God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” he was describing God’s love for the entire human family.—John 3:16

The apostle Peter, added that this salvation would come via “times of restitution [Greek: restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21) Christ’s earthly kingdom will bring this restoration. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6:11

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As we journey down the road of life, we will encounter stumbling stones that seem impossible to pass. Still, we are to rejoice and find comfort in the words of our loving Father in Heaven who grants us peace.—2 Cor. 13:11

Webster’s dictionary defines peace in several ways: Freedom from civil disturbance, a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom, and freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. In these examples, the words freedom and security are used to give the feeling that things will be fine. When we combine the above examples with the words of Philippians 1:2 (New International Version), “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” and we let this peace into our hearts, there will be no room for fear or apprehension.

When Father Adam first dwelt in the Garden of Eden, he had no fear or concern of how things would be even after being commanded to avoid “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 1:26-29; 2:8-17) Both he and Eve had the peace of God in their hearts. If they obeyed the Father’s will, all their needs would be met. While the Bible does not mention it, we can imagine that their perfect minds never feared what would happen because with the peace of God in their hearts, disobedience was not something they considered.—Gen. 3

The same could be said for many beautiful examples in the Bible of those who feared God. In Daniel chapter 6, Daniel’s enemies made a law to entrap him through his faithfulness to God. Daniel continued to pray to God even after hearing the decree which forbade it. He was a faithful follower whose heart was full of the peace of God even as he was cast into the den of lions. After seeing Daniel’s example of peace and God’s deliverance of him from what would have been certain death, King Darius decreed, “That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever.”—Dan. 6:26

As we travel along life’s way, remember the experiences of Daniel and so many others who were comforted, and carried in our Lord’s hands through their experiences because they trusted God and had the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.—Phil. 4:7,8.

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