Through The Bible
35 Zechariah And Malachi

September 27 - Zechariah 1 - 4

Life Lesson... "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."  (Zechariah 4:6)

Zechariah begins in the second year of Darius, just as Haggai, but their messages are different.  Haggai encouraged the remnant to be strong and build the temple.  Zechariah has ten visions, which are similar to those of Ezekiel, Daniel, and John in the book of Revelation.  

"1  In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
2  The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.
3  Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
4  Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD."  (1:1-4)

Chapter 1 tells us about the first vision, the rider on the red horse.

7  Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
8  I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
9  Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
10  And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
11  And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
12  Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13  And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
14  So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15  And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16  Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
17  Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem."  (Zechariah 1:7-17)

The second vision was of four horns and symbolized the kings that had scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.  The next vision was four carpenters, which were to cast out the horns of the Gentiles.  The vision of Chapter 2 was of a man with a measuring line in his hand.  He was going to measure Jerusalem.  The Lord told how Jerusalem would be inhabited with multitudes, even though they had been spread abroad as the four winds of heaven.

"10  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again."  (Zechariah 2:10-12)

Chapter 3 was a vision of  "Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?"  (Zechariah 3:1-2)  Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and his garments were taken away and he was clothed and a fair mitre was put upon his head, and he was charged to walk in the ways of the Lord and judge the Lord's house.  The sixth vision foretold of the BRANCH, also mentioned in Zechariah 6:12, Isaiah 11:1, and Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15.

"8  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
9  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree."  (Zechariah 3:8-10)

Chapter 4 begins with the seventh vision of a golden candlestick.  The two olive trees by it "are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth."  (Zechariah 4:14)  Two olive trees are also mentioned in Revelation 11:3-4.  We see Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai.  His hands laid the foundation of the house of the Lord and he would finish it.  (Zechariah 4:9)

"1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it."  (Zechariah 4:1-6)

September 28 - Zechariah 5 - 10

Chapter 5 continues with the eighth vision of Zechariah, a flying roll that was about 30 feet x 15 feet.  The "roll" symbolized the Word of God and carried a curse for stealing and swearing falsely.  The ninth vision was an ephah that was carried up into the air by two women with wings.  Chapter 6 tells of the tenth vision of four chariots with horses that were red, black, white, and grisled and bay.  John also described a vision with four horses of these colors in Revelation 6.  The BRANCH is also mentioned again.  "And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."  (Zechariah 6:12-13)  In Chapter 7 the Lord reminded Zechariah that the people "stopped their ears" and would not listen to the former prophets.

"7  Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
8  And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
9  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
10  And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
11  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
13  Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
14  But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate."  (Zechariah 7:7-14)

In Chapter 8 we see the blessings of the Lord which will come on Jerusalem.

"2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
4  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5  And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8  And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
12  For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13  And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
21  And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
22  Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you."  (Verses from Chapter 8)

Chapter 9 gives the judgment of some of the Gentile nations, such as Damascus, Tyrus and Zidon, and the lands of the Philistines.  (J. Vernon says that this was accomplished by Alexander the Great, in his Through The Bible commentary on this chapter.)  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Zephaniah also prophesied of the downfall of these Gentile nations.  Verse 9 was fulfilled by Christ.  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

​"1  And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2  Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3  And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4  All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6  And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7  And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8  And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10  And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11  And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."  (Matthew 21:1-11)

You can also read of this in Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:35-40 and John 12:12-15.

Chapter 9 ends joyfully.  "And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land."  (Zechariah 9:16)  "And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."  (Malachi 3:17)

​In Chapter 10 the prophecy turns back to Judah.  ​"And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them...  And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD."  (Zechariah 10:6 & 12)

September 29 - Zechariah 11 - 14

Chapter 11 gives us the prophecy that was fulfilled at the betrayal of Jesus.  "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD."  (11:12-13)

​"14  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."  (Matthew 26:14-15)

​"1  When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2  And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3  Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4  Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6  And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7  And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in."  (Matthew 27:1-7)

Chapter 12 points to the future, as we see "in that day" repeated over and over again.  When the nations go against Jerusalem, they will be destroyed. 

​"1  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4  In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5  And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
6  In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
7  The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
8  In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
9  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."  (Zechariah 12:1-10)

As we think on Zechariah 12:10, and know it was a prophesy about our Lord, we also need to look to the next chapter.  

"6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones."  (Zechariah 13:6-7)

David also said, "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet." (Psalm 22:16)

"34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced."  (John 19:34-37)

"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."  (Matthew 26:31)

​Zechariah 14 gives us the final battle against Jerusalem and the coming of the Lord!  The book ends with bells on the horses, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD".  We will see more of these prophecies in  the book of Revelation.

"1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
11  And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12  And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
14  And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
15  And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20  In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21  Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts."  (Verses from Zechariah 14)

September 30 - Malachi 1 - 4

Life Lesson... "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  (Malachi 3:10)

The book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament.  Chapter 1 begins with the love of God towards Israel, and is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:13.  "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

"1  The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
2  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
3  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4  Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
5  And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel."  (Malachi 1:1-4)

The people were giving the Lord the worst that they had.  They said, "The table of the LORD is contemptible" (Malachi 1:7) and their offerings were contemptible (Malachi 1:12), and the Lord replied, "Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law." (Malachi 2:9)  It is sad when we see it as a burden to worship the Lord.  Do we give our best to God?  Do we give Him our time, in prayer and meditation from His Word, or do we give Him a couple minutes in prayer at the end of the day?  We are told to offer "the sacrifice of praise to God continually" in Hebrews 13:15.  Do we give God the best of our praise, or does our praise go to entertainers, sportsmen, our jobs, our children, or even ourselves in pride?  God gave His best for us and we should give our best to Him!

"6  A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7  Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
8  And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
9  And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.
10  Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11  For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.
12  But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
13  Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.
14  But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen."  (Malachi 1:6-14)

The priests had turned away from the covenant of the Lord and had married idol worshipers of the Gentiles.  Nehemiah had also addressed this sin among the remnant in Jerusalem.  

"1  And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2  If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
7  For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
8  But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
9  Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
11  Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
12  The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.
13  And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
14  Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15  And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16  For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
17  Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"  (Verses from Malachi Chapter 2)

Malachi foretold the coming of John the Baptist, and the coming of the Lord.  Verse 10 of Chapter 3 is very special to me.  The Lord has poured out His blessing on us time and time again.  Verse 16 tells us that the Lord remembers those that fear Him and think upon His name, and in 17 we see that we are His jewels.

​"1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7  Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9  Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
13  Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14  Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
15  And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."  (Verses from Malachi Chapter 3)

"1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
4  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."  (Malachi 4:1-6)

And this completes The Old Testament.