What is the “mark of the beast”?

The answers to such a question depend, of course, on who or what is first identified as the “beast”. In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, many Protestant expositors so identified the Pope of Rome. This led, more or less logically, to the identification of the beast’s “mark” as the cross or crucifix, which figured so prominently in Roman Catholic worship.

In modern times, as attention turned to a possible Last Days “beast” yet to be revealed, much has been made in certain circles of computer-generated “bar codes”, or Universal Product Codes, variants of which can now be imprinted on or even implanted in people.

Perhaps a latter-day Arab/Moslem “beast” will arise in the Middle East, to defeat Israel and to subjugate the Jews, and to be in turn destroyed by the coming of Christ. Assuming this, then can we determine a Biblical basis for identifying the “mark” of such a “beast”?

“Marks” in the OT

• Gen 4:15: Was this a visible mark for all to see, or merely a divine pronouncement, to all, of vengeance to come upon anyone who harmed Cain?

• Exo 13:9.

• Deu 6:6,8; cp Deu 11:18: These were highly figurative commandments of God, to the people of Israel. His Laws were, symbolically, to be written upon their hearts (cp Pro 3:3; 6:21; 7:3; Song 8:6), but not necessarily literally upon their hands and foreheads. That is, they were to remember and do all that He had said! However, the ritually-inclined Hebrews soon proceeded to write certain passages upon little scraps of parchment and place them in leather boxes called “phylacteries” (Mat 23:5), which were strapped to their arm and around their forehead before morning prayers.

• Eze 9:3-6: This divine marking (reminiscent of Cain’s) was a mark of favor or protection. As such, its purpose ties together with the “sign” or “symbol” of God’s Law figuratively placed upon the forehead and arm of the faithful Jew. That is, those who truly kept God’s Law, and were thus “grieved” for the detestable things done by wicked men in God’s Temple, would be specially marked out by God and preserved through the coming divine judgments. Was this “mark” literal and visible? Not likely, as it was put upon certain individuals by angels, and angels would be the only ones who needed to “see” it.

The “Mark” of the Saints in Revelation

• Rev 7:3,4; cp Rev 9:4.
• Rev 14:1.

(3)         Rev 22:3,4.

The mark, or seal, upon the foreheads of God’s servants is the name of God and His Son. In other words, these servants who kept God’s Law would be marked out by Him: His Name would be upon them, and they would belong to Him, and be safe. So this Revelation usage corresponds to the OT passages cited previously.

The “Mark” of the “Beast”

With the foregoing Biblical evidence, we can reasonably expect that the “mark” of the “Beast” will be a crude parody of the true divine mark. It will be a sign (not necessarily literal and visible) by which those who worship the Beast and keep his laws will be “guaranteed” his protection!

• “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark (charagma: a scratch or etching) on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark (charagma), which is the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Rev 13:16,17). There is certainly a religious significance to this “mark” (see Rev 13:15), but there is also a commercial significance: Today wealthy Arab nations have organized economic monopolies and even boycotts against other nations who have financial dealings with Israel. Is this the shape of things to come?

• Rev 14:9-11.

• Rev 20:4: In addition to economic boycotts, oppressive laws are being reported in Muslim nations against those who disregard the Koran and seek to hold to and practice other beliefs, such as Judaism and various forms of Christianity. Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam’s most sacred shrines. That country now executes “criminals”, those “guilty” of any of a long list of offences against Islamic law, by beheading!

Thus Arab oil-producing cartels and the uncompromising practice of Islam are two possibilities for the “mark” of the beast. Note that Islam is enforced upon all subjects as a way of life, as a political code, and not just as a “religion” in the more liberal Western sense. Where it has the power, Islam is a system which permeates every part of society.

Last Days Persecution by the Beast

In the Last Days, when the Beast overruns Israel and tramples down Jerusalem, he will probably make every effort to force his religion upon the Jews — in short, to make his “mark” (Rev 13:18; 14:9-11; 20:4) upon them in place of God’s “mark” (Exo 13:9; Deu 6:8; 11:18; Eze 9:3-6; Rev 7:3,4; 9:4; 14:1). It is not hard to envision the brutal measures — such as economic boycotts, threats and, in the extreme, beheadings — by which the practices of Islam could be forced upon all their subjects. There is, in fact, the hint that such public executions will be carried out in the great public square of Jerusalem, in front of the “Wailing Wall” adjacent to the Temple Mount (cp the “street” or “wide place”, the one great open square, of “the great city… where also their Lord was crucified”: Rev 11:7,8).

It is possible that a resurgence in the practice of Judaism (which may include the rebuilding of a Jewish temple) will precede the last and successful Arab invasion of Israel. If this proves to be the case, then the Arab defeat of Israel might lead to one of two things:

• An Arab attempt to totally destroy and demolish every vestige of Judaism by the most brutal means, or

• A more insidious Arab effort, to infiltrate and undermine the worship of the Jewish Temple by an amalgamation, in its precincts, of Judaism and Muslim principles and practices.

Either approach will spell trouble for the Jewish Christian remnant that will be developed by the Last Days preaching of “Elijah” (Rev 11:3-6). These new believers may find themselves squeezed between two systems (“orthodox” Judaism and militant Islam), both antagonistic toward the religion of Jesus. The dual persecutions of the Jewish followers of Jesus Christ in that day may, in fact, parallel (and exceed!) the dual persecutions of the Jewish believers in the first century, who were caught in a vise between the “orthodox” Judaism of Caiaphas and Annas, and the political oppression of the Roman overlords like Pilate (cp Heb 10:32-34).

Jezebel (a Zidonian, and an Arab!) and Ahab (an apostate Jewish “puppet” king) joined forces in an unholy “mixed marriage” to persecute Elijah and the righteous remnant in Israel in his day. So it is possible that a latter-day Arab “Jezebel” (Rev 2:20; cp Rev 17;18) and a latter-day Israeli “Ahab” will similarly join in persecuting the Jewish converts of the latter-day “Elijah” in the Land.

In such a time and place, it will be extremely difficult for a faithful remnant to maintain their faith in the One true God and in His Son. But such a fierce oppression as will be their lot will last no more than 3 1/2 years (Rev 11:2,3; cp Rev 12:6; 13:5; Dan 7:25; 12:7). And those who maintain their faith, their godly “mark” on the forehead, even to the point of death, will rise from the dead to receive a crown of life.

“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God” (Rev 7:3).

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Rev 14:1).

Those who bear in their foreheads the name of the Lamb and of his Father have the “mark” of the Lamb. They are deliberately contrasted with the people who bear, on the right arm or the forehead, the “mark of the beast” (Rev 13:16-18).

The Lamb is of course Christ. In an especially poignant scene of the Apocalypse, he is pictured as “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (5:6; cp 5:12; 13:8). The “Lamb” Jesus is the Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1Co 5:7), bearing ever after in his body the marks of his sacrifice (John 20:25-28).

The original Passover lamb was slain in Egypt, and its blood used to mark the lintels and doorposts of the houses of the believing Israelites. Succeeding generations of Israel would readily recognize such a mark as approximating the Hebrew letter “He”, which almost by itself spells the name of God: Yod He, or YAH. It is no great stretch of the imagination, therefore, to see that every faithful house in Egypt had the name of the Father marked over its doorway, written in the blood of the Lamb! And the name of the Father, “Yah”, is — of course — the name of the Lamb too: “Yah-shua”, or Jesus!

Now, in the Book of Revelation, there are marked out, not houses, but individual men and women, each sealed, not upon the door, but in the forehead (the “door” of the mind) with the “mark” of the Lamb. These are the individuals who have opened their minds to the message of God, who have directed their thoughts into the ways of His Laws. These are they who have been touched by the blood of Christ, who have been baptized into his name and the name of his Father. These are they who, wherever they are — even in the grave itself — will be protected in the Last Days from the “Angel of Death” and will be delivered from the “Egypt” of slavery and sin. Listen to what the Lord and King Jesus promised to those who keep his word and do not deny his name:

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem… and I will also write on him my new name” (Rev 3:10-12).

Such is the “mark” of the Lamb! Wear it thankfully, and never seek to erase it, or hide it. It will mean your life in the age to come.

According to most NT scholars, this is the earliest of the four gospels. The Gospel of Mark portrays the person of Jesus more by his actions, and portrays him particularly as a servant.

The Gospel of Mark is evidently written for Gentiles, and for Romans in particular. Mark translates Aramaic and Hebrew phrases (Mar 3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 14:36); he transliterates familiar Latin expressions into Greek, for example, “legion” (Mar 5:9), “quadrans” (“kodrantes”: NIV mg) (Mar 12:42), “praetorium” (Mar 15:16), and “centurion” (Mar 15:39). Moreover, Mark presents Romans in a neutral (Mar 12:17; 15:1-10), and sometimes a favorable (Mar 15:39), light.

Mark begins his gospel with the statement, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mar 1:1); and the last human to speak in the gospel is the centurion who confesses at the cross, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mar 15:39).   Like the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark does not mention the name of its author.

One of the first people to identify the author was Papias (AD 60-130), a bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor (Turkey). Papias then noted that Mark had not followed Jesus during his lifetime, but later had written down Peter’s recollections accurately, although not always in their proper order. This will account for the problem of sequential differences between the Gospels of Matthew & Mark.

The Mark believed to have written this gospel is John Mark. He was a native of Jerusalem (Act 12:12), and later became an associate of both Peter (1Pe 5:13) and Paul (2Ti 4:11). The gospel has many characteristics of an eyewitness account, for which Peter would have been responsible (Mar 1:29-31).   It may be that as a youth Mark was present at the arrest of Jesus and that he has left an “anonymous signature” in the story of the young man who eluded arrest and fled away naked (Mar 14:51,52).   Main themes

One of the unique points about this Gospel is what some term the “messianic secret.” Mark records how, often following a miracle, Jesus would command persons healed, onlookers, disciples, and even those healed of demons to be silent about his great works (Mar 1:34; 1:44; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26; 8:30; 9:9). It has long puzzled readers why Jesus, who came into the world to make himself known, would work at cross-purposes with his mission by trying to remain hidden.

A fair explanation is that Jesus’ command to silence was intended to protect himself from false expectations of the Messiah that were current at that time. It seemed most saw the “messiah” or “anointed one” as a military hero who would come to overthrow the Roman rule of Palestine; such was the crowd’s attitude at Christ’s “triumphant” entry into Jerusalem. Jesus had no intention to play the part of a great warrior; rather, he took upon himself the attitude of a servant.

Outline

1.	Mar 1:1 – 13: The Prologue
	a)	Mar 1:1 – 11: John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism
	b)	Mar 1:12 – 13: Jesus’ temptation
2.	Mar 1:14 – 10:52: The Ministry
	a)	Mar 1:14 – 20: The disciples called
	b)	Mar 1:21 – 3:12: In the synagogue; teaching and healing
	c)	Mar 3:13 – 35: Twelve chosen
	d)	Mar 4:1 – 34: Parables
	e)	Mar 4:35 – 5:43: Stilling the storm and other miracles
	f)	Mar 6:1 – 13: Further teaching
	g)	Mar 6:14 – 29: The death of John the Baptist
	h)	Mar 6:30 – 10:52: More teaching
3.	Mar 11:1 – 16:20: The Crucifixion and Resurrection
	a)	Mar 11:1 – 26: Entering Jerusalem
	b)	Mar 11:27 – 13:37: Questions and answers
	c)	Mar 14:1 – 72: The approaching suffering
	d)	Mar 15:1 – 47: The trial and the crucifixion
	e)	Mar 16:1 – 20: The resurrection and ascension

“Our Father in Heaven, we ask your gracious blessing on this couple, who have decided to bind their lives to one another, publicly and formally, and in the sight of these witnesses. In them, we see the pattern and picture of your Beloved Son, and his “Bride”, the believers of all ages — bound together for all eternity.

“Dear Father, help them — and us — realize the tremendous commitment of love and devotion and obedience involved in this choice, and give them the strength and dedication to fulfill that commitment, every day for the rest of their lives. This we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

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The first man was created with a remarkable potential… he was made in the “image of God”… his hands could perform complicated maneuvers; his mind could comprehend eternal things; his spirit could reach out and touch the face of God.

But something was lacking, and God Himself observed it:

“It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a companion fit for him.”

Adam needed a counterpart of himself, someone who could be a companion and a true friend.

Adam was created a social being… designed (physically and emotionally and spiritually) for togetherness. Despite all his talents and all his potential, he could realize the highest level of his being only in the company of others.

And he could most easily find true joy and fulfillment in the company of one special person: at the same time like himself and different.

“So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman”, for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

This Bible passage, from Genesis 2, includes the first recorded words of a human being, and they are… a marriage vow — a recognition that God had indeed provided a perfectly suitable companion.

A wise man once said,

“Eve was made from a rib taken from Adam’s side, not from his head that she might be his superior, nor from his feet that she might be trampled on, but from his side… that she might be his equal — and from next to his heart… that she might be cherished, and loved.”

The profound nature of the marriage bond is expressed in one short phrase; “They shall be ONE flesh.” No longer each living for himself or herself, they now hold fast to one another, for the rest of their lives.

Jesus added his own commentary: “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate… I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

And again he said, “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

“THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH.”

The two vital features of marriage are expressed here.

The first is total commitment, without reservation or qualification, without conditions or escape clauses. From the beginning, the One who created us all does NOT present commitment as an option. Instead, He EXPECTS commitment… in a number of ways. He expects us to make a commitment to honesty and integrity in ALL of our relationships. He expects us to make a personal commitment to love and serve Him, and to worship no false “gods”. And He expects that — if we marry — we make an unqualified, life-long commitment to our spouse.

The second vital feature of marriage is its exclusiveness. One man and one woman, bound to one another and to no one else. Belonging to each other, as is so beautifully expressed in the Old Testament Song of Songs, where the young woman rejects the advances of other shepherds, and yearns for her Beloved only — waiting for his invitation to “Come away with me…” Then she rejoices with the words: “I belong to my Beloved, and my Beloved belongs to me!”

We hear much talk about “love” all around us, and much that is CALLED “love” is nothing at all like the “love” defined in God’s Word. The desire to share physical intimacy with an attractive and responsive partner may be called “love”… but — if an absolute commitment to one another, perpetually and exclusively, is lacking — then it may be… desire, it may be… lust, it may be… temporarily satisfying… it may be amusing… it may be exciting… BUT IT IS NOT… LOVE!

And — if the primary object of either party is to indulge oneself — then the moment ANYTHING changes to that person’s dissatisfaction, whether it be one’s health, or physical appearance, or financial arrangements, or whatever! — THAT is the moment that the pressure to pull apart may start to become greater than the pressure to stay together. Hence, if there is no true legal commitment, OR no true moral and spiritual commitment… then… in effect, there is no REAL marriage!

In 1Co 13, the apostle Paul writes about genuine love, the kind upon which a true marriage must be built. While romantic love, as it is frequently thought of, can actually be very selfish… the true love Paul describes is…

“patient, it is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

THAT is the only LOVE worth having. The other is a passing shadow, a breath of wind that we feel for a moment, and then it is gone.

Sadly, many people spend their lives trying to capture that shadow, that little breeze, that fleeting feeling or illusion, only to be bitterly disappointed, time after time… because they do not understand the nature of loving commitment in true marriage.

But the love Paul describes is real, and eternal, and eternally satisfying. It never fails; it never ends. The two who stand before us today already share the fellowship of their faith in Christ and their hope for his Kingdom.

To choose a partner for life who is committed to the same ideal and the same object is truly a wonderful thing. And when that object is the service of God, then it is much, much more of a wonderful thing!

The commitment to Christ that you both have made will be the firm foundation on which you will build your marriage. No third person can be allowed to violate the exclusiveness of your relationship with one another, NO THIRD PARTY EXCEPT FOR CHRIST! He alone should be the “third party” in your marriage, who will always be present… if you let him. He will be there… if you let him… to help you through the difficulties, the rough places, that will inevitably come.

With Christ as your foundation, with the true love you have for each other, with the confidence of the commitment you are making — and realizing its profound seriousness — and with the blessing of our heavenly Father, you will build a satisfying and joyful life together.

May God bless the two of you in your commitment. All of us here join in prayer that your marriage and life together will be happy, and prosperous, and good and right. May it be a blessing to each of you, and to others. May your life together be a reflection of the “eternal marriage” that we hope to experience, one day, with Christ, as described in the Book of Revelation:

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” ‘… Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem… prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ ”

We rejoice now in THIS marriage, and we ponder the wonders and joys of that “mystery” yet to be revealed: that “marriage” to come, when those who truly believe — men and women — will be forever joined together with Jesus Christ.

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“Our Father in Heaven, we pray that you will bless and keep this new couple, who have pledged themselves to each other in your sight. May your face shine upon them. May you give them peace, and joy. May you strengthen their faith, support their love, and reinforce their hope — as long as they both shall live, or until your Son returns. In his Name we pray. Amen.”

The Scriptures abound in warnings against alien marriage: The sons of God marrying the daughters of men resulted at last in the Flood (Gen 6-9). Abraham and Isaac, faithful sojourners looking for the Kingdom, opposed such marriages for their sons (Gen 24:3; 28:1). The Law of Moses forbade the yoking together of the clean ox and the unclean ass (Deu 22:10). Moses said to take no alien spouses (Deu 7:3,8). Solomon’s alien wives turned his heart from God (1Ki 11:1-11). Ezra (Ezr 9;10) and Nehemiah (Neh 13:23-29) tell us of the evils of such alliances, and Paul has stressed the deviation of such a union (1Co 7:39; 2Co 6:14-18).

Those who are courting or are contemplating marriage must remember that complete happiness can be achieved only when it is “in the Lord”. History and experience show that where there is no unity of thought and purpose, whether it be between God and Israel, Christ and the ecclesia, or between a husband and wife, there may follow a break in fellowship and unity. How could it be otherwise? That is the sadness and the tragedy of divorce or separation.

When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt they were told that they should not “make marriages” with the peoples of Canaan. Moses gave the reason in words which are relevant today:

“Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods…” (Deu 7:3).

Paul had much the same thing to say when he wrote: “Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?”

Marriage, properly understood and lived, is a part of the divine fellowship in which love, patience, sympathy, understanding and service can be truly learned, and happy is the couple from whom these flow to the rest of the household of faith, for their reward will be the eternal blessing of the Father.

In being prepared against the “problem” of “alien marriage”, it is not sufficient merely to quote one or two passages like “only in the Lord” and “be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers”. We should see far more clearly than that. It is the general realization and appreciation that to marry “outside” is willful disobedience to the Lord who bought us, and it is a failure to understand the loftiness of our calling. We are invited to be the Bride of Christ. How then can we be associated in the closest intimacy with one who is not a member of the called-out ones in Christ? The whole of the Word of God requires this necessary separateness.

The Lord knows all our circumstances and He arranges that which is best for us. If in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” and the Psalmist assures us that finally “He will give thee the desires of thine heart”. If we thus “rest in the Lord”, then we can rest assured that in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, those are the best for us in the ultimate. If other conditions were better, then the Lord would bring them to pass.

It may be, perhaps, that celibacy is best for us — the Lord knows. If, on the other hand, marriage with a true companion is the better condition, then the Lord will see to it that the proper partner comes along. Sometimes such comes to pass later on in life. Place the whole matter in the Lord’s hands and leave it there. Above all, don’t try to short-circuit the Lord: after putting it in His hands, don’t rush hastily into a marriage pretending it is the Lord’s doing. When the Lord moves in the matter there will be no mistaking it, and then one may say: “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

“My Lord, who dead and buried lay, of late Made void this tomb and stood before my face; And I was first of all his ransomed race: At first I knew him not! nor pondered there By what strong means at that unseemly hour The gard’ner should with some uncanny power Have borne him hence beyond my reach. But when he spoke, calling out my name, And I beheld my Saviour standing there, My heart did leap with sheer and utter joy; ‘Twas then, O Lord, that recognition came: With tear-dimmed eyes my precious Lord to greet, I knelt in the dust to grasp his feet.”

Are Mary of Bethany, the woman of Luk 7, and Mary Magdalene all the same woman. According to HAW, this is a possibility — although not a provable certainty:

• Mary of Bethany = woman of Luk 7: Mary’s anointing, a perpetual memorial (Mat 26:13). Joh 11:2 seems to look back to an earlier incident: if not Luk 7, then what? Simon the (healed?) leper (Mar 14:3) = Simon the Pharisee of Luk 7. In Mat 26, Mary is deliberately repeating her earlier action. In Luk 7: how did Simon know what kind of woman this was (v 39)? How did she know to make good his omissions of courtesy (vv 44-46)? How did she get into the house at all? Also, see v 37: sig of “brought” (= “received”).

• Mary of Bethany = Mary Magdalene: Mary of Bethany, not mentioned re the crucifixion and resurrection, whereas Mary Magdalene is suddenly (for first time) extremely prominent. These 2 women are always mentioned at feet of Jesus: Luk 10:39-42; Joh 11:32; 12:3; 19:25; 20:17; Mat 28:9; Luk 7:38. Coincidences?

• Mary Magdalene = the woman of Luk 7: The only mention of Mary Magdalene before crucifixion comes in Luk 8:2, immediately after Luk 7:36-50. “Magdalene” possibly signifies “hair-braider”, ie harlot; also ref Luk 7:38. See Luk 8:2,3n.

(From WGos 247).

Time: 430 BC.

“Malachi” means “my messenger.” We know nothing of the prophet’s parentage, ancestral or tribal roots, geographical origin, or other vocation. All we know is that he received and communicated the word of Yahweh to the Jews of his day.

Some scholars have tried to prove that “Malachi” was not the name of a prophet but the title of an anonymous prophet. None of the references to this book in the NT mention Malachi by name (cp Mat 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). The arguments for anonymity rest on three points:

• “Malachi” is a title rather than a name in its form. The LXX translators rendered it “my messenger” in Mal 1:1. However, it could be a short form of a name such as Malachiyyah, “messenger of Yahweh.” There are several other shortened forms of names similar to this in the Old Testament (eg, cp ‘abi in 2Ki 18:2 with ‘abiyyah in 2Ch 29:1; and cp ‘uri in 1Ki 4:19 with ‘uriyyah in 1Ch 11:41).

• The Targum (an ancient Aramaic translation and paraphrase of OT) did not consider Malachi the writer but ascribed it to Ezra. The Talmud (a Jewish interpretation compiled between 450 BC and 500 AD) credited Mordecai with writing it. But there is little other support for Ezra or Mordecai’s authorship of this book.

• “Malachi” appears in Mal 3:1 as an anonymous designation meaning “my messenger,” so it may mean the same thing in Mal 1:1. However, the Malachi in Mal 3:1 seems clearly to be a wordplay on the name of the prophet in Mal 1:1.

Malachi’s reference to “your governor” (Mal 1:8) indicates that he wrote after 538 BC, when Cyrus the Persian allowed the Jews to return to their land, which was under Persian control. The word translated “governor” is “pehah”, a Persian title (cp Ezra 5:3,6,14; 6:6,7,13; Dan 3:2,3,27; 6:7). Zerubbabel had this title (Hab 1:1,14; 2:2,21) as did Nehemiah (Neh 5:14; 12:26). Malachi must have written after the temple had been rebuilt since he referred to worship there (Mal 1:6-14; 2:7-9, 13; 3:7-10). This would force a date after 515 BC when temple restoration was complete.

Since Malachi addressed many of the same matters that Nehemiah tried to reform, it is tempting to date Malachi during Nehemiah’s governorship. Some have conjectured that Malachi ministered while Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem. In the twelfth year of his governorship, Nehemiah returned to Persia for an unknown period of time (Neh 5:14; 13:6). Malachi probably wrote during the years Nehemiah ministered (445-420 BC), and perhaps between 432 and 431 BC, the years when Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem. [See Lesson, Post-exile period, dates.]

Summary: Malachi’s message comes to the people in a time of great spiritual decline. It is approx 80 years after the rebuilding of the temple and the promises of the coming Messiah have not yet been realized. As a result, the people had become lazy and developed an increasingly casual attitude toward the worship of God. Malachi states that their sacrifices were unacceptable to God, husbands were unfaithful, and the priests had neglected God’s covenants.

Malachi’s notable messianic prophecy deals with the forerunner of the Messiah (Mal 3:1; 4:5). He would be like Elijah and would call the Israelites to repentance (cp Mat 11:14; 17:12-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17).

Outline

Heading: Mal 1:1

First oracle: Yahweh’s love for Israel: Mal 1:2-5

Second oracle: The priests’ illicit practices and indifferent attitudes: Mal 1:6 — 2:9

• Their sins: Mal 1:6-14
• Their warning: Mal 2:1-9

Third oracle: The people’s mixed marriages and divorces: Mal 2:10-16

Fourth oracle: The problem of God’s justice: Mal 2:17 — 3:6

Fifth oracle: The people’s sin of robbing God: Mal 3:7-12

Sixth oracle: The arrogant and the humble: Mal 3:13 — 4:3

A concluding promise and warning: Mal 4:4-6.