[ This chapter and the next where quoted by the Savior in 3 Nephi 24 and 25 when Christ appeared to the Nephite Saints. He quoted these two chapters and then Mormon says he would give an explanation of the chapters but Mormon didn't write the explanation. What is the reason that Mormon didn't write what the Savior had to say. And what was meant in these two chapters is because it would be the stewardship and responsibility of another prophet in the last days whose name was Joseph Smith. ] 1 BEHOLD, I will send my messenger, [ John The Baptist ( Matthew 11:7-11; Isaiah 40:3; 1 Nephi 11:27; 1 Nephi 11), It is also Joseph Smith (Bruce R McConkey A New Witness for the Articles of Faith page 629; Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation volume 1 page 194-195, volume 3 page 10-14) Who Was the Messenger Sent to Prepare the Way of the Lord, and Who Was the Messenger of the Covenant? One of the messengers sent to prepare the way of the Lord at His first coming was John the Baptist. John’s mission was performed in the spirit and power of the priesthood of Elias (see Luke 1:17). Elias is a name for a forerunner, one who goes before or prepares the way for someone or something greater. In that sense the Aaronic Priesthood is the priesthood of Elias because it prepares and qualifies individuals for greater blessings. Joseph Smith explained: “The spirit of Elias is to prepare the way for a greater revelation of God,which is the Priesthood of Elias, or the Priesthood that Aaron was ordained unto. And when God sends a man into the world to prepare for a greater work, holding the keys of the power of Elias, it was called the doctrine of Elias, even from the early ages of the world.”(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 335–36.) Joseph Smith was also an Elias in that he was a forerunner, one who prepared the way, who laid the foundation for the Second Coming through the restoration of the gospel. In the meridian of time the way was prepared by John for the Messenger of the Covenant Himself to come and bring the greater blessings (see Matthew 3:1–3, 11–12). He who was mightier than John and followed after him to baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost was Jesus Christ, the son of God. He is called the Messenger of the Covenant because He mediates the gospel of salvation unto men. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “Our Lord is the Messenger of the Covenant. (Mal. 3:1.) He came in his Father’s name (John 5:43), bearing his Father’s message (John 7:16–17), to fulfil the covenant of the Father that a Redeemer and Savior would be provided for men. (Moses 4:1–3; Abra. 3:27–28.) Also, through his ministry the terms of the everlasting covenant of salvation became operative; the message he taught was that salvation comes through the gospel covenant.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 488.) When He comes to earth a second time, He will make more than one appearance before He comes in the clouds of heaven for all flesh to see Him together (D&C 88:93; 101:23). At least one of those appearances includes a sudden visit to His temple, yet to be built, in Jackson County, Missouri. ] and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly [ (pith’owm – quickly in a flash and surprisingly, unexpectedly) ] come to his [ (bow’ ‘al – He will arrive and pursue a harvest at the Almighty’s) ] temple, (hekal – His Sanctuary; from yakol – the place where He will prevail). Notice that the word for Temple is Hekal, which is derived from yakal. The blessings of the temple are contingent on our ability to endure or “overcome”. What are the blessings of the temple? “All that the Father hath” (omnipotent and everlasting). [Elder McConkie stated: “Malachi recorded the promise, speaking of latter-day events, that ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.’ (Mal. 3:1.) Certainly the Almighty is not limited in the number of appearances and returns to earth needed to fulfill the scriptures, usher in the final dispensation, and consummate his great latter-day work. “This sudden latter-day appearance in the temple does not have reference to his appearance at the great and dreadful day, for that coming will be when he sets his foot upon the Mount of Olivet in the midst of the final great war. The temple appearance was fulfilled, in part at least, by his return to the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836; and it may well be that he will come again, suddenly, to others of his temples, more particularly that which will be erected in Jackson County, Missouri. “In this connection it is worthy of note that whenever and wherever the Lord appears, he will come suddenly, that is ‘quickly, in an hour you think not.’ (D. & C. 51:20.) His oft repeated warning, ‘Behold, I come quickly’ (D. & C. 35:27), means that when the appointed hour arrives, he will come with a speed and a suddenness which will leave no further time for preparation for that great day.” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 693–94.)] even the messenger of the covenant, [ Note it says here "the" messenger of the covenant of the Gospel of the Plan of Salvation the messenger is Jesus the Christ the Son of God( Doctrine and Covenant 93:8)Who is the messenger of the covenant? According to Andrew Skinner, Jews regard the prophet Elijah as the “messenger of the covenant” (Malachi 3:1), and a chair is to be provided for him at circumcision ceremonies. This belief is based on rabbinic reasoning as may be found in passages like one from the medieval text entitled Pirqe de Rabbi Eliezer "The sages have instituted the custom that people should have a seat of honor for the messenger of the covenant, for Elijah, may he be remembered for good, is called the messenger of the covenant, as it is said, And the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in, behold he comes" (Malachi 3:1) What is The Mission of Elijah? Elijah was the last Prophet that held the keys of the Priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver the keys of the Priesthood, in order that all the ordinances may be attended to in righteousness.(D&C 110:13-16) It is true that the Savior had authority and power to bestow this blessing; but the sons of Levi were too prejudiced. “And I will send Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord,”(Mal. 4:5-6.) etc., etc. Why send Elijah? Because he holds the keys of authority to administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without the authority(D&C 84:21) is given, the ordinances could not be administered in righteousness. And what covenant are we talking about? It is very interesting that in the LDS canon of scripture--the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, only the words of Malachi 4:5–6 are to be found quoted in all the books. LDS doctrine is built upon the idea, among others, that Elijah is indeed a messenger of the Lord’s covenant, the keeper of the powers of the fullness of the priesthood, and the forerunner of the Messiah. Not only did the Lord say to Joseph Smith that he was going to reveal the priesthood through Elijah the Prophet (D&C 35:4), he declared that Elijah possessed the power to direct the efforts of turning the hearts of the children and fathers to each other (D&C 27:9). On 27 March 1836 the Latter-day Saints dedicated their first temple in Kirtland, Ohio. One week later on 3 April 1836--the second day of Passover that year--Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the temple (see D&C 110). Thus the concept of Elijah links the Latter-day Saints with the authority of past prophets and sages in ancient Israel, with the temples, with the Abrahamic covenant and the promises made to future generations through that covenant, including:

1. the promise that Abraham (his posterity in other words) would be become a great nation (Genesis 12:2)

2. the promise that through him all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3),

3. the promise that Abraham’s descendants would inherit designated lands (Genesis 13:14–15),

4. the promise that Abraham’s descendants were to become as numerous as the stars of heaven (Genesis 13:16; 15:5),

5. the promise that kings and nations would come from his posterity (Genesis 17:6),

6. the promise that the covenant between Abraham and Jehovah would be everlasting (Genesis 17:7).

One Latter-day Saint Church leader, whose doctrinal explications carry considerable weight in the LDS Church, has said of the covenant of Abraham:

These same promises were made to Isaac and to Jacob and to their posterity after him. They are “the promises made to the fathers,” which by the hand of Elijah the prophet, have been planted in “the hearts of the children.” (D&C 2:1–3) These are the promises that make us “the children of the covenant, the covenant made with our fathers, the covenant into which we are privileged to enter, the covenant of eternal life, of eternal lives, of a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.” And in order to fulfill this covenant, Jehovah promised to gather Israel. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah--Book 4, pp. 338-39)

When he is married in the Temple for time and for all eternity, each worthy member of the Church enters personally into the same covenants the Lord made with Abraham. This is the occasion when the promises of eternal increase are made, and it is then specified that those who keep the covenant made there shall be inheritors of all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 508) Elder Russell M. Nelson siad on Nov 19th 2016 in a special bishops training that the Lord is the messenger of the covenant, and that this scripture pertains to his second coming. ] whom ye delight in: [ From the Hebrew source it is: And suddenly, unexpectedly (pith’owm – quickly in a flash and surprisingly) He will come to God’s (bow’ ‘al – He will arrive and pursue a harvest at the Almighty’s) Temple (hekal – His Sanctuary; from yakol – the place where He will prevail) : the Upright One (‘edown – the Foundation of the Tabernacle) whom (‘asher) you all (‘atem) , yourselves, have sought (baqash – you have inquired about, asked and searched for) , and (wa) the Messenger (mal’ak – the Representative of the Message) of the Covenant (beryth – Family - Oriented Relationship Agreement) which and whom (‘asher – as a result of the relationship) you all (‘atem) have desired (chaphets – have wanted and delighted in). ] behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? [“Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?” Here are the 8 things that are required to abide that day and they are all found in Malachi 3: 1) Those who honor the priesthood (vs 3) 2) Those who keep the Commandments (vs 5) 3) Those who receive the ordinances and keep covenants (vs 7) 4) Those who repent (vs 7) 5) Those who pay tithes and offering (vs 8-10) 6) Those who loved and taught each other (vs 16) 7) Those who feared the Lord (vs 16) 8) Those who thought upon his name - think about him during the day. (vs 16) The Lord’s return to earth in glory will be a great and dreadful day. As John the Baptist told the Jews, the Savior will gather in the wheat (the righteous), and the chaff (the wicked) He will burn with “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). The only ones who survive will be those who have kept their covenants with the Lord or who are worthy of at least a paradisiacal, or terrestrial, glory. All wickedness will be destroyed from the earth. ] and who shall stand when he appeareth? [ What is the difference between his coming to the earth the first time and his second coming? President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “When Christ comes the second time it will be in the clouds of heaven, and it shall be the day of vengeance against the ungodly, when those who have loved wickedness and have been guilty of transgression and rebellion against the laws of God will be destroyed. All during the ministry of Christ wickedness ruled and seemed to prevail, but when he comes in the clouds of glory as it is declared in this message of Malachi to the world, and which was said by Moroni to be near at hand, then Christ will appear as the refiner and purifier of both man and beast and all that pertains to this earth, for the earth itself shall undergo a change and receive its former paradisiacal glory.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:11.] for he is like a refiner’s fire, [ Intense heat is required in order to purify metals, they have to subject to extreme heat, this heat causes the dross to float to the top so it can be removed simply by scraping it off. So too will the Lord test all religion and all saints to see how they measure in purity. This will undoubtly cause some conflict of doctrine as the Lord's truth is expounded and the doctrines of man are confounded. ] and like fullers’ soap: [ Made with lye; which the smell is strong enough to burn your nose if you get a big wiff. ]

3 And he shall sit as a refiner [ What does a refiner need? Patience as the process cannot be reshed, Knowledge and understanding of what it takes to refine the silver. The process to refine is well defined, and is required in order to purify metal, it cannot be cheated but must be meet for purity - or pure doctrine. ] and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they [ The sons of Levi. Purifying the sons of Levi means 3 things: 1) First it has reference to another Blood offering that will yet take place sometime in the future where there will be another Blood Sacrifice Joseph Fielding Smith says how long that will go on and how many we do not know here are the references that deal with it in (Teachings of Joseph Smith page 172-173 Doctrines of Salvation volume 3 page 93-94) (see footnotes at the bottom of this page); 2) A record that we will offer to the Lord in the temple of all pf the work that has been done in gathering the house of Israel. (D&C 128:24; The Message of The Doctrine and Covenants page 159-160); 3) Those men who will honor their Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood.While one may be from the tribe of Ephraim lets say - when we honor the priesthood we become like Aaron and like Moses. (D&C 84:33-34); ] may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. [ What Is the Offering in Righteousness to Be Made by the sons of Levi? Remember that both Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi(which ties us back to section 84 and temple work). There is more than one meaning for the “offering in righteousness” to be made by the sons of Levi at or near the Second Coming of the Lord. With regard to animal sacrifice, Joseph Smith said: “It is generally supposed that sacrifice was entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice [i.e.,] the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was offered up, and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of sacrifice in [the] future; but those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the Priesthood, or with the Prophets. “The offering of sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of the duties of the Priesthood. It began with the Priesthood, and will be continued until after the coming of Christ, from generation to generation. We frequently have mention made of the offering of sacrifice by the servants of the Most High in ancient days, prior to the law of Moses; which ordinances will be continued when the priesthood is restored with all its authority, power and blessings. . . . “These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings. This ever did and ever will exist when the powers of the Melchizedek Priesthood are sufficiently manifest; else how can the restitution of all things spoken of by the holy prophets be brought to pass. It is not to be understood that the law of Moses will be established again with all its rites and variety of ceremonies; this has never been spoken of by the prophets; but those things which existed prior to Moses’ day, namely, sacrifice, will be continued.” (Teachings, pp. 172–73.)]

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. [ Why? Because men are honoring the priesthood of God. ]

5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, [ Those involved in magic and the occult, seeking help from evil spirits. ] and against the adulterers, [ Those who break sacred covenants for sexual sin. ] and against false swearers, [ Liars. Book of Proverbs chapter 6 The Lord lists six things that he hates one of which is a liar 2 Nephi 9 the Lord says Liars will be thrust down to Hell. ] and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, [ They cheat them, not fair in their payment for the services. ] the widow, and the fatherless, [ Those who are left in life without a husband or a father - thes are the specific ones to whom the Melchizedek priesthood was designed to minister too. ] and that turn aside the stranger [ One without any friends, so to shun him as well is a sin. ] 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. [ You are not consumed(which is a reference to the second coming of Christ) if you are not guilty of the list of sins in verse 5. (D&C 5:19 the earth will be cleansed) ]

7 ¶ Even [ It has been going on for a long time. ] from the days of your fathers [ THe deep rooted apostasy that has been present with them. ] 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? [ THe answer should be a quick NO! it would be foolish to rob God as he is the source of all blessings. ] 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 [ Try me, test me. ] now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, [ This is a promise of revelation, it is not a promise of temporal wealth. Your ability to understand the scriptures will improve, his spirit will be with you. (D&C 119)] and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

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: [ How many times have you heard that? So and so down the street is wicked, doesn't keep the commandments and yet look at how he is prospering? But further review shows that they are not prospering because they are just as wicked in their own ways - hence the Lord is not blessing them. ] and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, [are you sure? What about the law of tithing?... ] and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? [ Those who say what good has it done me to keep the commandment of the Lord, I can show you people who do not and they are as richly blessed in this life, so why bother to keep them? ]

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; [ They are doing pretty well for themselves, enough to notice that wicked are at least no worse off. ] yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. [ It is true, this world is NOT FAIR! the wicked of this world become famous, they hold high offices, those who cheat enough to not get caught or do so within the law do seem to profit from their wealth. They do seem to be blessed. ]

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 [ This is the book that contains the names of the faithful members of the church. ( Mormon Doctrine page 97-100) ] before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. [ Do you ever ponder what the Savior is doing right now? Do you sit and think what the Saviors life is like? Do you wonder about how it will be to be in his presence? What it will really be like when he comes again? As you read the scriptures do you onder the atonement? The mission and life of Christ? What it was like for him in mortality? ]

17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day [ Or the day of his second coming. ] when I make up my jewels; [ Or treasured possession. ] and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern [ At the second coming you will see. You will see that those who have been faithful to him will be blessed beyond measure and those who have not been diligent in the word will not be spared. It is then that you will reap your reward or destruction. So the idea that the world is not fair today is okay because we will see one day that it does pay to obey God. ] between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.