B-Malakhi & The Second Temple
Mal’akhi Expected The Messiah Would Come To The 2nd Temple--(Before 70AD)! The Messiah Was Expected To Come to The Second Temple--Before 70AD!
Malachi 3:1... hin’niy -sh-olaa-ch- mal’`akiy ufinah ´ derek’ l’fanay ufit’`om yavo` `el ´ haykalo ha`adon `a-sh-er ´ `atem m’vak’-sh-iym umal’`ak’ hab’riyt `a-sh-er ´ `atem -ch-afatziym hinah ´ va` `amar y’hvah tz’va`ot
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and ADONAI, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot.
NOTE: The key here is the context. When Mal’akhi Wrote this, either The Second Temple was about to be rebuilt, it was in the process of being rebuilt, or it was newly completed. According to the basic contexts of Mal’akhi and his contemporaries, (`Ezra, Nehemyah), there was a feeling expressed of optimism, that Yisra’el would not fall away from HaShem again, and that this would be the final Temple. It is precisely because of this that we can be assured that Mal’akhi expected The Messiah to come to THAT very-Temple. That Temple was destroyed 70AD. Anti-missionaries typically might argue that Mal’akhi doesn’t necessarily identify which Temple he is speaking of, so it could refer to the Third Temple. Yet Mal’akhi also does not speak of two Temples in The Text! And the context is clear that he and his contemporaries are expressing optimism that the renewal of pure worship will redeem them from THEIR CAPTIVITY in BAVEL-BABYLON!
Haggai 2:9... gadol yih’yeh k’vovd habayit hazeh ha`a-ch-arovn min ´ hari`-sh-on `amar y’hvah tz’va`ot uvamakom hazeh `etan -sh-alom n’`um y’hvah tz’va`ot The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot: and in this place will I give peace, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot.
NOTE: Some think that this greater glory is about the gold for The Temple, (V8). However, G-d is more interested in permanently restoring His people Yisra’el and bringing restoration and peace to Her and this world than He is about gold. He wants our pure worship more than He wants us to adorn His Temple with gold. This is why this Greater Glory must be Speaking of something else. The only other thing that it could be is that The Messiah would come to that-very Temple. This is what happened when Yehowshua, ("Jesus") came the first time.
NOTE: Concerning why He did not bring in peace to Yisra’el and the nations when He came the first time, please see the page in this topical commentary,"Two Comings Of The Messiah".