Nephi & Malachi
1 Nephi 22:15; “For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.”
Malachi 4:1, 5-6; “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. 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.”
How did Nephi know what Malachi would say 100 years before Malachi was born?
What purpose does the prophecy from Malachi serve for the Nephites?
When was Malachi’s prophecy supposed to take effect for the Nephites?
Why would Nephi prophesy this if they weren’t going to live long enough to see its results?
Where did Nephi believe this prophecy should take place?
Who was Nephi talking about when he said “they who do wickedly”? Was it meant for the Jews in Israel? The Jews in America? The Gentiles?
According to Holman’s and Easton’s Bible dictionaries Malachi wasn’t around at the time Nephi was quoting Malachi and wouldn’t be for at least another hundred plus years. Where is the authenticity or inspiration in the Book of Mormon writings?
One last question…
Are all the examples listed below from these two dictionaries wrong and if so how and what are the correct times, dates and events?
Holman’s Bible Dictionary;
“…we do know the time was postexilic (after 536 B.C.) because of the use of the Persian word for “governor” (1:8). The Temple had been rebuilt (1:10; 3:1, 10).
Evidently, Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah. Their books show kinship. The same social and religious conditions prevail in both, and Nehemiah’s reforms were probably intended to correct some of the social and religious abuses outlined by Malachi (Mal. 3:5; Neh. 5:1-13).
Nehemiah first returned to Jerusalem from Persia in 444 B.C. (Neh. 1:1; 2:1); therefore, Malachi should be dated after 450 B.C.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary;
It is probable that he delivered his prophecies about 420 B.C., after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia (Neh. 13:6), or possibly before his return.
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