Party Like It’s….1616! Feb. 26 - Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo for heliocentricism. March 5 - Nicolaus Copernicus' heliocentric “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Congregation of the Index of the Roman Catholic Church "until corrected." April 23 - William Shakespeare died June 12 - Pocahontas arrives in London

of Persia, endorsed Ezra’s renovations. Spurred on by the prophetic activity of Haggai and Zechariah and their governor Zerubbabel, the returned Jewish exiles finished the temple in 516 B.C. In 458 B.C., the community was strengthened by the coming of the priest Ezra and several thousand more Jews. Artaxerxes, King of Persia, endorsed Ezra’s renovations.

Fourteen years later (444 B. C Fourteen years later (444 B.C.) the same Persian King permitted his cupbearer Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. As governor, Nehemiah also led reforms to help the poor, and he convinced the people to shun mixed marriages, to keep the Sabbath and to bring their tithes and offerings faithfully.

had again intermarried with foreigners, In 433 B.C., Nehemiah returned to the service of the Persian King, and during his absence the Jews fell into sin once more. Later, Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem to discover that the tithes were ignored, the Sabbath was being broken, the people had again intermarried with foreigners, and the priests had become corrupt.

that Malachi was the author’s name. “What’s in a Name?” The book is attributed to Malachi, whose name means “my messenger.” Since both prophets and priests were called messengers of the Lord, some have thought “Malachi” to be only a title that tradition has given the author. The view has been supported by the Greek translation of the O.T. (The Septuagint), which translates the term in 1:1 “His messenger” rather than as a proper noun. Most people do believe, however; that Malachi was the author’s name.

Theme 1: God will continue to show his enduring, faithful and holy love to His people even though they don’t deserve it (and sometimes in ways they don’t quite expect).

Theme 2: Why does God continue to remain faithful to a faithless people? He has made a covenant to do so. God keeps His promises…all of them.

Theme 3: "Empty" ritual in our worship (without sincerity of heart and righteous living) will not be pleasing to or acceptable to God. Our “idols” must be cast aside.

Theme 4: In Malachi, there is much discussion about “the coming of the Lord”… both in terms of Jesus’ arrival the first time and when He comes again to judge the Earth. We should all be ready for that 2nd Day.