The Lord’s temple
“Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord [adonia], whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,"
Says the Lord [yhwh] of hosts.
~Malachi 3:1
Who is the messenger that was sent and who did the messenger prepare the way for? The messenger was John the Baptist and he prepared the way for Jesus Christ (Matt 11:10,11). Take a look at Isaiah 40:3. Again, who did John the Baptist prepare the way for? According to Isaiah, it was the Lord (yhwh, or Jehovah).
In Malachi 3:1, the temple is said to be the Lord’s temple and that the Lord whom they seek will suddenly come to it. The temple that Solomon built was for the God of Israel. In 2 Chr 2:4,5 it says, “Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord [yhwh] my God [elohim], to dedicate it to Him.” There is no argument as to who’s temple was being built. It was for God. Let’s look at Malachi 3:1 one more time. According to this scripture, the temple is the temple of the Lord who would suddenly come to it once the messenger had prepared the way. If John was the messenger and he prepared the way for Jesus Christ, then the temple is Christ’s and He is yhwh, who the way was prepared for as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3.
Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord [yhwh] my God [elohim], to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
~2 Chr 2:4,5
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord [yhwh];
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
~Isaiah 40:3
For this is he of whom it is written:
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
~Matt 11:10,11
There is no question here. This is for information only - discuss or comment if you wish.