The Connection Between Torah and the Day of the Lord

There is a connection between the Torah and the Day of the Lord. Malachi 4:4-5 says: Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. (RSV) The word "law" in verse 4 is the Hebrew word torah. Torah means instruction or guidance. Consider how the modern church thinks about the Day of the Lord. Generally, there is the emphasis on judgment, hell, and suffering. Have you ever seen anyone really decide to follow God after being threatened with hell fire and damnation. I recall a group of well intentioned Christians standing on a busy street corner with a bull horn. They were screaming, "You are going to hell, repent!" Consider the Westboro Baptist Church with their demonstrations at soldier's funerals and their signs that tell everyone that they are going to hell. Have you ever seen or heard of this approach producing fruit for the Kingdom?

Malachi tells us to remember the law of Moses. That law includes the Biblical feasts and holidays, Sabbath observance, diet restrictions, and the Ten Commandments. When is the last time you heard those items connected with the Day of the Lord. We should be aware that there is a day of judgment coming for each one of us, and we need to be ready. We don't know when it will happen, but until it does, we should heed the admonition of Malachi and "remember the law of Moses." If you follow Malachi's advice, who will you be copying? Who do you know that remembered the law of Moses, kept the Biblical feasts and holidays, observed the Sabbath, complied with the diet restrictions imposed in the Torah, and obeyed the Ten Commandments? The answer is Yeshua, the Messiah. If you say you are following Him, then do what He did. As a matter of observation, Jews are really confused that the Christian church claims to follow Jesus and we don't do the things He did. Do you have an answer for this?