In the time of my career of being a prophet I started my ministry around 460-430 BC. They know this of me because in my text it clearly states that God is saying keep the temple holy. God is basically saying to Judah, if you’re going to make a sacrifice, do it right and make a meaning of it.
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands
-Malachi 1:10
(A picture of the new temple they rebuilt)
This is the time and setting of Israel returning of their 70 years of captivity of Babylon. The temple was built in 516 BC. My time is about 50-6 years after building the temple. Israel is back at where they started, rebuilding their society after Babylon took over in 722 BC. A following major event that is happening during the time of my being a prophet is that Nehemiah is the governor of Israel.
“The phrase that best describes these sixty years is that of Professor G. A. Smith, who calls them “a time of disillusion, disheartening, and decay.”
– Clifton D. Gray
The reason why this professor states this is that they were under captivity by Babylon for one whole generation. Which means it’s the second generation since they have been back to Israel and some of the children of Israel haven’t even seen this land that God has given as a gift. At this moment I was the last prophet and people were kind of getting tired of prophets in a way. They were starting to not believe in me as a prophet, and kind of gave up on hope with God.
(A Symbol of Babylon)
The status for Judah is the fact that Persia is in world power at the moment and that’s the threat to Judah. Persia right now is ruling the Promise Land, which can clearly show that if you are being ruled over. Your society isn’t exactly at its all time high. The words of mine get intense at times because of the corruption of the temple sacrifices.
(Persian Warrior)
Malachi the Minor Prophet 