Malachi 3:2-3

When the Lord came suddenly to His temple, no one would be able to stand before Him. Elsewhere the prophets foretold that this time would be a day of judgment on the whole world marked by disaster and death (Malachi 4:1; Isaiah 2:12; Joel 3:11-16; Amos 5:18-21; Zechariah 1:14-17). Here Malachi said no one would be able to endure His coming because He would purify the priesthood, the people who stood closest to Him. As a fire He would burn up the impurities of the priests, and as a laundryman’s soap He would wash them clean (cf. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29-30; Ezekiel 22:17-22; Zechariah 3:5). The Levitical priests would then be able to offer sacrifices to Yahweh in a righteous condition rather than as they were in Malachi’s day (cf. Malachi 1:6 to Malachi 2:9; Isaiah 56:7; Isaiah 66:20-23; Jeremiah 33:18; Ezekiel 40:38-43; Ezekiel 43:13-27; Ezekiel 45:9-25; Zechariah 14:16-21). The multiple figures of cleansing and the repetition of terms for cleansing stress the thoroughness of the change that the Lord’s Messenger would produce.

"Christ’s atoning death meant that the entire sacrifice-based system could be brought to an end, its assigned purposes having been fulfilled." [Note: Stuart, p. 1354.]