The latter is greater than the smaller
Job 8:7
Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly. (NKJ)
Gen 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NKJ)

Do not despise the day of small things
Zech 4:10
For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." (NKJ)

The righteous rise slowly
Prov 4:18
But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. (NKJ)

The joy and sorrow of the foundation
Ezra 3:12
But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, (NKJ)

We must be careful not to miss the day of our visitation
Luke 19:41-48
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

2540 kairos (kahee-ros');
of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:
KJV-- X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season,

45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,
46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"
47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him,
48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (NKJ)

1 Sam 2:30
"Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: `I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the LORD says: `Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. (NKJ)

Shall be lightly esteemed
7043 qalal (kaw-lal');
a primitive root; to be small, curse, move,.

PROPHET
Malachi was probably written after 432 B. C. when Nehemiah wrote his book because <Nehemiah 13> faces the same problems mentioned by Malachi: priestly carelessness <Mal. 1:6--2:9>, intermarriage with foreigners <Mal. 2:10--3:6>, and lack of tithing <3:7--4:3>.

The governor who rebuilt the city gates
Babylon was defeated by Persia
The king of Persia encouraged the Jews to go back to rebuild their temple Ezra chapters 1-6 records this, chapters 7-10 records the restoration of worship sixty years later

537 is the first restoration of the people.
Zerubbabel brings back 50,000 Jews and lays down the foundation in Ezra 3
The people became discouraged
God send the prophets Haggai and Zecariah 16years later to encourage them to complete the work
Ezra began instructing the people in the Law 6 years after Zerubbabel brought back his group from captivity
Nehemiah came 30 years later to rebuild the walls
Ministry must have a burden to restore the city and the people

READ Ps. 137 - By the rivers of Babylon
DAVID WAS BURDENED FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD (Ps. 69: 9-10)
JESUS WEPT OVER THE CITY (Luke 19: 41-44)
NEHEMIAH WEPT OVER THE CITY (Neh. 1:4)

The word MOURN here means to:
Wail, to cut, to beat
It means to beat the breast or the head as for the death of a love one
Nehemiah included himself with the people's sin

THE SHEEP GATE. PS 100, JN 10, 1TIM 5: 17, 1PETER 5:2, ACT 20:28: feeding the flock
THE FISH GATE. MATT. 4:19 EHP 4:11-12: evangelism
THE OLD GATE. HEB.6: 1-3, ACTS 2:41-42, PROV. 22:28: the foundational principles
THE VALLEY GATE. GAL. 6:1, PS 23:4, JOEL 3:14: the ministry of kindness and compassion, emotional, spiritual, mental, marital, domestic, financial
THE DUNG GATE. PS.51:1-5: the purging and refining ministry of the Holy Spirit
THE FOUNTAIN GATE. JN.7:37-39, ACT 3:19-21, REV. 22:1-3, ZEC. 10:1, HOSEA 6:3:
the place of refreshing, restoration. newness, rivers of living waters
THE WATER GATE. EPH. 5:26, NUM 8:7: the learning of the word, refreshing through the word, cleansing by the word
THE HORSE GATE. EX 15:1,21, PS 147:10, JER. 51:21: TWO BASIC TRUTHS
(1) the restoration of burden bearers; (2) the restoration of holiness and death to self
THE EAST GATE. MATT 24:27: the restoration of the church and the coming of the Lord for his Bride:

THREE TOOL VITAL TO THE LEADERS
(1) A TOOL

THE SPIRITUAL OFFICES EHP 4:11-13
(2) A WEAPON

THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS 1COR. 12:1-10
(3) A EAR

THE SPIRITUAL MINISTRIES 1COR 12:28-30