The Judgment and Salvation of God
The Judgment and Salvation of God
Malachi 4
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
Malachi 4 is significant because it is the last words of God before the coming of Christ. For over 1000 years, the prophetic voice of God has been continuous. The Old Testament, divided into 39 books, represents the prophetic Word of God given to the people of Israel. From Moses to Malachi, there was hardly a period when God did not have a prophetic spokesman guiding the people in his law. Malachi was the last of this long succession of prophetic voices. With the final words of Malachi, the prophetic voice would go silent. For approximately the next 400 years, there would be no voice from God. This silence would be broken by the arrival of the “Living Word.” When Jesus came, he not only came as a prophetic voice, but he came to provide the complete revelation of God to the world. The word of God would no longer come through a prophet; it would be fully revealed in a person. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
It is fitting, then, that the final word of God under the Old Covenant is a word that touches upon the theme that is woven throughout God’s prophetic message: A warning of divine judgment and the radiance of God’s grace. In verse 1, God provides a final warning of impending judgment that will come on the last day upon those who reject him. All those who reject him will face the certainty and terribleness of God's holy wrath upon sin. Some people today argue that God’s salvation is universal and that there is no eternal punishment. Nothing is further from the truth. The certainty of God’s judgment is woven throughout the pages of scripture and is fully manifested in the return of Christ. Christ himself declared the confidence of the coming judgment when he stated that those who reject him would face eternal judgment (Mathew 25:46, John 3:17-21).
However, another parallel message is woven into the tapestry of God’s word: the promise of eternal life to those who surrender their lives to Christ. This we see in Malachi 4:2. To “fear My name” is to recognize the supreme holiness of God, our complete sinfulness, and to surrender our lives to him in complete humility and repentance. The result is that healing will come. The “sun of righteousness” will rise and bring healing in its wings. This healing is the healing of all the destructive effects of sin and complete restoration with God. In Isaiah 53:5, this healing comes through the redemptive work of Christ as he suffered upon the cross. The resultant picture is a complete joy, pictured as a young calf frolicking with delight in the lush pastures. It will bring healing to our individual lives, our relationship with God, others and the family (vs. 6).
We live in a broken world where people seek answers and hope. So we look to the government and the politician to bring answers. But the one thing that history has proven over and over again is that government and politicians are likewise tainted by sin and unable to get solutions to the inward struggles we face in life. The only answer for our country and our life is found in the person of Christ. He is the only one we can turn to find healing and hope. In surrendering to Christ completely, we genuinely discover ultimate and lasting freedom.
Malachi 4
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
Malachi 4 is significant because it is the last words of God before the coming of Christ. For over 1000 years, the prophetic voice of God has been continuous. The Old Testament, divided into 39 books, represents the prophetic Word of God given to the people of Israel. From Moses to Malachi, there was hardly a period when God did not have a prophetic spokesman guiding the people in his law. Malachi was the last of this long succession of prophetic voices. With the final words of Malachi, the prophetic voice would go silent. For approximately the next 400 years, there would be no voice from God. This silence would be broken by the arrival of the “Living Word.” When Jesus came, he not only came as a prophetic voice, but he came to provide the complete revelation of God to the world. The word of God would no longer come through a prophet; it would be fully revealed in a person. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
It is fitting, then, that the final word of God under the Old Covenant is a word that touches upon the theme that is woven throughout God’s prophetic message: A warning of divine judgment and the radiance of God’s grace. In verse 1, God provides a final warning of impending judgment that will come on the last day upon those who reject him. All those who reject him will face the certainty and terribleness of God's holy wrath upon sin. Some people today argue that God’s salvation is universal and that there is no eternal punishment. Nothing is further from the truth. The certainty of God’s judgment is woven throughout the pages of scripture and is fully manifested in the return of Christ. Christ himself declared the confidence of the coming judgment when he stated that those who reject him would face eternal judgment (Mathew 25:46, John 3:17-21).
However, another parallel message is woven into the tapestry of God’s word: the promise of eternal life to those who surrender their lives to Christ. This we see in Malachi 4:2. To “fear My name” is to recognize the supreme holiness of God, our complete sinfulness, and to surrender our lives to him in complete humility and repentance. The result is that healing will come. The “sun of righteousness” will rise and bring healing in its wings. This healing is the healing of all the destructive effects of sin and complete restoration with God. In Isaiah 53:5, this healing comes through the redemptive work of Christ as he suffered upon the cross. The resultant picture is a complete joy, pictured as a young calf frolicking with delight in the lush pastures. It will bring healing to our individual lives, our relationship with God, others and the family (vs. 6).
We live in a broken world where people seek answers and hope. So we look to the government and the politician to bring answers. But the one thing that history has proven over and over again is that government and politicians are likewise tainted by sin and unable to get solutions to the inward struggles we face in life. The only answer for our country and our life is found in the person of Christ. He is the only one we can turn to find healing and hope. In surrendering to Christ completely, we genuinely discover ultimate and lasting freedom.
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