WEDNESDAY, 3 March, 2021 “Apocalypse”

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Good morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Goodbyes can be difficult can’t they, especially when you don’t know for sure when you’ll see them next or even IF you’ll see them again, right? Words said at times of ‘good-bye’ are significant aren’t they? As you listen closely to those ‘good-bye’ words, you can tell the degree of certainty that they have of when or if they will be reunited, and how soon or distant that day will be.

We’ve come to the final ‘good-bye’ words of God in the Old Testament of the Bible. Malachi is the last prophet to have spoken or written to the people of Israel before the prolonged 400 years of silence between the Old & New Testaments. Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi were all spokesmen of God to the people of Israel living in Jerusalem and the surrounding region, in the years about 450-420bc or so. We’ve looked carefully together at the roles, work and message of each of these special men. Of course the people didn’t know Malachi would be the final voice proclaiming fresh words from God, but God knew. I’m going to divide Malachi’s last chapter into two parts, today and tomorrow. Today, we’ll take the first four verses.

Malachi’s final words begin with this: “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evil doer will be stubble…on the day when I do these things,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Mal. 4:1-3) Malachi’s previous three chapters have been a warning to all people that one day in the future, God’s patience with humanity will run out. There will be a finality to things here on earth and a reckoning for every person who has ever lived on this planet, regardless of the number of days they have lived or when in history they lived. That reckoning will be each person standing alone, individually, before Holy God for the purpose of God reviewing the lifetime they lived on earth. Everything will be reviewed, for God has promised that HE has watched carefully, He has listened carefully, and He has recorded in the books of heaven, all that He has observed. We looked at that yesterday in Malachi 3:16-18.

Here in chapter 4 Malachi’s message of God’s finality includes fire that will affect in judgment both the wicked people and all the evil of our world. These ‘evildoer‘ people are those who have mocked God, rejected God, rebelled against God’s standards of holy living. These people are described all through the Bible and God’s promise is that on that day of reckoning there will be no negotiations, no arguments, no pleading for a second chance. Judgment executed on that day will be by holy God through His holy Justice. A place of fire will be the everlasting home for the wicked, and fire will consume the results of their wicked lives and evil work here on earth.

Interestingly God’s closing comments of the New Testament amplify these words of Malachi. Turn with me to Revelation 19 at the end of your Bible, and let’s see how Malachi’s words fit with the vision seen by the Apostle John regarding this time when God’s patience with humanity runs out. Revelation 19:11-21 is a remarkable picture of Jesus coming as the victorious, heavenly warrior, the “KING of kings and LORD of Lords”, leading the vast army of heaven, to battle against and victoriously defeat Satan and all evil here on earth. Do you see how this great battle could be a fulfillment of Malachi 4:1?

But in Malachi 4:2 listen to the exciting hope for God’s people during this time of great judgment: “But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall…” What a dramatic contrast with the destruction of Malachi 4:1 & Revelation 19:11-21. So look at Revelation 20:1-6! This describes a remarkable period of 1000 years when Jesus Christ will reign here on earth as holy King over all the earth. It’s often called the ‘millennial kingdom’, during which time Satan is bound and all evil is restrained on earth.

Can you imagine the joy, the widespread reign of holiness and all that is right during this time? Don’t you love Malachi’s picture of young calves set free from their confining stalls to frolic in the meadows? Can you imagine that is a wonderful picture of life here on earth during ‘the millennial kingdom’? Does your heart deeply desire to be set free from all the wickedness which so profoundly permeates our world?

You see my friends, when this final day of reckoning comes, it will be not only for humans, but also for angels, including Satan himself. Do you see these first six verses of Revelation 20 describe a time of utopia when evil is bound, unable to affect our world. Satan is bound in a place called “the Abyss” for one thousand years, restrained from any influence, any activity in our world. God Himself restrains Satan during this time.

But God knows the human heart which is so prone to pride and evil. So God will allow one final period of time for Satan to have freedom to tempt and deceive all who live on earth. Rev. 20:7 says “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth.” As you continue reading you’ll see Satan is successful in rallying a great many people to battle against Jesus and all that is good and holy, but God’s response brings the finality to it all: “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…to be tormented day and night forever.” (Rev. 20:9,10)

I’ve imagined a very special scene in heaven these days my friends. I imagine Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah of the Old Testament, sitting with the Apostles Paul, Peter and John of the New Testament, comparing what they wrote and taught to humanity during their times on earth. And then I imagine Jesus walking up and sitting down with these guys and explaining in great detail what we’ve looked at today. Of course we all know what the burning question would be that these great Bible prophets would ask Jesus… ‘When Jesus, WHEN are you going down there to planet earth, to accomplish these great things? How much longer will the Father tolerate such wickedness and violence on earth?’

I wonder if Jesus might respond… ‘Soon… but not until more people have the chance to respond in repentance to God’s love, God’s grace and God’s mercy’! Oh that’s a great perspective isn’t it my friends? So here’s a closing question I have for us today: How would you live the rest of your life if God told you with certainty that you would not die a normal death? That Jesus will be returning to earth BEFORE the end of your lifetime! Would your priorities change? Would your relationships change? Would how you see our broken world change?

Here’s a song that might help us ponder all this today, as we try to put things into perspective from the end of time. And God bless you my friends, as you worship . . .

Today’s Scripture is Malachi 4.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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