The Day Of The Lord

We're going to go ahead and jump in tonight into the book of Malachi. This is going to be our last sermon in the book of Malachi and just turn over to the book of Matthew and flip a few pages back and you should land right there. So once you find your place, turn to Malachi chapter four. We're going to read the last few verses there and some powerful truths. It's actually we're going to read the entire chapter four. So you're going to be standing for a while.

All right. Six verses long. You know, in the Old Testament, they read for like six hours, man, like three hours reading, three hours of teaching and just repeat that in Nehemiah.

Well, maybe we'll do that tonight. Everybody just stands the whole survey, you know, dropping like flies preachers, bring it to a conclusion. In Nehemiah, verse number one and chapter 4 says, for behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name, shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up his calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do This saith the Lord of hosts remember ye the law of Moses my servant which I command Commanded him in in Horeb or Mount Sinai for all Israel with the statutes and judgments Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children in the heart of the children and to their fathers Thus I come and smite the earth with a curse Lord your word is before us is choice silver and gold Lord It's so so true so valuable. May we may we understand and evaluate? The gift of your word before us I pray that our minds would be brought into focus and clarity of what the Word has before us and that your spirit God would give us Understanding and insight give us a love for you as the song said that would bring us into obedience as you said as many of us Love you would keep your Commandments And so may our obedience reflect that and I pray that you would help us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and I pray that if anyone's lost today throughout our teen ministry our children our Recovery ministry as well as this adult service that if anyone's lost that they might come to know Jesus Christ We rejoice in the one soul today the dear lady who called out to Christ for salvation May you just continue to save souls and change lives for your own glory.

We ask it in Jesus name and God's people said Amen, you may be seated this evening Well tonight we come to the conclusion of Malachi This has been a study we started at the beginning of summer really in June and kind of working our way through the summer months and This is such a wonderful little four chapter book tonight it includes with some incredible warnings to the inhabitants of earth that there is coming a day of judgment that we must be ready for this is a really a Short chapter of warning that there is coming. What's known as the day of the Lord last week We looked at the second half of chapter 3 the people were attacking God because they felt God was not just That God was not fair and it's interesting that sinners crying out to God for not being just the last thing we want is God to be just and fair with us because we would be dead already and so They were blaming God or casting fault at God. I should say because they were Wanting God to bless them physical. They wanted these temporary blessings and They were upset because they were like the wicked people there's wicked people in the earth that are being prosperous and blessed and we might as well just neglect the things of God and live in sin if they're going to be blessed and their error came because they based God's goodness on the physical instead of the spiritual on the temporal instead of the eternal and Physically and temporarily speaking you would think that Jesus Christ really missed out, right?

Does anybody want to live the life Jesus lived physically? There's not one of us Nobody wants to be born in a manger plea for their life at two years old nobody wants to live and sleep on the ground for for several years of their ministry and Go through a lot of the trials that he went through and then ultimately down across so so physically speaking Jesus Christ really had a tough life yet Jesus knew clearly it's not some fleeting temporary life that the goodness of God is based upon It's not turning stones into bread its obedience to the Father's will and leading of the Holy Spirit Paul highlights this in Romans 8 18 He said I reckon that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us and so chapter 4 continues what Malachi had said in chapter number 3 and I think it's important just to note this tonight that the chapter divisions in the Bible are man-made So when you come to a chapter, those are not inspired like like chapter 4 The numbers in your Bible the way those chapters and divisions are marked out men put those in there to help the flow of thought And they're very helpful because otherwise you just have a book of Malachi and it's like well, you know on the on page number 3 Well, then, you know, you have to have some way to divide these up so they divided them up is as best they knew but but I think it's it's You need to understand that verse 17 and 18 the flow of that goes right into chapter 4 In fact in the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint they don't have a chapter 4 They just take it straight through which is really the really could be done seamlessly in that manner but but in verse 17 God speaks of those who've placed their faith in him and they will be God's special treasure who are Spared from the coming judgment of God God puts a clear difference between the outcome of the faithful and the outcome of the faithless if you would Join me as we read through verse 17 and 18 Actually, I'll read those if you wouldn't mind following along in verse 17 It says and they will be mine safe the Lord of hosts in that day when I make up my jewels and he's talking about The believers who are true believers. He said they're like a the word jewels.

There's is literally his special treasure I'm going to make up my jewels my special treasure. I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him He had just got done talking about the judgment that he's going to place upon those who who reject him in verse 18 then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not and so the Bible makes it very clear that there is a a Line of difference between the righteous and the wicked there are those who are saved and those who are not there are those who love God and those who hate God that the Bible makes that absolutely clear and there's going to be a judgment that Separates them the Bible calls them the wheat from the tares the the the sheep from the goats the the good fish from the bad Those built on the rock those on the sand those on the broad path those on the narrow path those who have eternal death Those who have eternal life Jesus lays this out, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, which we are somewhat familiar with But the problem with the nation of Israel as we saw last time was again They base God's goodness on this temporary fleeting life. They wanted mansions built on Sandy foundations when God offered mansions built in his eternal kingdom.

I would ask you tonight friend. What are you basing God's goodness upon? How would you finish the statement God is good if Or God is good because That does he have to do something more or no, he's done enough. He's good because he's already done these things And so is God good if you and your temporary earthly life goes Well, but God is not fair if trials and hardships come it's so important to realize in life that God knows What is best for us even when sometimes we don't understand anybody ever gone through something? You didn't understand why you went through it and boy you sure liked an answer from heaven But that never seemed to come until maybe later in life things cleared up But who would have chosen the cross?

Peter wouldn't have Jesus despised the shame of the cross the Bible says yet the cross is the crowning symbol showing both God's infinite holiness his infinite righteousness and his infinite love it is at the cross where Sin is most severely punished God punished sin more severely at the cross than he did in Sodom and Gomorrah God more severely Punished sin at the cross than he did when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah There was more wrath poured out on Christ at the cross than there was on those two cities But yet at that same place the cross was the most beautiful symbol of the love of God. Was it not so righteousness and mercy kissed as psalm says Someone shared these words with me today from a soldier named Chester Nimitz He was a soldier that served during World War two as a fleet admiral in the US Navy and I thought it was interesting I just wanted to share it with you. Maybe be a blessing to you, too He writes I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn to obey. I Asked for health that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I Asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I Asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I Asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things I got nothing that I asked for but everything I hoped for almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered I am among all men most richly blessed. That's such a blessing and the nation of Israel seemed not to be able to get that If you can't be content where you are, you'll never be content where you think you'll need to be Contentment is not an issue of external things contentment is an issue of an internal heart I'm not content when I'm content because You see the difference Paul says in Philippians 4 I have learned to be content in any situation You know what contentment is a learning process and you have to go through the valley to learn contentment often But today we're richly blessed to have God's Word in our hands God in heaven who loves us who died for us gave his life for us What needs do we really have? And so I want to look at God's final words to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament words that they may not have wanted to hear but in words that they needed to hear and So he comes to them in verse number one and lets them know there is a day coming that will certainly come and it's the day of the Lord and So verse number one says for behold the day cometh now What is this day that is coming that Malachi speaks of this day is referred to four different times in Malachi chapter number? 317 through 4 verse 5 Malachi 3 17 it says and they shall be mine safe the Lord of hosts in that day Malachi 4 1 for behold the day cometh Malachi chapter 4 verse 3 Talks about the souls of your feet will step on their ashes in that day Malachi 4 5 hold I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord and in in chapter 4 verse 1 he says for behold the day cometh this day is in reference to the day of vengeance that Christ will come back in Judgment of this world you see that in verse 17 that the Lord's coming is a blessing to those who are believers But to the wicked Christ will bring judgment to them Malachi 4 1 Tells us that it will burn as an oven and all the proud day all that do wickedly shall be stubble and The day that cometh shall burn them up safe the Lord of hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch the proud and those who do wickedly will be burned up as in an oven and it refers here to even the Roots will be burned now very rarely do you have a force go up and the roots are burned as well because they're covered by the the the the base of the What's above them the the the forest floor and so here the the purging will be so severe so intense that the fire Consumes even the root systems of their life is what he's talking about there verse 3 says they will be ashes under the feet of the believer verse 5 calls it the great and dreadful day of the Lord and One of the first things you notice in Malachi chapter 4 verse 1 is the repetition of the statement He says for behold the day cometh and he says later on in verse 1 and the day that cometh Now the Bible constantly speaks about the Lord's second coming 23 the 27 books of the New Testament Explicitly referred to the Lord's return of the 260 chapters in the New Testament There are about 300 instances Which the Lord's apostles make reference to his second coming? Jesus made it very clear in John 14 didn't he when he says let not your heart be troubled You believe in God believe also in me and my father's house or many mansions and if it were not So I would have told you behold I go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also So Jesus said I'm going to come again Acts chapter 1 verse 10 and 11 says this is when Jesus ascended into heaven after he gave Commission to the disciples that while they were steadfast looking steadfastly toward heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in White apparel which also said ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same? Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven And so he's coming again Just as he said this will happen now the great book of Revelation opens with this declaration The the apocalypse which comes from the Greek apocalyptic Which is the unveiling it's like lifting the curtain of end time events in Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 and 8 says behold he cometh With clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all the kindred of the earth shall Wail because of him Notice how the world responds They're not like excited for this are they Even so amen and then Jesus speaks I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is which was which is to come the Almighty There is no more lamb slain There there is no manger No one's going to put any crown of thorns on his head There's no beard plucking anymore those days are over earth The the spits upon the Lord's face never again No one will ever mock him You understand that like when he comes back no one forever will mock him again.

No one ever blasphemes him He is an absolute sovereign rule and what a glorious day. That's going to be when when full mercy and full justice come Behold it says in verse 7 of Revelation 1. It's used 25 times in the book of Revelation It's it's a call to attention a careful observation of what's about to follow And he says behold and behold what well behold he cometh that that phrase he cometh is a present tense verb in the Greek It's it's it's literally saying behold. He's on his way like he is coming. He is and in the New Testament He's referred to as the coming one Matthew 11 verse 2 says this now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ He sent two of his disciples and said unto them art thou he that should come or do we look for another? What John's asking are you the coming one? Are you the one who was to come the Messiah who that's how they referred to him as the coming one? John 6 verse 14 after Jesus fed the 5,000 it says then those men when they had seen the miracle of Jesus Did say this is a truth the prophet that should come into the world in John 11 Martha said in the Jesus Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the world They they knew the Messiah the Messiah the Christos or the Christ the anointed one of God What's the coming one the one who would enter the world and bring righteous judgment? It's been estimated that every one out of 25 verses in the New Testament Referred to the second coming of Christ and if he fulfilled all 300 verses and prophecies about his Old Testament his first coming how do you think he's going to fulfill the the the promise of his second coming and So we have that that joy in reality it Says here that he's going to come also in the clouds according to Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 Clouds throughout the scripture symbolize God's presence in Israel's wonderings in the wilderness amount Sinai God descended in billowing clouds The thick darkness Jesus ascended up in the clouds of heaven in Acts 1 Believers will ascend with clouds at the rapture Christ declared. He would return in the clouds of glory in Matthew 24 God's glory is spoken of in the scriptures as so powerful that no man could look upon him and live Exodus 33 20 says thou canst not see my face for thou shalt not see me and live and when Jesus comes the Bible speaks about the sky being filled with the blazing glory of Christ the glory of his father and an innumerable host of angels along with the redeemed in Luke 9 26 Jesus says whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall Come in his own glory and in the fathers and in the holy angels Tell you what we the most foolish person that ever lives is a person ashamed of Jesus That's like going that's like going to a high school football game and Peyton Manning wants to come along and you're ashamed of him If you're ashamed of Peyton Manning your head's not screwed on right You know, I mean like oh, I can't be seen with Peyton Manning how I'm very now Tom Brady out You're not gonna understand but yeah There's you see how the preacher is carnal you see There is there is flesh here. There is a sin nature for sure raining Now we must understand that the rapture and the second coming of Christ are two different events This is important in your understanding of eschatology or in times The rapture is not the second coming and the second coming is not the rapture the The second coming is also known as the revelation of Christ and it's different from the rapture. Let me give you some ways They're different at the rapture. Jesus comes in the air at the second coming He comes to the earth at the rapture Jesus comes for the Saints at the second coming Jesus comes with the Saints at the rapture Jesus takes the saved from among the lost at the second coming. He takes the lost from among the saved At the rapture the saved meet the Lord in the air and go to heaven with him at the second coming the righteous return With Christ to defeat the Antichrist and enter into his kingdom on the earth The rapture is always imminent meaning there are no signs leading up to it It could happen at any moment for the second coming gives us a clear layout. It's the at the end of the seven-year tribulation At the rapture the Lord snatches the way true believers from the earth, but the second coming he takes away Unbelievers from the earth at the rapture unbelievers remain on the earth at the second coming the believers remain on the earth the rapture passages Do not mention Christ's kingdom being set up where the second coming it does so you need to understand there is a clear difference Eschatologically in the rapture from the second coming and when you read through Matthew 24 That's not talking about the rapture when it says two will be in a field one taking the other left That's not the rapture. That's the second coming that's that's a that's a judgment upon one soul and blessing for the other so Now secondly the judgment of the day of the Lord, so it will certainly come, but let's look at the judgment of this Now in the Old Testament God judged the world by water But he promised never to do that again, and so he put his bow in the clouds Obviously man has polluted But in the New Testament the Bible tells us he will judge the world by fire and the judgment will fall Severely on the world both old and New Testament declare this reality tonight I'm gonna read a few verses for you, and so we're gonna put these verses up here some of these I'll have you read with me, but sometimes it's good just to read the text sometimes the text just speaks for itself And there's not a whole lot of preaching that needs to be added to it at the time But Joel chapter 2 verse 11 and the Lord shall utter his voice Before his army for his camp is very great for he is strong that Executeth his word for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it verse 31 same chapter Let's read that together the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come you know the Bible tells us in the book of Genesis chapter 1 and 2 that God made the Sun for signs and seasons for times and days and years But the chief purpose it talks about that it's it's made for a sign and there's gonna be signs in the heavens that point to judgment that's coming to this earth and People think that they're afraid about what's going on in the country now And it's and it's bad in a lot of places Do you know you know what the response time is right now in New Orleans for a police to respond?

If you if you're in New Orleans right now And you had to call the police because somebody's breaking in your life, so a threat life's on the line The average response time is two hours Two hours you know why that's happened I Could talk about it for a while. I don't want to go down these rabbit trails We have we have leadership going on that is destroying the major cities that we live in Chicago is a wreck Illinois is passing a law that They they came out and said that they're no longer starting in January of 2023 If you have trespassers on in a business or your own personal property they cannot any longer respond to that the Cash bail is going to be removed from the state of Illinois's So people even with second-degree murder they won't be able to keep contained the things that are going on We are in our country protecting criminals All for the purpose of we want to fight for equality while people are It doesn't matter what the person did you just can't arrest certain people This is insanity and the people who suffer the innocent people Things are going to get worse friends The praise God we won't go through the tribulation based on the Word of God Zephaniah chapter 1 verse 14 says the great day of the Lord is near it is near and Hasteth greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord the mighty man shall cry there bitterly Daniel 7 Daniel talks about this. He said behold I beheld till the thrones were cast down in the ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow in his hair of His head like the pure wool his throne was like a fiery flame In his wheels as burning fire You Ever read Ezekiel and wonder what he's talking about with wheels going this way in that way every commentaries on that These guys are like yeah, I don't want to talk about that I don't have a clue what's going on and so they just all bypass it all of a boots oh, I can't somebody give me some insights on this and That's what it means to look at the eternal glories of heaven and you can't put it into human words these guys are scrambling around with their limited understanding of letters and language and He says and there was wheels as burning fire verse 10 a fiery stream issued and came forth from him thousands thousands ministered unto him that's literally the words for like the innumerable number and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him the judgment was said and the books were open doesn't that sound like revelation But you see here this fiery judgment this flaming Judgment Psalms 50 verse 3 our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him This shall be very tempestuous round about him isaiah 66 15 for behold the Lord will come with fire And his chariot would like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire For fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Do you think we should ever preach a fire brimstone message if he's coming in firing brimstone judgment?

I? Don't like those churches who preach on hell. I can tell you God's bringing hell with him In a literal sense he's bringing the judgment of hell and sending people there This is this is this is great fear that should ravage the heart of those who reject Christ Second Peter 3 Peter dives into this he says knowing this first that in the last day scoffers walking after their own lust they will Come saying where is the promise of his coming this coming one? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation for this they willingly are ignorant of That by the word of the Lord the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water Whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perish God judged the old world under no egg flood No, it's flood verse 7, but the heavens and earth which are now by the same word are kept in store Why why is keeping this? reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men I Think that God's letting the ignorance and the arrogance of our world who thinks that through our own pollution that we have the ability to Destroy everything that global warming is going to be what burns us down and God says you you think you're gonna burn yourself up?

You're more worried about being green than holy Better to be made right with God than to make sure you don't spray enough hairspray, right? God's Word then declares that judgment will come He says in verse 10 of 2nd Peter 3 notice what he says here But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great Noise the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth also in the works that are there and shall be what? burned up so Seeing then all these things shall be dissolved What manner of person ought you to be in all holy?

Conversation and godliness looking for and hastening unto the coming day of the Lord look what it says we're in the heavens Being on fire shall be dissolved. That's very interesting and the elements shall melt with fervent heat They didn't have a word for universe All they had was the word heavens because to them there were three heavens the the first heaven is the Atmospheric heaven that we all see outside you look up in the blue sky then that you have the stellar heaven which is the the the the second heaven and so he says the the The atmospheric and the stellar heaven they're going to be consumed with fire The whole thing is going to be literally dissolved Do you realize that there's only a 10 mile thick crust that separates us from molten lava flowing? Inside the earth which is estimated to be 12,400 degrees Fahrenheit There's literally 10 miles between us and in absolutely being dissolved by lava Do you realize that water is made up of two atoms two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom? Do you realize that liquid hydrogen is rocket fuel? Do you think the same God who put those atoms together could remove the oxygen from the hydrogen and turn all the oceans into rocket fuel?

Do you know there's so much energy in the inside of an atom that it's literally In some sense impossible for us to comprehend the magnitude of energy There is there is enough energy inside of the atoms that would make up a average-sized tree if they could just harness The power of that it would energize the entire United States for 10 years just one tree nuclear bombs result when atoms split it's called nuclear fusion or nuclear fission and That release of energy creates massive explosions the atomic structure in all of creation It's in all of creation and all of matter Turns the universe into a potential nuclear bomb God's going to let the reactor go off and This entire universe will literally disintegrate into nothing That's that's the that's the exact Greek language of what's going on in 2nd Peter chapter 3 He's going to dissolve everything and he says what kind of person should you be since you know, this is coming Do you think that should affect your day? You think you should consider? Hey, maybe I'm living in fornication. Maybe I'm over here living in some kind of sexual sin Maybe I'm over here looking at some things.

I should maybe I'm over here telling lies. Maybe I'm over here being deceitful me Well, maybe out of step back and say hey There is a God who is holy who comes in righteous judgment that maybe I need to consider Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 Seeing it is a riot it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation of them that trouble you and Into you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels What's he going to do when he comes? Inflaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ What's Jesus going to do? He's going to destroy the world Is should that Should that motivate us to tell our neighbors about Jesus?

Should we say hey, you know, I don't like my neighbor Well, cuz he mowed on your yard or he said something to you sometimes. Hey, they need the gospel Amen Turn with me to book of Revelation. Let me just show you how this concludes Malachi 4 ties into Revelation 19 This is what this is talking about If you want to know the fulfillment of this here it is Then revelation 19 into Revelation chapter 20 look at chapter 19 verse 11 And the Bible says behold he cometh behold here he is verse 11 and I saw heaven opened and And behold a white horse and he that said on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness He doth judge and make war His eyes were filled with hearts of love Is that what it says? You know, that's what Oprah Winfrey would think isn't it His eyes were a flame of fire what we like for Joel Osteen to preach revelation 1911 through wouldn't it be great to have him handle that Take that to your congregation and see how many come back the next week The only ones that would return would be the saved ones verse 12 His eyes was a flame of fire on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself and he was clothed with the vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God and hit and the Armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white unclean, you know who those those armies are That's you and me You say I don't know how to fight what you will then and You won't have to worry about it because you will be in an immortal body that cannot be damaged how Absolutely amazing.

Will that be now to the ladies? This probably doesn't seem exciting but for us guys, this is like a dream come true, man Verse 15 and out of his mouth go with a sharp sword and with it He should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God You know sometimes people think you know the God of the Old Testament's really tough and but Jesus came Jesus is so loving You know what? Jesus did the whole time. He was here.

He did everything the Father wanted him to do Jesus said I didn't come here to fulfill my will I came here to fulfill the fathers If you've seen me you've seen the father. I didn't come to do my own will I came to do that So when you see revelation unfold This is the perfect will of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit being revealed in Revelation 19 This is the will of Christ God is not only glorified in saving the lost but he's glorified in damning them He's glorified in great judge and and you and I will not be those who say oh, how could God do that? Let me explain it this way If you walked outside tonight and you got in your car and you're pulling down here and you see like a 20 year old Couple guys walking down and they're looking like bad news and you see a couple little girls You know five and six year old on like little little you know Bicycle and there are little streamers coming off What if you what if you saw those two 20 year olds trip those girls and knock them off their bike smack them in the head? Spit on them and kick them But anybody in here slam your brakes on run out and in some and say they're This ain't gonna roll Hey, and you're gonna roll, you know, I mean, this is you would you would have inside And what if they what if they hit one of those little girls so hard it caused her brain damage?

Irrepairable brain damage say why you telling us it? What happens is when you see such innocence violated it causes inside of you a burning passion for judgment Doesn't it? Now we we can't get it now But we will then You understand in heaven there will be no tears for the judgment of God that falls on the lost There's no wiping tears from our eyes because we're sorrowful because God's judging lost people. Let me explain this when you and I get to heaven We're gonna understand how vile the sin has been committed against God how evil that is If you would get fired up about some guys doing that to a little girl You you can't even touch the hem of the garment of how infuriated you and I will be at the righteous holiness of God That's been violated in such blasphemous ways by God rejecting people who blaspheme and hate God We will be so stirred up and jealous for God that we will we will be Happen to be held back from our own Ferocity, let me you know how I know that Say well, where's that in the Bible? Well, let me tell you the Bible tells us that the souls under the altar who were beheaded for the calls of Christ Said Lord how long?

Until you judge those people who brought that death upon us that beheading They weren't saying God be merciful and forgive them and save them. No, they said God go down there and judge them Bring judgment upon them and we will be so jealous for God's holiness That's been violated if you would be upset by that situation. I'm going to tell you something you're gonna be You're gonna understand things in a way in An ultimate reality when you see that that you will you will rejoice in the righteous judgment of God as much as you will rejoice in the salvation of God Verse 16 it says and he has on his vesture and on his thigh name written King of kings and Lord of lords and I saw an angel standing in the Sun and cried with a loud voice saying unto all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven come and gather yourself together into the supper of the great God that you May eat the flesh of kings flesh of captains the flesh of mighty men the flesh of horses them that sit on them that and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that said on the On the horse and against his army and the beast was taken the false prophet and them that wrought miracles before him with Which just had deceived them and he received the mark of the beast and which worshiped the image and it says they these both Were cast alive into a lake of burning Fire burning with brimstone and the rim that were slain with the sword of him that set upon the horse which Sword proceedeth out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh I mean this is this is the severity of that judgment and then when you flip over revelation 20 verse 11 This is this is that this is that second Peter 3 consuming fire This is when this happens like this is where this happens verse 11 and I saw a great white throne in him that set on It this is in the third heaven from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away and there was found no place for them In that place the entire universe we're gonna see go We like earth is gone Mars and Jupiter and all I mean it God has just dissolved the he created everything and he just Uncreated it all in a moment People say are we going to be at the great white throne judgment judgment? Of course, we will be there not to be in judgment, but we will be there with God in heaven Rejoicing that God brings righteous judgment not only to bringing salvation to the safe But justice to those who have rejected verse 12 and I saw the dead small and great They stood before God the books were open. No, isn't that what Daniel said? 700 plus years before this and the books were open another book was Open book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which are written in the book according to their works You say I thought we were saved by grace if you're not saved by grace you're judged by your works verse 13 and the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell were delivered the dead which were in them and They were judged every man according to his works and death and hell were cast.

Where were they cast? like fire this is the second death and verse 15 if you'd read with me and Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire You know why they were cast and why it says four times they were cast because they didn't go willingly This is God Having his angels cast them into a lake of fire So the wicked will be consumed with the blazing heat of God's judgment But when you go back over and we flip back at this time back to the book of Malachi You find that the same Glory of God that brings judgment is the same light that brings healing to those who are saved it says Verse 1 it says it shall burn them up but verse 2 but unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness ride with healing in his wings and so Judgment falls upon them. But thirdly we see tonight a judgment of blessing to the believer God's God's gonna this is going to be a judgment of Fearful Fiery wrath against the unbeliever, but it's a it's a judgment of blessing to the believer And so he says in verse 2 but unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness Arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves upon the stall The phrase there you'll go forth as calves upon the stall So he's going to heal us our bodies will be fully healed fully healed from sin fully healed from the curse of sin Anybody have some? Things in your body you're looking forward to being healed anybody want the eternal version It never wears out, you know the 2023 version of whatever you get the you get the eternal version of you, you know And it'll be reflecting of the glory of Christ You will the creation that groans that curse will be lifted But he says you'll go forth and grow up as calves upon the stall no longer are we like Grass that grows in the field or the flower of the flower of the field that flourishes and then it withers away There's no more of that Talks about you being like an eye in that day is calves upon the stall we go forth And I like what MacArthur says about this He says calves when confined to a stall for extended periods of time Leap for sheer joy when turned loose into the sunlight the picture is one of joyful vigorous and carefree living the freedom joy and excitement We will experience in that eternal paradise of God when we are free from the bondage of sin 1st Corinthians 15 speaks of this He says in 1st Corinthians 15 verse 50 Now this I say brethren that flesh and blood Cannot enter into the king and cannot inherit the kingdom of God neither death corruption inheriting corruption like we have a body. That's it's Made for earth and God's giving us a body that's made for heaven and in chapter 15 he talks about there are there are certain flesh of the sea certain flesh of the air certain flesh of Land, but he says you have a flesh that's not made for heaven, but God will give you a body that's made for heaven And he says verse 51 behold. I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep And that's a euphemism for Christians dying, but we shall all be changed not all of us are going to die but all of us are going to be transformed who are saved and How quick in a moment in the twinkling of an eye that doesn't mean the time it takes to blink that means the time it takes for light to reflect off of your eye and Just a sheer fraction of time this could happen in any moment like I could be up here preaching next moment We're like poof and we're like I told you We'll be so that'd be so awesome when it wouldn't be good to go right well No, maybe not in the middle of a sermon, but like right at the end and somebody gets saved you Know souls get saved right after a baptism or something and then poof we're all going we're like yeah I want a way to go you know they even have to watch the bingles lose. You know you just go right into Flesh see there's flesh It says we shall all be changed and it says in a moment to England I at the last Trump the trumpet shall sound the dead shall be raised that phrase incorruptible means the that you won't have an ability to be tarnished like Everything is corruptible in the earth everything wears down entropy rules, but in that day there will be no corrupting process You have a body that is eternal And it we will be changed into that for this corruptible must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortality And he continues to talk about that through the remainder of the chapter We will have a body the Bible says it's like Jesus's glorified body When we see him we will be like him for we shall see him as he is the Bible says So those who fear God now will not have fear then those who mourn now will be comforted Then those who are poor now will be rich Then those who are weak now will be strong then those who are sick now will be well Then those who are servants now will reign as kings then Everything for us is then the Bible says in Ephesians 1 3 that That God has laid up for us in heaven all these treasures are laid up for us in heaven Everything's there Our eternal home's there Savior's there paradise is there All that God's given us is there if the people in malachite's day could have just understood that But they were so earth bound so earthly focused.

They missed the heavenly reality friends. We got to be careful We don't do that We don't be careful that we don't somehow Base God's goodness on this temporary fleeting life Revelation 22 verse 12 says this and this is last chapter in the Bible. It says and behold I come quickly You see him saying that again and behold I come quickly I'm coming I'm coming I'm coming all through the Bible And then I am coming quick. My reward is with me to give to every man according to his what? Is that talking about the Savior of the lost now?

It's talking about to save now as well, right? I Am alphin omega the beginning in the end the first and last blessed are they that do his Commandments that have that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates of into the city We are saved by faith, but we are rewarded by our works. You need to know that you're saved by faith But your faith needs to have some flesh and bone on it If the root of faith doesn't produce fruit of works, there is no root of faith So Jesus says in some for 30 some what 60 some a hundredfold Guess what? Everybody's bearing something if you're saved you're bearing fruit. If you're not bearing fruit, then you're not saved That there's got to be something going on because if there is no fruit there is no life So again works don't save us but works reward us Jesus taught this in the parable of The talents of money in Matthew 25. This is an end time parable Matthew 25. Let me read a few verses to you This is after a long time the Lord of those servants comes and reckons with them And so he that received five talents came and brought other five talents saying Lord now delivers unto me five talents behold I have gained beside them five talents more his Lord said in him Well done thou good and faithful servant thou has been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler What's he gonna make him a ruler over many things enter thou into the what's he called it? You know, you know the definition of heaven if you could define the word heaven with one word the Bible defines it as sheer joy ultimate consuming joy Matthew 25 22 he also that it received two talents came and said Lord that delivers me two talents behold I have gained other two talents beside them.

Guess what? He said I gained other two talents. I did something with this. I Labored I I did something with what you committed to my hands his Lord said and then well done now good and faithful servant You've been faithful for a few things. I will make thee ruler for many things enter down to the joy of the Lord That's why when you come to church, it's not about just coming and receiving it's about coming in what? Giving I got to get involved in something Don't just come and hear a message and go home and try to live your life Come and hear a message and go out and seek to serve Get involved in church do something You you you should be involved somewhere Matthew 25 24 through 46 then he which had received the one talent came and said Lord I knew that you're a you know You're a hard man reaping where you didn't sow gathering where thou has not strawed Now I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth lo thou hast thou there that is thine Is that Lord answered and said to him, you know, I understand you had a tough life and you didn't want to waste it So you buried it and you did what you thought was bet. Is that what he says? The Lord said you wicked and slothful servant You think there's gonna be some people in heaven that are gonna get a shock He says you wicked and slothful servant you knew that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I have not strawed thou Haughtest therefore to put my money to the exchangers that at thy count at my coming I should have received mine own with usury take therefore the talent from him give it unto him which hath ten talents For unto every one that has shall be given and he shall have abundance Thank you want to have in that day Abundance just keeps getting dumped on you.

This is the best interest policy. You could ever have interest policy take therefore the talent it says Look what he says to him in verse number 30 and cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth There are some people who try to say that this guy was saved. He's not saved and lost his salvation He was never saved. He was an external professor with no internal reality.

Therefore. He wouldn't be faithful He produced no fruit because there was no true salvation fruitless believers have no salvation And it says in verse 31 when the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him and shall sit on the throne of his glory and before him shall gather all nations and shall separate them one from another a shepherd that would divide sheep from the goats He shall Set the sheep on his right hand the goats on his left and the king shall say on the right hand come you bless her The father inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world for I was hungry You gave me me thirsty. You gave me drink stranger He took me and they and he goes through all these things and they said when did we see you and you? He said when you did it to the least of these you've done it to me And he goes on and he Rebukes those that are on his left hand because he says when I was hungry You didn't feed me when I search so you didn't give me you didn't serve me You didn't do anything you said you soaked you didn't do anything And he says look at verse 44 Matthew 25 44 says then shall they answer him and saying Lord When saw we you hunger and a thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister in the then he? Shall answer them verily I say to you as much as you did Did it not unto the least of these you did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment? but the righteous into life eternal Do you see there's only two options and do you see how he ties in the third guy to the guy who goes into? Everlasting punishment so clear isn't it crystal clear couldn't be any more clear so there's only two options when you Let me say this we only have a couple minutes and we'll be done Maybe should be Everything is so I've thought about this over the years everything is so infinite with God so Magnanimous it's so just massive.

It's like eternal glory and eternal misery It's so the expanse is so far so extremes are so massive. There's no gray area there So with God it's like Go all in with him be faithful And he closes with a warning in Malachi 4 verse 4 through 6 He says remember ye the law of Moses my servant which I commanded him at Mount Horeb at Horeb or Mount Sinai for all Israel Calls them to remember his words To remember the Word of God because when you remember the Word of God You're going to be obedient to the God of the Word Matthew Henry said let others boast in their proud reasoning and call it enlightenment But let us keep near to that sacred word through which the Son of righteousness shines through his the souls of his people How diligent are you in studying the Word of God? Do you know what it says about the second coming of Christ? Some of you tonight as I read through these you're quoting them in your mind along with me.

Praise God for that Some of you are like very familiar like man. I know I know these passages. I'm very familiar with Daniel's prophecies I'm very familiar with what Isaiah Jeremiah says about this Ezekiel says about this. I'm very familiar with Revelation chapter 1 I'm very familiar with the that the judgment seat of Christ at the great white throne judgment the differentials of that the Rapture the second coming. I know first Corinthians 15 the greatest chapter on the the Rat the the resurrection. I know revelation 20s about revelation 19 is about his second coming and he comes in judgment at the Battle of Armageddon I know revelation 20s about Christ setting up as a millennial kingdom and he goes into the great white throne judgment I you're very familiar.

Praise God for that. But if you're not familiar with that then then take these things and study them and read them Be familiar be able to be able to in ready to give an answer to those who would ask And then verse 5 he says behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord now Elijah was the great Old Testament prophet so here you have Moses who represented the Old Testament law Elijah who represented the Old Testament prophets Also at the Mount of Transfiguration who appeared with Jesus Moses and Elijah, right? This lets us know that after death you will keep your earthly identity, doesn't it?

There's Moses and Elijah and guess what? Did they know each other? Yes, they did Well, you know I've had people say the craziest things all you won't even have your own identity You will just kind of blend into whatever and you won't know other people.

Yes, you will. That's the that's incredible That's why in heaven they were like, when did we see you? When did we see you and do that? Like like I don't remember doing that to you specifically Jesus I remember these other things.

What did the rich man say? He says tell Lazarus to send send Lazarus to dip water to cool my tongue because I'm torn in his flame The Bible says they'll come in the last day in heaven from the east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob In the kingdom why because they know who they are, right? So you'll be known what a glorious reality You you and I will be a better us because we'll be like Christ but And then in the New Testament John the Baptist was identified as coming. He John the Baptist was not Elijah John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah the Bible says so he was there is I believe Elijah still to come I Don't think John the Baptist I think he was a he was a precursor to the Elijah that is to come And I believe the Elijah that is to come is the Elijah that will come in Revelation chapter number 11 when it speaks about the two prophets of God guess who those two prophets are that come down and preach for three and a half years in the city of Jerusalem and 144,000 Jews get saved and they go around preaching gospel all around the world you know who the two great preachers will be that inspire that will be Moses and Elijah I believe and In Revelation 11 if you're not familiar with those and I believe it's Moses and Elijah because their miracles are similar to those of Moses Elijah when you read that passage both of these guys were at the transfiguration and Malachi predicted again Elijah would return before the day of the Lord and the day of the Lord didn't happen when Jesus came the first time that was that was It was not the total fulfillment of that so Malachi 4 6 as we wrap this up it says and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and The heart of the children to their fathers lest I God says lest I come and smite the earth with a curse When Jesus came the first time he declared how families would be torn apart you remember that Matthew 10 He says think not I've come to send peace on earth. I come not to send peace, but a sword it says for I For I am come to send a man at variance against his father the daughter against her mother and what the reason he said That is because Christ causes people to be divided when they don't receive him So that happened in those homes But in the last day national salvation will come to Israel and they will turn to the Lord and they will turn The families will be united on this Romans 11 25 says fry would not brethren that ye should be ignorant of this mystery lest you should be wise in your own conceits That blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become what's the fullness of the Gentile? That's when the church age comes to an end. That's when the rapture happens verse 26 goes directly into the seven-year tribulation the 70th week of Daniel starts up and it says and so all Israel shall be saved as it is written there shall come out of Zion the deliverer shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob and So this is going to be an incredible national salvation that comes to the nation of Israel he says lest I come and smite the earth with a curse and The curse here is actually the same Greek word used in Joshua 6 when the curse came to Jericho The curse of total destruction will come to all who reject God's salvation Annihilation and so it's interesting that Genesis begins with the blessing of God's creation and it ends With a curse on his creation because of unrepentant sin That's that's how the Old Testament ends.

It ends with blessing in the last word there in verse 6 is a curse Praise God that 400 years later Christ came. Amen So what do we learn from Malachi's? Book well, we learn that God loves people Malachi 1 to God starts out by saying I have loved you saith the Lord God called them to obedience and repentance because of their sin. We learned that God is worthy and deserving of our best Israel brought God their leftovers and it was a dishonor to God. What do you and I offer God?

Do we offer him our best or leftovers? We saw how the religious leaders cause great sin among the people as the priests fell so went the people we saw how they based God's goodness on temporary and not on the eternal and God declares you're gonna see my justice when all things come to a culmination You will see the difference between what I do forever for the righteous and the wicked and so friend I would ask you tonight. Are you ready to meet the Lord?

Teenager listen to me. Are you ready to meet the Lord old young alike? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Are you ready to stand before God to give an account of your life? Are you living faithfully? Listen, we're saved by grace, but we're gonna be judged one day by our faithfulness Bible tells us behold he comes amen. It's all staying tonight Father we do. Thank you for your word tonight. What a joy it is to hold to read Lord, it just causes us once again to praise you for the salvation the rich and so great salvation that you've brought to us That at the cross judgment was paid that we might be forgiven. I pray tonight if anyone doesn't know Jesus Christ Dear God, they would come and repent and trust in you as their Lord and Savior Let anybody watching online or anybody here in the service hold back but may they come and turn their life fully over to you repent of their sins and Fully surrender their life to the lordship of Christ in Jesus name, amen.