Malachi 4:1-6
In the 1986 Frank Oz directed a theatrical remake of the musical, The Little Shop of Horrors, where a New York City florist discovers that his Venus Fly Trap feeds on human blood. The ending of the movie ran for 23 minutes and cost $5 million to make. It was 20% of the entire movie budget. Even though it was filled with brand new special effects to wow the audience, the ending was cut and never made the final product. The ending featured the Venus Fly Trap, Audrey II, eating the beloved flower shop owner, Seymour, and his love interest and eventually destroying all of New York City. The test audience complained that the ending was too dark and they didn’t like the main character dying and not getting the girl so they rewrote the ending. The new ending has the beloved Seymour electrocuting the evil alien plant, getting the girl, and living happily ever after for everyone loves a happy ending. One movie with two very different endings.
The American people wanted to rewrite the ending of someone else’s story. The tragic ending with the total destruction of New York City and the world because of the greed and bloodthirsty wickedness was too much to bear. They wanted to change the ending of the story to fit with their own desires and worldview. They wanted a happy ending. They demanded the ending of the story to change. People still want a happy ending, but they do not want it only in the movies. They want a happy ending in real life. Now it was possible for a director to change the end of the movie to fit with people’s own desires, but there is an ending that cannot be changed for the end is fixed; the conclusion of the story of the world is already written.
I have stood besides many caskets filled with lifeless bodies hearing many people desire to change the end of the story. I have heard those phrases like “He is in a better place,” and, “At least she no longer is suffering,” attempting to rewrite the end of their story even though they had no faith in God and no evidence of salvation. Our culture cannot handle the real ending of the story. We want to change the ending because it does not fit with our worldview. We want to believe that at the end of the day all will be well for all. We want to believe that God will accept everyone regardless of their faith and how they lived (except for those who lived really, really bad lives). Many Christians do not want to change the ending, but they merely ignore it. They do not ignore all of it. Christians love to think about what will happen to them, but too often do not meditate and ponder the end for those who do not fear God.
What do you believe will happen on the last day? What will be the end to the world’s story? Friends, there is one life and two very different endings. And you can change the end of your story, but only on God’s terms. Over the next few moments, I want to meditate on the end of the day and hope that some of you will change the end to your story but embracing the truth of the coming day of judgment.
The Day of Stubble
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and tells the end of the story of the great day of the Lord. The people of Israel have returned from exile in Babylon and rebuilt the temple and their hearts are still far from the Lord. Malachi shares six specific rebukes from the Lord towards the people all connected with Israel not believing that God will judge the wickedness in the world. They did not believe God’s end to the story. Malachi 3:18, “Malachi 3:18, “Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.” There will be a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and Malachi prophesies how there is one story with two very different ends.Malachi 4:1, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
First, if you are here and not a follower of Jesus Christ, these words may sound very harsh to you. They are indeed very hard words, but they are nevertheless true. The Bible teaches that all men and women are sinners. We all are arrogant and evildoers. We all deserve this end. I have been a Christian for 25 years and it was believing in this truth at 16 that changed the end of my story forever. I came to believe that I deserved to be punished for my sin. I rightly deserved God’s judgment for my arrogance, pride and doing deeds of evil. This is not a scare tactic, but it is the truth. It is the real end of every person who tries to stand in their righteous on the day of judgment. We have already seen in Malachi 3:2, “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?” Friend, I pray that consider the words of this prophecy and ask yourself, what is the end of your story? What will happen to you if you try to stand on this day in your own good works? And remember, no matter what good work you do in this life, you still have sin and what do you do with that? I pray again that you would hear of the coming Day of judgment and you would change your story.
Notice the comprehensive nature of the destruction. The day is coming, burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be stubble. No evildoer will survive and no one will come back. The text says that, “it will leave them neither root nor branch.” There is no root left in the ground meaning there is no chance for the tree to return. The destruction on the day of the Lord is comprehensive and complete. Remember, Israel started to envy the wicked and started to think that it was vain and empty to serve the Lord. God reminds them that there will be a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, those who fear God and those who don’t.
Beloved, we may believe this intellectually, but does it change our lives? Does it impact our day to day life? There are at least four ways this should impact us. First, it should make us hate sin and strive for holiness. God will judge the evildoer and the arrogant. Are you doing evil? Are you prideful and arrogant? If so, repent. Turn back to God. Hebrews 2:1–3,
[1] Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. [2] For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, [3] how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Do not neglect your salvation by drifting into sin. Second, God will avenge us. All who do evil against us will be punished. They may look as if they are thriving now, but one day they will be brought to nothing. Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Trust God and wait for his recompense. Thirdly, we should grieve the end of the wicked and share the gospel. Each day the Lord holds judgment is another day with opportunity of salvation. 2 Peter 3:9–10
[9] The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
God has withheld judgment because he does not want any perish but all to come to repentance. People can change the end of their story, if they repent and believe in Christ.
Lastly, when we read about the end of the wicked, we should praise God. We should praise God for his kindness in saving us. We should be humbled and grateful that God’s kind hand of providence was extended to us. We should also praise him for his holiness and his judgment of the wicked. We may not fully understand God’s justice, but we believe it is perfect and right and good and he should be praised for it.
We cannot avoid the day of judgment. The Bible is very clear, “The day is coming.” You can foolishly try to dodge, dismiss or deny it, but it is coming. How can you stand at the end of that day?
The Day of the Sun
We see a glorious contrast in verse 2 that should awaken our hearts to leap with joy. Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” But for you. Beloved, we were not destined for wrath but to obtain salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. The dawning of the sun will remove the darkness of oppression, evil and injustice. The rays of light will bring healing to our perishing bodies and our broken world. The people of Israel would have known Isaiah’s prophecy of God coming in his glorious light. Isaiah 60:1–3;19-20
[1] Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
[2] For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
[3] And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising
[19] The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
[20] Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
The sun of righteousness is foreshadowing of the Son of righteousness, Jesus Christ. Peter writes in his second epistle, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) Paul also writes of Christ being the light in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
There is only healing and hope in Jesus Christ because he is the one who stands with us on the day of judgment. Friend, if you want to change the end of your story, you must come to Jesus Christ. We all are evildoers and arrogant and deserve to be stubble, but God sent Jesus Christ to be our light. He is the light of the world. He lived a life in the light; a life of perfection. And in his love for us went to the cross to pay the debt for our sin. God accepted his sacrifice on our behalf by raising him from the dead. His resurrection is what gives us healing in our mortal bodies. It is only in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can be healed and the end of our story be changed. He turns our mourning to gladness, our sorrow to hope, and darkness to light.
Do you see the joy in this passage? God frees us from being captive to sin as he frees the young calves from the stall. As the calves go out leaping from the stall with joy and playful delight so we shall be freed from our bodies of decay and be clothed with immortality given the healing in his wings of righteousness.
Those who fear the Lord will be on his side on his return. He will gather us to himself and we will join his army in the judgment of sin. God is referred to as the Lord of hosts or the Lord of armies in Malachi more than any other book in the Old Testament. After the exile, Israel had no army. They were painfully aware of their own limited resources and chance to overcome evil. There is no greater comfort for God’s people when they have nothing to know that the Lord is their everything. He is the Lord of armies and we shall join him, Malachi 4:3, “And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.” Whose side will you be on? What will your end be?
On the day of judgment, we will rejoice in the Lord and his glorious victory of sin and wickedness. We will fully stand with God and he will fully be our joy and our delight. We agree in part now, but on that day, we will fully and without reservation completely agree with his judgment against the arrogant and evildoer. Friend, if you are for the Lord, you are against him. Again, let it be clear, the Lord is coming, he will act. He is the Lord of armies. Who do you want to stand with on that day? The wicked who will be stubble and totally trampled or with the Lord? Whoever is not for him, is against him. Friend, be for the Lord now so you will be with the Lord then. You can change the end of your story by changing your allegiance. Bow to the King of kings and serve him only.
The Day of the Spirit
The last book of the Old Testament lifts our eyes to the coming of the Messiah. All of the Scripture is about God’s great plan of salvation through his crucified and risen Son. The plan of redemption was set before the foundation of the world. Malachi ends his letter by reminding the people to live in obedience to God’s law as they wait for the coming of Christ. Malachi 4:4–6,
[4] “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. [5] “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. [6] And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
These are some of the most glorious words in all the Bible. The great and awesome day of the Lord is coming. It will be terrifying for all evildoers and all arrogant people. And all are evildoers and arrogant. We all deserve to be utterly destroyed for rebelling and standing against the holy, creator God of the universe. And Malachi reminds us from the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) that there is a chance for repentance.
God sent John the Baptist in the spirit of Elijah as confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 11 to turn our hearts to the coming Messiah. John challenged and warned the people much like Malachi about the coming wrath in Matthew 3:7-12,
[7b] “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. [9] And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [10] Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
[11] “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [12] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Beloved, the day of judgment is coming. We cannot change the end of the story…unless we turn to Christ.
We all need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The only way we will turn from living for ourselves and turn our hearts towards others is if the Holy Spirit gives us new birth. We must fall about the mercy of God and confess our sins and ask for new life. Jesus said unless I die the Holy Spirit will not come. Jesus came to take our judgment on the cross so that he could send the Holy Spirit to save us. He came to baptize us with fire so that we could avoid the wrath that is to come.
The end of the Old Testament is like the end of the New Testament. They both end with a clear picture of what is to come. Destruction and death will fall upon all who deny Christ. Delight and healing will come to all who love Christ. Beloved, you have been born again by the Spirit of Christ to share Christ with this world. You have been born again by the Spirit of Christ to love your families and the church, to serve your neighbors and to obey God’s word in public and in private. You have been born again by the Spirit of Christ so that the world may know of the God who saves from the wrath that is come. You have been born again to be part of the Lord’s army, to be part of God’s salvation army. We have been called by the Spirit to share Jesus Christ to change the end of people’s story. God does not want anyone to perish but to have eternal life. Today is the age of the Spirit. The Spirit lives in us so that we can help make others alive in him. Today the day of salvation for all who come to God in Christ. You may try to dodge, deny or dismiss the Day, but the Day is coming; A day like a burning oven and a day with healing in its wings. So at the end of the final day, whose side will you be on? What will be your end at the end of that day?
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