Malachi Chapter Four, The Day of the Lord: Good Or Evil?

 

Too many Christians look on the Day of the Lord as a terrible thing, something to be prevented at all costs. It’s like a Hollywood movie where a great calamity threatens to exterminate humanity, only to be stopped at the eleventh hour by some noble sacrifice. Yet Christians must realize that Christ made that noble sacrifice on the cross two millennia ago and any who place their faith in Him have passed from death to life and will no longer be subject to God’s wrath, being sons of the regeneration. Worse, there are those that think passages pertaining to the Day of the Lord are pernicious myths, fabricated Jewish horror stories emerging from the Messiah fever that the Jewish mind was apparently awash in during the centuries surrounding Christ’s first advent. If this is your viewpoint then, like the Jews Malachi speaks of, you need to repent. God will make all things new; Christ’s Second Coming in power and glory will right the wrongs of this world and vindicate God’s name and word forever. Are we like Peter, “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?” 2 Peter 3:12. Or like John, when we read, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20.

Verse 6 terminates with this grave warning: “Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” The NIV renders the verse, “or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” The NASB translates it, “so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” “Curse,” in verse 6, is “cherem” and means “shutting in a net, either literally or figuratively. It also means a doomed object or extermination.”

 

Returning to chapter 3, we see the forerunner, or the messenger preceding the Lord coming to His temple, Malachi 3:1. He will even “suddenly come to His temple.” The idea here is one of abruptness or unexpectedness. The forerunner will run his course, and then the Lord whom they seek will arrive. His arrival initiates a purification of the people and judgment of the wicked, as we see more succinctly reflected in Malachi 4:1, 2. We read of Christ’s reign on earth during the thousand years, “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked,” Isaiah 11:4. The language parallels verse 6 closely. The rod of Christ’s mouth simply means His authority when He speaks. The centurion with the sick servant understood that by a word Jesus could heal, because He was a Man of authority. When He speaks, His words affect change because the King of Creation may order His servants as He sees fit. The curse, or the ban of utter destruction, comes from the breath of His lips. God breathed into man and gave him life. The Psalmist writes, “You take away their spirit (or breath), they expire and return to dust,” Psalm 104:29, NASB. Or in Revelation, “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse,” Revelation 19:21.

 

Finally we read, “The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, he shall execute the heads of many countries,” Psalm 110:5, 6. The end of this current universe, wrecked in the violence of human and angelic rebellion, is purgation by fire, 2 Peter 3:10. Christ will speak and strike the earth: the entire Christ-rejecting world and those who cling to it despite knowing in the latter days that they have sinned will perish, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. This final passage isn’t one of foreboding and doom; it is God’s appeal to Israel. The elders should turn their hearts to the welfare of rearing their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 22:6. The children should honor mother and father; a part of this honor being a willing submission to their teachings and ways, so as to train them in righteousness, Malachi 2:15, Exodus 22:12, 2 Timothy 1:5, 1 Timothy 4:12.

 

Did Elijah’s ministry succeed? Of course it did. We are informed that God’s word never returns to Him void, but always accomplishes what He sends it out for. Malachi simply states matter of fact, “And he will turn.” He didn’t say, “he will preach,” or “he will try.” It is written that he will turn the hearts of these people as given commandment to prepare a people for the Lord. One such disciple that John prepared for Jesus was Andrew, Peter’s brother, John 1:40. Having been a disciple of John, after hearing John’s testimony concerning Jesus, followed Him. John had run his race and rejoiced to see the Christ, John 3:29. Notice how Gabriel did not say that all Israel would be prepared, but that John would, “make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” Luke 1:17. Faithfully, he did so.