The Sun of Righteousness will Rise

The Sun of Righteousness will Rise

more from the book of Malachi

 

 

 

Malachi was the last of a long line of Old Testament prophets.  His name “Malachi” means “messenger.” And he was a messenger for God.  A prophet was a person who had a special gift from God –the supernatural gift of being able to receive messages from God.  After hearing God’s message these prophets would pass on these messages to the people of Israel.  God also supernaturally showed the prophets visions of the future.  And the job of the prophet was to share these God given visions and tell the people of Israel what God revealed and what would happen in the future.

 

 Over a period of fifteen hundred years before Christ each of the Jewish prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and many more) lived and foretold the coming of the Messiah – Jesus Christ and then after their lifetime some years later God would raise up another prophet in another generation with the same prophetic message – the message of the Messiah coming to judge and to save.

 

 The religious leaders of ancient Israel knew that God had promised a Messiah or a Savior because of all of the prophecies about Him that they had received down through the centuries.  And the Jewish people accepted and acknowledged that God spoke supernaturally to them through these prophets.  However these prophets were not popular and their words were often ignored. 

 

Malachi was the last prophet that God sent to Israel before Christ was born and the book of Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible.  It was about 450 years before Jesus Christ was born when Malachi lived and once again the Jewish people were given the same prophetic message by Malachi that all the other prophets had given-  that the “Sun of Righteousness” would come in the future.  Malachi not only saw Christ’s’ first coming – His birth and life but God also showed Malachi Christ’s’ second coming – the one we are still waiting for – the end of the age!  Clearly and dramatically Malachi writes down his telescopic vision of Christ’s end time coming!

 

Let’s listen to God’s dramatic message through his prophet Malachi which was to be given to Israel and to us!  “Look, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple.  Even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight.  Look, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”  (Malachi 3:1)  Bible scholars believe that when this verse states that God will send His messenger to prepare the way before Him that this may possibly refer to John the Baptist who preached and baptized and pointed the people to Jesus. But the Messenger may be Jesus himself.

 

The Jewish people of Malachi’s day saw injustices all around them and they longed for the appearance of the God of justice and judgment.  But will the people in Malachi’s day really be ready for justice on this great judgment day when it comes?  And will we?  Scripture says that every person who has ever lived will be there on Judgment Day! This day that will come suddenly and unexpectedly! Malachi goes on to describe this Judgment Day.  Let’s listen.

 

“But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire.  And like launderer’s soap.  He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver:  He will purify the sons of Levi.  And purge them as gold and silver.  That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”  (Malachi 2: 2-3)

 

Jesus as Judge will come to cleanse the world of sin.  His fire will refine us, take out the impurities – all that is unworthy will be burned up!  All that is diseased –all the cancer – will be burned out. And like a strong launderer’s soap –  Jesus will clean us up – purging and washing and cleaning us! – so that we may be as pure gold and silver – an offering of righteousness.  Will there be much left of some of us after we go through the fire and the cleansing?  Who can stand when He appears?   

 

Malachi goes on with his message from God about that Day when Jesus comes again!  “And I will come near you for judgment: I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans.  And against those who turn away an alien- Because they do not fear Me.  Says the Lord of hosts.”  (Malachi 3:5)  These sins were popular back then, and alas they are still popular today!

 

Malachi continues describing Christ’s second coming and Judgment Day.  “For behold, the day is coming.  Burning like an oven.  And all the proud, yes all who are wicked will become stubble.  And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the Lord of hosts.  That will leave them neither root nor branch.  But to you who fear My name, The Sun of Righteousness shall arise.  With healing in His wings:  And you shall go out.  And grow fat like stall-fed calves.  You shall trample the wicked.  For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this; says the Lord of hosts.”  (Malachi 4:1-3) 

 

The sun is a symbol of righteousness.  Jesus Christ is that Sun of Righteousness! And in that Day of the Lord, the night of wickedness will give way to the Day of righteousness.   The Sun will rise and send its beams to end the night and crowd out every pocket of darkness.  And in the end good will overcome evil, Christ will conquer Satan, and love will win over hate!

 

 Then the people who love God will grow fat like stall-fed calves and frolic around in their new found freedom and leap for joy.  Finally a world full of love and justice and plenty and rejoicing!  A world to enjoy where the lion will lay down with the lamb!  And a world where there will be no more killing –and no more war – no more sin –and no more disappointments – or sorrows or  frustration!  Or sickness or betrayals,  and no more enemies! All of those things will have been burned up and cleaned up by the Sun of Righteousness. And will be no more!    

 

There will be healing in His wings – healing for all our problems!  and for all our sorrows!  for all our sins!– and for all our fears!  And we will be healed and made new and we will be radiant and victorious through Christ!  And we will jump for joy and shout Hallelujahs!  It will be beyond our wildest imagination!      

 

 

 

Sorry but we will miss next week’s blog message – but stay tuned -we will be back in two weeks!  See you then.