Then we see the arrival of the Messiah and the four gospel accounts beginning with Matthew.
The way God is preached about in many churches today, one might conclude that during those 400 years of silence, God went off to a spiritual retreat to deal with anger issues and most likely learned how to chill out. Because if you spend any time at all reading and studying God’s word in the OT, that’s a ‘different God’ we read about. Or have been taught about in church.
So if the ‘serpent’ was effective in altering the way Eve perceived God’s word, who are we to think he could not do the same with us? John tells us in Revelation 12 that that old serpent is still deceiving the whole world, and in his letter states that the world is under his influence. (1 John 5:19)
Paul echoes similar insight in 2 Cor 4 where he writes that the ‘god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe’. He says that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. But, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Cor 3:16)
Two things I have noticed over time that you may experience if you continue exploring and studying the scriptures. You’ll sense more of this thing we call ‘the fear of God’ arising in you (which is a very good thing) . You also, as your heart turns with a desire to follow Jesus more closely, discover that the path seems to grow narrower. (Matt 7:14).
All I ask of you is to continue to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth and to confirm these things. And I implore you…whatever you do, please don’t just flat out reject the Word because it doesn’t ‘fit in the box’ of how you have always believed. Remember WHO the Word is! - “In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. (John 1)
When you reject the Word…who are you actually rejecting?
That is right. Jesus.
Now, back to Malachi.
In his last chapter, he, like many of the prophets of old, speaks of the coming of ‘The Great Day of God’ or the ‘Day of the Lord’.
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be 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…” (4:1)
{oh…for any who seem reluctant to venture back to these prophets of old, Peter declared in Acts 2:24 that ‘all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days’. He would later write in his second letter that we should ‘be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets’. 3:2}
Again…back to Malachi (sorry, not sorry) ;-)
This prophet asks: “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 launderers’ 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.” (3:2-3)
He goes on to describe swift judgment that will fall on the wicked…’because they do not fear Me’ (vs. 5).
And then we come across this little nugget before ‘signing off’ for 400 years …”For I am the Lord, I do not change.”
For the record, it would be silly to think that God went AWOL for four centuries. He has always had a people to whom He has watched over and walked with in covenant and communicated with. Malachi is just the last recorded transcript we have for that time period.
But God has never changed. Why would He need to? He’s God. He’s perfect. He’s the creator and our savior. Who are we to suggest He do otherwise? Seems like many churches today have taken on the role of a PR director …creating ‘seeker friendly’ churches…presenting a ‘softer side’ of God so we can build bigger buildings and bring in more people. Is it no wonder that most sitting on pews today might be somewhat familiar with Malachi primarily because he’s used to get folks on the tithing train?
…sigh…clay…telling the potter how it should be done….
If you are in the mood to explore more of some of the prophets of old (as Peter admonishes us to do), go spend some time reading the first 10-12 chapters of Jeremiah…but before you start, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any relevant truth for the NT church. This book is directed to a backslidden nation and warns of impending judgment. You will be amazed if you read further on the overlap and similarities that you also see in Revelation. Historical Babylon and ‘spiritual’ Babylon. But that is for ‘extra credit’ on your own time. ;-)
We’ve been on the subject of fire and refining and dealing with this old flesh nature so that we may be purified. In Jeremiah 4:4, this interesting illustration pops up: ‘circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the ‘foreskins of your hearts’, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no once can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.”
You may not know this, but Paul writes in Colossians of a ‘spiritual circumcision and the foreskins of the heart’. And it’s that old stinking flesh thing again…that needs to be ‘cut off’ and removed and goes back once more…to the heart.
Is it not amazing how these ‘dots begin to connect’?
Jeremiah 22:7-9 – “I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; they shall cut down your choice cedars and cast them into the fire. And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city? Then they will answer, ‘because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.”
Just a couple of notes of interest here.
-When we refuse to repent of any sin or work of the flesh, it becomes an idol in our heart. We end up ‘serving’ pride or lust or greed or _____. Let’s just call them ‘other gods’.
-God created ‘destroyers’. (you might check out Isa 54:16)
These ‘destroyers’ go out to ‘cut down trees’. (you might want to check out Matt 3:7-12; Luke 13:6-9; John 15:6; Matt 13:41-42 and Psalm 74:1-8) Oh…remember that one blind man who Jesus led out of town and prayed for. He asked him after praying “what do you see?” To which the man responded in Mark 8:24- “I see men, as trees walking…” Now go look up Matt 7:19…seriously, right now. Go read that aloud.
The very next chapter in Jeremiah, 23, takes a hard stand against the ‘shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of God’s pasture’.
You might just spend some time in this whole chapter. Seriously.
But vs 16-22 really stand out. God tells the people to not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you…they make you worthless…they speak a vision of their own heart and Not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise me…’The Lord has said ‘you shall have peace’…to those who walk according to the dictates of their own heart they say’ no evil shall come upon you.’
Then he adds that a ‘whirlwind of the Lord’ will come down in fury and that the ‘anger’ of the Lord will not be turned back until He has executed his plans. And that ‘In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.” (20)
You might be thinking, “well I don’t hate God”.
For the record, when we refuse to deal with this flesh nature (yes…I keep bringing this up), you are in effect saying you love it more than you love God. Your mind/heart are more fixed on pleasing the flesh, which is what we are told is being ‘carnally minded’. Romans 8:7 says the ‘carnal mind is hostile to God and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.’
“Destroyers’…’whirlwind of the Lord’…’tree cutters’ …’anger of God’…’fire of the Lord’’… Such an ominous tone to it all.
This is probably ending on a somber note today but I just can’t apologize for that.
Keep in mind though, that if any of this sounds to be less than encouraging and more like ‘bad news’, you can be sure of this: God has some really GOOD news. It’s called the ‘Gospel’. And He already has made a way of escape to whoever ‘calls on the name of the Lord’. But there is just a little bit more involved than ‘calling’. ;- )
I’ve said it before and will say again…you just don’t appreciate ‘good news’ as much, until you hear the ‘bad news’ first.
Jesus: “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under wings, but you were not willing!...These are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Matt 23:37; Luke 21:22)
….sigh…
I’m sure you have a busy day ahead getting that Turkey and trimmings ready. Please know, the One to whom we offer ‘Thanksgiving’ to tomorrow…is ‘long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet 3:9)
Have a blessed day.
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