Escaping from Dead Religion -- The Book of Malachi

Dear God seekers,

I want to share with you today an important message from the Lord found in the book of Malachi, which is still relevant for us today, despite those who believe it isn't. Let me encourage you to read the book yourself, which won't take long, since it is only four chapters. Among other things, it depicts dead religion and the need to escape from it.

It begins with the words, "The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi." (Mal 1:1). In the Septuagint, the book begins with the words, "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of his messenger. Lay it, I pray you, to heart." Let's listen now to the burden of the Word of the Lord and lay it to heart ourselves.

As it turned out, this is somewhat of a commentary on the book of Malachi, which I trust you will find edifying as I did when I wrote it. Here are some of the topics the Lord spoke about through the prophet Malachi, which are recurring themes in the book:

Honor 
One recurring theme is that of honor. The Lord expects us to honor Him.

“'And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,' says the Lord Almighty, 'I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.'" (Mal 2:1-2, NIV)

"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name." (Mal 3:16, NIV)

He also alluded to the honor that sons have for their fathers when their hearts are in right relationship with them in 4:5-6. He spoke about this explicitly in 1:6, when He said:

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. (Mal 1:6a, NIV).

Therefore, let's be careful to give the Lord the honor and respect He deserves.

Reverence and Awe
Another recurring theme is reverence and awe, which the Lord also expects us to give Him, and yet they are mostly absent in the Church today. In the prophecy, the Lord speak about how Levi initially revered Him and stood in awe of Him.

“My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence (mora) and he revered (yare) me and stood in awe (chathath) of my name." (Mal 2:5, NIV).

The Hebrew word for reverence is mora, meaning fear, dread, or terror. The word for revered is yare, meaning to fear, reverence, or dread. The word for stood in awe is chathath, meaning properly to prostrate; be afraid, be amazed, be scares, or be terrified.

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." (Mal 4:2, NIV)

Here the Hebrew word for reverence is yare, meaning to fear, reverence, or dread.

For more on this topic, please see my article Bowing Low in Worship and Lifting Hands in Prayer.

Fear of the Lord
Another recurring theme is the proper fear of the Lord, which is still needed today.

“'Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and my name is to be feared among the nations.'" (Mal 1:14, NIV)

Here the Hebrew word for reverence is from yare, meaning to fear, reverence, or dread.

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear (yare) Me,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:5, NIV)

"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared (yare) the Lord and honored His name." (Mal 3:16)

For more on this, see my articles, Should You Fear the Lord? and Salvation with Fear and Trembling.

Greatness
The Lord proclaims His greatness repeatedly in this prophecy, which is something we need to be reminded of.

"You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’" (Mal 1:5, NIV).

The Hebrew word for great is gadal, meaning magnified, excellent, large in honor, promoted). This same word is used in the following two verses:

"My name will be great (gadal) among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great (gadal) among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 1:11, NIV)

"For I am a great (gadal) king,” says the Lord Almighty..." Mal 1:14.

His greatness is one reason why we should honor Him, fear Him, and give Him reverence and awe.

For more on this topic, see my articles Who is God? Part I and Part II.

Covenant 
Another theme of Malachi is covenant, which the Lord mentioned repeatedly.

"'And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,' says the Lord Almighty. 'My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.'" (Mal 2:4-5, NIV)

The Hebrew word for covenant in the verses above, as well as the ones below, is berith, meaning covenant or compact. The priests had violated the covenant God made with Levi.

"'But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 2:8, NIV)

The Jews who had returned from exile to Jerusalem had profaned the covenant of their fathers by being unfaithful to one another and taking the daughters of foreign gods to be their wives. In other words, they married heathen women, as recorded in the book of Nehemiah.

"Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?" (Mal 2:10, NIV)

The Jews did not understand why the Lord no longer accepted their offerings.

"You ask, 'Why?' It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant." Mal 2:14, NIV78)

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:1, NIV).

So as we can see, there are covenants between God and man, as well as covenants that people have with each other, including the covenant that is between a man and his wife. God take all of these seriously.

Breaking Faith
Connected with the theme of covenants is the issue of breaking faith. This is what happens when people violate a covenant.

"Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our father by breaking faith with one another? Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god." (Mal 2:10-11, NIV78)

The Hebrew word for breaking faith is bagad, meaning deal deceitfully, unfaithfully, treacherously, act covertly, cover). This word occurs again three times in verses 14-16, which I have underlined below.

"Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. "But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (Mal 2:14-16, NASB)

Another way to say "break faith" or "deal treacherously" in English is "to betray, break one's word, break promises, renege."

The Lord said He hates divorce and him who "covers his garment with wrong."

The word for "cover" is kasah, meaning clad oneself, conceal, cover, or clothe oneself. The word for "garment" is leboosh, meaning garment, raiment, clothing, or wife. The word for "wrong" is chamas, meaning violence, wrong, cruelty, or injustice.

Thus there is a double meaning to verse 16, which can also mean, "I hate divorce. It covers your wife with violence. So take heed that you do not deal treacherously." Or as the NIV says, “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. (2:16, NIV). Or as the NIV 1978 version says, "'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel,' and I hate a man's covering himself (or his wife) with violence as well as with his garment,' says the Lord Almighty." Or as the GNB says, "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife."

Since God hates it when people break faith, deal treacherously with their spouses, and He hates divorce, which is a violation of the marriage covenant and literally means "sending away", these things will hinder your prayers. As the apostle Peter said:

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." (1 Pe 3:7, NIV)

For more on this topic, please see my articles, Divorce -- Three Divine Revelations and Adultery According to Jesus.

Accepted or Not 
Another theme in this prophecy is whether one is accepted by God or not, and whether one if pleasing or not. There are certain conditions for this, and it is directly connected with how one treats God, as well as how one treats his wife, as I have just explained above.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

“By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased (ratsah) with you? Would he accept (nasa) you?” says the Lord Almighty.

“Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. (Mal 1:7-10, NIV)

The Hebrew word for "be pleased" in verses 8 and 10 is ratsah, meaning pleased with, delighted, enjoy, satisfied. The Hebrew word for accept in verse 10 is chephets, meaning pleasure; acceptable, desire, things desired. The Hebrew word for accept in verse 8 is nasa, meaning accept, desire, receive, regard, or respect.

As the proverb says, "If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable." (Prov 28:9, NIV). Since the Israelites had turned a deaf ear to God's law, He did not accept their offerings. The same is true today if you refuse to follow God's ways.

We see the word ratsah again in verse 13.

And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept (ratsah) them from your hands?” says the Lord." (Mal 1:13, NIV)

"Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor (panah) on your offerings or accepts (laqach) them with pleasure (ratson) from your hands." (Mal 2:13, NIV)

The Hebrew word for looks or regards is panah, meaning look, regard, or respect. The Hebrew word for accepts is laqach, meaning accept or receive. The Hebrew word for pleasure is ratson, meaning delight, desire, favour, or (good) pleasure.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years." (Mal 3:2-4, NIV)

The Hebrew word for acceptable is areb, meaning be pleasant, be pleasing, take pleasure in, or be sweet. Once the sons of Levi have been refined like gold and silver, then they may present offerings to the Lord in righteousness that He will be well pleased with.

For more on this see my article, The Refiner's Fire, Pleasing the Lord, and Prayer That Pleases the Father's Heart.

Wicked and Evildoers 
Another theme that recurs in Malachi's prophecy is that of the wicked and evildoers.

"Edom may say, 'Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.' But this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.' (Mal 1:4, NIV)

The word for wicked is resha, meaning wrong, especially morally, or wickedness.

"You have wearied the Lord with your words. 'How have we wearied him?' you ask. By saying, 'All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them' or 'Where is the God of justice?'” (Mal 2:17, NIV)

The Hebrew word for evil in this verse is ra, meaning bad, evil, wicked, wretchedness, harm, trouble, mischief.

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’” (Mal 3:14-15, NIV)

The Hebrew word for evildoers is a combination of the word for "doers" and the word rishah, meaning wrong (especially moral): - fault, wickedly (-ness).

“'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the Lord Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 4:1, 3, NIV)

The Hebrew word for wicked is rasha, meaning morally wrong; bad person, condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.

Pure, Righteous, and Godly 
In contrast to the wicked and evildoers is the remnant who are pure, godly, and righteous. This is another theme in Malachi.

The Lord speaks of Levi's faithfulness to the covenant saying:

"True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin." (Mal 2:6, NIV)

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, meaning safe, well, happy, health, prosperity, perfect peace, favour, wholly. The word for uprightness is miyshor, meaning concord (agreement or harmony); also straightness, that is, justice, equity, or uprightness.

"Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth." (Mal 2:15, NIV78).

The Hebrew word for godly offspring comes from two words -- zera elohim. The word elohim, which here means godly, is the same word that is often used for God in Hebrew Scripture. In fact, it is used over 2,600 times in Scripture, usually referring to the Supreme God, but sometimes referring to gods. The word zera means offspring, descendants, or seed. Another way to translate zera elohim is a "seed of God" or an "offspring of God."

The seventeenth-century English preacher and Bible commentator Matthew Henry said that the reason God wanted each man and his one wife to remain together in love, harmony, and purity for life was so that "children, being born in holy matrimony...might thus be made a seed to serve Him, and be bred, as they are born, under His direction and dominion."

Malachi wrote about the Lord: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness..." (Mal 3:3, NIV).

The word for purify is taher, meaing make bright, pure, physically sound, clear, unadulterated, uncontaminated; morally innocent or holy, clean. The word for righteousness is tsedâqâh, meaning rightness, justice, morally virtue, righteousness.

“'On the day when I act,' says the Lord Almighty, 'they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.'" (Mal 3:17-18, NIV)

The Hebrew word for righteous is tsaddı̂yq, meaning just, lawful, righteous.

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness (tsedâqâh) will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." (Mal 4:2, NIV)

This verse speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns, referring to Him as the Sun of righteousness. The word for righteousness here is tsedâqâh, which I have defined above. For more on this, please see my articles Light of the World, The Righteous Will Shine Forth as the Sun, and Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?

Turning from the Lord and Turning from Sin 

Another recurring theme is that of turning from the Lord, and in contrast to it the act of tuning from sin back to the Lord.

"True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin." (Mal 2:6, NIV)

The Hebrew word for turned is shub, meaning to turn back, turn away, bring back, bring home again, carry back, convert, deliver, fetch home again, get back again, pull in again, recall, recover, refresh, relieve, repent, rescue, restore, retrieve, cause to return, reverse, send back, cause to turn again, cause to turn away).

"'But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 2:8)

The Hebrew word for turned in this verse is sur, meaning call back, depart, go aside, rebel, revolt, turn aside, turn away). The was rebuking the priests, because they had rebelled against His ways and caused others to stumble by their teachings. The same is true today of some churches and ministers of the gospel, many of which I have written about on my blog, The Truth of God's Word.

“'I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away (sur) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return (shub) to me, and I will return (shub) to you,' says the Lord Almighty. 'But you ask, "How are we to return  (shub)?"'" (Mal 3:6-7, NIV)

Since the Jews had rebelled and departed from the ways of the Lord, He was calling them to return back to Him once again. He was giving them a chance to repent. The same is true for those who have departed from His ways today. He is calling us to repent and return to Him once again.

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:8-10, NIV).

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Prov 28:13, NIV).

For more on this please see my articles Repentance That Leads to Life, The Straight and Narrow Path, Restored Truth, Ask for the Ancient Paths, and Holy Living in a Perverted World.

Oracle, word, message, laws, decrees, and requirements
Another recurring theme is that of the Lord's oracles, messages, laws, decrees, and requirements.

As I mentioned in my introduction, the book begins with the words, "The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi." (Mal 1:1).

The Hebrew word for oracle is massa, meaning a burden, an utterance, chiefly a doom, prophecy; dabar: word, commandment, communication, counsel, decree, judgment, message, oracle. Therefore, this prophecy or message represented the Lord's burden concerning His people. He had a burden on His heart and needed to communicate His warning to them.

"'And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 2:4, NIV)

The Hebrew word for warning in this verse is mitsvah, meaning commandment.

“So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.” (Mal 2:9, NIV).

The word for law here is torah: precept; law. Since the priests had shown partiality in matters of the law, the Lord caused them to be despised and humiliated before the people. He said He would smear the dung from their animal sacrifices on their faces.

“Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them." (Mal 3:7, NIV)

The word for decrees is  choq: commandment, decree, law.

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?’” (Mal 3:14, NIV)

The word for requirements is mishmereth: ordinances.

“Remember the law (torah) of my servant Moses, the decrees (choq) and laws (mishpat) I gave him at Horeb for all Israel." (Mal 4:4).

I know people don't like rules, but even under the New Covenant in Jesus' blood, there are still commandments. For more on this, please see my articles, Remembering the Eternal Law of God, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Faith Works, The Spirit's Law of Life, and Is Obedience Optional?

Curses
Another theme is that of curses.

The book begins with the curse on Edom, which I have already mentioned in 1:2-4. Again, He mentions curses in verse 14:

“Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations." (Mal 1:14, NIV)

The word for curse here is arar: bitterly curse. You may not think this has any application for us today, but it does. Do you ever give God second best?

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse (meerah) on you, and I will curse (arar) your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed (arar) them, because you have not resolved to honor me." (Mal 2:1-2, NIV)

The Hebrew word meerah means an execration or act of cursing.

"As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents an offering to the LORD of hosts. (Mal 2:12)

The word for cut off is karath: cut off, cut down, perish, destroy. The reason for this curse upon them was that they had married the daughter of a foreign god, which the Lord Almighty had warned them not to do. In other words, they had married heathen women. Believers should not marry believers or they will be unequally yoked. What fellowship has light with darkness?

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." (Mal 4:6)

The word for curse here is cherem, meaning curse, utter destruction. So the wicked shall be cursed, even in the New Covenant, and even if they call Jesus Lord. He said this Himself in Matthew 7:21-23. Our hearts must be turned toward our fathers, especially to our Heavenly Father, to whom we can only come through Jesus Christ. We must do His will or else we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said He will tell the evildoers to depart from Him, who call Him Lord, but do not do the Father's will.

"Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. "You are cursed (arar) with a curse (meerah), for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! (Mal 3:8-9)

The whole nation was under a curse for robbing God, because they were withholding from Him their tithes and offerings. 

Blessings
In contrast to the curses, another theme is that of blessings.

"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,' says the Lord Almighty. 'Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:10-12)

The word for blessing here is berakah, meaning benediction; prosperity, blessing, liberal, pool, present. Just as the whole nation was under a curse for withholding tithes and offerings from the Lord, He commanded them to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and see how He would bless them so much that they would not have room enough to receive.

Many Christians today withhold their tithes and offerings from the Lord. They don't think they cannot afford it, but they cannot afford NOT to give tithes and offerings. And many pastors and teachers tell people that tithing is not necessary for Christians, which is unbiblical. Giving to the Lord is still required for His saints.

For more on this, please see my articles Is Tithing Required for Christians? and Where Should You Give Your Tithe?

Wrath and judgment 
There is also the theme of wrath and judgment upon the wicked. The book actually begins with this by using Esau, whom God hated, and Edom as an example. He said that the people of Edom would forever be objects of His indignation in 1:2-5.

The Hebrew word for indignation is zaam: to foam at the mouth, that is, to be enraged, abhor, (be) angry, defy, (have) indignation.

The Jews who returned from exile wondered why the Lord was not accepting their offerings, so He told them why.

"You ask, 'Why?' It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant." (Mal 2:14, NIV)

The Lord was a witness against them in this matter. The word for witness is ud: to protest, to testify, to charge, to bear witness.

"Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts." (Mal 3:5)

The word for "judgment" is mishpat: a verdict pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree, justice, determination, judgment, sentence. The word for witness is ed, a witness; abstractly testimony; specifically a recorder, that is, prince: - witness. For more on this, please see my articles,  Remembering the Eternal Law of God and The Judgment Seat of Christ.

Of course, the last chapter vividly depicts the judgment that will come upon the wicked when the Sun of Righteousness returns:

"'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,' says the LORD of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,' says the LORD of hosts." (Mal 4:1-3)

For more on this, please see The Coming Wrath of God and Urgent End Time Warning from the Lord, as well as Prophetic End Time Warnings from Little Children.

Hearts
The theme of hearts is another recurring one in Malachi.

In the Septuagint, the very first verse has the phrase added, "Lay it, I pray you, to heart." The prophet admonishes us to lay this message to heart.

The Greek word for heart in the Septuagint is kardia, meaning heart, mind, spirit, preference of will, inner life, intention.

"If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name," says the LORD of hosts, "then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart." (Mal 2:2)

The Hebrew word for heart here in 2:2 is leb, meaning heart, mind, feelings. It is also used in Mal 4:6, regarding the restoration of family relationships.

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." (Mal 4:6)

Fathers and sons
Another recurring theme is that of fathers and sons, which the Lord uses to show the kind of relationship we should have with Him as our Father.

“'A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 1:6, NIV).

The Hebrew word for father is ab, meaning father, which is also the same word used in 2:10 and 4:6, which I mentioned in the last section above. And the Hebrew word for son is ben.

"Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?" (Mal 2:10)

For more on this, please see my article, Jesus Alone Reveals the Father and God the Father Almighty.

Husbands and Wives 
As I have already mentioned in my section above on "Breaking Faith," one of the key themes in this book is the relationship between husbands and wives, as expressed in these verses:

"This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. "Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. "But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (Mal 2:13-16)

The Hebrew word for wife is ishsha: woman, wife. As Paul said, the relationship between a man and wife is a profound mystery that typifies the relationship that Christ has with His church (Eph 5:22-33). This is why husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the Church and must love their wives as themselves. And wives must submit to their husbands. And this is why Jesus said that what God has joined together, let no man separate (Mk 10:9; Mt 19:6). He told the Pharisees, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." (Mt 19:6). It's not God's will for couples to get divorced, but they should remain together in harmonious matrimony.

For more on this topic, please see my articles, Divorce -- Three Divine Revelations and Adultery According to Jesus.

Serving 
Another recurring theme found in this book is that of serving the Lord.

" 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' (Mal 1:6)

The word for servant here is ebed: servant).

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?" (Mal 3:14, NIV)

The word for serve here is abad: to serve, be bondmen, labour, be a servant, do service, work, worshiper. The Jews were weary of serving God and thus spoke arrogantly against Him. The same can happen to Christian believers when they grow weary of serving God, and find it boring or tiresome to worship, pray, read the Bible, and put the Word into practice. If that is you, then you should repent and ask the Lord to forgive you for having such an arrogant attitude toward Him. He will soon come and we will see how He makes a distinction between those who serve Him and those who do not.

“'On the day when I act,' says the Lord Almighty, 'they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve (abad) God and those who do not.'" (Mal 3:17-18, NIV)

For more on this, please see my article, Having a Servant's Heart.

Burden
Another recurring theme is that of burden. On the one hand, the Jews found it a burden to serve God, and their hearts were not in it, so the Lord's heart was burdened because of it.

I have already mentioned that the book begins with the words, "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of his messenger. Lay it, I pray you, to heart." (Mal 1:1, LXX)

The word for burden here is massa: burden, utterance, prophecy.

And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 1:13, NIV)

The Hebrew word for burden here is telâ'âh: distress: - travail, travel, trouble.

Here is another verse where we find this mentioned:

"You have wearied the Lord with your words. 'How have we wearied him?' you ask. By saying, 'All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them' or 'Where is the God of justice?' ” (Mal 2:17, NIV)

The word for weary is yaga: to gasp; hence to be exhausted, to tire, to toil, to faint, to labour, to weary. Their attitude toward the Lord wearied Him. As Matthew Henry aptly stated, "It is a wearisome thing, even to God himself, to hear people insist upon their own justification in their corrupt and wicked practices, and plead their atheistical principles in vindication of them." Let us be careful that we do not do the same.

Fire 

Another interesting theme that recurs in Malachi is that of fire.

The first mention of it occurs in 1:10, where the Lord wishes they would stop lighting useless fires on His altar.

“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands." (Mal 1:10, NIV).

The word for fire is "or," meaning to kindle, set on fire.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness..." (Mal 3:2-3, NIV)

The Hebrew word for fire is esh, meaning fire, burning, fiery, flaming, hot. Many people long for the Lord's return, but they will not be able to endure that day or stand when He appears. That's why Jesus taught us to pray that we would be able to stand when the Son of Man appears and escape all these things that are coming to pass (Lk 21:36). We must ask Him to purify our hearts and make them as gold and silver. In order to do this, He will need to refine us with holy fire.

Here is what the Lord's coming will be like for the wicked:

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them." (Mal 4:1, NIV)

The word for furnace is tannur, meaning a fire pot: - furnace, oven. The word for burn is baar, meaning to set on fire, consume, kindle, burn; lahat: burn, set on fire, flaming, kindle. The word for fire is lahat, meaning to lick, that is, (by implication) to blaze: - burn (up), set on fire, flaming, kindle.

On the other hand, for the righteous, the Lord's coming will be wonderful, even though the Lord will be like the Sun:

" 'But for you who revere my name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 4:2-3, NIV)

The Hebrew word for Sun is shemesh, meaning the sun and it's brilliant rays (note that the second half of the word is "esh", which I defined above as fire, burning, fiery, flaming, hot). For the righteous, His coming will bring healing to them and they will be full of joy as they trample the wicked like ashes under their feet, who have been burned up by the holy fire of God (2 Thes 1:7; 2 Pet 3:7).

For more on this topic, please see my articles, The Refiner's Fire and Holy Fire Baptism.

Messenger
Another recurring theme is that of messengers, which is also very interesting.

First of all, the very name of the prophet Malachi found in verse 1:1 is the Hebrew word malaki. It comes from malak, meaning messenger, angel, priest, teacher, or prophet. In fact, in the Greek Septuagint, the word used instead of malaki is angellou, meaning angel or messenger. For this reason, some people believe that "malaki" is not the proper name of the prophet, but an anonymous reference to the messenger through whom the Lord gave this message. This could be possible, especially since there is no genealogy given for Malachi, not even the name of his father, as is usually done by the other prophets (Is 1:1; Jer 1:1, Zech 1:1, etc.), but it is more likely that this was actually the prophet's name.

Interestingly, Malaki the Lord's messenger gave a prophecy to the Levites, who had gone astray from the Lord, and were priests who no longer pleased the Lord.

He said, “ 'For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger (malak) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,' says the Lord Almighty. 'So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.' ” (Mal 2:7, NIV).

The Levite priests were supposed to be messengers of the Lord Almighty. That meant they were to be His priests, teachers, and prophets, like angels carrying His messages to the people. But instead they had turned from God's way, and by their teachings were causing many people to stumble.

And after this prophecy was given, it was followed by 400 silent years, in which there was no prophecy or vision. The next prophet to come onto the scene in Israel was the greatest prophet of all time (Mt 11:11; Lk 7:28), John the Baptist, who himself was a Levite. He was the son of a Levite priest named Zacharias, and his mother Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron the Levite priest (Lk 1:5-25). The Scripture says of John the Baptist's parents, "They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." (Luk 1:6). Therefore we could say that Zacharias was one of the Levites whom the Lord had purified like gold and silver, who brought offerings to the Lord in righteousness. It was this same John the Baptist that Malachi prophesied about in the following verse:

“ 'I will send my messenger (malak), who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger (malak) of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,' says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:1, NIV)

In the verse above, there are two messengers spoken of. The first messenger is John the Baptist, who was sent ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for Him. Later on Malachi refers to him again in the last two verses of the prophecy, which was the last prophetic utterance given until the appearance of John the Baptist. He said, “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes." (Mal 4:5, NIV)

The second messenger that Malachi referred to in Malachi 3:1 was the Messenger of the covenant, the Lord Himself, Whom they were seeking, Who would come into His temple. This is a reference to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

For more on this, please see my article, The Three Elijahs. Also see my note below the attribution notice about the image used in this article.

The Day of the Lord
The final recurring theme I would like to end with is the day of the Lord.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap." (Mal 3:2, NIV)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes." (Mal 4:5, NIV).

It's time to get ready, people. Jesus is coming back very soon, and He's only coming for the holy ones. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, and escape from dead religion. For more on this topic, please see my articles, The End Has Come, Grieve and Lament for the Church, and Waiting for the Lord's Return.

Attribution Notice: Most Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible NIV, where noted. Other Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible. The Set Free–Jesus, My Ransom image used with permission from John the Baptist Artworks copyright 2018. This pen-on-matboard piece was created by Christian fine artist Rebecca Brogan of Tasmania, Australia.

An interesting coincidence occurred with this image. After I published the article, I searched for an image of a man breaking free from chains and shackles, and when I found this one I decided to use it for this article to represent being set free by the Lord Jesus Christ from dead religion. When I sought to obtain permission to use the image, I discovered that it was by John the Baptist Artworks, which I had never heard of before. It seems quite coincidental to me that I would choose an image from an art gallery by that name, when I had just written about the references to John the Baptist in the book of Malachi as the "messenger" and "Elijah the prophet."

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I would like to invite you to read The Three Elijahs, The Refiner's Fire, Holy Fire Baptism,;Covenant Prayer, The End Has Come, Grieve and Lament for the Church, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Drifting Away, The Apostasy Parables, You Must Be Born Again, Abominations in the Sight of God, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Salvation with Fear and Trembling, In the Yolk of Christianity, The Flesh vs. the Spirit, Angelica Zambrano Heaven and Hell, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, and Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell. Also see the Home page for this blog. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Walking in Truth, Righteousness, and Holiness

In my article, The Wardrobe of the Saints, I explained the spiritual garments that the saints need to wear each day. One of those is the new man that we are supposed to put on. The apostle Paul said,

"But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph 4:20-24)

So as Paul said, we must put off the old self and put on the new self, which is created to be like God. There are two aspects of God's likeness in this new self: righteousness and holiness of the truth.

One version says: "And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph 4:24, NASB)

Another says: "And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:24, NIV)

The NASB has the truth as a modifier describing the kind of holiness that is found in the new man. It is holiness of the truth, as opposed to legalistic holiness that is outward only but has no substance or basis within.

The NIV has truth as a modifier of righteousness. It is true righteousness, as opposed to legalistic righteousness that is based on the written code and not according to the Spirit of God. True righteousness is distinguished from hypocrisy, false piety, and empty religiousness.

In my article about Michael Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, I wrote that Jesus said to brother Mike, “Tell man that if any man wants to see Me, he must walk in truth, righteousness, and holiness.  That is the only standard for heaven. Tell man I still love him.  Tell man My standard is high.  Tell man mercy is only attainable in the world.”

Since the Lord emphasized Truth, Righteousness, and Holiness, let's look at each of these three qualities one by one.

Truth
First of all, according to the gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:6). That's a radical statement! The truth is not simply information, but it is a person. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth. There is no other way to the Father except through Him.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians that the "Truth is in Jesus." (Eph 4:21). He also said that while there were many types and shadows found in the Hebrew Scriptures, reality is found in Christ (Col 2:17). What is true and real has now come and is found in Christ.

The truth is powerful. Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:32, NIV). And "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (Jn 8:36, NIV).

If you listen to the traditions of men and follow man-made rules, you will end up in bondage. If you follow the flesh, the world, or the devil, it will put you into bondage. But the Truth will set you free from every kind of bondage. Let me encourage you to pray and ask God for the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

The apostle John said the Father has commanded us to walk in the truth, and we must continue to walk in the truth (2 Jn 1:4; 3 Jn 1:3).

Truth is one of the primary characteristics of the new self that we must put on. For more on this topic, please see my articles, What is Truth?, Tradition vs. Truth, Restored Truth, and The Truth Set Me Free!

Righteousness
When the apostle said we must put on the new self, he said it is created to be like God in righteousness. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the only righteousness that God recognizes is imputed righteousness. In other words, imputed righteousness is the kind where a sinner who repents of his sin and puts His trust in Jesus Christ is instantly made righteous in God's sight by faith. At that moment, God imputes to that person the very righteousness of Christ. He is now truly righteous and made right with God completely. That is what I call positional righteousness, because we are made righteous with regard to our position in God. As Paul said:

"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'" (Rom 1:17)

"Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:" (Rom 4:4-6)

"What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law." (Rom 9:30-31)

"For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10:10)

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2Co 5:21)

However, there is another kind of righteousness that the Scripture speaks about, which we must have. This is the kind of righteousness that you must practice, so I call it practical righteousness. It is somewhat of a lost teaching, as you don't hear much about it any more. But preachers of old in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries used to preach about the need for it. Philip Henry, Matthew Henry, John Wesley, and others like them used to teach about it.

Before Christ, we are mere slaves to sin. We are bound to sin continually, which is the definition of bondage as I am using it here. But when a person comes to Christ, that old slave to sin dies and the person receives a new life with a new self that is a slave to righteousness. "And having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." (Rom 6:18). Now he is bound with Christ to always do what is right. He is bound to live a righteous life, which he could not live without Christ.

For without Him we can do nothing and all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags when we attempt to be religious apart from faith in Christ. But when we come to Christ by faith, He not only imputes his righteousness to us, but He also imparts righteousness, so that we can live it out ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit. This requires action on our part. The Scriptures are full of direct and indirect references to this kind of righteousness. Christ's Sermon on the Mount is full of examples, where he speaks about the righteous way of life God requires.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
(Mat 5:6)

"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:20)

While we certainly must practice this righteousness, we don't do it for men, but for the Lord. "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." (Mat 6:1)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Mat 6:33)

Paul wrote: "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets." (Rom 3:21). The Law and the Prophets both witnessed to the righteousness of God, which is attainable apart from observing the Law of Moses, "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction." (Rom 3:22)

"And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Rom 6:13)

As we present our members to God as instruments of righteousness, then He imparts His righteousness to us so that we can walk it out. This kind of righteousness requires your obedience. Paul said that obedience results in righteousness:

"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" (Rom 6:16)

Righteousness is one of the fruits of the light that we as children of the Light must produce as we walk out our lives:

"For the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord." (Eph 5:9-10).

We must try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord and then do it. That is practical righteousness and goodness. We must pursue righteousness:

"But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness." (1Ti 6:11)

The fact that we must be trained in righteousness from the Scriptures proves that we need more than just positional, but also the practical kind of righteousness. For there is no need to receive training in order to receive positional righteousness, but practical righteousness requires training:

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" (2Ti 3:16).

Notice that we receive this training in righteousness from all Scripture, both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, since they are all inspired by God and profitable for teaching as well as training us. That means that we are trained in righteousness not only from the Gospels and the Epistles, but also by the Law and the Prophets, as well as the Psalms and Proverbs.

The apostle wrote in the great Hall of Faith about the many saints gone before us who walked by faith, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Rahab, as well as Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, "who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." (Heb 11:33-34). They performed acts of righteousness by faith. That's practical righteousness or imparted righteousness.

This fruit of righteousness cannot be produced in a disciple without training by painful discipline.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb 12:11. NIV)

The apostle John in his epistles wrote that those who are born of Christ practice righteousness.

"If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him." (1Jn 2:29)

"Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;" (1Jn 3:7)

Don't let anyone tell you that the righteousness of God that He requires is only a state of being in your heart and not something you practice.

"Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy." (Rev 22:11)

Practical righteousness is a characteristic of the new self, which you can read more about it my articles Practicing Your Righteousness, Righteous Deeds and White Robes, Doing What is Right, and Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?

Holiness
Another primary characteristic of the new self that we must put on is holiness, which I have written about in other articles like Holy Living in a Perverted World, Aim for Perfection, and Called to Be Blameless. I mentioned discipline a moment ago, which is not only necessary to produce righteousness in our lives, but also holiness.

"For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness." (Heb 12:10).

If holiness were merely a positional state of being for the believer, then there would be no need for discipline in our lives in order to share in God's holiness. But discipline is necessary for our own good.

Peter taught that we must be holy. The fact that he had to instruct us to be holy shows that it involves our participation. He said:

"But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;" (1Pe 1:15)

Notice that the kind of holiness Peter taught was the kind that is like the Holy One who called you. The fact that it is like the Holy One shows that He is the standard for it. We must be holy in all our behavior, just as He is. The reason for that is: "Because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1Pe 1:16).

Paul taught that the unmarried woman and the virgin must concern herself with being holy in body and spirit.

"And his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband." (1Co 7:34).

If your holiness only affects your spirit, then it is not complete. It's not true holiness, because if it were true holiness it would affect your body, too.

Just as Peter taught that we must be holy, so did Paul. He said, "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him." (Eph 1:4). This means the Lord chose us that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

The Bride that the Lord Jesus is going to present is one who is holy and blameless. Paul wrote:

"That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." (Eph 5:27)

He taught that we must perfect holiness in the fear of God.

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2Co 7:1)

The apostle wrote:

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14, NIV)

There are two aspects of holiness taught in this verse that I want to point out. The first one is that you must make every effort to be holy, and the second one is that without holiness, no one will see the Lord's face.

Putting it All Together
So as we can see, this new self that we must all put on is characterized by truth, holiness, and righteousness, which are indispensable. We will not reach heaven without them.

The Lord said to Brother Michael Sambo, "I am commissioning you to go back into the world to tell them of My everlasting love for man. Tell man I love him with an everlasting love. Tell him to repent and turn to Me. Preach Christ the crucified. Preach Truth, Righteousness and Holiness; because that is the only way that can bring man to heaven. Preach holiness as if no one has ever preached it in the world."

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, unless otherwise noted. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted. 

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Following in His Steps, The Wardrobe of the Saints, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Aim for Perfection, Called to Be Blameless, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, Baptized with the Spirit, Holy Fire Baptism, The Straight and Narrow Path, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Pleasing the Lord, The Burning Ones, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, Ask for the Ancient Paths, The Knowledge of the Holy, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, Keeping a Good Conscience, Separation from the World, Having a Servant's Heart, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Righteous Deeds and White Robes, Doing What is Right, Partaking of the Divine Nature, The Ways of Life, The Refiner's Fire, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, Is Obedience Optional?, Obedience by the Spirit, and The Obedience of Faith.You can find more of my articles related to Seeking the Lord on the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Jonathan Edwards

Allow me to present to you a message by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), who is considered to be the greatest American theologian and philosopher of all time. He was a third-generation preacher, who was gifted by God with a brilliant mind and a sensitive heart. Having received significant theological training from his father as a child, he began studying Latin at age six, and could read Latin, Greek, and some Hebrew by the age of twelve.

He entered Yale College as an undergraduate at the age of thirteen, and graduated as the valedictorian. Following a difficult period at age seventeen, he said holiness was revealed to him as a ravishing, divine beauty. He desired simply to "to lie low before God, as in the dust; that I might be nothing, and that God might be all, that I might become as a little child."

He later went on to earn his Master of Arts degree before he was ordained for ministry and became a pastor. He typically spent thirteen hours a day in his study. Yet he still opened his doors to receive family and church members for prayer and counseling.

Edwards once preached a sermon called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God at his own church with unknown effect in Northhampton, Massachusetts. Later as a guest preacher at a church in Enfield, Connecticut, he once again preached this sermon on July 8, 1741.

As he preached his message to the congregation, it is said that his description of the wrath of God was so effective that sinners hung onto the pews with white knuckles for fear of slipping into hell. He was interrupted many times during the sermon by people moaning and crying out, "What shall I do to be saved?" In fact, one eyewitness, the Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, who later founded Dartmouth College, described the scene this way: "There was such a breathing of distress and weeping that the preacher was obliged to speak to the people and desire silence that he might be heard."

Amazingly the words he spoke that day have endured and are still read to this day. In fact, this sermon remains the leading example of a Great Awakening sermon. Therefore, I think it would be beneficial to publish it once again here, so that more people can have a chance to read its life-changing message.

A recurring theme that Edwards made throughout his message was that, "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God."

Ten Considerations
In the sermon, Edwards gave ten points for his hearers to consider:

1.     God may cast wicked men into hell at any given moment.

2.     The Wicked deserve to be cast into hell. Divine justice does not prevent God from destroying the Wicked at any moment.

3.     The Wicked, at this moment, suffer under God's condemnation to Hell.

4.     The Wicked, on earth - at this very moment - suffer a sample of the torments of Hell. The Wicked must not think, simply because they are not physically in Hell, that God (in Whose hand the Wicked now reside) is not - at this very moment - as angry with them as He is with those miserable creatures He is now tormenting in hell, and who - at this very moment - do feel and bear the fierceness of His wrath.

5.     At any moment God shall permit him, Satan stands ready to fall upon the Wicked and seize them as his own.

6.     If it were not for God's restraints, there are, in the souls of wicked men, hellish principles reigning which, presently, would kindle and flame out into hellfire.

7.     Simply because there are not visible means of death before them at any given moment, the Wicked should not feel secure.

8.     Simply because it is natural to care for oneself or to think that others may care for them, men should not think themselves safe from God's wrath.

9.     All that wicked men may do to save themselves from Hell's pains shall afford them nothing if they continue to reject Christ.

10.  God has never promised to save us from Hell, except for those contained in Christ through the covenant of Grace.

Here is an audio recording of a reading of the sermon, which you may listen to while reading the full text of the sermon found below it in this article:



Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

"Their foot shall slide in due time." Deuteronomy 32:35

In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God's visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God's wonderful works towards them, remained (as verse 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. -- The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.


1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, Psalm 73:18. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction."

2. It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18,19. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation as in a moment!"

3. Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.

4. That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands on such slippery declining ground, on the edge of a pit, he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost.

The observation from the words that I would now insist upon is this. -- "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -- By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment. -- The truth of this observation may appear by the following consideration.

1. There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. -- He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defence from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?

2. They deserve to be cast into hell; so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God's using his power at any moment to destroy them. Yea, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins. Divine justice says of the tree that brings forth such grapes of Sodom, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?" Luke 13:7. The sword of divine justice is every moment brandished over their heads, and it is nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy, and God's mere will, that holds it back.

3. They are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell. They do not only justly deserve to be cast down thither, but the sentence of the law of God, that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between him and mankind, is gone out against them, and stands against them; so that they are bound over already to hell. John 3:18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." So that every unconverted man properly belongs to hell; that is his place; from thence he is, John 8:23. "Ye are from beneath:" And thither he is bound; it is the place that justice, and God's word, and the sentence of his unchangeable law assign to him.

4. They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.

So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them.

5. The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:21. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

6. There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God's restraints. There is laid in the very nature of carnal men, a foundation for the torments of hell. There are those corrupt principles, in reigning power in them, and in full possession of them, that are seeds of hell fire. These principles are active and powerful, exceeding violent in their nature, and if it were not for the restraining hand of God upon them, they would soon break out, they would flame out after the same manner as the same corruptions, the same enmity does in the hearts of damned souls, and would beget the same torments as they do in them. The souls of the wicked are in scripture compared to the troubled sea, Isa. 57:20. For the present, God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea, saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;" but if God should withdraw that restraining power, it would soon carry all before it. Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable. The corruption of the heart of man is immoderate and boundless in its fury; and while wicked men live here, it is like fire pent up by God's restraints, whereas if it were let loose, it would set on fire the course of nature; and as the heart is now a sink of sin, so if sin was not restrained, it would immediately turn the soul into fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone.

7. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case.

8. Natural men's prudence and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment. To this, divine providence and universal experience do also bear testimony. There is this clear evidence that men's own wisdom is no security to them from death; that if it were otherwise we should see some difference between the wise and politic men of the world, and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death: but how is it in fact? Eccles. 2:16. "How dieth the wise man? even as the fool."

9. All wicked men's pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, "No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself -- I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief -- Death outwitted me: God's wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me."

10. God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant.

So that, whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction.

So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.

Application
The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. -- That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.

Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies. God's creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose, and groan when they are abused to purposes so directly contrary to their nature and end. And the world would spew you out, were it not for the sovereign hand of him who hath subjected it in hope. There are the black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you. The sovereign pleasure of God, for the present, stays his rough wind; otherwise it would come with fury, and your destruction would come like a whirlwind, and you would be like the chaff on the summer threshing floor.

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.

The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God. However you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it. Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with you, see that it was so with them; for destruction came suddenly upon most of them; when they expected nothing of it, and while they were saying, Peace and safety: now they see, that those things on which they depended for peace and safety, were nothing but thin air and empty shadows.

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment. -- And consider here more particularly,

1. Whose wrath it is: it is the wrath of the infinite God. If it were only the wrath of man, though it were of the most potent prince, it would be comparatively little to be regarded. The wrath of kings is very much dreaded, especially of absolute monarchs, who have the possessions and lives of their subjects wholly in their power, to be disposed of at their mere will. Prov. 20:2. "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: Whoso provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul." The subject that very much enrages an arbitrary prince, is liable to suffer the most extreme torments that human art can invent, or human power can inflict. But the greatest earthly potentates in their greatest majesty and strength, and when clothed in their greatest terrors, are but feeble, despicable worms of the dust, in comparison of the great and almighty Creator and King of heaven and earth. It is but little that they can do, when most enraged, and when they have exerted the utmost of their fury. All the kings of the earth, before God, are as grasshoppers; they are nothing, and less than nothing: both their love and their hatred is to be despised. The wrath of the great King of kings, is as much more terrible than theirs, as his majesty is greater. Luke 12:4,5. "And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

2. It is the fierceness of his wrath that you are exposed to. We often read of the fury of God; as in Isa. 59:18. "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries." So Isa. 66:15. "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." And in many other places. So, Rev. 19:15, we read of "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." The words are exceeding terrible. If it had only been said, "the wrath of God," the words would have implied that which is infinitely dreadful: but it is "the fierceness and wrath of God." The fury of God! the fierceness of Jehovah! Oh, how dreadful that must be! Who can utter or conceive what such expressions carry in them! But it is also "the fierceness and wrath of almighty God." As though there would be a very great manifestation of his almighty power in what the fierceness of his wrath should inflict, as though omnipotence should be as it were enraged, and exerted, as men are wont to exert their strength in the fierceness of their wrath. Oh! then, what will be the consequence! What will become of the poor worms that shall suffer it! Whose hands can be strong? And whose heart can endure? To what a dreadful, inexpressible, inconceivable depth of misery must the poor creature be sunk who shall be the subject of this!

Consider this, you that are here present, that yet remain in an unregenerate state. That God will execute the fierceness of his anger, implies, that he will inflict wrath without any pity. When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires. Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear. Ezek. 8:18. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain; you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God, as to any regard to your welfare. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; you shall be continued in being to no other end; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction; and there will be no other use of this vessel, but to be filled full of wrath. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only "laugh and mock," Prov. 1:25,26, etc.

How awful are those words, Isa. 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." It is perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, viz. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favour, that instead of that, he will only tread you under foot. And though he will know that you cannot bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he will not regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt: no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet to be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

3. The misery you are exposed to is that which God will inflict to that end, that he might show what that wrath of Jehovah is. God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is. Sometimes earthly kings have a mind to show how terrible their wrath is, by the extreme punishments they would execute on those that would provoke them. Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty and haughty monarch of the Chaldean empire, was willing to show his wrath when enraged with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and accordingly gave orders that the burning fiery furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was before; doubtless, it was raised to the utmost degree of fierceness that human art could raise it. But the great God is also willing to show his wrath, and magnify his awful majesty and mighty power in the extreme sufferings of his enemies. Rom. 9:22. "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" And seeing this is his design, and what he has determined, even to show how terrible the unrestrained wrath, the fury and fierceness of Jehovah is, he will do it to effect. There will be something accomplished and brought to pass that will be dreadful with a witness. When the great and angry God hath risen up and executed his awful vengeance on the poor sinner, and the wretch is actually suffering the infinite weight and power of his indignation, then will God call upon the whole universe to behold that awful majesty and mighty power that is to be seen in it. Isa. 33:12-14. "And the people shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire. Hear ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites," etc.

Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state, if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty, and terribleness of the omnipotent God shall be magnified upon you, in the ineffable strength of your torments. You shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth and look on the awful spectacle, that they may see what the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty is; and when they have seen it, they will fall down and adore that great power and majesty. Isa. 66:23,24. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."

4. It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power of God's anger?"

How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. Oh that you would consider it, whether you be young or old! There is reason to think, that there are many in this congregation now hearing this discourse, that will actually be the subjects of this very misery to all eternity. We know not who they are, or in what seats they sit, or what thoughts they now have. It may be they are now at ease, and hear all these things without much disturbance, and are now flattering themselves that they are not the persons, promising themselves that they shall escape. If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation, that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of! If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and bitter cry over him! But, alas! instead of one, how many is it likely will remember this discourse in hell? And it would be a wonder, if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some persons, that now sit here, in some seats of this meeting-house, in health, quiet and secure, should be there before tomorrow morning. Those of you that finally continue in a natural condition, that shall keep out of hell longest will be there in a little time! your damnation does not slumber; it will come swiftly, and, in all probability, very suddenly upon many of you. You have reason to wonder that you are not already in hell. It is doubtless the case of some whom you have seen and known, that never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive as you. Their case is past all hope; they are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day's opportunity such as you now enjoy!

And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ?

Are there not many here who have lived long in the world, and are not to this day born again? and so are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and have done nothing ever since they have lived, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath? Oh, sirs, your case, in an especial manner, is extremely dangerous. Your guilt and hardness of heart is extremely great. Do you not see how generality persons of your years are passed over and left, in the present remarkable and wonderful dispensation of God's mercy? You had need to consider yourselves, and awake thoroughly out of sleep. You cannot bear the fierceness and wrath of the infinite God. -- And you, young men, and young women, will you neglect this precious season which you now enjoy, when so many others of your age are renouncing all youthful vanities, and flocking to Christ? You especially have now an extraordinary opportunity; but if you neglect it, it will soon be with you as with those persons who spent all the precious days of youth in sin, and are now come to such a dreadful pass in blindness and hardness. -- And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the land are converted, and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings?

And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God's word and providence. This acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favour to some, will doubtless be a day of as remarkable vengeance to others. Men's hearts harden, and their guilt increases apace at such a day as this, if they neglect their souls; and never was there so great danger of such persons being given up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles' days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God's Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the axe is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire.

Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed."

END OF SERMON

Afterword
I hope that this sermon will once again touch the lives of thousands of people around the world who need to hear it. The churches are full of people who have never been born again. They may be religious, but they have never had the life-changing experience of being regenerated by the Spirit of God. Although others may not even know that these people have not been born again, God knows, and they will not see His kingdom unless they are born again.

There are also many who sit in church week after week, who have had the experience of being born again at some point. But they have since corrupted their ways, because they have somehow compromised with the world, the flesh, or the devil.

There are also many who sincerely feel they love Jesus and believe He is the center of their lives. They maintain communion with Him and serve Him. But they are not living holy lives. They think holiness is just a matter of the heart and not something that would have any observable evidence to those who see their lives outwardly. But holiness does make a difference on the outside of your body, as well as the inside of your heart. And without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Heb 12:14).

The Lord Jesus is coming back soon, but He is only coming for those who are born again, and only for the holy ones. He still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high. The standard is righteousness, holiness, and truth. Do you meet His standard?

If not, I want to urge you, my friend, to repent before it's too late. You don't know if you will even have tomorrow. You could die before Jesus returns. So please take this message seriously and go to the Lord in prayer right now, so that you will not perish with the millions that are already in hellfire and the countless souls that are falling into the pit each day.

Attribution Notice: All images are in the public domain and used for educational and commentary purposes only, according to the Fair Use Act.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this article. I would like to invite you to read Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Drifting Away, The Apostasy Parables, You Must Be Born Again, Abominations in the Sight of God, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Salvation with Fear and Trembling, In the Yolk of Christianity, Modern Day Idols, Angelica Zambrano Heaven and Hell, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell. Also see the Home page for this blog. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.