Malachi 4 | God’s Last Word to Israel | Pastor Daniel Banna

Finally, we have come to the end of the book of Malachi, God's last word to Israel. Now the whole book of Malachi is God's last word to Israel, but let us read what God has to say to the nation he called his people beginning in verse one of chapter four, Malachi four one. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all evil doers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall sit in a blaze, 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 shall rise with healing in its wings.

You shall go out leaving like calves from the stall, and you shall tread down the wicked for there will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the lord of hosts. Remember the law of my servant, Moses. The statues and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes, and he will turn the hearts of the father to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. Lord, we pray that your word will speak to us today as it always does.

We know that your word never returns back to you void, but it will always accomplishes what you intended it to do. Lord, we pray that your word will dwell and will bring fruits in our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now this is God's last word to his nation Israel.

Now what would you think if God looks at the professing church today? What would be, you think, his word to her? What would be his last word to her? I'm afraid to say he would tell her what he told the church in Revelation three sixteen because you are not cold or hot. I'm I'm about to spit you out of my mouth.

It is a harsh reality on the condition of the church today. But what he would what would he say you think if he looked at the true church, the faithful church, me and you, if we are truly faithful, I am confident he would look at us and he would say, because you have kept my word about patience, endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world. I will keep you from that hour. I will keep you out of the hour of trial, and the church would respond and say, come, lord Jesus. Quickly come, lord Jesus.

What began last time looking at this chapter, chapter four of this book, concerning the day of the Lord, and this is in reality the second part of that message, the day of the Lord. And we have mentioned few things that must take a place before the day of the Lord begins, and I want to bring attention to those things that we have talked about. And number one is the return of the Jews back to their land in unbelief. This took place in 1948. In 1967, Jerusalem was recaptured.

Secondly, the rapture of the church. This is what we are waiting for. This is the hope of the church for the last two thousand years. Come, Lord Jesus. Quickly come, Lord Jesus.

This is our hope. In Revelation six sixteen, speaking of that day, the first part of tribulation when God begins to pour his wrath on this earth, The first three and a half years of that tribulation, we read beginning in verse 15 these words. When the sixth seal is opened, it says that then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and listen to this, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. Calling to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of the wrath has come and who can stand? Is this what we are waiting for?

Church of God, is this what you are waiting for? This what we cry for? Hide us from the face of the one who's seated on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. He says, everyone. On the contrary, we are waiting for his coming.

We're waiting for Christ's coming. We're waiting to see him face to face. We are waiting for the salvation and the redemption of our bodies. No fear of his wrath because he himself bore his wrath, the wrath of God on the cross for us on our behalf. Now from the cross, from that day till now, he is there on the throne of on high.

Christ continues to call sinners to repentance, offering them forgiveness and eternal life. But this day of God's patience, this day of grace is about to expire. And in that future day, we see the lamb of God is angry. The father who is seated on the throne is angry. The day of the wrath has come and who can stand?

What a contrast. What a contrast. The day or the age of grace that began at Pentecost after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, where salvation is offered to all, not just to the lost sheep of Israel. Salvation by grace, through simple faith in Jesus Christ, that day will be coming to a sudden end. It will take the world by surprise, but will not take us.

Will not take you, child of God, by surprise because you know the truth. You know the word of God. You know what you are waiting for. You're waiting for Christ to come and take you to be forever with him as he has promised, and his promises are true. The day will end.

When Christ comes for his bride, the day of grace, the long awaited messiah will come. The one I believe we sang not long time ago during Christmas about him. These words, come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free from our fears and sins, release us. Let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art, their desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart is this.

My deep is this your deep heart's desire? Christ to come and to come soon, to deliver us from this wicked world, to take us to glory where he is with the father and the holy spirit forever and ever and ever. Isn't this is this your hope? Is this what you are waiting for? This is what I am waiting for.

That day when Christ meets the church in the air, in the clouds, the bible calls it the day of Christ. What a beautiful name. The day of cry it is his day. It is his day. Now another expression, quite an interesting expression mentioned only once in scripture, we find in second Peter chapter three.

Now we have already mentioned the day of the Lord. We'll talk about it a little bit more. The day of Christ, the day when he comes and we will meet him in the air, but it's another expression. Once mentioned in the scripture, and that's in second Peter chapter three. And I think it will be injustice not to talk about these verses when we talk about the day of the Lord because these are so important verses.

Let us begin in verse eight. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that will the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Now I want to stop here just for a second, for there is so much confusion. There is so much misinterpretation of this verse. One thing you need to understand, Peter, the apostle Peter, the writer of this epistle, he does not tell us that one day equals a thousand years.

He does not. But he says as a thousand years. He doesn't say one year one day is a thousand year, but as a thousand year. This is a huge difference. What Peter is trying to tell us here that God is not limited or not constrained by time like we are.

Now many have used this verse to set dates, make calculations, tell us when exactly Christ is going to come when the idea is not to make one day equals one thousand years. We must be very careful not to set any dates. This is a figurative language, not a cryptic equation. Just remember that. This is not a cryptic equation.

The whole point Peter is making here is this, do not attempt to figure figure out the exact time. One day is at a thousand years. Don't try. Don't attempt to figure out the exact time. Peter did not know the day of Christ's coming.

Now, by the way, if Peter interpreted one day to mean one thousand years, like many today, unfortunately, he would have said, it's a long, long time. We have to wait till Christ would come, probably about two thousand years from his day. Why? I'll explain it in a minute, but he didn't say that. He didn't say that.

Now this is how some people interpret this verse. They say, God created heaven and earth in six days. What did he do in the seventh? He rested. He say one day equals one thousand years.

Critic equation. Six days equals six thousand years. Very simple. How long we have been on earth? According to Jewish calendar, for example, less than six thousand years.

But let's say it's five thousand seven hundred, probably eighty three. Let us say six thousand years. Wow. We are at the end. It's coming soon.

We know he's coming soon, but try trying try to set exact date Because after the six days, the Sabbath rest comes. After the six days, the Sabbath rest, oh, it's the millennium. It's the one thousand years of Christ's reign. Now, of course, there are so many variations to the exact day of creation, but some, believe it or not I was reading this a while ago. My wife gave me an article to read a while ago and I was reading it, and someone has already calculated the exact day when God breathed in Adam nostrils and he said, and there was life.

He ex he knew exact date. This is this is just pure speculation and sensationalism. Let us be very, very careful of these of these things. We are children of light. We must be guided by the word of God, not by the interpretation of man, which is not based on scripture at all.

Let's continue reading verse nine. The lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward us or toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the lord, Peter says, will come like a thief. This is very similar to what Paul has mentioned in first Thessalonians five three. The lord will come like a thief in the night.

Very similar to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24. He will come as a what? As a thief. Like a thief. Now the thief does not tell you when he's coming, does he?

He doesn't tell you that the day. He doesn't tell you the week. He doesn't tell you the month. He doesn't tell you the year. He doesn't tell you he's coming.

So don't, oh, we we we, you know, we cannot guess the day, but we can guess the season or the year. No. This the thief does not tell you when. Period. And then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the work that are done on it will be exposed.

Now this is Revelation 20. This is Revelation 20 at the end of the millennium, Christ one thousand years on earth reign on earth when when these things happen, and I take this literally. In verse 11, since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? Peter says, what is going to happen should prompt us should prompt you to prompt the church to wake up, to pursue holiness and godliness. And I believe what's going on right now in The Middle East, the war there, the war in in Russia and Ukraine, the war in Israel and and Hezbollah.

The war in Yemen with the Houthis. The war right now, I heard there are some clashes began between Iran and Pakistan. I believe this is to wake us up. God is saying, get ready. Get ready is to awaken the church to become ready to pursue holiness and godliness for the day is coming and it is coming soon.

Now this might not be the beginning of the day of the Lord. This might not be the rapture time, but it is God who's speaking clearly to waken up the church and tell us to get ready. Verse 12, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. Now wait a second. Wait a second.

Why he's telling his readers two thousand years ago to wait and to hasten the day of the lord. If Peter believed, like some believe today, that one day is equals one thousand years, he could have calculated he could have let his readers to calculate the time. They knew they were about four thousand years from creation according to Jewish calendar, and that's the fourth day of only the fourth day because remember, one day equal one thousand years. So they were only at the end of the fourth day. There's still two days to go, which means two thousand years.

You should have told him, don't wait, they are hasten. Wait another two thousand years. There's two days to go. He didn't tell them that. He told him to wait and to hasten because he didn't interpret one day to equal one thousand years.

He says, one day is as a thousand years. Just hasten the day. Wait for the day. Be in that condition every day of waiting for the coming of the day of the Lord. It might come at any time.

Then he says, but according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Now did you notice that that word God mentioned Peter mentioned, waiting and hastily, the coming of the day of what? The day of God. And it's the only place where this expression is used, the day of God. And this day is, I believe, what Peter is talking about here is the final hours of the day of the Lord when the earth and heaven will be dissolved and a new heaven and a new earth will be created.

This is the day of God when evil will be eradicated forever, when God will stand and challenge supreme over all the universe, when our redemption will be fully completed and accomplished, when God's glory will fill all the earth. This is the day of God. A day of grace will end with the rapture. A new day begins. An awesome day.

An awful day. A very gloomy day. The bible tell tells us burning like an oven. The first verse of Malachi four. For behold, the day is coming.

That was my introduction. Alright. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall sit in ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. I think the picture is very, very clear.

It's a day of the judgment of the wicked. Now the scripture highlights several events that indicates or or or several events of that day of the day of of the Lord. And my understanding that immediately after the rapture of the church, the seven years of tribulation begins, which is divided into three and a half years two, three and a half years. And the first, is called the tribulation, and the second three and a half years called the great tribulation in Matthew 24. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ called it.

And, and it appears that all of this is part of the day of the Lord. When reading, the scriptures, especially the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel, we could highlight few important things that happened during that time, and I will mention these things not in any specific order, but these are important things for us to pay attention to. And the first one, it is the rise of the antichrist. We have talked about the spirit of the antichrist last Sunday, and we've said the spirit of the antichrist will culminate in the rise of the individual who is the antichrist. So, the antichrist is one of the main manifestations of that day.

Paul calls him this man is the man of sin, the lawless one in Thessalonians two two. He is called the beast in Revelation 13. He is described also in the book of Daniel chapter seven. He will exert authority over the whole world and he will demand worship. He will wage war against the saints, against God's people, and he will prevail against him for a while.

He will only permitted authority for three and a half years, which probably begins at midpoint tribulation. We could talk a whole message about him, but let's move to the second one, which is the rise of the false prophet. So first is the rise of the antichrist, but secondly, the rise of the false prophet. We read again in Revelation 13 that John saw a second beast rising from the earth, Revelation thirteen eleven. He appears like a lamb.

This is how false prophets appear. Like lamb, like sheep. He speaks like a dragon. He is empowered to speak by the devil. He causes the earth to worship the first beast, the antichrist.

He performs signs and wonders and deceives those who dwell on the earth. He will cause everyone to have the mark of the beast on the right hand or their forehead so that no one can buy or sell without the mark of the beast. The third sign, again, it's not in any specific order, is the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. I believe that will take place. Both the new and the old testaments make it clear that the temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices will be resumed.

Now I want to avoid as much as possible, again, speculation and sensationalism here. But there is, I believe, enough evidence, to suggest that almost everything is ready for the rebuilding of the temple. When? We don't know, but I believe will take place sometime soon. In second Thessalonians chapter two verses three and four, we see a temple is already standing when the antichrist appears.

We read these words beginning in verse three. It says, let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat where? In the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be what? To be God. Now many many have speculated in the past who this man may be.

We love speculation, don't we? We should not. They have suggested Hitler. They have suggested Kissinger, Gorbachev, John Paul the second, and so forth. Not even more correct.

And people right now might suggest this or that. Don't speculate. You don't know. I know you when you would know them. You would know him when he appears, for sure.

Number four. We said first, the appearance of the antichrist, the appearance of the false prophet, the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. But fourthly, God will pour his wrath on the earth in a measure that has never been be seen before seen before. Listen to what Jesus said. He said, there would be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever shall.

Ecological disaster on a scale never known to man, unprecedented famine, disease, and possibly nuclear war that sweep the planet, culminating in the war to end all wars, Armageddon. Hundreds of millions, if not a billion person will die, will lose their life as Satan wreaks havoc on this planet. Now he has said, if these days are not shortened, no one survive. Now I understand from this, I'm being conservative. I say 1,000,000,000 people will die.

Were it not for the intervention of God himself as he returns to reign, Christ as he returned to reigns, no one would survive. This period of God's final countdown of humanity culminating in the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ to this earth to reign for his thousand years' reign. Let's again go to book of Malachi. I'll read these words one more time. I want to go to verse one.

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven. And I want to as I read this, the first three verses, to pay attention to the contrast Malachi is making between the believer and the unbeliever, between the reward for the believer and the unbeliever. Just pay attention to the contrast he's making. For behold, a day is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and ill all the evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

But for you, contrast, Who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaving like cast from the stall, and you shall tread down the wicked, for there will be ashes under your soul or the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the lord of hosts. The day of the lord is coming. This is a fact. And in that day, God will make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, the arrogant and all evildoers and those who fear god's name.

For the arrogant is a day burning like an oven for those who fear god is a day the sun of righteousness shall rise and healing in its wings. The evildoers will be like stubble. They will be set ablaze, will have no remaining root or branch. There will be ashes. They will be treaded under the foot or the feet of the righteous.

But those who fear the Lord, it tells us they will receive healing. They will live like calves from the stall. They will be victorious. This is a distinction God will make in that day. What a contrast.

Now there is a quite interesting comparison between verse one and the words of John the Baptist in Matthew three. When when the Lord brought this to my mind, I thought, wow. I mean, this is really amazing. This is really amazing. If if you would please turn to Matthew three just briefly because I want you to see some great and beautiful comparison between the words of John the Baptist and Malachi.

But before we go there or as you go there, I want to remind you of Malachi chapter three verse one, which we have studied earlier. It says there, behold, and you remember that, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Now we are absolutely sure who is this messenger. Correct? We know the messenger is John the baptizer, and this was confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

So there is no question about who is the messenger. Now in Malachi four five, we just read, it's mentioned again. It says, behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord. And again, the Lord Jesus Christ has confirmed to us the identity of this Elijah the prophet as John the Baptizer. We know that.

He confirmed it in Matthew chapter 11 verse 13. He is just who he he he is Elijah who is to come. That's what our Lord said. Now we conclude then that the prophecy of Malachi four five has been fulfilled in John the Baptist when he appeared to prepare the way before the lord as Christ. Now this, of course, does not exclude the possibility of another future fulfillment as it is normal in many, many biblical prophecies.

Now listen to the words of the baptizer in Matthew three verse 10, and I want you to as we read this, to think of the verses we just read in Malachi one, Malachi four one to three and see the comparison, see the images. John says, even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. His winnowing fork is in his hands, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Now what is interesting about these two verses? If you paid attention, you would see it. What the baptizer is saying, even if the the day of the Lord is still future, God acts as already ready. God's acts is already he says even now he says the acts is laid to the root of the trees. The day of the Lord is coming, still future, but the acts is ready.

Paul says in Romans one eighteen that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Is revealed. Is ready. Is ready. It's boiling.

Ready to be poured out in a measure no one has seen before. Now John the Baptist echoing the same imagery as Malachi. In both instances, we see a picture of a tree and a stubble and a fire and a destruction of the wicked in both instances. In both instances, we have prosperity and a bright future of the righteous. John the baptizer says he, again, speaker of the Lord Jesus, will gather his wheat into the barn.

Now this is a clear reference to what? To the believers in contrast to the unbelievers who are the chaff that's going to be burned with unquenchable fire. In comparison with Malachi, he says, you, the righteous, shall go out leaving like calves from the stall. Malachi says, God's fire will sit ablaze. The wicked will leave him neither root nor branch.

John says the ax is laid on the roof of the tree. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear fruit will cut down and be thrown into the fire. The same thing. Same imagery. Now John the Baptist, I see here he did not just look like Elijah in his appearance, but he used the same imagery that the Malachi used in his book, the same imagery.

It seemed to me that that that that the baptizer, he knew exactly what Malachi spoke about. He knew that he was a fulfillment of that prophecy. He used the same vocabulary, the same words, the same imagery, and we see it in both places here. Now why then when the Jews came to him, and we have talked that about that before and pastor Daniel has mentioned that before, why then when the Jews came to him and asked him if he was Elijah, what did he respond? What did he say?

He said, I'm a voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah says. Now he quoted Isaiah. He quoted Malachi three one. The verses that talk about Elijah.

That mean he is the fulfillment of of Elijah. He knew who who who who he was, but still he denied he is Elijah, the prophet, when the Jews asked him, are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Why? Why?

I believe what John was doing, he was denying he is Elijah incarnated. He was denying that he is the identical Elijah who went up to heaven in a chariot of fire. I am not that Elijah, the exact identical Elijah, neither I am the incarnation of Elijah. Do you know that many Jews today believe in reincarnation? You might be surprised.

They call this Gilgul or rolling of the soul. Now this, by the way, belief is almost universal among Hasidic Jews. Almost universal. Not because the Bible teaches it, because it's exactly on the contrary. The Bible never talks about it.

It is foreign to the scripture. Now Hasidic Jews derive their belief in reincarnation from the Kabbalah, which is the writings of some mystic rabbis after the thirteenth century, and I had an opportunity to read some of the writings. Now the most famous of them, his name is the Zohar, and, really, his name means the radiance or the splendor. And I don't want to offend my good Jewish friends, but I think better name would be the gloom, not the radiance or the splendor. The Zohar explains the purpose of reincarnations, and it's in the plural.

And he says this, it is to bring man to a state where he feels all the world completely. And by doing so, he can master his own fate. Now Kabbalah, that's the Jewish philosophy. Kabbalah explained that the souls comprised of 613 channels. Now why are you seeing 613 channels?

Because, you see, in the bible, if you read, there are 10 commandments, but if you add all the commandments combined, they come to 613 commandments. So they say the soul is comprised of 613 channels. Now these 613 channels attain eternal elevation when all the 613 mitzvot or commandments are fulfilled by a soul in in earthly in its earthly descent. And it is impossible, they continue to explain, for a soul to fulfill all the commandments in one descent, so it must be reincarnated repeatedly until it reaches perfection. Wow.

There's nothing of that in the Bible. Right? Now one more interesting fact about the Kabbalah is this. It teaches that reincarnations continue, you know, for how many years? Six thousand years?

That's what they teach. It means it began at creation. Again, according to Jewish calendar, it began five thousand seven hundred and eighty four years ago and will continue for another two hundred sixteen years. At the end of six thousand years, which is equal to the six days of creation, one day equal one thousand years, now we know where the whole thing comes from. The Messiah will come and will establish his kingdom for a thousand years.

That's a Kabbalah teaching. That's Hasidic Jews teaching. So this idea, the whole thing comes from there. Now there is nothing in the Torah. There is nothing in the Tanakh.

Tanakh means the whole bible, Torah, the whole writings of the scripture. There's nothing about it in the scripture. In fact, it is so foreign to the scripture, and all of them agree to that, by the way. They agree it is not in the scripture. None of them is defending it from the scripture.

They tell you it's from the oral law, which have the same authority in their point of view as the scripture. Even in some instances, I'll tell you more. Now Malachi makes no mention of reincarnation, but he mentions rather the end. Now there are great acclamation, but the end. The end is coming.

There's no circumstances after death. There's the end. No purgatory. There's the end. There's a judgment.

Now what a gloomy future for the ungodly. What a bright future for the righteous. In the second verse, we see this beautiful description of Christ, the son of righteousness. The son of righteous it says, which translated also, by the way, son of vindication. He will vindicate his people.

He is the son, s o n, and he is the son, s u n. He is the son of God, and he is the son of righteousness who brings healing in his wings. There's a freedom. There is healing. There is light in Christ's presence.

Now I know for some of us, our recent days may have been gloomy, maybe not very not very bright. And especially, again, if you turn away your eyes from the Lord and look around you at your circumstances, at the at the at the condition of the world, at our government, and everything else, we might not we might not feel good. Sin fills the earth, conflicts and war everywhere. The whole earth is groaning. Satan seemed to have the upper hand.

The church is is is very weak, unfortunately. Apostasy is on the rise. False teachers are many on and are increasingly bolder and bolder. The love of many is is growing colder. Sickness, weakness, pain, and suffering.

The news around us all very disturbing and and discouraging how bad it can get, how worse it can get. Christ in Matthew 24 tells us how bad it's going to be. He says in verse 37 of 24 Matthew 24, he says, for as were the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the son of man. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark and they were unaware until the flood came and swept him all away. So would be the coming of the son of man.

Noah warned him. Noah built the ark in front of their eyes, then they were unaware. They were unaware. They're blind. Be aware that there's no sheer evil, wickedness, love for sin, hate for God, concern only about self, material things.

Genesis six five, we read, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. It is today's description of things yet complacent. Eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage as is as if everything is fine. This word of the earth of Noah. This word of the earth of Noah.

This is our day. Is God's cup of wrath ready to be poured out on the earth as it was poured in the days of Noah with a flood. I believe it is almost ready when that day comes. When god sees the the cup is full, he will pour it, and he will never hesitate a moment. It might get more evil than that because one thing I know, that man is very good at one thing.

You know what? Inventing evil. He is very good at this invention, inventing evil. The intention of his thought the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. But you see, there is hope for the Christian.

There is hope for us. There is hope for the church. There is hope for you who are a bill who is a believer, who fear the Lord. Listen what it says. The day light will break will break forth.

The sun of the day will rise, and the night will be over. The sun of righteousness will rise and there is healing in its wings. Christ, the sun of righteousness, will rise. Healing from for every aching heart who trusted in him. Vindication for all who fear him.

He is the one he's the one we often sing of or sing about. Hi, king of heaven. My victory won. May I reach heaven's joys, oh, bright heaven's sun. Singers, you know that.

Heart of my own heart. Whatever befall, still be my vision, oh, ruler of all. At his first coming, Christ healed the sick. He still heals. He saved sinners.

He's still in the business of saving sinners even to this day. God is a healer to his people. He was back in Exodus. He told his Israelite people, the Israelite. He say, for you if you diligently listen to the voice of the lord your god and do that which is right in your eyes in his eyes and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptian for I am the lord, what?

Your healer, Adonai Rapha. But we're still waiting another fulfillment when he comes in his glory, bringing healing and deliverance to his people, and, yes, restoring his ethnic nation Israel. That day will come when Israel will look at the Messiah. The Messiah, she rejected. When God pours out on them the spirit of grace and pleas.

They plead for mercy. They plead for those for him and they mourn him as it says in Zechariah eight eight. And this is the words of Zechariah eight eight, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people. I will be their God in faithfulness and in righteousness. It's the same word is mentioned in Malachi, tzedakah, in righteousness.

The son of righteousness will impart righteousness to his people. But there is something else very, very beautiful here in this verse. What is it? Freedom. Freedom.

Look at the remaining part of the verse. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. Can you see that? Now let me tell you this. I did not grow up on a farm, but I can see the imagery here.

I can see here a calf in a stall. He's locked. He's there all night. He's awaiting the sun to rise. It looks outside.

It's dark. Cannot see. It might be very, very dangerous. But still, he knows the sun will rise. He knows the shepherd.

He knows the farmer going to come, and he will open the gate. And when the sun rises, the shepherd comes. He opens the gate. What does the calf do? He gets out.

What does he do? He leaps. He jumps with joy. It's a new day. What a day of rejoicing that would be.

That's a picture that we see here. You should go out leaping like calves from the stall. We are now in the stall. There's so much boundaries, so much restrictions, but that day is coming. We'll go out leaping like gas from the stall when we see Christ face to face.

And yes, what a day of rejoicing that would be. No longer sickness, no longer pain, no longer limitations of this weak and feeble body, no longer sin, no longer crime and injustice, no longer wicked men do what they want, no longer boasting in evil. Death will be abolished, and the prince of peace will reign. And there would be no end to his rule. His kingdom is everlasting.

He will rule forever. Will you rule with him? Will you rule with him? Two groups, the wicked and the righteous, the evildoers and the ones who fear God. Which group you belong to.

For the one, a day is coming, burning like an oven. For the other, also a day is coming. The sun of righteousness will rise and healing in its wings. Which day are you waiting for? If you belong to the first group, they are righteous.

I don't want to sugarcoat my message. I want to don't want to give you false hope. No. The day is coming, burning like an oven. The day of wrath, a day of vengeance.

But, you know, Christ has paid the price. He paid the full price. There is nothing you can do to serve yourself. With humble obedience, you can come to Christ even right now in faith. Faith, simple faith in Christ Jesus and what he has done for you on the cross.

Everything will change in a moment. Everything will change in a moment. You might come you you might have come here while you're in darkness, but you would leave here you are in the light. Saved by grace, washed by the precious blood of the lamb. Please come to Christ right now, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the smiling lamb.

Because if you don't meet him now as a smiling lamb, you will see him as the angry lamb that we read about, the wrathful lamb. Come to Christ. Let's pray. Our lord and savior, we thank you that you have saved us, not by good works we have done. Lord, our works could never please God.

Our works could never bring us closer to God. No one can be saved by his good works, but we thank you, our God, that only through the work of Christ on the cross, we are saved and we are healed, and we are redeemed who have become children of God. Lord, we thank you that you have died for sinners like us. You have redeemed us. You have saved us.

You have loved us with such everlasting love. And, yes, we have such a bright future. The sun of righteousness will rise and healing in his wings. Christ Jesus, we praise you and worship you, the son of God and the son of righteousness, our healer, our redeemer, and our deliverer. We give you the glory and the honor of our lord and savior.

Amen. Let's stand up to worship the lord together.