By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
Malachi 4:2
"Ki a koutou ia e wehi na i toku ingoa ka ara ake te ra o te tika, he whakaora mate hoki i runga i ona parirau; a ka puta mai koutou, ka tupekepeke ano he kuao kau no te turanga kau."
"A o outou o e matatau i lo‘u igoa, e alu ae ia te outou le La o le amiotonu; e i ai foi le mea e malolo ai i ona apaau; e o atu foi outou ma osooso, pei o tamai povi mai le fale povi."
"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."
Last words matter.
Malachi 4 is the last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament. It was written roughly a thousand years after Abraham lived and one hundred years after Israel’s return from exile. Malachi 4 is God’s last word recorded in Scripture for four hundred years.
Last words matter.
In verse one of chapter 4, God’s fearsome judgement is described vividly. A day is coming, Malachi says, when all arrogant people—every evildoer—will face the furnace of God’s judgement.
The scene is almost unimaginable. On that day, every person who hates God will be set ablaze. That fire will burn so long and intensely that any hope of life sprouting again will be crushed.
But even in this final chapter, judgment is not God’s last word.
In verse two, hope is found. “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings”.
Even on that terrifying judgment day, refuge can be found. Everyone who fears the name of the Lord—each person who loves him and takes shelter in him—will be saved. For them, the last day will bring resurrection and healing.
The final words that we read in the Old Testament do not just proclaim judgment and fear. They contain a message of hope.
In the final verses of Malachi 4, the Lord promises to send a prophet before the last day of judgment. This final prophet came four hundred years later: the God-man, Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews writes about him:
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word”. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Last words matter.
God didn’t fall silent after proclaiming judgment in Malachi. He sent his own son, preaching the good news of salvation.
We are facing profound change—environmentally, economically, and ecologically. In these days, it is easy to fear the coming day of judgment. But for all those who hope in Jesus Christ for salvation, we don’t have any reason to be uncertain. Jesus has already taken God’s judgment upon himself.
On that day, we won’t face God’s judgment. Instead, we’ll look to the rising sun for healing. We’ll look for the resurrection.
