Dec 28, 2016
MALACHI 1-2:
We
heard a very difficult conclusion to Zechariah yesterday. Chapter
14 started out with horrendous news for Jerusalem. But the Lord
himself steps in:
3 NLT Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart …
We will see the following from Zech 14 very soon in Revelation:
“Then the LORD my God will come, and all his
holy ones with him.
6 On
that day the sources of light will no longer shine,
7 yet there will be continuous day!
…
8 On that day
life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the
Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean,
flowing continuously in both summer and
winter.”
We turn now to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. The name means, “my messenger.” There is debate as to the date of the writing of this post exilic prophet, but generally speaking it is true that there is a 400 year gap between this last Old Testament prophet and New Testament. It could be that Malachi prophesied in Nehemiah’s day. Both Malachi and Nehemiah dealt with priestly laxity (Mal. 1:6; Neh. 13:4-9), neglect of tithes (Mal. 3:7-12; Neh. 13:10-13), and intermarriage between Israelites and foreigners (Mal. 2:10-16; Neh. 13:23-28).”
Re-reading ISAIAH 65:
Note
that the chapter starts with a verse that Paul quotes in Romans
10.
REVELATION 20:
After the judgment wreaked against Babylon
(chapter 18), we heard songs praising God’s justice in chapter 19.
Then we saw the appearing of Christ riding on a white horse.
Typical of John’s reticence to name deity, Christ is not named, but
is beautifully described. Note that even Jesus has a name written
on his person which only He understands. And like in John 1:1,
Christ’s title is the ‘Word of God’. It is possible that this
account of His appearing may not be in chronological order in its
position following the destruction of Babylon. Although Christ’s
army is mentioned, note how the victory is won by Christ
alone.
Our awesome Creator, sovereign God,
and heavenly Father: How far more awesome you are than we can know
or think. You are not a God that simply created a blob of
protoplasm and left it to evolve. Such a God would not have a plan
spanning from before the world existed until new heavens and new
earth exist. Such a God would not have written the Lamb’s book of
life before the world existed. You are not a disinterested God who
simply allows mankind to go their own way. Nor are you a Santa
Claus sort of God that whimsically looks down occasionally and
gives gifts to mankind. You are a God who knows us through and
through, and who causes records to be kept for every single person
that ever lived on earth. You are a God who put concepts of right
and wrong in the hearts of every person. This proves we didn’t
simply evolve from animals. And it was You who decided that there
would need to be a spiritual battle with evil, that there would be
an enemy named Satan, and that he would need to be decisively
defeated. You determined that there would need to be a way to save
mankind and yet at the same time not compromise your justice,
righteousness, or holiness. We bow before You. You are the God who
sees us!