Malachi 3

The identity of the messenger referred to in the first verse of this chapter is known without question to be John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Matthew's gospel cites this verse and identifies this man, known as John the Baptist, as the one who prepared the way of the Lord, who came in the spirit of Elijah, the great Old Testament prophet. It is somewhat more difficult to see that the man called in the same verse, "the messenger of the covenant," appears to be Jesus, the One for whom John prepared the way. He is the Lord who will suddenly come to His temple.

Jesus fulfilled this in His first coming, particularly at the end of His earthly ministry, but a more profound and sweeping completion of this prophesy will take place in connection with a better temple than the building in Jerusalem. During the gospel age, the Lord has been building His church as a temple of the Holy Spirit. When He comes in judgment and salvation on the Day of the Lord, He will suddenly appear in power to His body temple as the One who fills all in all. He will be the ultimate messenger and agent of the Covenant of Grace in bringing us resurrection salvation. He will also be the ultimate messenger and agent of the judgment that the wicked deserve according to the Covenant of Works. For some who are longing for His coming, those who delight in Him and in His grace, His arrival is the best of all possible days. For others His coming is not only unexpected but unwelcome in the extreme. Malachi states with absolute assurance as a messenger from heaven these great words: "Behold, He is coming."

On that day the Lord will purify His church, the priesthood of all believers. The Old Testament levitical priesthood was only a placeholder for the ultimate High Priest and Messiah, Jesus Christ. We who are found in Him on that day will be the true priesthood of the faithful, those who have believed in His Name, and who have thus served Him with the love that is born of true living faith. We could not endure the day of His coming were it not for the fact that He first offered the pure sacrifice of His own life and death for us. He will remove from the church all false brethren, and from all of the elect He will take away any remaining defects from the former power of sin in our lives. By His perfect offering we have been redeemed. It shall be ours to serve Him in perfect faith and love in the coming age.

But for those who have hidden within the protection of the visible church and have yet been devoted to sorcery, adultery, lies, and oppression of the weak, they will be exposed as strangers to the covenants of promise made with our forefathers in ancient days. These have not truly feared the Lord, and they have not loved the Mediator of the Covenant of Grace, who has not only died as our atoning sacrifice, but who also reigns forever as the King and Head of the church. Regarding these hypocrites and lawless professors of holiness, we are told our Christ will draw near for judgment, which is a most frightening prospect to consider.

This combination of salvation for the elect and judgment for the reprobate is settled decree in the eternal purposes of Almighty God. He does not change, and His purposes do not come and go with the shifting of the wind. Because of the settled faithfulness of God so perfectly displayed in the obedience of Christ to the revealed will of the Father, we will not be consumed. If we had to stand in our own righteousness before Him without the covering of His holiness credited to us, we and our forefathers in the faith would be utterly and eternally convicted of heinous transgressions, for we have all turned aside from His holy Law, and have not kept His statutes.

Do we need proof of our sin? He has said that we are to serve Him with all the substance He has granted to us, and yet we have often begrudged Him a simple tithe. Others have presented their giving before the world with trumpets. They have already received their reward from the passing praise of men. In the depths of our hearts we have robbed the Lord of the perfect praise and obedience that He deserves. We should have obeyed Him outwardly and inwardly and enjoyed His blessing amongst us, but we have not dared to put Him to the test on this matter as He commanded, because the hearts of Israel and His church have not been truly faithful.

We have also spoken ill of Him, as if there would be no gain for us if we had been more holy. We presumed that we could be judges of God and judges of everyone else around us, and our arrogance has spoken a word against us, for all have sinned. Yet for the sake of the elect that He has loved with an everlasting love, the Lord sent not only a messenger of preparation, but also He came Himself as the very Lord of the Covenant. Amazingly He has visited His beloved as the humble Servant of the Lord, even suffering to the point of death on the cross for our sake.

Because of Him, all those who have been granted a holy fear of the Lord, have a hope and a future. Our names have been recorded in the eternal covenant of God. We belong to Him, for we were purchased with the blood of our Redeemer. Our Father in heaven did not spare His only Son. Therefore, we have been spared and are rightly called sons of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Because of this great plan of grace, and with the blessings of our obedience openly displayed as fruits of His gift of faith to us, there will one day be a firm distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the ones who know and serve the Lord, and those who do not.