The Burning Hell Series

Malachi Series

“The Burning Hell”

Mal. 4.1

August 3, 2013 Chester FBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

A In WWII, the Allies raided various parts of Europe during the course of the war, it was June 6, 1944 that we call D-Day.

1 There have been numerous judgements of God on His people & the nations, but there will also be a final D-Day of the Lord.

a A day when history reaches its climax.

aa Government/world systems will end.

bb Christ will establish His reign as King of king, Lord of lords.

cc The lost will face the Great White Throne Judgement.

b The Day of the Lord will be the beginning of eternal grief/doom for the unsaved.

c The Bible teaches three great periods that may be called days.

aa Day of Guilt: Days before Christ.

bb Day of Grace: Time since the death & resurrection of Jesus.

cc A days is coming that will conclude the day of grace, The day of the Lord.

2 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." Mal 4:1 (NASB)

a Malachi’s words denies the teachings of . . .

aa Universalism: “We’re all gonna go to heaven.”

bb Liberalism: “There is no hell.”

cc Humanism: “Human kind can perfect themselves.”

dd Atheism: “No God or afterlife.”

b Not everybody is going to heaven, hell is real, nobody is good enough to make it to heaven on their own and God is real and there is something after this physical realm is over.

B Both testaments (Old & New) end with the declaration of the final state of humanity.

1 Malachi & Revelation both tell of judgement for the wicked & blessing for the righteous (Those who serve Him and those who don’t)

Malachi 3:18 (NASB) 18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

2 This one verse gives us three truths about this great & terrible day.

I It is a future day.

A Through the centuries, many dark shadows have fallen across this sin-cursed planet.

1 In the days of Noah, God sent the flood all but 8 souls perished.

a It was a dark day when God brought fire & brimstone on Southern Israel, destroying her leading cities, Sodom & Gomorrah.

aa Babylon, said to be invincible, experienced a time of darkness when the hand of God wrote upon the wall an announcement of impending judgement.

bb Darkness engulfed Israel when the Roman army marched in by the tens of thousands, leaving death & destruction in its path.

cc What an awful day it was when the bubonic plague took the lives of 30 million people in Europe.

b Many are living today who remember the dark clouds of destruction during WW I & WW II that took so many lives.

aa Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan.

bb 9/11, War on Terrorism

2 This old world has seen dark times, but the darkest day of all is still ahead for an unredeemed world

a Malachi is so sure, adamant about that coming the Lord’s coming D-Day that he says it twice in this ONE verse (4.1)

Malachi 4:1 (NASB) 1 "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."

b Malachi’s combination of words, “For behold, the day is coming” in the Hebrew is very emphatic that “the day” is just around the corner.

c Just as surely as the sun rises in the east, that day is on its way & this old world is closer to His return with each passing day.

B Where will you be in that future day?

1 It is not a question of “if” the day comes but rather “when” it comes.

a There will be hiding, accepted excuses, bribing, no avoiding it.

b The only place of safety, cover, security is in Christ.

2 Romans 8.1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

3 Safety will not be found in a place, but rather a person.

C IL.

II It is a fearful day

A Malachi uses two images related to fire to describe the destruction of that terrible day.

Malachi 3:2 (NASB) 2 "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.