Time Passages
Malachi 3:1-5
Things don't happen quickly with God.
Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 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; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. - Malachi 3:1-5
Malachi prophesied about the coming of John the Baptist over 400 years before it came to pass. He said God is sending His messenger, but didn't say when.
People may have been more patient back then, two and a half millennia ago, but I doubt they thought it would take many lifetimes before this messenger would come.
And what about the prediction of the Lord's coming? Would you compare what Jesus taught and did to a refiner and purifier of silver?
No wonder the people feared God. But what about us? Has the passage of time whittled down the threat or promise of refinement?
Jesus, too, said these things would happen, that we would be judged for our actions, but he gave us more time. It would be when he returns.
The more time God gives us to repent and redeem ourselves, the less seriously we take His Word.
It's like our indifference to climate change. Some people fear the climate will not reverse course, and we will all die, while others say this is just a cycle of nature that we need to deal with.
I use that as an example because it is something we see every day, a real-life conflict over expectations about the future.
The longer we have to wait, the less importance we give to the event.
It makes sense, in a way. We are creatures of time. We track it, schedule it, and make our plans around it.
We believe the future is endless and eternally available to us, even though at some point, our sun will die and life will end.
Is that the time Jesus and Malachi are talking about?
Maybe, but I doubt it. Since we cannot predict when this will all occur, why don't we assume today is our last day? Then, we won't have to worry about tomorrow.
More to come... (I hope)