Most of us know ungodly people that mock God, cause harm to others, and refuse to repent of their sins. The small faithful group of believers in Israel had those same people in their time and were wondering what God had prepared for those people in the future. Malachi records what God says about these ungodly people, “’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.’” (Malachi 4:1, NASB)[1]
God has future plans for the arrogant people in Malachi’s time and God wants to make sure we don’t miss this by saying, “For behold.” This Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hin-neh) can be translated as, “Look!” or “Take note!” or “don’t miss this.”
God tells Israel here that evil people will endure a fire on earth.The text says that at some point in the future the day of judgement is coming “burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze.” There are three descriptions here. First, the day is going to be “burning like a furnace.” Fire of a furnace describes extreme intensity that is controlled and contained. God has a purpose for this fire and it is judgement. Second, who will be burnt up is described, “all the arrogant and every evil doer will be like chaff.” These are the self-righteous people that say they don’t need God. They have also claimed in Malachi 3:13-15 that to serve God was pointless and worthless because nothing returns back to them for their deeds. Third, this will be a future event. “and the day that is coming will set them ablaze.” These evil people will be set on fire and will be consumed by the fire sometime in the future.
God alsotells us now that these evil people will endure a fire in hell forever. The Bible teaches that hell is terrible and painful. There will be physical torment with burning fire (Jude 7; Mark 9:43; Revelation 21:8), a fiery furnace (Matthew 13:41-42), a place of flames (Luke 16:24), and a place of death and destruction (Matthew 7:13; Luke 6:49; Romans 9:22; Philippians 3:19; Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14, 21:8). The Bible also teaches that hell is permanent and eternal. The people sent there will experience “everlasting” (Daniel 12:2) “eternal fire” (Matthew 18:6-9; 25:4; Jude 7), smoke that rises “forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, 14-15), “eternal” destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9), they will “forever” be separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9), and people will be doomed “forever” (Jude 13).
We should feel comforted that we are going to heaven.We don’t have to worry about our performance because Jesus already did the work for us. The price of admission has been paid. We have our ticket that says “Paid in Full.” Among all the crazy things going on in the world, among heartbreaks we endure and the pain we have to drudge through, we should enjoy security in our hearts that we won’t be judged like unbelievers. Instead we will be in heaven with our Lord forever with our loved ones that are already there waiting for us.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.