The Few, the Proud, the Condemned
"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Verse 3 says, "for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1,3
It might seem odd that when God talks about burning people up, that He lists the proud before the wicked. But, we have had a misconception about pride. We have assumed that it is not that big a deal.
You've heard the TV ads too. The few, the proud, the Marines. The ads come off like pride is a good thing....no, a great thing. Certainly, it isn't when it comes to spirituality, because God makes it well known that He will bring every proud person down to the ground.
In the conversation between Job and God, we see how God feels about the proud. He asks Job..."(Can you) Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place." Job 40:11-12
Again, we see the proud and the wicked linked together. There is no doubt about how God feels about the proud. It is not hidden in the Bible. If that be so, why do so many Bible experts think that pride is a good thing. One minister was asked, "Why is the ministry so proud?" His answer was, "I need pride to do my job." That doesn't square with the Bible, does it. The Bible doesn't say, "The proud will inherit the earth." Just the opposite. It says that they will not go unpunished.
"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD...they shall not be unpunished. Proverbs 16:5
Why does God hate the proud in heart? Because they are diametrically opposite to God and His thinking. God is not like that. (Even though He would have the right to be.) He is brilliant beyond words in every way. The greatest minds of every age are utter fools, in comparison. But shockingly, He is humble, and so is Jesus Christ. Here in the Old Testament we see a reference to the two members of the God Family.
"For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15
So why does God burn up the proud if it is no big deal? The bottom line is that God's kids are humble like Him and Satan's children are proud like their dad.
Speaking of Satan's pride, Ezekiel 28:16 says, “Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, ("abad," meaning to be ruined or lost) O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. (Satan was proud of his perfect beauty and intelligence. He felt totally superior.) Verse 17 says, “I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic.” “Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”
Satan be brought to ashes? The Bible says so. Is this speaking to Satan? Note that the Bible says in verse 13, "You were in Eden, the garden of God..." Verse 14, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth...thou were upon the holy mountain of God." No doubt that this is Satan, and God says that He will bring him to ashes on the earth. The dad (Satan) and all his children (the proud of Malachi 4:1,3) will be brought to ashes, possibly at the same time. This is the fate of the proud...eternal darkness, the "outer darkness" of the Bible.
There is so much in the Bible about pride and how God feels about it. To cap the whole thing off though, Isaiah 66:2 speaks of the right attitude to have. It says, "But on this one will I look, on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." What else needs to be said?
Streaming sermons about the lie that Satan is an eternal being.
Copyrighted by the Churches of God think on these things
2007