The Final Word

From Curse to Grace—Christ’s Last Word Is Our Living Hope

We often remember people by their last words. Whether it’s a great leader, a loved one, or even someone on death row, final words have a way of lingering with us. Some are profound, others humorous, and still others filled with regret. Napoleon’s last words were about his country and his first wife. Winston Churchill, after a long life of leadership, ended with, “I’m bored with it all.”

In Texas, death row inmates are asked if they have any last words, and those statements—sometimes apologies, sometimes confessions, sometimes quiet prayers—are recorded forever. But the greatest final words ever spoken are not by a general or a president, but by the Son of God—and they are recorded at the end of the Bible. “Surely I am coming soon.”

Proverbs 18:21 says there is power in the tongue, that “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” When we think of the final words of others even our own words, how much power do we see in them.

The final words of the Old Testament in Malachi 4 are not ones of comfort. God speaks of a great and dreadful day, and warns that unless hearts turn, a curse will fall. Then—silence.

For 400 years, heaven goes quiet. No new prophecy. No fresh vision. Only the memory of what God once said, and the hope that He would speak again. It’s as if the story closes not with a resolution, but with a cliffhanger: “To be continued...”

And then—Mark opens his Gospel.

Not with angels or kings, but with a man crying in the wilderness. John the Baptist, clothed like Elijah, preaching repentance. The last word of the Old Testament becomes the first scene of the New.

And then Jesus appears. And His very first words recorded in Mark are these: “The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:15)

What time is fulfilled? It’s the time of waiting. The time of silence. The time of warning. Jesus steps into the storyline not just as a new voice—but as the fulfillment of every prophetic promise. Including Malachi’s final warning.

The Elijah-like prophet has come. The people's hearts are turning. And now the King Himself declares: “It’s time.”

And yet, He doesn’t come with the curse. He comes to carry the curse.

Galatians 3:13 tells us: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”

Where Malachi ends with a curse, Jesus begins with grace. Where the Old Testament ends in tension, the Gospel begins in invitation.

Jesus is the answer to the warning, the voice after the silence, and the Savior who turns the curse into a cross, and the cross into a crown.

At least for us, we know there was more to come after Malachi, but the Israelites who heard these last words didn’t know it would be silent for 400 years. If you recall the story in Genesis 15, where God told Abram that his descendants would be foreigners and servants in a strange land for four hundred years, it sounds too familiar, another transition or threshold in time. God is about to do something big, but first He waits. Not because He’s absent, but because He’s preparing something too glorious to rush.

In Egypt he was raising up a deliverer, in the silence He was preparing the world for a Savior. Now, we stand on the edge of another great unfolding. The Church waits—not for a prophet, but for the King. We are living in the longest gap of all: the Church Age. Over 2,000 years have passed, and we still cling to the greatest last words ever spoken...

Maybe some of you are in your own gap right now—a silent season. Waiting for an answer, a healing, a breakthrough. The good news of Scripture is this: when God waits, He’s working. And when He breaks the silence, it’s always with grace.

We come to the end of the New Testament in Revelation 22. The silence is broken not with another curse but with a promise. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” The final word of the Bible is not a threat, but grace. Not judgment, but invitation. Not silence, but a Savior saying, “I’m on my way.” Our greatest hope is in this promise.

That’s a dramatic reversal! The story of Scripture moves from a world cursed by sin to a world restored by the Savior, from exile to homecoming, from fear to faith, from a warning to a welcome.

Some people think Jesus’ last words are found in Matthew 28:19—“Go and make disciples…” And yes, those are His final earthly instructions before ascending. But the actual final words of Jesus in the Bible come in Revelation: “Surely I am coming soon.” It’s not a command this time—it’s a comfort. Jesus is saying, “Hold on, I’m coming. Stay faithful, I haven’t forgotten you.” That promise is like a lighthouse in the dark, like a father saying to his child, “I’ll be home soon.

To help the kids in the room understand this, let me share a little story. Imagine you’re waiting to be picked up after school. All your friends have already been picked up, and you’re the only one left sitting on the bench. You start to feel nervous. Did they forget me? Are they really coming? Then suddenly, you see headlights, and it’s your mom or dad pulling up. They roll down the window and say, “I’m sorry I took so long—I’m here now.” That’s what Jesus is saying at the end of the Bible. He hasn’t forgotten us. He’s coming soon to take us home.

And here’s the important part: how you hear that promise depends on whether or not you know Him. If you know Jesus, His return is something you long for. It’s like hearing, “I’m coming to take you on a surprise vacation!” But if you’ve never trusted Him, it’s a wake-up call. His coming will be sudden, and the door will eventually close. Just like in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, those who are ready enter in, and those who are not are left behind.

The final words of Scripture are meant to stir us. What do we do in response? Like the Church in John’s vision, we say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” We echo that cry with our hearts and lives. And until He comes, we live differently. We live in grace. We live with urgency. We live by inviting others into this promise.

And how do we live this out, but by living Romans 12 lives: Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Outdo one another in showing honor… Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer. (Rom. 12:9–12)

In a world desperate for something real, the Church becomes a living echo of the final word—grace.

Let’s not forget the contrast between the last words of Malachi and the last words of Revelation. The Old Testament ends with a curse; the New Testament ends with grace. And what stands between those two? The cross of Jesus Christ. The cross took the curse and replaced it with blessing. The silence was shattered by the Word made flesh. Jesus bore the curse so that we could be blessed with eternal life. That’s why the final word is not one of despair but of hope.

As we leave here today, I ask you: What is the final word over your life? Is it fear or faith? Guilt or grace? Rebellion or redemption?

The Bible ends with an invitation and a blessing. The final sentence is simple but powerful: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” That grace is extended to you today—will you receive it?