Monday, December 11, 2017

eschatology, Escape Day of Wrath (Zeph.1-3)

Zephaniah had a vision, which came with a plea for the Israelites to repent and turn to God "now", so they could avoid the coming Tribulation.  This statement is still true for all people today.  And it will be applicable for those who become believers while in the Tribulation ...
 (Zephaniah 2:1-3)  Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame,
Before the decree takes effect — the day passes like the chaff— before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances;  seek righteousness, seek humility.  Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

We don't know when, but at some point, the Tribulation is going to begin...
(Zephaniah 1:87)  Be silent before the Lord God!  For the day of the Lord is near, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
It is always possible!  For the possibility of the Tribulation to begin within one person's lifetime would be considered "soon enough"!  And when it happens it will happen quickly!  (1 Thess.5:1-3)...



 (Zephaniah 1:14-18)  Near is the great day of the Lord, n
ear and coming very quickly;  listen, the day of the Lord!  In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15 A day of wrath is that day, 
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord;  and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath;  and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.

And when the Tribulation begins, punishment will fall on those left on the earth...
 (Zephaniah 1:8-13)  “Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons and all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
“And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.
10 On that day,” declares the Lord“There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.
11 “Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar, for all the people of Canaan will be silenced;  all who weigh out silver will be cut off.
12 “It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’
13 “Moreover, their wealth will become plunder and their houses desolate;  yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”
(Zephaniah 3:8)  “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord“For the day when I rise up as a witness.  Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger;  for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.
At the end of the Tribulation, God is going remove all unbelievers, all evil and all other religions from the earth...
 (Zephaniah 1:2-6)  “I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
“I will remove man and beast;  I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked;  and I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
“So I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.
“And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,
And those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”

After all evil has been removed from the earth, all those who became believers during the Tribulation will enter the Millennium, and Jesus will reign on the earth victoriously for the thousand years...
(Zephaniah 3:9-20)  “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, will bring My offerings.
11 “In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me;  for then I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.
12 “But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths;  for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.”
14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies.  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;  you will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:  Do not be afraid, O Zion;  do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts — they came from you, O Zion;  the reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
20 “At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together;  indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth,  when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Today's takeaway:  from these scriptures, we can be confident that Christians will be removed from the earth before the Tribulation begins. Notice in the plea that God wants us to escape His anger (this desire would not only include the judgments of the Tribulation, but also the eternal punishment of hell)...
 (Zephaniah 2:1-3)  Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances;  seek righteousness, seek humility.  Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

Now notice in the following verses - the devastating punishment on the entire earth is for sinners ONLY!!!...
(Zephaniah 1:17-18)  I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord;  and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath;  and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
I'm now going to cheat here and show a passage that will come up again when I reach the book of Romans, because it doesn't hurt to have such great news of encouragement - to share how God is so loving, faithful, just and logical...

(Romans 5:6-9)  For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

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