2 “I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “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.
4 “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.
5 “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,
6 And those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”
3 “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.
4 “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.
5 “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,
6 And those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”
7 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.
8 “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.
9 “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.”
8 “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.
9 “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.”
14 Near is the great day of the Lord, near 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.
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.
(Zephaniah 2:1-3)
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame,
2 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.
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.
2 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.
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.
Reminder: "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will. When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!
It is God's will:
- that we are silent (and wait) before the Lord God, for He will bring justice to the earth (1:7)
- that people listen (and wait), and make a decision of salvation, for the day of the Lord is near (1:14)
- that Israel as a nation become believers before the Tribulation begins in order to avoid God's wrath (but God already knows this will not happen) (2:1-2)
- that people (during the Tribulation) will, in sincere humility, seek the Lord and His righteousness in order to avoid God's wrath (2:3)
Today's prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I am thankful that You will bring Your perfect justice upon the earth one day. I am also very thankful that You provide salvation in order to spare us from that time here on earth, as well as spare us from Your wrath.
Dear Lord Jesus, I am thankful that You will bring Your perfect justice upon the earth one day. I am also very thankful that You provide salvation in order to spare us from that time here on earth, as well as spare us from Your wrath.
May we focus on Your love and patience, and trust that You will bring all of that about in Your perfect timing. While we wait for either our time to pass on or for the rapture, help us to take on Your love and patience, and continue to be obedient in Your will and in Your righteousness.
Convict the hearts and open the minds of unbelievers, especially the Israelrites, so that they will see their need for You. Guide us in our daily lives to be a light to this dark world, able and willing to share the gospel message as You give us the opportunity. Amen.
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