Herein, the Word of the Lord "which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah" is speaking forward to a time to come -- when there are those who have either turned back from the Lord, or have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for Him. (Zephaniah 1:6)
The Word of the Lord also speaks of a time when God would become our Saviour -- shedding His precious holy blood on a cross so that we might experience the fullness of His love dwelling within. (Acts 20:28) Unbeknownst to the Israelites at the time (those that had turned their back from the Lord) or the Gentiles (who had not sought the Lord, nor enquired for Him), the coming of the Saviour was to become the all-time turning point of history.
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
"... through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us," (Luke 1:78)
"(For He saith, "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" (II Corinthians 6:2)
"I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham; and them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for Him.
"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord [is] at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. And it shall come to pass in that day," saith the Lord, "that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills."
What is also interesting about this prophecy is the explanation of the stark comparison between those that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops, and those who prefer to worship Baal. As the Lord saith, "The priests said not, "Where is the Lord?" and they that handle the Law knew Me not: the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." (Jeremiah 2:8) And again, "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not ..." (Jeremiah 7:9)
But the good news was the soon coming Lamb of God -- the Great Shepherd -- who would willingly lay down His life for His sheep. After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. (Titus 3:4-7)
Note that this scriptural passage also warned that the great day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly -- even the "voice" of the day of the Lord. In the New Testament, we see this when God declared peace and good will toward all. (Luke 2:14) But John also described this time as the Word that was with God and was God being made flesh and dwelling among us so that we would behold His glory. (John 1:11-18; I Timothy 3:16)
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began ..." (Luke 1:68-70)
You see, from the beginning of creation, the Lord has been bidding His beloved creation (you and I) to the greatest wedding feast ever. And in this dispensation of grace, He became the greatest love story ever told, so that none would be lost. None of us would be misled by those who teach contrary to the scriptures because nothing would be hid from those who love our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29-31)
Indeed, as Jesus said, He must go but He would not leave us comfortless -- He would come unto us. And thus, when Jesus was taken up, He [Jesus] through the Holy Ghost gave commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen. (Acts 1:2-3; John 14:26; John 15:26) This is why there is only ONE on the throne -- and in this current dispensation of grace His Name is JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins ... Emmanuel, being interpreted, God with us. (Matthew 1:21-23) The Great I AM from afore decided that we were worth the ultimate price -- the shedding of blood on an old rugged cross, so that He could have a family.
But the time to turn to Jesus as both our Lord and Christ is short. The invitation period is quickly coming to a close wherein His invited guests are bid to come to His feast. Thus, as the scripture saith, "Today is the day of salvation!"
But I digress. Continuing again from the first chapter of Zephaniah:
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. I will utterly consume all things from off the land," saith the Lord, "I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land," saith the Lord.
Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, "The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil." Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
Indeed, the great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastes greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." (Zephaniah 1:1-18)
But the good news is that the Lord God hears the cries of His beloved people as we go into the hedges seeking those who still have a heart for our Saviour. Stand in the offering plate.
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