Zephaniah 1:4 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 bitterly.
Oh Friends, before we get into the sad stuff, let’s hear some good news nuh; part of a poem by Grace Noll. ‘God wrote his loveliest poem on the day he made the first tall, poplar tree, And set it high upon a pale-gold hill, For all the world to see.’ Now isn’t that lovely? It’s a celebration of the autumn season, which, if we take time to notice, is so beautiful with its numerous variety of colours and chameleon-like changes. Unfortunately though, too many of us are so busy with worldly concerns – the evil concerns too – to even notice the beauty of God’s creation. That’s why the prophet Zephaniah called down God’s anger on his people. They were living in such an ungodly state, when they were supposed to be the chosen, the special people of the Most High God Jehovah. ‘The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth (hurries) greatly, even the voice (noise) of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry bitterly.’ This particular wrathful visitation by our God was the impending Babylonian invasion of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C, killed king Zedekiah’s sons, then blinded him and took him as a captive to Babylon. Now Friends, I’m no prophet, so this is not a prophecy, it’s just a logical conclusion drawn from the promises of our God. The Lord detests ungodly societies, and over the years He has, as the Bible and other historical documents attest, regularly destroyed those nations that have gone overboard and turned from worshipping Him. And the ravages undergone by these societies have not been pretty. Well, looking at the highly ungodly state of our current world, if the Lord is still in His heaven, in control of things, which we all believe He is, then it’s certain that at some time in the future we shall experience that great day. And we’re not necessarily talking about the final judgement, although that could be the next great fiasco in our world. Zephaniah says it ‘hasteth greatly,’ meaning it’s coming quickly. The noise of that day is onrushing my people, and when it arrives, the mighty and powerful shall weep terrible tears of destruction and heartache; much weeping and gnashing of teeth will prevail. For ‘That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness (devastation) 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 (fortified) cities, and against the high towers.’ (Zeph.1:15-16) Yes Friends, it will surely be a sad say for we know that nothing or no one can withstand the Lord’s wrath. He made everything and is therefore entitled to destroy it all, if He so desires. Now Jeremiah referred to the great day in a kinder way. ‘Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.’ (Jer.30:7) He’s referring to the period of Israel’s great tribulation. But note, at the end he holds out hope. Yes my people, there is hope. Once there’s life, there’s always hope in our good, kind, merciful, fair, forgiving and LOVING God. But only the godly will be saved. ‘But they shall serve the Lord, their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be thou dismayed O Israel… For I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure (justice), and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.’ (Jer.30:9-11) So the Lord’s people will be saved, though not unpunished since we have all dabbled in some sort of ungodliness. The problem today Friends is the intensity of the evil and the widespread hold its tentacles have in all corners of the globe. In the world’s history, I don’t think there’s ever been a more sinful period. And do we honestly believe the Lord is just going to sit back and allow it go unpunished? Certainly not! Who knows if much of the world’s current misfortune isn’t already the target of the Lord’s wrath? There are so many abnormal happenings in abnormal places, with famine, conflicts and natural disasters. And have you noticed that oases are turning to deserts, but not the other way around? And we have to consider who controls nature; The Lord God Jehovah, so He may already have begun His day of devastation. Remember too, that a day in the Lord’s eyes is like a thousand years, and He LOVES to give us time to extricate ourselves from our ungodly situations. We can never complain that we don’t get warnings or sufficient time to rectify our mistakes. The long and short of the story my people is that we cannot afford to be complacent. We are a very sinful, ungodly world, and at some stage the wrath of God will fall on us. ‘For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide (endure) it?’ (Jer.2:11) No one my people! However there’s still time to change our wicked ways. We begin by following Joel’s prescription; issuing a serious call to repentance and fasting. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes Friends, that’s the only way we can escape the horrific retribution that will befall us if we continue our sinful atrocities in the eyes of the Most High God Jehovah. So let’s ‘Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify (consecrate) a fast, call a solemn (sacred) assembly:…Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?’ (Joel 2:15,17) Please Friends, let’s all sincerely try not to reach that most undesirable state. Much LOVE!….continual sin always brings very serious repercussions…only sincere repentance will abate God’s wrath…
Oh Friends, before we get into the sad stuff, let’s hear some good news nuh; part of a poem by Grace Noll. ‘God wrote his loveliest poem on the day he made the first tall, poplar tree, And set it high upon a pale-gold hill, For all the world to see.’ Now isn’t that lovely? It’s a celebration of the autumn season, which, if we take time to notice, is so beautiful with its numerous variety of colours and chameleon-like changes. Unfortunately though, too many of us are so busy with worldly concerns – the evil concerns too – to even notice the beauty of God’s creation. That’s why the prophet Zephaniah called down God’s anger on his people. They were living in such an ungodly state, when they were supposed to be the chosen, the special people of the Most High God Jehovah. ‘The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth (hurries) greatly, even the voice (noise) of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry bitterly.’ This particular wrathful visitation by our God was the impending Babylonian invasion of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C, killed king Zedekiah’s sons, then blinded him and took him as a captive to Babylon. Now Friends, I’m no prophet, so this is not a prophecy, it’s just a logical conclusion drawn from the promises of our God. The Lord detests ungodly societies, and over the years He has, as the Bible and other historical documents attest, regularly destroyed those nations that have gone overboard and turned from worshipping Him. And the ravages undergone by these societies have not been pretty. Well, looking at the highly ungodly state of our current world, if the Lord is still in His heaven, in control of things, which we all believe He is, then it’s certain that at some time in the future we shall experience that great day. And we’re not necessarily talking about the final judgement, although that could be the next great fiasco in our world. Zephaniah says it ‘hasteth greatly,’ meaning it’s coming quickly. The noise of that day is onrushing my people, and when it arrives, the mighty and powerful shall weep terrible tears of destruction and heartache; much weeping and gnashing of teeth will prevail. For ‘That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness (devastation) 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 (fortified) cities, and against the high towers.’ (Zeph.1:15-16) Yes Friends, it will surely be a sad say for we know that nothing or no one can withstand the Lord’s wrath. He made everything and is therefore entitled to destroy it all, if He so desires. Now Jeremiah referred to the great day in a kinder way. ‘Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.’ (Jer.30:7) He’s referring to the period of Israel’s great tribulation. But note, at the end he holds out hope. Yes my people, there is hope. Once there’s life, there’s always hope in our good, kind, merciful, fair, forgiving and LOVING God. But only the godly will be saved. ‘But they shall serve the Lord, their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be thou dismayed O Israel… For I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure (justice), and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.’ (Jer.30:9-11) So the Lord’s people will be saved, though not unpunished since we have all dabbled in some sort of ungodliness. The problem today Friends is the intensity of the evil and the widespread hold its tentacles have in all corners of the globe. In the world’s history, I don’t think there’s ever been a more sinful period. And do we honestly believe the Lord is just going to sit back and allow it go unpunished? Certainly not! Who knows if much of the world’s current misfortune isn’t already the target of the Lord’s wrath? There are so many abnormal happenings in abnormal places, with famine, conflicts and natural disasters. And have you noticed that oases are turning to deserts, but not the other way around? And we have to consider who controls nature; The Lord God Jehovah, so He may already have begun His day of devastation. Remember too, that a day in the Lord’s eyes is like a thousand years, and He LOVES to give us time to extricate ourselves from our ungodly situations. We can never complain that we don’t get warnings or sufficient time to rectify our mistakes. The long and short of the story my people is that we cannot afford to be complacent. We are a very sinful, ungodly world, and at some stage the wrath of God will fall on us. ‘For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide (endure) it?’ (Jer.2:11) No one my people! However there’s still time to change our wicked ways. We begin by following Joel’s prescription; issuing a serious call to repentance and fasting. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes Friends, that’s the only way we can escape the horrific retribution that will befall us if we continue our sinful atrocities in the eyes of the Most High God Jehovah. So let’s ‘Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify (consecrate) a fast, call a solemn (sacred) assembly:…Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?’ (Joel 2:15,17) Please Friends, let’s all sincerely try not to reach that most undesirable state. Much LOVE!….continual sin always brings very serious repercussions…only sincere repentance will abate God’s wrath…
SCRIP-BITS 