Awaken Christians, the day of the Lord draws near. As we turn from Nahum’s judgement upon Nineveh, that wicked city, to now look at Zephaniah’s prophecy; we cannot help but see how swift and complete will be the judgement upon this earth. Zephaniah not only predicts the judgement upon Israel that would come; but also, the judgement that will ultimately come upon any nation who has turned their back on God. This small book, written by one of the minor prophets; presents glimpses of Jesus Christ who came to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin and the judgement that will come upon this earth for having rejected the good news of the gospel message.
Zephaniah’s words of warning came during the reign of Josiah, King of Judah. Although, Josiah lead the nation in revival; Zephaniah forewarns the people of the judgement that would come because of their once more turning their backs upon God. His prophecy also foretold of God’s righteous, just judgement of all mankind one day.
Zephaniah 1:1-3
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.
I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.
… 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.
Awaken Christians, God Will Judge Idolatry.
As Zephaniah begins to proclaim all those who will be judged in Judah and Jerusalem, he provides a list which we, as a nation; must consider; because, God is unchanging. Just as He judged the nations in the past, He will judge us. The list begins with idolatry.
Verse four states that “I (God), will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place. Idolatry is listed first in Zephaniah. This grave warning speaks even further into how a nation can fall into many forms of idol worship. Indeed, throughout the books of the Chronicles and Kings I and II; there is description of various evil Kings building altars to idols. The sad part noted: the people blindly followed their kings.
Vernon McGee points out in his commentary of this verse.
The first step in a nation’s decline is religious apostasy, a turning from the living and true God. The second step downward for a nation is moral awfulness. The third step downward is political anarchy.1
Did anyone notice the remarks of Senator Feinstein in the confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett, in which she refers to Christianity as a “dogma” that should never be allowed in a judge? Her remark was, “the dogma lives loudly in you and that is a concern.”2
Shouldn’t this bring concern for the Christians in this nation? Furthermore, look at the attack on morality. Condemned for taking a stand against sin, we are told to keep quiet; because, our faith cannot enter our politics. Then, look at the anarchy on our streets and our University Campuses against anyone holding onto Christian Conservative Thought. Awaken, dear Christians and listen to the words of Zephaniah.
Awaken Christians, The Day of the Lord is at Hand
Zephaniah goes on to list those who should stand in fear of judgement.
- Idolatry, particularly as it enters the realms of government and the people’s hearts. (verse 4)
- Those who worship in blackened robes, Satanic worship. (verse 4)
- People that worship the stars; rather than, the creator of the stars. (verse 5)
- Those who combined worshipping God with worshipping false Gods. In particular, he refers to those who worship the flesh such that they sacrifice their children to that God. Perhaps, a lot like the abortions in order to hold fast the idea of “a woman’s body is her own to do with as she wishes. For the sake of sexual freedom, the price paid to the false god of flesh worship are the sacrifice of living fetuses (verse 5).
- People who have heard the gospel message and have turned their backs on God (verse 6)
- Those who never sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him. (verse 6)
Awaken Christian, Recall the Good News of the Gospel
Amid the warnings, Zephaniah foretells of Jesus Christ who will come to be the ultimate sacrifice, paying the price for our sins.
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 (Zephaniah 1:8).
Not only did Christ come to die on a cross for our sins; but, He will return one day to call for final judgement upon the earth. All those who know Him as Savior, Lord, and King will reign with Him that day; because of His Mercy, Love and Grace providing a way. However, all who do not; will be cast into the lake of fire. When we remember God’s Love; we must never forget His Righteousness and His Justice. With great mercy, grace and love, He provided a way of salvation. However, it is up to each of us to choose. Will we follow Him; accepting His gift or will we reject it and seal our own fate for eternity.
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (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.) (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
And for our nation, the same is true. Awaken dear Christian, for now is the time to seek God’s face, bow in prayer for our nation, and continue to spread the good news of the gospel. We must not be silenced in fear.
CONCLUDING TWEETS:
[tweetthis]Awaken Dear Christians, the day of the Lord is Near[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]We must not allow our voices to be silenced, we have the good news[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]God is the supreme judge over nations and people, where do we stand?[/tweetthis]
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR?
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
1 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee: Volume III: Proverbs through Malachi, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 864.
2 Senator Dianne Feinstein, “The Dogma Lives Loudly in You”, Washington Post.com, accessed October 23, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/feinstein-the-dogma-lives-loudly-within-you-and-thats-a-concern/2017/09/07/04303fda-93cb-11e7-8482-8dc9a7af29f9_video.html.
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