Saturday, April 30, 2016

Zephaniah, The Prophet’s Message



Zephaniah 1:1-18

The WORD of The LORD (GOD Almighty) which came to Zephaniah, The Son of Cushi, The Son of Gedaliah, The Son of Amariah, The Son of Hezekiah, in The Days of Josiah, The Son of Amon, King of Judah.

“I (GOD Almighty) Will UTTERLY CONSUME EVERYTHING, from The Face of The Land,” SAYS The LORD (GOD Almighty); “I (GOD Almighty) Will CONSUME Man and Beast; I (GOD Almighty) Will CONSUME The Birds of The Heavens, The Fish of The Sea, and The Stumbling Blocks, along with The Wicked (Unbelievers).  I (GOD Almighty) Will CUT OFF Man, from The Face of The Land,” SAYS The LORD (GOD Almighty).  “I (GOD Almighty) Will STRETCH OUT My (GOD Almighty’s) Hand AGAINST Judah, and AGAINST All The Inhabitants of Jerusalem.  I (GOD Almighty) Will CUT OFF Every Trace of Baal from THIS Place, The Names of The Idolatrous Priests with The Pagan Priests, Those (Unbelievers) who Worship The Host of Heaven on the housetops; Those (Unbelievers) who Worship and Swear Oaths by The LORD (GOD Almighty) BUT who ALSO Swear by Milcom; Those (Unbelievers) who have TURNED BACK from Following The LORD (GOD Almighty), and have NOT Sought The LORD (GOD Almighty), NOR Inquired of Him (GOD Almighty).”

Be SILENT in The Presence of The LORD, GOD (GOD Almighty); for The Day of The LORD (GOD Almighty) IS AT HAND, for The LORD (GOD Almighty) has PREPARED a Sacrifice; He (GOD Almighty) has INVITED His (GOD Almighty’s) Guests (Believers).  “And it shall be, in The Day of The LORD’s (GOD Almighty’s) Sacrifice, that I (GOD Almighty) Will PUNISH The Princes (Unbelievers) and The King’s Children (Unbelievers), and All (Unbelievers) such as are clothed with foreign apparel.  In The SAME DAY, I (GOD Almighty) Will PUNISH All Those (Unbelievers) who Leap Over The Threshold, who fill Their (Unbelievers) Masters’ Houses with Violence and Deceit.  “And there shall be on THAT DAY,” SAYS The LORD (GOD Almighty), “The Sound of a Mournful Cry from The Fish Gate, a Wailing from The Second Quarter, and a Loud Crashing from The Hills.  Wail, YOU (Unbelievers) Inhabitants of Maktesh!  For All The Merchant People (Unbelievers) are CUT DOWN; All those (Unbelievers) who handle money are CUT OFF.  “And it shall Come To Pass at THAT TIME, that I (GOD Almighty) Will SEARCH Jerusalem with Lamps, and PUNISH The Men (Unbelievers), who are SETTLED in Complacency, who say in Their Heart, ‘The LORD (GOD Almighty) will NOT Do Good, NOR Will He (GOD Almighty) do evil.’  Therefore Their (Unbelievers) Goods shall become booty, and Their (Unbelievers) Houses a Desolation; They (Unbelievers) shall build houses, but NOT inhabit them; They (Unbelievers) shall plant vineyards, but NOT drink their wine.”

The Great Day of The LORD (GOD Almighty) is NEAR; It (The Great Day of The LORD GOD Almighty) is NEAR and HASTENS QUICKLY.  The NOISE of The Day of The LORD (GOD Almighty) is BITTER; there The Mighty Men (Unbelievers) shall CRY OUT.  THAT DAY is a Day of WRATH, a Day of TROUBLE and DISTRESS, a Day of DEVASTATION and DESOLATION, a Day of DARKNESS and GLOOMINESS, a Day of Clouds and Thick Darkness, a Day of TRUMPET and ALARM, AGAINST The Fortified Cities and AGAINST The High Towers.  “I (GOD Almighty) Will Bring DISTRESS upon Men (Unbelievers), and They (Unbelievers) shall walk like Blind Men (Unbelievers), because They (Unbelievers) have sinned AGAINST The LORD (GOD Almighty); Their (Unbelievers) Blood shall be POURED OUT like dust, and Their (Unbelievers) Flesh like REFUSE.”  Neither Their (Unbelievers) silver NOR Their (Unbelievers) gold shall be able to DELIVER Them (Unbelievers) in The Day of The LORD’s (GOD Almighty’s) WRATH; but The Whole Land shall be DEVOURED by The FIRE of His (GOD Almighty’s) Jealousy, for He (GOD Almighty) will MAKE Speedy Riddance of All Those (Unbelievers) who DWELL in The Land.

 

Zephaniah 2:1-15


Gather Yourselves (Believers) Together, yes, Gather Together, O Undesirable Nation, BEFORE The Decree is ISSUED, OR The Day PASSES like chaff, BEFORE The LORD’s FIERCE ANGER Comes Upon YOU (Believers), BEFORE The Day of The LORD’s (GOD Almighty’s) ANGER Comes Upon YOU (Believers)!  SEEK The LORD (GOD Almighty), All YOU (Believers) Meek of The Earth, Who have UPHELD His (GOD Almighty’s) Justice.  SEEK Righteousness, SEEK Humility.  It may be that YOU (Believers) Will BE HIDDEN in The Day of The LORD’s (GOD Almighty’s) ANGER.

For Gaza shall be FORSAKEN, and Ashkelon DESOLATE; They shall DRIVE OUT Ashdod, at Noonday, and Ekron shall be UPROOTED.  WOE to The Inhabitants of The Seacoast, The Nation of The Cherethites!  The WORD of The LORD (GOD Almighty) is AGAINST YOU (Unbelievers), O Canaan, Land of The Philistines: “I (GOD Almighty) Will DESTROY YOU (Unbelievers); so there shall be NO Inhabitant.”  The Seacoast shall be pastures, with shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks.  The Coast shall be for The Remnant (Believers) of The House of Judah; They (Believers) shall feed Their (Believers) Flocks there; in The Houses of Ashkelon, They (Believers) shall lie down at evening.  For The LORD, Their (Believers) GOD (GOD Almighty) Will INTERVENE for Them (Believers), and RETURN Their (Believers) Captives.

“I (GOD Almighty) have HEARD the reproach of Moab, and the insults of The People of Ammon, with which They have reproached My (GOD Almighty’s) People (Believers), and made arrogant threats AGAINST Their (GOD Almighty’s People’s) Borders.  Therefore, as I (GOD Almighty) LIVE,” SAYS The LORD of Hosts, The GOD (GOD Almighty) of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and The People of Ammon like Gomorrah, OVERRUN with weeds and saltpits, and a Perpetual DESOLATION.  The Residue (Believers) of My (GOD Almighty’s) People shall PLUNDER Them, and The Remnant (Believers) of My (GOD Almighty’s) People shall POSSESS Them.”  This They (Unbelievers) shall have for Their (Unbelievers) Pride, because They (Unbelievers) have reproached and made arrogant threats AGAINST The People (Believers) of The LORD (GOD Almighty) of Hosts.  The LORD (GOD Almighty) will be AWESOME to Them (Unbelievers), for He (GOD Almighty) Will REDUCE TO NOTHING All the gods of The Earth; People (Believers) shall WORSHIP Him (GOD Almighty), Each One (Believers) from His (Believers) Place, indeed All The Shores of The Nations.

“YOU (Unbelievers) Ethiopians also, YOU (Unbelievers) shall be SLAIN by My (GOD Almighty’s) Sword.”  And He (GOD Almighty) will STRETCH OUT His (GOD Almighty’s) Hand AGAINST The North, DESTROY Assyria, and make Nineveh a DESOLATION, as dry as the wilderness.  The herds shall lie down in Her (Nineveh’s) Midst, every beast of The Nation.  Both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge on The Capitals of Her (Nineveh’s) Pillars; their voice shall sing in the windows; DESOLATION shall be at The Threshold; for He (GOD Almighty) will LAY BARE the cedar work.  This is The Rejoicing City (Nineveh), that DWELT SECURELY, that said in Her (Nineveh’s) Heart, “I am it, and there is none besides me.”  How has She (Nineveh) become a DESOLATION, a place for beasts to lie down!  Everyone who passes by Her (Nineveh) shall hiss and shake his fist.

 

Zephaniah 3:1-20


WOE to Her (Unbelievers) who is Rebellious and Polluted, to The Oppressing City!  She (Unbelievers) has NOT OBEYED His (GOD Almighty’s) VOICE, She (Unbelievers) has NOT RECEIVED CORRECTION; She (Unbelievers) has NOT TRUSTED in The LORD (GOD Almighty), She (Unbelievers) has NOT DRAWN NEAR to Her (Unbelievers) GOD (GOD Almighty).  Her Princes (Unbelievers) in Her (Unbelievers) midst, are roaring lions; Her Judges (Unbelievers) are evening wolves, that leave NOT a bone till morning.  Her Prophets (Unbelievers) are Insolent, Treacherous People (Unbelievers); Her Priests (Unbelievers) have POLLUTED The Sanctuary, They (Unbelievers) have DONE VIOLENCE to The Law.  The LORD (GOD Almighty) is RIGHTEOUS in Her Midst, He (GOD Almighty) will do NO unrighteousness.  Every morning, He (GOD Almighty) BRINGS His (GOD Almighty’s) Justice to LIGHT; He (GOD Almighty) NEVER FAILS, but The Unjust (Unbelievers) knows NO shame.  “I (GOD Almighty) have CUT OFF Nations, Their (Unbelievers) Fortresses are DEVASTATED; I (GOD Almighty) have MADE Their (Unbelievers) Streets DESOLATE, with NONE passing by.  Their (Unbelievers) Cities are DESTROYED; there is NO ONE, NO inhabitant.  I (GOD Almighty) SAID, ‘Surely YOU (Unbelievers) Will FEAR Me (GOD Almighty), YOU (Unbelievers) Will RECEIVE INSTRUCTION, so that Her Dwelling would NOT be CUT OFF, despite everything, for which I (GOD Almighty) PUNISHED Her.  But They (Unbelievers) rose early and CORRUPTED All Their (Unbelievers) Deeds.

 

“Therefore WAIT for Me (GOD Almighty),” SAYS The LORD (GOD Almighty), “Until The Day I (GOD Almighty) RISE UP For PLUNDER; My (GOD Almighty) DETERMINATION is to Gather The Nations (Unbelievers) to My (GOD Almighty’s) Assembly of Kingdoms, to POUR on Them (Unbelievers) My (GOD Almighty’s) INDIGNATION, All My (GOD Almighty’s) FIERCE ANGER; All The Earth shall be DEVOURED with The FIRE of My (GOD Almighty’s) Jealousy.  “For then, I (GOD Almighty) will RESTORE to The Peoples (Believers) a PURE LANGUAGE, that They (Believers) All may Call on The Name of The LORD (GOD Almighty), to SERVE Him (GOD Almighty) with One Accord.  From beyond The Rivers of Ethiopia, My (GOD Almighty’s) Worshipers (Believers), The Daughter (Believers) of My (GOD Almighty’s) Dispersed Ones (Believers), shall bring My (GOD Almighty’s) Offering (Believers).  In THAT DAY, YOU (Believers) shall NOT be shamed for any of Your (Believers) Deeds, in which YOU (Believers) TRANSGRESS AGAINST Me (GOD Almighty); for then, I (GOD Almighty) Will TAKE AWAY from Your (Believers) Midst, Those who REJOICE in Your (Believers) Pride, and YOU (Believers) shall NO longer be haughty in My (GOD Almighty’s) Holy Mountain.  I (GOD Almighty) Will LEAVE in Your (Believers) Midst a Meek and Humble People (Believers), and They (Believers) shall TRUST in The Name of The LORD (GOD Almighty).  The Remnant (Believers) of Israel, shall do NO unrighteousness and speak NO lies, NOR shall a deceitful tongue be found in Their (Believers) Mouth; for They (Believers) shall feed Their (Believers) Flocks and lie down, and NO ONE shall make Them (Believers) afraid.”

Sing, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, O Israel!  Be Glad and Rejoice with All Your Heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!  The LORD (Jesus Christ) has TAKEN AWAY Your (Believers) Judgments, He (Jesus Christ) has CAST OUT Your (Believers) Enemy.  The King of Israel (Jesus Christ), The LORD (Jesus Christ), is in Your (Believers) Midst; YOU (Believers) shall see disaster NO more.  In THAT DAY, it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do NOT fear; Zion, let NOT Your (Believers) Hands be weak.  The LORD (Jesus Christ), Your (Believers) GOD (GOD Almighty) in Your (Believers) Midst, The Mighty One (Jesus Christ), Will SAVE; He (Jesus Christ) Will REJOICE Over YOU (Believers) with Gladness, He (Jesus Christ) Will QUIET YOU (Believers) with His (Jesus Christ’s) LOVE, He (Jesus Christ) Will REJOICE Over YOU (Believers) with Singing.”  “I (GOD Almighty) Will GATHER, Those (Believers) who SORROW Over The Appointed Assembly, Who are AMONG YOU (Believers), to Whom its REPROACH is a burden.  Behold, at THAT TIME, I (GOD Almighty) Will DEAL with All who AFFLICT YOU (Believers); I (GOD Almighty) Will SAVE The Lame (Believers), and GATHER Those (Believers) Who were DRIVEN OUT; I (GOD Almighty) Will APPOINT Them (Believers) for Praise and Fame in EVERY LAND, where They (Believers0 were put to shame.  At THAT TIME, I (GOD Almighty) Will BRING YOU (Believers) BACK, even at The Time, I (GOD Almighty) GATHER YOU (Believers); for I (GOD Almighty) Will GIVE YOU (Believers) Fame and Praise, AMONG All The Peoples of The Earth, when I (GOD Almighty) RETURN Your Captives BEFORE Your Eyes,” SAYS The LORD (GOD Almighty).

Fellow Believers may These Words (below), Zephaniah Shared, Give YOU (Believers) Hope.

Zephaniah 2:3

“It may be, that YOU (Believers) Will BE HIDDEN, in The Day of The LORD’s (GOD Almighty’s) ANGER.”

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