King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Friday. August 06, 2021
Chapters: The Book of Zephaniah
Message: In A Moment
Hello My Friend,
In case you have not noticed, God is angry. He is angry at His people, He is angry and what they have done to His Church, He is angry at the ones pretending to be His, and He is angry at the world who do not even know of His Son. Each and every passing day, we are one day closer to Christ’s return, in a moment, God’s anger will be poured out over the entire world. Only those who are watching and waiting for that day will be ready.
[Matthew 24:38-43 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.]
It is so critical that we make sure that our family, friends, and anyone else that God has laid upon our heart, hear the Gospel because Jesus will be returning, and it will be sooner that we think. You can pray a thousand times a day, worship every man made god known to man, but unless you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and are trusting Him alone to save your soul, you are a part of the billions of people who will remain on the earth while the saved are raptured out of here. The Book of Zephaniah contains three chapters, the author of the book is Zephaniah and it was written to Israel and all nations. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 639BC and 609BC. The purpose of the book was to warn all nations of Judgment Day. What we are to learn from the book is that God rather save then destroy, and is mighty to save all who come to Him, [Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.]
God spoke to Zephaniah during the time that Josiah was king and had made drastic changes in Judah and all the land of Israel in a plea to stop the judgment. And while God was pleased with what he was doing, His judgment stood. We are not responsible for others sins, but there are always repercussions from sinful living, which usually affects everyone, not just the offender. These were not people that had no knowledge of God, they knew of Him, chose to rebel against Him, worship other gods, and would often worship Him along with other gods. Through Zephaniah, God explains the judgment, why it stands, and who it is addressed to.
[Zephaniah 1:1-6 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. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. 3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. 4 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; 5 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; 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.]
[those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.] Those who do not seek or even inquire about Jesus have the same fate as those who renounce their faith, worship God along with other gods, and of course, those who worship other gods, hell. We must believe in and accept Christ as our Saviour alone and keep our faith in Him alone until we take our last breath. This is why Jesus said that we must endure until the end, [Matthew 24:11-13 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]
Now, while this was addressed to Judah, and God did judge Israel, this also applied to the day that Jesus will return. He will destroy the land, taking His people with Him to an amazing feast where He had prepared a sacrifice for us.
[Zephaniah 1:7-9,12,15-16 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. 8 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. 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. 12 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. 15 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, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.]
[and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.] There is not one person born that Jesus does not call to come to the great wedding in which He will take all His believers as His bride. That garment is the blood of Christ, and if we do not have it on, we will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, [Matthew 22:11-13 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.]
[A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities,] We do not want to be left here on the earth when we hear that trumpet sound. It will be so bad that even those who are saved in the grave will resurrect and join the living up in the air. That will be the day when Jesus returns, [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
God knows who are His, multitudes will try to get into His Kingdom some other way, but only those who are among the bride of Jesus will be saved. Yes, God is angry, and judgment always comes to His house first, but then comes the judgment of the world. Through Zephaniah, God sends the warning that judgment is not just for Israel, it is for all nations.
[Zephaniah 2:1-3,9,15 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. 9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.]
[that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me:] Let me tell you, what angers God more is not the one who does not know who He is, it is the one who knows of Him, yet have says in their heart that they do not need Him, [Revelation 3:15-19 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.]
Being a Christian in today’s world can be scary, not only has persecution risen, so has martyrdom, people are being killed for professing their faith, this is not something that has been an issue for long time. The way things are going Jesus could return any minute to take His people out of here before things get unbearable. Through Zephaniah, God warns of the day that all the earth is destroyed, but is determined to gather all His people from all nations before that happens.
[Zephaniah 3:5-8 The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. 6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. 7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. 8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.]
[for my determination is to gather the nations,] God does not want His own to be in the midst of all this, and those who are saved will be hid from all this. Perhaps more dangerous than worshiping false gods is making yourself one. We all think highly of ourselves, that is just part of our nature, but when we place ourselves above God that is when it becomes a problem. The devil did that and has a one way ticket to hell and the lake of fire waiting for him as does anyone else who is too proud to seek the LORD, [Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]
God willingly saves and rejoices over anyone who comes to Him through His Son, He promises that while we may be afflicted from time to time, we will be saved from the worse that is yet to come, and not only that, join Him in Zion, [Zephaniah 3:1-17 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. 13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.]
[the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee:] What a day it will be when God’s wrath is halted, and their will be an end to all evil as we know it, no more sin, sickness, sadness, pain, suffering or even death. Salvation does not lie on a particular group, sect, race, or religion, it lies on One Person, the LORD, Jesus Christ, who is also out King, and will be in the midst of us throughout eternity, [1 Corinthians 15:52-57 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Zephaniah 1:7 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 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for giving us hope and assurance of the glorious day in which all nations will come together as one, speak one language, and worship only You in the kingdom that You are preparing for Your believers. You desire our fellowship, our devotion, and our reliance on You for all our needs as You delight in providing everything we have need of. Thank You for all that You do and allow in my life and in everything that You do. Lead me and guide me in Your will and ways, help me to labor only for the things that give You glory, for I know that as long as I am in You I will be taken care of and even receive much more than I imagine. I love You Lord, and pray this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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