Zephaniah 2 -- Dealing with those who reproached God’s people.

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ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
31,149
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#1
1 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. The rapture is when you will be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. These warnings, these prophecies, these dreams filling the internet, this is an opportunity for us to seek righteousness and meekness while we still have a chance. The Lord is bidding us as guests to a great wedding feast, He wants us all to be there. Right now it really is up to you whether or not you are there. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. These are the cities and lands in and around Israel. The Philistines lived halfway between Israel and Egypt, so many interpret them to be similar to those Christians who have compromised with the world. In Revelation the Lord says that the church in Thyatira is where Satan’s throne is. When the rapture takes place some Christians will be taken, and some will be left behind. If you are a Christian and you are left behind that will be a terrible judgement. Not simply because you will now have to go through the great tribulation, which to my mind is the least of your problems. If you are martyred during the great tribulation there is honor in that. If I were left behind I would become very aggressive to preach the gospel, like the two witnesses. No the worst part of it is you knew you could have done something differently and now you will have to live with that for all eternity.
 

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ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
31,149
5,562
113
#2
6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. 8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. 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 salt pits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.

Moabites and Ammonites were the product of incest when Lot escaped from Sodom. Lot also is used to describe the rapture, but rather than a glorious salvation it was a shameful salvation where he was barely saved. Unlike Noah whose whole family was saved Lot only escaped with two daughters, the rest of his family was killed. Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” and was in Hebrews 11 which celebrates men of faith. Lot was called “a righteous man” and is not in Hebrews 11. It says he was tormented by what he saw around him. When he meekly tried to rebuke people who wanted to gang rape some visitors they told him to “shut up, who are you to tell us what to do”. There are two raptures, one at the beginning of the seven years, it sets off the great tribulation, it is where the Lord says “well done” to His good and faithful servants. However, for the foolish ones, the ones who are locked out of the wedding feast, the ones with the weeping and gnashing of teeth, their salvation will be like Lot’s. What is really despicable about these Christians is that they reproached and magnified themselves against the Lord’s servants. Remember the word the Lord said about the servant saying in his heart that his master delays His coming and begins to beat the fellow servants. This is them. These are the ones who set themselves in the chief seats and then at the rapture they are shamed before all when they are left behind and those they despised are taken instead.

11 The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

There are Christians churches that have made a compromise with the gods of the earth. Thyatira suffered Jezebel who taught the Lord’s servants to commit fornication and worship idols. Pergamum had false prophets like Balaam. The Lord referred to these compromised houses of worship as “the synagogue of Satan”. Paul talked of an apostasy. The Pandemic has shut down these houses of worship and that in turn is cutting off the collection plate and causing them to be famished. But that is simply a warning. After the rapture why would you return to the same place where none of them were raptured? Why would you continue to sit beneath the teaching of false teachers who promised prosperity and blessing and yet have snared you with them in the great tribulation?

12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.

These are two peoples who don’t actually inhabit Israel, they are neighbors. Assyria used to be a great kingdom. The Ethiopians appears to refer to those living in Arabia and not Africa. The sword that is bringing down the “synagogue of Satan” is also going to bring down these Arabians. The shut down has not only shut down churches it has also greatly reduced the demand for oil. Nineveh was an abusive capital of Assyria that had enslaved Israelites. Russia, Germany and the US all have a very horrible history in this regard. Still, today the worst country for enslaving and abusing God’s people is China.

14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work.

Can you imagine Munich, or New York City, or Moscow or Shanghai as a place for flocks of sheep wandering the streets? It is an apocalyptic vision.

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.

No doubt, right now the major superpowers of the world are the US, China, Europe and Russia. The US and China are especially guilty of saying “I am and there is none beside me”.