A People Humble and Lowly

I am reading in Zephaniah 3, which is a very long passage of Scripture, and as I was reading it, it occurred to me that at least part of this may be a prophecy with regard to the last days, and it definitely fits with where much of God’s people, his church, are today, at least here in America, but probably not only in America. 

For God’s people were rebellious and defiled, and they did not listen to correction, and they did not trust in the Lord, in truth, nor did they draw near to God. And their spiritual leaders were those who profaned what was holy, and they did violence (destruction) to our Lord’s commandments, to His Word, just as is happening in much of what is called “church” today. And even when God judged them, as a people, they were all the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt. I believe this is a picture of America, at large.

“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,

    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is to gather nations,

    to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

    all my burning anger;

for in the fire of my jealousy

    all the earth shall be consumed.” (Zephaniah 3:8 ESV)

As soon as I read this, my mind immediately went to the passages of Scripture, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, which describe for us the judgments of God in the final days before the return of our Lord. And I cannot help but see that this is happening now, in our time period, for I see how God is presently judging the nations of this earth. And the end result is that all the earth shall be consumed, destroyed by fire. And it certainly appears that this is where all this is headed, too.

[Matthew 24:1-51; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 2 Peter 3:1-18; 1 John 2:18-25; Jude 1:17-23; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-14; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 18:1-24; Revelation 19:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15; Revelation 21:1-27, etc.] 

But what is the purpose of it all? What is to be the end result? The same as what is talked about here in Zephaniah 3: 

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

    to a pure speech,

that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord

    and serve him with one accord.” (v. 9)

“On that day you shall not be put to shame

    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then I will remove from your midst

    your proudly exultant ones,

and you shall no longer be haughty

    in my holy mountain.

But I will leave in your midst

    a people humble and lowly.

They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

    those who are left in Israel;

they shall do no injustice

    and speak no lies,

nor shall there be found in their mouth

    a deceitful tongue.

For they shall graze and lie down,

    and none shall make them afraid.” (vv. 11-13)

I can’t help but see here that the period of tribulation on the earth, that honestly we have certainly been in ever since Jesus was crucified on that cross for our sins, but that keeps getting worse and worse, is here and now, and not something future, though I believe things are going to continue to progressively get worse as they are now until the time of Jesus’ return. 

And then if you pay attention to the order of things in the book of Revelation, it basically begins with letters to the churches, and five out of seven of them are warned that they need to repent of their sins or that judgment is going to come upon them. And then following that we have the declarations of judgments. So the church at large that is worldly and is catering to the world and to the ungodly and to human flesh is definitely going to face the judgments of God.

But what I read in the book of Revelation speaks of God’s bride having made herself ready, and that it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (see Revelation 19:6-8). And then we have many Scriptures throughout the New Testament where we are told that God will discipline us and that we will go through trials and tribulations and hardships and persecutions, but that these are necessary in order to purify our hearts.

But one day all that will be over, and those who have made themselves ready, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, by the grace of God, and in his power, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, will no longer fear evil, and we will no longer suffer reproach, but we will be with our Lord for eternity, and all our suffering and crying will be over. Amen! Praise the Lord!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

When We All Get To Heaven  

By Eliza E. Hewitt, pub. 1898 / Emily D. Wilson, pub. 1898

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,

Sing His mercy and His grace;

In the mansions bright and blessed

He’ll prepare for us a place. 

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when trav’ling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving every day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwpTceQfqGw

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