Set Apart

Zephaniah 1:2“I will utterly consume everything

From the face of the land,”

Says the LORD;

3“I will consume man and beast;

I will consume the birds of the heavens,

The fish of the sea,

And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.

I will cut off man from the face of the land,”

Says the LORD.

4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,

And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,

The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—

5Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;

Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD,

But who also swear by Milcom;

6Those who have turned back from following the LORD,

And have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.”

7Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD;

For the day of the LORD is at hand,

For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;

He has invited His guests.

8“And it shall be,

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 foreign apparel.

9In the same day I will punish

All those who leap over the threshold,

Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10“And there shall be on that day,” says the LORD,

“The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate,

A wailing from the Second Quarter,

And a loud crashing from the hills.

11Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh!

For all the merchant people are cut down;

All those who handle money are cut off.

12“And it shall come to pass at that time

That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

And punish the men

Who are settled in complacency,

Who say in their heart,

‘The LORD will not do good,

Nor will He do evil.’

13Therefore their goods shall become booty,

And their houses a desolation;

They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;

They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.”

14The great day of the LORD is near;

It is near and hastens quickly.

The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter;

There the mighty men shall cry out.

15That 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,

16A day of trumpet and alarm

Against the fortified cities

And against the high towers.

17“I will bring distress upon men,

And they shall walk like blind men,

Because they have sinned against the LORD;

Their blood shall be poured out like dust,

And their flesh like refuse.”

18Neither their silver nor their gold

Shall be able to deliver them

In the day of the LORD’s wrath;

But the whole land shall be devoured

By the fire of His jealousy,

For He will make speedy riddance

Of all those who dwell in the land.

Right now the Lord is calling for sanctification...setting apart...first in the soul, then in the land. This passage describes priests who are double minded...they serve the Lord, and then carve out time for their idols. They trust the Lord, but they also leap over the threshold (a superstitious act that honors demons) just in case...the people think God won't REALLY bless or punish...they would never say that in the church meetings, but in their choices they act like God doesn't really hold them accountable for good or evil. This is happening all around us. At the very time our country is literally ripping and melting, many are wandering around blithely, as though their actions have no consequence. Many, who couldn't possibly have enough time to gather together and repent, have more than enough time to gather in protest, or collect Pokemon (pocket monsters)...your cities are literally in the balance of whether or not YOU protest to HEAVEN what is happening....yet mostly we agree with that in word and not deed. Woe.

There is an answer, and the answer IS Unity...not the unity of compromise. Not the unity of protesting to other people. Not the unity of vengeance. Not the unity of Pokemon.

The answer is the unity of humility and repentance...it is the only Biblical prescription for the judgment that is ramping up even now . I heard the Lord say this am as I woke up this am "I am bringing fire. Peace must be made with me now, while there is time"

As a city, you make peace with God in actual prayer meetings where you tell him what you disagree with and agree with...what YOU want for YOUR city.

Zephaniah 2:1Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,

O undesirable nation,

2Before the decree is issued,

Or the day passes like chaff,

Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,

Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!

3Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth,

Who have upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility.

It may be that you will be hidden

In the day of the LORD’s anger