"Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
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." Zephaniah 2:1-2
Zephaniah prophesied in the days of King Josiah warning the nation of a coming judgment that God will bring against an idolatrous nation except they repented. The national call to repentance was urgent, and should happen before the four 'befores' of God spoken of in Zephaniah 2:2.
1. Before the decree bring forth. God has decreed a decree against the idolatry of the nation, but it had not yet been executed. The nation is beckoned to repentance before the decree is brought forth. The same is true for everyone today, God has decreed that the soul that sins shall die, but He is, through the gospel, calling all people to repentance before the door of grace shuts.
2. Before the day pass as the chaff. Too often, the sinner puts off repentance to a future day, ignoring the fact of the brevity of life. But God warns of the danger of procrastination, and admonishes immediate repentance before the day passes as the chaff. Consider how easily the chaff is driven off by the wind; this is how day passes by, therefore, act now!
3. Before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you. There's a time when mercy cannot be found, even though it sought with many tears; when death meets a man outside of Jesus Christ, the door of grace shuts, and only the looking forward to the just recompense from a holy God against sin. Therefore, God, speaking through His prophet, warns the sinner to act before His fierce anger comes upon him.
4. Before the day of the LORD's anger come upon you. There's a day that the Lord has appointed in which He will visit His anger upon all who reject the offer of salvation that He makes to all freely in Christ Jesus. All must act before that day comes. It is folly to think that that day will never come, because it will come.
Since repentance is only possible now, we must act now before the door of grace shuts, and Christ can no more be our Justifier, but Judge.
Toni
Zephaniah prophesied in the days of King Josiah warning the nation of a coming judgment that God will bring against an idolatrous nation except they repented. The national call to repentance was urgent, and should happen before the four 'befores' of God spoken of in Zephaniah 2:2.
1. Before the decree bring forth. God has decreed a decree against the idolatry of the nation, but it had not yet been executed. The nation is beckoned to repentance before the decree is brought forth. The same is true for everyone today, God has decreed that the soul that sins shall die, but He is, through the gospel, calling all people to repentance before the door of grace shuts.
2. Before the day pass as the chaff. Too often, the sinner puts off repentance to a future day, ignoring the fact of the brevity of life. But God warns of the danger of procrastination, and admonishes immediate repentance before the day passes as the chaff. Consider how easily the chaff is driven off by the wind; this is how day passes by, therefore, act now!
3. Before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you. There's a time when mercy cannot be found, even though it sought with many tears; when death meets a man outside of Jesus Christ, the door of grace shuts, and only the looking forward to the just recompense from a holy God against sin. Therefore, God, speaking through His prophet, warns the sinner to act before His fierce anger comes upon him.
4. Before the day of the LORD's anger come upon you. There's a day that the Lord has appointed in which He will visit His anger upon all who reject the offer of salvation that He makes to all freely in Christ Jesus. All must act before that day comes. It is folly to think that that day will never come, because it will come.
Since repentance is only possible now, we must act now before the door of grace shuts, and Christ can no more be our Justifier, but Judge.
Toni
