That
day will be a day of wrath—
a
day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness—
a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers. Zephaniah 1:15-16
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness—
a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers. Zephaniah 1:15-16
Many who read the Bible accuse God of being so mean and judgmental. He always seems angry. This is not the case.
Let’s
look at this another way—how can people be so mean to God? After all he’s done for us—protecting us,
loving us, saving us—why would we ignore him or worse yet give praise and honor
to lifeless wooden gods? God has been very
patient with us and when he pronounces severe judgment, like in the book of Zephaniah, it's forty
years away from the actual judgment day, giving the people plenty of time to clean
up their act. And yet, they ignored another
prophet, went on with their lives, and believed God would never really do what he threatened to do.
Even
then, after all his severe wrath, he still promises to restore and love and accept
the people back. It’s a restrained
judgment that only happens after decades of warning and the hope for repentance.