Tues.’s Devo - The Good News!

Read: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Revelation 10:1-11; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 30:11-14 In Zephaniah”s day Josiah was reigning. He would be the Judah’s last good king. While he tried to lead his nation back to God, the people refused to follow his lead. Zephaniah was sent to warn the people of the coming Assyrians which came during the reign of Jehoiakim. The Assyrians would wipe the wicked from the face of the earth. Judah and Jerusalem would be destroyed along with every trace of their Baal worship. Their idolatrous priest would be destroyed and those who used to worship God but then sacrificed their children to Molech. All the leaders who chose to worship pagan gods would be punished. *** Business men would be judged and their property taken and the houses ransacked. All their hard work would be for nothing. Even strong men would cry. All the walls of security would be taken down. All their money would not be able to save them. *** Habakkuk warns them to repent before judgment comes so that maybe God would protect them during this time of judgment. *** The Philistine strongholds of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod ad Akron would be torn down. The lands of Moab and Ammon will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They had taunted the Lord’s people Their land would become a place of thorns, salt pits and eternal desolation. God’s remnant would plunder their land. *** God would destroy all the gods of the land and the nations will worship the Lord each in their own land. *** The Ethiopians would be slaughtered. Ethiopia means “black” as in evil. Assyria would become a place of ruins for the wild animals to live in. It would become a place of ridicule and shame. *** Jerusalem had become rebellious and polluted with violence and crime. Its leaders were like roaring lions hunting for a prey. Its judges were like wolves hungry to devour. The prophets were arrogant liars working to get rich. The priests defiled the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions. But in spite of all this, God was there handing down justice. *** God had wiped out other nations hoping that the remaining nations would see this and repent but they did’t. God will have to pour out his fury on them. God will remove all the proud and arrogant from their land and rid then of haughtiness. Those that survive will be humbled and trust in the name of the Lord. They will tell the truth and honor one another, They will live in safety and peace. *** God will tabernacle with them. This is the last feast that has to manifest on the earth. It is the Feast of Tabernacles when God comes down to tabernacle and live with his people. Our troubles will be over and we will never live with the fear of disaster. We will not live in fear but God will rejoice over us with joyful songs. We will not be disgraced any more. God will deal severely with all our enemies and gather his faithful together. He will bring the true Jews home to their land and give them a good reputation among the nations. Woo Hoo! *** In Revelation, John meets an awesome mighty angel whose face was lit with the sun and he was surrounded by a cloud with a rainbow over his head. He had his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. He shouted and the seven thunders answered. John was told not to write down what the seven thunders said, The angels said there would be no more delay to God’s plan. It would all come to an end when the seventh angel blew his trumpet. *** John was given a small school and told to eat it. It would be sweet to his mouth but bitter to his stomach. Then he was told that he would have to prophesy to many people, nations, languages, and kings. It will be sweet to be a spokesman for the Lord but what he has to say will make him sick to his stomach. *** Lord, thank you for your marvelous plan. May we be bold and speak your word even if it is a hard word. May we be obedient to your voice today.