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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. |
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| 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. |
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| 3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. |
Fowls of the heaven – The most execrable, the vultures of society. C162, C187; R817:3
Satan and his agents. R2634:6, R5406:5
Fishes of the sea – Men not under religious restraint. R333:1
Men of the world, of every kind. C214
See also Rev. 19:17, 18; Rev. 18:4, 2.
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| 4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; |
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| 5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; |
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| 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired for him. |
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| 7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. |
A sacrifice – A slaughter in the time of trouble. A315
Hath bid his guests – "Come and gather yourselves to ether unto the supper of the great God." (Rev. 19:17) A315
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| 8 And it shall come to pass 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 strange apparel. |
The LORD'S sacrifice – The Lord's slaughter. A315
With strange apparel – With imported clothing. A315
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| 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit. |
Also will I punish – Not only a great overthrow of wealth and power, but also a punishment of those used as the instruments of destruction, for their equally unrighteous course. A315
On the threshold – Over the threshold, as marauders. A315
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| 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. |
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| 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. |
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| 12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. |
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| 13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. |
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| 14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. |
Day of the LORD – The forepart of the Millennium. B33, B40
That period of time in which God's Kingdom, under Christ, is to be gradually "set up" in the earth, while the kingdoms of this world are passing away and Satan's power and influence over men are being bound. A307
It is called the "Day of Jehovah" because, though Christ, with royal title and power, will be present as Jehovah's representative, it is more as the General of Jehovah than as the Prince of Peace. A307
Though addressed to Israel and Jerusalem more or less directly, the connections show that all mankind is included in the complete fulfilment. A315
Is near – It has, indeed, begun, and the heat of human passion is growing more and more intense daily. The great time of trouble is very near. R3215:6
Hasteth greatly – Matters culminate quickly in the Day of Jehovah. B99
Even the voice – Even the uproar. A316
The sound. R2216:1
The cries of the oppressed and discontented. R2216:1
Sounding into the ears of the civilized world through the daily press. R2216:3
Coming from various quarters and swelling into the mighty roar of the sea class (Luke 21:25)--a voice that will not be heard. R2216:6
The mighty man – The rich and those who employ labor-- this is their day of trouble in an especial degree. R1676:5
Rich men, chief captains or kings, and the mighty men of the nominal churches who have deceived themselves. R683:6
Cry there bitterly – Shriek bitterly. A316
Because their delusions will all be swept away. R683:6
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for the miseries which shall corn upon you." (Jas. 5:1-4) R3107:6, R668:5
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| 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, |
That day – The Day of Vengeance, the time of trouble. D655
Day of wrath – A term applied to a period of 40 years in the close of the Jewish age, and to a similar period of trouble in the end of the Gospel age. A139
So extreme is the trouble that the world is said to be burned up by the Lord's anger. R26:2, R268:6, R592:3, R409:5
When the world will have an illustration of its own money-mad condition. R4522:2
"For all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy." (Zeph. 3:8) R3935:2, R4627:3, R5364:1, R5863:6
Yet the mind that grasps only the idea of anger, or supposes divine malice, seriously errs. A308
Trouble and distress – Distress and anxiety. A316
Upon the world and nominal church, though its earliest dawning light will be full of comfort and cheer to the saints who see, beyond the trouble, the glorious reign and blessings promised. B40
What wonder that a revolution of such proportions, and necessitating such great changes, should cause trouble. A307
We expect that this distress and trouble will come about, in a natural way, by a rising of the people goaded to desperation. R26:2, R409:5, R592:5
A day of darkness – In that day of horror and darkness, men shall come to learn their need of a strong arm to deliver them. Their pride and self-sufficiency will be humbled in the dust. R5537:6
Not the same day as that mentioned in Zech. 14:2,6, when "the light shall not be bright, nor the darkness thick." D655
And gloominess – Obscurity, uncertainty and foreboding, as well as present distress. A316
A day of clouds – A day of trouble. R153:2, R264:5; A316
Symbolizing the gathering of the trouble epoch. Storm clouds, giving evidence that the vitiated and corrupt "air" is to be changed; and we rejoice that it will be pure after the storm. R264:5, R256:1, R153:2
Thick darkness – Tempestuous gloom. A316
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| 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. |
Of the trumpet – The seventh symbolic trumpet which sounds throughout this day of trouble--also called the Trump of God, because connected with the events of this Day of the Lord. A316
And alarm – Clamorous and conflicting denunciations. A316
The high towers – The strong and well-entrenched governments. A316; R5537:5
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| 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. |
Walk like blind men – Groping in uncertainty, not knowing what course to pursue. A316
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| 18 Neither 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 shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. |
Neither their silver – Neither "Free Silver" nor Protective Tariff, therefore, can claim to be remedies for present and impending evils, but merely palliatives. D473
Nor their gold – Nor bank notes, nor bonds. F554; D329
"They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed." (Ezek. 7:19) F554
To deliver them – In 1898 a miller in Italy Publicly thanked the virgin for dear bread, and then threw his money in the street in a vain attempt to pacify the mob that came to take his life. R2384:2
"Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:15-20) D273
In the day – The Day of Vengeance. D329, D385, D473
Of the LORD'S wrath – Though previously wealth could furnish ease and every luxury. A316
The whole land – The social fabric. R5364:1
Shall be devoured – Not people; the destruction is that of government life. R26:2
Fire of his jealousy – Fire of his zeal, not literal fire. A317, R5442:4
Symbolic of the great social, financial and religious trouble which will overwhelm "the present evil world" and usher in the Millennium. R3074:6, R1615:5, R5733:4
Burning and destroying everything antagonistic to his righteousness. R5532:4, R4628:1
To try every man's work; when those who daub together wood, hay and stubble shall suffer loss, and yet "be saved, so as by fire." (1 Cor. 3:11-15) R505:5*, R5916:1, R4628:1
Permitted by God to turn the hearts of men to himself. R350:3*
Anarchy, the destruction which will sweep the whole world and usher in Messiah's Kingdom. R5364:1
Not merely of destruction, but also of purification. R5442:4
Must burn fiercely to consume the giant evils so entrenched in the world. R5442:4
Of all them – Of all the wealthy, in the sense that wealth will cease to be wealth. A316
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