Zephaniah 1:2-3 (NIV)

“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

I am nearing the end of my daily read the Bible through in a year program. I find myself in a territory of the scriptures where there is not a lot of make you shout for joy kind of reading. I am talking about prophecies of the coming judgment. The world is heading toward a consummation. The above verse speaks of complete destruction of all living things ass well as the destruction of all of own creations. Can this be true? Would a loving, merciful God do such a terrible thing? Remember, this is not the first time God has done such a thing. When I think of this event, I find I go through several progressive sets of feelings.

First, I check up on myself, mostly out of fear, to see whether I am ready. Having assured myself of the promises of God regarding my own condition of salvation, I then begin to worry about my loved ones and friends. I feel confident in the safety of my closest family but as the circle widens, I begin to cringe with concern. Finally I am moved to the place God has been taking me all along, the realization that I am an ambassador for Christ having the message of reconciliation which is able to save us from the wrath that is to come. I am not called to hang a shingle around my neck that has “Doom is coming” on it. Rather, I am to be a light. I must witness lo what God has done in my own life. I’ll tell them what my destiny is. Should I tell them what theirs is if they don’t do likewise?

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