God's Judgment Is Real

God’s people had grown complacent and indifferent to spiritual things, because they had “turned back from the Lord” (v. 6). When this happens, God always sends a message of trials and tribulations for His people to “awake to righteousness” (1 Cor 15:34)! The prophet Zephaniah warns them that “the day of the Lord is at hand” upon a rebellious and idolatrous nation. His judgment is real and certain, but the people simply disregarded the message (Zeph 3:2). We have a “jealous God” (Ex 34:14), Who does not want any other gods beside Him (Ex 20:3). He shall judge those who “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, (Rom 1:25).

The god of this world continually blinds “the minds of them which believe not” (2 Cor 4:4). God hates idolatry (Lk 4:8)! The “Chemarims” (v. 4) were idolatrous priests that were installed by Jeroboam to sacrifice to the calves that he made (Hos 10:5). Sadly, many people today have been blinded by the teachings of humanistic philosophy and the lies of evolution (Col 2:8). God is the Creator of everything (Neh 9:6); He provided sinful man’s only salvation plan through His son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 9:12).

 It is not His will “that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9), by trusting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour by faith (Rom 10:9). If they die lost in their sins because they rejected God’s redemption plan (1 Pet 1:19), then on the day of judgment, they will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15)! God punishes sin because He is just and righteous (Ps 7:9). We are thankful that by His grace and mercies “we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not” (Lam 3:22). He loves us enough to still give the lost an opportunity to get saved, and for His backslidden children to turn back to Him! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera