THOUGHT
FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER
We shall read from "The Mount of Blessing," page 180, paragraph one.
The reading is based on the scripture which says, "Why beholdest thou the
mote that is in thy brother's eye?"
M.B., p. 180---"Even the sentence, 'Thou that judgest doest the same
things,' does not reach the magnitude of his sin who presumes to criticize
and condemn his brother....When he thinks he has detected a flaw in the
character or the life, he is exceedingly zealous in trying to point it
out; but Jesus declares that the very trait of character developed in doing
this un-Christlike work, is, in comparison with the fault criticized, as
a beam in proportion to a mote. It is one's own lack of the spirit of forbearance
and love that leads him to make a world of an atom....According to the
figure that our Saviour uses, he who indulges a censorious spirit is guilty
of greater sin than is the one he accuses; for he not only commits the
same sin, but adds to it conceit and censoriousness."
Satan is doing his level best to make us transgress in this respect
so that we lose out eternally. God has delegated no one to be policing
another. Only God through His prophets is to reprove sin, but never to
use force of any kind.
Shall we kneel now, and pray for a realization that our duty is not
to criticize others or to magnify their faults, but to speak and practice
the Truth? Further than that, Brother, Sister, we need not go. The rest
is up to our audiences and associates. Let them decide for themselves what
is best for both soul and body. Truth need not be poked down the throat.
THE
FATE OF ASSYRIA,
AND
THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCH
Let us turn to Zephaniah 3, and begin with the first verse.
Zeph. 3:1---"Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing
city!"
The antecedent of the pronoun "her" is found in the thirteenth verse
of the preceding chapter. In it is seen that the "city" here pointed out
is Nineveh, the capital city of ancient Assyria. Now to ascertain whether
this Nineveh is actually the capital city of ancient Assyria or of some
other Assyria; we shall study the remaining verses of the chapter.
Zeph. 3:2---"She obeyed not the Voice; she received not correction;
she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God."
This verse points out the fact that the city and nation here mentioned
had the privilege of hearing the voice of Inspiration, of knowing God's
Truth, but has failed to take heed---received not correction, trusted not
in the Lord, drew not near to her God.
Zeph. 3:3---"Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are
evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow."
Her princes, being like roaring lions, must be frightful persons who
evidently think "might makes right." Her judges are, as it were, evening
wolves; that is, they are in business, not to execute judgment, justice,
and righteousness, but to catch and tear, to fill their den with prey although
they may have more than they know what to do with. "They gnaw not the bones
till the morrow."
Zeph. 3:4--"Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests
have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law."
In the language of today this verse would read, "Her teachers are light-hearted,
not serious and sober-minded; they are trifling; they are of no account;
they are treacherous persons. Her ministers, rather than having kept the
church clean; have polluted it, and have done violence to the law" (have
declared It void).
Thus far is seen that the Assyria of this chapter represents a people
who have been well instructed in the things of God, the law and the sanctuary.
But instead of obeying the Lord and ruling justly and righteously, they
have greatly transgressed, have gone down into sin as deep as any people
can possibly go.
Zeph. 3:5---"The just Lord is in the midst thereof; He will not do iniquity:
every morning doth He bring His judgment to light, He faileth not; but
the unjust knoweth no shame."
In view of the fact that God is in the midst of them, they must be well
informed in the things of God, well aware that in due season He makes known
to them His judgment. In view of all these, the only possible conclusion
one can come to, is that God's church must be in their midst.
Zeph. 3:6-8---"I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate;
I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed,
so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely
thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should
not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted
all their doings. Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the
day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to gather the nations,
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even
all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire
of My jealousy."
The Lord Himself warns that He has cut off nations, that He has made
their towers desolate and their streets waste, that He has destroyed their
cities and has left no inhabitants in them. He points out that all this
He did as an object lesson for future good, so that they as a nation might
fear Him and receive instruction, that their dwellings not be cut off.
But in spite of these examples, they rise early and corrupt all their doings.
So it is that at long last the Lord arises to the prey, gathers the nations,
assembles the kingdoms, and Assyria gets her punishment.
From this we see that the Assyria under discussion exists in the time
of the end, the time in which the great and dreadful day of the Lord takes
place. This Assyria, therefore, is an antitype of ancient Assyria just
as the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 is an antitype of ancient Babylon.
Assyria, charges Inspiration, is a rejoicing city that dwells carelessly,
that says in her heart, "I am, and there is none beside me." Zeph. 2:15.
At this point let us pause a moment and summarize the characteristics
by which this modern Assyria is to be identified. (1) As man looks at things,
she is so great that there is none like her. She is well instructed in
the things of God. (2) She is oppressive, a hard ruling nation. (3) She
has polluted the sanctuary and has declared the law of God void. (4) She
has piled up wealth by going after it as an evening wolf goes after its
prey. (5) She harbors the church of God. (6) She exists in the time the
Lord is to manifest His power and destroy all the wicked nations. (7) She
is an Assyria-like nation, widespread, a nation of conquests.
There is but one people under the sun that answers to all these descriptions,
and that people is, of course, the English-speaking people, in whose midst
is the church, and from whose midst the Gospel and the Bible flow out to
all nations. As clear as language can make it, the burden of the prophet
Zephaniah is for the English-speaking Christian world.
God is now saying to Assyria's capital city, "Indeed, you are doing
all these abominations, but you will not thus continue long. The time is
at hand." Put a stop to your absurdities.
Zeph. 3:9---"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that
they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."
Inspiration for certainty declares that after Assyria receives her punishment,
and after the wicked are taken out of His church, then will the Gospel
be proclaimed in a pure language (in pure Gospel Truth) that whosoever
will, may call upon the name of the Lord, "to serve Him" with heart and
soul. Then it is that "only those who have withstood temptation in the
strength of the Mighty One will have a right to proclaim it [Third Angel's
Message] when it shall have swelled into the Loud Cry."--- " Review and
Herald," Nov. 19, 1908.
Zeph. 3:10, 11---"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants,
even the daughter of My dispersed, shall bring Mine offering. In that day
shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed
against Me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that
rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of My holy
mountain."
When the Gospel is proclaimed in "a pure language," then even from the
ends of the earth God's people will come with an offering to the Lord.
Having removed all who rejoice in her pride the church shall be haughty
no more.
Zeph. 3:12---"I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and
poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord."
The fact that He leaves in their midst poor and afflicted people is
sufficient evidence in itself that the purification of the church takes
place before the Millennium, before Isaiah 33:24 is fulfilled and before
He sets up the kingdom mentioned therein.
Zeph. 3:13---"The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak
lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they
shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid."
The remnant, those that are left after the purification takes place,
shall sin no more. They shall forever thereafter stand without guile in
their mouths:
Zeph. 3:14---"Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and
rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem."
A great day is coming for the righteous, a dreadful one for the wicked.
We, therefore, as children of Zion, are encouraged to sing and shout for
joy because we have finally come to the time of God's great deliverance.
Zeph. 3:15---"The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out
thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee:
thou shalt not see evil any more."
Surely these revelations of prophecy should encourage every believer
to shout with joy as he realizes that the day in which he shall no more
see evil is right at hand, that the Lord is to be his only king.
Zeph. 3:16-20---"In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou
not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the
midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy;
He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. I will gather
them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom
the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that
afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was
driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they
have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the
time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all
people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes,
saith the Lord."
The Lord wants us to know that when He turns away our captivity He will
also make us a name and a praise among all the people of the earth. This
kingdom of Judah (the church purified and set apart), is therefore, not
only pre-millennial, but also probationary. And how glad we ought to be
for the privilege to be among the first of the first fruits.