Men Become Fearful of the Events to Come – Amos 5:18-20
Why should men be fearful of the coming events of darkness? What or who is coming? Should we pray for this day of darkness to come?
Amos 5:18-20 Woe to those who are craving (Strong’s #H183 desire) the day of Jehovah! What, then, will the day of Jehovah mean to YOU people? It will be darkness, and no light, 19 just as when a man flees because of the lion, and the bear actually meets him; and [as when] he went into the house and supported his hand against the wall, and the serpent bit him. 20 Will not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light; and will it not have gloom, and not brightness?
The prophet Amos calls God’s Day the day of “darkness” and that darkness causes fear for mankind, it is a fear inspiring day. We should not pray for this day of darkness to come because the prophet Amos tells us not to desire or crave it. But why not pray for it?
The prophet Amos speaks of three wild animals that put the fear into all of mankind, why because they can bring death to us. Do not pray for this day! What else do we know about this fearful day from Jehovah God?
Isaiah 13:2-3… Upon a mountain of bare rocks raise up a signal, (Strong’s #H5251) YOU men. Lift up the voice to them, wave the hand, that they may come into the entrances of the nobles. 3 I myself have issued the command to my sanctified ones. (Strong’s #H6942) I have also called my mighty ones (Strong’s #H1368) for [expressing] my anger, my eminently exultant ones. (Strong’s #H1346)
In this passage of Scripture, we will focus on three words, and the first is rendered as sanctified in Strong’s Concordance #H6942 qadash, it is consecrated, to be set apart, make holy for a purpose by God.
Next, we have mighty and Strong’s Concordance #H1368 Gibbor, defines it as one who magnifies himself, behaves proudly, a tyrant, who is bold and audacious.
Lastly, we have the word used as eminently and Strong’s Concordance #H1346 gaavah, calls it as Majesty or Pride, one who will act out of arrogance and swelling pride in their haughtiness.
Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:13 speaks about how God is going to shake loose the stars from heaven, those who been disobedient to God, and we know that the Scriptures reveal that they are thrown to the earth.
Now along with these passages of Scriptures we are finding out that God is giving a signal, a command to those who have been set apart to a special kind of wrecking work. Take notice of the characteristics of these called ones. They are called mighty in the sense that they lift themselves up proudly, they are in fact bold and audacious. The Scriptures also revealed that they are acting out of their ignorance and of the pride that is swelling in their hearts. Let us continue analyzing the first five verse of Isaiah chapter 13 with the following reading.
Isaiah 13:4-7… Listen! A crowd in the mountains, something like a numerous people! Listen! The uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! Jehovah of armies is mustering the army of war. 5 They are coming from the land far away, from the extremity of the heavens, Jehovah and the weapons of his denunciation, to wreck all the earth. 6 “Howl, YOU people, for the day of Jehovah is near! As a despoiling from the Almighty it will come. 7 That is why all hands themselves will drop down, and the whole heart itself of mortal man will melt. 8 And people have become disturbed. Convulsions and birth pains themselves grab hold; like a woman that is giving birth they have labor pains. They look at each other in amazement. Their faces are inflamed faces.
There is a wicked kingdom that has been mustered for war. They are coming from the ends of the heavens to destroy or wreck the earth.
If God were talking about a physical nation that was on the other side of the earth and God was going to use it to wreck the land or to destroy the people, the prophet of God would have used different wording in the sentence structure. But he specifically calls not to the ends of the earth but to the ends of the heavens. Now we need to ask the obvious question, who is at risk of being caught up in this war?
The Annihilation of Sinners
Isaiah 13:9-12… Look! The day of Jehovah itself is coming, cruel both with fury and with burning anger, in order to make the land an object of astonishment, and that it may annihilate [the land’s] sinners out of it. 10 For the very stars of the heavens and their constellations of Kesil will not flash forth their light; the sun will actually grow dark at its going forth, and the moon itself will not cause its light to shine. 11 And I shall certainly bring home [its own] badness upon the productive land, and their own error upon the wicked themselves. And I shall actually cause the pride of the presumptuous ones to cease, and the haughtiness of the tyrants I shall a base. 12 I shall make mortal man rarer than refined gold, and earthling man [rarer] than the gold of Ophir.
The last chapter we talked about the stars not giving their light in the sun and the moon itself will cease to shine. Again, this passage of Scripture talks about the same thing, but there is some extra detail, and it has to do with annihilating sinners out of the land, then ridding the earth of the things that make it ugly, that of sinful arrogant presumptuous mankind. So, how is God going to rid wicked mankind from the earth?
Isaiah 13:13-16… That is why I shall cause heaven itself to become agitated, and the earth will rock out of its place at the fury of Jehovah of armies and at the day of his burning anger. 14 And it must occur that, like a gazelle chased away and like a flock without anyone to collect them together, they will turn, each one to his own people; and they will flee, each one to his own land. 15 Every one that is found will be pierced through, and every one that is caught in the sweep will fall by the sword; 16 and their very children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be pillaged, and their own wives will be raped.
God himself will give a commanding call. And all sinners of the earth will become annihilated. Everyone caught and captured in the sweep will die. God is bringing about a nation to wreck the earth and his denunciation will be like a despoiling. Where is this army coming from that will express God’s anger? From heaven and by the very hands of those who are prideful acting bold and audacious. These very angels of darkness will be forced out of heaven to carry out God’s anger upon mankind. Could this really be true you ask? What kind of sin brings about this type of destruction from God?
The Wicked to Be Cut Off
Zephaniah 1:1-6… I shall without fail finish everything off the surface of the ground,” is the utterance of Jehovah. 3 “I shall finish off earthling man and beast. I shall finish off the flying creature of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked ones; and I will cut off mankind from the surface of the ground,” is the utterance of Jehovah. 4 “And I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off from this place the remaining ones of the Baal, the name of the foreign-god priests along with the priests, 5 and those who are bowing down upon the roofs to the army of the heavens, and those who are bowing down, making sworn oaths to Jehovah and making sworn oaths by Malcam; 6 and those who are drawing back from following Jehovah and who have not sought Jehovah and have not inquired of him.”
The particular sin that got God so angry has to do with the worship of Malcam, with the practice of Baal worship, but at the same time claiming to worship the true God.
The worship of Baal has to do with illicit sex, along with the killing of newborn babies, and children by fire. The name Malcam means “king” and the Amorites primarily worship him long ago. This god is closely related to Milcom and means the “disgusting thing” along with Molech. This deity and false god Molech was worshiped all throughout the land surrounding Israel and other nations called this same god by variations of the above names.
What kind of sacrifice is the true God preparing for? Who is being offered up as the sacrifice?
Zephaniah 1:7-10… Keep silence before the Sovereign Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is near, for Jehovah has prepared a sacrifice; he has sanctified his invited ones. 8 “And it must occur on the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice that I will give attention to the princes, and to the sons of the king, and to all those wearing foreign attire. 9 And I will give attention to everyone that is climbing upon the platform in that day, those who are filling the house of their masters with violence and deception. 10 And there must occur on that day,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “the sound of an outcry from the Fish Gate, and a howling from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills.
The sacrifice that God is preparing is of those who are standing at the podium and giving direction, those who wear foreign attire, the princes and the sons of the King. What does it mean to wear foreign attire? This expression has to do with how we are dressed appropriately and our worshiping of the true God. What else should we know about what else is coming?
Zephaniah 1:11-13… Howl, YOU inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people who are tradesmen have been silenced; all those weighing out silver have been cut off. 12 “And it must occur at that time that I shall carefully search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will give attention to the men who are congealing upon their dregs [and] who are saying in their heart, ‘Jehovah will not do good, and he will not do bad.’ 13 And their wealth must come to be for pillage and their houses for a desolate waste. And they will build houses, but they will not have occupancy; and they will plant vineyards, but they will not drink the wine of them.
Our attitude is being looked at and we are being judged based on what is found in our hearts. If we imagine that the true God Jehovah does not care, then we are fooling ourselves.
Zephaniah 1:14-18… The great day of Jehovah is near. It is near, and there is a hurrying [of it] very much. The sound of the day of Jehovah is bitter. There a mighty man is letting out a cry. 15 That day is a day of fury, a day of distress and of anguish, a day of storm and of desolation, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick gloom, 16 a day of horn and of alarm signal, against the fortified cities and against the high corner towers. 17 And I will cause distress to mankind, and they will certainly walk like blind men; because it is against Jehovah that they have sinned. And their blood will actually be poured out like dust, and their bowels like the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will be devoured, because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”
The days of darkness are to bring about stressful conditions to the sinful people. Mankind has not looked to God but continued to turn their backs to him and his commandments, they would rather worship the demons & false gods of their own making, a creation of man rather than worshiping the true God in spirit and in truth.
Can we be saved from this fate? Where we can we go to escape? Who can we call upon to be saved?
Seek the Christ
Zephaniah 2:1-3… Gather yourselves together, yes, do the gathering, O nation not paling in shame. 2 Before [the] statute gives birth to [anything], [before the] day has passed by just like chaff, before there comes upon YOU people the burning anger of Jehovah, before there comes upon YOU the day of Jehovah’s anger, 3 seek Jehovah, all YOU meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably YOU may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.
The only way to escape God’s anger is to seek righteousness and meekness. Enter into or under the protection of God’s kingdom, take a knee and call out to Christ Jesus the son of man because he has become The Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11… For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every [other] name,10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground,11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
If you have not done as of yet, then you need to take a knee and cry out to Christ Jesus and acknowledged that he is the son of the living God. You need to acknowledge that he has been made Lord of lords and King of Kings by the sovereign of the universe the true God Jehovah.
Follow the hyperlink to the next chapter: See the Son of Man is Coming
Writingwithlogos.com – Last updated 8/27/22