I am going to first ask you to read this Passage. It is from the pen of Zephaniah (and the Holy Spirit)!

Zephaniah 3:13-20 …

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. 14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 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. 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 17 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. 18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. 19 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. 20 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.

Isn’t this beautiful?

Verse 13 … Israel’s newfound newfound purity and peace in Christ Jesus the Messiah, her Messiah now!

Verse 14 … the joy that accompanies real salvation!

Verse 15 … the Perfect King and His accomplishments! Reigning in Jerusalem, in the midst of the Holy land!

Verse 16 … a lasting peace, strength from Jesus too!

Verse 17 … the Lord God singing over Israel! He is joyful as well as His people! Never again to leave His flock!

Verse 18 … a great “reversal,” mourning turned into joy, burdens lifted!

Verse 19 … Jesus the Chief Shepherd gathering His stray lambs! And “undoing” that little nation’s many afflictions!

Verse 20 … Israel’s name and glory restored! (In Isaiah 46:13 God actually calls her “Israel My Glory!” Astounding, but true!)

A reenactment of the Exodus, it appears to me!

But greater yet!

God is turning back Israel’s “captivity” … before her very eyes! (Think Moses and Pharaoh, reenacted.)

Yes, this is the Millennium!

From Zephaniah’s viewpoint!

What a time that is going to be, victoriously and graciously so!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

And it is getting close and closer by the day!

So surely, the Rapture is imminent!

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I’ve chosen just one verse. From the brief Prophecy of Zephaniah, whose name means “Jehovah has treasured.”

God the Holy Spirit is here speaking: “The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.” Zephaniah 2:11, a phenomenal Text!

Looks to me like world-wide worship of the LORD, Him being Jesus our Saviour! The noun “heathen” generally designates the “gentiles.”

I often call the Millennium “the greatest Revival the world will ever see.” Even more so than Pentecost, I suspect. Surpassing the great Revivals of Jonah, King Hezekiah, King Josiah, etc.

God, our God, at war with the gods of the earth! (As He was also in the days of the “ten plagues” of Egypt, each successive plague being directed against one of the top ten Egyptian deities, idols, false gods!)

The way Zephaniah words this confrontation is amazing, too. God “famishes” those “gods” of the earth. God will starve them to death! Insinuating (if not indicating) that our God is in total control of all the crops of the earth! Another “slap in the face” for polytheism.

Then let’s note the verb “worship.” Spelled “shachah” in Hebrew it technically means “to bow down” (52 times) … with the particular nuance of “stooping” in adoration, obeisance. Glorifying Almighty God!

God in Isaiah 45:23, vowing … “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Well, that just happened in this Zephaniah Sentence!

No doubt in my mind … this is a Text about the coming Kingdom Rule of Jesus Christ here on this earth.

We are within a week or so of completing this Millennium study, I think. I have heard from very few of you regarding its practicality. Nonetheless I am sure the Lord led me to this subject. (I’ve learned a lot, if no one else has!)

Remember now, no Lessons Saturday and Sunday. Those have become such busy traveling and preaching days. But Monday, the Lord willing, we’ll enjoy one more Zephaniah Passage. In fact, I may have to break this next Paragraph into two sessions.

We’ll see …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Jesus is coming again.

He is the Only Real Hope this world has.

And he is our “Blessed Hope!”

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The words are from the Prophet Micah.

And they are classic.

“Millennial,” to the core!

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19

Verse 18a is asking God a question, directly. “Thee,” a (King James Version) second person pronoun.

But nearly the rest of the Paragraph is written in third person, “He” will turn again. “He will …”

But that last Line reverts to second person, “Thou!”

Balanced, poetic!

This Text is a theology Lesson, and a beautiful one too!

Notice all God does …

He pardons iniquity. (The verb is “nasa,” to lift a load!)

He passes by transgression. (This verb is “abar” which means “to pass on,” and is the verb of that great Passover night long ago. When the death angel harmlessly flew right over the blood stained homes of the Israelites!)

He retains not His anger. “Chazaq” means “to strengthen,” God not stiffening His anger, God backing off, so to speak.

He delights in mercy. “Chaphetzs” means “to take pleasure in” something, “to desire” it to happen!

Then come four more verbs!

He will turn again, “shub.” Virtually to do a 180 degree reversal.

He will have compassion, with “racham” meaning to “feel (favorably) from the innermost part of one’s being.” it’s really the Hebrew word for “intestines!”

Next, He will subdue our iniquities, “kabash,” meaning “to press down, to bring into bondage!”

And lastly … “Thou WILT CAST all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Self explanatory! “Shalak” means “to hurl, to throw!” The deepest part of the sea is over seven miles down!

What God will do for Israel, when He comes again to earth!

When He saves them and sets up His Millennial Kingdom!

Wow, the power of verbs!

More so, the Power of God!

There is none like HIM!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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What a Name for Jesus, a Glorious Title!

One of a kind, really.

Micah uniquely calls Him “the Breaker!”

Watch as this Verse gives “hope” to the Jewish Remnant at the end of the Tribulation!

“I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The BREAKER is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.” Micah 2:12-13

The Lord God as the Quintessential Shepherd! Assuredly gathering, building His flock!

A “remnant,” but a large one at that! A “multitude of men,” the King James Version says! A “noisy” little bunch too, that happy to see Jesus? Or that broken (under conviction) for rejecting Him so long?

But now … they have been rescued, delivered! The Lord (the Breaker) has freed them from bondage of some sort! The anti-Christ’s grip?

Their “King” (None Other than the Lord Jesus) both passes “before them” and simultaneously “leads them!” Point is … they “see” Him! (He leadeth them in the paths of righteousness!)

I wonder … as in?

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7

Zechariah 12:10 (an upcoming Lesson Text, Lord willing) … “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Matthew 24:30, part of Jesus’ great “Olivet Discourse,” pure prophecy … “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Wow!

Israel, what a nation.

Jesus Christ, what a Shepherd, Saviour, Lord!

Amen!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Does anyone today remember when Jesus “broke” into your life and “loosed” the shackles of sin that had you bound so helplessly?

Hallelujah!

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Although the total Passage (Bible Text) is longer than I am discussing this morning, one special Amos verse seized my attention.

Amos 9:11 … “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”

This is NOT a historical event!

Therefore, if it is a literal promise, it must be fulfilled at some future time. And I strongly suggest … the Millennium!

The “tabernacle of David” could mean the house of David, meaning his dynasty. (King Jesus is of that lineage!)

On the other hand, it could mean the Temple itself! Of huge proportions, according to Ezekiel.

God as Architect!

God as Builder!

God as Protector of Israel!

Then (unplanned) a second vese spoke to my heart…

Agriculturally look at this word picture. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.” Bumper crops, for sure, Amos 9:13.

The “reaper” (picker of fruit or harvester of grain) will be so busy (due to the exceedingly copious produce) that next year’s “plowman” will be waiting for him to finish!

That’s the Millennium!

Goodness, let me just go ahead and share the last two verses of the Amos Paragraph … “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.” Amos 9:14-14, amazing!

“No more to be uprooted!”

This is permanent!

This is Millennial!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Far be it from me to “explain away” these Promises! It indeed will be a “golden daybreak” when Jesus comes to earth again!

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