“It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps And I will punish the men Who [like old wine] are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’ 

What if we were the lamps? What if the punishment was ourselves or the realization of what we made ourselves when once the Lamp within us is lit? What if it looked something like this: Once upon a time there was a young boy who loved his parents and the people he met on the street. He loved all things beautiful, from the waves and roar of the ocean to the delicate flutter of the butterflies, but above all these, he loved God. He loved God so fully that he didn’t care much for the ways of the world. He neither felt the need to prove himself to anyone or the desire to elevate himself for the sake of pride: he was neither a people-pleaser or a self-seeker. He also lacked the ambition of judgment. His eyes were set on the higher. When his master said: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The boy listened and stored the words in his heart, using them as his guide and reassurance. Now it came to pass as the boy grew older and began crossing the threshold into manhood, which one can only truly do through the higher, his friends and neighbors began to challenge his thinking. As a child, they simply thought the boy was clever and let him have his fancies, but as he grew in mind and body, something didn’t sit right with the folks on the street in regard to the young man. “What is your plan?” They would say. “What are you about? You are too clever to sweep floors for a loaf of bread.” 

The boy’s reply was always the same, “I have all I need in Him who created it all.”

“Pahh!” They would reply. “You live in a dream. Someday you’ll be sorry you don’t have more security.”

“I have perfect security,” he would reply. And so it went. Day after day the boy was content in Him, never busy and never bored. The world changed around him, but the change mattered little to the man; he kept his eyes on the higher, the true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse, and he Lived. The man would sit out and watch the sunset over the ocean, and those who used to criticize him began to grow envious of the ease of his Life. “He has nothing and doesn’t care!” They would say, and slowly they began to wonder if there wasn’t something to the man’s way. As they wondered, a lamp flickered within them, and they slowly began to see their life in reverse, and their once noble efforts no longer seemed quite so noble, nor did the man seem quite so wrong… but there was no rewind button. The end or the beginning? 

“Furthermore, their wealth will become plunder And their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses but not live in them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.” [Deut 28:30, 39; Amos 5:11, 12] ¶The great [judgment] day of the Lord is near, Near and coming very quickly. Listen! The [voice of the] day of the Lord! The warrior cries out bitterly [unable to fight or to flee]. That day is a day of [the outpouring of the] wrath [of God], A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and devastation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, [Jer 30:7; Joel 2:11; Amos 5:18] A day of trumpet and the battle cry [of invaders] Against the fortified cities And against the high corner towers (battlements). I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind [unable to find a way of escape], Because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood will be poured out like dust [and trampled underfoot], And their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to rescue them On the day of the Lord’s indignation and wrath. And the whole earth will be consumed In the fire of His jealous wrath, For He shall make a full and complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. [Luke 21:35, 36; 2 Pet 3:10-13] -Zephaniah‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭18‬ ‭AMP‬

Gather yourselves together [in repentance], yes, gather [in submission], O nation without shame, Before the decree takes effect [and the time for repentance is lost]— The day passes like the chaff [whirled by the wind]— Before the burning and fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, Before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you. Seek the Lord [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life], All you humble of the land Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments; Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued] In the day of the Lord’s anger. -Zephaniah‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Here is the footnote to the above verse: God’s judgment and God’s mercy are the twin themes of the prophets. In this dramatic passage, the LORD describes the destruction that will sweep the earth in the day of His wrath. Yet the LORD is true to His promises: the remnant will be restored; the last day is also “the day of redemption.”