VERSE 3 “A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about.”

“If we inquire, why is this Day of His presence such a Time of Trouble and distress of nations? The answer comes, because righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His Throne, and He is judging the nations and weighing them in the balance. Judgment is being laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet (Isa 28:17), to the intent that ere long the equitable principles of His Government may be established in all the earth. Not only will all unrighteousness be made manifest, but “a fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies.” All the willful and persistent opposers of His righteous course shall be “cut off,” “destroyed,” “burned up,” “devoured with the fire of His jealousy.” — Zeph. 3:8.”

“David here shows that the enemies of the kingdom (the present order of things, more specifically corrupt systems and organizations both religious and civil) are not merely restrained, but destroyed.

Fire here as elsewhere, symbolizes destruction. The thought should be stressed, however, that this is not destruction for the sake of destruction; it is, rather, destruction for the cause of justice that is RIGHTEOUS destruction. God never destroys for the thrill of destroying. That is a barbaric and dark age philosophy.

 God destroys because the institution under destruction has no right to exist; it is corrupt and under a RIGHTEOUS sentence of destruction. Knowing this, we can say yea and amen to Paul’s words: “Our God is a consuming fire.” Heb 12:29

VERSE 4 “His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles.”

The “Lightnings” mentioned here are also predicted in Dan 12:4 where the prophet told that “knowledge shall be increased.” We have studied darkness and found it to be lack of understanding. Light is the opposite; it is knowledge. Much light results in understanding. But the lightnings here mentioned are too brief in duration to permit understanding. Instead, they promote fear. Lightning is extreme brightness in the midst of gross darkness and storminess. We all know the result, it blinds and it causes disorientation, confusion. The cries of liberty, equal rights, etc., are all flashes of truth disturbing the surrounding darkness. And has the entire world in turmoil!

A beautiful prophecy about this lightning is written in Zech 10:1,

“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain (harvest rain). The Lord will make flashing clouds (lightening flashes); He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.”

Here we are informed of two effects of rain. As we earlier considered in Prov 16:15, the Church is refreshed by the harvest rain (truths now due at the time of the harvest). Yet here, all the grass in the field is to have showers of rain likewise.

From Isaiah 40:6, 7 we learn that this grass represents the people, mankind in general. So, Zechariah is acknowledging that all mankind are receiving some benefit or refreshing now—at the same time as the “flashing clouds” or lightnings. It is a testimony that restitution blessings are present—even if they are being misused. And note that it is the Lord who sends these blessings by lightnings—the increase of knowledge. All this rain (which is symbolic of refreshing) is in perfect accord with Peter’s statement (Acts 3:19) when he refers to the present (time, the harvest) as “times of refreshing (rain).” It is little wonder that Zion (the true Church) is glad when she realizes all this!

But we notice in Psa 97:4 that the general effect of the lightnings upon the world is trembling: “The earth saw and trembled.” It is, however, no surprise; this result was amply prophesied. Recall what was stated in Exodus 19:16, “All in the camp (world) trembled.” And our Lord’s words in Luke 21:26, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. . .”

“It is in the midst of the clouds and darkness of this Day of Trouble incident to the setting up of Messiah’s Kingdom that the statement of the Prophet is verified: “His lightnings enlightened the world; the earth saw, and trembled.” How apt is this figure! Truly like lightning flashes in the midst of the gloom and perplexity of this cloudy day, come to men the remarkable glimpses of the great principles of Truth and Righteousness in contrast with which the world’s present disorder is so manifest! A flash of lightning from the obscured Throne discloses here one error, and there another, and another. Soon the whole world will be aroused. Already it is largely so. Every day adds to the intensity of the trouble, and the whole world trembles for fear, not knowing what the outcome will be, but dreading the worst.”

VERSE 5 “The Mountains (kingdoms) melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”

“David declares that the kingdoms melted. He had previously stated the same in Psa 46:6, “The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.”

The reason for their melting being the fact that the Lord “uttered His voice.”

This is an important truth. The Lord’s greatest weapon is his word, the Truth. With various truths (coming to light) he is upsetting all error (most importantly those long held and cherished errors held by the professing church), and thereby destroying the systems which promote those errors. In Verse 5, however, David expands the thought and says that they “melted like wax.”

How does wax melt? It becomes pliable first; it bends and yields.

It is in this manner that earth’s governments are losing their power, their form. As society heats up, the governments yield (melt) to meet the demands of the people. In harmony with this we have seen the rise of socialism, reform legislation, etc., all since the Lord’s Second Advent.

But the Psalmist says more. They melt “at the presence of the LORD.” What a blessed word is this word “presence.” It refers to God’s face which symbolically represents His favor. The word “presence” is first found in Gen 3:8 when man fell from Divine presence or favor. Chronologically that was the beginning of the 6,000 years of sin and death. But Peter used the Greek equivalent of the word in Acts 3:19, “times of refreshing shall come from the PRESENCE (face, favor) of the Lord.” Peter was referring to the 7th thousand- year day. It is to this same event that Verse 5 refers. Indeed, what David is saying is that the melting mountains are a sign of God’s favor!

Now we find a repetition. Repetitions of words or phrases of scripture are important. Why does David repeat the thought thus: “at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth“?

He is stressing a point. The Lord’s face (favor or “presence“) has been toward the Church ever since Pentecost. But now something new has happened. For the first time since Gen 3:8, God s face (favor or “presence“) is turned toward all mankind. Now he is “Lord of the whole earth.” This is what Peter was saying in Acts 3.

Peter added that this return of face or favor would be demonstrated by an act; that act would be the sending of Jesus Christ at his second advent. Therefore the first thing lost was the first restored: The Favor (Face or Presence) of God. That was the beginning of restitution!”

“As David stated, the people “tremble” at the lightnings (truths) which reveal the presence (Greek: Parousia) of the new King; and the “Mountains” melt “like wax” at his presence. These thoughts are very revealing, and it is most essential to keep them in mind if we are to understand clearly all that is involved in the second coming and thousand year reign of Christ. He returns to reign.

The Apostle Paul explains that he must reign until all enemies are put under his feet, “and the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 15:25-26) We are glad that the great enemy Death is to be destroyed; but there are other enemies as well which are to be destroyed by the reign of Christ, and among these are the “kingdoms of this world.” It is these that are referred to by the prophet as the “Mountains” which melt like wax at the presence of the Lord.

More specific on this point is the prophecy of Psalm 2:8, 9. “Ask of me,” Jehovah says to his beloved Son, “and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

It is apparent from this and other prophecies that the beginning of Christ’s reign on earth is marked by a worldwide upheaval of “civilization” in which the kingdoms and governments of this world, one after another, are destroyed. Obviously, such a condition, as this would cause the people to “tremble,” and not at first understanding the real cause of the trouble, it is very true that so far as the world is concerned the presence of the new King is in “clouds and darkness” — that is, they do not know that the overthrow of the world is due to the fact that a new King, even Christ, has taken unto himself his great power, and has begun his reign. — Rev. 11:15, 17-18

But while “lightnings” associated with the presence of the Lord first of all precipitates a storm of human passions which destroys the old world order, they symbolize much more than this. As we have seen, the Scriptures indicate clearly that the primary thought is that of enlightenment — indeed, it is through the enlightenment of the people that the world is brought to an end. This prophetic enlightenment in the last days of Satan’s world is described by the Prophet Daniel as an increase of knowledge, accompanied by much and rapid travel over the earth — a worldwide “running to and fro.” (Dan. 12:4) And Daniel associates this increase of knowledge with a great “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) Thus in plain language the prophet tells us of the same sequence of events described by the Psalmist as the “lightnings” which enlighten the world, causing the people to tremble and the governments to “melt.”

Continued with next post.