26/09/10

Cry from the Fish gate

Zephaniah 1:10 - And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.


Today's scripture has 2 dimensions of understanding one is spiritual and the other prophetic.

Taking the spiritual message:

This is a rebuke to the people of God who are in the following 3 categories which are fish gate, second gate and the hills.

The Hebrew word 'fish' comes from the root word 'increase' so he term 'fish gate' speaks of people who love God and worship Him only for increase. In reality their real god is their desires for the things of this world and God is a mean to get these desires fulfilled.

The Hebrew word 'second or double' talks about people who disguise themselves and live a double life. They are inhabitants of Egypt (which means 'double standards'). God had warned the people of God not to turn back to Egypt or they will die. These people do not turn back to Egypt but bring Egypt where they are. They call themselves Christians but live a life of an unbeliever.

The term 'hill' in the Bible is used for high places of worship. From the start man has believed God dwells on heights. The term 'heights' does not mean just physical location; it also speaks about elaborate decoration. All false gods had and have temples which are elaborate in rich decorations. If one checks scriptures the Lord preferred to stay in the Tabernacle as given unto Moses. In that Tabernacle most of the gold was used not to make pillars and fancy deco but mostly for the holy objects which symbolized Holy things or Beings of the Kingdom of God. Most of the fancy deco was not inside the Holy place but on the outside. Even when David desired to build a permanent beautiful temple for the Lord; the Lord did not allow him. But just not to displease His loved one the Lord allowed David's son Solomon to do so. Even when Solomon built the temple he had to offer a great sacrifice and plead the Lord for His glory to dwell in the temple he build.

The Lord prefects a simple place of worship and dislikes fancy places with gold and silver deco. You will not find the glory of God in such places but only the glory of man, such places are called high places or hills. The glory of God is found in simple halls where people come to worship in spirit and truth.

As far as the prophetic understanding of this scripture is concern, this was explained to John of Revelations in visions as recorded in his book and is concerning Babylon the Great or the Whore seated on the Beast. Clues to these are the Fish gate was the gate where the people of Tyre polluted the Sabbath (the Greek word for Tyre is Peter which means pebble / small stone), the second or middle gate is from where Babylonians attacked Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah and the term hills refers to the fancy churches build by this institute.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we pray for the believers who know You but yet love this world and things of this world. We also pray for those who show a life of holiness while they live a life of lust and deceit. We pray Lord their hearts be set right and they surrender themselves completely, including their desires to You. May their desires be for the things of your Kingdom and not for things of this world. Open the minds of your people Lord that they see most precious to You are your people and not fancy structures and monuments...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
2 Chronicles 33:13-14
13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

Nehemiah 13:16
16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 39:3
3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

Zephaniah 1:7-13
7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.
11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

Revelation 17:1-10
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

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