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.”

²² As he did in the days of Zephaniah, Jehovah will soon bring distress upon “all the inhabitants of the earth,” those who refuse to heed his warning.

23. Though wrongdoers will not escape “in the day of Jehovah’s fury,” what hope does Zephaniah’s prophecy hold out?

²³ Nobody can save those who fight against God and his people. Neither silver nor gold could deliver the wrongdoers of Judah, even as hoarded wealth and bribes will provide no protection or escape “in the day of Jehovah’s fury” upon Christendom and the rest of this system of things. In that day of decision, “the whole earth will be devoured” by the fire of God’s zeal as he exterminates the wicked.