Remember from our last installment that Zephaniah wrote just before the time of the Babylonian captivity.  In chapter 2 he opens with prophecies concerning the nations around Israel that would also be conquered by Babylon.  The Lord was about to give Nebuchadnezzar the entire Middle East.  Jeremiah also prophesied that this would happen.

This is what the LORD said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.  Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.  Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.  All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.

“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand.”(Jeremiah 27:2-8)

The choice was clear.  Surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and live, or fight and die. Zedekiah was one of Josiah’s sons and reigned from 597-586 BC.  He was not a legitimate king (God had cursed the royal line of succession by then) but was installed by Nebuchadnezzar as a vassal.  He too was given the option of surrendering, but like the heads of the other nations he refused.  Had he not done so, Jerusalem and the Temple would have been spared and the Jews would have avoided the bloodshed and destruction that followed. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s begin our study in chapter 2.

Zephaniah 2
Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger. (Zeph 2:1-3)

Chapter 2 was prophecy when Zephaniah wrote it but it’s history to us.  As we’ll see all the neighboring nations joined Judah in refusing the Lord’s offer to surrender and live.  These three verses are a plea for the people of Judah  to seek the Lord and follow His command.  While the Lord didn’t guarantee their safety, He did offer some hope that they would be kept from the worst.

Against Philistia
Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins.  At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you,       O Canaan, land of the Philistines. “I will destroy you, and none will be left.”

The land by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell,  will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens. It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. (Zeph. 2:4-7)

The Philistines had originally come from the Island of Crete and had settled along the southern Mediterranean coast following a failed invasion of Egypt close to the time that Joshua and the Israelites were coming into the Promised Land from the East. In Genesis 10:14 they’re called Casluhites. According to Strong’s concordance, the word Kerethites means assassins and refers to the Philistine guard King David employed to protect him.  The reason we know this portion is history is that the Philistine cities mentioned are part of Israel today, as Zephaniah promised they would be.  In fact Israel’s nuclear reactor is in Ashkelon, a frequent target of Hamas rockets.  Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroyed the Philistines in 604BC leaving no survivors, as prophesied in detail by Jeremiah (Jere. 47).

Against Moab and Ammon
“I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”

This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty. The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land.   The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land. (Zech 2:8-11)

Moab and Ammon settled the area east and south of the Dead sea. Ezekiel 25:6says they were openly jubilant when it became clear that Israel was going to be punished.  Jeremiah 48 is devoted exclusively to Moab’s destruction and Jeremiah 49:1-6 describes a similar fate for Ammon. Unlike the Philistines, the Lord promised to restore both Moab and Ammon later (Jeremiah 48:47 & 49:6) This promise has been kept in the appearance of Jordan.  In fact Daniel 11:41 tells us that they will escape the clutches of the anti-Christ at the end of the age, perhaps in return for harboring the Jewish remnant in Petra, a city in southern Jordan.

Against Cush
“You too, O Cushites, will be slain by my sword.” (Zeph 2:12)

The Cushites were the ancestors of the Black Africans of today and have been specifically identified with Ethopia and Sudan. They fought with Egypt against Assyria and Babylon and were defeated.

Against Assyria
He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate       and dry as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows,  rubble will be in the doorways,  the beams of cedar will be exposed.

This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, “I am, and there is none besides me.” What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. (Zeph. 2:13-15)

Assyria was also conquered by Nebuchadnezzar.  It happened at the famous Battle of Carchemish in 606 BC and ended not only Assyria’s reign as a powerful Middle Eastern empire, but its existence as a nation.

Assyria’s capitol Nineveh and been destroyed earlier (612 BC) and for several hundred years disappeared altogether.  Today the city of Nineveh is called Mosul by most and is part of Northern Iraq. Mosul was originally built across the Tigris River from Nineveh, but has since expanded to cover both sides of the river and is now Iraq’s 2nd largest city after Baghdad.  A significant Assyrian population lives among its 2 million residents, many of them Christian.  Their ancestors converted in the 2nd century, and today more Christians live in Nineveh, as they still call it, than any other place in Iraq.  Old Testament prophets Jonah and Nahum both wrote about Nineveh and are buried there as well.

In the Millennium, Assyria will once again be present on the world stage just as God promised.  In Isaiah 19:25, Assyria is mentioned along with Israel and Egypt, all three being blessed of God.

Zephaniah 3, The Future of Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

She obeys no one, she accepts no correction.  She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.  Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary       and do violence to the law.

The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,       and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame. (Zeph. 3:1-5)

Even though King Josiah had brought a nationwide revival to Judah, within a few years of his death in 609BC  the nation was deep in idolatry again.  Ezekiel recorded the astonishing fact that priests in the Temple actually kept idols in their closets and worshiped them there each day before going on duty. (Ezekiel 8)

“I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left—no one at all.

I said to the city, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.

Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day I will stand up to testify.  I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them—all my fierce anger.       The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. (Zeph. 3:6-8)

Judah was not totally destroyed until after all the other nations had been dealt with.  At the last minute Jeremiah came in to Zedekiah and again offered him the chance to surrender and live.  Above we see The Lord saying through Zephaniah, “Surely after they see what I’ve done to all the nations around them they’ll come to their senses and surrender.”

But Zedekiah refused, admitting he was more afraid of what people would think of him than he was of the Lord. (Jeremiah 38:17-28) So in 586 BC after waiting 19 years for the people to repent, the city and Temple were destroyed and the people were taken captive or killed.

But this prophecy was not completely fulfilled in Zedekiah’s time, nor has it been to this day. Soon the Lord will gather all the nations for judgment, and the whole world will be consumed by his anger. Just as Nebuchadnezzar was given temporary control of the Middle East for the purpose of judgment, the anti-Christ will be given temporary control of the whole world for the same purpose.

“Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.

On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”(Zeph. 3:9-13)

Like a refiner uses fire to purify his gold and silver, the Lord will use the Great Tribulation to rid His people of their impurities. Their pride and self sufficiency will be removed, leaving them meek and humble, ready to receive the forgiveness He’s been waiting to dispense to those who trust Him.  Their sins will be forgiven, and the righteousness they could never acquire by their works will be imputed to them by faith.  In God’s eyes they’ll become as perfect as He is, and peace will be their reward. The new covenant will have finally come to Israel. (Jere. 31:31-34)

Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!  The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.  The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph. 3:14-17)

Just as Isaiah had done so eloquently over 100 years earlier, Zephaniah now confirms that there will come a day when Israel’s warfare will cease, when her enemies will be defeated for good.  There will come a time when peace is the order of the day, peace with the Lord and peace with the world.

“The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you.  At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.

At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise       among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,”  says the LORD. (Zeph. 3:18-20)

Some of Israel’s feasts commemorate happy events, others times of sadness.  In the Millennium, Israel will celebrate only Passover (but without a lamb) Unleavened bread, and Tabernacles, all times of joy.

The nations will be gathered in the valley of judgment (Joel 3).  And the re-gathering of the nation, officially begun in 1948 will finally be complete.  Israel will again be the world’s pre-eminent nation, the joy of the whole Earth.

The promise of Israel’s latter day reinstatement was confirmed by almost all of Israel’s prophets. And while a few didn’t mention it, none contradicted it.  Those who would have you think that God abandoned Israel after the cross have misunderstood some of the Bible’s clearest and strongest prophecies. And to say that God responded to Israel’s rejection of the Messiah by transferring these promises to the church adds insult to injury. To accept that you have to believe either God can’t see the future and had to change His plans in response to Israel’s actions, or that He can’t be trusted to keep His Word.

The passion with which God made this promise was perhaps captured best by Jeremiah.

This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars  to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is his name:

“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.” (Jere. 31:35-36)

As long as the Sun the Moon and the stars shine in the sky, as long as the wind blows and the waves roar, Israel will be a nation on Earth.  The rest of us better get used to it.  If you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

Zephaniah wrote his three chapter prophecy during the time of King Josiah, who reigned over the Southern Kingdom (Judah) from 640-609 BC.  Josiah was only 8 years old when he inherited the throne following the assassination of his father, the evil King Amon.  Amon’s father King Manasseh had been even worse and between the two of them Judah had suffered through 57 years of apostate leadership.  Needless to say, Judah was not in favor with God when Josiah ascended to the throne.

Zephaniah was also very young, probably in his 20’s when called to the office of Prophet.  And as the great, great grand son of King Hezekiah, he was also of the House of David, a cousin of Josiah’s.  In fact it might have been Zephaniah’s prophecies that inspired Josiah to institute the reforms necessary to  bring Judah back into its covenant relationship with God in 621 BC.

But the revival was short lived.  After Josiah’s death in 609, Judah soon fell into idolatry again. Judgment began soon after with the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar in 605, and by the end of his 3rd siege, in 586, Judah had followed the Northern Kingdom into captivity. Zephaniah’s prophecies had come true.

As we’ll see, his prophecies were of a much broader scope than was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity.  It’s clear that he really had the Day of the Lord in mind.

In fact there are so many references to the Day of the Lord that it’s almost like he was writing to us. Like is with the world today,  the people of Judah had abandoned God in favor of their idols.  Like ours have, their leaders had led them astray and were adamant in their denial of a coming judgment.

Zephaniah warned both the people of Judah in his time and the people of the world in ours that judgment is coming and that it will be personal and intrusive, taking them from complacency to chaos.  Because like He did in the days of Zephaniah, God will again intervene catastrophically to judge man’s  acceptance of and indifference toward sin, which are the last stages of rebellion.  As it was then, His purpose now will be to restore the world to the conditions of blessing He’s always intended for us.  But since  man never learns from history, it will once again take a period of devastating judgment before God can bring His marvelous restoration.

Zephaniah 1.  Warning of Coming Destruction
The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. (Zeph. 1:1-3)

Zephaniah’s opening statement clearly concerns the whole world. The phrase “heaps of rubble” carries a sense of huge obstacles that will prevent the wicked from accomplishing anything. We can see the beginning of this trend as we look at the condition of the world today.  Who is naive enough to believe that any man can solve the problems confronting our world today?

Against Judah
“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests- those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molech, those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him. (Zeph. 1:4-6).

Three groups of non-believers are represented here, and they’re all still around today.  Those who worship the starry host can be compared to people who study astrology and consult their horoscopes before acting.  Molech was a god of fire. He demanded that extreme sacrifices be made to him in times of need.  Often a live child was required.  Today some associate the practice of abortion with Molech.  Unwanted pre-born children are put to death to maintain the lifestyle of the parents.  The third group consists of those who act as if God doesn’t exist. This is by far the biggest one of the three. They think they are in control and have no need of a higher authority.

Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.  On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit. (Zeph 1:7-9)

In this passage, the people are the sacrifice and God’s enemies are the invited guests. Rev. 19:17-18 explains it this way.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”

Leaders who have deceived the people, and those who’ve sought a righteousness of their own will be punished.  Foreign clothing stands for a counterfeit righteousness that doesn’t come from God. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” All other spiritual covering is counterfeit.

During the time when Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over Israel, many of those who counseled appeasement with the Greeks took to wearing Greek style clothing and shaved their faces.  Some even tried to surgically reverse their circumcisions.  The adoption of foreign clothing and appearance was a sign that they were rejecting their covenant relationship with God. Today our official rejection of Christian customs and traditions while bending over backwards to avoid offending others sends Him the same message.

We think of stepping over rather than on a threshold as a harmless superstition. But it originated during the time when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. They put it in the temple of their god Dagon.  When they came back in the morning they found the statue of Dagon on its face before the ark. They put the idol back in its place, but the next morning it was prostate again and this time its head and arms were broken off and were lying on the threshold of the temple. From that day on they never stepped on the threshold of their temple again, lest they offend their god. (1 Samuel 5:1-5)  Other strange and painful things kept happening to them until they finally returned the Ark to Israel.

“On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.  Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be ruined. (Zephaniah 1:10-11)

Here’s another prophecy that looks as if it’s ripped from the headlines. Businesses will fail and banks will close. Almost every Biblical mention of the Fish Gate involves either corruption, or its aftermath.  The name stems from the fact that fishermen sold their catches there, often on the Sabbath. More and more it appears that the world’s financial problems are the aftermath of corruption in the highest levels of business and government.

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’

Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.(Zeph. 1:12-13)

The complacent, who think that God can’t or won’t intervene, will be like wine that hasn’t been strained and becomes unfit to drink.  They’ll be of no use to the Lord.  And here’s another sign we’ve seen recently.  The world’s wealth has been plundered.  Half of it has disappeared in the last 18 months.  Record numbers of people have lost their homes. Many have already been reduced to the status of working solely for the benefit of others, their personal wealth gone.  But they’re just the first.  Millions more will follow.

The Great Day Of The Lord
“The great day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there.  That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.(Zeph 1:14-16)

Those who think the Tribulation has already begun don’t have a clue.  This is something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.  Men whose wealth is currently envied by all will soon wonder where their next meal is coming from. And according to James, they shouldn’t expect any sympathy from the Lord.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. (James 5:1-6)

 

I spent my last few years of employment managing the sales department of a large domestic auto dealership.  Naively I thought I could change the culture of corruption, at least on the local level.  I soon learned that the factory stole from the dealer, the dealer stole from his employees and the employees stole from their customers.  Everyone lied to everyone else.  I’m neither surprised nor saddened by the impending demise of the US auto industry. It’s an abomination to the Lord.

 

I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD.  Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.” (Zeph. 1:17-18)

Even those who survive the Great Tribulation with out seeking the Lord’s forgiveness will find they’ve gained nothing.  They’ll be denied entrance into the Kingdom and ushered off the planet to the outer darkness. At that time the very richest among them would gladly agree to change places with the poorest, sickest, believing beggar. But they won’t be given the chance.  They’ll find that the free gift they will have refused cannot be purchased with all the wealth of the world.

I think you can already see that Zephanian doesn’t mince words.  He’s especially harsh on the leadership.  Having lived among them he had a clear insight into their corruption and manipulation.

Earlier, the Lord had pronounced the same kind of condemnation on them through Micah.

Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.

Therefore, the LORD says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves.  You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. In that day men will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up.  He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.’ ”

Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot. (Micah 2:1-5)

In effect the Lord is saying, “You lie awake at night dreaming up schemes to defraud your fellow man, so I’m lying awake dreaming up ways to punish you. You robbed my people of their inheritance, now I’m going to make sure you don’t have anything to leave either.”

You don’t have to be a prophet to tell what’s ahead for the world, and before Zephaniah is finished any lingering doubt you may have had about the coming judgment will be long gone. But remember, God’s purpose for the world is restoration, and Zephaniah will be unmistakably clear about that as well.  You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.