Also refers to todays last days – and the day of the Lord – the end time.

The Lords hand can clearly be seen then as today. It should be a signal to mankind about, who is in control of time and our destiny. Life keeps repeating itself, just in a different way, in another time frame. 

Zephaniah was a descendent of king Hezekiah in fourth generation in the time of king Josiah king of Judah. 

One can understand the harsh prophetic utterance given by Zephaniah by examine the life of king Joshua.

2 king chapter 22: The family of Joshua was murdered, and the boy was hidden secretly, until the priest made him king over Judah at age 8. He reigned 31 years to Jerusalem. 

2 king chapter 23 – 25: He turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and mind, like nobody before or after him. 

Resulting in universal law reinstituted according to the book of Moses. 

2 king chapter 22: In the 18 year of king Josiah, the repair the house of the Lord began. 

Verse 8: Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law in the house of the Lord, and it was read in the presence of the king. 

Verse 12: Josiah the king commanded Hilkia, the priest, and other servants to go to inquire about the word of the law. 

Verse 14: They all went to the Huldah the prophetess.

Verse 15: She confirms the harsh word given by Zephaniah.

Verse 19: Huldah excluded king Josiah from terrible times ahead by prophesying: 

Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord – your eyes will not see all the evil, I will bring upon this place, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. 

King Josiah cleansed the land of idolatry by tearing dawn the alters of the different idols, and he also did away with the priests and spiritist serving them as well as the temple prostitutes. 

2 king chapter 23 – 21: The celebration of the Passover was reinstituted. 

Verse 22: Such a Passover had not been seen since in the days of Judges.

For the cleansing of the land a godly king, a high priest, and a prophetess was used to direct the people into Gods liberty for the time being.

Should it not teach us to pray for those in charge of our country? 

It is here Zephaniah comes into the picture. Outwardly Judah had a revival, but peoples heart was still not right with God. Their understanding of what God wanted them to be, had not been reviled to them, they had become lukewarm. 

It should teach us, that going to church does not save us. It is what is in the heart of man that makes the difference, and it is what God is looking for and watching over. God is long suffering and patience. Are we just religious, or do we understand God as something supernatural and capable of interfering in our life. Otherwise God is just an imagination of mans intellectual. 

God is watching jealously over people, and want nobody to be lost. Since he also is righteous and holy, he expects people to humble themselves and to turn to him with all their heart. 

Revelation chapter 3 verse 14 onwards – refers to the lukewarm church. It is partly also todays church, representing people believing only in themselves and some theory about evolution. It has the hardest judgment, because the Lord says: I will spy you out of my mouth. 

Chapter 2 verse 1 – 7: Judgment on countries surrounding in Israel but says in:

Verse 3– all you humble on the earth, who have carried out his ordinances, seek righteousness and humility, perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lords anger.

Judgment on Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and the inhabitants of the sea cost and Canaan, land of the Philistines. 

Verse 8 – 9:Judgment continues on Moab and Ammon todays Jordan.

Verse 10: This they will have in return for their pride and arrogance. 

Verse 12: Also Ethiopia comes under judgment for their stand towards Israel. 

Verse 13 – 14. Assyria is south Arabia will be destroyed, Nineveh in Irag becomes a desolation. 

Verse 9: They will all become a remnant for the house of Judah.

What will happen to those countries? 

It should teach us to examine our stand towards Israel. 

The people in those countries did fail to except Israel the way God wanted them to do. The Jews are the people who gave us the bible and the people by whom God became one with mankind and thereby shoving us the way to salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Jews were under the law and supposed to respect and obey, to have a godly fear towards God. God often confirmed himself by many miracles which were told dawn the generations. He gave them prophets to show the way and too  deliver them from their enemies. If they really such for him with all their heart, God would meet them and minister to them in some way, often by angels.

What they did not have was the renewal of their mind, because the Holy Spirit had not jet been given as described in Acts chapter 2 verse 17. They did understood, that at some point in history, God would come as their king and live among them. That is also what the orthodox Jews still believes and is waiting for today. 

Isaiah chapter 53 the suffering servant only few understood, when Jesus walked on earth. It is the chapter the orthodox Jews still avoid today, or only believe secretly. So to say they actually had no excuse, but as Paulus says: They were blinded for our sake. Christ will return in the sky to the Jews and every eye will see him, and they will cry for him whom they pierced. 

Zachariah chapter 12 verse 10: I will pour out on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication, so that thy will look on me, whom they have pierced, and they will morn for him as one morn for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

Zephaniah chapter 3 shows God as the judge over all the earth for in the end to restore Israel with Jesus Christ as king over the Jews and the world.

Verse 1- 7: God shows the Jews all their shortcomings

Verse 8 – 11:Restoration of the Jews.

Verse 12: I will leave among a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.

Verse13: They will do no wrong.

Verse 15: The Lord has taken away his judgment against his people.

He has cleared away your enemies, the king of Israel the lord is in your midst. 

The book Zephaniah is a journey from law to mercy grace, and restoration. It is Gods plan for the Jews and the whole world. The law could not save the Jews, they did fall into sin again and again. The truth about a saving Godhead was only fully revealed, when Jesus Christ was born. 

Jesus Christ was the first to enter eternity, taking with him those who had past on before, and opening the door for those who past on after the crucifixion.

The crucifixion removed the judgment under the law, and therefor becomes the most important happening for mankind for all ages.