Please turn in your Bibles to the book of Zephaniah as we continue our study through the Word of God. Now Zephaniah prophesied during the same time as Jeremiah, both to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet as he was broken over the condition of the nation and his people and the coming judgment for their sin and refusal to repent and get right with God. On the other hand, Zephaniah was more like a hammer of judgment upon the nation, coming down upon the people for their sin, striking them hard.

Two different ministries dealing with the same issues to the same people at the same time and yet we see two vastly different approaches. Who was right? Both! You see, each person needs to fulfill the work that God has set before him in the manner that God desires. You don’t need to copy another ministry, but do the work that God has called you to do faithfully, and you will be rewarded for your service. As you read the various books of the Bible you will notice that the writer has his own style, his own way of presenting things, and yet they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the same is true in our own lives, may we not forget that. Do the work faithfully unto Him!

With that said, let’s dig into our study in Zephaniah beginning in chapter 1, verse 1, and see what the Lord has for us this evening.

ZEPHANIAH 1

1. Here we are given some information about this prophet. He was the great, great grandson of king Hezekiah and the cousin of the ruling king, Josiah. Not only was Zephaniah related to one of the great kings of Israel, but after 55 years of wickedness under king Manasseh and 2 years under his son Amon, we now see Josiah bring spiritual reform to the nation. Zephaniah’s name means "YAHWEH hides" or "YAHWEH hidden" which may speak of the dark times under both king Manasseh and king Amon.

2. During the reign of Josiah the Word of God was found and there was a spiritual awakening taking place, but, for the most part, it was only superficial. The people went to temple because it was the popular thing to do. They used spiritual words when they spoke, but their hearts were divided. Listen to what Jeremiah says of this period of time in Jeremiah chapter 7. We read "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ‘Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!’ Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, "The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these." For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, "We are delivered to do all these abominations"? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the LORD." Jeremiah 7:1-11.

3. As you look at the church at large today, the Lord is saying the same thing. People go to church carrying their Bibles on Sunday and then do all kinds of evil after they leave thinking that going to church will save them! It didn’t back then, and it won’t today! Only Jesus can save and He wants you, all of you to surrender to Him. Christianity, in a sense, is popular today, we have secular companies that sell Christian books, secular companies that sell Christian music and we think things are going well, they are not. Again, we seem to be paralleling the days of Israel, outwardly going to church, going through all the motions, but no emotion towards the Lord!

1. First of all God is speaking to His people, the children of Israel in the near term fulfillment. But, ultimately God will pour out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world in the complete fulfillment. The judgment will be universal.

VERSE 3

1. God will purge His people from the land, judgment will even come upon the animals, in the near fulfillment. But, you can read of the coming judgment upon all the earth in Revelation chapters 6-19 , which is even more intense, and you will see these same things spoken of, and God’s judgment will be complete!

1. This would be fulfilled some 40 years down the road as the Babylonians made their third and final siege upon Jerusalem, wiping them out and destroying the city.

2. Now what Manasseh and Amon allowed in, Josiah tried to remove. There were the idolatrous priests or literally "blacked robed" pagan priests who were ministering to God’s people. Why some priests wear black robes today is beyond me, you would think they would want to wear white! And, the pagan priests were the Levitical priests who turned from the true and living God and were leading the people in the same direction. This was some of what Josiah was trying to remove from the land. (II Kings 23:4-5).

1. Do you see their divided heart? They went to temple and yet they were reading their horoscopes, checking out their future according to the stars and planets, and worshiping these god’s like Jupiter and Mars, and goddesses like Venus!

2. Milcom or Molech was the god of pleasure that they offered their children as a sacrifice to, burning them in the fiery hands of this god’s image. But they did go to temple! And we do the same, over 40 million babies murdered in the womb since abortion was legalized and we still go to church, seeing no problems in what we are doing!! We have not changed or learned the lesson!

1. There were those who didn’t have a divided heart, they just walked away from God completely! They were indifferent to the things of God. Today many people call themselves agnostics which comes from the Latin root word GNOZCO which means "to know." When you place the prefix "a" in front of it, it means "one who knows nothing." Without God, isn’t that the truth!

1. The sacrifice He is speaking of are His people, as they will be judged for their wickedness.

2. The long term fulfillment we see culminate with the battle of Armageddon spoken of in Revelation chapter 19, beginning in verse 17, where we read "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh." Revelation 19:17-21. The sacrifice are the wicked people of this world and His invited guests are the birds or vultures that will feed upon their carcases!

1. Why was God upset about the clothes they were wearing? Because their outward appearance was more important than an in inward relationship with God. They looked good outwardly but inside they were dead. Now some take this to the extreme and say we are not to dress like the world? Then how in the world are you going to dress? Or maybe you should go around naked? Or do you dress old fashioned, like the Amish even though that still is like the world? That makes no sense, does it? It is not what you wear outwardly, but inwardly that will then be manifested in your outward actions!

1. Stealing was common so you can amass your own wealth and possessions and it was not seen as wrong!

1. Here the prophet is speaking of the way the Babylonians would come, from the north, through the fish gate. Also the market district was being judged. Why? Because the focus was making money, climbing up the corporate ladder and not the Lord who will truly supply all your needs! That should sound familiar today!

1. Josephus tells us in one of the invasions of Jerusalem that the cities aristocracy were literally dragged from the sewer system where they hid for their lives. They were searched for and found. And the reason is simple, no concern about the Lord. They had become complacent. And over time they came to the conclusion that God has no power to do anything about their actions.

1. Because of their actions they were not able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They will be removed from the land.

1. Yes, the near fulfillment would be seen in the invasion of the Babylonians in 606 BC, then in 596 BC and the last being in 586 BC. It was getting close. And the call is to sound the alarm, the enemy is coming!

2. But, ultimately this is looking towards the tribulation period where God will pour out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. It is as Amos 5:16-20 says, "Therefore the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, says this: ‘There shall be wailing in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, "Alas! Alas!" They shall call the farmer to mourning, and skillful lamenters to wailing. In all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through you,’ says the LORD. Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?"

1. They are not going to be able to buy their way out of this one. Their wealth will be useless. Their bodies will lay on the streets, rotting away, they will not be buried.

1. No longer are they ashamed of their actions but are openly doing their sin for all to see. I can’t help but look at America and see that we too are shameless, flaunting our sin in "Gay Pride" parades and other immoral parades , on television, in movies, at work, on the streets, in our music, in our schools, and-so-on. May we wake up and learn the lesson before it is too late! God did not accept it back then and He won’t accept it today!

1. The call is to seek the Lord before it is too late. And as we look ahead to the tribulation period, we see God preserve many of His people, the Jews, in the rock city of Petra, hidden until His wrath is over!

2. For people living today, they need to seek the Lord before it is too late. Jesus said in Luke 21:36, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." We are only counted worthy by the blood of Christ and if we come to Him, Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." You see, what a comfort that should be to us knowing that we are not appointed for wrath, but for Salvation in Christ!

1. Now God speaks of His judgment upon the land of the Philistines, the area west of Jerusalem, along the Mediterranean Sea. And you can go and visit these sties today and see the remains of these once great cities, but that is all they are, remains. Now it is a place for shepherds to tend their sheep.

VERSES 8-11

1. Now God speaks of His judgment upon the land of Moab and Ammon, located east of the Jordan River, and they were family, the descendants of Lot. And yet they treated the children of Israel cruelly. After the Babylonians invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah they came in and took some of the land for themselves, increasing their boarders.

2. There is coming a day when the god’s of this world will be done away with and the true and living God will be worshiped. It is as Paul said of Jesus in Philippians 2:9-11, "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." You can either do it now willingly, or in judgment latter!

1. The Lord now speaks of His judgment upon the land of Ethiopia, the land south of Israel.

VERSES 13-15

1. And lastly, the Lord speaks of His judgment upon the land of Assyria to the north of Israel. Their capital, Nineveh, was thought to be indestructible. But God did bring it down to the ground. So much so that many did not believe Nineveh existed until the 19^th century when its ruins were discovered. Pride did come before their fall!

2. It is possible, as we look at the long term fulfillment in the tribulation period, that this is speaking of how the land from north to south, east to west will be judged by God, none will escape!

1. What was taking place inwardly, in their hearts, was now being manifested in their actions, the land and its people have become polluted, Jerusalem was in trouble.

1. Here are her indictments. She is not listening to the Lord which has caused her to do wicked things. As the Lord tried to correct her, she would not receive it. As she continued to move away from the Lord, she learned to trust in other things instead of the Lord. And the end result, she is far from God. Habakkuk spoke on how bad things were in Habakkuk 1:3-4, where he says, "Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds."

1. The leaders devoured the people. The prophets who were to speak forth the Words of God lack truth, they were on a unsteady course. Her priests have profaned the things of God, speaking their own words as if God was speaking. What a sad picture. We see today many in the church speaking from the wisdom of their own heart instead of the truths of God and they are ripping the people off. Making them feel good about living in sin.

1. Again we see God trying to correct them, to reprove their actions but they refused to listen and obey. In fact, they were proud of the way they were living, they showed no shame. A society is in trouble when they are proud of their sin, flaunting it! Yes, the people may be unfaithful, but the Lord isn’t. Morning by morning He is there trying to correct them. God is faithful!

1. God kept trying to get their attention but they were bent on doing evil, rising up early in the morning, eager to get started. You would think that after God punished them through a series of judgments that they would repent and get right with God, but not so. Man’s heart is very evil and only the love of God can change that, He can give us a new heart! It is as Paul says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17.

1. The word "indignation" in the Old Testament is synonymous with the tribulation period in the New Testament, and, as I have said, you can see these things played out in Revelation chapters 6-19.

2. A pretty dark place to end, but it doesn’t end here. God is going to give them hope, light, something to look forward to as He will re-gather His people and establish His kingdom here on the earth!

1. After God judges the world, He will set up His kingdom on this earth, and the people who enter into His kingdom will speak a "pure language." What is that language? We aren’t sure. Some speculate it is the Hebrew language for there are no swear words in that language. If you want to swear, you must use another language. It is possible that this is the language, but whatever the case, all will call upon the Lord and serve Him in the kingdom age.

1. This could be speaking of the dispersed Jews, and here from Ethiopia - blacked skinned people called FALASHAS. Several years ago, when Ethiopia suffered a great famine, tens of thousands of these Falashas were airlifted by the Israelis to safety and a year later the Knesset ruled that these people are full Jews! In any case, the focus will be the Lord and not self.

1. The Jews as a nation will repent of their sins, and no iniquity will be found in them, no lies, no deceit will be found in them. A beautiful work of the Lord which will bring us into the kingdom age.

1. Joy has filled the land, music and singing unto the Lord. Why? The next verse tells us.

1. The enemies of God’s people have been done away with and the true king, Jesus will now rule and reign as righteousness flows throughout the land. You bet joy will fill the land, and we await that day!

1. What a day that will be. But how can God rejoice over me? Because He see’s me as I will be, not as I am. He see’s me in glory, that good work He has begun in me, He see’s as completed already even though I have a long way to go. His love will still our anxious hearts and He will rejoice over us with singing. I wonder what the Lord’s voice is like? I can’t imagine how beautiful it will be. And you know what, you can experience His salvation, His gladness, His love, His singing now if you would only come to Him and trust in Him.

1. In that day, no sorrow, no persecution, no affliction, no handicapped people, no homeless, just praise unto God. It is as Isaiah 55:1-3 says "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- the sure mercies of David."

1. Yes, a tough message but God has this prophet end in hope, restoration, a glorious day when God will rule and reign over His people. Whatever you are going through right now, if your heart is broken, if it is sad, take heart and have hope in the Lord. You see, the message God gave through His prophet Zephaniah to His people speaks to us today - God will see us through our troubles - therefore do as Habakkuk did, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:18. Or, this verse can be translated, "Yet I will jump up an down in the LORD, I will spin around in the God of my salvation." Our God is a God of hope, never forget that. All you need to do is turn to Him and place your faith upon Him, trusting in Him!