An end to all idolatrous priests. Zephaniah 1:4. Part three.

As we work our way through the words of the Prophet Zephaniah, we ended with God making a clear statement about how He will wipe all the inhabitants off the face of the earth and how He will do that.

If you recall, I pointed out how, in my estimation, there is only one practical place, in terms of timing, to do that: after the great white throne judgment. (By using the phrase “in my estimation,” I am leaving room to be wrong. No, that does not make me comfortable, but many things in scripture have no firm definition, making it difficult to say with certainty that what I am saying is the only answer.)

If you, like many others, have the mentality that everyone standing before the final great throne is going to hell, an attitude like this is only feasible if you exclusively focus on Revelation 20 as the omniscient and angry God. Of course you have to keep your mind closed to God being able to shew mercy to some, like He does in Matthew 25 where we see the sheep and goat judgment; a time in which some obtain mercy based upon simple works like giving someone a drink of water, visiting someone in prison, or putting clothing on someone who is down and out. (Matthew relays to us that Jesus considers that these simple acts were, by extension, performed upon Him.)

If you were hoping that there would be no mercy at the throne of Revelation 20, well, that is not what happens here, and you are in for a bewildering surprise. Oh, sure, plenty of people will be sent to hell, but not all, as some will gain entrance into the eternal kingdom.

This is the appropriate point in time to burn up all the earth because after this judgment, all sin will be done away with, and everyone who passes this point will be eternally held in the arms of the Father. From this time forward (the great white throne), everyone will be eternally free from sin, sinners, and the associated guilt that goes along with the sin, such as death, which is eternal separation from God and has nothing to do with physical death.

Now we move on to Zephaniah 1:4.

“I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear.” Zephaniah 1:4 NLT

A couple of questions or comments.

1. What happens after the rapture?

   The rapture is the return of the “body” of Christ – the Church, back to Christ. It is also the trigger for God's wrath upon the nation of Israel – in general, for their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, and it is the judgment of the nations for their wanton slaughter of humans, the destruction of the earth, and of course, their rejection of Jesus.

   You want proof, don't you?

   “Let no one deceive you in any way, for the Day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the one destined to be destroyed.  4)  He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in the Temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God.  5)  Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I was telling you these things?  6)  And you know what now holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 TLV

   It is the removal of the church that releases the antichrist to come on the scene. For those who cannot see the removal of the church, I give you another version, written long before the King James Version was demanded by the state church, the Catholic Church.

   “Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition,”
   (2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva)

   Even the earliest church fathers understood that we would be leaving the earth before the man of sin, the antichrist character, would be presented to the world. Prior to that point in time, when the world sees who the antichrist is, all we have is conjecture, and conjecture typically leads us into deception.

2. Many cannot distinguish between Jesus's coming back for His Church and the time of wrath.

   As I stated, the catching away of the Church also initiates the time that can also be deemed “the day of the Lord,” also understood as the time of God's wrath.

   Unexpectedly, Zephaniah gives us information that applies to those who will be caught up in the pre-tribulation rapture.

   Zephaniah 2:3 “Seek the Lord [inquire for Him, inquire of Him, and require Him as the foremost necessity of your life], all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility [inquire for them, require them as vital]. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.”

   Peter, on the day of Pentecost, quoted the Prophet Joel when he said,

   Acts 2:16-21 NLT

   16)  No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

   17)  ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

   We are finally there, in the last days.

   18)  In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.

   19)  And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

   We have seen wonders in the heavens and signs on the earth for several years.

   20)  The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.

   Under the guise of weather manipulation, the sun's light has been diminished, and we have seen blood moons.

   21)  But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’

While it is true that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved, you have to ask a question.

After the rapture, will people continue to be saved?

The answer is yes, but I do not think it will look the same as it was for those of us who were fortunate enough to come into the family of God during the age of grace.

If it is God's intent, after He catches His bride away, to eliminate all flesh from the earth, then how do you explain salvation?

(Revelation defines those, that will eventually be martyred, as saints, and we eventually find them worshiping before His throne.)

Revelation 7:14 NASB “I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

And then there are those who are still coming to salvation during the millennial reign. This bit of information is alarming to those who will not accept that scripture tells us that non-believers will enter the thousand years of Jesus' rule. It becomes rather evident that the 1000 years are filled with those who have their free wills intact, choose not to follow Jesus, and many will be deceived by Satan at the end of time (This number is deemed uncountable,) right before the great white throne.

Proof?

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Revelation 20:7-10 NASB)

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

I will lay out the scriptures before you and comment on them.

Revelation 20:11-15 BSB

11)  Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.

Revelation 20:4 opens by giving us a picture of thrones.

In Matthew, under the title “The Final Judgment,” we find the narrative showing “The Son of Man” coming to sit upon “His glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31).

Matthew 25:32 BSB conveys that “

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

With a Jewish mentality, you can understand that anyone who was NOT a Jew was a gentile and, by Jewish mentality, not worthy of God's mercy and grace.

Our understanding of scripture, from the Apostle Paul's pen, tells us that there are only three classes of people: the Jews, the nations, and the church. Many Jews are followers of Christ and are, therefore, a part of the church. All those who are outside of the church, and NOT a Jew, are, therefore, a facet of the nations.

Consider the possibility that these people did not make it in the rapture of the church. Since death has nothing to do with breathing air, and everything to do with what you did with Christ, some of these may well be taking dirt naps, while others are still breathing air.

It is clear that the deceived at the end, just before the great throne, and therefore freshly dead, will be included among nations.

You need to occasionally remind yourself that the entirety of the Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ; this understanding also impacts what we see in Revelation 20:4.

“Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 BSB

One of those thrones is the one upon which “the Son of Man” is seated, and He judges. 

Revelation 20:12-15 continued.

12)  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

13)  The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

14)  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

15)  And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

At this point, you might ask, Why did we cover all this information? Because it demonstrates that death is only separation from God, and God clearly causes a vast number to take dirt naps. Judgment is fair and includes mercy for some. Those shown mercy gain entrance into the eternal kingdom, leaving NO ONE on earth that is NOT a part of God's kingdom.

For the sake of argument. Zephaniah 1:2. Part two.

 Since we covered verse one in the introduction to Zephaniah, we will only touch on it lightly. That word lightly makes me laugh because I rarely do anything lightly.

Zephaniah 1:1 NET. This is the prophetic message that the LORD gave to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon of Judah:

If you read my introduction to Zephaniah, then you would know that I wanted to find out what could have been an aspect of his motivation to speak such a strong word. I realize many will not understand my simplistic idea of motivation, as “God,” we assume, speaks to us, telling us to jump, and we say, how high. It doesn't work quite like that. For me, it was a major trust issue as the Holy Spirit was kind enough to give me something like “and the” for a starter. I had to trust Him to fill my mouth, and He always did. As I sit in groups, I rarely find people who recognize that God/the Holy Spirit can and does speak to them.

Along with this track, I was recently reminded that Proverbs tells us more about God's attempts at talking with us than any other book.

Proverbs 1:20-21 NET. Wisdom calls out in the street, she shouts loudly in the plazas; 21) at the head of the noisy streets she calls, in the entrances of the gates in the city she utters her words:

If Proverbs 1:20 is an example of the Holy Spirit speaking, then you can see that He is not merely talking; He is calling out.

If you understand that God is Wisdom, you should be able to grasp that He is calling out to you all the time.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that you don't believe or will not accept that God will speak to you.

If that is your understanding, then you would never realize that the twisted path God has taken you on was meant to build the character and personality in you that you now have (even if you look and act like a biker). The truth is, God has never let you out of His hand and has directed every move you made, even the painful ones.

Why did those things have to happen to you?

Because God needed the person, you became to reach that one person who would only listen to you.

I don't know if you realize what is going on here as I write, but I am also talking to myself, a man who struggles with several damaged aspects of my life (those aspects are primarily emotional, but the damage is real and affects every aspect of my life). In other words, like many of you, I am a walking miracle.

In my previous post, I emphasized the impact of the evil king Manasseh's reign.

The assumption would be logical and practical to consider him, as he played the majority role in Zephaniah's life, and strove to create an environment that echoed the Nazi regime's goals of eradication. Manasseh also, in many ways, matches the current apostate condition of the world we now live in; a world where the name of the Lord is on the verge of being outlawed. Here in my state, California's state assembly has moved to pass Assembly Bill 2943. This bill will make the Bible illegal literature because the words and message in the Bible have always stood against homosexuality. The reality of the Bible is that there are many words in this book that anger people, many of which are religious. The Bible irritates so many people because the Word stands in contrast to and against our selfish desires.

As a side note, I feel no compulsion to use my Bible as a harsh motivation against sin; it speaks against sin on its own. If I can call it that, my motivation for teaching and preaching is meant to get you excited about the life and potential found in the Bible, and then let that control you.

One commentary stated, all we know about Zephaniah is told to us in verse one;
And, it tells us that, “Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.”

Since Josiah is set before us, we need to learn about Josiah.

2 Kings 22:1 NET. Josiah was eight years old when he became king and reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath.

Seriously? How useful or self-directed would an eight-year-old child be?

In reality, someone who held Jehovah in high esteem, regardless of Manasseh's oppression, was helping to direct Josiah's actions and words. Now, I would expect Josiah, if he had a heart for it, to be a follower of the law and God's way, and that is what we see, as we are told he reigned for thirty-one years. This information does not tell me what Josiah did that demonstrated a life of dedication to the Lord, but verse two does.

2 Kings 22:2 NET. He did what the LORD approved and followed in his ancestor David's footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.

Having listened to Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapels, talk about Josiah, you would think this young man would put King David to shame.

Put this information in context: We are all human, and this idea of hearing God would have been a struggle, even for a king, especially for a young king. Therefore, again, it is safe to assume that sane people, led by God, were able to instill great and unselfish wisdom into the young king's life.

Since the passage compares him to King David, you should be able to acknowledge that David was a man after God's own heart. A reality check: David had all the human faults a man could stand, so what qualifies David for this title? Solomon's interactions with God give us a clue.

1 Kings 11:4 NET. When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.

David was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, in spite of his flaws and failures.

A look at the word devoted reveals this:

šālēm: An adjective meaning full, complete, safe, whole, peaceful. This adjective has several uses when it suggests complete, safe, unharmed, and natural.

So David felt safe, whole, peaceful, and natural. Take that in for a moment.

Do you have anyone in your life who produces those feelings in you?

I don't. A few come close, like my wife, but then there are those moments when you are ready to leave even the sanest people behind.

The most important thing, even if it was only the eight-year overlap of Zephaniah's life, is that Josiah followed the Lord.

One could hope that the impact brought through Josiah's rule and life would exceed and outlast any of the damage and horrors Manasseh's reign brought. We all know that was not the case, as damage lingers for years. I point this out because even though I have seen the goodness of God in my life, I still carry too much of the hurt and damage that life has dished out. I continually have to do self-checks, as I wonder if the voice I heard in my spirit was not something inspired by the negativity and abuse I was subjected to; and, when I speak about the trials and tribulations we endure, I freely admit the realization that there are issues I will struggle with my entire life here on earth. Some people can't hear these words and understand them, for they have never experienced such pains.

Can I be sure Zephaniah understood the damage Manasseh caused?

No, but since problems and abuse are common to all of us, there is a good chance Zephaniah would understand this conversation.

Moving on, the caption precedes verse two:

The Coming Judgment on Judah.

Zephaniah 1:2-6 NASB "I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. 3) "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. 4) "So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests. 5) "And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom¹, 6) And those who have turned back from following the LORD, And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him."

Without going into details, the general theme I get here is an angry God cleaning house.

If I base my understanding on the caption, Judah is the Southern Kingdom, and Israel is the Northern Kingdom.

In the long run, was one Kingdom better than the other?

Absolutely not, and even if they became unified under the name Israel, they all went into captivity. During Josiah's reign, it was a divided kingdom. To give you some perspective, while Godly men are often thought to have reigned over Judah, Ahab and his hell-bent, murderous wife reigned over Israel, but not at the same time. In reality, no one was safe, and they mostly forgot about Jehovah.

What does this judgment entail? The removal of all things from the earth.

• Man and beast;

• the birds of the sky;

• The fish of the sea;

• The ruins along with the wicked;

Ah, here comes the clues.

• “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

Now, if I wanted to play with words, then I could put forth the premise that He did not include Israel, but you know that did not happen.

Why does God feel this way?

• Because His people are worshiping Baal;

  And, I can assume that all of Israel, in some manner, is still worshiping Baal. My wife does not like to hear about Molech. You know, that thing that Aaron recreated for “Israel” as they assumed that Moses was dead, and he made us leave all our gods and idols in Egypt. So make the god Molech and Rephan for us. Read Acts chapter 7, where Stephen gives the Jewish council, who are about to have him stoned, an oral history of the children of Israel. (Molech is the half calf – half human god, with outstretched arms. They made fire inside the body and roasted their children (babies) in some form of disgusting idol worship. Rephan, by the way, was a sex god.) What Stephen said to this council was a very intense history lesson, which NO ONE disputed.

• Because there are idolatrous priests alongside the so-called legitimate priests.

  The conveyance that some are not so idolatrous does not excuse their complicity.

• Zephaniah 1:5 in the Amplified translation tells us:

  “And those who worship the starry host of the heavens upon their housetops and those who [pretend to] worship the Lord and swear by and to Him and yet swear by and to [the heathen god Molech or] Malcam [their idol king],”

• And, they have turned their backs on following the Lord.

  I find this same theme in Revelation, Daniel, and others.

Were these conditions exclusive to Judah, the Southern kingdom?

There is not a chance, and any of the books that speak of end times events will prove that out.

Zephaniah 1:2-6 covers one more group of people. I guarantee that this one will make you mad.

• And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.

While it may have been easier to see this as strictly a Jewish problem, this last sentence expanded it to include us church folk. Let me give you an example to chew on. I recently learned that a pastor committed suicide. Many would think, why, as pastors should be the ones that have it all together. At least that is the impression you get, as the pastor says to you, as he did me, I can't believe that you, being a Christian for over 40 years, would think or feel that way.

One of the men I sit with asked me what I think of a pastor who kills himself. It only took a second for a response to come into my spirit. Having dealt with depression and anxiety, it is typically something that has built over time and has not adequately been dealt with. Mind you, these events can come from childhood trauma, but they can also build up from marriage and work situations.

This pastor's wife said, I am thankful that he is now in heaven. This statement too became a part of the discussion, as there are doubts that a person who commits suicide is entitled to heaven.

My answer, and I explained that I have learned to err on the side of mercy, was this.

• The pastor was not in his right mind and therefore was not thinking clearly.

  Do we judge the impaired when they cannot think rationally?
  One of the brothers argued against allowing ourselves to give that man any grace and mercy; yet, that same man was willing to argue for Judas to receive mercy. You can't have it both ways.

• If you are going to play the judgment card, then you can exclude yourself from any mercy.

  Why say that?
  Because Jesus went to the cross as the final sacrifice for sin. Paul told us that there is NO MORE sacrifice for sin, therefore we need to accept the fact that sin and the price for it was done away with. So, if you must stand before God to be judged, it would only be for what you did, or did not do with Jesus. That is it.

I have sat with some of these people who “have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.

I know this because they feel they have the right to hold people in judgment. You would never say that if you sought the Lord and knew his nature and character.

1 John 4:8 NASB The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1) The Amplified Bible identifies this Milcom as Molech. Molech was the half man, half calf god that the people had Aaron recreate for them to worship. Molech was half man, half calf upon which they roasted their children as an offering.

A study on Zephaniah - Part one.

 

A Study on Zephaniah

This study was initiated in 2018; it is currently March 2025.

I will tell you what motivated this study. I went to a “Bible Study” that, to some degree, was promoted by a Southern California Christian radio host. I think the man is sincere, and I believe the work God has done because of him throughout the years is legitimate. So a group of men, under the flag and theme of this radio host, called for men to come to their bible study using Instagram. I thought I would check it out, but I quickly determined that this was not what I thought it would be.

What I took away was a newfound interest in the Book of Zephaniah. The “pastor” of this group told us that he had been at a loss as to what to talk about and felt that he was led to Zephaniah. I honestly do not remember anyone teaching out of Zephaniah, so as he found some legalistic aspects to focus on, I began skimming through the three chapters that comprise the book, and quickly heard this inside my spirit: this book is talking about the last days. I felt so strongly that night that I needed to study who the man was and what he had to say. This is that effort.

The overview given by The Biblical Illustrator tells us this

"Of Zephaniah we know absolutely nothing but what he himself mentions in the superscription of his Book. No information can be gathered from the contents of the prophecy, where the writer’s personal history is wholly unnoticed." ¹

That seems like a hard way to start, especially when we have some particular information about Zephaniah.

Dake's Bible² gives us this information.

Date and place: The prophetic words were written in Palestine about 679-648 B.C.
Another source gives these dates: A.M. 3374, B.C. 630.

Author: Zephaniah the prophet.

Proof of authorship: "We have the testimony of the book itself that Zephaniah wrote it." Dake's comments.

Zephaniah 1:1 NET. "This is the prophetic message that the LORD gave to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah:"

Theme: Judgment of God upon both Jews and Gentiles for their many sins, and His goodness to the godly of both classes.

The book opens with a message regarding immediate judgment upon Judah by Babylon, then depicts their judgment in the future day of the Lord (Zep_1:1-18). Zep_2:1-15 is devoted to immediate judgments of God upon Gentiles by Babylon-Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, and Assyria. The prophet then returns to the immediate judgment upon Judah by Babylon, and also makes predictions regarding Israel in the future day of the Lord, in the reign of the Messiah (Zep_3:1-20).

Purpose: To make it clear to Judah that unless they would consecrate to do the will of God, judgment would surely come; and to encourage the godly of the nation regarding the fact that final and complete restoration under the Messiah would come.

I have looked at more than just the commentaries I mention here. And yet, these authors convey, in a few words, what I have seen with consistency in most.

One thing I wanted to add here: several authors indicated that Zechariah's father and grandfather were prophets. In the Jewish mindset, that meant that you were most likely to be a prophet. Don't you wish it worked that way? The Apostle Paul tells us that prophecy is a gift and that we are to long for it. I am not sure why, but it helps to make life more interesting, especially when people ask you how you knew that. I suppose I am just more willing than some others. I don't try to make it something to brag about; hardly anyone believes you anyway.

Albert Barnes' commentary spells out another fact about Zephaniah.

"Zephaniah was called to his role not long after Habakkuk. Since his time was near to that of Habakkuk, so his subject was also related. Both lived when, for the sins of the reign of Manasseh, God had pronounced an irreversible sentence of destruction upon Jerusalem."³

Dr. John Gill states

"He is the last of the minor prophets that prophesied before the Babylonish captivity. His name, according to Jerom, signifies either "the Lord's watch tower", or "watchman"; or else "the secret of the Lord"; or, "his hidden one"; deriving his name, either from hpu, which signifies to "look out", as a watchman from his tower; or from Npu, "to hide"; which latter derivation is best; and some interpret it "a revealer of the secrets", or "hidden things, of the Lord"⁴

With the knowledge of the time in which he operated, and the Babylonian captivity, I can piece together some of the events that would have motivated the man.

People don't seem to understand something about the prophet or the prophetic. There are humans involved, and unless you can lock yourself in a closet and do little else but commune with God, then you will be affected by the world around you. In other words, you cannot separate the man from the message.

An example of what I am saying can be gleaned from Daniel's life.

When he was taken captive, he was the cream of the crop. Educated and trained in several facets of life, which may have included diplomacy. If nothing else, in time, he would have been a Pharisee or a ruling member of the Jewish council. Daniel would have been of marrying age and, therefore, may have had a young lady picked out to be his wife. Captivity changed all that rapidly. Nebuchadnezzar had the young man castrated immediately. This act served a multitude of purposes, such as removing all hope of ever going back home to a normal life. Jewish law disallowed a castrated man from ever serving in the temple or entering, for that matter; and, it ended his hopes of being married.

Another example, and one that is even more prominent, is Jonah.

We do not know if Jonah had been an eyewitness to what the Assyrians were capable of, or the stories he heard were very graphic, because of this ugly history of abuse toward Israel, Jonah hated the Assyrians. These feelings of hatred were so intense that Jonah was willing to commit suicide to avoid bringing the prophetic message to them. What was Jonah's message? It offered no hope, and he gave none; at the end of forty-five days, Nineveh will be overthrown. All of Jonah's feelings and emotions can be summed up in one verse, which comes after the Ninevehites repented, hoping that God would change His mind or relent. Well, God did, and we find Jonah lamenting that decision.

Jonah 4:2 NET. "He prayed to the LORD and said, "Oh, LORD, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! -- because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment."

I could expound upon other aspects of Jonah's saga, but they rely on history and logical speculation. The question you should ask is, why would a people so warlike, fearless, and bloodthirsty give such immediate attention to a man like Jonah? The answers are there if you are interested and willing to dig just a little.

What kind of mental picture is painted about Zephaniah?

Nothing so ominous. Living between 679-648 BC, he would have been primarily influenced the Assyrian empire, just as Jonah was. We are told that Zephaniah operated prophetically under the rule of Josiah; however, a timeline shows Josiah's influence to be from 640 – 609 BC and therefore have no impact on Zephaniah's life. He did, however, live under Manasseh's rule. So how did we get to Manasseh?

2 Kings 20:19-21 NET. "Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The LORD's word, which you have announced, is appropriate." Then he added, "At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime." 20) The rest of the events of Hezekiah's reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 21) Hezekiah passed away, and his son Manasseh replaced him as king."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee, in his commentary, said this of Hezekiah.⁵

“This may seem like an awful thing for me to say, but Hezekiah should have died when the time came for him to die. Three things took place after God extended his life that were foolish acts: he showed his treasures to Babylon, which will cause great trouble in the future; he begat a son, Manasseh, who was the most wicked of any king; he revealed an arrogance, almost an impudence, in his later years. His heart became filled with pride. 2Ch_32:25 tells us, "But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem." You see, it might have been better if Hezekiah had died at God's appointed time.”

Since we are now aware of Manasseh's reign, let's see what we can learn about the damage he did.

Smith's Bible dictionary informs us of Manasseh.

"The thirteenth king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, 2Ki_21:1, ascended the throne at the age of twelve, and reigned 55 years, from B.C. 608 to 642. His accession was the signal for an entire change in the religious administration of the kingdom. Idolatry was again established to such an extent that every faith was tolerated, but the old faith of Israel."⁶

From Easton's dictionary, we get this.

"Though he reigned so long, yet comparatively little is known of this king. His reign was a continuation of that of Ahaz, both in religion and national polity. He early fell under the influence of the heathen court circle, and his reign was characterized by a sad relapse into idolatry with all its vices, showing that the reformation under his father had been to a large extent only superficial (Isa_7:10; 2Ki_21:10-15). A systematic and persistent attempt was made, and all too successfully, to banish the worship of Jehovah out of the land."⁷

Now I can begin to understand the heart of the man giving the prophetic word.

Manasseh had turned Israel into an idolatrous wasteland and was attempting to remove the worship of Jehovah from the land. Sounds a bit like the world we live in today; no wonder God declares with such zest how God will wipe all flesh from the land.

Here it is, August 26, 2018. Pastor Greg Laurie recently completed his massive salvation campaign at the Anaheim Stadium. However, even Pastor Greg had some contention, as just before the series of meetings, some whiner cried loud enough to force them to change several of the billboards that pictured Greg holding a Bible. If you are a follower of Christ, then you know that the Bible offends many people, including some “Christians.”

Here in California, we are on the verge of passing Assembly Bill AB 2943, which will make books and methods that convey the idea of gender modification (a return to the physical sexual orientation you were born with, whether it be in thought or deed) illegal. That means that the Bible may become an unlawful piece of literature. By the way, that bill did not pass.

I don't know about you, but it sounds more and more like there is a systematic and persistent attempt being made to banish the worship of Jehovah out of the land (just as in the days of Manasseh); and I see it happening all across this nation called America.

Some may read this and get angry; others will consider a piece like this and decide it's time to get off their behinds and get proactive.

Do I know these are the things that motivated Zephaniah?

No, but sin has not changed; it merely spreads faster in the modern world.

The caption, as verse two begins, is this:

The Coming Judgment on Judah

While the caption points to Judah, the Southern Kingdom, look at this next verse.

Zephaniah 1:2 GNB  The LORD said, "I am going to destroy everything on earth,"

This includes the whole earth.

The GNB tends to be rather childish in its translation, so let's expand the translations.

The Amplified puzzles me.

(AMP)  “By taking away I will make an end and I will utterly consume and sweep away all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord.”

If you have read your Bible, then you know that the concept of "utterly" can only occur at the end of the thousand-year reign, when He burns up everything.

(CJB- The Complete Jewish Bible)  "I will completely sweep away everything off the face of the land," says Adonai.”

Zephaniah 3:8 BSB  "Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation— all My burning anger. For all the earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy."

This, too, points to the end of time when everything will be purged, but in this case, with fire.

To substantiate a destruction by fire, I give you 2 Peter 3:7.

2 Peter 3:7 BSB  And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

The finality of judgment will only come with the great throne judgment that we see in the end, after the 1000 years.

1The Biblical Illustrator By Joseph S. Exell, M.A.

2Dake's Study Notes (Finis Dake) Copyright © 1961, 1963, 1989, 1991 by Finis Jennings Dake. All rights reserved in U.S.A. and Other Countries.

3Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, published 1847-85

4John Gill's Exposition of the Bible; Dr. John Gill, D.D., (1697-1771); Published in 1746-1766, 1816; public domain.

5Thru the Bible Commentary By J. Vernon McGee; Thomas Nelson Publishers Nashville; Copyright 1981 by J. Vernon McGee

6Smith's Bible Dictionary, By Dr. William Smith. Published in 1863; public domain.

7Easton's Bible Dictionary. These Dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton, M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Published in 1897; public domain.