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ZEPHANIAH – The Day of the Lord ZEPHANIAH ............................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2

Historical background to Zephaniah ............................................................................................... 2

Meaning of the name Zephaniah .................................................................................................... 3

Zephaniah’s displeasure .................................................................................................................. 6

Gloomy Warnings about Israel ....................................................................................................... 6

Zephaniah 1: 1, 2 ............................................................................................................................. 6

Zephaniah 1:3.................................................................................................................................. 7

Wicked Generation ....................................................................................................................... 10

Zephaniah 1: 4 ............................................................................................................................... 10

Zephaniah 1: 5 ............................................................................................................................... 11

Zephaniah 1: 6 ............................................................................................................................... 11

Zephaniah 1: 7 ............................................................................................................................... 12

Zephaniah 1:8................................................................................................................................ 12

The ‘Day of the Lord’ ................................................................................................................. 12

Zephaniah 1: 14, 15 ....................................................................................................................... 13

End of Daniel's 70th week ......................................................................................................... 14

Judgment on the bordering nations of Israel................................................................................ 17

Zephaniah 2: 4 ............................................................................................................................... 17

Judgement on Jerusalem and its people....................................................................................... 17

Zephaniah 3: 5 ............................................................................................................................... 17

Patience..................................................................................................................................... 18

Zephaniah 3:6................................................................................................................................ 18

Zephaniah 3:7................................................................................................................................ 18

Zephaniah 3:8................................................................................................................................ 19

Daniel's 70th week ..................................................................................................................... 20

Zephaniah 3. 9 ............................................................................................................................... 21

Restoration .................................................................................................................................... 23

Zephaniah 3:10 ............................................................................................................................. 23

Zephaniah 3:11 ............................................................................................................................. 24

Zephaniah 3:12 ............................................................................................................................. 24

Zephaniah 3:13a ............................................................................................................................ 24

Zephaniah 3: 14 ............................................................................................................................. 25

Zephaniah 3:15 ............................................................................................................................. 25

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Zephaniah 3:16 ............................................................................................................................. 26

Zephaniah 3:17 ............................................................................................................................. 26

Zephaniah 3: 18 ............................................................................................................................. 27

Zephaniah 3: 19 ............................................................................................................................. 27

Zephaniah 3:20 ............................................................................................................................. 28

Introduction The book Zephaniah is short and its main message is to proclaim the judgment of God on Israel and the surrounding nations. Firstly Judah or the two tribes of Israel are addressed who are the Jewish people with its capital in Jerusalem. It also names the surrounding nations living on the fringes of its borders. They are indirectly involved with Israel. Zephaniah argues that the day of the Lord is inevitable and it will involve Judah, Jerusalem with the adjacent nations. This Day of Judgment is generally known as the day of the Lord and verse 15 says it is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, etcetera. Anyone who argues that the day of the Lord is Sunday, is naive. In the Bible ‘the day of the Lord’ refers to the future judgment that will imminently be brought about by the Lord Himself. It will involve all the nations of the earth, but fore mostly the Jewish nation. Then the believing remnant will call on his Name, and they are living in Israel right now. He addresses more specifically the Jewish people and the people living in Jerusalem.

Historical background to Zephaniah The word ‘day’ in the Bible has a special meaning denoting judgment, not only in the Hebrew or in the Greek language, but also in English. ‘Day’ presupposes that things are brought to light, so we can discern things, review them or possibly condemn our deeds. The New Testament do speaks of the many things that will be punished once the light appears. The New Testament speaks of ‘the day of Christ’ or ‘the day of the Lord Jesus’ and it is unique to the Apostle Paul. Paul also called the day of Christ ‘that day’ in his last letter. The phrases are found in 1 Corinthians 1.8, 5.5; 2 Corinthians 1.14; Philippians 1.6, 10, 2.16; 2 Timothy 1.18, 4.8. The ‘day of Christ’ means the judgment of Christ. It is the term generally used especially when our deeds are revealed before the judgment seat of Christ, to mark the end of our 5th dispensation, the rapture of the Church. The ‘day of the Lord’ has far great implications for Israel, and later it will also involve the other nations of the world. In fact the day of the Lord will commence from the second half of the Daniel's 70th week, when all the nations do surround Israel. It will end once the Millennium commences. This prophecy concerns Judah. Verse 1 says in the days of Josiah, so it's really involves the Jewish people. During the days of Josiah, the ten tribes of Israel did vanish 100 years earlier into the Assyrian captivity. The prophet Zephaniah is considered by the Jews as someone with a considerable social standing in Judah, and undoubtedly he did descend from a royal family. The Book is quick to mention his ancestry, 1:1 which in itself is an unusual feature of the Hebrew tradition. Zephaniah was a fourth-generation descendant of Hezekiah, a notable king of Judah from 715 to 686 B.C. Usually they date the time of Zephaniah to 620 B.C., making him a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum and perhaps Habakkuk. He prophesied during the time of King Josiah, who caused a religious reform. He was a noble king who cleansed and rededicated the temple. In 722 BC. the ten tribes of Israel were carried away captive into exile, so this prophecy only concerns the Jewish people or Judah.

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This gives many a Bible student the opportunity to downgrade the prophecies of Zephaniah saying they were fulfilled 15 years later or 606 B.C. Then Jerusalem was conquered for the first time by the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Then the leaders of the people were taken captive to Babylon, including Daniel and his friends. In the following 8 years the Jewish people rebelled against Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, provoking the Babylonian armies to return a second time to besiege and captured the city in 598 BC. On that occasion he did not take the leaders, but almost all the people to Babylon, and left behind the people of poor standing. Then officially the exile commenced. Nevertheless, a minority, or a small part of the Jewish people who remained behind, did have the audacity to lure Babylon. The remnant who were left behind did not come to faith in the Lord and relentlessly annoyed the king of Babylon. For the third time or 9 years later, Nebuchadnezzar fought against Jerusalem in 587 BC. Then Jerusalem was razed down to the ground and almost everyone got killed. They burned the temple, and provisionally the royal house of David ended. Zedekiah was the last king of the house of David, and since then there was no king sitting on the throne of David, at least not in Jerusalem on mother earth. Well in Jerusalem above, there is, but that's another story. Many Bible scholars claim that the prophecies of Zephaniah were fulfilled once Nebuchadnezzar razed the Jewish state to the ground. That's a nice thought and undeniable those events were captured by Zephaniah the prophet. Belief me, much later when the same circumstances do arises, then the same judgment will be fulfilled. It is like a boomerang. However, the day of the Lord is not only mentioned by Zephaniah, but also by the 3 post exile prophets as Zechariah, and they lived after the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 587 B.C. That implies even though the prophecies of Zephaniah were kind of fulfilled in the days of the Babylonian empire, the same prophecies - will be treasured with Christ second coming to earth. We cannot disdain the prophecies of Zephaniah thinking they are slotted with the past events - 2500 years ago. It will do us good to again study the prophecies, to notice that the same prophecies is still pending. That time is not far off. Once there is an unbelieving Jewish nation living in Jerusalem as during the time of Jeremiah and Zephaniah, then the same prophecies in the Old Testament will be triggered. We are aware that Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70 A.C. by the Roman Empire, but the next time they will be devastated by the invading Russians or a great army from the north.

Meaning of the name Zephaniah Firstly we need to note that the name Zephaniah has either a positive or a negative insinuation. The name Zephaniah (Tsfanya) is the name of several people in the Old Testament. His name is commonly transliterated as Jehovah has concealed, He has hidden, or He will hide or keep something as a treasure. The most commonly used word used for ‘hide’ in the Bible is ‘satar,’ as it appears in the name Esther. It is to keep as a treasure. This is ambiguous, because we know from this Book and from the other prophecies that part of Israel will be saved and a part will perish. There will always be a remnant, especially from Judah. They are called in Zephaniah 3, the remnant of Israel, the daughters of Zion and Jerusalem. This suggests that the Lord will indeed procure a remnant, and they will be saved on the grounds of their faith in the living Christ. Rom.11 It is an important underlying principle: the Lord caused the judgment and at the same time He cares for a faithful remnant of Israel who will survive the ordeal. That faithful remnant will be saved as a treasure. That is obvious, as in the Book Exodus and Leviticus, Israel is indeed defined as a treasure. In Hebrew it is translated as a secluded treasure or ‘segullah’. ‘Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.’ Ex.19:5 Unfortunately many times it is mistranslated as a possession and not as a treasure. The idea is from the multitude, a treasure or a remnant will be preserved and that is the positive message. The negative thought is that the judgment of God is still looming on all humanity.

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But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Rom.2:5 On the ‘day of the Lord’ the long awaited judgment of God will be descend on earth. If the people today are wicked and taunt God, they may be ignored for the time being, but after the rapture of the Church, there is no holding back. Today His anger is kept as a treasure, and that is what the name Zephaniah means: Jehovah will guard His sentence as a treasure but in the near future the wrath of God will be poured out on the world. It is not new thought as it is disclosed in Romans 2, 2 Peter and the Book Jude. In 2 Peter 3:7 it is written that the heavens and the earth, which are now, is kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment. Even though it is particularly valid to our time today, it also addresses the previous centuries. When we study Jude or 2 Peter 2, we will notice that many Scriptures in the Old Testament, do speak of this judgment, but it needs to wait as God is now gracious. A similar judgment was announced in the days of Noah, and God was patient for 120 years. Similarly with the judgment on Sodom. Then the Lord proved to be patient so He deferred it for a while. Again and again God announces a judgment, but He always warned the people and they had the opportunity to repent. It is remarked on by the Apostle Peter. ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ 2Peter3:9 The delay in our dispensation is 2000 years, and it’s much longer than 120 years as in the days of Noah. It reflects the time of Zephaniah, as the judgment of God was pending. It is indeed a remarkable prophecy, because he prophesied in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah. In those days Josiah stirred an unusual revival of the temple service to Jehovah. He restored the totally abandoned service in the temple. You'd think that it was the best time in the history of the kings since King Solomon, and it was. When you study the prophecy of Zephaniah, you do not get the impression that it was such a good time, neither that the Lord was pleased with the revival of the temple service. Zephaniah had no difficulty to highlight the Lord’s annoyance. It was merely a form of temple service, as Josiah cleaned the temple and he read the law aloud, but their hearts did not change on the inside. Nevertheless, it says that the wrath of the Lord did not end. The reason was even though, the shallow service to Jehovah was reinstated, it did not touch their hearts; meaning that the people did not repent wholeheartedly to the Lord. What is important to Him is not the superficial or the noticeable service, but the disposition of our heart. The argument is whether one believes in God, or the thoughts of man which are not dependent on God. Indeed our thinking needs to pivot on the Word of God, and His teaching. Our heart and mind matters. That is true today as during the times of the Old Testament. If people are more concerned with the outward appearance, or the external worship to appease the eye, without a change to the hearts or the minds of men, then the Lord will be displeased. It is true today as in the last 2000 years. The Jewish people approached God with an insincere heart, a lip service that was set in the days of the Babylonian exile, and the rededication of the temple did not lead to any good. It proved true until the final destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in the year 68 A.C. While in the Jewish nation was in the Babylonian captivity it developed a religious system, derived from the Mosaic Law. Indeed they had a good reason as the temple was levelled to the ground and they could not comply with the Mosaic regulations; they could not adhere to all the festivals. Thus a religious system was developed, and their religion was officially dedicated to Jehovah, but they failed to call on His name. After the Babylonian captivity the entered the land Israel with a great religious appetite, to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. When our Lord came to earth they had the same religious arrangement and the Lord was very displeased with them. The unfaithful scribes today (Jewish and Christian writers) maintain that the entire Bible originated from the Babylonian writings, rewritten from Babylonian sources. Then it cannot be denied that Christianity has its historical roots in Judaism, and Judaism originated in Babylon. Thus the Bible

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scholars welcomes such a deceptive story. Of course you cannot belief this as Moses and his people lived long before that time. Additionally, Judaism today is not living under the Mosaic Law. It is a life compliant to the Jewish law. Our Lord spoke to the Jewish nation and He Himself spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. He told them not to adhere to the letter. The law is a matter of the heart. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart secured by God's Spirit. Rom.2:29 Since the Babylonian captivity the Jewish nation did adhere to the laws and they did not serve any heathen God as they did before their exile. During the Old Testament times the history of Israel was notorious for serving the idols, and they hardly knew or served Jehovah. In the days of Josiah the people did not even know that the ‘laws of Moses’ existed. Unexpectedly, it was found in the temple. Ironically after those days, the Jewish nation did not regard the idols of the heathen nations, but Jehovah. That seemed very good, compared to the Old Testament history, but nevertheless the Lord was not satisfied. It was the Jews bent under the joke of the Jewish religious system, yes the laws made them to reject and crucify the Lord Jesus. We may have a high opinion of the religious reforms in the days of Josiah, but the Lord was displeased as their hearts were not in tune with the reform. 2Kings22:1-3 Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3In the 18th year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, ¬ Josiah was eight years old when he became king. v.1 That gave his staff the opportunity to decline the land even more as it is written in Zephaniah. In verse 3 the reform did commence as the cleansing of the temple, the retrieval of the laws of Moses and they celebrated the Passover. 2Kings23 It also says in the past the people did not celebrate the Passover as written in the laws of Moses. At least not in a way as it was celebrated in the days of Josiah. Moreover, the same chapter says that Josiah not only cleansed the land of idol temples and such, but he also went to Samaria, the land of the ten tribes, which had been taken captive in the Assyrian captivity. He cleansed Samaria, because it belonged to the country of Israel. In the absence of Israel it was the Jewish king who cleansed that country. It says: ‘Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Laws of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.’ 2Kings23:25 In the days of Josiah, Israel was faithful as compared to the rest of the history of Israel. That is very positive and you will not expect it once we study Zephaniah. When we continue to study 2 Kings, we notice that the history of Israel is bleak. ‘Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.’ 2Kings23:26 , 27 That is perhaps the reason why Judaism today fear to articulate the name of Jehovah. That name is coupled with the temple; and if there is no temple standing, then His Name cannot be articulated. I belief it may be the real reason why they refuse to utter His Name. They could have reformed, at least once they returned from exile and when the temple service was reinstated. That did not happen because it was a tradition that already existed for decades and that's not easy to eradicate. It is still their belief today and things did not change. In the past they were so easily enticed from the

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Lord to serve other gods, but then when they had the opportunity to serve Jehovah, they went to the other extreme. Later it be clear how the circumstances of Judah deteriorated in the days of Josiah. Although there was a religious revival, it did not fulfil to the standards the Lord had in mind. That is discussed in Zephaniah, so I will not elaborate on 2 Kings. 2 Chronicles 34 and 35 has a very similar history. It says that the reform of Josiah did not meet God's standards, even though in the history of Israel, it might be seen as the highlight in their service to the Lord. Certainly Josiah brought about a positive reforms, but Zephaniah prophesied otherwise, saying that the reforms were not enough. A king can establish the rules, but that does not imply that the people will repent with all their hearts. And precisely the people did not repent and therefore the prophecies of Zephaniah.

Zephaniah’s displeasure Zephaniah said he is a descendant of King Hezekiah, a previous king of Judah. Zephaniah is from Judah and a member of the royal family, as Daniel. Zephaniah was a grandnephew of Josiah. Howbeit both Zephaniah and Josiah were descendant of Hezekiah. King Josiah masterminds a reform, but some way from the other branch of the family, he is told his reform is lacking. Even today we may regard many reformers like Calvin, but soon we may feel disappointed. After the Babylonian captivity many Jews did return to Jerusalem and Judaism is established. The Jewish nation tried to serve the Lord adhering to the principles of the law. Oppositely, from another branch of the family of Judah, and in particular from the royal house of David, someone assures them their reform is lacking. That someone is the Lord Jesus who lived amongst the Jewish people. Christ is born as the heir of the throne of David, a Jew. However, He did distance himself from Judah. Another comparison is of course the issue of Judah and Ephraim. Someone else with royal dignity, who are endowed with the firstborn right were not satisfied with the Jewish people. Today the tribe of Ephraim or the ten tribes of Israel is the core of the Church, and they distanced themselves from the law. It is vividly portrayed in the parable of the two sons as their background is etched by both Ephraim and Judah. The one son who left his father and spilled his inheritance portrays Ephraim, and the other son who remained faithfully with his father portrays Judah. The prodigal son lost everything and he squandered much of his time attending the pigs. When he decided to return to his father, he graciously accepted him. The other son felt embittered as his father dressed him with the finest robe and he even killed the calf that was fattened in the pen. His father was cheerful as his son was dead and now he returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. Luke 15 The other son who remained with his father is Judah, and he was steeped in the laws of Moses, did snub his brother or Ephraim. He sulked and refused to enjoy the feast his father arranged. With the repentance of the prodigal son, he was blessed with the blessings of the new covenant and thus the mentioning of the words as joy, the finest robe, and ‘he was dead and now he is alive.’ Someone in the future, from the family of David, from the family of Hezekiah and Josiah, will voice their disapproval and it happens to be the resurrected Christ who will judge the earth. It will be a profound judgment, and Zephaniah uttered it.

Gloomy Warnings about Israel

Zephaniah 1: 1, 2 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. Following the announcement that the Lord did speak by the mouth of Zephaniah, and who he is, he abruptly informs Israel of the impending judgement. In Israel all life will vanish. That belief is not

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always agreed upon by many Christians. That is a judgment pertaining to the land Israel. At the time of judgment, all the people of the land need to vacate it or otherwise they will die most assuredly. The land of Israel belongs solely to the Lord and it will be purified. Today the world is a wrestling with the question if Jerusalem and the Land Israel belongs to the Jewish nation or to the Palestinian people. Actually their new home belongs to Jehovah and He is entitled to it. It says: The land is mine, Lev. 25:23 my land; 2 Chron. 7:20; Joel 1:6; 3:2 your land; Ps. 85:1 the land of the Lord; Is. 14:2 in my house; Jer. 11:15 in the land of the Lord. Hosea 9:3 In fact, the land belongs the Lord, and He gives it to whom He wants. He determined to give it to Israel, but there is one condition. He entrust it to those who are truly part of Israel, or who can really claim the name Israel. He only gives it to a true believing nation and not to an unbelieving people that descends from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The fact is that every unbeliever who wrongly lives in the land of Israel at the time judgment, will be judged. It includes all the inhabitants of the land, whether Jew or Gentile with no exception. However there is an exception, as the remnant will have the opportunity to flee the country via the Mount of Olives. The message of the 2 witnesses Rev.11

during Daniel's 70th week, will spur the people to flee the Land Israel and to repent. The people are forewarned. Israel experienced very similar conditions in the days before the Babylonian captivity, before the final onslaught of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was called to be among those who remained in Judea and Jerusalem, saying that the people who remained in Israel were worse off than the Jewish people in Babylon, because Judea and Jerusalem will be destroyed soon. The people who left the country like Daniel were better of, and they had the opportunity to build houses. In fact those in Babylon escaped the final judgment. We can sketch a similar picture when Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70 A.D. Then the Jewish nation were met with the same circumstances. The believers were called to go, literally outside the camp. There were many believers who responded and they fled to Petra and Edom. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., then Edom experienced difficult times, including Petra, the capital of Edom. The Edomites left their own territory and settled in Judea. The Jews had gone into exile, and since then the Edomites invaded Judah. Compared to the mountains of Edom, Judah looked like a paradise. They decided to settle in in a more fertile land leaving Edom. Then the Nabateans vacated Petra, who are I fact the Ishmaelite’s. In a nutshell: Israel was invaded by Edom, (Esau) and Edom by the Ishmaelite’s. In the near future the judgment will not come upon the people as such, as the judgment will be directed to the land or the country as a whole, regardless of those who dwell in the land, howbeit if they are either Jew or Gentile. This explains why in Zephaniah 2 the message of Zephaniah is directed against the Philistines, who will be in the land once the judgment is procured. Once it will happen, then the surrounding cities of the Philistines like Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, Ashkelon and Gath will succumb.

Zephaniah 1:3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, says the LORD. Not only the people but also the animals, birds and fish life will be destroyed. All life living in the Land Israel, including the birds flying in heaven and the fishes in the water, will disappear. If you take that literally, we need to agree that it did not happen in the past when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Judea, or even when the Romans did destroy Jerusalem. They were not punished that severely, so it is still pending. The final judgment is not only executed by the heathen armies, but it is a judgment executed by God. The heathen armies like Russia have no interest in killing birds, besides, how would they do that? An atomic bomb is not possible, because how do they cleanse a country within seven months after it is damaged with radiation. Or God must perform a miracle. I am sure they will not be immune to radiation. I belief in some way the Lord Himself will kill all life from the country. It also applies to the Eastern European armies who will war against Israel to

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destroy the land. That army will perish as the Lord Himself will procure judgment on that country from heaven, and everything living there, thus all life will disappear. Then it will be repopulated, but that is not the subject of this chapter. The judgment will be thorough and it is mentioned several times in other Scriptures, many of them in the Psalms. It begs for revenge. Psalm 69: 21 ‘They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.’ They are the words our Lord Jesus spoke when He hanged on the cross. This verse could also be directed to Judas or the Jewish nation who crucified Him. Psalm 69: 22 ‘Let their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, let it become a trap.’ A table raises things like flowers, food, etc. and it conveys oneness amongst them. The cement or the bonding of the Jews is Judaism, their religion or their lives under the Jewish law. A snare is used to capture and kill animals. This verse is also cited in Romans 11 and there is also applied to the Jewish people. Psalm 69: 23, 24 ‘Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.’ This verse relates to the blindness of Israel today. ‘To continually shake’ means that their life is always threatened. The same verses are referred to in Romans 11: 9, 10 and it is applied to the present Jewish nation. Psalm 69: 25 ‘Let their habitation be desolate; let none dwell in their tents.’ This verse is quoted in Acts 1:20, and as applied to Judas. It does not necessarily mean that the explanation here in the Psalm only concerns Judas, (translated as Judah in Hebrew) but it also concerns the nation of Judah. In Acts says that his house would be left desolate, written in singular. Here in the Psalms it is written in plural: their palaces will be destroyed and their tents will be left without any inhabitants. It's about the country in which the people used to live in. The people will be driven from the land and the reasons are also given. Psalm 69: 26-28 ‘For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded, add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous.’ In short, a judgment is procured and it does not concern so much Judas, but the Jewish people as a whole, saying their palaces will be destroyed. Here the land of Israel is called a palace. This is simply to deduce as Israel is a kingdom of priests, and a royal nation that will rule the nations of the earth. Those promise are still pending and it will be fulfilled in the near future. If the people of Israel are going to be a nations of kings, then their land is called a palace. Later this is watered down and it says that the unbelieving nation will reside in tents and not palaces. All life will disappear but it is only fleeting as soon afterwards it will be inhabited by the believing remnant. The land had to be cleansed before any revival is possible. We find it written in many prophecies, primarily in Isaiah 6. There it is cited exactly as in Zephaniah. It will prove that these verses are brought to light in the New Testament, as it is applicable to our dispensation. Psalm 69 is cited in Romans 11, and Isaiah 6 is cited in both Romans 11 and the Book Acts. Isaiah 6: 9, 10

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He said, go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Psalm 69 also speaks about their blindness. 69:3 Today their blindness is still evident as it is written in the New Testament. Many Scriptures in the Bible do picture the darkness the world lives in and we are in dire need to be healed by our Lord. Once we do seek Him, a miracle will happen. The question of Isaiah 6 verse 11 is how long that blindness will last. This morbid condition cannot continue forever and the Lord promised Israel they are the first nation to be healed. Isaiah 6: 11-13 ‘Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land is utterly desolate, and the Lord has removed men far away, and there are many forsaken places in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be laid waste: as a terebinth tree, and as an oak, whose stump remains, when they are cut down: so the holy seed shall be its stump.’ They speak chapters and in Israel there will be no inhabitants. The land will be devastated and Jerusalem will be destroyed, but nevertheless a remnant will be preserved. It is the remnant that heeded to the voice of the 2 witnesses during the first 3½ years of Daniel's 70th week, and those who called on the name of the Lord, once He returned on the Mount of Olives. The remnant will flee to the wilderness of Edom or Petra. The same is recited in Jeremiah: Jeremiah 33: 10, 11a ‘This is what the Lord says: You have said that this place is ruined and that no people or animals live in it. It's true! The cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted. No people or animals live there. But once again you will hear the sounds of joy and happiness and the sounds of brides and grooms. You will hear those who bring thank offerings to the LORD's temple say, 'give thanks to the Lord of Armies because the Lord is good, because His mercy endures forever.’ Obviously this is an accurate account of pending judgement on Israel. In particular it boils down to a period after the destruction of Jerusalem, but a faithful remnant will resettle in Jerusalem, once it is purified. They will dwell in the land and rebuild it. Also from this prophecy it is clear it is still pending and it awaits future fulfilment. Firstly Jerusalem will be destroyed having no life or residents. Later in the same Jerusalem the faithful remnant will settle and sounds of great joy will echo in its streets. The faithful remnant will settle in the revealed kingdom of Christ on earth and they will rebuild the city and every village. There will be no need to build any walls as the Lord will protect them. According to Zephaniah all life will disappear from Israel. This judgement also entails Edom and later the final destruction of Babylon at Armageddon. The prime reason is because the country sinned, refusing the resurrected Christ. On another occasion it says that the country will be cleansed. Whoever lives in the land at the time of judgment are forewarned, and they ought to known it is foolish to live in a land that will perish. He says I will sweep away annoyances or the stumbling blocks with the wicked. The sinful people will be swept away by this judgment, including their offences, all causes of stumbling, whether they are idols or other incentives to depart from the truth. The great annoyance is their idolatry. In more neutral terms it is all the things a person does to make them veer from the truth. Whatever the stumbling blocks may be, they will all be removed from Israel. The annoyances are all the things that annoy God or the things that occupy our minds, to steer us away from the truth. They divert our attention steering us away from the simple truths of the Gospel. One example is Judaism, because it annoys our Lord as with Christ first coming to earth. They claim to serve Jehovah, but in reality they do no service to the only true God. Their elaborate

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services and Jewish traditions do downgrade the work of Christ. Their adherence to the law and the Talmud veered them away from God, refusing to accept the risen Christ.

Wicked Generation Psalm 69:22 ‘Let their table be made a snare to them.’ They do not come to faith, depending heavily on their faith in Judaism, they are steeped in unbelief. They have a faith thinking it does service to God, and therefore they are no longer receptive to the Word of God. The situation seems to catapult for Israel. An example of such a deadlock is sketched by our Lord when He was on earth. Matthew 12: 43-45 ‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.’ Even though this truth pictures a real life situation, this parable is mainly used by our Lord to depict this wicked generation. It implies that Israel was redeemed and cleansed, but the circumstances deteriorated for them, getting worse by the day. During the days of Josiah and Zephaniah, there was a revival like the cleansing of the temple, but the situation became worse for them. We can say if your house is left vacant for a long time, it will be polluted. Likewise with the house of Israel. If it is not inhabited, it will be polluted or infested. If you did not drive your car for some time, it may fail to start. Chances are if you refuse to respond to the invite of Christ, then our body will be polluted as it is ‘empty’ and all sorts of gremlins will invest it. That indeed happened with the people. It happened quite literally during the days of Josiah and it is verified by our Lord Jesus, sharing what will happen to the Jewish people in His day. It was clean, but not filled with the Holy Spirit, and thus the ‘house’ or its people are polluted by unclean spirits. All the vile things that restricted the Jewish nation will be done away with, yes everything will be removed. It is clear that the wicked will also be involved, for they are the prime annoyances. Zephaniah says I will cut off man from off the land. 1:3 Nothing is further mentioned about the animals, birds and fish and it does not matter. The country will be cleansed. Therefore, we read that after those days, a faithful remnant from Israel will return to the land from Petra or wherever they are found. Their prime urge will be to cleanse the country. This is detailed in Ezekiel 39. The land will be literally cleansed from all the bodies that died but the spiritual cleansing is of greater essence. The Lord Himself will achieve this. The land spoken of here is Judah or Judea as traced from the Greek language; they are the inhabitants of Jerusalem. It is clear that all of Israel will be cleansed and there are no uncertain or vague terms. Undoubtedly they were also applicable to the time of the Babylonian captivity or when the Jewish nation were send into the Egyptian captivity after Jerusalem was captured twice. The land had to be cleansed. The devastation was not so severe but the full repercussion of those verses awaits fulfilment and then Jerusalem will be devastated in no uncertain terms. Previously when Jerusalem was devastated then some of its people did remain in the Land Israel. Therefore this prophecy is ultimately applied to what is called the ‘Day of the Lord’ as stated in verse 7.

Zephaniah 1: 4 I will also stretch out my hand on Judah, and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests.

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Chemarims or Kemarim are the people who served the altars of Baal. They were not priests, but they were possessed. They were in hyped in ecstasy, to serve Baal. We can study the history of Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. We read the prophets shouted louder and louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as it was their custom, until their blood flowed. 1Kings18:28 The words of their fortune-tellers are empty. They prophesy wrongly. That is often the case, because to oracle you generally need to be possessed and be in ecstasy, and to get into a trance you start talking nonsense about something that makes no sense, and they don’t even understand it themselves. They speak gibberish and it is dictated by an evil spirit. Paul says that there are no idols, but nevertheless those who sacrifice to idols, do serve the demons. They are not gods, let alone idols. But demons captures their imagination, and they remain subservient to the people who meddle with them. When people indulge in this kind of transcendental things, then demons take advantage of such person and then they speak oracles, supposedly speaking of God, but they do capture the minds of the minor gods or demons like Baal. We learn from history the priests of Baal did much to get into a trance. They were mocked and disdained by Elijah. In the Book Zephaniah the Lord says that He will cut off the remnant of Baal. It literally happened in the days of Josiah, but a remnant of people who served Baal remained, but Josiah had made every effort to get rid of them. Nevertheless, they were not really eliminated and the Lord says that He will finally ensure it. They are the people who serve Baal, and their many priest. There were quite a few as in the time of Elijah. Furthermore we get some variants, because it not only addresses the priest of Baal, but also those who do service to any particular idol, or any form of idol worship.

Zephaniah 1: 5 And them that worship the host of heaven on the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham. The host of heaven depict the stars. One goes to the rooftop to worship the stars, as from there one has a better view of them. That is one form of astrology. To worship the stars is indeed an old custom among all the nations and Israel is also blamed with the Gentiles nations. It is easy to conclude that during the time of Josiah, God was worshipped, but the backdoor was open, meaning they also served the other gods. Even Solomon was guilty. Not only the Lord was worshipped but also the other gods, and it displeased the Lord immensely and on several occasions He spoke of this. Malcham or Mal'cam, is in fact none other than Moloch, Milcom or Milkam. The word means king or ruler. It is a god of the Ammonites and they were partly served by the women of Solomon and later by Solomon himself. He not only served the Lord but also Moloch. Their most famed service sacrifice children to Mal'cam. Even kings of Israel made themselves guilty of this vile practice. There are many passages in the Old Testament that mention the Israelites sacrificing their children to Molech in the valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna) and there they were burned alive. It seems to have happened in the days of Josiah. There is obviously a link between the ritual to the stars and their service to Moloch. But that's not important. Israel was full of idolatry in any way the Lord will make an end of these practices for good. The Lord says He sweep them all away, with one stroke.

Zephaniah 1: 6 And those that have turned back from following the Lord and those that did not seek the Lord, nor enquired about him. Firstly all forms of idolatry are named, and this verse also addresses the things that are not generally regarded as idolatry, but they do affect our relationship with the Lord. Of course they did know the Lord but they turned a cold shoulder against Him. Those believers are called the apostates, in

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contrast to those who do not seek the Lord. The apostates knew Him but turned away from Him and they are often mentioned in the Bible. They are not actively engaged in the things of the Lord nor do they seek Him diligently. They are the doubters who never get to anything real. Life always seems to conquer them, and there always seems to be ‘something’ lacking in their lives. At the end of verse 6 it listed those who did not seek Him. There seems to be three categories of people and they all have something in common not serving the Lord. In this sense they are the same. Each of them will be judged.

Zephaniah 1: 7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. The word ‘silent’ in the Bible always forewarns the people to pay special attention. It is not only to be silent, but to be attentive. It actually means: shut up and listen. Being both silent and listening is the opposite of speaking. Those two concepts are captured in this one word, to be silent so we can listen. The fact that the Lord has now prepared a sacrifice is a cynical reference to Malcam back in verse 5, when the priest prepared the victims, to even sacrifice their own children. While on the one hand, it says that Israel is preparing their vulgar offerings to the idols, it is said by our Lord that He too will sanctify a sacrifice. Mind you, it says a sacrifice and not an offering. The sacrifice is in indeed unbelieving Israel. On the day of the Lord v.7 the sacrifice will be placed on the altar, as they will be judged. Only a small remnant will survive this judgement. It is known in the following verse as the day of the Lords sacrifice.

Zephaniah 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

The ‘Day of the Lord’

The ‘day the Lord’ is found several times in the Bible, and it has only one meaning in both the Old and the New Testament. It is a ‘day’ of judgment and it must not be mistaken for the first day of the week or Sunday, neither the Sabbath. Throughout the Bible the term the ‘day of Lord’ is to designate a time when the Lord Himself will set things right starting with Israel. Even though His initial prime concern is Israel, the ‘day’ will involve the complete earth. Actually the term is quite similar to what we would call elsewhere: the judgment of the nations, or the judgment of God on all humankind. That is not the ‘Judgment Day’ but on the contrary, it is an event a thousand years prior to that. They are all the events to unfold over a 33 year period, when the Lord Himself, who is known as the Son of God or the Son of David, will establish His Kingdom on earth. His aim is to subject all the people and nations to His kingdom and it will indeed be accompanied with force, otherwise it will never be fulfilled. If the people refuse to listen and do not want to submit themselves to the Lord, then He will be hostile towards any person or nations. The day of the Lord is generally known as the great tribulation, because they go hand in hand. The suffering will commence with Israel, but with time it will involve all the people of the world. Then His Gospel will be preached to every person in the world and their response will be vital. The ‘day the Lord’ which is mentioned in verse 7 and several times later in the Book, is still pending and the prophecy of Zephaniah is still in the making.

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Even though this is a relatively short Book, it is striking that the term the ‘day of the Lord’ in the Book Zephaniah, is the most mentioned of all the Scriptures. It is found more often than any other Book of the Bible. In the New Testament the day is not mentioned that frequently, although it is obviously an important New Testament theme. In the New Testament, the ‘day of the Lord’ is mentioned five times, but then it alerts us to the Old Testament prophecies and in particular to those of Zephaniah. When the New Testament do draw our attention to that day, it also mentions the Book of Joel, and in total the Book Joel mentions the ‘day of the Lord’ five times. In Amos, a minor prophet, the term ‘the ‘day of the Lord’ occurs three times, and ‘day of the Lord’ in Isaiah can be found four times. In Ezekiel it is found twice. To discuss all these verses now is time consuming, but we need to keep in mind that wherever we come across this term, it always has the same message. It deals with the final judgment, fuelled by the Lord Himself to subdue all the nations of the world. It is not the final reckoning of God but it is to bring the nations under His dominion. So the ‘day the Lord’ will bring the peoples under the rule of Christ Himself. The ‘day of the Lord’ is equated with the great tribulation. The day is referred to twice in verse 14 and a number of times in verse 15.

Zephaniah 1: 14, 15 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and exceeding swift: the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter, the mighty man shall there meet with tribulation. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and distress, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and obscurity, a day of clouds and whirlwinds, In verse 15, the Lord ensures the world with that the day will waken them with no uncertain terms. It will be a dreadful day, a day of distress and darkness will be the order of the day. Hence it is said in Amos 5: 18 ‘How horrible it will be for those who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for that day? The day of the Lord is one of darkness and not light.’ The ‘day of Lord’ is usually know as the Second Coming of Christ. The real issue is that Christ will surprise the world with His return, and the world will be shattered, but a remnant will remain. His aim is to establish His Kingdom, surprising the nations who refused Him. When He returns we can expect a great conflict, and the people who refuse Him, will die in battle. We need to appreciate when the Messiah returns on the Mount of Olives, He will primarily reveal Himself as the Messiah of Israel, to save the remnant in Jerusalem. He will appear to the believers but then all of Israel will be executed. Today there is a huge misunderstanding. Both in the Jewish and Christian circles today, they think Christ will return on the Mount of Olives with great pomp, and He will inaugurate all the festivities. They belief Jerusalem will be saved and there will be instant peace. It is not that simple as on the contrary when He returns, the opposite will happen. It will be accompanied by a great Judgment and everyone in Jerusalem and Israel will die, except for the remnant who will flee to Petra. It says explicitly in Zephaniah 1:3 that no life will remain in either the land, sea or sky. That is repeated several times, not only in Zephaniah but also in the other prophecies. The Lord will annihilate all life in the country, and the simple reason is that the people living there today, refuse Christ. The people living in the country, do rebel against God, and they will die. The final ruling of the land Israel will be, to seek righteousness and meekness. Justice and gentleness will rule the land. The New Testament underscores the justice or the righteousness coming from God and is not disclosed via the law, but via the New Covenant. Rom.3: 21 When we do talk about this justice, then it is accompanied by the righteousness imputed on us due to our faith in the risen Christ. It pivots around God's wishes, and His final goal will be accomplished; not by us complying with all sorts of rules meaning to adhere to the laws of Moses. No – it is a matter of our heart, believing and trusting

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His Word. Then His work will be accomplished in us and it is the core of the Bible, even the Old Testament writings. Once we allow His Word to rule our lives, then we will be meek. Meekness implies a gentle mind. It is tied to our thinking, and if someone is meek, he has a receptive mind. The word of God will be written in the hearts of the people who trust Him. No force is used as with any engraving or to etch the Word of God on the stone tablets; no it needs to be engraved in our hearts that is soft and pliable. We need receptive hearts. Meekness is directly related to faith. That is also the reason why the Lord blessed the meek so often on the Sermon on the Mount. Matt.5:5 The principle is simple as the blessed are the believers who have a meek Spirit. They have a receptive heart and a heart that is open to the Word of God. That is real faith. As part of the new covenant it is said that the Word is planted or written in the hearts of men. If men submit themselves to the Word of God and one's heart is open to His Word, then they can deflect the anger of the Lord. Hence it will be wise for the men to submit themselves to the Word of God, or to the preaching of the 144 000 elect.

End of Daniel's 70th week

Revelation 6: 12 Then I saw the lamb open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon turned as red as blood. The words ‘the powerful earthquake, the sun turning black, and the moon turning red’ is not new. It is frequently found in the Bible as it signals ‘the day of the Lord.’ Then the Book Revelations, the discord of our Lord on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24, and the many Old Testament prophecies do blend together. The giveaway is when the day of the Lord commences, then the sun, moon and stars are darkened. Once they are darkened then Jerusalem is certain they are at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. Matt.24:29 The sequence of events is: firstly the rapture of the Church followed by Daniel's 70th week, in the middle of the week (after 3½ years) is the abominable offering. From the abominable offering we can count 1260 days (3½ years) until the sun, moon and stars will be darkened. Moreover, on that day the Lord will put His feet on the Mount of Olives. This verse pictures the end of Daniel’s 70th week. The foregoing events of that week is described in the previous verses of Revelation 6. It is summarized in the 6 seals. Revelation 6: 15, 16 Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people hid themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. 16 They said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the anger of the lamb. So here it speaks about Petra. The words ‘fall on us’ is translated in such a manner to make the verse difficult to understand. My belief is not that the mountains fall on them to be slain. The purpose is to be hidden in the caves to shelter. Within or among the mountains they are safe, and they will be hidden from the face of Him who sits on the throne. According to the previous verses the Lamb is none other than Christ Himself. If you had to ask me where and how they would be safe on the day of the wrath of the Lord, then it would be better to flee from Israel to the wilderness at Petra in Edom. In Israel or Jerusalem it will be treacherous. The remarkable feature behind this argument is the following verse.

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Revelation 6: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? When the last two verses 16 and 17 of Revelation 6 is studied in context with Zephaniah 2, then it becomes clear, when the anger of the Lord will erupt, then safest place to be on earth is in the clefts or in the caves at Petra. Well, from Jerusalem the remnant will also flee to the caves of Petra on the day of the Lord via a split Mount of Olives. If in Zephaniah it says ‘Maybe you will find shelter on the day of the Lord's anger,’ it does not imply that you may find a safe place of hiding in Jerusalem. No you should be diligent and seek for a place outside Israel. One must not hesitate but flee to go there. That is the message of Matthew 24. One needs to flee to the desert, toward the wilderness of Edom. It will be possible to flee during the first 3½ years of Daniel's 70th week but not in the second half. The words of Zephaniah 2 verse 3 is linked to the beginning of the day of the Lord, and the people are warned to be diligent. We can place Revelation 6 together with Zephaniah 2: 3, as the day of His wrath or the day of His anger is indeed the ‘day of the Lord.’ Then hopefully they will find the place of shelter on the day of the LORD's anger.’ This corresponds to the time in the Book Joel, where the Lord did mention the awful day five times. I have already said repeatedly that Joel in particular talks about the events in the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, immediately prior to the coming of the ‘day of the Lord.’ Once the judgment is about to happen and Jerusalem will be devastated as in Joel 2, then the Jewish nation will repent to shelter in the Lord. Joel 2: 11b -13 His forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? Rend your heart 12 even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Their heart needs to repent and their outward appearance or their clothes will be meaningless. The inside should be torn! Their heart is wrong. The words gracious and compassionate are the words that heralds the new covenant and He is ever gracious. Indeed, we c grace and mercy at the throne of grace. Heb.4 God is angered with the unbelieving world as their hearts are hardened as stone. Howbeit He is repentant to those who do heed to Him. Thus the following verse: Joel 2: 14a Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing. Many Bible students think that there is a great likelihood that God will regret the judgment He pronounced on Israel and He will change His mind. Mind you it will not happen. Don’t be fooled as it is fixed, He is resolute as the land needs to be cleansed. The judgement is close at hand but the believers can escape it. If any person do heed to the message of the 2 witnesses in Jerusalem, they will have ample time to flee from the land to the wilderness in Petra. They will escape the country and the accompanying judgement within 3½ years. If you love life, then flee Israel before it’s too late. God is gracious and He warns us. It says Joel 2:32 ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as the LORD hath said, and among the remnant those whom the LORD doth call.’ They can escape the judgement. Firstly they need to repent and call on the name of the Lord and then leave Israel or Jerusalem. Also the last resort is that there will be an escape route via the Mount

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of Olives, for the Lord will open a ‘route’ from Jerusalem to the desert. They will flee via a valley to the east. They will surely escape in a hurry. The expression ‘who knows, He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing,’ Joel2:12 implies that the judgment will be procured, but the believers or the remnant will be sheltered from God’s wrath. What we are talking about is the same debate Abraham had with the Lord. The Lord wanted to destroy Sodom and Abraham confronted God and asked what would happen if there were people who were found righteous. We know in the end Sodom was destroyed, but those who were found righteous in Sodom, were initially removed by the Lord. That will happen in the future at Jerusalem. If any person refuses to leave Jerusalem or Israel then it’s difficult to label them as righteous. Today we may often hear people praying to the Lord, please to defer His judgment, thinking their prayers can deflect His anger! Don’t be fooled. The Lord noticed what happened during World War II. Some Christians claim that the Lord made an end of the war and how foolish. Surely it was too late after six million Jews died? That is not the manner how our Lord works. They say since the horrible war, God’s anger did abate and it will never happen again? Many people feel disheartened thinking the Jewish people did suffer enough so there is a possibility that His judgment is deflected, and we need to beg God to halt it. It is said in all seriousness. On the contrary, Jerusalem will be destroyed and the biggest disaster to strike the Jewish people is still pending, at least the Jewish state. Several millions of Jews will perish. This judgment will be initiated by God Himself as the Second World War was not His doing. What happened then, proves what is said several times in the Bible, that the Lord Himself is not wholly unconcerned with the affairs of our world. Since they crucified Him, He allowed the world to continue in their deceitful ways – even allowing the chemtrails to spray the earth with toxic substances. Once the heathen nations is about to wipe the Jewish nation from the map of the earth, then only will God step in. The change comes once God hears His Name - yes the Jewish nation will swallow their pride calling on the Name Jehovah. He will respond and intervene with vengeance, to fight on the side of Israel He will save a remnant and it will be His doing. Today He does everything in secret, so we cannot prove any of His working. Rightfully the world may argue God is dead as He is not involved with the meddling’s of the world. We often hear the words ‘why did God allow all sorrows’? He is out of the equation and we cannot blame Him. That is the only reasonable and serious explanation I have, and it is difficult to be acknowledged by any Bible scholar. If that is true, then we will soon discover we can claim nothing from our ill-fated earth. We have no right to demand or claim anything during their lifetime. The world’s future is bleak and encumbered in darkness. The people who trust Christ today are true citizens of heaven, the first fruits of a total new creation, and our milieu are totally different. We cannot have our bread buttered on both sides. The Lord takes care of His own. God always do forewarn us and if any judgment is eminent as with Sodom, then will ensure Lot is safe. If any judgment is pending on Jerusalem and Judea, then He will guarantee an escape route for the believers to escape. The 2 witnesses of Revelations 11 are like the 2 angels who ensured Lot did flee from Sodom. Fore mostly God ensures the Church is gone, at least 7 years before the day of the Lord. The Church will be redeemed, snatched from the world before the wrath envelopes our earth. Then a faithful remnant who listens to the two witnesses will have an opportunity to flee from Jerusalem, before the great judgment or before the terrible day of the Lord in Jerusalem. He will always protect His people. ‘Who knows? Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, and leave blessing in his wake’ Joel 2:14 When you do tear the heart, and not the garments, then you will turn to the Lord with a repentant heart. He will indeed bless you. It will primarily be obtained at Petra and not in Jerusalem.

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Judgment on the bordering nations of Israel.

Zephaniah 2: 4 Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown. The people living there will be devastated. That means if judgment is procured on Jerusalem, and Judah or the Jewish people, then the nations bordering the Land Canaan will also be judged. They include the Palestinians (Philistines), who presently live in the land. The Palestinian who are clearly mentioned in verse 4, do live in Gaza, west of Judea, along the coastal fringes. In this verse, four cities of the Palestinian cities are named; only 4 of the 5 cities. Traditionally in the Bible we have the five kings and thus the five cities of the Philistines. One of the most remarkable things here is only four are mentioned. The question arises after all what happened to the fifth city? The Palestinians are the same as the Philistines. A Philistine can be translated meaning a migrant or a wanderer. Moreover, it is clear from the Bibles history that the Philistines, in part or at least, were from Crete. Coming from Crete they were called the Pleti, which is a shortening of the Philistines. In the time of King David they were called the Pleti and Kreti. 2 Samuel 20:23, says that Benaiah, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites. Who were these people? Scholars have determined that the root word for the Cherethites must have been Kreti and the root for Pelethites must be Pleti. First let us discuss the words Kreti and Pleti. These words have been used, by some scholars, as relating the Pleti as the P-r-s-t or Philistines and the word Kreti as Cretans It is almost certain that the phrase means: Philistines, namely Cretans. Kreti also means Cretans. The Cretans were seafarers who at that time were the most important seafaring people in the Mediterranean and they settled on the shore of the mainland. They did the same in Canaan. They settled for practical reasons, on the southwest coast of Canaan. All in all, this means that this prophecy fits completely with our time and age, with some observations and comments. Gaza is a Palestinian city and it will be swallowed by the armies from Russia as they are at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They are at the forefront of the confrontation. Jerusalem will be devastated on the day of the LORD, once Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron is levelled to the ground. There is still a problem today as Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron is nestled in the territories of Rehoboth. It is part of present day Israel and not part of the Palestinian state. However I do belief in the near future a peace treaty will be drawn up between the Palestinian people and Israel, and with the treaty there will be a swap of territories. Most likely then the cities will be entrusted to the Palestinian people. It may be on the table today for discussions.

Judgement on Jerusalem and its people

Zephaniah 3: 5 The righteous Lord is in that city. He does no wrong. He brings his judgment to light every morning. He does not fail. But those who are perverted are shameless. This prophecy reflects the days of King Josiah and the religious reform he piloted in Israel. Then the country and the temple was cleansed. It was inaugurated to some degree, as the priests were not really motivated but the service in the temple was maintained. In this context, it says that the Lord is righteous and in their midst. It is a reference to the Lord, who is deemed to live in the temple. It says the Lord does not fail so each morning his judgment comes to light. That means each day He gives us light and life, the things we expect. Especially light as each morning the sun rises. Light is simply a

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picture of life, and thus it ensures life to the people. Moreover, the people of Israel live in the country and they are dependent on the blessings the Lord gives them. I know that the rising of the sun is considered a natural law, but that is not biblical. Each day the Lord causes the sun to rise. We as those living in Jerusalem and Palestine, are totally dependent on God's grace and riches. If God is not merciful, then He would have caused His judgment to descend, immediately after Christ first coming to earth. We all are totally dependent on God’s grace whether believers or non–believers. The dispensation of grace concerns not only the believers, or the Church in our day, but every nation. He is long-suffering.

Patience

Peter says that the Lord is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, wishing that each person comes to repentance. He gives the opportunity for everyone to accept Him. Insinuating whenever men do wish to do wrong, even if they choose to curse and rejects God in rebellion, He does not take revenge. The time of revenge will come in the future. In the meantime, we have the opportunity to accept Christ – while God is very patient. When our Lord walked in the streets of Jerusalem, He did no wrong. Instead, He proved to be the light. He did nothing wrong, not allowing the people to go hungry. But the unjust sees no shame. The wrong is the people who makes things crooked. Something things that used to be perfect and straight, is bend by the crooked - they bend the things that used to be straight. He cannot do otherwise as he himself is crooked. That is Satan all over as he bends the light, so we cannot see how the heaven and earth fits together. If men are crooked their minds are warped. The Bible says a crooked thing can never be made straight again, and therefore we need the help of God to change us. If we are crooked we cannot pronounce judgement as then our sceptre is bent and crooked. Judaism is guilty but also Christianity.

Zephaniah 3:6 I will cut off the nations. Their towers will be destroyed. I will demolish their streets. No one will walk through them. Their cities will be completely destroyed. Not a single person will be left. No one will be living there. This is prophetic, and still in the making. The towers are also mentioned in Zephaniah 1:16

Zephaniah 3:7 I said, Just fear me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won't be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they rose early and corrupted all their doings. Everything seems to end well and that is the most cheerful part of the prophecy. God’s judgement will be devastating invading Jerusalem, the land of Israel and then the neighbouring countries. The more distant countries are not involved with this war, but we know from other Scriptures that the day of the Lord will encompass the complete world. The day of the Lord will last for 33 years and it will surely spread like a flame of fire, to all the nations of the world. It will start at the house of God or Israel, or His people. Jerusalem is called the oppressing city, which refuses to listen to the voice of the Lord. The arrogant people don’t care for the Lord, living as if the Lord didn’t exist. Yet the Lord says He will respond and that is exactly what He did from verse 7. The discipline and instructions to follow are meant for the children. The Biblical view is that the child is under guardians, among carers until the time determined by the father he made earlier. Afterwards that child may be appointed as son if the father deems it appropriate. Gal.4:1, 2 this reflects Israel. Israel is considered a child in the Old Testament times, but in the days of the New Covenant it would be made a son. Those days are spoken of here. The problem is that Israel, to date, was not disciplined by God, nevertheless, it is

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said that it will happen in the future. The house of Israel will not be wiped out, but a remnant will remain to be His son. That's not only written here, but with more emphasis in the Book Isaiah, saying a remnant will be saved. Had it not happened, then Israel would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa.1 Throughout the prophecy of Isaiah it’s repeated time and again and in the New Testament. (48 in total) There would be a faithful remnant of Israel, with the prospect to live throughout the Millennium. They need to be patient as the land Israel needs to be purified from every filth after it is invaded by an army. Israel and the world needs to fear the ‘day of the Lord’ and therefore they are called to repentance, and if they do, they will escape the wrath of God. Verse 7 says that the Lord did visit Israel through the ages, time and again and in many ways through the fathers. Despite this they constantly deflected the Word of God and the Lord. It happened in the past and Israel who ‘rose early,’ implies they were determined to resist the Lord and His Word. We will discover in the following verse that the Lord will rise early to judge the world.

Zephaniah 3:8 The LORD declares, "Just wait! One day I will stand up as a witness. I have decided to gather nations, to bring kingdoms together, and to pour my rage, my burning anger, on them. The whole land will be consumed by my fiery fury. Israel has been in opposition to the Lord, but this time the Lord will pour out His anger against Israel. When that happens it will culminate with the ‘day of the Lord.’ The Lord Himself will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be taken, leaving the land Israel totally void of life. Zephaniah says that several times. ‘I have decided to gather nations, to bring kingdoms together, and to pour my rage, my burning anger, on them. The whole land will be consumed by my fiery fury.’ When students do study this verse, then they think the Lord will gather all the all the nations and kingdoms of the world, with the idea to judge them in whatever land they live in. No it’s wrong! All the other translations translate the word ‘land’ as earth or world and it is totally wrong. In this verse God addresses the land Israel on the day of the Lord and the world is not in contention. The ‘whole land’ is only the land Israel, and it not the entire earth belonging to the heathen nations. So I believe that verse 8 says that the Lord will gather the nations and the kingdoms to topple Jerusalem. The Lord will use the heathen nations and kingdoms as Russia, to pour out His wrath over all the land of Israel. His fierce anger is easily correlated with other scriptures as Zechariah. Zechariah 14: 1 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. The reason is that unbelieving Israel think that Jerusalem and all of Israel do belongs to them. It is not that the Lord refuses them the opportunity, but they lack of their vital faith in the resurrected Christ. He will give the land to a believing people. No unbelieving person has rights to claim the land belonging to God Jehovah. He will give it to whom He will. That's why Israel today is robbed. Moreover, the unbelieving nation of Israel did steal it from the Lord after they were chased from the land with the Egyptian captivity. He warn the people their spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Falsely claiming the land will have great repercussions. On the day of the Lord His wrath will be deflected on ‘all’ the people who do live in the land. They are forewarned, knowing that the land Israel will be devoid of any life after God’s judgement. The judgment is to purge the country of every filth and the people who decide to reside in the land will die. The land would lie fallow – empty. Zechariah 14:2

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For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses plundered, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. The time of the judgement is written in verses 3 and 4. It is at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. Thus this Scripture has the same message as Zephaniah 3:8 and Daniel 9. To study any prophecy we need to be very familiar with Daniel's 70th week and if we fail to understand it, prophecy will make no sense. Our Lord did mention Daniel's 70th week when He spoke to His disciples. Daniel 9 verses 26 and 27 do speak elaborately about the events just prior to the day of the Lord.

Daniel's 70th week

Daniel 9: 27b But in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." At the end of the 70th week, Jerusalem will be completely destroyed by the ‘One’ who causes the desolation. Both Zechariah 14: 1 and 2 with Zephaniah 3: 8 says that the destruction is primarily caused by the heathen nations who will battle against Jerusalem. In addition, I also cited Joel 2, because it speaks of a numerous army that will invade the land like locust, to totally devastate it. In the Bible this judgment on Jerusalem is announced many times more. The thought of Zephaniah 3: 8 is that the Lord will indirectly judge their peoples and land via by a heathen nations. He will gather Gog and Magog who will assemble many more nations to eagerly battle against the Jewish state and Jerusalem. There will be a great turnabout of events once the believing remnant do call on the Name of the Lord. Zechariah 14:3 says then the Lord will fight against the heathen nations the same nations He previously gathered to fight unbelieving Israel. Firstly He uses the heathen nations to fight Israel and then His anger is vented against them. God using the heathen nations to judge Israel is nothing new. That happened previously in the history of Israel. Early in the history of Israel as in the days of Joshua, and Judges, God allowed the heathen nations to invade their borders. The Old Testament is riddled with occasions when Israel was occupied by them, once they were disobedient. The Lord used the heathen nations to occupy Israel and their wealth were distributed to the heathen people. Eventually it ended with the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel and later the two tribes of Israel who were deported to the Egyptian captivity. The Lord will gather the dogs or the heathen nations to gather the herd of Israel. The sheep dislike dogs but they will finally repent, to be shepherded by our Lord. I name Israel the herd, as later in Zephaniah 3, the meadows are mentioned and the sheep will rest. The expression ‘by my fiery fury’ Zeph.3. 8 is obviously a kind of metaphor. Nevertheless, it will literally happen. In the first place, since it is also prophesied in Joel 2. The country will burn. The Bible says that Jerusalem will be devastated as Sodom and Gomorrah, and therefore it will be destroyed by fire from heaven. In Revelation 11, Jerusalem is known as Sodom for a reason. This name is used because as it will be burned by fire from heaven. Unbelieving Jerusalem did commit crime when they killed the two witnesses in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, and after 3½ years, God’s judgment will rain down from heaven. For the following 33 years the other nations of the world will be judged and then their only retreat on earth will be to be reborn like Israel, or else they will die. Once a nation do repent to the Lord they will be immune to God’s judgment until the world enters the Millennium. The last nation on earth to repent is Babylon and that will be with the renowned war at Armageddon. Babylon will then be punished with fire pouring down from heaven and many Scripture’s do verify it. With the battle of Armageddon, God will again utilize the nations of the world. This time it is different as He will gather the believing nations that did repent during the 33 year, to war against

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Babylon. There will be a remnant from many nations of the world. The only surety to live is to call on the Name Jehovah or to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour. If any persons fails he can await a certain death. The judgment of Jerusalem will be finalized at the end of the Daniel's 70th week and then Jerusalem and Israel will be the Lord’s and the armies of Satan will not triumph over them. Slowly but surely many nations will follow Israel’s example and they will be reached by the 144 000 elect, who will spread the Gospel to the ends of the world. The wrath of God is only kindled against those nations who resist Him.

Zephaniah 3. 9 For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. Note, the expression that they may call upon the Name of the Lord. That Name is also found in the following verse - Zechariah 13: 9. ‘This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, they are my people, and they will say, the Lord is our God.' The above words should be studied in context with the last few verses of Joel 2. The people will call on the name of the Lord, and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, and in the following verse it details their deliverance. This ‘calling’ on the name of the Lord in the Book Zephaniah has a greater implication, as it not only involves Israel, but possibly the Gentiles too. The Hebrew word for nations is ‘am’ Strongs no. 5971and that is the commonly used word for Israel and not the heathen nations. There are Scriptures which suggests that ‘am’ could also refer to the heathen people, but they reflect the hidden ten tribes of Israel. The Scriptures where the word ‘am’ occurs, do apparently also talk about the ten tribes of Israel. The judgment will commence with Jerusalem and the land of Canaan as the Jewish people or Judah and Benjamin will be the first to bear the brunt of the persecution. Initially it is not all Israel. It will commence with Judah, but later it would involve all the tribes of Israel. When we study verse 9, I tend to read that it is also involves the other ten tribes of Israel. That does not necessarily mean only the twelve tribes of Israel will be punished, but the judgment will involve all the other nations of the world but from them a remnant will always be found. They will call on the name of the Lord. A pure speech in Zephaniah 3. 9 are the people who do call on His Name. The idea is that the sinful disposition of man is firstly noticed by his speech, by the words he speaks. In the Bible it is not different as our speech defiles us, and it can also shield us if it is accompanied by a repentant heart. Romans 3:13 says that all mankind has departed from God, and their throat is an open sepulchre; their tongues speaks deceitfully; the poison of asps is under their lips. What leaves the mouth comes from the heart and in this case the sinful heart. However, on the other hand the Lord will speak to a people with a pure heart. Obviously the words proceeding from our Lord complies with the message of the Gospel. It is also a terminology we are familiar with in the New Testament as the Apostle Paul says: Ephesians 5:29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the Church. It is clear that wholesome words are good for edification, and gracious to those who receive them; they are the pure words of the Gospel. The unclean words are burdensome and is obviously the voice of man himself, the words which comes from his heart. Israel’s corrupted speech will be annulled by the gracious words of our Lord. The Words of the Lord is like a two edged sword dividing

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asunder the bad from the good. The edifying words is the message of the new covenant. It will be preached after the rapture of the Church: Firstly by the 2 witnesses in the streets of Jerusalem. The simple Gospel will be preached in the first half of Daniel's 70th week. Nevertheless, after Daniel’s 70th week, the Gospel will be preached extensively. If you ask me, initially by the reborn Jewish people to the remaining 10 tribes of Israel. The ten tribes of Israel will respond dramatically and from the 12 tribes the 144 000 servants Rev.11

will progress to reach the heathen nations. That is the order of events we not only find in the Book Revelation, but also in the Book Acts. Indeed the Gospel did commence at Jerusalem (the capital of Judah), then it was preached at Samaria (a reference to the ten tribes of Israel), until it reached the end of the earth. Actually that will happen soon again in the near future, exactly as foretold. The preaching of the Gospel, will begin in Jerusalem as it says it will be preached by the two witnesses of Revelation 11, and from the Jewish people a remnant will be saved at Petra. Rapidly it will spread to all the tribes of Israel, to be finally preached to the Gentiles. Then all the tribes of Israel will be impacted, a total of 144,000 servants of God, 12 000 from each tribe of Israel. They will be sealed to spread the good message of the Gospel to all the nations of the world. The nation’s response to them will be vital for if they dare to refuse or rebuff the sealed servants, they will not escape as the wrath of God will be poured out on them. The servants will converse with the nations speaking with a ‘pure speech’ or language, life giving words, full of grace and truth. If they do respond then they will call on the Name Jehovah. In Zephaniah 3. 9 true words of wisdom are spoken as the message of Christ is pure, coming from a pure heart. The believers who do call on the Name of the Lord will remain on earth to enter the Millennium, namely only them who speak with a ‘pure speech.’ Throughout the Millennium, they will serve the Lord with a joyful and true heart. To serve him shoulder to shoulder is to say that the Word of God do carry a responsibility to those who are gifted with its message. The responsibility of the ‘pure speech’ is to be maintained by the 144 000 servants throughout the 33 years. To me it is clear from other Scriptures that the responsibility for preserving the pure Word of God will be in the hands of the twelve tribes of Israel. We understand this when we study the Book Revelations. Officially after the 70th week of Daniel, then the day of God’s wrath will commence on the Gentiles, and fore mostly on God’s agenda, will be to seal the 144,000. Where else would they come from than Israel? Until today we only distinguish the two tribes of Israel and not the twelve. However, there will be 144,000 servants. All twelve tribe will emerge and at the beginning of Revelation 8 there is a delay: ‘When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.’ Rev.8:1 I belief the half an hour do portray the half year it will take to seal the 144 000 servants. In the previous chapter it says John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Rev.7:1 There was no wind blowing on the earth, so nothing else is harmed until the 144 000 witnesses are sealed. Once the servants are sealed and they preach the Gospel to all the nations of the world, then the wind of God’s fury will blow on earth. From that time onward the previously named nations like Gaza is not named, but from verse 10, the distant heathen nations are named. I believe initially within a 6 months period, the message will reach the ten tribes of Israel, to end with the sealing of the 144 000 servants. Soon afterwards God’s wrath will be poured out on all the flesh, and His judgement is weighed against the nations response to the 144,000 sealed.

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Restoration

Zephaniah 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering. The interpreters had some problems to understand this prophecy. They maintain the Hebrew is somewhat unclear, so they tried to simplify it by adding words that are not really written in Hebrew. When the translators start to ‘add’ words as in the above text we need to be vigilant, because it means that the text was not clear and they had to try and clarify it, but sometimes wrongly. To understand the text completely we need study the core words and then the verse will become plain. The importance of this verse is that the Ethiopians will redeem the daughter of His dispersed or the remnant from Israel living amongst the heathen nations. The daughter of my dispersed are the last generation from Israel scattered amongst them. Zephaniah 3:8 addresses the Jewish people in Jerusalem. In contrast verse 9 the ten tribes of Israel. Verse 10 speaks about the daughter of my dispersed, namely all the tribes of Israel. Some reason that verse 9 involves all the heathen nations but I belief they are the ten tribes of Israel, who are dispersed amongst them. In verse 10 it is said that the daughter of my dispersed, namely all the twelve tribes of Israel will be brought as an offering. They will assemble at the rivers of Ethiopia or southern Egypt. The impression is that the Israelites from the ‘south’ will return to the Promised Land. It will be immediately after the day of the Lord when all Israel will be gathered. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia do convey the sources of the Nile, a river leading them to Cairo. There are several sources of the Nile, but different rivers join to what we commonly call the Nile. This implies that somewhere in Africa or any land to the south, there are many Israelites and they will be ‘carried’ or helped by the Africans to Israel, to be offered. To be offered is indeed to do service to the Lord. Complete Israel who shares the new covenant, will be offered to the Lord. Countries like Africa will allow them to go, unlike Pharaoh who refused to let Israel go. They will put themselves in the service of God, for a special purpose, proving to be the chosen nation. ‘Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Ex.19:5,6 Today the Church is offered to God as a priestly nation, but after the rapture of the Church then Israel is entrusted with this special calling. We are a sacrifice to God and we are called from the heathen nations to be placed under the service of the new covenant. It can also be argued that in the near future the believing Gentiles will sacrifice or transfer the Israelites to the Lord. The heathen will allow them to go as they are the first fruits of our Lord on earth. Israel will be gathered from all the nations to serve the Lord, and at the same time they will augment the Gentiles. From the south the twelve tribes of Israel will be gathered to do service to the Lord. I do not belief the Jewish nation who are steeped in the law, is considered here. No their religion is ‘lifeless’ on the day of the Lord. The people are the reborn Christians who originate from the twelve tribes of Israel. The dispersed will indeed return as ambassadors of the new covenant and they will speaks words of comfort or ‘pure speech’ v.9 to whatever country they are called from, forming part of the 144 000 elect. An offering is the fruit of our lips, to give thanks to those who worship His Name. They have a ‘pure speech.’

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Zephaniah 3:11 In that day thou shalt not be ashamed for any of thy doings, in which thou hast rebelled against me, for then I will take away out of the midst of thee those that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no longer be haughty because of the mountain of my holiness. Did you notice this verse still concerns complete Israel, both the two tribes and the ten tribes? The answerable deeds of Israel is that they transgressed against the Lord, largely as they resisted the Word of God, speaking blasphemously. The sin of Israel, even of the people by the way, is to reject His Word. Thus the unbelieving people used to place themselves above the Word of God, thinking they are equal to Him. Their pride made them stumble. Sin and pride go hand in hand. Incidentally it is invented by Satan. He placed himself above God by speaking the lie. He detests the Word of God, and as a serpent, he said, did God really mean this, casting doubt. Here it says that the people will not be embarrassed about their previous arrogance and pride, as the Lord will ‘remove the culprits’ from their midst. On the day of the Lord, He will eliminate those who spoke against God Word. Their pride will cease. The remaining ones, will not be haughty, nor set themselves above the Word of God. They will heed to the words of God or to the ‘pure speech,’ and it will soak their minds, so they can easily direct the simple message of the Gospel to the heathen people. Finally Israel will fulfil their priestly function. There is a reference to the mountain of my holiness. According to the Book Joel it is Mount Zion. It is the Kingdom of the Messiah, as at Zion is the throne. For the sake of the mountain of my holiness, can be agreed upon as for the sake of My kingdom. Then the Israelites will be kings and priests belonging to the Kingdom of Christ on earth. They will be His ambassadors to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations of the earth. That is the early restoration of Israel. The proud will be removed and the remnant that remain, will be wholly commit to the Word of God. The word remnant is also traced in the following verse.

Zephaniah 3:12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. I belief God has chosen the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those thinking they are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong. 1Cor1:27 If the Lord had us left us a remnant, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa.1:9 This verse is cited many times in the Bible, and here the same message is echoed. The faithful remnant of Israel, the afflicted and poor people, the flock or a small herd, will cause the change. The twelve tribes of Israel will consist of more than 144,000 people, but they will be reckoned as a nation, they are pretty small. The 144,000 servants mentioned in the Book Revelation will preach the Gospel throughout the world, among the Gentiles. The other part of Israel will rebuild the land Canaan. Moreover, Israel may be a priestly people, but it does not entail that all of the children of Israel will fulfil that duty. The more specific priestly function will be entrusted to the 144,000 servants. They will preach the Gospel or the Word of God to all the nations. In the Old Covenant only a part of Israel did the priestly duties and the rest of the people were not involved. Besides Israel as a nation is considered a priestly people, and it does not only attributed to the tribe of Levi. All of Israel were known as a priestly people, even before they crossed the Red Sea.

Zephaniah 3:13a

The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies

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The injustice is to speak lies. It is simply to oppose the Word of God which is the Word of Truth. To oppose it is by definition injustice, or to speak lies. Earlier, I mentioned that the greatest sin of man is to deflect the Word of God. Contradicting the Word of God is to speak lies. When we study the first letter of John we continually read of the truth opposing falsehood. In the letters of John the word ‘truths’ appears 17 times. The Lord says He had no sin as no guile found was found in his mouth, and He totally subjected Himself to the Word of God. He never opposed the Word of God, but if we do, we oppose His righteousness and Him working in us. Zephaniah 3:13b neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. Firstly they need to subject themselves to the Gospel and then they will be apt to preach the Gospel, to reveal the Word of truth in their priestly function. Zephaniah 3: 13c for they shall be fed and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid... It seems a strange transition, but it’s not. They are content and they have no fear lying down or resting in the meadows. The words of Psalms 23 are fulfilled as they are sheltered by the promised rest, peace and tranquillity of the new covenant. There will be plentiful food and water and it’s the Word of God. The food is the Word of God - the Word of life, which came down to earth as manna from heaven. They will feed on the Word of God and thereby receive peace and quiet and no one will trouble them. After Daniel’s 70th week, the believers will rebuild and restore previous devastated Israel, but the remnant will be led by the Messiah Himself. Certainly during the ensuing 33 years they will be threaten by the Gentiles nations who wish to invade Jerusalem a second time, but it will proof impossible. Jerusalem will not be oppressed again as the Good Shepherd will feed them. He will take care of His flock, and there will be no prowling wolves. Generally speaking the Christians today don’t belief in the restoration of Israel, thinking all the blessings will be invested in the Church. No - the Lord will choose Jerusalem and it will be protected. Throughout the 33 years when Jerusalem will be rebuild, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem Ps.122:6 and the Lord will ensure its peace. True peace is attainable in Jerusalem but not today. It's attainable once Israel as a nation repents. Then they will never be dismayed, knowing the Lord will protect and overshadow them.

Zephaniah 3: 14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout with joy O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. They shout for joy because of the Gospel, the ‘pure speech.’ The daughter of Zion is the daughter of my dispersed from verse 10, who will never again be haughty on His holy mountain. That mountain is Zion, and the remnant it tied to the mountain called: O daughter of Zion. It oozes real happiness and life. It speaks of rebirth, flowing with life. It is said we need to fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, so we can speak to each other in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. We need to praise God singing Psalms in our hearts. Here it’s happening to Israel's who will sing in psalms praising God, in assorted melodies and not in a minor key, but in a major key. Major means large and that is what it is. The promises are fulfilled in a big way. They are cheerful songs, firstly for the daughters of Zion, and later for the daughters of Jerusalem.

Zephaniah 3:15 The Lord has taken away thy judgments; he has cast out thine enemy; the Lord is king of Israel in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more.

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The Lord ensured Israel he removed every judgments for good. They will cease, because they repented unreservedly. Whatever misery or judgment Israel experienced in the past, it never caused the repentance of Israel. So the judgment is yet pending until it had its desired effect. It can be said the Lord removed all judgments against them and wiped out their enemies. Thus we notice that the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the King of Israel from the house of David, is none other than Jehovah Himself. Hence from that time onward, Israel will experience no evil, as the Lord ensured His personal devotion.

Zephaniah 3:16 In those days it will be said to Jerusalem, do not fear; and to Zion, do not let thine hands be slack. There is no need to fear, and it is in accord with the previous verses. From the time they enter Israel with a reborn heart, they will be shielded by God. No harm can be done to them, and there is no need to build walls as during the time of Nehemiah, as the Lord will protect them. Their hands will not be slack neither will they linger at work. They will indeed do their priestly service to the Lord. The phrase ‘to have your hands filled’ is often used in the Bible. If someone had to be summoned for a priestly task, it says their hands were filled. The hands of Aaron were filled when he became priest. Thus he acquired a specific priestly responsibility. I think it is similar here, but at a grander scale, as they need to reach every corner of the earth. The world will be dependable on their priestly tasks and that is rumoured by both the Apostle Paul and Peter. It is written that God has equipped us to be capable servants of the new covenant, not by the authority of the written law which only brings death, but by the Spirit who brings life. 2Cor.3:6 He will complete the work He did commence with them.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing. They are the words coupled to the new covenant or to the time of the Church, as we dwell with the Lord and He is within us. The Lord is in the midst of Israel and He will dwell in their midst. If certain words are omitted that are not found in the original Hebrew script, then it reads; ‘the Lord is in your midst, mighty to save.’ The words ‘He will rest in his love,’ refers to verse 11. The Lord will speak firstly in His anger (Psalm 2), but then He will reside in His love. That is the opposite. Rest in his love implies the Lord will no longer blame Israel. Love does not remember the wrong. The Lord loves believing Israel, and He will not impute their sin. Hence He will reside in His love. You must bear in mind that a concept like forgiveness means to quit things, to never remember them again or to recall them to memory. That is to ignore, to be silent and never to retort to the wrong we did. Here it says He will be silent, portraying the spirit of forgiveness. Someone who comes to faith, will continue to sin, but on the basis of faith, his sins will never be imputed to him. We are reckoned as righteous via our faith in Christ. The same will happen with Israel under the new covenant. The Lord will not impute sin, and the remnant will reside in His love. There will be a great jubilation. The phrase is also used in Isaiah 54, where it also addresses the restoration and God’s great forgiveness, soon after His return. Isaiah 54: 3, 4 For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: Neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.

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Israel will again flourish and multiply. The Lord will have mercy on Israel (verse 7 and 8) with everlasting kindness. Undeniably, Israel’s sinful history is forgotten and the Lord will rejoice with them.

Zephaniah 3: 18 I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts. They came from you, O Zion; the reproach of exile is a burden on them. He will gather the distraught remnant from Israelites who repented and trusted the Lord. To grieve or to mourn, is a prerequisite to repentance. We read of this many times in our Bible. If Israel is called to repentance, it will mourn. Both thoughts can also be found in the Book Zechariah and Joel. Joel pleaded with the people to repent, because of the impeding judgment. Men need to mourn. Joel 2: 12, 13 Yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God, for he is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and repenteth him of the evil. The Lord shall put away the evil, and he will obliterate the impeding judgment, so they can be blessed abundantly. He will forgive them and clear the land from their enemies. Zep.3:15 Joel 1 has a similar message. Joel 1: 13-15 Gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament, ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meal offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come, It has the exact same idea. In Zechariah we also read this. Zechariah 12 says that the spirit of grace will be poured upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. It says that they will see Him and they shall mourn as for an only son. Repentance is always accompanied by grief or remorse about the past, especially their sinful, unbelieving past. The words: they came from you, reminds us of the words of 1 John 2:19, saying they left us or the Church as they were not really part of us. The people who grieved do belong to the Lord. The reproach of many exiles did burden them, and their sufferings since the Babylonian captivity, did humiliate Israel. They were persecuted, and all the pressure did spiral, but it will be resolved by our Lord. They were humiliated to the ground and they had to swallow their pride feeling ashamed. Their burdens will be dispelled and they will enjoy the freedom of the new covenant. It happened similarly to us. I take it for reason that we too lived under the pressure of our sin, our burden, our guilt and our shame. It was removed from us, so we can serve our Lord under the new covenant and thus we became His servants and priests.

Zephaniah 3: 19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee; and I will save her that is lame and gather her that was driven out; and I will make them a praise and of good reputation in every land where they have been put to shame. The people who caused Israel great shame will be removed from them. The Lord will remove all the enemies from Israel, and when they do return from Petra, the land will be totally void of life. There are many Psalms that do write about this punishment.

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The same Israel that were persecuted by the peoples of the earth will be gathered with great glory to Israel, in view of all the world. The once persecuted nation will be known as God's people and they will be known as a nation of kings and priests. They will be the most honourable people among the nations.

Zephaniah 3:20 At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring again your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord. Israel will not only be gathered together in the desert, but they will return to Jerusalem by our Lord, and He will lead them. Some Bible students don’t seem to understand the difference, but this verse is clear. Strictly speaking, the gathering of Israel is not inside Israel, but outside in the desert, as the message of the 2 witnesses is to flee Israel. Israel will be gathered abroad, in the desert. There they will be amassed as during the time of Moses when they sojourned the desert. They will not remain in the desert for 40 years but there they will find be sheltered for at least the duration of Daniel's 70th week, lasting 7 years. Once they repent and did meet the Lord as prophet, then only will they be equipped to return to Israel, taking a direct route to Jerusalem. The Lord will be at their helm. The gathering of Israel is not in the land Canaan, but in Petra. There they will be gathered as the sheep of Bozrah, into the fold, in Petra. There is a clear parallel with Israel in the desert with Moses, and reborn Israel with our Lord at Petra. Israel who were gathered from Egypt with the commencement of the Old Covenant, pictures the world. They were gathered in the desert around Mount Sinai, and hence they entered the Promised Land. The same route will be followed with the commencement of the new covenant with Christ. Israel will be gathered in the desert to be brought to the land Canaan. At Petra they will inspect the wounds of the resurrected Christ, and then as reborn Israel they will follow a route from Petra to Jerusalem, nearly 100 kilometres. Zephaniah says the Lord will take them to the land, the time when He will gather them. That implies two different events. The Lord will gather them firstly to be later rerouted back to Jerusalem. If it was the same, it will make no sense. Firstly they will be collected in the desert to later return to Jerusalem. He says He will make you a name, to the praised among all the peoples of the earth. A name is, reputation, fame and honour. In contrast captivity spells disaster. Israel will be there to honour the Name of the Lord, and they will be revered once the world notices the magnitude of Christ glory with reborn Israel and the Church at their helm. I am certain it will be accompanied by many miracles and the people will be amazed. It is in contrast to what Israel symbolizes today, as previously the world scorned them. The name of the Lord is belittled by a people who were used to be called by the name of Jehovah. Israel was indeed a people belonging to Jehovah, or vice versa, Jehovah was simply the God of Israel. Because of the disobedience of Israel, it meant that the name of the Lord was blasphemed every day. (Romans) So it has a negative effect. In the future it will be the opposite. The name of the Lord will then be glorified by Israel. Therefore, Israel is the people who will share in the glory of Christ, and the world will be at awe with the revelation of His Kingdom. They will be known as a nation of kings and priests. The Church today is known by the exact same words. Today the Church is a priestly people who reveals the Word of God. We are like shining lights in a dark world. The Church do share Christ’s glory and later we will be revealed to the world, but the duties of reborn Israel are restricted to the earth. In the near future Israel will have a special duty towards the world. The Church today is assembled from all the nations of the world and built to be a spiritual house, to the honour of the Lord, the Lord who dwells in the midst of the temple or the Church. The same can be said of natural Israel. They too will be assembled from all the nations of the world, and the Lord will dwell in their midst. It does not necessarily mean that they all need to be in the Land Canaan. As we are assembled outside

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Jerusalem, similarly reborn Israel will be assembled in the desert or from whatever country in the world. We are a living organism in Christ, wherever we may place ourselves on earth. It’s happening to the Church today and in the near future after the rapture of the Church, Israel will fulfil the duty. Today a people is called to honour God’s Name from amongst the heathen nations, but in the near future it will be reborn Israel. For many centuries the Israelites did repel the Word of God but it will end. The world will accept the truths of the Gospel and they will not repel His inviting Words, and if they do, it will spell their death. Once Israel comes to faith it will dramatically change the peoples life’s on earth, to belief or die. God will gather a small remnant of people as the majority refuses to believe in Him. The day of the Lord or the day of His wrath, of trouble and distress, wasting and desolation, darkness and gloominess, clouds and thick darkness, 1:15 will catapult the earth. It may have a happy ending, but the blessings at the end of the chapter need to be balanced against the foregoing words of God’s great judgment on that awful day. It's sad that all these judgments need to happen before the people of Israel will yield themselves to the Word of God. That same God, blessed Israel previously in the past. He came to his own, but his own people did not receive him. Yet the remnant or to those who did receive Him, He will bless exceedingly. Nevertheless, we need to rejoice that Israel will be a nation of royal priesthood. We must not neglect the hundreds of chapters in our Bible that do foretell the unpleasant times and the great judgment that is to befall Israel and the world. The reason is to cause the nation of Israel to repent so their eyes may be opened. Once they do, then guaranteed the many prophecies that do portray the blessing, will be poured out on them. The judgments that were triggered on Israel will be poured on all the Gentile nations. We do read of the awful day of the Lord but that is the beginning of God’s judgment on earth. On the day of the Lord the first 7 years lapsed, and 33 more years awaits fulfilment. That is the core of the Book Revelations as the history of Israel ends abruptly early in the Book, but from chapter 8 to 19, God will concern Himself with the unbelieving heathen nations. We can be so glad we are not part of the earth before the great battle of Armageddon. After the battle only a small remnant will remain to enter the Millennium. In the very foreseeable future, the earth be punished severely, and only a small remnant will survive the heat of God’s anger.