Zephaniah (Christ in the Scriptures)

If it wasn’t for Jesus we would be without hope! God will have no gods before Him. Idols are anything that takes our eyes off  Him and looking to world values for our worth.

God, today would you “restore to me the joy of your salvation and renew a right spirit in me.”  (Psalm 51:212) Walk with me through this day and guide my steps so that I will not sin against you (Psalm 119:133). I know that I am nothing without you (John 15:5) but that with you, I have all the strength I need for each moment (Philippians 4:13). Your grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jill First5 

Matthew 13:41 The end of the age speaks of the time when the Son of Man will come to set up His righteous kingdom.

Zephaniah means “Yahweh hides” (or “protects”) or “Yahweh has hidden.” The name may refer to God’s protection of Zephaniah in his childhood during Manasseh’s wicked reign. As a member of the royal family, Zephaniah would have lived in Jerusalem, which explains his familiarity with the capital city. Zephaniah’s contemporaries include Habakkuk and Jeremiah.

Zephaniah (Christ in the Scriptures) 

Jesus seized on Zephaniah’s picture of the day of the Lord. On one occasion He referred to Zephaniah 1:3, when He spoke of His second coming and gathering “out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness” (Matthew. 13:41). On another occasion, Jesus no doubt envisioned Zephaniah’s description of “a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm” (Zephaniah.1:15, 16). Although Zephaniah doesn’t specifically name the Messiah as the subject of these scenarios, it is assumed. Who else could, as the prophet foretells, gather His people and reign in victory? The NKJV Study Bible

Zephaniah1:3

 “I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the Lord.

Matthew 13:41

41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

Zephaniah 1:15-16

15 That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. The New King James Version

Zephaniah1:3 

Like Joel, the major theme of Zephaniah is the Day of Yahweh. The Hebrew word for “day” occurs 20 times in this short book. However, while Joel never mentions the sins of the nation, Zephaniah dramatically exposes the iniquities of Judah, accusing the nation of idolatry and moral corruption. In this respect, Zephaniah, who prophesied during the late seventh century bc, resembles his contemporary, Jeremiah. The ministries of Zephaniah and Jeremiah parallel those of Isaiah and Micah from a century earlier. Faithlife Study Bible

The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah, but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth. Stumbling blocks here refers to idolatry, or substitutes for God in the life and affections of a person. Because there is nothing in the universe that really may be compared to the Creator, God abhors all forms of idolatry. NKJ Study Bible

Zephaniah 1:15-16

The language of this passage is quite similar to Joel, on which it may be based in part. Near describes the imminence of the coming judgment. The references to clouds and darkness resemble Canaanite poetry in which clouds and thunder are associated with the false god Baal. The poets of the Bible used this language to describe the true God, who would send forth His judgments like lightning bolts from a dark mass of clouds. The references to fortified cities and high towers speak of the extent of God’s judgment. There would be no adequate defense against the Lord’s searing judgments. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.