Destruction. Conversion. Restoration.
This chapter reads as a Gospel presentation as all glory goes to God. He is the One to correct, convert, and restore.
Though these prophecies address an immediate time period, they also speak long into the future. Zephaniah writes that on the Day of the Lord, the fire of His jealousy will consume the Earth (verse 8). Certainly, that must be a future event. Jerusalem’s day of destruction occurred in 586 B.C. when King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city. However, this was only an exile. Jesus then predicted a more severe judgment on Jerusalem which was fulfilled in 70 A.D.
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! Those inside the city must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it, 22 because these are days of vengeance to fulfill all the things that are written.
Luke 21:20-22 HCSB
In the same way that Zephaniah intertwines the final destruction of Earth with the exile in 586, Jesus intertwined the final destruction of Earth with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. Why?
We know that God is a patient God, not wanting anyone to perish but all to find life through repentance. For centuries, He has withheld His judgment from this world. However, it is noteworthy to consider that the judgments predicted by the prophets and by Jesus all speak to a final, cataclysmic event. Today, we live closer than ever to that final judgment of God.
Jesus promised it would be sudden and intense. The attitude that Zephaniah described for his people is the same attitude prescribed for us today. We repent and wait with patient endurance. We do not doubt He is coming. The people of Zephaniah’s time fell victim to an attitude of refusal with regard to the truth of God. They thought they had more time. They thought He wouldn’t follow through. They thought it wouldn’t be that bad.
But through all of this judgment, there is hope. There is the promise of purity and the removal of arrogance. We are experiencing that promise today! We have been made pure in God’s sight through Christ and by His Spirit, we have the power to overcome our stubborn, arrogant demeanor.
God is always good on His Word. We read it time and time again in the Scriptures. Do not get lured to sleep. Stay alert! Trust Him! Patiently endure! His glory will come like a thief in the night.