Zephaniah and the Eschaton

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)
Kyungpook National University
Visiting Professor
Sangju Campus
South Korea
conjoint lecturer for Avondale College
Australia

              The prophet of the Old Testament was not a weather-prophet who predicted events that he was guessing from a composite in his mind of concurrent news events. This school of interpretation we call, preterism. Historicism in contrast allows for any possibility that the prophet could predict something that was thousands of years remote from his point in time. In fact, the prophets had available a large variety of telescopes into the future and in their description they pick up the one or the other. Sometimes they just refer to the event in another telescope later in time talking about something through a telescope earlier in time. They park these earlier and later events side by side, sometimes in the same verse, although we know from biblical analysis that the two events are separated by 1000 years. Zephaniah did that and we will look at the two separated events in one verse later. A scholar or interpreter that is not aware of this phenomenon in the prophets may get himself entangled in all kinds of strange interpretations.
               When the word of the Lord came to Zephaniah, it was in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah (Zephaniah 1:1). God said that He is going to destroy the earth (verse 2) totally (verse 3). He will destroy man and animal, fowls of heaven, fish of the sea (verse 3). Contra environmentalism the Eschaton will have everything destroyed.
              Also the stumbling blocks, [that is] the wicked will be destroyed. Rabbi Mezudath David says that it refers to "the devices through which the wicked bring people to sin". People are organized campaigners for the wicked to bring people from faith to unbelieve. They target the Christians and believers to destroy them. They will also be destroyed. All people will be cut off from the earth.
              This cutting is not something that was to happen in the days of Zephaniah. It was not just a metaphorical over-description of something small and local. The previous time God talked like that was in 2523 BCE at the Flood. All were destroyed. Since then, such a massive destruction did not take place. This event is in the Eschaton and the Bible says it will not be with water but with fire. Zephaniah alos mention the fire later.
              In verse 4 Zephaniah started his blacklist. This blacklist is a list of those who will be burned by fire at the end of Eschaton.
a. The remnant of Baal, the idol priests and their helpers will die (1:4c).
b. The astrology and astronomy worshippers (1:5a).
c. Political worshippers. People who kissed politcal symbols and all that is connected with it. Reverend dedication and loyalty to political systems, symbols, people. They will also die (1:5b).
d. The wayward. "Those who turn away from following the Lord" (1:6a).
e. Atheists, secularists, nihilists (1:6b-c).
f. Princes and sons of kings and those wearing gentile garments (fashion chasers) will die. What fashion? Contra-religious fashion. Ante-biblical fashion. Harlot focused fashion. Prostetute focused fashion. Sexy-catchy fashion. Gay fashion. Unfaithful fashion contrary to the word of God. Any fashion that has the goal to pull people away from God, His principles or His word (1:8c).
g. Landgrabbers "those who fill their master's house with violence and deceit" (1:9).
h. West, East, South shall be destroyed (1:10).
i. Entire Canaan shall be cut off (1:11).
j. Those who says that the Lord is not good or bad. He will not harm (1:12).
k. Soldier and military systems will cry (1:14).
l. Valuables are useless (1:15).
m. Fire (1:18).
n. Long fire? No. Sudden fire (1:18).
            On that day, the Lord will search Jerusalem with lights (since it will be night). That day is near (1:13).
             The great day of the Lord is near. It is not in 612 BCE when Niniveh was destroyed. It is in the Eschaton. It hastens greatly (1:14) maher maod.
             A description of that day is given by Zephaniah: "that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of shofar and alarm" (1:15-16).
This is a description of Hell and a complement to Revelation 20.
             In chapter 2, Zephaniah wants to tell people what they should do before that terrible day of Hell comes. He asks them to gather together (2:1). Before (3x) the day of the Lord comes (2:2) people should seek righteousness and humility. He says that the wicked shall be concealed on the day of the Lord wrath. 
             The black-list continues: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, the seacoast, Canaan, the Philistines (2:4-5). A remnant shall have benifit these areas, probably after God created them anew, after the Hell phenomenon. They shall be back in the Ashkelon area (2:7). Zephaniah says that vividly in his mind is the laughter of Moab and Ammon who were landgrabbers with border issues (2:8). Moab and Ammon shall be desolated in those days. The remnant of the people shall plunder that area and inherit it, again after it is recreated anew (2:9). They will not plunder it after it is recreated in the eschaton, but what it probably means is that what is considered ownership in history will be, should they have been alive in eternity, plunder, since it will no longer be theirs.