Short notes on Zephaniah (Short Version)

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

For the sake of the Sabbath School lesson this week, I will just make a few short comments on these two prophets related to the lesson.

1.     Age of Zephaniah:

2.     “I will totally destroy” is contra environmentalism for this is the Eschaton,

3.     Blacklist of Day of the Lord targets: Baal remnant (1:4c);

4.     There are not many “Days of the Lord”. There is only one Day of the Lord. (1:7).

5.     Nature of Battle: slaughter (1:7);

6.     When it will happen: Many people think it is in the days of Zephaniah but it is not. The Lord’s Day is no local battle. (1:11 “for the entire people of Canaan is cut off”

7.      Results of events at the Nearness of the Day of the Lord: wealth [of First Order Nations?] shall become booty and desolation, (1:13). When? Near (qarob) the Day of the Lord (1:14).

8.     Nature of that day elaborated: mighty man cries (1:14);

9.     Conversion before that day: [betherem = before] is used in Zephaniah 2 (3x).

10.   List of cities and places in chapter two is not a prediction of future events on these places but a scooping up of past events and future events: Sodom and Gomorrah as “like” situations (past) (2:9).

11.   Remnant of My people:

12.   Fall of Nations Genre:

13.   Blacklist of the Spiritual at the End of Time: not obey (3:2a);

14.   Not every morning is the judgment: It is not correct to translate Zephaniah 3:5 as “Every morning He brings His judgment to light”.

Translate as follows:

The Lord is Righteous in their midst.

He will not do injustice in the morning.

In the morning He shall give His judgment to light.

It does not fail.

And not do the injust ones know shame.

15.   A further proof of Zephaniah 2 that he was not focusing on passed or near future judgments, is Zephaniah 3:6 listing all the past empires that were destroyed, underlining the factuality of this future reality of God in the eschaton or our near future?

16.   I did and I will do more: Zephaniah 3:7.

17.   Waiting Theology of the five virgins: “wait for Me says the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:8).

18.   After the Second Coming and Waiting ended an Executive Judgment lies ahead:

19.   At the second coming the saved will have a pure language: (3:9) = perfection realized, the day that dr. Hans LaRondelle was looking forward to.

20.   Perfection shall reign (3:11): There shall be no longer shortcomings and shortfalls with the remnant. The sealing takes place

21.   Door of Mercy closes and Time of Trouble will make perfect remnant seek shelter (3:12).

22.   Second Coming realized in verse 13:

23.   Heavenly Jerusalem or heavenly Zion or the Mountain of God shall have absolute security and absolute safety: “it shall be said to Jerusalem, ‘have no fear’” (3:16).

24.   God is in the city of Zion or Jerusalem: (3:17)

25.   What about the evil? Zephaniah 3:18  

26.   Second Coming gathering at the end of the Time of Trouble: (3:20)