A Study Of "The Day Of The Lord” In The Scriptures – All References Part 6 - Zephaniah Series

A STUDY OF “THE DAY OF THE LORD” IN THE SCRIPTURES – ALL REFERENCES PART 6 - ZEPHANIAH

The DAY OF THE LORD is “The Day of Jehovah” and its usage is always associated with something dire, with judgement, and with events outside the implementation of man. In other words, it is the intervention of God with the power of God in the affairs of this world. It has a primary application to Israel, but that is always extended often to a wider field, and that involves the world. It’s main focus is in the Tribulation that is coming. We continue –

NUMBER 12

[12]. {{Zephaniah 1:7-11 “Be silent before the Lord GOD, for the day of the LORD is near, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated His guests. Zeph. 1:8 Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all who clothe themselves with foreign garments, Zeph. 1:9 and I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. Zeph. 1:10 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “there will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Zeph. 1:11 Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar, for all the people of Canaan will be silenced. All who weigh out silver will be cut off.”}}

((There is a tendency in our age to think that Israel is so special that they are “good” and nearly blameless. That is far from true. The nation is reprobate and so far separated from God. God will punish them in the Tribulation and Malachi calls this event the refiner’s fire. There were some in Israel who thought nothing bad could come because they have the Temple of God. History will repeat itself.

Zephaniah is a wonderful book that looks at Israel (Judah’s) punishment connected with the Day of the Lord, and then to the future when the people rise up in restoration. In this passage the “Day of the LORD” is limited to what will fall on the sinful nation and particularly on those who desecrate the Temple. This is one of those cases where the Day of the LORD has this double application; to Israel close to the time of writing, and a much wider application in the future for all the world. Zephaniah does both these as we shall see. The next part follows on. Verse 9 may see application in the Tribulation when the temple then will suffer the abomination of desolation.

Zephaniah prophesied in the days of righteous king Josiah, but the people did not follow the devotion of their king for they were sinful. Like Jeremiah, this prophet warned of the coming destruction and the overthrow of Judah, as Babylon began to crouch over Judah. Gaebelein says this, [[“In the verses which follow (most of chapter 1) we have a description of the moral conditions of the Jews when Josiah started his reformation, which prophetically gives us a picture of the conditions among the Jews when this age closes.”]] The whole land was corrupt from the priests to the common people. The expectation of the Day of the LORD that Zephaniah proclaimed to these evil people is not unlike the proclamation to our own generation, for the prophet, and we, lived and live in the last days of the existing order.

We do know that around the Tribulation time (before it as in the last days of the Church age, or right at the start of it) there will be those going around saying, “Peace, peace,” but there will be no peace. They promise peace but there will be none and destruction will break over the world and Israel. In Noah’s time they rejected his preaching, mocked and continued in their gross sin believing nothing bad was going to happen. Is it any different in our age? And will it be any different in the age to come. These verses following I will not discuss because they will be done later on but consider the apathy of the people – {{1Thessalonians 5:2-3 for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child and they shall not escape.”}} At every juncture of decision, man has ignored the warnings about peril he faces and gets swept away in destruction.))

NUMBER 13

[13]. Zephaniah 1:14–18 “Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly. Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. Zeph 1:15 A day of wrath is that day, 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, Zeph 1:16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities, and the high corner towers. Zeph 1:17 I will bring distress on men, so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Zeph 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD’s wrath, and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed, a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”}}