Introduction To The Book Of Zephaniah (Trei Asar)

A simple background about this sacred text.

Transcript

00:00Hey, shalom brothers and sisters, welcome back. I thank you again for joining me today.

00:04Today I want to do an introduction to the prophet, the book of Zephaniah, the prophet,

00:10and I always find this beneficial to people out there, even Bible people, because it gives

00:17a background of who wrote the book, what it's about, things like that, maybe around what

00:23date it was written. I'm going to start out here now with a composition date.

00:28It says, scholarship puts Zephaniah's prophecy near the beginning of Josiah's reign in 604

00:38BCE, which is before the Common Era, one of Judah's greatest and most accomplished kings.

00:45Now the author here says, Zephaniah rose from royal language. The record, chapter 1, verse

00:54one states that he was the son of Cushi, who was the great-grandson of King Hezekiah. The

01:01name Zephaniah means, Yah has treasured or Yah has hidden. Now we got the background here.

01:10This book is the ninth of the twelve minor prophets. Minor meaning not their message, but the shorter

01:18lengths of their prophecies. Even though Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, one of

01:24Judah's most righteous and distinguished kings, his prophecy was one of judgment. Even though Josiah

01:32initiated an outwardly impressive king-sponsored reformation, the needed heart change in the

01:40people was not forthcoming. He also envisioned the day of Yahweh, which has a dual application.

01:48While this phrase prophetically describes the destruction that would come by the hands of

01:54Babylon, it was a far greater meaning. It describes the return of Yeshua the Messiah.

02:01The phrase day of Yahweh appears three times in this book, once in chapter 1, verse 7, twice in chapter 1,

02:11verse 14. It is a day of terrible distress, wasteness, desolation, gloominess, thick darkness,

02:20and great alarm. That's in chapter 1, verses 15 to 16. In addition to Zephaniah's message of judgment,

02:29he also provides hope. And you can find that in chapter 3, verses 8 through 20. Chapter 3 prophesies

02:37the future of Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom. Even though Judah would be punished for her sins,

02:44Yahweh would not hold his vengeance forever. For those who would wait upon Yahweh's deliverance,

02:52he promised to show mercy by restoring them to their land. A promise, Ezekiel chapter 3,

02:5937, verses 15 through 28 describes in detail. Now here's the scriptural significance.

03:07Even though Zephaniah is historical, it is also prophetic of the latter days. In addition to the

03:14horrific details about the time that will immediately precede the Messiah's coming,

03:20the prophet also offers hope to those who show a sincere spirit of humility and devotion.

03:28In chapter 2, verse 3, he states that those who exhibit these attributes may be hid in the time

03:36of Yahweh's anger, which is the Great Tribulation. We find a similar promise in Revelation chapter 12,

03:44verse 14. So that's the significance of the book right here. And it only has three chapters. It's only real short,

03:54three chapters, but it gets to the point, the message and everything. And I encourage you guys to study this book,

04:03read this book. If you haven't or if you had, just reread it, restudy it. And just don't rely on the New Testament.

04:11The New Testament is great, don't get me wrong, but a lot of people neglect the Old Testament and the prophets

04:16and patriarchs and the stories in it, stuff like that. But it will benefit your lives if you study these minor prophets

04:23or the ones in the Old Testament in general. But anyways, that's all I have to say right now.

04:30And I thank you guys for joining me. Please give me a big thumbs up, hit that notification bell, and also subscribe.

04:35But I really appreciate that. That's all I have to say. Until we meet again, brothers and sisters, peace out and shalom.