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After careful analysis of the Day of The Lord in the book of Zephaniah, it is
understood that Zephaniah characterized the Day of the Lord as complete and utter destruction of
the entire face of the earth. In our text, Chisolm reminds us that the bible speaks of all mankind
and animals being destroyed including the birds of the air and the fish of the sea1. In Zephaniah
1:3, God leaves no question to Zephaniah’s audience, what His intentions are for this great and
terrible day. Zephaniah’s announcement to his original audience coupled with his call to them to
remain silent2 seems to have left them speechless, we do not see them respond with any words to
the message of coming judgment, but we do see Zephaniah take a moment in the middle of his
message to encourage God’s people to seek after Him (Zeph. 2:13). It is quite probable that the
audience was deflated and full of fear at what they heard. Although much of the book is
exhortatory in nature, the message of warning seems to have been the intended purpose for
Zephaniah’s original audience (the hearers) and his future audience (the readers), both of which
are encouraged and warned to seek the Lord before the Day of the Lord begins3. This day would
have been a stark wake-up call for those who had fallen into synergistic worship, mixing false
gods and idols into the practices of Judaism.
The Day of The Lord was central to Zephaniah’s message, in 1:1-2 after we are clear of
Zephaniah’s lineage, he gives us the abridged version of what he will speak of throughout the
remainder of his prophecy. God will utterly consume all things from off the land in this day that
is being described. Simply put, there is no book of Zephaniah, without the message of the Day of
the Lord. The Day of the Lord is described by Zephaniah as a time of great judgment upon the
1 Chisolm Jr., Robert B. Handbook on The Prophets: Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor
Prophets. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009. p.445
2 Renz, Thomas. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. Chicago: Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
2021. p. 456
3 Sweeney, Marvin A. In Zephaniah: A Commentary. Fortress Press, 2003. p.50
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nations for their sins and rebellion against God. However, amidst the judgment, there is also a
message of hope and restoration for the faithful remnant of Israel. In Zephaniah 2:1-3, Zephaniah
breaks away from warning his audience and instructs them to seek the Lord before His anger
comes upon them. He further encourages them that God may hide them from His anger if they
follow Zephaniah’s instructions, this imparts hope in the audience. Perhaps the children of Israel
saw a glimpse of light in their dark situation. Zephaniah prophesies that after the Day of the
Lord, God will gather and restore the remnant of Israel, bringing them back from exile and
preserving and restoring them (Zeph. 3:17-20). Zephaniah speaks of a time when God will
remove the judgments against Israel and turn back their captivity because God is sovereign, He
can do this. The message to Zephaniah’s audience clearly indicated that false and pagan worship
was what placed them at odds with the Lord, and the consequence of their actions was the Day of
The Lord so, Zephaniah’s goal was to “… motivate the people of Israel to engage in
wholehearted worship of Yahweh and to carry out righteous ethical practices. Regarding the
worship of Yahweh…”4
The enduring relevance and application of the Day of the Lord for people today as
communicated in the New Testament can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul writes to
the church regarding how swiftly the Day of the Lord will come as he warns them to avoid being
like those that sleep. Again in 2 Corinthians 1:14, Paul writes to the church and references the
Day of the Lord Jesus. These references and others are speaking of the return of Christ to the
earth realm. That is the hope of today’s body of believers, that Jesus will return to reign and then
take us to heaven to be with Him. While Zephaniah was speaking and writing to an audience
long before the cross, about things that would come to pass concerning the place and time where
they lived, he was also prophetically speaking to us about the time that we are currently in. God
4 King, Greg A. “The Day of The Lord in Zephaniah” Bibliotheca Sacra, 1995: 16-32.p.32
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has a magnificent and mysterious way of doing just that, speaking today to us, all the while
speaking to those of tomorrow. We see glimpses of Jesus Christ in Zephaniah 3:17 where the
prophet speaks and says, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” The
reference “he will save” seems to point to Christ's redemptive work on the cross, but it also
promises to save Zephaniah’s audience from complete destruction. The 21st-century church must
see the climate of the earth (Matt. 24:7-8) and know that there is impending destruction on the
rise. Wars and rumors of wars, unrest and social injustice, murderous spirits, and idolatry are at
an all-time high, Zephaniah was speaking this prophecy to us, to seek the Lord all the meek of
the earth, to seek righteousness and meekness that we too shall be hidden in the Day of the Lord.
The enduring relevance of this message is immutable, if people won’t hear it, they shall soon see
it.
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Bibliography
Chisolm Jr., Robert B. Handbook on The Prophets. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.
King, Greg A. "The Day of The Lord in Zephaniah." Biblioteca Sacra, 1995: 16-32.
Renz, Thomas. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. Chicago: Eerdsmans Publishing
Co., 2021.
Sweeney, Marvin A. In Zephaniah: A Commentary. Fortress Press, 2003.
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