Dr. Pothana's Teaching

2. Judgment Day is
Coming!

3. END-TIME PROPHET OF WRATH AND RESTORATION
 Date: 640BC
 Author: Zephaniah,
prince of Judah
 Audience: The
people of Judah
 Purpose:
Zephaniah warns
the people that if
they refuse to
change, God will
be forced to punish
them

4. BACKGROUND
 When Josiah took the
throne, he was 16
 Zephaniah sought to
encourage the young king in
how to follow the Lord, and
why he ought to be
concerned about it
 The book encouraged
Josiah to put an end to
idolatry
 Josiah destroyed the
Asherah Poles, the Baal
shrines, and the Molech
altars, likely because of what
he had read in Zephaniah’s
book

6. CHAPTER 1
 Theme: Judah Measured
 God searches Judah for sin:
 If he finds it… watch out!
“I will utterly sweep away everything from the face
of the earth!”
 Why?
People have built their entire lives around sin and
selfishness

7. CHAPTER 1
“Those who say in their hearts, ‘the Lord will
not do good, nor will he do ill.’ Their goods
shall be plundered and their houses laid
waste.”
 People who think that God is a nice idea, but
doesn’t really affect your life either way are
fooling themselves
 He isn’t just talking about Jerusalem and Judah
– “The Day of The Lord” refers to Judgment Day

8. CHAPTER 2
 Theme: The Whole World Measured
 God takes his wrath with sin to the whole
world, but…
“Seek the Lord all you humble of the land, who do
His just commands; seek righteousness; seek
humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day
of the anger of the Lord.”

9. CHAPTER 2
 God has called people to repentance, true
repentance.
 Remember: turn from your sins, don’t just say
you’re sorry!
 God describes all the places he will bring
low:
 Ashdod, Ekron, Nineveh, Ashkelon, Gaza
 These were some of the most powerful cities on
the planet at the time

10. CHAPTER 2
The Turning Point:
“…and to Him shall bow down, each in its place, all
the lands of the nations.”
In other words, God is stating that no longer would
people have to go to Jerusalem to worship the
Lord. It will not matter where you are, it will
matter where your heart is.
This is absolutely revolutionary for Jews!

11. CHAPTER 3
 Theme: Israel’s Restoration
 God promises to restore His people – He will
remove all the judgments, clear away the
enemies
 The people will be brought back to the land
and lifted up from their brokenness

12. CHAPTER 3
“For… I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech that all of them may call
upon the name of the Lord.”
God is saying all people will one day be
brought to Him. People from all corners of
the world will bring offerings to God, and the
shame of their previous sins will have no
hold on them

13. CHAPTER 3
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty
one who will save; He will rejoice over you
with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,
He will exult over you with loud singing.
 Looking ahead, God is saying one day He will be
closer to you than ever before, he will comfort all
your hurts, and lift you up with pride for having
followed Him though it was hard to do.

14. SO WHAT?
The Book of Zephaniah walks us through not
only our sin and the path to redemption, but
the fearsome degree of God’s wrath at our
disobedience, as well as the boundless
depths of His love and His desire to bring us
back to Himself.
We may deserve punishment, but God wants
nothing more than for us to come to Him…