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Below you will also find the summary of this book.
Purpose of The Book of Zephaniah:
Judah should look soberly at the impinging doom of Babylonian aggression, but also take
heart in restoration promises. To assert that God has indeed set a day when He will come and rid His
creation of the sin and evil that is practiced, and restore His people to their rightful place in that new
world.
Summary of The Book of Zephaniah:
Zephaniah’s prophecy of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem emphasizes, perhaps more than any other prophecy,
the devastation and death that divine judgment will bring. Described as the day of the Lord, the day of
judgment is pictured as a time of darkness, of anguish and distress, of destruction and plunder of cities,
and of threat to all life, human and animal alike. The major sins motivating this judgment, in Zephaniah’s
view, are Judah’s worship of other deities (1:4–9) and its unjust and abusive leadership (3:1–4).
Author and Dates of The Book of Zephaniah:
Zephaniah ministered around the same time as Habakkuk, during the last and darkest
days of Judah's existence just before 600 B.C.
Outline of The Book of Zephaniah:
Themes of The Book of Zephaniah:
Day of the Lord: The prophets often refer to this "Day" as the future time of global judgment and
restoration of God's people unto righteousness and blessedness. Zephaniah heard rumblings of this
event as Judah's enemies closed in around her.
Remnant: The prophets also referred often to a group of people who would remain true to God
through thick and thin, whom God would exalt as the faithful remnant, and who would constitute the
new People of God after His enemies were destroyed.
The purpose of divine judgment is salvation. The focus of the message of salvation is the hope of the
return from Babylonian captivity.
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