We Got Zephaniah 1 Wrong

[mikesw]

Outline of Tz'fanyah (Zephaniah)
1. Judgment Day
A. Judgment upon the earth 1:1-3
B. Judgment of nations 1:4-3:7
2. Day of Hope
A. All nations will worship God. 3:8-13
B. God reigns. 3:14-20

Shalom

I was pondering Zephaniah again. Your outline shows all nations worship of God per 3:8-13. I do not see that concept portrayed. The closest is the reach of the diaspora even to the dispersed ones of Cush.

For everyone, here is the BibleProject interpretation of Zephaniah. It comes some close in the first 2 chapters to what I have mentioned. It veers some in chapter 3 though.

 

[mikesw]

I am reconsidering the timeline of fulfillment of Zephaniah. My main point I was making is that the nations mentioned in Zephaniah pretty much were destroyed, at least within hundreds of years after Christ. This then means the fulfillment would have had to happen while those nations existed. Consequently, a yet-future fulfillment is not logical. People should not interpret this prophet as yet-future events.

My argument primarily was against a yet-future fulfillment. I consequently focused on the fit of the prophecy fulfillment to the first-century destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. But there is a possibility that the Babylon attack on Jerusalem was the fulfillment. The destruction of Moab fits in that era.
One issue with this being fulfilled in the Babylon conquest is that Kush was not attacked, so Zeph 2:12 seems like the first century CE. Also, Zeph 3:15-17 has the removal of the judgments against Jerusalem. Also, v15 says the king is the Lord will keep them from future evil. This is what Christ Jesus did.
In this first-century fulfillment, the earlier judgments (Moab, Assyria, etc) on nations may have represented earlier judgments of nations that would be underlying history as background for the completion of judgments in the Levant and broader areas upon Christ's era. I think pertinent here is that Zeph 3:9-10 ultimately reflect the gospel's reach to the nations through Christ Jesus.

 

[mikesw]

Another observation would be either of a double fulfillment or an overlapping one. This would be an overlapping of application (or coverage) of the prophecy between the Babylon situation and the Roman situation. The surrounding destruction of nations created a warning that Jersualem's judgment was next. So, Jews, like the Bereans, would recognize the parallel of the first century events to the Babylonian situation but with added hope for the blessings (Zeph 3) to those who would look to God. This is like a double fulfillment except that a progression is involved which includes the attack on the Cushites and then of gentiles be added into the benefits.

The general benefit for people nowadays is to realize that God was showing the transition to the era of Christ that would come with blessings out of the situation. We now know that eternal justification that he has brought us. Zeph 3:11 sounds like Rom 11:26 (Isa 59:20) in that the sin of Judah was to be removed. I suggest though that the blessings of the Israel tribes were to those who came to Christ and thus continued Israel through those of the first century who died as followers.

 

[mikesw]

Upon listening again to Steve Gregg's video on Zephaniah, he has also expressed Zeph 3 as reflecting the benefits attained through Christ. I would convey that he has expressed the overlapping fulfillment concept that I have mentioned. He also points to this first-century fulfillment over against a dispensational reading.