Zephaniah Chapter One, The Gravity Of The Day

Zephaniah 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. [16] A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers.

God is juxtaposing the imminent exile of Judah to Babylon with the forthcoming Day of the Lord in this chapter. In verse 7 the prophet is given a large glimpse of God’s ultimate retributive culmination with the Day of the Lord, contrasting that day with what is about to fall upon Israel.

Zephaniah Chapter One, Proximity

Zephaniah 14 The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out.

The believer always refers to the return of Christ as being imminent. But what does this mean? What it means is that, as far as the Rapture of the saints is concerned, there is nothing prophetically significant that needs to occur between now and then. The Lord could catch us up this moment, or tomorrow. The believer does not know–indeed, cannot know–the time of the Lord’s coming; rather we are to always be prepared with candles burning, standing at the window for His arrival.

Zephaniah Chapter One, Lighting Up The Dark

Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’” [13] Therefore their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation; they shall build houses, but not inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.”

Here the Lord begins to discuss the thoroughness of His judgment. In verses 10 and 11 the prophet mentions districts and portions of the city, and how no portion of Jerusalem (or beyond it) will be exempt or immune from this day. Moreover, God will search the city with lamps, shedding light in its darkest recesses to reveal the peoples’ evil and apathy.

Zephaniah Chapter One, The Extent Of The Day

Zephaniah 1:10 “And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord, “The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second Quarter, and a loud crashing from the hills. [11] Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut down; all those who handle money are cut off.

Verses 10 and 11 continue detailing the Day of the Lord, explaining the scope of the event. The Day is a day of judgment for the wicked and deliverance for the righteous. Its authority will be wholly consuming, reaching every quarter of the holy city and beyond, as the prophet references the hills beyond Jerusalem’s walls.

Zephaniah Chapter One, The Master's Threshold

Zephaniah 1:9 In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

In the Day of the Lord God will punish those who leap over the threshold. This incident refers to 1 Samuel chapter 5. The Ark of the Covenant had been taken by the Philistines after Israel incurs a disastrous loss. The Philistines put the ark in the temple of one of their principle gods, Dagon.