Read for This Week’s Study: Haggai 1, John 2:19, Ezra 3:1-6, Matt. 1:23, 12:6, Haggai 2, Luke 24:13-27. Memory Text: “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty’” (Haggai 2:8, NIV). Key Thought: Haggai’s message is simple: What are our priorities, and why is it so important to get them right? Haggai’s book, one of the shortest in the Bible, … Continue reading –>
“With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account remains open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer pleads in … Continue reading –>
The ropes bit into Bien’s [bee-YEN] wrists as she struggled to free herself. Her brothers had tied her to the small boat before they left to get gas for the boat’s engine. They planned to take her to the small offshore island where their grandmother lived so she couldn’t attend the heretics’ church she had … Continue reading –>
“The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth: people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations.” Zephaniah 2:11 NKJV [Thought questions for The Day of the Lord May 29, 2013] 1. An inclusive belief. From what … Continue reading –>
Read Nahum 1-3. What verses especially teach us about the character of God? How can we apply what is seen here to our understanding of last-day events? The prophecy of Nahum is God’s Word against the kingdoms of this world as represented by Nineveh. As the prophet looked at his world, he saw the hand of … Continue reading –>
Reality is 90% perception, or so they say. I don’t know who comes up with these statistics, but it makes a lot of sense to me. When I was in sales, I led my district one year, but also went through a three-week drought with no sales at all. So what was my reality? Was … Continue reading –>
“‘The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.’” (Zeph. 3:17, NIV). In the closing section of his book (Zeph. 3:9-20), Zephaniah turns from a theme of anger to one of … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Zephaniah’s message shows the nearness of a universal judgment including God’s own people, and a promise that the saved from all nations will enjoy God’s blessings.. [Teaching plan for The Day of the Lord May 27, 2013] 1. Have a volunteer read Zephaniah 2:1-3. A. Ask class members to share a short … Continue reading –>
A Chinese proverb says that the darkest spot in the room is located right under the candle. This proverb could be applied to the moral state of Jerusalem in Zephaniah’s time. The prophet just has completed the pronouncement of divine judgments on Judah’s neighboring countries (see Zephaniah 2) such as Philistia in the west, Moab and … Continue reading –>
Probably all of us can remember a time when we were homesick. Can you remember coming home after being away for more than just a weekend? You just can’t get there fast enough, right? I’ve even read that animals can sense when they are going home. “Shepherds say that sheep that have spent the summer … Continue reading –>
In Zephaniah 2:1-3, we see the prophet’s call to repentance. Even though the destruction is imminent, there is still time to be sheltered from calamity, but only if the nation will repent. The wicked who refuse to repent will be consumed on the day of judgment like chaff. In Psalm 1:4 the wicked are also likened to chaff … Continue reading –>
The focal point of Zephaniah’s message is the “day of the Lord” (Zeph. 1:7). For biblical prophets, the day of the Lord refers to a specific period of time in which God intervenes in human affairs in order both to save and to judge. Most people in ancient Israel believed that on this day the … Continue reading –>
