For Their Pride Zeph 2:8-11 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Text: Zeph 2:8-11.  God’s words show us that Jesus is going to rule and that the Jews are his chosen people.  Due to pride, many don’t believe these truths.  Well they are true and, therefore, God’s promise to Abraham is still true.  God said, “I will bless them that bless thee and I will curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” [Gen 12:3].

Now most of the people in the world, for their pride, refuse to believe this promise.  So, let’s check scripture to see if, in fact, this promise is so, and whether they, in their pride, are wrong:

Jesus will rule – Jesus Christ is the promised Son of God.  He will return to this earth to rule in Jerusalem over the whole world forever [Is 9:6-7; Rev 19:11-16; Ps 2:6-12; Phil 2:9-11].

The Jews are chosen and they will rule with him – People have the idea that Israel can be wiped out as a nation.  There will be an attempt to do this when the Antichrist is ruling the earth.  But Israel will not be defeated.  Instead, they will be victorious because of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ who will defeat their enemies.  And then they will rule with Jesus in his kingdom on earth [Eze 48; Eze 37:1-14; Is 60].  Once Jesus is ruling and Israel is ruling with him, a person wanting to come to Jesus would have to follow a Jew to Jerusalem [Zech 8:20-23].

The heathen, in their pride, have elevated false gods against the Lord God – see Zeph 2:11.  So, the Lord will destroy their gods and punish them for not exalting him.  Afterwards, they will worship him.  Look what he did to Egypt [Ex 12:12].  He was terrible to them.  Look what he did to Sennacherib [Is 36:16-20; 37:10; 37:16-20; 37:36-38].  Look what he did to his own people because of their Baal worship.  He sent prophets and then Jehu to get them right.  Finally, he sent them into captivity [2 Ki 17:7-20].  Eventually, he will have to beat Israel down to a remnant to get them straight with God [Rom 9:27-2.  Ultimately, all Israel and all the nations will worship Jesus [Zech 14:16-17].

The heathen, in their pride, have reproached God’s people – Zeph 2:10 – Their desire is to destroy Israel and remove them from being a nation [Ps 83, Zech 14:2].  They hate God’s people so much that the surviving nations will even attempt to destroy Israel again at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus [Rev 20:8-9].  God turns the table on them and puts the Jews over them [Is 14:2].

This is what Zephaniah is prophesying against Moab and Ammon.  They’ll end up like Sodom and Gomorrah before it’s over.