Lesson 8-The Great Day of the Lord

Zephaniah 1, 3, Luke 2, Hosea 11:1, Zechariah 13:8

Simon and Andrew grabbed the breakfast their Ima had laid out for them on the way to school:  warm barley bread, some almonds, and a few figs. Soon the wheat harvest would be upon them, and they would travel again to Jerusalem for the feast of Shavaot.  “Ima…” Simon said, “today we will hear from the rabbi what he found out from his friend from Nazareth. You know, what you told us about what happened four years ago? About the boy who was left behind? And they found him in the temple?”

Simon’s mother smiled at their enthusiasm. “ Be sure to come right home and tell me all about it!” she grinned. 

On the way to the Synagogue School, all the boys discussed the situation. They were all talking at once, and concluded that this boy must now be about Simon's age. As they arrived they noted that the rabbi was ready for them. Today he had one scroll. But he also had more. He had a twinkle in his eyes as if he had something fun to share. 

“Sit, sit!”  the rabbi said. “I have much to tell. And, we have a long lesson today! I have added an extra lesson into our study.”

The five of them quickly found their places, and looked at their teacher. 

“As you know, Simon alerted me to an incident his Ima shared with him that happened fiour years ago on the way home from the Passover. A large group of travelers from Nazareth had joined with our caravan from Bethsaida. One of the families noticed a twelve  year old boy was missing after a day of travel.  They had thought he was with the relatives. Panicked, they returned to Jerusalem only to discover three days later that the boy was sitting in the midst of the teachers in the temple, both listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.  So when his Abba and Ima saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously!” 

  And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”(Luke 2: 41-52).

“I inquired about this incident with the Rabbi in Nazareth. He confirmed it. The man’s name is Yeshua, interestingly enough which means “Salvation.” He is the son of a man named Joseph, and his wife Mary. Unfortunately,  the situation of his birth was quite the scandal. While they were betrothed to be married, before the wedding, Mary became pregnant! Joseph wanted to put her away quietly,  but he married her quickly! Interestingly, at the time of her delivery, the couple was in Bethlehem, where they were required to travel for the census. The rabbi’s eyes twinkled.  The baby, Yeshua, was born in a stable in Bethlehem!”

James blurted out, “Bethlehem! Is it a coincidence?”

“You boys are too young to remember, but at that time, there were magi from the East who came from Babylon. They were reportedly following a star to look for the king of the Jews, who was being born! Herod became so paranoid, he sent out a decree to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding area, two years old and under! After presenting Yeshua to be circumcised in the temple,  Joseph and Mary escaped to Egypt with the baby.. They lived there until the death of Herod and then returned to Nazareth. Joseph is a carpenter by trade, and his sons are all being trained in the family business.”

The boys sat thinking in silence. Bethlehem. Baby. Maji. Herod. Temple. Moses. Egypt. 

“It is unfortunate, but the young man Yeshua is often scoffed at and made fun of for being illegitimate, and the family reputation has suffered at the hands of mockers and drunkards. They make up cruel songs, and mock the family.” The rabbi shook his head at the tragedy of it all.

“What is Yeshua like? Did the rabbi say?” questioned Simon.. 

“He did not say much, but I do know he was an excellent student and has a keen mind for  the Tanakh. What do you boys think about Yeshua?” asked the rabbi.

“Bethlehem,” said Andrew. “”Born of a young woman, who got pregnant before she was married? This is intriguing!”

Philip said quietly, I remember a verse from the prophet Hosea. .“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son.”  (Hosea 11:1, NKJV) “Israel was called out of Egypt. … and also Yeshua!”

James said, “It is interesting that Pharaoh was killing the babies, afraid of a coming deliverer, and Herod did the same at the time Yeshua was born. The Greater Moses!”

John added, “What did the Magi tell Herod that made him want to kill all the babies?”

“What do you think, rabbi?” asked Simon. 

“I, like you, am curious about Yeshua. I have also heard some interesting things about his relatives… Zechariah and Elizabeth. I will have more to tell in the next lesson! In the meantime, let’s dive into our study for today.”

The Rabbi picked up the scroll. “This is a short one, the writings of Zephaniah. These writings are about the Day of the Lord. They present a very very different picture of Messiah. They are not what we might expect, but to leave them out would not give us a complete portrait of The Promised One. 

“ This book talks about the “Great Day of the Lord.’ Many of the prophets wrote about this period of time. Joel. Habakkuk, Micah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zechariah,  just to name a few.  In the writings of Daniel chapter nine,  there is to be a week of years, that is seven years, that will be called the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble,’  or the Tribulation. During this time, there will be a great leader of the seed of the serpent, who, along with the people of his evil kingdom, will wage war against our people for seven years, even though he signed a peace treaty.”

 In the middle of this tribulation of seven years, this Evil Ruler, the Man of Perdition, will end the daily sacrifice at the temple and set up an abomination of desolation in the Holy Place. The last three and a half years is referred to as “The Great Tribulation.”  The remnant of our people, the ones that love Yahweh, will flee to a stronghold in the desert in the Land of Edom, and also a different safe place by the sea. (need references here.) By this point, the prophet Zechariah has prophesied that two-thirds of our people will have been slaughtered by the enemy.  Two-thirds of all the nation of Israel will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in the land. God will bring this third that remains through the fire and make them pure, as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire.(Zechariah 13:8). 

 “They will call upon my name and I will hear them; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’(Zechariah 13:9). However, this does not happen until the Cloud Rider arrives! The Meshiach Navid. Messiah the King. At the end of this seven years, when Messiah comes as the Cloud Rider, The Warrior King, and The Majestic One, he arrives as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to the Mount of Olives, and sets up His throne in Zion.  That is true. But He also arrives with justice. Our God is a Holy God, and the time of the Serpent, the Dragon, is up.” The rabbi looked down at the scroll on his lap. Then he began to read from the scroll of Zephaniah.

"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."

“Simon, come read a large portion of the writings of Zephaniah. I want to focus on his message for today. He handed the Holy Scroll to Simon. Start here, he pointed. YHVH the Almighty is speaking.”  Simon cleared his throat, and then read clearly.

“I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,” says the Lord; “I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” says the Lord.

“I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous  priests with the pagan priests.Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops. Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom. Those who have turned back from following the Lord, and have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”

"Be silent in the presence of the Lord God. For the Day of the Lord is at hand. For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has invited His guests."

“And it shall be, In the Day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king’s children, and all those that are clothed with foreign apparel. In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit."

“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. Wail, you inhabitants of the market! For all the merchant people are cut down. All those who handle money are cut off. 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. The ones who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’"

"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. The Great Day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. Then the mighty men shall cry out. 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, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers."

“I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men. Because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the Day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land" (Zephaniah 1).

Simon took a deep breath, and handed the scroll back to the rabbi. “The Lord sounds angry! This is a different picture than just the arrival of a Conquering King! He is cleaning out the leaven from Jerusalem, like we do at Passover. He will make swift justice when he returns!”

“James,” asked the rabbi, “would you also like to read?” James reached for the scroll and continued the narrative. 

 “I have cut off many nations, laying them waste to their furthest borders; I have left their streets in silent ruin and their cities deserted without a single survivor to remember what happened.  I thought, ‘Surely they will listen to me now—surely they will heed my warnings, so that I’ll not need to strike again.’ But no; however much I punish them, they continue all their evil ways from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn.'  But the Lord says, 'Be patient; the time is coming soon when I will stand up and accuse these evil nations. For it is my decision to gather together the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and wrath upon them. All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.'”(Zephaniah 3:6-8).

“At that time I will change the speech of my returning remnant of faithful people to pure Hebrew so that all can worship the Lord together.  My scattered people who live in Sudan, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, will come with their offerings, asking me to be their God again. And then you will no longer need to be ashamed of yourselves, for you will no longer rebel against me. I will remove all your proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no pride or haughtiness on my holy mountain.  Those who are left will be the poor and the humble, and they will trust in the name of the Lord.  They will not be sinners, full of lies and deceit. They will live quietly, in peace, and lie down in safety, and no one will make them afraid” (Zephaniah 9: 10-13).

^“Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.  For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over. You need fear no more” (Zephaniah 3:14-15).

^"On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, 'Cheer up, don’t be afraid.  For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you. Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song” (Zephaniah 3:16-17).

“I have gathered your wounded and taken away your reproach.  And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones, and bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory to my former exiles, mocked and shamed. At that time, I will gather you all together and bring you home again, and give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the peoples of the earth. They will praise you when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord (Zephaniah 3: 18-20).

James handed the scroll back to the rabbi. The room was quiet. The rabbi gave them a few minutes to think, and process all they had heard. Then he asked, “Boys, what do you hear? What is God trying to tell us?”

Andrew stated, “ God is a God of justice. His patience will not last forever. The day is set for God to take vengeance on the seed of the Serpent and his people, and even the people of Israel who follow his ways!  It will be a day of wrath!  The Promised One, the Seed of the Woman, will return and set all things right! The Day is coming when God’s fiercest anger and wrath will be  upon unbelieving Israel, and the  nations. All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of His jealousy. Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.”

James added, “But, He will protect his faithful ones and then gather them back to the land. The wicked ones will be destroyed! God will deal with all the people who have oppressed our people. He will gather us home and give glory to the exiles!”

Philip remarked, “He is cleaning Jerusalem of all evil, sinful people, and dishonest dealings. Those who remain will be poor, and humble and trust in the Lord. There will be no more pride or haughtiness on God’s mountain! They will live quietly, in peace, and lie down in safety, and no one will make them afraid. We will speak Hebrew again!”

Simon admitted, “It is different than I thought. God is a God of love and salvation, but he is also Holy, and a God of justice. In those final days, God will right the rights, and punish the wrongs. He will redeem his people, restore justice on the earth, and restore what was lost in the garden. He will crush the head of the serpent.” 

John said with conviction, “This is my favorite part of all! Don’t you love it! After all that destruction of evil by the Messiah, the scriptures say, can you imagine, the Promised One himself will be singing over US! The remnant of the people of Yahweh! The ones trusting in His Son! The ones who always loved Him and his ways. He preserves and protects a believing remnant to the end. What a thought!” 

The Rabbi looked at all the boys. These were truly special young men. He loved them like his own.  “They have grown so much,” he thought. “They are seeing the Lord, the Messiah! Truly seeing Him. Their hearts yearn for knowledge of Him. Desire to please Him.  God is doing an amazing work in them all." He was humbled.

“That is all for today. There is much here to think about. Pray about all you have learned. And Simon, run home and tell your Ima what we found out about Yeshua today! See must be eager to hear!

Discussion Questions: For Lesson Plans for this Lesson, CLICK HERE!

1. This lesson has large portions of scripture from the book of Zephaniah. What is the tone of the message? What is God trying to tell us through Zephaniah?

2. What stood out the most to you about this lesson?

3. What did Simon mean by saying, "He is cleaning out the leaven from Jerusalem, like we do at Passover?"

4. Does it surprise you that two thirds of the Jews will be killed during the Great Tribulation? Who is killing them?Why?

5. The scriptures say that the believing Jews will flee to Petra (Bozrah) in Jordan and be protected by God in the wilderness. Where does the Bible say that?

6. Clearly, God does not tolerate pride or haughtiness or the arrogant. Does knowing our God is a God of judgment make you want to examine yourself and repent of any sin?

7. This lesson shows how studying the scriptures about Jesus, makes you love Him more. How do you feel after doing this study so far? Do you love Him more? Do you see Him differently?

Don't miss this 8 minute video!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-kCIBHQn8