"For Gaza shall be deserted" Zephaniah 2 (Already happen or a future event?)

Beth77 · Friday at 8:04 PM

This is some fascinating stuff if it's a future event. Is it?

Zephaniah 2

English Standard Version

Judgment on Judah's Enemies

2 Gather together, yes, gather,
O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect[a]
—before the day passes away like chaff—
before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;[b]
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures,
with meadows[c] for shepherds
and folds for flocks.
7 The seacoast shall become the possession
of the remnant of the house of Judah,
on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will be mindful of them
and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become like Sodom,
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride,
because they taunted and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and to him shall bow down,
each in its place,
all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites,
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,
and he will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts;[d]
even the owl and the hedgehog[e]
shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
devastation will be on the threshold;
for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!
Everyone who passes by her
hisses and shakes his fist.

keras · Friday at 10:25 PM

Beth77 said:
This is some fascinating stuff if it's a future event. Is it?

Such an event has never yet happened. Zephaniah is very specific about places and peoples involved.

Zephaniah 2:4 Gaza will be deserted, Ashkelon and Ashdod left a waste, their people gone at noonday.

Amos 1:7-8 I shall send fire to consume the houses of Gaza and I shall wipe out the inhabitants of Ashdod and Ekron and all the Philistines who are left will perish.
These prophecies tell us that at ‘noonday’, the Lord will ‘send fire’ upon the coastal cities of Gaza and Israel. Other prophecies say how all the Middle East will be severely affected:

Ezekiel 30:1-5...Cush, Put, Libya, Egypt and all the allied Arab lands will fall on the Lord’s Day of Reckoning for the nations.

Jeremiah 49:2 The time is coming when Ammon [Jordan] will become a desolate mound, their villages burnt to ashes.

Amos 2:4-5 For the crimes of Judah, [the State of Israel] there will be no reprieve. I shall send fire on Judah, to consume the palaces of Jerusalem.

From many other prophecies, we know that this terrible fire judgement will be triggered by the commencement of an attack by an Ishmaelite, Islamic confederation upon Israel: Psalms 83, Psalms 7:12-15, Obadiah 1:15, Habakkuk 3:14. However the Coronal Mass Ejection, as we are told: Isaiah 30:26, that the Lord will send on that Day, will affect all the world to a greater or lesser extent: Deuteronomy 32:34-43

2 Peter 3:7 & 10...all the earth will be brought to judgement. Isaiah 66:15-17 The Lord will judge with fire and will test all mankind.

Zephaniah 3:8 On the Day I stand up and pour My wrath on the whole earth, it will be enveloped by My burning anger.

Isaiah 24:1 Be warned, the Lord is about to strip the earth... everyone will be affected.

Be aware that because of the severe earthquakes; the earth ‘reeling and shaking’, 2 Samuel 22:8, Isaiah 29:6, Haggai 2:21, Revelation 6:12, Amos 8:8 ‘The whole earth will surge and seethe like the Nile.’.. the oceans and lakes will slosh from side to side and huge tsunamis are prophesied. Jeremiah 51:42 So anyone living near a coast should be prepared to go quickly to high ground. But everyone should heed the warning and have a place prepared to take shelter from the extreme temperatures, storm winds and earthquakes. Isaiah 26:20-21

Isaiah 14:24 & 26 ‘My plan for the whole world, will surely take place’.
Ref: REB. Abridged.

Beth77 · Friday at 10:36 PM

keras said:
Such an event has never yet happened. Zephaniah is very specific about places and peoples involved.

Zephaniah 2:4 Gaza will be deserted, Ashkelon and Ashdod left a waste, their people gone at noonday.

Amos 1:7-8 I shall send fire to consume the houses of Gaza and I shall wipe out the inhabitants of Ashdod and Ekron and all the Philistines who are left will perish.
These prophecies tell us that at ‘noonday’, the Lord will ‘send fire’ upon the coastal cities of Gaza and Israel. Other prophecies say how all the Middle East will be severely affected:

Ezekiel 30:1-5...Cush, Put, Libya, Egypt and all the allied Arab lands will fall on the Lord’s Day of Reckoning for the nations.

Jeremiah 49:2 The time is coming when Ammon [Jordan] will become a desolate mound, their villages burnt to ashes.

Amos 2:4-5 For the crimes of Judah, [the State of Israel] there will be no reprieve. I shall send fire on Judah, to consume the palaces of Jerusalem.

From many other prophecies, we know that this terrible fire judgement will be triggered by the commencement of an attack by an Ishmaelite, Islamic confederation upon Israel: Psalms 83, Psalms 7:12-15, Obadiah 1:15, Habakkuk 3:14. However the Coronal Mass Ejection, as we are told: Isaiah 30:26, that the Lord will send on that Day, will affect all the world to a greater or lesser extent: Deuteronomy 32:34-43

2 Peter 3:7 & 10...all the earth will be brought to judgement. Isaiah 66:15-17 The Lord will judge with fire and will test all mankind.

Zephaniah 3:8 On the Day I stand up and pour My wrath on the whole earth, it will be enveloped by My burning anger.

Isaiah 24:1 Be warned, the Lord is about to strip the earth... everyone will be affected.

Be aware that because of the severe earthquakes; the earth ‘reeling and shaking’, 2 Samuel 22:8, Isaiah 29:6, Haggai 2:21, Revelation 6:12, Amos 8:8 ‘The whole earth will surge and seethe like the Nile.’.. the oceans and lakes will slosh from side to side and huge tsunamis are prophesied. Jeremiah 51:42 So anyone living near a coast should be prepared to go quickly to high ground. But everyone should heed the warning and have a place prepared to take shelter from the extreme temperatures, storm winds and earthquakes. Isaiah 26:20-21

Isaiah 14:24 & 26 ‘My plan for the whole world, will surely take place’.
Ref: REB. Abridged.

The part about Gaza being deserted is astounding considering Trump's recent talk about deporting all Gazans.

bèlla · Friday at 11:21 PM

Beth77 said:
The part about Gaza being deserted is astounding considering Trump's recent talk about deporting all Gazans.

That’s driven by greed not prophecy. Have you seen his vision for the area? Does that look like the Lord to you? We could liken the statue to Nebuchadnezzar as well.

keras · Saturday at 2:13 AM

Beth77 said:
The part about Gaza being deserted is astounding considering Trump's recent talk about deporting all Gazans.

Zephaniah 1:14-18, tells us plainly the result of what the Lord is going do to the entire Holy Land area.
Zechariah 9:5-6 says: ....Gaza and Ashkelon will be empty of people.... Other peoples will resettle there.
Ezekiel 25:15-17 The Lord says: Because the Philistines have resorted to revenge, with spiteful contempt, I shall wipe out all the dwellers by the Sea.

This Bible truth is mind-boggling and very difficult to comprehend. It is nothing short of a complete clearance and cleansing of all the Middle East. NOT by deportation, but by annihilation. Amos 2:6-8 says it plainly.

But there is no doubt that we who are alive now ARE the generation who will see it all. We should know where, what and when this will take place; it is all there for us to read in our Bibles.

Maria Billingsley · Saturday at 10:19 AM

Beth77 said:
This is some fascinating stuff if it's a future event. Is it?

Zephaniah 2

English Standard Version

Judgment on Judah's Enemies
2 Gather together, yes, gather,
O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect[a]
—before the day passes away like chaff—
before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;[b]
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures,
with meadows[c] for shepherds
and folds for flocks.
7 The seacoast shall become the possession
of the remnant of the house of Judah,
on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will be mindful of them
and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become like Sodom,
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride,
because they taunted and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and to him shall bow down,
each in its place,
all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites,
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,
and he will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts;[d]
even the owl and the hedgehog[e]
shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
devastation will be on the threshold;
for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!
Everyone who passes by her
hisses and shakes his fist.

This prediction was probably fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar and his armies in 603 BCE, leading to Gaza being abandoned by its citizens.
On the other hand, some theological views might argue that while there was a significant historical fulfillment, the absolute and complete desolation or uprooting has not reached its final state.
Blessings

bniffty24 · Monday at 4:45 AM

bèlla said:
That’s driven by greed not prophecy. Have you seen his vision for the area? Does that look like the Lord to you? We could liken the statue to Nebuchadnezzar as well.

Maybe the end time Babylon ? ....I kind of doubt it but who knows.

trophy33 · Monday at 5:39 AM

Beth77 said:
The part about Gaza being deserted is astounding considering Trump's recent talk about deporting all Gazans.

...Ashkelon and Ashdod left a waste, their people gone at noonday."

This is southern Israel, not Palestinians or Gaza. So "people gone at noonday" would be about Israelis.

This is the problem with trying to apply ancient prophecies to modern states and countries. It simply does not make sense anymore, because it is not about our situation. Borders are different, areas and cities moved or changed, nations are genetically mixed etc.

Beth77 · Monday at 9:38 AM

trophy33 said:
This is the problem with trying to apply ancient prophecies to modern states and countries. It simply does not make sense anymore, because it is not about our situation. Borders are different, areas and cities moved or changed, nations are genetically mixed etc.

Well I did ask if this prophecy was already fulfilled.

trophy33 · Monday at 11:50 AM

Beth77 said:
Well I did ask if this prophecy was already fulfilled.

Any fulfillment of any prophecy is a matter of belief and interpretation. But it is not about today, there is even no kingdom of Judah anymore and half of the places mentioned do not make sense in today's situation. There is no Assyrian empire with Nineveh being the center of that empire etc.

keras · Monday at 4:27 PM

trophy33 said:
Any fulfillment of any prophecy is a matter of belief and interpretation. But it is not about today, there is even no kingdom of Judah anymore and half of the places mentioned do not make sense in today's situation. There is no Assyrian empire with Nineveh being the center of that empire etc.

But unfulfilled Prophecy IS for us today!
Otherwise; the Bibe is just another fictional book. The peoples and places mentioned DO have modern equivalents.

The thing today is; there are intractable problems in the Middle East and elsewhere. Only God can correct His Creation gone wrong. He will, and we who believe in Him and keep His Commandments. should not be in the dark about what God plans to do. 1 Thess 5:4-11

Note: I corrected my typo in #5 - Amos 2:4-5
Amos prophesies that the forthcoming punishment by fire, will also devastate the Jewish State of Israel. THEN, Amos goes on in Amos 2:6 to Chapter 5, to describe His punishment of the House of Israel, who are now the Christian peoples. Still scattered among the nations, soon to be gathered into all of the Holy Land. Amos 9:14-15

trophy33 · Tuesday at 12:05 AM

keras said:
But unfulfilled Prophecy IS for us today!
Otherwise; the Bibe is just another fictional book. The peoples and places mentioned DO have modern equivalents.

Tell that to Jonah. He also thought every warning of destruction must be fulfilled.

And I do not even know how you want to verify that something 3,000 years ago was fulfilled and how. We do not have archaeological evidence for even events like exodus from Egypt and you want us to know the fulfillment of every verse in minor prophets in the times of Babylonia, Persia, Assyria etc?

keras · Tuesday at 4:01 AM

trophy33 said:
Tell that to Jonah. He also thought every warning of destruction must be fulfilled.

And I do not even know how you want to verify that something 3,000 years ago was fulfilled and how. We do not have archaeological evidence for even events like exodus from Egypt and you want us to know the fulfillment of every verse in minor prophets in the times of Babylonia, Persia, Assyria etc?

I have made it my task to read every book on ancient history I can find. The few fulfilled Prophesies did literally come to pass.
It takes a huge stretch of the imagination to think that most of what is Prophesied, has actually happened.

The preterist belief seems to me to be just a way of avoiding the reality of our fallen world. We are in the time Jesus said; will be as in the days of Noah. And we know how God dealt with that situation. He can and will do it again - this time by fire.
My label for those who reject what God has told us He will do, is: Noah's late neighbors!

trophy33 · Tuesday at 8:44 AM

keras said:
I have made it my task to read every book on ancient history I can find.

Which is like few drops from an ocean.

Applying the prophecies today is nonsensical, because the context already changed. Even though you may find some places of the same name, they have little to do with the situation in the 8th century BC. For example today's Egypt is ethnically, religiously and even territorially a different state. Like Gaza, Israel, Nineveh, Babylon etc.

Therefore, you would need to apply a lot of individual fantasy to actually apply the prophecies today. Which is useless.

keras · Tuesday at 3:12 PM

trophy33 said:
you would need to apply a lot of individual fantasy to actually apply the prophecies today

Do you call Psalms 83:9-12 fantasy?
That Prophecy refers back to ancient battles and tells us the Lord will again act in like manner. I can confidently assert that there has been no wars since then, where the Lord has wiped out the enemy.
As Psalms 83:13-18 graphically describes.

What is coming, is the Sixth Seal worldwide disaster by fire from the sun; Isaiah 30:26-30, Revelation 6:12-21, +
We who read the Bible, should not be in the dark about it.

trophy33 · 2025-05-28T00:09:08-0500

keras said:
Do you call Psalms 83:9-12 fantasy?

I call any modern interpretation of the OT prophecies fantasy. Including yours. It is not by accident that you have always been wrong in your predictions.

Trying to interpret what should Sisera, Jabin, Kishon, En Dor, Zeba, Zeeb, Oreb etc. mean today, 3,000 years later after the Psalm, is pure fantasy. Countries are different, nations are mixed, the situation the prophecies or criticism was given in is all gone etc.

Some vague "the place was probably in todays xyz" means nothing. Like a prophecy against the ancient Rome would mean nothing against today's Italy.

Beth77 · 2025-05-28T00:28:13-0500

trophy33 said:
Any fulfillment of any prophecy is a matter of belief and interpretation. But it is not about today, there is even no kingdom of Judah anymore and half of the places mentioned do not make sense in today's situation. There is no Assyrian empire with Nineveh being the center of that empire etc.

Ok. Thank you.

keras · 2025-05-28T00:41:29-0500

Jeremiah 23:9-15 Of the prophets: I am weak because of the Lord’s Holy Words. For now, the Land is full of godless people, prophet and priest alike are godless and I see their evil deeds. I see things most horrible, adulterers and hypocrites, to Me all the inhabitants of Jerusalem are like Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, I shall bring disaster upon them on the Day of Reckoning. Ezekiel 22:26-28, Jeremiah 14:14-16, Jeremiah 10:13-14

Jeremiah 23:16-17 Do not listen to what the so called prophets say, those who buoy you up with false hopes and give voice to their own fancies. It is not the Lord’s Words that they speak. They say to all who follow their false teachings: prosperity will be yours and no harm will befall you.
Prosperity theology and rapture theories are the fancies and mistaken beliefs of many Christians today. Isaiah 50:10-11, Ezekiel 13:1-16, Jer.6:13-15

Jeremiah 23:18 For which of them have stood in the counsel of the Lord and received His Word and taken heed of it, with obedience? Psalm 74:9
A serious indictment against those end time preachers, scholars and authors, who fail to properly discern and understand the prophetic Word, yet they promulgate and make money from their own theories, ideas and incorrect teachings. Psalms 50:16-19, Isaiah 30:10, Micah 3:5-7

Jeremiah 23:19 See what a scorching wind goes out from the Lord, a furious whirlwind, that whirls around the heads of the wicked. A ‘scorching wind, a furious whirlwind’, is another description that fits a coronal mass ejection, the fire judgement that the Lord will use on His Day of vengeance and wrath. Psalms 18:7-18, Malachi 4:1

Jeremiah 23:20 The Lord’s anger will not be turned aside until He has fully accomplished His purposes. In days to come, you will truly understand. Hosea 14:9, 2 Peter 1:19

Jeremiah 23:21-22 I did not send these prophets, yet they go out with a message that is false. If only they proclaim My true message to My people and turn them from their evil ways!

Jeremiah 23:23-24 Am I a God near at hand only – do I not fill heaven and earth? Can anyone hide in some secret place and I not see them? Amos 9:1
Jeremiah 23:25-40…An indictment upon false teachers and prophets. Jeremiah 5:30-31, James 3:1

Deuteronomy 32:28-29 You are a people devoid of understanding. If only you had the wisdom to discern what your end will be!
Ref: REB some verses abridged.

"For Gaza shall be deserted" Zephaniah 2 (Already happen or a future event?)

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Judgment on Judah's Enemies​

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