From the words proclaimed by Zephaniah the prophet:
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD's anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.-Zephaniah 2:1-3***Zephaniah was an Israelite and a prophet of the Lord God. King Josiah was an Israelite and the 15th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land. Zephaniah and Josiah only worshiped the Lord God. During Josiah's 31-year reign, Zephaniah proclaimed the words of the Lord God to the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, and Isaac and Rebekah's youngest fraternal twin son Jacob (Israel). Josiah's great-grandfather King Hezekiah, and Hezekiah's grandfather King Jotham, and Jotham's father King Uzziah (Azariah), and Uzziah's great-great-great-grandfather King Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat's father King Asa were the only other kings who ruled Judah and only worshiped the Lord God. Josiah's grandfather King Manasseh, the 13th king to rule Judah, did not worship the Lord God and was responsible for the murders of innocent Israelites throughout Jerusalem, the royal city. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that the Lord God would not pardon Manasseh's shedding of innocent blood. However, after Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrians, Manasseh humbled himself before the Lord God and prayed to the Lord God and the Lord God returned Manasseh to Jerusalem. Jehoahaz, the son born to Josiah and Hamutal, was the 16th king to rule Judah. Jehoiakim (Eliakim), the son born to Josiah and Zebudah, was the 17th king to reign. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the son born to Jehoiakim and Nehushta, was the 18th king, and Zedekiah (Mattaniah), another son born to Josiah and Hamutal, was the 19th king to rule Judah. Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah did not worship the Lord God. During Jehoiakim's 11-year reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. During Jehoiachin's 3-month reign, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin, his wives and mother, to Babylon. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 100 years before Jerusalem was conquered, the Assyrians invaded the northern nation of Israel in the Promised Land and King Tiglath-pileser, ruler of Assyria, began taking Israelites to Assyria. Moreover, the Assyrians conquered the royal city, Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 600 years before Samaria was conquered, Joshua, an Israelite from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. After 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, the Israelites were led by elders, judges or their own minds. Saul, an Israelite from the tribe of Jacob's 12th and last son Benjamin, was the 1st king to reign over the Israelites in the Promised Land. David, from the tribe of Jacob's 4th born son Judah, was the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites. Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king to reign. Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king to reign over all of the Israelites. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. Judah was the nation in the south, Jerusalem was the royal city and Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign. Israel was the northern nation, Samaria was the final royal city and Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to reign. Over 500 years after the kingdoms were conquered and Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Before Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, and after Jesus was betrayed, arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, seen by over 500 people, and returned to heaven less than 33 1/2 years after he was born, the Roman Empire was ruling the land whereupon the kingdoms of the Israelites previously stood.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21, 8:1-31:13, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 7:20-29, 8:1-40, 9:35-29:30, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Zephaniah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Reference Information:
meek = anwe = anav/anah = lowly, poor, afflicted, humble
meekness = anah/anav = anawah/anavah = humility, gentleness
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