Today is  Prophecy Friday. We are in the Minor Prophets, and Zephaniah is next in line  I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.”  

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. It is first mentioned all the way back in Genesis, chapter 10, and then it is not mentioned again until the book of Jonah. 

Nineveh was large, both in area and population. Because of its geographic location on the Tigris river, it was a bustling city of trade and commerce, one of the largest and most successful of all ancient cities.

But as we know, God was not a part of daily life. And as the capital of the Assyrian empire, they were guilty of great sins against God and His chosen people. As we heard in today’s reading, Zephaniah prophesies the destruction of Nineveh, but if you’ll remember, so did Nahum in several verses. 

Around 633 B.C. the Assyrian empire began to decay, as have all empires. In 612 B.C. they were attacked by the Medes and the Babylonians. At its defeat, it was burned to the ground. By 605 B.C. there was nothing left of the once great empire. The Medes and the Babylonians divided the spoils between them.

Nineveh is not mentioned again in the Old Testament. We don’t hear of it again until the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Archaeologists have found the remains of Nineveh. Among other things, they found a wall surrounding the city with a circumference of about eight miles. Today all the ruins are covered by dirt.

It is good to remember that even a great and powerful nation can be reduced to dust if it fails to honor the one true God. And if that is true of a nation, it is even more so true of an individual. No matter your wealth, no matter your power, no matter your talent, if you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, if He is not your Lord and Savior, you are without hope. 

Jesus came to set you free from the things that separate you from God. He is the only way to God. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” Jesus is not *a* way to God. He is *the* way to God. There is only one way. You may have heard that all roads lead to God. Really? That sounds nice, but it isn’t true. And it’s actually a silly statement. Tell you what. Right now, I am inviting you to spend the 4th of July at my house. I would be happy to invite you in with my family. We’re going to have a wonderful time together. The swimming pool will be open, the grill will be hot, the beverages will be cold, and we’ll have a feast. I want you here. I invite you with open arms. Really. Come on over. What’s that? You want to know how to get here? Just take any road. All roads lead to my house.

Do you think you’d find my house? Of course not. If you don’t follow the way to my house, you’ll never get here. Same with God. There is one way to God, and Jesus is that way. 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-3 ERV

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