Studies in the Scriptures

Carrying the picture further, the Prophet declares, respecting that day in which gradually the earth shall be made glorious as Jehovah's footstool:

"And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be bright nor the darkness thick; but the day shall be the one foreknown to the Lord-neither full day nor night: but it shall come to pass that at its close [evening] it shall be [clear] light."-Zech. 14:6, 7.

Some confounded the "day" here described with the "day of Vengeance" which is "a day of clouds and thick darkness with no light in it" (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15) and the translators have, seemingly, generally tried to harmonize the translations. But not so; the day here referred to by Zechariah as only partially bright is the Millennial day, although in it the Sun of Righteousness will arise and shine, to scatter earth's miasma of sin and superstition and death. It will nevertheless be only partially bright, because it will throughout be dealing with generation after generation of the fallen race as brought from the tomb, and in various stages of restitution toward perfection. But how refreshing it is to be assured that in that day of the reëstablishment of Jehovah's feet upon his footstool, there shall be no more "thick darkness;" and that at the close of that Millennial Day, instead of growing darker, the world will only have reached the high noon of its "light of the knowledge of Jehovah;" and that its sun shall never set.

The reference to the rivers of living waters flowing from Jerusalem, during this Millennial Day of the reëstablishment of Jehovah's feet upon his footstool (Zech. 14:8, 9), reminds us of the corresponding testimony of Ezekiel (47:1-12) and of John's Revelation (22:1, 2) which, under this same symbol of living waters proceeding from the throne of the Millennial Kingdom, show us the restitution blessings under the symbols of "waters of life," to which who

soever will may come and drink freely, and fruitful trees of life everlasting whose leaves will heal the repentant peoples of earth of all imperfections.

Ah yes! "In that day the Lord shall be King over all the earth;" his Kingdom shall have come as his faithful have long prayed; and by the end of that day his will shall be done on earth even as it is done in heaven. God's footstool shall then be glorious indeed: as it is written :—

"AS TRULY AS I LIVE, THE WHOLE EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF JEHOVAH."-Num. 14:21; Isa. 11:9; Habak. 2:14.

"No place shall be in that new earth
For all that blights this universe;

No evil taint the second birth-
There shall be no more curse.
Ye broken-hearted, cease your moan;
The day of promise dawns for you;
For he who sits upon the throne

Says, 'I will make all things new.'

"We mourn the dead, but they shall wake!
The lost, but they shall be restored!
O! well our human hearts might break
Without that sacred word!

Dim eyes, look up! sad hearts, rejoice!
Seeing God's bow of promise through,

At sound of that prophetic voice:

'I will make all things new.'"