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Zechariah 14:7: Difference between revisions
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:''And '''on that day''' there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts '''on that day'''.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Zec 14:2–21.</ref> | :''And '''on that day''' there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts '''on that day'''.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Zec 14:2–21.</ref> | ||
There will be one continuous day (Isa 60:19–20). John picks up this theme in Rev 21:22–25 | |||
Since the obvious answer to | :''And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by day—and there shall be no night there (RSV). | ||
With continuous day there will be no clouds and no rain. The land will be watered by a stream of living water flowing out of Jerusalem (cf. Ezek 47:1–12; Joel 3:18; Rev 22:1–2). Here in Zech 14 the living water will flow to the Dead Sea and to the Mediterranean Sea. The stream will never run dry.<ref>Ralph L. Smith, Micah–Malachi, vol. 32, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1984), 288–289.</ref> | |||
Just as the lack of light destroys the difference between light and dark, thus obviating the basis for any diurnal distinction between day and night, the lack of cold and frost similarly destroys differences in temperature and precipitation, thus obviating the basis for any seasonal distinction between summer and winter.<ref>Michael Floyd, Minor Prophets: Part 2, vol. 22, The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 542.</ref> | |||
The Hebrew text reads here “there will be no light of splendor, they will congeal” (NIV, “there will be no light, no cold or frost”). In Zechariah 14:6 it is rendered in the plural, probably referring to the sun and moon. The term “congeal” is used for thickening a liquid (Ex. 15:8; Job 10:10; Zeph. 1:12). The normally translucent bodies of light in the sky (sun and moon) will be congealed and no longer emanate light. | |||
The “congealing” of the heavenly lights will return the cosmos to the conditions of the first day of the creation account, a day known only to the God who created the world. On this day light was created and later it was distinguished from darkness, creating “daytime” and “nighttime.” Zechariah 14:6 stops the creative process partway through this day, for when “evening” arrives, light continues; there is no darkness. This image of a future era with perpetual light is also seen in Isa. 60:19, 20; Rev. 21:25; and Rev 22:5. | |||
The transformation of the cosmos continues in Zech. 14:8 as Jerusalem becomes a perpetual source of water for the entire land, supplying the seas to the east and west. “Living water” is used for fresh water originating in a well or spring (e.g., Gen. 26:19; Jer. 2:13). This verse envisions a flow of water from within Jerusalem that will exceed the needs of the city, running throughout the land and emptying into the Eastern Sea (Dead Sea) and the Western Sea (Mediterranean Sea). | |||
The reference to “summer and … winter” is a merism denoting all seasons (Gen. 8:22; Ps. 74:17) and signifying that the flow of water will no longer fluctuate according to seasonal patterns (Ps. 32:4). This image of a future era with abundant water flowing from Jerusalem is a consistent feature in Ezek. 47:1–20 and Joel 3:18), one that is drawn from the description of Eden in Genesis 2:10–14.<ref>Mark J. Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 525–526.</ref> | |||
It is critical to note that all the nations gather against Jerusalem to battle (v.2) prior to the scripture that William Branham points to as being his ministry. So it seems that one should simply ask the questions: | |||
#Did the nations gather together against Israel to do battle during William Branham's ministry? | |||
#Was there an end to summer and winter? | |||
#Did water flow out of Jerusalem into both the Dead See and the Mediterranean? | |||
Since the obvious answer to these questions is "NO", then it is unreasonable for William Branham to think that Zechariah 14:7 has been fulfilled. | |||
'''This is yet another case of William Branham misinterpreting scripture to point to himself.''' | '''This is yet another case of William Branham misinterpreting scripture to point to himself.''' | ||