Zechariah 14:6-11
6And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves: 7but it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light. 8And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one (ASV 1901).
All Natural Light Ceases for a Period
Zechariah 14:6-7
6And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves: 7but it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light (ASV 1901).
Now begins descriptions of the massive changes in natural phenomena of the earth as the Millennial Kingdom of our Lord is established on earth. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus told His apostles and us to pray for when He said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Our text here describes the general age of the Day of the Lord which here is characterized as “That Day.” This description encompasses the entire period from the beginning of the Tribulation on through the establishment and extent of the Messianic Kingdom and Eternal Order. In short it is when God takes His earth back from the evil forces, which have influenced it for at least six thousand years. As the Tribulation ends, the Lord Jesus returns, and the seventy-five day interval ends a spectacular series of events occurs in the heavens. All natural light from the sun, the moon and the stars cease to give their light for a time. This has happened before when God was doing some miraculous activity associated with His massive changes in the order of the earth. For example He caused, through Moses, complete darkness to fall on the Egyptians for three days as punishment. The darkness was so black that it was felt. However, the nation Israel had light where they were dwelling (Exodus 10:21-29). A second example was the preceding three hours before the death of the Messiah Jesus on the cross at Calvary (Matthew 27:45). It is not clear from the Zechariah passage what the duration of the blackout will be but the major event of the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom will be marked with a blackout. This may last for one day as the text states and known only to God as He marks the event of the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom with a spectacular phenomenon in the Heavens as only He can do. Finally in the evening time after this blackout the light will reappear. When God restores the light its speed with be seven times the previous speed of 186,000 miles per second.
Isaiah 30:26
26Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound (ASV 1901).
Isaiah cites the timing as “in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” This is immediately after the tribulation, which has been a punishment for the Nation Israel for their rejection of Jesus the Messiah.
The velocity of light has been measured 164 times by 16 different methodologies. The net result of all these measurements is that light has been slowing down over time. So we can infer that if light has been slowing down for the last several centuries, then it must have been slowing down since the origin of time. For example using the same regression as observed by Roemer and others who have observed this phenomena we can surmise that light was 10-30% faster during the time Christ was on the earth (Cir. A.D. 33). We can then believe that light was 2 times faster during the time of Solomon (Cir. 900 B.C.) If we go back further with the same regression to the time of Abraham (Cir. 2350 B.C.) light could have been 4 times faster than now. Using the same regression and understanding the decay caused by the “fall “light could well have been 10 Million times as fast at the time of the creation and therefore light was able to be so fast as to travel almost instantaneous at creation so as to be at the origin (stars) and the earth almost at once.
During the Millennial Kingdom the Land will be well watered, produce abundant food as a result of the major (Seven fold) increase in light. All physical infirmities will be healed. The speed has been significantly faster closer to the creation than it is now. This will be the reason for food production increase and life longevity in the Millennium (Isaiah 30:23-26).
8And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be (ASV 1901).
There are three passages including the Zechariah 14:8 passage that addresses the Millennial River. The first is Ezekiel 47:1-12
Ezekiel 47:1-12 And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing (ASV 1901).
The second passage from Joel summarizes the Ezekiel passage.
Joel 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim (ASV 1901).
Both Ezekiel and Joel see that the river begins in the Temple Compound and makes it way south to the Dead Sea. Ezekiel goes on to further describe its origin.
Ezekiel 47:1-2 And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side (ASV 1901).
From the front portion of the Temple by the threshold of the door and the right side of the altar which will stand in front of the Temple, the Millennial river will burst forth, first leading east until it passes the eastern gate and then heads south toward the Dead Sea. It is not going to flow directly from the Temple to the Dead Sea, but will go through Jerusalem first as described by Zechariah.
Zechariah 14:8 And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be (ASV 1901).
The river will begin in the Temple and initially flow toward the east it is clear from this passage that it will flow southward into the City of Jerusalem. From there it will divide into two separate branches. The western branch will flow down the mountain and empty into the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern branch will flow into the Dead Sea. The branching out of the river will provide nourishment for the farming areas on either side of the city of Jerusalem.
Since the eastern branch will empty into the Dead Sea, the character of the Dead Sea will change. It will begin swarming with life as prophesied by Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 47:8-10 Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many (ASV 1901).
Zechariah 14:9
9And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one (ASV 1901).
It Was Prophesied that Christ Would Reign as a King
The Davidic Covenant and it had four eternal promises.
These are six aspects of the covenant:
1 Chronicles 17:10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house (ASV 1901).
Thus the eternality of our Lord Jesus is what qualifies Him to sit on the Davidic Throne where He will rule the earth for 1,000 years!
6And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves: 7but it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light. 8And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one (ASV 1901).
All Natural Light Ceases for a Period
Zechariah 14:6-7
6And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves: 7but it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light (ASV 1901).
Now begins descriptions of the massive changes in natural phenomena of the earth as the Millennial Kingdom of our Lord is established on earth. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus told His apostles and us to pray for when He said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Our text here describes the general age of the Day of the Lord which here is characterized as “That Day.” This description encompasses the entire period from the beginning of the Tribulation on through the establishment and extent of the Messianic Kingdom and Eternal Order. In short it is when God takes His earth back from the evil forces, which have influenced it for at least six thousand years. As the Tribulation ends, the Lord Jesus returns, and the seventy-five day interval ends a spectacular series of events occurs in the heavens. All natural light from the sun, the moon and the stars cease to give their light for a time. This has happened before when God was doing some miraculous activity associated with His massive changes in the order of the earth. For example He caused, through Moses, complete darkness to fall on the Egyptians for three days as punishment. The darkness was so black that it was felt. However, the nation Israel had light where they were dwelling (Exodus 10:21-29). A second example was the preceding three hours before the death of the Messiah Jesus on the cross at Calvary (Matthew 27:45). It is not clear from the Zechariah passage what the duration of the blackout will be but the major event of the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom will be marked with a blackout. This may last for one day as the text states and known only to God as He marks the event of the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom with a spectacular phenomenon in the Heavens as only He can do. Finally in the evening time after this blackout the light will reappear. When God restores the light its speed with be seven times the previous speed of 186,000 miles per second.
Isaiah 30:26
26Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound (ASV 1901).
Isaiah cites the timing as “in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” This is immediately after the tribulation, which has been a punishment for the Nation Israel for their rejection of Jesus the Messiah.
The velocity of light has been measured 164 times by 16 different methodologies. The net result of all these measurements is that light has been slowing down over time. So we can infer that if light has been slowing down for the last several centuries, then it must have been slowing down since the origin of time. For example using the same regression as observed by Roemer and others who have observed this phenomena we can surmise that light was 10-30% faster during the time Christ was on the earth (Cir. A.D. 33). We can then believe that light was 2 times faster during the time of Solomon (Cir. 900 B.C.) If we go back further with the same regression to the time of Abraham (Cir. 2350 B.C.) light could have been 4 times faster than now. Using the same regression and understanding the decay caused by the “fall “light could well have been 10 Million times as fast at the time of the creation and therefore light was able to be so fast as to travel almost instantaneous at creation so as to be at the origin (stars) and the earth almost at once.
During the Millennial Kingdom the Land will be well watered, produce abundant food as a result of the major (Seven fold) increase in light. All physical infirmities will be healed. The speed has been significantly faster closer to the creation than it is now. This will be the reason for food production increase and life longevity in the Millennium (Isaiah 30:23-26).
The Millennial River
Zechariah 14:88And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be (ASV 1901).
There are three passages including the Zechariah 14:8 passage that addresses the Millennial River. The first is Ezekiel 47:1-12
Ezekiel 47:1-12 And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing (ASV 1901).
The second passage from Joel summarizes the Ezekiel passage.
Joel 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim (ASV 1901).
Both Ezekiel and Joel see that the river begins in the Temple Compound and makes it way south to the Dead Sea. Ezekiel goes on to further describe its origin.
Ezekiel 47:1-2 And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side (ASV 1901).
From the front portion of the Temple by the threshold of the door and the right side of the altar which will stand in front of the Temple, the Millennial river will burst forth, first leading east until it passes the eastern gate and then heads south toward the Dead Sea. It is not going to flow directly from the Temple to the Dead Sea, but will go through Jerusalem first as described by Zechariah.
Zechariah 14:8 And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be (ASV 1901).
The river will begin in the Temple and initially flow toward the east it is clear from this passage that it will flow southward into the City of Jerusalem. From there it will divide into two separate branches. The western branch will flow down the mountain and empty into the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern branch will flow into the Dead Sea. The branching out of the river will provide nourishment for the farming areas on either side of the city of Jerusalem.
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| Millennial Mountain with the River by Daniel Woodhead |
Ezekiel 47:8-10 Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many (ASV 1901).
Jesus Will be King of the Earth
Prophetic Art by James Nesbit
Zechariah 14:9
9And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one (ASV 1901).
It Was Prophesied that Christ Would Reign as a King
The Davidic Covenant and it had four eternal promises.
- An eternal dynasty
- An eternal throne
- An eternal kingdom
- One eternal person.
These are six aspects of the covenant:
- The Lord promised David an eternal house, throne and Kingdom. This pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ as the one who would establish the house, the kingdom and throne forever because He is eternal.
1 Chronicles 17:10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house (ASV 1901).
- After David’s reign, Solomon would be seated on David’s throne.
- Solomon would build the Lord’s House.
- It would be the Lord who would establish forever the throne of David, the Kingdom, and his descendants in the Person of Jesus Christ.
- God would discipline Solomon for disobedience, but that would not negate His promises to David and Solomon.
- David’s throne, house, and kingdom will be established forever through Jesus, the Son of David.
Thus the eternality of our Lord Jesus is what qualifies Him to sit on the Davidic Throne where He will rule the earth for 1,000 years!
