THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

98 The Hope of Israel: What Is It?
IN THAT DAY
Let us now take a brief look at the prophecy of
Zechariah, Chapters XII-XIV, for the purpose mainly
of inquiring as to the meaning of the following predictions
:
"And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced" (12:10).
"And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of
before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of
Olives, which is
Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and
toward the west; and there shall be a very great valley; and
half (i. e. a part) of the mountain shall remove toward the
north and half (part) of it toward the south. . . . And it shall
be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem;
half (or part) of them toward the former sea and half of them
toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth : in that day shall
there be one Lord and His name one" (14:4, 7-9).
This passage has been referred to already in the preceding
pages, but we propose now to give it a more extended
consideration.
The question that concerns us for the moment is
this: Are these passages to be understood as predictions
of the national conversion of the Jews in a coming
"day," as some now teach? Or are they prophecies
of the gospel, having their fulfilment in this present
"day," which has been always held (as I understand it)
until quite recent times?
In the first place, we call attention to the fact that
the context makes it clear that the oft-recurring
phrase, "in that day," refers to this present day of
grace, and not to the succeeding day of judgment.
Thus, the words, "Awake sword against My Shepherd"
(13:7) are certainly a prophecy of the cross.
For our Lord Himself cited the words of the same
verse, "Smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scat-