Page:Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah (Baron, David).djvu/520



504 VISIONS AND PROPHECIES OF ZECHARIAH

heads" or streams. Now, since for beauty and fertility, and as the earthly centre of God s dwelling and worship, Jerusalem and Palestine will, in the millennial period, answer, as it were, to the garden of Eden there is again the River, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, and flowing thence fertilise other parts of the earth.

Now, to repeat, we believe, in a literal fulfilment of this prophecy in Zechariah, and when we are told by a scholarly English writer that a literal fulfilment is out of the question because " the physical nature of the whole land would have to be changed to permit literal rivers to flow forth from Jerusalem," x our answer is, " Certainly ; this is just what the prophecy says will be the case" The physical nature of the whole land will be changed through the convulsions of nature, which are described here and in other scriptures, and which will be brought about by the Almighty power of God, with whom nothing is impossible. But while this literal fulfilment cannot be emphasised too strongly in order to a true understanding of these prophecies, it is important also to note that the literal, material river will be at the same time the visible symbol of the mighty river of God s grace and salvation, which, during the millennial period dividing itself into full streams of Messianic blessings, will start from Jerusalem as its source and centre, and carry life and salvation to all nations.

" We read in many parts of the Scripture that the land of Israel will in that day teem with evidences of the miraculous power of God in dispensing blessings. On the sides of Zion, for example, the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, shall be seen together, and a little child shall lead them. Nothing shall hurt or destroy throughout God s holy mountain. These will be sights

1 Dr. C. H. H. Wright, Zechariah and his Prophecies. His long chapter of nearly one hundred pages on "The Eschatology of Zechariah, or the Last Things as seen in the Light of the Old Dispensation," is an illustration and specimen of the phantomising method of interpreting Old Testament prophecy, to which I referred in the introductory remarks to this chapter. But though very dogmatic in his style, Dr. Wright succeeds, not in explaining, but in explaining away, these great prophecies.