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528 VISIONS AND PROPHECIES OF ZECHARIAH

fountains of water ; and make them drink of tJie river of His pleasures. Then, too, the symbol of the palm branches shall be accomplished in the final victory of the redeemed over Death and Hades ; and they shall realise the blessed fulfilment of the promise, He that overcometh shall inherit all thing s ; and I will be his God, and he shall be My Son!

" Then, too, shall be the great Hosanna, when that great multitude, which no man could number, out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, shall stand before the throne of God, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and shall cry with a loud voice, saying : Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb (Rev. vii. 9, 10)."

During that blessed millennial period the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah shall indeed cover the earth, and all nations shall walk in His light. Sin and iniquity will no longer be allowed to lift up their head, and apostasy and rebellion will be visited with instant punishment whenever they manifest themselves. Yet we know from prophetic Scripture that the hearts of multitudes among the Gentile nations will not be fully subdued to God and His truth, even in the Millennium, and that many of them will render only a feigned submission to the Divine King, whose throne shall be on Mount Sion. There follows therefore the warning to the nations against disobedience to His com mand to come up to Jerusalem to render homage to the King, Jehovah of hosts. " And it shall be tJiat whoso of the families of the earth goetJi not up unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Jeliovah of Hosts, upon them there shall be no rain" which commentators take to mean the " early rain," which generally falls in Palestine about the end of October and the beginning of November soon after Tabernacles, but D ^?. (geshem the word here used) usually stands simply for heavy, torrential rain, i"nv (yoreli), being the special word for the " early rain." Besides, this is a threat uttered, not against Israel and Palestine, but the Gentile nations, whose seasons and climates may be altogether different.

The word is to be taken first of all in its literal sense.