The Day Of The King

THE DAY OF THE KING

Read Zechariah 14:1-9

Read Zechariah 14:1-9

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and His name one. Zechariah 14:9

Zechariah’s visions are akin to those of Daniel––apocalyptic, expansive and eschatological; they are grand visions of the future restoration of Israel and the whole earth. For this reason, Zechariah has been called “the New Testament Prophet” because his prophecies are much quoted, alluded to or referenced by the apostolic writers. One estimate is that 54 passages of Zechariah find their way into 67 passages in the New Testament.

For that reason, Zechariah’s visions are sometimes confusing. He mixes his message to Israel and their times with messages about the age to come. No other prophet so clearly presents the day of the Lord as an event at the consummation of human history as does Zechariah. For him (and therefore for us) what happened to Israel was a mere foreshadowing of what will happen to the Church in the last days. Paul sees the Old Testament in the same way: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

We could not exhaust in one day’s devotion, not even in these 50 Days of Prayer, all the prefigurements of the Old Testament that serve as lessons for us. But one lesson overshadows them all: the day of the Lord.

Zechariah’s picture of a new world that arrives on the day of the Lord is mirrored in the last three chapters of the Book of Revelation. The City of God descends from heaven to transform the city of man (earth). All of the warfare of God is over. All of the suffering of man has ended. The full scope of Jesus Christ’s Gospel mission now comes solidly into view: Christ was remaking God’s broken world.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

The words of the prophets are now the words of Jesus Christ Himself: “I am making all things new.” This is the day of the Lord in its fullest glory…the day when the City of God becomes the house of mankind.

We see now why all the prophets spoke so much about the day of the Lord––the day that Jesus brings us home to God for good, for once and for all. All of those days of remedial judgment, all of those times of national calamity, all of those events when nations fell, all of the eras of sorrow and suffering, the day of atonement on Calvary and the day of the Lord’s return now fit together. They are all part of a process. They are the sequential stages of Christ’s destruction of an old world order and construction of a new world order. They are the process by which Jesus makes all things new.

I once visited an aged and ailing minister in a nursing home. He was refusing to eat. As I entered the cafeteria, the nurse said to me, “Mr. Ross, will you please talk to Mr. ___; you’re the only one he’ll listen to.” I gently scolded the old pastor for his causing distress to the nursing home staff and for not eating his lunch. As I spoon-fed him his Jello, he said to me: “Ross, do you know why I don’t want to eat? I want to die; and these people have never realized that the old must always die if the new is to be born!” He was gone in a matter of three months.

I’ve never forgotten what my heaven-bound friend told me that day: “the old must always die if the new is to be born.” So it is with our ways and our world. Thus we have the day of the Lord. And now we know why Jesus says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

AC: Pray for the women and children at the Assembly, for their spiritual enrichment, fellowship, education and enjoyment in the many activities provided by the Host Committee.

CTS: Pray for the church leaders seeking to prepare themselves for further service to God’s people by pursuing Doctor of Ministry (DMin) or Master of Theology (ThM) degrees at Covenant Seminary, or who will attend ministry conferences or seminars at the Seminary.

MTW: Veteran Berlin missionary Ken Matlack has assumed responsibility for the oversight of MTW ministries in Europe and Africa. Ask God to give him wisdom, strength, perseverance, discernment and fresh vision to meet the demands of this ministry.

RUM: Pray for the RUM Affiliated Committees as they give oversight, pastoral care, accountability and encouragement to the Campus Ministers.

RBI: Vickie Poole, Myra Davis, Sybil Pullen, Sally Kaplan, Jim Mansell and Harry Cooksey are all important staff at RBI. As they carry out the vital work of this ministry, please pray they continue to serve our participants in love, and encourage them in the midst of trials.