On that day
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.
9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.
10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.
The striking thing about these verses is the parallel they have in New Testament revelation about the coming of Jesus and his new Jerusalem. Zechariah said it is a day known to the Lord. Jesus himself said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).
Zechariah said, “It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—when evening comes, there will be light.” The apostle John said, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there” (Revelation 21:23-25). Zechariah said, “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem.” The book of Revelation also says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city” (22:1,2). Zechariah said, “The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” The apostle Paul said, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Zechariah spoke about everything but Jerusalem being destroyed and becoming like the desert wasteland to the south of the Dead Sea, the Arabah. Peter said, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10).
What a wonderful testimony these comparisons of prophecy are! How well they describe this day of the Lord that is most certainly coming and that has been so clear in the prophets’ eyes for so long. The apostle Peter’s further words to his people are certainly fitting for us to hear too: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11,12).
On that day!