Zechariah 14
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then the Lord will go forthAnd fight against those nations,As He fights in the day of battle.And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,Which faces Jerusalem on the east.And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,From east to west,Making a very large valley;Half of the mountain shall move toward the northAnd half of it toward the south.Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.Yes, you shall fleeAs you fled from the earthquakeIn the days of Uzziah king of Judah.Thus the Lord my God will come,And all the saints with You.It shall come to pass in that dayThat there will be no light;The lights will diminish.It shall be one dayWhich is known to the Lord—Neither day nor night.But at evening time it shall happenThat it will be light.And in that day it shall beThat living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,Half of them toward the eastern seaAnd half of them toward the western sea;In both summer and winter it shall occur.And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.In that day it shall be—“The Lord is one,”And His name one.All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.The people shall dwell in it;And no longer shall there be utter destruction,But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.It shall come to pass in that dayThat a great panic from the Lord will be among them.Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.And the wealth of all the surrounding nationsShall be gathered together:Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.Such also shall be the plagueOn the horse and the mule,On the camel and the donkey,And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.So shall this plague be.And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
The Hope of Israel and Creation
Section 2 of: The Lord's Coming, Israel, and the Church.
by T. B. Baines.
Chapter 4.
The Messianic kingdom established on earth — Old Testament teaching.
I have shown that God has certain purposes concerning the earth, for the fulfilment of which the appearance of the Second Man, the Lord from heaven, is necessary. But the Second Man has been rejected, His earthly people scattered, and a new thing introduced, which entirely fails to carry out the earthly purposes and promises of God. What remains, then, but that God should recall the nation, and bring back the ruler in whom these promises centre?
We have seen, also, that Christianity, instead of converting the world or lasting to its close, will be both partial and temporary, leaving ample space, after the translation of the Church, for the working out of God's unaccomplished earthly purposes.
I now propose to look at the positive teaching of the Scriptures as to the mode in which these purposes will be carried into effect. In so doing, I shall show,
First, from the Old Testament writings, that the Lord will return, as God's anointed ruler, to set up his kingdom on the earth, and to execute judgment on His enemies, having Israel as His chosen people, and Jerusalem as His centre of government;
Second, from the same authority, that at this time, repentant Israel will be delivered and blessed, and that peace and prosperity will flow out in rich streams to the whole earth; and
Third, that the New Testament fully confirms the literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies.
I confine myself in this chapter to the first point, showing from Scripture that Christ's kingdom is an earthly dominion, and is brought in, not by grace, but by judgment, executed by the Lord returning to the world in manifested glory. Before the nation of Israel existed, Jacob, in blessing his sons, prophesied that
"the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding His foal unto the vine, and His ass's colt unto the choice vine, He washed His garments in wine and His clothes in the blood of grapes" (Gen. 49:10-11).
Here, whatever the difficulties of the passage, it is clear that a ruler is promised of the tribe of Judah, around whom the gathering of the people shall be, and who shall inaugurate a period of peace and plenty. That this ruler is the Christ is generally acknowledged, but how does the prediction agree with His first appearance? He was then not the ruler, but the One who had not where to lay His head. If the people gathered round Him, it was to cry out — "Crucify Him, crucify Him." Instead of bringing peace, He brought a sword; and the destruction, instead of the prosperity, of the people, was the result of His appearance among them. All this, then, is yet to have its fulfilment when the rejected Christ again comes to the earth for the salvation and blessing of the chosen seed.
Another prophecy, long before the kingdom existed, before even the Israelites had entered the land, shows that when Christ thus comes for the deliverance of his people, He will execute judgment on the surrounding nations. Under the direct constraint of the Spirit, the wicked Balaam is compelled to say —
"There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for His enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remains of the city" (Num. 24:17-19).
That this points to the rule of Christ is obvious, but in what sense has it its fulfilment in His first coming or in the Church? If words have any meaning, the dominion here spoken of is not spiritual but earthly — not brought in by persuasion, but by power.
The final, but forcible, triumph of Jehovah over his adversaries, His deliverance of His own people and destruction of the wicked, are predicted once again, before the kingdom was established, in connection with the Christ. Hannah prophesies —
"The pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, and He has set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of Jehovah shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them; Jehovah shall judge the ends of the earth, and He shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed" (1 Sam. 2:8-10).
In the promise to David already quoted, God said,
"I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime."
Again,
"Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam. 7:10, 16).
This promise has never been fulfilled to Israel; and the question is whether it is to have a literal fulfilment in their history, or a spiritual fulfilment in the Church. There is nothing in the prophecy that seems to point to the Church, nor anything in the Church that seems to point to the prophecy. Naturally interpreted, the promise is that Christ shall inherit the earthly power which David, as a mere imperfect type, wielded; that His throne shall be permanent; and that under his sway the security and blessing of Israel, only enjoyed in fading shadow before, shall truly commence.
Certainly this hope pervades David's own writings. In Psalm 2 he describes Jehovah as declaring that He has set His King on Zion, the hill of His holiness; he calls Him His Son, and promises him the Gentiles for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, adding,
"Thou shall break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
That is, the psalm shows Christ receiving from God a kingdom whose centre is Zion, the seat of earthly authority; whose sphere is the whole of the nations of the world; and whose commencement is a terrible judgment executed upon the kings, rulers, and people, who, as the early verses of the psalm show, have been in rebellion against Him. In what way does this apply to the preaching of the gospel? How does it suit the character of the Church? Whereas it exactly coincides with the revealed purposes of God concerning Christ's earthly rule.
Psalm 18 makes known God's goodness
"to His anointed, to David and to his seed for ever more."
Though written as a hymn of praise for the deliverances granted to the Psalmist himself, the triumphs and glories recorded are evidently, in their full extent, those of David's Seed, the promised Messiah; and the 49th verse —
"Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, O Jehovah, among the Gentiles, and sing praises unto Thy name" —
is quoted by Paul as expressly referring to Christ. (Rom. 15:9.) How, then, does it describe the inauguration of His glorious reign?
"Thou hast given Me the necks of Mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate Me." —
Is it the necks, or the hearts, of His enemies that Christ is now seeking? Is it to save them, or to destroy them, that is His present object? —
"They cried, but there was none to save them even unto Jehovah, but He answered them not." —
The word now is,
"Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." —
The psalm goes on —
"Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the dirt of the streets. Thou hast delivered Me from the strivings of the people; and Thou hast made Me the Head of the Gentiles. A people whom I have not known shall serve Me. As soon as they hear of Me they shall obey Me, the strangers shall submit themselves unto Me. The strangers shall fade away; and be afraid out of their close places" (vv. 40-45).
How perfectly this agrees with what is elsewhere told of the sudden establishment of Christ's universal sway by the judgment and desolation of His enemies! But how contrary to the grace in which He is now acting, and to the spirit enjoined on His people, who are to pray for their persecutors and to love their enemies!
The King is again named in Ps. 21. It is evidently Christ, for He has "length of days for ever and ever," and is "most blessed for ever." How, then, is His reign described?
"The King trusts in Jehovah, and through the mercy of the Most High He shall not be moved. Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies; Thy right hand shall find out those that hate Thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of Thine anger: Jehovah shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them" (vv. 7-9).
Surely this can only be Christ, as the true seed of David, and God's righteous governor, taking the rule which the first man could not keep, and beginning His reign by judgments upon His enemies.
Again —
"My heart is inditing a good matter. I speak of the things which I have made touching the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into Thy lips, therefore God has blessed Thee for ever" (Ps. 45:1-2).
Here Christ's grace and beauty are set forth. But is it by grace that He obtains His earthly authority?
"Gird thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most Mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty. And in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; whereby the people fall under Thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right [or righteous] sceptre" (vv. 3-6).
Is this the gradual triumph of the kingdom of Gods grace? Or is it what all Scripture foretells of the foundation of the kingdom of God's righteousness? Such is man that He who comes because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness must first establish His sway by terrible things, and by making the people fall under Him.
Psalm 48 celebrates the glory of Mount Zion, which is "beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth," also "the city of the great King," in whose palaces God is known for a refuge. But how does this affect the kings of the earth? They
"were assembled, they passed by together; they saw it and so they marvelled; they were troubled and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain as of a woman in travail" (vv. 4-6).
Here, not only is the dominion as different as possible from the spiritual power of Christ over the heart, but its establishment, instead of being, like the spread of gospel truth, the gentlest of operations, is brought about by dreadful and violent judgments.
There is a remarkable prophecy of David's Son, which is only very partially fulfilled in Solomon, and is still to be accomplished in the true Seed, the Second Man.
"He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth. In His days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow down before Him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him" (Ps. 72:2-11).
In no sense can the greater part of this language be applied to the Church. But as a literal fulfilment of the promises given to Abraham and David concerning earth, as a description of a kingdom introduced by judgment and bringing in universal blessing, the delineation is divinely perfect.
In Psalm 101 we have another description of this reign of righteousness —
"Whoso privily slanders his neighbour, him will I cut off; him that has an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me; he that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve Me. He that works deceit shall not dwell within My house; he that tells lies shall not tarry in My sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of Jehovah" (vv. 5, 8).
This is not God speaking, for it is a song addressed to God. Yet who can say that David or Solomon thus carried out God's righteous principles of earthly rule? There may be things in their government which typified this reign of righteousness, but assuredly, as a whole, they did not carry it out. On the other hand, what could be more opposed to Christ's present patience and long-suffering? It is the picture of His righteous government on earth.
Once more —
"Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Jehovah shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power . . . The Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the Gentiles; He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries" (Ps. 110:1-6).
Is this the work of the Church? Or is it in perfect consistency with all the other prophecies contained in the Psalms, the setting up of Christ's earthly kingdom in power and glory, and by means of devastating judgments?
The prophets continue the same strain.
"Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever" (Isa. 9:6-7).
It is only by spiritualising the whole passage that this can be understood of the Church, and when it is so understood, it contradicts all that is elsewhere said about it. Understood of the literal kingdom, it fully harmonises with the whole teaching of God's Word.
In Isaiah 11:1-9, a further description is given of this Blessed One and His earthly reign.
"There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots and the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of Jehovah; and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, . . . they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth [or land] shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea."
In these passages Christ has an earthly title, is seated on an earthly throne, is in connection with an earthly people, administering earthly sovereignty, executing earthly judgments, and bringing about earthly blessings. No passage can be conceived, in every particular, more foreign to the character and object of the Church, none more admirably descriptive of the sovereignty foretold as that which is to accomplish God's purposes of blessing towards the earth.
Isaiah 31 describes "Jehovah of hosts" coming "down to fight for Mount Zion and for the hill thereof," and the destruction of the Assyrian. That this had an accomplishment in the fate of Sennacherib's army is not disputed, but the salvation wrought is far larger, and followed by far more blessed consequences, than this partial and temporary deliverance. The sequence of Jehovah's intervention is thus stated in the beginning of the following chapter.
"Behold a King shall reign in righteousness, and Princes shall rule in judgment. And a Man shall to as an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" (Isaiah 32:1-2).
Has this time come? Has Israel ever known such a King? His reign here follows upon the Lord of Hosts' interposition on behalf of Israel. Has such an interposition yet taken place? Let us see how the Spirit speaks of this same intervention of God elsewhere.
"Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?" He replies — "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Again He is asked "Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like him that treads in the wine-fat?" To which He answers —
"I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people there was none with Me; for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come" (Isa. 63:1-4).
Is it thus that Christ redeems His people now? Does this describe Him who was led as a Lamb to the slaughter? Or is it the redemption of His earthly people by earthly judgments, and the foundation of His earthly throne?
Jeremiah writes —
"The days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called — Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer. 23:5-6).
And again —
"It shall come to pass in that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him; but they shall serve their God and David their King, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jer. 30:8-9)
It is surely unnecessary to say that David their king, here raised up, is none other than David's greater Son, the Lord from heaven.
Thus also Ezekiel writes —
"So shall they be My people, and I will be their God, and David My servant shall be King over them; and they all shall have One Shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children, and their children's children for ever; and My servant David shalt be their prince for ever" (Ezek. 37:23-25).
Daniel traces down the shifting stream of the Gentile monarchies, when, through Judah's sin, the dominion was handed over from her to Nebuchadnezzar. Four empires, the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, hold sway successively in the earth. The last becomes divided, iron mingling with clay, that is, several kingdoms of diverse origin and character, standing side by side, as in modern Europe.
"And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44).
This corresponds with the promise of perpetual dominion to David's seed, as also with the threat of judgment on the kings and nations of the earth. If we were to seek for a figure which did not describe the spread of Christianity, but the very reverse, we could hardly find one better suited to our purpose than the crushing power of the stone thus interpreted. And that this does not refer to the first coming of Christ is shown, not merely by the incongruity of the figure, but by the disagreement of the time. For the kingdom is set up "in the days of these kings," that is, after the division of the Roman Empire, whereas Christ both lived and died centuries before the Roman Empire had lost a single province.
The seventh chapter of the same prophet gives still further particulars. The Gentile monarchies are there presented under the image of four beasts. Out of the last of these four beasts grows up a great power, which exalts itself not only against men, but against the Most High, and wears out the saints of the Most High. In the midst of his wicked career, the Ancient of days appears, and executes judgment, especially on the great transgressor just named. After this, there is seen "one like the Son of man,"
"and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13-14).
In perfect agreement with this is the prophet Hosea.
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterwards shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their King; and shall fear Jehovah and His goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:4-5).
Does anybody suppose that in these various passages David, their king, means any other than David's Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ? How utterly unmeaning to apply this title of Christ in speaking of the Church. How perfectly and beautifully suggestive in predicting the establishment of that kingdom which is the central thought in God's scheme of earthly administration.
Amos, too, foretells how the Lord will "raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos 9:11), connecting this with the time of Israel's restoration and blessing. Micah describes Israel as "a woman in travail" waiting for the Lord's redemption. He then goes on to show by whom, and at what time, the deliverance comes.
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she which travails has brought forth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And He shall stand and rule in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah, His God; and they shall abide; for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:2-4).
Here Christ is presented as the Eternal One, and God's chosen ruler. He is born in Bethlehem, but instead of at once taking the dominion, He gives up the people "until the time that she which travails has brought forth," that is, until the time of Israel's redemption. Then "the remnant" are gathered, the nation "shall abide," and the glory and majesty of Christ's rule are beheld on the earth.
After the captivity, in connection with the rebuilding of the temple,
"came the word of Jehovah by the prophet Haggai, saying — I will shake the heavens, and the earth, . . . and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come" (Haggai 2:1-7).
And two months later the same prophet is commanded to
"speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth, and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the Gentiles; and I will overturn the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says Jehovah, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, says Jehovah of Hosts" (vv. 21-23).
Zerubbabel has been dead more than twenty-three centuries, and yet this shaking of the nations has not come. What can be clearer than that the great event here foretold is the overthrow of all earthly thrones when the Messiah, Zerubbabel's descendant, shall establish His rule in righteousness over the nations of the world?
Zechariah speaks of the day when
"the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them" (Zech. 12:8),
prophesying, at the same time, that the Jews shall look on Him whom they pierced, and shall mourn for Him. In another place, he says — "Behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch," and then promises that He "will remove the iniquity of that land in one day," adding —
"In that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree" (Zech. 3:8-10).
So, too, addressing Jerusalem, he says,
"Behold thy King comes unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass" (Zech. 9:9).
The King, however, is rejected, till at length the people, as we have seen, repent and mourn over Him whom they pierced. Then, in the worst strait, He comes forth, as Jehovah for their deliverance, and His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives. Afterwards the dominion is established, and the nations of the earth come up to Jerusalem "to worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts" (Zech. 14:4-16). Here we find the same King, admitted to be Jesus when He comes riding on an ass, afterwards spoken of as Jehovah of Hosts, appearing for the deliverance of His people at the hour of their direst need, and then becoming, in Jerusalem, the object of homage to the whole earth.
How perfectly this harmonises with all the glories elsewhere unfolded of this great King, at once Jehovah of Hosts, and the dependent man, with honour and majesty laid upon Him because of His perfect trust in God!
The last of the prophets, Malachi, writes as follows —
"Behold I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the
