Leaping, shouting, home to Zion,
Happy in the ev'ning light.”—Sel.
Chapter I. The Apostasy In Two Days.
In our introduction we gave a number of texts which spoke of the whole of the gospel dispensation as one day; but any period of time distinguished by some extraordinary historic event may be and is also termed a day. The apostasy or dark noonday being under two forms is marked in Bible history as two days. The first form of the apostasy, namely, Catholicism, is called by the Scriptures a “dark day.”
A Cloudy Day.
The second form of the apostasy was not such utter darkness as the first, and is therefore called a cloudy day. “For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Ezek. 34:11, 12. The cloudy day was a day of the scattering of God's people. This has been true of Protestantism. God's own people have been divided and scattered among the various organizations of man. The time of the seeking out refers to the evening, when God is going to gather his children together that “were scattered abroad,” [pg 456] and they shall be “one heart and one soul” as in the morning.
One more text refers to the cloudy day. “And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.” Zech. 14:6, 7. This day of Protestantism was neither “clear nor dark”; was neither “day, nor night.” It was a mixture of light and darkness, truth and error, and therefore is fitly termed a cloudy day.
A Revival.
After those two days there shall be a great revival caused by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hos. 6:1-3.