Zechariah 14:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As the apostle Paul notes: ‘We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due, based on what he has accomplished, whether good or bad’ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Indeed, ‘He will come, says He, and all the saints will be with Him,’ meaning the pure host of holy angels who surround Him, present to serve Him, for Emmanuel is the Lord of all and is honored by them as God, alongside Him who begets Him. It is also affirmed that the saints will be present with Him, caught up in the clouds upon His return in the air, as the wise Paul also affirms (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The prophet Isaiah, too, speaks similarly about them: ‘The firkins there shall meet, and shall see one another's faces; they shall pass away in number, and one of them shall not perish; neither shall they seek one another, for the Lord has commanded them, and his spirit shall gather me’ (Isaiah 34:15-16). King David also sings of the descent of Christ, our Savior: ‘For the Lord will not cast away His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance, until truth becomes judgment, and those who cling to it shall all reign in their hearts’ (Psalm 93:14-15). Truth is Christ, and He declares, ‘He shall turn to judgment.’ After enduring death, He ascended to the Father, God in heaven (John 20:17). Yet, ‘He shall turn to judgment,’ and with Him shall be ‘all those who reign in their hearts,’ as previously stated. At the end of the world, a new condition of creation will emerge, transformed by Christ into a better existence, as verified by the prophet: ‘On that day, there shall be no light, and winter and darkness shall coexist in one moment; on that day, we will know the Lord.’ Day and night are presently distinct, dividing time according to the Creator’s design, as daytime gives way to nightfall. When the Judge arrives, reshaping all in His wisdom, then creation will receive a new arrangement, for there will no longer be ‘light, winter, and frost in one moment.’ Winter and frost will cease, and thus the regular cycle of twenty-four hours will be unified into a single day. This mirrors the idea that ‘when He descends from heaven and transforms all things for the better as the Creator, there will not be the distinction of night and day. A similar proclamation is made by the blessed prophet Isaiah: ‘The sun shall not provide light during the day, nor will the moon give light during the night; but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and God your glory’ (Isaiah 60:19). In that day, the natural order will be altered, as Christ Himself confirms: ‘But after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light’ (Matthew 24:29). Christ will be our eternal light and our constant, unending day. And ‘in that day, He says, we will know the Lord,’ for only God and the Father knows the day of the end, as the Son assures us: ‘But no one knows that day or hour, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father’ (Matthew 24:46, cf. Mark 13:32). Although He (the Son) is understood as a man like us, He cannot comprehend everything within the Father. Yet, as He is truly God and originated from Him, He knows the final day, even though He claimed not to know it in His humanity. The prophet adds, ‘It shall not be day or night, but light shall shine in the evening,’ indicating that during the night, light will illuminate the heavenly realm through Christ, obliterating darkness that no longer blinds the eyes of the saints. It is further suggested that creation itself will be renewed, as articulated by the disciple of the Savior, who speaks of ‘the day of the Lord coming like a thaw, when the heavens will vanish with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and all its works will be consumed… But we await new heavens and a new earth, according to His promises’ (2 Pet. 3:10-14). We must also arrive at this understanding through necessary reasoning, for if our state will be one of renewed life, a new creation will be required for us, which the divine Paul writes about: ‘the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God’ (Rom. 8:21).

As the day of His return approaches, there will be no light, only a pervasive coldness due to the waning love among people and the many tribulations that will arise. Many will grow indifferent and lose the fervor of their faith. After the coldness prevails among all who reject His grace, there will be one everlasting day, for no longer will light and darkness or night and day alternate; the Lord Himself will be the light of all. This is echoed by Isaiah, who states, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night” (Isaiah 60:19). He further proclaims to Jerusalem, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3). If darkness and gloom are to envelop the nations, how then will they walk in the Lord's radiance? Those nations steeped in their own coldness will remain in darkness, while those who align themselves with the Lord will walk in His light, guided by apostles and prophets, as it is stated, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:1). Ultimately, during the evening, which represents the trials and tribulations of the unrighteous, the saints will experience light and everlasting day. Although this day is known to the Lord—who is fully aware of all creation—He declares in the Gospel that neither the angels nor even the Son know the day, but only the Father knows (Matt. 24:36).

Now, let us return to our discussion regarding the Spirit. In the passage we have referenced, we find that the Son declares of the Spirit, "He shall glorify Me" (John 16:14). Therefore, it follows that the Spirit, like the Father, honors the Son. Moreover, the Son also honors the Spirit of God, as we mentioned earlier. Consequently, the One who shares glory through the communion of eternal light is neither diminished nor subordinate to the Holy Spirit, who is rightly said to be glorified by the Spirit.