Zechariah 14:4,5

IN THAT DAY (10). Zechariah 14:4-5

RV. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and Jehovah my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee.
LXX. And his feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave asunder, half of it toward the east and the west, a very great division; and half the mountain shall lean to the north, and half of it to the south. And the valley of my mountains shall be closed up, and the valley of the mountains shall be joined on to Jasod, and shall be blocked up as it was blocked up in the days of the earthquake, in the days of Ozias king of Juda; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with him.

COMMENTS

This is one of the most difficult of all prophetic predictions. It has called forth some of the most ludicrous explanations ever offered as interpretation of Scripture. A nationally known television evangelist tells a wild story in which a large motel chain, investigating the possibility of building on the Mount of Olives, found a fault in the mountain of such extent that it could not support such a building. Just how preposterous this is is obvious to anyone who has visited the holy land and has seen the huge buildings which do stand on Olivet! Near the summit is the church of the Pater, Noster. Just to the south a few hundred yards is the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel. South of the Intercontinental is another hotel, the Panorama, and not far away a mosque has recently been erected.

If the Mount of Olives is to literally split at the coming of Jesus, it will not be because of any fault in the eatth, but because of the power of God!
The Mount of Olives is the predominant peak of a line of hills which begins just less than a mile east of Jerusalem and ranges north and south about a mile. Between the Mount of Olives, on the slopes of which the Garden of Gethsemane, a sabbath day's journey (7/8 of a mile) from the city. The mountain is separated from Jerusalem by the Kidron Valley. It stands some 295 feet higher than Mount Moriah, the site of the temple.
To the east of the Mount of Olives lies the Judean wilderness. On a clear day one can stand on the mountain's top and view the Dead Sea in the distance. The road to Bethany winds round the north, beyond which lies Mount Scopus.

It seems likely that Jesus ascended to Heaven from the slopes of Olivet. (Acts 1:11), though such is not specifically stated. Others believe He ascended from a hill in Galilee. (cp. Mark 16:19, etc.) Upon this assumption, some have seen Zechariah 14:4 as a prediction that He will return to the very spot from which He departed.

The statement that the Mount of Olives will cleave when the Lord stands upon it has given rise, as we have seen, to all sorts of speculations. What is described is the division, east and west, of the mountain resulting in the formation of a very great valley. If such were to happen literally, the city of Jerusalem would be much more accessible from the east.

(Zechariah 14:5) Such a valley would also form a way of easy escape from the city. Zechariah pictures the inhabitants of Jerusalem fleeing down the newly-formed valley between the northern and southern extremities of the then divided Mount of Olives. In verse three he has said that Jehovah will fight as in the day of battle. As He separated the Red Sea to allow the Jews to escape from Pharaoh's chariots, He will then separate the mountain to allow those in Jerusalem to escape from the assembled nations.

Azel has not been identified by archeologists. Many have speculated as to its location, but none have offered any real help.
Two hundred years before Zechariah, in the days of king Uzziah, a severe earthquake had caused many to flee Jerusalem. The prophet sees the exodus following the division of the Mount of Olives as similar to that historic event.

The Lord is next pictured as coming in company with all the saints. This prediction is reminiscent of one made in Jude 1:14. And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones. It is also quite similar to John's description of Christ's coming in Revelation 1:7, Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Jesus Himself predicted in Matthew 24:30, . and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Such descriptions of the Lord in Scripture are always in association with Christ's second coming. It is therefore unlikely that what Zechariah is presenting here is, as some have suggested, a metaphorical description of the preaching of the gospel and the escape of some Jews by accepting it in 30 A.D.

Chapter XLIIQuestions

In the Second Day

1.

Chapter fourteen deals almost exclusively with _________________.

2.

Eschatology may be defined simply as _________________.

3.

Do scholars generally agree on the meaning of this chapter?

4.

Discuss the two extreme views of pre and post millenialists in regard to Zechariah fourteen.

5.

One can never be _________________ and be dogmatic about eschatology, especially when it is written in apocalyptic form.

6.

In the study of eschatology we are deprived of a very useful tool in the interpretation of prophecy in general. What is that tool?

7.

Review the meaning of a day of Jehovah in chapter forty-one.

8.

In the day of Jehovah described in Zechariah fourteen the ______________ of Jerusalem is to be divided in her midst.

9.

Half the population of Jerusalem is to be _________________.

10.

Why does the Roman occupation of Jerusalem not fit the description here?

11.

List the events of Zechariah

a.

In that day (10)

b.

In that day (11)

c.

In that day (12)

d.

In that day (13)

e.

In that day (14)

f.

In that day (15)

g.

In that day (16)

12.

Describe the present setting of the Mount of Olives.

13.

The division of the Mount of Olives would provide an easy ___________________.

14.

The events here are compared to an historic earthquake in the days of ___________________.

15.

The description of the Lord in company with all the saints always refers to ___________________.

16.

What other prophets described the day of the Lord in terms similar to those used here by Zechariah?

17.

Peter saw at least the beginning of the fulfillment of a similar prediction by Joel in ___________________.

18.

God has always been king over the whole earth. In the end He will be ___________________.

19.

Locate Geba and Rimmon.

20.

What other topographical alterations accompany the splitting of the Mount of Olives?

21.

Who will be safe during these cataclysmic events?

22.

Describe the plague which is to come upon those arrayed against Jerusalem.

23.

What is the result of this plague?

24.

What Jewish feast is to be celebrated by all the nations? What is its significance?

25.

What is to be the consequence if any nation fails to keep the feast?

26.

Why is Egypt here singled out for special punishment should she fail to keep the feast?

27.

Finally the inscription _______________ is to be seen on everything in Jerusalem.

28.

Explain the significance of this inscription appearing on such diverse items as altar utensils and cook pots in the home.

29.

Who were the Canaanites?