When God says “it shall be” we know it is as good as done. Zechariah saw time unfold. The Lord shall confront his adversary one final time. His feet will touch the Mount of Olives; the very spot from where he left this earth from 2,000 years ago will be where he returns. This is his second coming, and it will place 7 years after the rapture. The end of verse 5 gives us the foreboding scene. John said every eye shall see him and wail. Jesus is coming in glory and revealing himself to a world that has belittled him. The people will deny his re-appearance. Yet he shall come.
Zechariah 14:3 “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 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 cleave 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. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 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. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
When Jesus’ feet touch the Mount of Olives again, a way of escape will be made for the 144,000 converted Jews. Once safe, Jesus will fight the nations who denied him. Seven years earlier the Holy Spirit had gone up ending the Age of Grace, and the church was raptured. Right now the Holy Spirit is the only one holding back the evil one; once he is gone, those left behind will follow what they have chosen. When Jesus returns there will be a face off with the devil, the anti-Christ, and false prophet. The remnants of the world systems behind the anti-Christ will try to overthrow the Lord. We will be there, but we won’t fight; it won’t be necessary. We will witness the final overthrow.
In verses 6 and 7, Zechariah describes how it will look on that day. He saw the Lord and his saints, the remnants of the nations, and the anti-Christ. The world will wail, but it will be too late. The very atmosphere of the dying world will be frightening. Revelation 16 says the cities of the nations and the nations shall fall. The survivors will gather. All their comforts will be gone. They will have seen the rivers turn to blood. There will be no water and very little food. They will still curse God. Their only recourse, in their minds, is to recover what they lost by looking to their leader to take it back. The day won’t have light. One last day is coming, and that final day won’t be a normal day. Every soul, from the once renowned atheists as well as the common unbeliever, will know instinctively that this is indeed the end.
“And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.” (vs 12-13)
Simultaneously eyes will be gone, tongues will melt away. The same One who spoke peace to us and saved our soul will speak again, and it will happen. In an instant flesh will be gone followed by bones. The atomic bomb is powerful, but God put the power of the atom in place when he created it. The very power that created it will unleash it. The very thing that kept them alive and intact will be undone; man will melt away along with all of this old, cursed creation.
The beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire. The devil will be thrown into the bottomless pit to ultimately be cast into the lake of fire. The wicked will rise to the last judgment, the White Throne Judgment. God will permanently take care of anything and everything against God. Justice will be served for eternity. Fallen Man will have gotten what he wanted—eternal release from God. In one battle it will be over.
“And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
How simple and perfect all will be once the Lord takes care of the devil. Paradise will return. There will be one King—no politicians, emperors, or dictators. There will be no dissension. All will be perfect. “In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one.”
There shall be a country governed by God’s perfect word. It will result in perfect order. There shall be a city where there will be no more evil and fear. There shall be a kingdom ruled by the One Perfect Ruler. There will be no complaints. It shall be a world of perfect peace and life. Everyone will be happy and content.
No wonder John said “even so, come quickly.” In these times it is easy to see how this old world, with it’s ever-worsening corruptness, is truly passing away. We shouldn’t be sad. Lift up your heads. Look up and forward, ” for our redemption draweth nigh.” Remember these words of Jesus. “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
And, please, be ready.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 