On the Mount of Olives

This is our second study of this passage. “On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south” (v 4). This verse prophesies that the landscape will be drastically changed at the time of the Messiah’s Second Coming. (1) As we learned last time, the returning Messiah will first come to Bozrah (present-day Petra), and then to Jerusalem. (2) At this time, the prophecy of Acts 1:11 will be fulfilled: “… This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (3) The Mount of Olives is a small mountain ridge located east of Jerusalem, extending from north to south. That ridge will be split north and south by a great earthquake, and in the middle there will be formed a very large valley running east to west. This geological upheaval will occur not only around Jerusalem, but throughout the whole earth.

With all the holy ones

“And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!” (v 5). (1) “The valley of My mountains” refers to the new valley formed by the great earthquake. Since the Mount of Olives is split into two, the expression “mountains” is used. (2) The survivors will flee into that great valley in order to escape the earthquake. The location of “Azel” is unknown, but it was probably somewhere near the banks of the Jordan River. (3) The flight of God’s people is compared to the event in the days of King Uzziah of Judah, when people fled from an earthquake (ref. Amos 1:1). (4) At the time of the Lord’s Second Coming, all the saints will return to the earth together with Him. The word translated “saints” means “holy ones,” so it can refer either to angels or to believers. It probably includes both. The return of the angels is prophesied in Matt. 16:27 and 25:31. The return of the saints of the Church Age is prophesied in Jude 14: “Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones.” After the Messiah’s Second Coming, we will live in a wonderful kingdom beyond anything we can even imagine in our present life. Therefore, we never need to lose hope in any circumstance. Let us give thanks to God for this.