Even the Mountains Respect the LORD

Zechariah 14:3-4,9: "Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley . . . . The LORD will be king over the whole earth. One that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name."

The prophet Zechariah was called by the LORD in 520 BC to herald the coming hope of the Savior, bringing deliverance to His people and establishing His reign over the earth. Like with his contemporary, Haggai, Zechariah was called by the LORD to encourage the Jewish people to rebuild the temple as a place of worship of the One True God. Even the name, Zechariah, means "Yahweh Remembers" . . . a name filled with hope for a people who had been in captivity to the Babylonians for 70 years.

One of the strategies to encourage the people was to interject the hope found in the coming of the LORD, who would establish His throne in the New Jerusalem for all eternity; whereas the people had been through much calamity, the LORD knew that their spirits would be uplifted as they focused upon their reclamation by the LORD, who would triumph over all evil and who would restore all things to their glorious perfection.

One of the telling passages is cited above, namely that when the Lord descends upon the Mount of Olives, east of the city of Jerusalem, the mountain will split with half of it moving northward and the other half moving southward. As one visualizes such an event, in light of the typography of the land, one can see the wonderful display of submission even by God's creation. For when the mountains split in the direction indicated by the Scriptures, they will open a corridor that will point toward the glorious city of Jerusalem. The King of Kings will move westward between the divided mountain and pass through the Kidron Valley on His way to the city, as the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven beautifully dressed in preparation for His advent (see Revelation 21:2). The LORD will then sit upon His eternal throne and He will dwell with the redeemed, making all things new, whole, and wonderful.

This is a good word of hope for those of us who have yielded ourselves to the Lord as the Savior and King of our lives. God has given to us the hope of this blessed event as a source of encouragement as we traverse this difficult life, filled with pain and disappointment. If you find yourself struggling in this life, then the LORD invites you to reflect upon His triumphal return, when He will restore all things to glorious perfection. Hopefully, this reflection will rekindle an appreciation and awe in you of the One True Lord, bringing you to the same state of surrendered obedience much like the mountains that will humble themselves with the coming of the LORD.

God is Sovereign. He is Eternal. And He will Restore. Blessed be the Name of the LORD!