Page 85 - The Minor Prophets - Student textbook

“On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem. . . . I will set out to destroy all the nations
that attack Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:8-9). These events will occur at the end of the tribulation
period at Christ’s second coming.

In summary, Zechariah 12:10 predicts the piercing of the Son of God, the Messiah, fulfilled at the first
coming of Jesus Christ when He died on the cross and was pierced by a spear in His side (John 19:36–
37). The complete fulfillment of this verse awaits the last days when the Jewish people will plead for
mercy from the One they have pierced.

"Is Zechariah 14:4 a prophecy about the second coming of Christ?"

Zechariah 14:4 predicts, “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, with half of the Mount
moving north and half moving south.” “That day” is a reference to the Day of the Lord, and the One
who stands on the mountain is the Lord Himself. So, yes, this passage predicts the second coming of
Christ.

The opening of Zechariah 14 speaks of a future day when Jerusalem will be plundered by its enemies.
Verse 2 prophesies that all nations will gather against Jerusalem and capture and ransack the city. Half
of the citizens of Jerusalem will flee the devastation, but the other half will remain. This will be one half
of the one third of the Jewish population still alive in Jerusalem after the Tribulation (13:8). Then,
Zechariah says, the Lord Himself will go forth and engage these opponents in battle (14:3). Verse 4
speaks of the Messiah standing on the Mount of Olives, a hill near Jerusalem on the east. The mountain
will split, creating an enormous valley. Since none of this has taken place yet, the prophecy points to a
future time.

A parallel passage tells of the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21). Revelation 16:18-
21 predicts horrible events at the end of the Tribulation when the seventh bowl is poured out:

“Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No
earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The
great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. . . . Every island fled away and
the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell
upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”

The earthquake in Revelation could very well speak of the event described in Zechariah when the
Mount of Olives splits in two. Jesus the Messiah will cause an earthquake at His second coming that will
serve as part of the destruction of God’s enemies. The outcome of this battle is never in doubt: Christ
will be the victor, Israel’s enemies will be destroyed, and the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet will be
thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:11-21).

Foreshadowings: Prophecies about Jesus Christ and the messianic era abound in Zechariah. From the
promise that Messiah would come and dwell in our midst (Zechariah 2:10-12; Matthew 1:23) to the
symbolism of the Branch and the Stone (Zechariah 3:8-9, 6:12-13; Isaiah 11:1; Luke 20:17-18) to the
promise of His Second Coming where they who pierced Him will look upon Him and mourn (Zechariah
12:10; John 19:33-37), Christ is the theme of the Book of Zechariah. Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a
fountain whose blood covers the sins of all who come to Him for salvation (Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).

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