THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

"A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south." (Zechariah 14:1-4 HCSB)

The next event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church. At any moment, God could remove all born-again believers from the earth, evacuating them, before He pours out His wrath on a Christ-rejecting world.

No prophecy remains to be fulfilled before the rapture. It is imminent.

Sometimes, the rapture is confused with the second coming of Christ to earth. In the rapture, the dead in Christ are raised and the living saints are translated. Christ comes for His church and we rise to meet Him in the air. Then, seven years of tribulation--a time of horrific judgments--begins. At the climax of this cataclysm, Christ comes back with His church to commence His kingdom reign on earth.

It is the second coming of Jesus Christ that Zechariah describes in chapter fourteen.

Notice THE CONDITIONS OF HIS RETURN.

"A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle." (Zechariah 14:1-3 HCSB)

There are two important terms that are used to describe the conditions: the "day of the Lord" and the "battle" of Armageddon.

The conditions at the time of Christ's return are indicated by the expression THE DAY OF THE LORD.

"A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence." (Zechariah 14:1 HCSB)

This is not a 24 hour day, but a period of prophetic significance, signifying the end of human history. When we say, "Back in Lincoln's day, the Civil War was fought," we understand we are not talking about an actual day made up of 24 hours, but a span of time, during which Abraham Lincoln lived. That is the same sense in which the Bible uses, the "Day of the Lord."

Man has had his day, and now God takes over and will have His!

This is the day the Jews anticipate will usher in the Messianic kingdom. This time is portrayed in Scripture as a season of awesome judgments. Here, it mentions the "plunder" taken in battle, for Jesus said it would be a time of "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt.24:6).

The culmination of this bloodshed will be at THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.

"I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle." (Zechariah 14:2, 3 HCSB)

Although Zechariah does not use the word, "Armageddon," this is clearly the battle he is referencing.

From the West, the Beast—the Antichrist—will bring the combined might of the United States of Europe; Russia and her allies will descend as vultures from the North; armies numbering in the millions will march from the Orient; and the Arab and African nations sweep up from the South. They all converge in the Middle East for war.

Jerusalem will fall, and the Jews will be on the verge of extinction, when Christ will appear with heaven’s hosts to conquer.

The prophet also goes on to speak of THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS RETURN.

"On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. You will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee 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." (Zechariah 14:4, 5 HCSB)

Observe THE PLACE OF HIS RETURN.

"On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east." (v.4a)
The Mount of Olives overlooks the Eastern Gate—the sealed Golden Gate of Jerusalem. It overlooks the valley of Jehoshaphat which will be the scene of the judgment of the Gentile nations. Here, Jesus wept over the city that rejected Him and said, “For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, 'He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One'!" (Matthew 23:39 HCSB) The angels told the disciples who watched Jesus ascend from that mountain that when He returned He would come in the same fashion. His feet will land on the same spot!

Further, there is THE POWER OF HIS RETURN.

"The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south." (v.4b)

This is the mighty power of Christ’s return! He came the first time in weakness, as a baby in a manger, but He will come the second time in power, as a king on a stallion! When He comes, the ground quakes. He will shake everything up!

Zechariah also speaks of THE PURPOSE OF HIS RETURN.

"You will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah."
(v.5a)

The valley created will provide an avenue for those still in Jerusalem to escape. God will keep His covenant with Israel. If He does not, then we may not expect He will honor the New Covenant with His church--and that is unthinkable! He always keeps His Word.

The circumstances of the second coming are also seen in THE PARTICIPANTS OF HIS RETURN.

"Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him." (v.5b)

Christ returns with the angelic host and the raptured church. We will come back with Him to reign beside Him as the Bride of Christ.

THE CONDITIONS and CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS RETURN lead Zechariah to unveil THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS REIGN.

"On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish. It will be a day known [only] to Yahweh, without day or night, but there will be light at evening.
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike. On that day Yahweh will become King over all the earth-Yahweh alone, and His name alone." (Zechariah 14:6-9 HCSB)

Christ's reign on earth will be characterized by LIGHT.

"On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish. It will be a day known [only] to Yahweh, without day or night, but there will be light at evening." (v.6-7)

The Lamb of God will be the light. This light will mark the dawn of a new day and dispels the darkness of sin. As Malachi puts it, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall." (Malachi 4:2 HCSB)

The reign of Christ is also characterized by LIFE.

"On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike. (Zechariah 14:8 HCSB)

The earthquake that splits the Mount of Olives, and forms a valley of escape, will also open the stores of water beneath Jerusalem. These life-giving waters flow out of the rebuilt Temple according to Ezekiel.

The desert will bloom. The paradise Adam forfeited will flower again under Christ's rule. Imagine plucking the stem from a rose bush during the millennial reign, its petals perfect and color brilliant--and with not one thorn!

The reign of Christ is furthermore characterized by LORDSHIP.

"On that day Yahweh will become King over all the earth-Yahweh alone, and His name alone." (Zechariah 14:9 HCSB)

Today the name of Jesus is profaned, but not in that day! His cause is scorned now, but not then. His rule is rejected this day, but not in that day! Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Have you bowed? Only those who bow in this present age, will enjoy the blessings of His reign in the age to come.

We have been told in the Bible about the return of Christ--not to satisfy our curiosity, but to get us ready. We are pointed to the future that we might be prepared to meet God.

For the sinner it is a solemn warning. We do not have an unlimited number of days to get right with God. Things appear to be winding up quickly.

For the saved, this prophetic teaching isn't given for information, but inspiration, to calm our hearts and move our feet. It is time to get to work! Jesus said that we must work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work. If Jesus comes for His Bride today, are you dressed and ready to meet Him?