Many details about the second coming of Christ are unknown to us (like the detail we most want to know — when?), but a great many details are revealed to us.
Zechariah particularly provides a vivid picture of what the coming of Christ will look like: He will descend bodily from Heaven and will come to the Mount of Olives, where His feet will physically touch (in the same way as He ascended two millennia ago, Acts 1:11). As His feet touch the mountain, it will be split in two parts from east to west. Further, the two halves of the mountain will move (think about what Jesus said in Mt. 17:20; 21:21) to the north and south, creating a valley large enough that the Israelite residents of Jerusalem will be able to escape their invaders.
At the same time, the will be followed by their captors, and the valley that is a place of escape for Israel will also become what Joel calls the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1ff) — the valley of God’s judgment. The Israelites will pass through the valley, and as the nations attempt to follow them, Yahweh of hosts (the “Lord of the armies” — the Sovereign over all the armies of all the world) will stop every enemy of Israel and judge them (read Rev. 19:11-16 to understand the totality of the defeat of the nations).
As you read the story, you can’t help but think about a similar miracle. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they left with the “blessing” of Pharaoh (Ex. 12:31-32), who quickly changed his mind and sent his army to pursue the Israelites. When Israel reached the Red Sea, all seemed lost — the impassable sea was in front of them, and the pursuing army behind them. Then God opened the sea so that it stood up (stopped flowing) making a wall of water to both the right and left of the people and then the sea bed dried immediately so that they were able to walk across solid and dry land. Then as the Israelites finished crossing and the Egyptians began crossing, the water came crashing down and obliterated every soldier of Egypt (Ex. 14:26-29).
In both Egypt in 1400 B.C. and in Jerusalem in some future day, God will provide an impressive and unanticipated means of escape for His people — a provision for them that will become a means of judgment for their enemies.
What grace they have received. What grace they will receive. And both provisions through similar manifestations of God’s miraculous power. What God said in that day will also apply to what happens in that future day:
“Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:30-31).
School of Frans Francken the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Words of Grace 