The Battle of Armageddon
October 4, 2022
Commentary
This passage concerns the return of the Lord to the earth to set up His kingdom (v. 1). The conquerors will divide the spoil in the midst of Jerusalem. Having given the effect, the prophet now gives the cause: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle (v. 2).” The prophet moves to the final battle of the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon. “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations” (v. 3). When the Messiah returns to earth, “his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east (v. 4). Our Lord returned to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11-12), and He will return precisely to the same location; but when He does, something unusual will happen: “And the mount of Olives shall split in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley (v. 4).” The reason why the Mount of Olives will divide is to provide an avenue of escape. “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal, (v. 5)”
The important thing about this whole event is that (the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Him (v. 5). This is when the Lord will return to the earth with His saints to set up His kingdom!
Many great changes in nature will occur when the Lord returns to set up His kingdom (vv. 6-8). It will be a time when neither day nor night will be normal. The next passage concerns the millennial reign of the Lord (vv. 9-11).The extent of the Messiah’s reign is given (v. 9). “The Lord shall be king over all the earth.” Next, we see what the land of Israel will be like during the Millennium (v. 10). The city will be rebuilt, just as it was in former days of its glory; and it will be repopulated. The safety of the inhabitants is described (v. 11): “And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.”
Application
When I am rightly related to the Lord, there is no need for fear of any kind. I can dwell in perfect safety because all sin has been dealt with and done away.
Zechariah 14:1– 11 (NET)
1 A day of the Lord is about to come when your possessions will be divided as plunder in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away.
3 Then the Lord will go to battle and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives that lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward. 5 Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light—the sources of light in the heavens will congeal. 7 It will happen in one day—a day known to the Lord—not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light. 8 Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it will happen both in summer and in winter.
9 The Lord will then be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be seen as one with a single name. 10 All the land will change and become like the rift valley from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be raised up and will stay in its own place from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate and on to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 And people will settle there, and there will no longer be the threat of divine extermination—Jerusalem will dwell in security.
Illustration: Wiersbe Preaching on The Last Days
Warren Wiersbe tells a story of when he was a young man preaching on the last days with all the events of prophecy clearly laid out and perfectly planned. At the end of the service an older gentleman came up to him and whispered in his ear, “I used to have the Lord’s return planned out to the last detail, but years ago I moved from the planning committee to the welcoming committee.” (Source Unknown, Lou Nicholes – Missionary Author).