Alrighty, so when we last left off, we were talking about Uzziah’s reign.
This king lived when the prophets Amos and Isaiah were doing their thing.
Now, if you’ve read the Biblical books written by these prophets, you know one thing.
These homies both prophesied a major earthquake.
Well, that earthquake just happened to take place during Uzziah’s last year on the throne.
And it was a big one, baby!
The quake didn’t just severely damage the structure of the Temple…
It rocked the whole freakin’ foundation down to its core!
This brings another significant Biblical prophecy to mind.
Recall Zechariah’s prophecy that there would be another earthquake so devastating that the Mount of Olives would literally split in half!
Let’s take a look at that Scripture for a sec:
“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies to the east of Yerushalayim; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, to make a huge valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”-Zechariah 14:4
So, the $64,000 question that arises is:
Whose feet are gonna be standing on the Mount of Olives?
Most typical Christian theology says it will literally be the feet of “Jesus.”
I gotta problem with that interpretation.
Why?
Because Zechariah is unambiguous that it is…
יהוה who fights against the nations (Zechariah 14:3).
The feet of יהוה who stands on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4).
יהוה will come, and all the holy ones with him (Zechariah 14:5).
יהוה will be king over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9).
Here’s the thing.
Scripture NEVER conflates the Father’s personal name Yahweh with the son.
That would be blasphemy.
I know Trinitarians get all giddy when they come across passages like this.
In their marijuana-induced state of highness, they just have to insist that the answer to the question of whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives is their Jesus.
They literally consider Jesus to be God the Father Himself.
So, no big surprise that’s how they interpret this passage.
The only problem is their theology hits a brick wall called the “Hebrew Bible.”
The pronoun “His” in Zechariah 14:4 points back to the subject introduced in the previous verse.
And, as I’ve just said, that subject is יהוה (YHWH).
So, while many English translations render the name simply as “the LORD”…
The underlying Hebrew is the covenant name of God.
If that’s the case, then the one whose feet stand on the Mount of Olives…
And whose presence causes the mountain to split in two…
Is יהוה…
And not someone else introduced into the passage.
Again, I get that historic Christian theology asserts that Jesus is YHWH incarnate…
And therefore identifies the returning figure in Zechariah 14 with their Christ.
But again, I think that conclusion arises from smoking too much marijuana rather than anything Zechariah explicitly states.
Look, Christianity always assumes that whenever God appears or interacts with humanity in some visible, physical way, it’s some pre-incarnate Christ popping up all over the place in the “Old” Testament.
So, of course, they’re gonna say the figure in Zechariah 14 is Jesus coming back to tap dance on the Mount of Olives, causing some gargantuan earthquake.
As I just said, I think they’re reading their doctrinal assumptions into the text.
This is eisegesis as opposed to exegesis.
Look those words up if you don’t know what they mean.
So let me put this to rest right now for all time and forever.
Here’s the key question you gotta ask yourself:
Is Zechariah describing a literal event in which YHWH physically stands on the Mount of Olives, or is the language symbolic?
Read that question again because it really does get to the heart of the matter.
Why?
Because determining whether Zechariah is speaking literally or figuratively is the key to properly interpreting that passage.
Let’s cross-reference with other Scripture.
For example, check out this passage from Isaiah 66:
“Heaven is my throne,” says Yehoveh “and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house could you build for me? What sort of place could you devise for my rest?” – Isaiah 66:1
So Isaiah 66 says that heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His footstool.
Does that mean God is literally sitting on a giant chair with His feet resting on the earth while chomping on Cheetos and drinking a Diet Coke?
Most Bible teachers, including Christian pastors and preachers, would say no.
They properly understand Scripture is speaking metaphorically here.
So then, why aren’t they consistent in seeing metaphors elsewhere in Scripture?
When it says that YHWH’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, why do they gotta insist on interpreting that passage literally?
Especially when elsewhere, they’re interpreting other parts of Scripture metaphorically?
Ya feel me here?
Can’t this just be a powerful metaphorical way of saying that God Himself (Yahweh, NOT Jesus) has stepped into history to act?
Sure, if you smoke enough marijuana, a case can be made that the passage is talking about Jesus.
But the chapter freakin’ says it’s YHWH Himself who causes the Mount of Olives to split…
Not because He literally stomped on it with a pair of physical feet.
No homie on planet earth, scholarly or otherwise, will argue about that.
Exactly how God will manifest His presence when this incredible event happens is something Scripture simply doesn’t make clear.
So I ain’t gonna engage in speculation on parts that aren’t clearly articulated.
God has told us what will happen…
But He hasn’t told us everything about how He will do it.
When this earthquake occurs, by the way, we’re told it’s gonna be so devastating that a new river will be created, flowing all the way down to the Dead Sea!
The Dead Sea sits about 4,000 feet lower than Jerusalem.
So that’s perfectly plausible.
Alright, this ran kinda long.
So I’m gonna end it here without getting into some long-winded takeaway.
If there is a takeaway, it can be summed up in this statement:
The New Testament NEVER explicitly identifies Zechariah 14 as being fulfilled by Jesus.
That’s just eisegesis gone hog wild outta control with a lot of snorting white powder added to the mix.
And by the way, Zechariah 14 is one of the strongest passages where the Hebrew Bible clearly asserts YHWH Himself comes to the Mount of Olives.
The only way to argue that this passage is about Jesus is by pulling a bunch of scattered New Testament texts together.
The Bible never plainly says, “Zechariah 14 is about the Messiah.”
That distinction is important, homies.
You can read another article I wrote about it HERE.
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And when he had spoken these things,
while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him
out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven
as he went up, behold,
two men stood by them
in white apparel;
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner
as ye have seen him
go into heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet,
which is from Jerusalem
a sabbath day’s journey.”
-Acts 1:9-12
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