“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two. . . .” (Zechariah 14:3-4, NKJV)
I’ll leave it to theologians to determine when this prophecy will be fulfilled. What I see in it this morning is that when the Lord sees His people losing to their enemies, He will go in personally and fight for them. His power and presence will be so great that the place where He stands is split apart. No army will stand against Him.
Today, nations and armies do stand against God. A quick read of almost any newspaper tells how nations, armies, kings and would-be kings defy all that is good and righteous. There is no mercy or forgiveness in the Middle East. The atrocities in the Congo and Sudan defy the love of God. Terrorists do not care who dies, only that they can kill and maim people created in His image. Crime rates and lawlessness rise, and even those whose task is to enforce law are sometimes corrupt.
Psalm 2 talks about the nations and people who defy God and His righteousness. It says, “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’”
They ignore the rule of the Lord and raise their fists against Him to establish their own power, but they do it to their peril. The next verse says, “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: ‘Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.’”
Because God is also patient and long-suffering, those who defy Him think they are getting away with it, but someday He will act, not in mercy but in wrath. Then it will be too late to repent and turn to Him. His King Jesus will stand on that hill and His power will not only split it in two, He will settle once and for all who is sovereign over the whole world.
Yet I also know that this God who will judge the nations, cares for even me. Nothing in my life is too insignificant for Him. When I am sad, He can give me joy. When I am fearful, He can give me courage. Whatever I need, He is there for me. I pray for all sorts of things, and He meets my needs, large and small.
My weakness is also a venue for His strength. He helps me with all sorts of things that are beyond my abilities and power. However, the strength described in this prophecy is not given to me, nor to any person or nation. Only God can split a mountain.
Far better to trust and cling to a God like that, than defy Him by thinking I can handle life on my own!
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