12.30.2014 Old Testament: Zec 14.4–5

To read the Bible in a year, read Zechariah 13–14 on December 30, In the year of our Lord 2014

By Don Ruhl

Zechariah 13 prophesied of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the next chapter shows the wonderful things He continues to do for His people,

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,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
(Zechariah 14.4)

The Mount of Olives is before Jerusalem, standing before the city even as the Lord stands before His church for her protection. The Mount of Olives hinders an escape eastward. You have to descend 300 feet leaving Jerusalem, then ascend 400 feet to go over the Mount of Olives. But the Lord removes hindrances. Let us not forget who our Lord is.

Then the prophet showed that we flee by the Lord. He is always there for us, creating wonderful deliverances for us that we would not have imagined,

Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Thus the Lord my God will come,
And all the saints with You.
(Zechariah 14.5) 

God provides a way of escape. We do not know much about Azel and the earthquake the prophet referenced, but the quake must have been great for it to be remembered so many years later.

Even as the Lord opened up the Red Sea for Israel unexpectedly, so He will open up hindrances before us, and we shall escape our enemies.