And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Ver. 4. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives] That is, he shall so put forth his power for the defence of his people, as if he did visibly appear among them, and beheld the fight from the top of a mountain; like as Xerxes used to pitch his tent on high, and stand looking on his army when in fight, to encourage them, and to send out orders. From this mount it was that God departed, after many former departures, from Jerusalem, Ezekiel 11:23. And what wonder, when as Har Hamischa, the mount of unction, was become Har Hamaschith, the mount of corruption, 2Ki 23:13 ? the bold Jews having set up their idol in this mount Olivet, even in the sight of the Lord; so that he never looked out of the sanctuary but he beheld the vile hill of abominations. From this mount it was that our Lord Christ ascended into heaven, Acts 1:11,12. There he was apprehended by the Jews, Joh 18:1 Matthew 26:30; there therefore it is prophesied that he shall stand against them by the Romans, say some, out of Joseph. B. J. vi. 3, and that when these things should come to pass the Jews might know that their utter destruction was near at hand. So God showed unto the Ninevites on what side their city should be taken; and what at that time should be the power and the attempts of the enemy against them, Nahum 2:1,13; Nahum 3:1,19, and yet neither of these repented for all this. Others, more probably, hold that here is promised such a powerful presence of God for the relief of his people as shall far exceed the glory that appeared the promulgation of the law, when the mouutains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs, Psalms 114:6; so terrible also was the sight, that Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake," Hebrews 12:21. I also see and tremble at the resemblance (said a holy man) between that giving of the law and the requiring of it at the last day. In the one mount Sinai only was on a flame; all the world shall be so in the other. To the one Moses (that climbed up that hill, and alone saw it) says, "God came with ten thousand of his saints"; in the other, thousand thousands shall minister to him, and ten thousand thousands shall stand before him. Hereunto some refer that obscure passage in the next verse, "The Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee," and that at the day of judgment Christ shall descend with all his angels into mount Olivet, which hangs over the valley of Jehoshaphat, that there he may plead with all nations, for his people, and for his heritage Israel, whom they have scattered, and parted their land, Joel 3:2. Further they say, that mount Olivet shall then be shaken with a very great earthquake; so that it shall cleave in the midst, and leave a very great valley; it shall enlarge the valley of Jehoshaphat, that it may be able to receive those that are there to be judged by Christ. Thus Lessius, Sa, a Costa, a Lapide, who also citeth for his purpose, Clemens Remarius, lib. vii. Constit. Ap. cap. 33, speaking thus, Mons ipse Oliveti gloriae venientis cedet et in quatuor partes dissectus longissime diffugiet, ut tribunali iudicis theatrum totius orbis assistat, i.e. Mount Olivet shall give place to the glory of Christ when he cometh; and being cleft into four parts, it shall fly far asunder, to the end that the theatre of the whole world may stand before the tribunal of the judge. Thus he, and surely the following Zechariah 14:6,8, &c., seem to favour this interpretation, and to have relation to the last day. But in prophecies not yet fulfilled, as this may be one, it is better and more sure to expect and stay for the explication by the event than to give it without any certain ground.