RE: John B: Zechariah 14:4

John,

For a number of weeks, now, you have referenced the following:

Zechariah 14:4 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.

You mentioned how the result will be a safe place, between.

Also, you mentioned, most of those times, that it will be God who steps on the mount of Olives, and mentioned even the Father.

Do you not believe that the Son will be the one who steps on the mount of Olives?

I had often considered Zechariah 14:4 together with:

Acts 1:11 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.

12 ¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.

I had thought that Jesus would come back to the mount of Olives, similar to how he left.

I had also thought that Zechariah was speaking about the time of the second advent of Jesus, like mentioned in chapter 12:

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

If Zechariah 14:4 is not speaking about the second advent of Jesus, then where does Jesus return to, at the second advent?

In Ezekiel's time, the glory of the LORD departed from the temple and then from the mount of Olives.

Ezekiel 8:6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

Ezekiel 9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;

Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Ezekiel 11:22 ¶ Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

A few days before his crucifixion, Jesus departed from the temple, and then forty days after his resurrection, he departed from the mount of Olives.

Matthew 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 24:1 ¶ And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Acts 1:12 ¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.

(This was also earlier somewhat pictured by David leaving Jerusalem when Absalom came to Jerusalem)

Anyway, since the Lord left that way, I had thought that he would come back that way, via the mount of Olives.

But if not there, then where? temple mount? Bethlehem? Nazareth? valley of Jezreel? hill of Megiddo? Petra? Bozrah?

However, clearly not to Rome or Salt Lake City :^)