Revelation 16:19; Jerusalem Transformed
Revelation 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Jerusalem will be divided into three parts as a result of the earthquake. The cities of the world will fall and Babylon, the symbol of rebellion, will face the wrath of God detailed in Revelation 17 and 18.
Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which isbefore 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 bea very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:5-9 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come,and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
As a result of the great earthquake (Zechariah 14:5), great physical changes will transform the Holy Land. A new and living river shall flow from Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. They will be joined. The streams shall be perennial and not dry up even in summer. The Dead Sea shall come alive, filled with all kinds of fishes. It is possible to go fishing in the Dead Sea like the many who fish for St Peter’s fish in the Sea of Galilee today (v 8). Psalm 46:4 also shed further light: “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.”
The land will be turned into a plain that will allow smooth traffic flow for the nations of the world to come to Jerusalem to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. The day will be neither light nor darkness (v 6). In the evening, there shall be light (v 7). We cannot fully fathom this new lighting condition. The climate will also be transformed, there will be a supernatural canopy over the land protecting it from the storm and rain, Isaiah 4:5-6, “And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
Most emphatically, “…the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (v 9). Ponder this blessed truth – God physically dwelling in the midst of His people – “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”
On earth today, God has been denied and forgotten, His honour discarded and His commandments transgressed. Nations seek not His glory nor show forth His praise. May it not be so for us!