Q412 : The Gathering of the Jews at the Second Coming

Hi There,

Thank you for your faithful ministry and for the wealth of demystification available on your website. I have benefited so much from your ministry. I do have intricate questions which require lengthy rubrics for me to elucidate the cause of my confusion. Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Zec. 14 seems to tell us that Jesus' touchdown on Mount of Olives is in response to believing Jews asking for His help and that the touchdown creates the ravine by which Jews flee Jerusalem in the desert (Zec. 14). We know from Rev 12 and Daniel, that the Jews are taken by God into the desert at the mid-point of the tribulation and that their hiding in the desert in Edom is a form of divine rescue which lasts for 3.5 years. So 3 questions flow from this:

1. Why are Jews for whom the intensification of persecution is meant, (Daniel 7: 'Jacob's trouble'/Matthew: Jesus warns the Jews of that generation to pray they aren't pregnant or that it isn't winter when praying) then removed from the persecution of the Anti-Christ?
2. We know that the Lord's physical return to execute the wicked en masse is the culmination of the Day of the Lord, (which appears to be a period that exactly parallels the 3.5 years of Jacob's troubles as I understand it). So therefore His return is at the end of the 7-year tribulation. But I am confused as to why Zechariah 14 seems to insinuate the touch down on the Mount of Olives creates a ravine which provides the exit for the Jews by which to flee into the desert. Surely if the Lord is about to execute their persecutors, they don't need to flee, but more importantly, the abomination of desolations occurred 3.5 years earlier and seemingly they all therefore fled at that time, well before the ravine was formed.
3. Several OT prophecies indicate that before the Lord's return, Jews will be gathered from all the nations to enter the Millennium (e.g., Zephaniah 3:20). No doubt people think the gathering was fulfilled in 1948, but clearly, there are Jews still all over the world and additionally, these passages clearly state that they will be gathered to enter the millennium. So the gathering and entering the millennium appear to be linked and paired chronologically. This also doesn't make sense to me, since Israel will be in the wilderness just before the setting up of the Kingdom so how will they be gathered if they are already in one place, in a much-diminished population?

A412 : by Tony Garland

Thank you for your question. It is always encouraging to encounter believers who take the details of Scripture seriously and desire to understand what God has chosen to reveal.

To respond to each of your points in turn:

1. Scripture is written to two audiences: (1) those who believe what is written and respond in faith—who understand and respond to Scripture; (2) skeptics who reject what is written and remain ignorant of its contents. In the case of the time of Jacob’s trouble, believing Jews will know and respond to the warnings given by Jesus to flee to the mountains (Mat. 24:16; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:21). But unbelieving Jews—including those who later come to faith—are caught unawares and do not benefit from the shelter provided for those who flee to the mountains.
2. As mentioned in answer #1, not all Jews will flee Jerusalem when the abomination of desolation takes place. Also: the return of Jesus involves numerous events and locations. Rather than a single battle, it is more of a campaign: something I discuss in my commentary on Revelation^a.
3. At the return of Christ, not all believing Jews will be among those protected in the wilderness (Rev. 12:17^b). Many will be in jail: in the “wilderness of the peoples,” among the nations where God will plead His case with them. Many of these will experience severe persecution resulting in their turning to faith (Mat. 25:31:40 cf. Eze. 20:33-38).