Second Coming Procession

Session 6: Entering Jerusalem

I.Leading The Captives Through Rivers:

At this point in the journey we want to remember that Jesus has been setting captives free from city to city along the path of His march and by the time He makes it to Jerusalem there will probably be tens of thousands of Jews with Him based off of the current world population. It is estimated that there are around 14 million Jews in the world, with just fewer than 6 million of those being found in the land of Israel.

  1. Another Parallel of the Exodus:

Jesus will have been leading them everywhere that He goes. This will include crossing over many territories and several bodies of water, including rivers. While we touched on the re-crossing of the Red Sea in session 4 we didn’t ever cover this “crossing rivers” dynamic. There are quite a few references to this particular aspect of the procession so we will take the time now to see how this factors into the march. What we want to understand is the parallel picture being presented with the Greater Moses leading the people of Israel across rivers in procession back into the land to gain their inheritance.

  1. Original Crossing Over into the Land:

When God was ready to have Joshua lead the people of Israel into the land they had the obstacle of the Jordan River to overcome. It was at this time that God performed the miracle of causing the flow of the river to stand up in a heap so that they could cross over.

“This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites…as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord…set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”…as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away…So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground (Js. 3:10-17).”

  1. Bookends of the Exodus Account:

This marked the end of their dessert wanderings just as He had parted the Red Sea 40 years earlier; these two events serve as bookends for that season of their history. This is the same picture of what we see in Jesus’ period of deliverance as the Greater Moses.

  1. Crossing Over Rivers:

Jesus will lead the captives through many places where water must be crossed, this includes several rivers. In all cases the waters are dried up and they are able to pass through without harm just like it was at the original parting of the Rea Sea and crossing of the Jordan River. In the same way there is fire all around them that in a like way does not harm them (from the Bowls of Wrath and results of war).

“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Is. 43:1-3)”

“Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke…I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst (Is. 50:2).”

“he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade (Na. 1:4).”

“Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high (Hb. 3:8-10).”

  1. Crossing Over the Jordan Again:

In order to get back into the Land from Bozrah the procession will have to again cross the Jordan River with not only the resurrected saints and angels but also the Jewish captives marching with Him. While I am not aware of any passages that specifically name the Jordan River by name pertaining to being parted again, geographically it is one of the rivers that will have to be crossed. The parallel is unmistakable; especially in light of knowing that the Red Sea will be parted again.

“I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you (Is. 43:2).”

II.Jesus is Coming Back to Jerusalem:

The whole procession is about Jesus making His way back to Jerusalem. His promised return is in the context of Him coming back not merely to the Earth but specifically to the city of Jerusalem (Ps. 24:7-10, 68:15-19, 24-27; Is. 52:7-9; Je. 3:17; Na. 1:15; Zch. 6:12, 8:3, 14:4; Ez. 43:7).

  1. Jesus Longs for Jerusalem:

This city has long been in His heart the apple of His eye (Zch. 2:8), He longs to return to her and be received in her midst.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Lk. 13:34-35).”

  1. He will Make Jerusalem His Dwelling:

Jesus will come and actually take up residency in the city of Jerusalem, making it His physical home.

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord (Zch. 2:10).”

  1. Redemption and Exaltation:

When Jesus comes, He is coming to make all wrong things right. His coming to Jerusalem will change her identity and the way that the peoples of the Earth view her; His presence will lead to the city’s redemption and eventual exaltation.

“When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem (Is. 52:8-9).”

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth (Is. 62:6-7).”

III.Final Stages of the Procession:

As Jesus apporaches Jerusalem we are now coming to the final stages of the procession andthe high point of Jesus’ victory. His final destination is Jerusalem, but before He settles in there permanently there are many events that will unfold related to His arrival tothat city. This will be the focus of the next three sessions, and the below section will serve to give us an “at a glance” view of the dynamics that remain in the procession directly related to Jerusalem.

  1. Jesus Comes to the Mount of Olives:

While most recognize that Jesus will come to the Mount of Olives it is commonly misunderstoodas the first place He will arrive after His appearance in the sky. As we have seen in these past several sessions instead of it being the place He comes first it actually comes near the very end of His Second Coming Procession.

  1. Walks Through Jerusalem:

Jesus will lead His procession into and through the city of Jerusalem, which will be mostly evacuated by this point, in order to position His armies and lead them out to the Battle for Jerusalem.

  1. Approaches the Final Battle:

Jesus steps out of Jerusalem to bring an end to the armies of the nations that have gathered to destroy the city and it’s inhabitants.

“the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it (Is. 31:4-5)”

  1. Back into the City:

After the Battle for Jerusalem the procession will at some point make it’s way back into the city. It is at this time that great rejoicing and many aspects of celebration will take place which we will cover later.

  1. Esablish His Throne:

Ultimately Jesus will establish His Throne in Jerusalem. His Throne will be located in the actual Temple(Ps. 24:7-10; Je. 3:17; Zch. 6:12, 14:4; Ez. 43:7) andHe will then rule from there as His global capital.

IV.Jesus Makes a Backdoor Entrance to Jerusalem:

The Second Coming is in context to the Battle for Jerusalem. The city will be surrounded and at some point prior to Jesus’ coming and half of it will have been taken into captivity (Zch. 14:1-2). The final battle will be looming over the heads of those inside the city and fear will be heavy on the hearts of those who remain there. Jesus has chosen to make a most unusual entry back into Jerusalem, choosing herdarkest time when the city is surrounded by enemy forces about to attack.

  1. Last Minute Deliverance for Israel:

When Israel escaped slavery in Egypt in the days of MosesGod led them in such a way that positioned their backsagainst the sea in seemingly impossible position as Pharaoh and his forces advanced upon them. The Antichrist’s army will now also be in a place of apparent victory, but just as Israel saw a sudden turn of events at the Red Sea so those in the city will see the hand of God. Just as the end time Pharaoh, Antichrist, and his forces are about to advance Jesuswill appear and bring the victory.

  1. Splitting the Mountain:

Zechariah 14 makes it clear that Jesus will come to the Mount of Olives (Zch. 14:4-5; Ac. 1:11-12) at just the perfect time to rescue the remnant of Israel. As the Greater Moses He will split the Mount of Olives in two and create a very large valley with which Israel will be enabled to escape the certain death that awaited them.

“Behold, the day of the LORD is coming...For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken...half of the city shall go into captivity...Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives...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 (Zch. 14:1-4 NKJV).”

  1. Say to this Mountain:

Jesus made some statements about the Mount of Olives that were distinctly Messianic for those who were paying attention. He was speaking to a Jewish crowd who had all been exposed to the above teaching about the Messiah. Jesus exhorted his disciples faith in a way that foreshadowed what He himself would later do at His second coming. As He prophesied that men could move mountains He was standing at the base of the Mount of Olives and was probably pointing at it (Mk. 11:1, 22-23).

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Mt. 17:20).”

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done (Mt. 21:21).”

  1. Supernatural Escape Route:

When Jesus actually says to that mountain “Move from here to there” this will create an unexpected escape route for the Jews who are in the city. The remnant of Israel will then escape from the dangers of the impending armies by fleeing through the valley that will be created by Jesus when He splits the mountain in two. He will part the Mount of Olives just like Moses parted the Red Sea. They will escape the invading army by fleeing through this new God made valley; the picture here is intended to parallel when Israel was backed up against the Red Sea and God caused the waters to part as a supernatural escape route. Israel will thus make their second exodus escape, this time through the valley of their Messiah’s making.

“Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley...Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah…Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You (Zch. 14:4-5 NKJV).”

  1. Fleeing Urgently:

Zechariah 14 says that they will flee with urgency; the description is that the people will be in panic, running like people trying to escape an earthquake (Zch. 14:4-5).

  1. Distance from Jerusalem:

Acts tells us that the Mount of Olives is Sabbath’s day walk from the city of Jerusalem. This tells us a lot about the scene that we just saw where Jesus splits the mountain and the people in the city, probably thousands of them, run out of it through the mountain valley.

“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city (Ac. 1:10-12).”

  1. Grasping the Realities of the Day:

The distance detail tells us that that this eruptious moment will take hours to unfold completely, perhaps most of the day. When we think of it things in this way it helps us to grasp the reality of things far easier; the time this will take, the emotions of the people as they run for hours trying to wrestle through what is happening.

V.When Jesus Appears Before His People Israel:

There will be very different perspectives that day. Jesus will have opened the prison camps of Egypt and Assyria to set the Jewish slaves free. They are still marching with Him as He approaches Jerusalem, they will have seen all His miracles along the way. When they approach Jerusalem their perspective of Jesus and what is transpiring is very different from those inside the city who are filled with terror awaiting the impending Antichrist attack.

“Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem…all the nations of the earth are gathered against her (Zch. 12:2-3)”

  1. The Remnant will See Him:

All of those present will see Him, not only Him but the entire procession with Him. They will look upon Him and their hearts will melt as they connect the dots to who this is and what this means, it will result in intense mourning.

“I will pour on...the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him...In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem...In that day a fountain shall be opened...for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. "It shall be in that day...I will also cause the...unclean spirit to depart from the land (Zch. 12:10-13:2).”

  1. Those Who March at His Side:

The ones who march with Him do not flee in fear, they march along side Him, possibly even into the final battle. But at the very least they will console and explain more fully what is going on to the Jews that are terrified and fleeing. It is likely that some of these will even be family members of this remnant that was left in Jerusalem. Jesus is pictured as carrying them tenderly in His arms.

“Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young (Is. 40:10-11).”

  1. National Encounter:

Israel will have a powerful national encounter with the living God through the person of Jesus on that day. They will come to see Him as their Messiah but only after they process through a wide range of emotions in response to the events surrounding their deliverance.