A brother in the Lord asked if I would discuss dispensationalism and Zechariah 14 with a blogger who owns a bible prophecy website.  I gladly accepted the inviation and will provide to the reader the discussion as it occurred..  I have changed the web site owners name to “Brother” for the sake of his privacy, and each of my responses are italicized and indented for clarity sake.

I believe you ask very good questions.  Some of the best I’ve ever heard asked!  To what intent does the prophets say “god treads on the mountains”?  I must reply I know of many possible intentions, and I know that God often teaches mankind through parallels, examples, similitude’s, and first doing things in the natural, and then the spiritual.

For example, when Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them animal skins, not Levi’s.  Thus, there was an “animal sacrifice” from the beginning to teach of death, and consequences of sin, and that a sacrifice can provide a covering for sin.  As we now know, 6000 years later, Jesus’s death for us provides for us white robes that cover our sins.

What is being communicated that God walks on the mounts?  Good question.   I can only guess and make an educated Biblical guess, in fitting with all other scriptures and doctrines.  what is your guess?

I have walked on mountaintops.  Have you?  What did you see and feel?  I see a great view all around; it’s not just “the outdoors”, but it’s an amazing feeling to see so much.  Often  you are exhausted when you get there.  I feel peace.  I feel humbled.  I feel exhilarated.  I feel an appreciation for the creation.  I often feel I can commune with God.

I was a skier.  We take a chairlift to mountaintops.  It’s not the same, but often, just a little bit similar, or only a bit less so.

One thing I have noticed about the outdoors is the sense of freedom, yet also, the sense of lack of security; without the comforts of civilization.  There is freedom, and fear.

There is also no slavery in nature.  Only man engages in debt slavery with one another.  Animals do not do such horrible things to one another.

But what do scriptures say about mountains?  They are often places of worship of God, or of false gods.  The “temple mount” in Jerusalem is a holy spot.  Moses saw the burning bush in the mountains, on holy ground.

Is God “mystical” and so “spiritual” that things can not be understood or  practical?

Our God is practical.  Idolatry is an affront because it is a useless waste of time, dishonors God, and is often used to pool money from misled people and steal from them, as they trust in a false idol rather than reality.

Jesus said about trees that do not bear fruit, to cut them to the ground.

Mountains are not very useful forms of land; the land is often unfit for human use, unfruitful, and in the sierras, the land behind the mountains is desert, since the mountains drain the precipitation out of the clouds as the clouds move up over the mountains, so the mountains also make large parts of the earth less useful.

Perhaps God intends to level the mountains, to make the earth more useful and fruitful?

Perhaps mountains are an affront to God, lifted up places that compete with the Glory of God.

Perhaps mountains represent fallen angels, who will be destroyed.

Perhaps mountains represent kingdoms of man, who will be destroyed.

Perhaps mountains are like temples of worship, like pyramids built in the shape of mountains.

Perhaps God will destroy not only the physical mountains, but all things like mountains, fallen angels, kingdoms, worthless land, worthless idols, etc.

There are video games where you can “terra form”.  Often, tearing down the mountains and filling the valleys lets you build a bigger city with more people.

I have often wondered if there would be any such thing as skiing on a mountain when God comes to restore the earth.  I don’t know.

But in no case can I use any sort of spiritual lesson or teaching to deny what the Bible or the prophets say.

God can, and usually does both, first the physical, then the spiritual.   If Jesus comes back to land on, and destroy a mountain, I believe the best interpretation is to take that literally, and to understand that the literal future fulfillment is the beginning of what will take place around the world, and in the spiritual fulfillment, as God will destroy all kingdoms set against him, as well, which we know he will do.

But in no case, is the spiritual interpretation to be used to deny the physical and literal, when there are no problems with the physical being fulfilled.

Brother

Please visit next time as we continue to discuss issues that arise between my dispensational friend and myself.

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