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.”
King James Version
Zechariah foresees the LORD's feet standing on the Mount of Olives, splitting it — the very mountain from which Christ ascended and to which angels promised His return.
Fulfillment References
Acts 1:11-12 Zechariah 14:9 Revelation 19:11-16 Matthew 24:30
Archaeological & Historical Evidence
The Mount of Olives has a geological fault running east-west. A 1927 earthquake caused significant fissures. Geologists confirm the fault line.
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe 'LORD' (YHWH) whose feet stand on Olivet is Jesus — 'and the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one' (Zech. 14:9; cf. Acts 1:11).
JewishRead as the Day of the LORD when God Himself defends Jerusalem and is enthroned as King over all the earth (Zech. 14:9); awaited in the Messianic age, applied liturgically to ultimate redemption.
CatholicTaken as a prophecy of the LORD's decisive eschatological intervention, harmonized with Christ's Second Coming and final victory.
ProtestantFrequently linked to Acts 1:11-12 — Christ ascended from Olivet and will return there, fulfilling Zechariah's vision.
OrthodoxThe LORD's coming to deliver His people and reign; read in continuity with the ascension from the same mountain.
DispensationalA literal future event: Christ's feet touch the Mount of Olives at His return to end the Battle of Armageddon and establish the millennial kingdom.
AcademicScholars place Zechariah 9-14 in the post-exilic period, as apocalyptic prophecy reshaping Day-of-the-LORD traditions around Jerusalem's vindication.
Scholarship & Sources
The splitting of the Mount of Olives (14:4) is taken literally by futurists (cf. Acts 1:11-12, where Christ ascends from Olivet) or figuratively of divine intervention; 'one LORD... his name one' (14:9) is central to the Oneness reading.
Open the full interactive entry →Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.