Zechariah 14 describes a dramatic final battle between the Lord and the forces of evil, one which greatly affects the natural world and landscape around Jerusalem.
At first, the chapter begins with bad news for the Jews. Half of Jerusalem is conquered, with the houses looted and the women raped. But when the Lord places His feet on the Mount Olives, the land itself splits from east to west. The northern area will move away from the southern, creating a wide valley for the Lord's people to flee.
From there, the news is good. Here is what Zechariah envisions for the future: "And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one" (vs. 9). While the land around Jerusalem becomes a plain, the city will have seen the last of its sufferings. "And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security" (vs. 11).
The book ends on the positive note that God's kingdom will be established on earth. It is a hope kept alive in the prophecy of the New Testament as well, expressing the conviction that, in the end, all things come under God's dominion.
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