1 BEHOLD, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; [ President Woodruff has also discussed this subject: “… O house of Judah, … It is true that after you return and gather your nation home, and rebuild your City and Temple, that the Gentiles will gather together their armies to go against you to battle, to take you a prey and to take you as a spoil, which they will do, for the words of your prophets must be fulfilled. …” (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff [Bookcraft, 1964], p. 509.) If you wonder how this prophecy could be fulfilled, let me simply remind you that on July 4, 1967, the United Nations General Assembly voted 99 to 0 to condemn Israel because of its annexation of Jerusalem. Twenty countries abstained; 99 countries voted in favor of condemning Israel; not a single nation voted against the condemnation. And if a United Nations military force should be sent into the Middle East to take over Jerusalem again, literally all of the nations of the earth would gather together to battle against Judah. ] ; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

4 ¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, [The Savior will stand on 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. [the mount will be divided in half (see also D&C 45:48 :And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.) ]

[ The Mount of Olives was more than just some random or convenient place Jesus chose to begin his descent into Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives held well known Messianic implications. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel wrote about a vision he had where he saw the glory of the Lord coming to Jerusalem from the East, entering Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. The prophet Zechariah also prophesied about the coming of the Messiah … “And on that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” ( Ezekiel 43:11; Zechariah 14:4).

Now we can better understand why such large and raucous crowds gathered around Jesus as he made his descent from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. The people knew from prophecy that when the Messiah came He would come from the Mount of Olives riding a donkey! So it was not coincidental that Jesus began His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem from the East at this very location. ]

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. [The righteous who are alive on the earth will be caught up to meet the Savior. The righteous who have died will be resurrected and will also be caught up to meet him (see also D&C 88:96–98)]

6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; [waters will flow from the temple in Jerusalem] half of them toward the former sea, [heal the Dead Sea] and half of them toward the hinder sea: [the Judean wilderness (see also Ezekiel 47:1, 8–9)] in summer and in winter shall it be.

9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. [ The Lord will be king over all the earth and will rule during the Millennium. ]

10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.

11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

12 ¶ And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; [The wicked will be destroyed] Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. [ A substantiating statement from a modern prophet comes from Wilford Woodruff: “… the time is not far distant when the rich men among the Jews may be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of Judah, and purchase the ancient dwelling places of their fathers in and about Jerusalem, and rebuild the holy city and temple.” (Millennial Star, vol. 41, p. 244.) In 1967, Levi Eshkol, then the prime minister of Israel, was interviewed by reporters of U.S. News and World Report, at which time he indicated that Israel had received over $1 billion from the Jewish people in the United States. Also, it is known that over $1.5 billion has been received from West Germany in restitution and reparation payments. Literally, the prophecy that gold and silver will be used to reclaim this land has been fulfilled and perhaps is still in the process of fulfillment. ]

15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

16 ¶ And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem [Will There Be “Heathen,” or Non-Israelites, Who Survive Armageddon? The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “While in conversation at Judge Adams’ during the evening, I said, Christ and the resurrected Saints will reign over the earth during the thousand years. They will not probably dwell upon the earth, but will visit it when they please, or when it is necessary to govern it. There will be wicked men on the earth during the thousand years. The heathen nations who will not come up to worship will be visited with the judgments of God, and must eventually be destroyed from the earth. (Dec. 30, 1842.)” (Teachings, pp. 268–69.) Elder Bruce R. McConkie commented: “During the millennium, however, the Lord will use the forces of nature to turn people’s attention to the truth. ‘Whoso will not come up,’ said Zechariah, ‘of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.’ (Zech. 14:16–19.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 499.)] shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

20 ¶ In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; [ Why Will the Bells of the Horses Have “Holiness unto the Lord” on Them? In beautiful imagery, Zechariah taught that in the Millennium peace and righteousness will prevail to a point where everything (symbolized by such trifles as the trappings on horses and earthen jars) shall be holy and pure and where “there shall be no more the The battle of Armageddon will center on Jerusalem. 348 349 Canaanite [the wicked] in the house of the Lord of hosts” (v. 21).] and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.