Jesus comes the third time (2-3 witnesses): (WALKS ON EARTH; NEW JERUSALEM COMES DOWN)
- Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
- Zec 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.
- Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; 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.
No text of scripture says that New Jerusalem comes down at the 2nd advent. Not one. No text of scripture states that Jesus at the second advent comes down to touch / walk on the earth. Not one. However, there are texts which state that the saints go "up" to meet Jesus "in the air" and that God would "bring" them back with Jesus, while the earth suffers judgment, the lost are slain and satan and his ilk remain in darkness to consider their choices and consequences.
Zechariahs vision begins with a dark picture of siege, spoil, violence, and bloodshed, but it concludes with a glorious vista of triumph and victory, as Yahweh’s power is acknowledged throughout the earth. A remarkable victory outside Jerusalem, accompanied by tremendous upheavals in nature, ushers in a transformed world, unified by a common name, a common worship, and a common ideal. These provide the foundation for the glorious millennial reign of Christ.
Jerusalem, in which a Temple more glorious than that of Zerubbabel is established, becomes the center of this new order. To it the nations ascend in worship, and there they behold a dedicated city wholly given over to Yahweh. As a result,
HOLINESS TO YAHWEH, the inscription once borne on the gold plate of the high priest (Exod. 28:36) is stamped upon all its institutions, while from its precincts the Canaanite is excluded.
In this magnificent vision of the future, Zechariah was shown the ultimate outcome of all his labors. Though the Temple the Jews were then building would be overthrown; though the nation then being formed would again be scattered; though the enemy would temporarily prevail they could continue their work in hope, with the sure and certain conviction that Yahweh’s purpose would ultimately be fulfilled. His glory would flood the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The glorious consummation revealed in the final chapter of Zechariah’s prophecy is nothing less than the fulfillment of the gospel preached to faithful Abraham:
“In you shall all nations be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; cf. Gal. 3:8).
It's interesting you missed verse 7!
Zech 14:7 describes a unique day,
Yahweh’s own day a time when He will be vindicated before all flesh and His purpose in creation will be brought toward fulfillment. That purpose will not be fully consummated until the close of the thousand-year reign of Christ (1 Cor 15:28), but during this era Yahweh will be honored and glorified throughout the earth.
“And it shall be in that day, there shall be no brightness; the splendid ones drawing in. And it shall be one day known to Yahweh, neither day nor night; but it shall come to pass,
that at evening time there shall be light.”
The Revised Version supports this by translating the phrase as
“the bright ones shall contract themselves.” The “bright ones” are the glorified followers of the Lord. They will then be “equal unto the angels” (Luke 20:36), capable of shining forth in glory as the angels did at the Lord’s sepulchre (Matt. 28:3), yet also able to restrain or “contract” that glory, just as the angels did when they appeared to Abraham as men (Gen. 18).
Ultimately, the glorified saints will
“shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43), though they will retain the ability to veil that glory when necessary.
The “day of Yahweh” spoken of here is the millennial day, one thousand years in length (2 Pet 3:8; Rev 20:4). It will not be characterized by ordinary cycles of day and night, but by the constant shining of the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4), whose glory will never fade.
The phrase
“at evening time it shall be light” indicates that the full manifestation of glory occurs at the beginning of this epoch (2nd Heaven and Earth Period). In biblical reckoning, a day begins with the evening,
“the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:5). Thus, at the opening of the millennium, the saints will shine forth in the fullness of glory. Prior to this, during the period in which the nations are being subdued they will restrain that glory.
Prophecy suggests that a Jubilee period of approximately fifty years will intervene between the return of Christ and the formal commencement of the thousand years of peace (Rev. 20:6). This will be a time of judgment: first upon the household of faith (1 Pet. 4:17), and then, through the administration of the saints, upon the world (Ps. 149:7–9).
During this transitional era, the Kingdom of God will be established as a
“stone” that grows into a mountain filling the whole earth (Dan. 2:35). The millennial Temple will be constructed (Isa. 60:10), and Israel will be restored in fullness (Mic. 7:15).
Following this period comes the true “evening” the inauguration of the millennium when the Lord Jesus and his glorified followers will enter the completed Temple in a formal ceremony (Ezek 43:1–2), filling it with divine glory. Until that time, the saints will restrain the outward display of their glory and appear as ordinary men, just as angels once did to Abraham, Lot, and the inhabitants of Sodom.
Once judgment is complete, such restraint will no longer be necessary, and their full glory will be openly revealed. Ezekiel describes how the glory will enter from the east and fill the Temple at its inauguration (Ezek. 43:4).