A common misinterpretation of Zechariah 14:5 arises in dispensational eschatology, where it is often taken as a literal prediction of the Mount of Olives splitting at Christ's second coming during the battle of Armageddon, creating an escape valley to "Azal" for Jewish survivors, with "all the saints" referring to raptured believers returning with Jesus; however, this overlooks the passage's poetic and apocalyptic style, akin to other prophetic visions like those in Revelation, where the earthquake simile from Uzziah's era (ca. 790 BC) emphasizes divine intervention rather than geological specifics, and "saints" more likely means angelic hosts or faithful Israelites in context, not a post-rapture entourage, thus projecting a rigid futuristic timeline onto symbolic imagery of God's ultimate victory over nations attacking Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:5
King James Version (1769)
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.
Zechariah 14:5 prophesies a future cataclysmic event on the Day of the Lord, where the Mount of Olives splits eastward, forming a vast valley from the city to Azal, enabling God's people to flee divine judgment just as they escaped a historic earthquake during King Uzziah's reign. This vivid imagery underscores the core truth of God's sovereign intervention in eschatological crisis, delivering the faithful while shaking the earth, culminating in the triumphant arrival of the Lord with all His saints, symbolizing ultimate victory, protection, and the establishment of His kingdom.