14 The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. 15 And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter
That sounds like a come down to earth event. IMO
Zech 14:3 Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.
I'm no biblical scholor, but as I said it sounds like there are two commings of Christ Jesus.
It took a while but I finally found a document by a Dispensationalist that sought to explain how to interpret prophecy. I found it in Scofield's Bible Correspondence School, Volume I, p. 46. It says in part, "Here we reach the ground of
absolute literalness*. Figures are often found in the prophecies, but the figure invariably has a literal fulfillment."
* emphasis original
If you don't accept his method of interpretation that's fine, but using his words the Dispensational doctrine of Israel and the church is false (This isn't to say that what Darby and followers say they reject in this regard is true.), as are some other doctrines unique to Dispensationalism.
For example, Scofield wrote that Israel is always Israel. Ok, Israel is always Israel and our infallible interpreter in Galatians 6 says the Israel of God are those of the household of faith. Since that is the case their distinction between Israel and the church and their "great parenthesis" can only stand if they read a particular meaning of Israel into the text. That can only be done on the basis of their speculation.
Looking at the passages you cited above, "from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword," is a figure of speech. It's literal fulfillment is not Jesus with a metal sword in His mouth. He isn't going to go around wagging his head side to side to strike down the nation's one at a time. It is consistent to understand that figure and the "breath of His mouth" (Isaiah 11:4, 2Th 2:8) with the word of God. Fwiw, the figure of the white horse also doesn't find it's literal fulfillment in a white horse.
The figures of speech in the beginning of Zechariah 14 don't indicate a second coming because they echo the exodus and it refers to the Lord coming with the saints.
The key to understanding the Tanakh or OT is Jesus. Jesus told the unbelievers, “You search the Scriptures, for you think in them you have everlasting life. And they are the ones witnessing concerning Me.” (Joh 5:39, LITV)
Jesus told the disciples, “26. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into His glory? 27. And beginning from Moses, and from all the prophets, He explained to them the things about Himself in all the Scriptures...
must be fulfilled all the things having been written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning Me. 45Then He opened up their mind to understand the Scriptures, 46and said to them, So it is written, and so the Christ must suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. 47And repentance and remission of sins must be preached on His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48And you are witnesses of these things."
(Luk 24:26-27...44-48, LITV)
And Paul wrote, “For as many promises as are of God, in Him they are yes, and in Him are Amen, for glory to God through us.” (2Cor 1:20, LITV)
Praise the Lord!
