The Mount Olives

From: Messages of God's Love: 1942

Zechariah 14

This mountain near the city of Jerusalem was spoken of many times in the Bible. It must have been named in earliest times for the olive trees growing on it, they grow well on rocky, sunny slopes and live to be very large old trees. The mountain is more a ridge than what we would call a hill, with villages and gardens on the sides.

The first time it is spoken of in the Bible was once when David left the city, he went by way of this mountain, which was also called Olivet (2 Sam. 15:30³⁰And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. (2 Samuel 15:30)). That was over a thousand years before Christ.

In the book of Zechariah it is told that one of the very greatest of all events is to be at this mountain, when all nations are gathered near Jerusalem for battle. It says,

“Then the Lord shall go forth.. against those nations,... and His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.” Zechariah 14:4⁴And 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. (Zechariah 14:4).

It is plain that will be a time of punisent, or judgment, not like when the Lord Jesus came to earth to bless. In those years He was many times on that mountain; He talked to the people from there; it was to a garden there that He and the men with Him went the last night for prayer; and there the soldiers came to take Him. After He was raised from the dead, He was with His followers on the mount of Olives when He was taken up from them, and “a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

While the men stood looking upward, they were told that “this same Jesus” would come again as they had seen Him go. (Acts 1:11¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11).).

That time will surely, come, but no one can say when. Yet the words of the prophet are very plain, naming that same mountain, and the prophet was told that the mountain should be divided, when a valley between, and the people would flee in fright, as the people once fled from an earthquake there, or near.

We do not fully understand all this told to the prophet, yet we can understand that God shows most plainly that there will be a “day” or time of judgment on earth by the Lord Himself. After that, “the Lord shall he King over all the earth.” Zech. 11:9⁹Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. (Zechariah 11:9). People are to go from all nations to worship Him.

The prophet wrote before of safety for the people of Jerusalem after the time of judgment; that also is told to show it will be a real city, people will have their homes there; it even speaks of the children. We might think the Lord would not think of them, but He told the prophet,

“The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets.” Zech. 8:5⁵And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. (Zechariah 8:5).

All this teaches us how real the events will be of which God told the prophets to write; and He wants Ills people to know their words.

In the new Testament we are told that God waits to bring the time of judgment, because He is “longsuffering” to save, and “not willing that any should perish,” 2 Peter 3:9,15⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (2 Peter 3:15).

ML 10/25/1942

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.