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Mount of Olives

Jesus came to the Mt of Olives each year during Passover. Many families stayed on this mountain next to the city. It is seperated from Jerusalem by the Kidron Valley.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus once again was on the Mount of Olives, this time to pray. It was again Passover. Knowing his life was in danger, he wrestled with the knowledge that a quick ten minute walk up and over the Mount of Olives would have led him into the dark of Judean Wilderness and out of danger. But he chose to stay and face the cross.

2 Samuel 15:30
30: And 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.

Zechariah 14:1-4
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; 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, 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. 

Matthew 21:1-6 (also found in Mark 11)
1: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 
2: Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 
3: And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 
4: All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 
5: Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 
6: And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 

Matthew 24 (also in Mark 13 and Luke 19)
1: And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 
2: And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 
3: And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 
4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 
5: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 
6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 
7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 
8: All these are the beginning of sorrows. 
9: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 
10: And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 
11: And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 
12: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 
13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 
14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 
15: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 
16: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 
17: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 
18: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 
19: And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 
20: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 
21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 
22: And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 
23: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 
24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 
25: Behold, I have told you before. 
26: Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 
27: For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
28: For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 
29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 
30: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 
31: And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 
32: Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 
33: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 
34: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 
36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 
37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 
39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 
43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 
44: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 
45: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 
46: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 
47: Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 
48: But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 
49: And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 
50: The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 
51: And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Matthew 26:26-34 (also in Mark 14)
26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 
27: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 
28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 
29: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 
30: And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 
31: Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 
32: But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 
33: Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 
34: Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 

Luke 21:36-38 
36: Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 
37: And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. 
38: And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. 

Luke 22:39
39: And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 

Acts 1:6-12
6: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 
7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 
8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
9: And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
10: And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
11: Which 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. 
12: Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. 

Mt. of Olives - pray for the peace of Jerusalem

At the Mount of Olives, touring tradition has it that you take a group picture overlooking Jerusalem. Christ also overlooked Jerusalem and wept for the city. The view of Jerusalem is magnificent from this site. This view has always reminded me of Psalm 122 where the saints of God are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Modern Jerusalem is still an impressive sight, but nothing compared to the new Jerusalem awaiting each of the children of God. For one day after this earthly pilgrimage, all of the saints of God will be gathered together in the heavenly Jerusalem, God's eternal home. So during this pilgrimage, it is wise to consider your greater pilgrimage and your final destination.

Psalm 122

1: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. 
2: Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 
3: Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: 
4: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. 
5: For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 
6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 
7: Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. 
8: For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. 
9: Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.