Relevant Purpose

“Are you sure you are correct in what you are stating,” I said in response to an individual on the subject of the Israelites in the desert. He said, “Oh yes, I know that to be a fact.” “Well then,” I retorted, “What is your basis for that statement.” “The Ten Commandments,” said he. To which I replied, “What you have just stated is not in the Ten Commandments as written in the Book of Exodus.” “Oh, No,” he said, “Not the Ten Commandments in the Bible, the movie The Ten Commandments.”

The scenario I’ve just cited, actually occurred during a Bible study I conducted some years ago. The sad part is that many who profess to have knowledge of Biblical subjects, and Biblical history use everything as their source except the Scriptures to support their arguments. God asked Job, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2). In further questioning Job God asked, “Who has proceeded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11). Look at Job’s response to all of God’s questions. “I know that you can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:2-3). What may I ask is the source of your Biblical knowledge?

One of the biggest arguments on-going today is that of evolution versus intelligent design. The evolutionists state that everything evolved over millions or even billions of years through the process of mutations, and the survival of the fittest. It all happened by chance. On the other hand, the intelligent design concept advocates that the earth and all therein was created by God. This concept not only uses the creation story in the Book of Genesis as its source, it cites the extreme complexity of man and his surroundings, which indicates that someone with far superior intelligence than man designed everything to be in concert with itself. Thus, everything has a rationale for being in existence, and everything has a purpose. Somehow, somewhere it all fits His plan. And, that is the issue of this paper; to bring to light a very special subject – what is the plan, the purpose, and the rationale behind the Mount of Olives? Mount of Olives

Reference to the Mount of Olives occurs five times in the Old Testament and thirteen times in the New Testament. It is also referred to indirectly when speaking of the Garden of Gethsemane. With this many references to the Mount of Olives throughout the Bible it makes one wonder what is its significance? Were the activities regarding this place simply by chance, was the Mount of Olives a nice place to go, was it a good place to run and hide or does it have any real spiritual meaning to the past, present and future?

The first reference to the Mount of Olives is found in Second Samuel and is called Olivet in the Original King James Version. Here we find David fleeing from his son Absalom who is trying to take the kingdom from him. David and his people flee to the Mount. “The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.” So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot.” (2 Samuel 15:23 & 30). Verse thirty states that David had his head covered and was barefoot, which indicates he was in mourning for the apparent loss of the kingdom. David was beseeching God for forgiveness - a sign. He was depressed. He had a problem within his family and turned fled to the Mount of Olives. He said to Zadok the priest, “Carry the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and Hid dwelling place.” (Verse 25). David was not praising the Lord, he was trying to be cleansed of what he perceived as sin.

The next reference to the Mount of Olives is in First Kings. “And Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.” (1 Kings 11:7). As a result of this idol worship, God split the kingdom forming the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah. Here again the Mount was involved in a sinful act, the act of idolatry.

Then the reference to the mountain, found in Nehemiah provides a shadow of things to come. It is a type of prophecy. “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, as it is written.” (Nehemiah 8:15). From these branches the Israelites made booths and lived in them for a month during the Feast of Tabernacles. On the twenty-forth day they confessed their sins. “Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.” (Nehemiah 9:2). The Israelites confessed their sins before the Lord God as they read from the Book of the Law.

“And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east of the city.” (Ezekiel 11:23). This reference to the Mount of Olives is in Ezekiel’s prophecy regarding God gathering Israel from over the world back into their land. The glory of the Lord went up to the Mount from the temple indicating the separation of those bent on evil as opposed to those who would walk in the statutes of God. By this act Lord was stating through this vision that those of the flesh, verse twenty-one, will be separated from those of God – “…and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:20).

However, one very significant act related to the Mount of Olives is yet to be fulfilled. “Half of the city shall go into captivity but the remnant of the people shall not be cutoff from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a large valley. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the valley shall reach to Azal.” (Zechariah 14:2-5). This prophecy will be fulfilled at the end of the Tribulation when Christ returns to defeat the Antichrist and cast Satan into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:3). However, the significance of this prophecy is its relationship to the Israelite remnant, which will be covered later in its relevance to past acts.

The New Testament appears to exhibit a totally different picture of activities related to the Mount of Olives. As you read the various verses it seems to portray a picture of a place to which Jesus and the disciples would go to be alone, to get away from the crowd, to have quiet time, to reflect. But, as you read the verses more carefully and study the content more intently you find that the Mount of Olives is distinctly oriented to confession, prayer and cleansing. This is in relation to the purpose exhibited in the Old Testament – a place of separation.

The first New Testament reference to the Mount of Olives is found in Matthew. “Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.” (Matthew 21:1-2). The Mount of Olives is the place where Jesus made preparations to enter Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover. This is the week in which the Passover lamb is prepared and presented for slaughter. This feast was instituted by God to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt during a time of bondage. The purpose of Jesus presenting Himself during this festival was to deliver us from the bondage of sin.

Matthew chapter twenty-four is commonly referred to as the Olivet Discourse. Jesus and the disciples are again sitting on the Mount of Olives and they ask Him what will be the sign of His return and the end of the age? Jesus’ reply is one of discomfort to all the disciples as He presents a very bleak picture of the future. “Many will come in My name. And you will hear of wars. Nation will rise up against nation. There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. The abomination of desolation will stand in the holy place. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.” (Matthew 24:5, 6, 7, 9,15 and 22). All this pertains to evil, to those who inflict sin into the world, to the seventieth week of Daniel.

Carleton Dowdle, 10-15-04