The first Wednesday of every month is to teach you about Jesus' return and the end of times so that we will know the signs of the times and be prepared.
"On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south."
Zechariah 14:4
When I travelled to our beloved Jerusalem, I stayed at a hotel on the top of the Mount of Olives. Our host Christine Darg decided to change our hotel just a few weeks before we flew to Israel. We switched from staying in the Old City to staying on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City at the 7 Arches Hotel. I think my three girlfriends and I became teenagers begin because we were beside ourselves. We just couldn't take it. We were actually going to stay on the Mount of Olives! Do you understand why it was such a thrill to us? What is the Mount of Olives, and why is so important?
Scripture is full of many things that happened on this mountain. All of these places that I am about to mention on the mount are so near to each other that the four of us could walk down from our hotel to these sites. Because we didn't have much time in Jerusalem, we visited all of these sites in one day. Don't imagine this mountain like the Rocky Mountains and that we had our full climbing gear and repelled down the mountain. It was quite comfortable to walk from one place to the other.
In Luke 19 as Jesus approached Jerusalem for the triumphal entry, He wept over Jerusalem on this mountain. He said beginning in verse 41, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." Today, there is a church called the "teardrop" church, or its proper name the Dominus Flevit Church built over the spot. Dominus Flevit means "The cry of the LORD." That was a sad day on the Mount of Olives.
In Matthew 24, Jesus taught His disciples about the signs of His coming on this mountain. As they walked away from the temple, they sat down on the Mount of Olives. Jesus prophesied to them that this temple would be destroyed and not one stone would be left on the other. Then He gave them warnings about the days of deception and the signs of the end of the age.
At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent His last night (Matthew 26:36). After Jesus had His Last Supper with the disciples, He crossed the Kidron Valley and went up the slope slightly to the foot of the Mount of Olives. Here, He poured out His heart to His Father in prayer and was betrayed into the hands of the religious leaders.
After Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and other followers over a period of 40 days. His last appearance was on the Mount of Olives where He ascended into heaven. Acts 1 tells us of His ascension and prophecies His return. Verses 9-11say, "After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' "
You see, my dear friend, we were not just delighted that we were able to go and walk the land, sleep on the mountain where Jesus was. We were ecstatic and overjoyed because of what He will do one day. He is coming back to this mountain. When He comes this time, He won't be returning as Mary's baby boy, nor will He return as the Lamb who was sacrificed for our sins. This time He is coming as king.
Zechariah 14 prophecies about this day, the day of the LORD. Jesus will come as a mighty warrior who will fight in a great battle and be victorious. He will emerge as king over the whole earth. Verse 4 describes His return by saying, "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south." When Jesus returns, His presence will be so noticeable and His power will be so forceful that the mountain is splitting in two when He sets His foot upon it.
While in Jerusalem as we were being driven or walking on that mountain, I kept thinking one day, it is going to be split in two. It's not always going to look this way. Half of it is moving to the north, and half is moving to the south. When King Jesus comes, a mountain splitting quake will announce His arrival. The King is back on the scene. He was holding back the first time so His power did not change the landscape, but this time the mountain is getting a redesign. Verse 8 goes on to tell us that, "On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter." There will be a flow of water, a river, flowing out of Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and to the Mediterranean Sea. The terrain is a changing. Oh, how thrilling it was to walk that land and to know that someday Jesus will come again split that mountain in two! All will know that He is King!
Pray with me: Almighty God, we praise You! Some day Your Son will return. He will come back to the land where He taught His disciples, cried for Jerusalem, poured His heart out in prayer. This day will be bring Him great victory as He comes to rule over all the earth and be our King. This day the land will bow to its Creator and make way for our Sovereign Ruler. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! All of this we pray in the Name of the Jewish Messiah and the King of Glory, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Copyright 2011 © Christ Compels Ministry
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