The Mount of Olives has several names. It is a ridge of three peaks that lie east of Jerusalem along the Kidron Valley (Joel 3:2; Valley of Jehoshaphat, valley of judgment). It was called the Mount of Olives because of the many olive trees that once grew on its slopes.
It was also called the Mount of Anointing because of the pressing of the olives for the oil used to anoint kings and priests.
David and his servants and followers ascended the Mount of Olives weeping, to flee from the rebellion of his son Absalom (2 Sam. 15:13-31). There, David worshipped God at the summit of the Mt. of Olives (2 Sam. 15:32).
“13 And he who is declaring tidings cometh in unto David, saying, `The heart of the men of Israel hath been after Absalom.’ 14 And David saith to all his servants who [are] with him in Jerusalem, `Rise, and we flee, for we have no escape from the face of Absalom; haste to go, lest he hasten, and have overtaken us, and forced on us evil, and smitten the city by the mouth of the sword.’ ….
23 And all the land are weeping — a great voice, and all the people are passing over; and the king is passing over through the brook Kidron, and all the people are passing over on the front of the way of the wilderness;….
30 And David is going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping, and he hath the head covered, and he is going barefooted, and all the people who [are] with him have covered each his head, and have gone up, going up and weeping; 31 and David declared, saying, `Ahithophel [is] among the conspirators with Absalom;’ and David saith, `Make foolish, I pray Thee, the counsel of Ahithophel, O Jehovah.’
32 And it cometh to pass, David hath come unto the top, where he boweth himself to God, and lo, to meet him [is] Hushai the Archite, his coat rent, and earth on his head;” (YLT)
Because of Israel’s sins, God’s divine presence had left the temple to dwell on the Mt. of Olives before the 1st destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
“8 And go forth doth the honour of Jehovah from off the threshold of the house, and standeth over the cherubs, 19 and the cherubs lift up their wings, and are lifted up from the earth before mine eyes; in their going forth, the wheels also [are] over-against them, and he standeth at the opening of the east gate of the house of Jehovah, and the honour of the God of Israel [is] over them from above.” (Ezek 10:18-19. YLT)
“22 And the cherubs lift up their wings, and the wheels [are] over-against them, and the honour of the God of Israel [is] over them above. 23 And the honour of Jehovah goeth up from off the midst of the city, and standeth on the mountain, that [is] on the east of the city.” (Ezek. 11:22-23, YLT)
Jesus went often to the Mt of Olives. He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple from the Mt. of Olives, at a position directly opposite the temple (Matt. 24-25; Mark 13:3).
“And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3, YLT)
“And as he is sitting at the mount of the Olives, over-against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, were questioning him by himself,” (Mark 13:3. YLT)
Jesus foretold Peter’s denial on the Mt. of Olives (Matt. 26:34; Mark 14:26-31).
“30 And having sung a hymn, they went forth to the mount of the Olives;… 34 Jesus said to him, `Verily I say to thee, that, this night, before cock-crowing, thrice thou wilt deny me.’” (Matt. 26:30, 34, YLT)
As foretold from old, Jesus road on a donkey down from the Mt. of Olives for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zech 9:9; Matt. 21:1-10; Luke 19:28-44).
“9 Rejoice exceedingly, O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, Lo, thy King doth come to thee, Righteous — and saved is He, Afflicted — and riding on an ass, And on a colt — a son of she-asses.” Zech 9:9,, YLT)
“And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, `Go on to the village over-against you, and immediately ye shall find an ass bound, and a colt with her — having loosed, bring ye to me; …Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Lo, thy king doth come to thee, meek, and mounted on an ass, and a colt, a foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matt. 21:1-2,5, YLT)
Jesus wept for Jerusalem and its destruction from the slopes of the Mt. of Olives (Luke 19:37-44), after which He called the temple “your house” indicating that God’s presence was again no longer to be found there.
“37 and as he is coming nigh now, at the descent of the mount of the Olives, …And when he came nigh, having seen the city, he wept over it,” (Luke 19:37, 41, YLT)
Jesus’ prayed on the Mt of Olives that the Father might remove His suffering (Mark 14:32-42).
“26 And having sung an hymn, they went forth to the mount of the Olives,… 32 And they come to a spot, the name of which [is] Gethsemane, and he saith to his disciples, `Sit ye here till I may pray;’… 35 And having gone forward a little, he fell upon the earth, and was praying, that, if it be possible the hour may pass from him,…” (Mark 14:26, 32, 35, YLT)
Jesus was betrayed and arrested on the Mt. of Olives (Matt. 26:30-57).
“30 And having sung a hymn, they went forth to the mount of the Olives;… 47 And while he is yet speaking, lo, Judas, one of the twelve did come, and with him a great multitude, with swords and sticks, from the chief priests and elders of the people…. 50 and Jesus said to him, `Comrade, for what art thou present?’ Then having come near, they laid hands on Jesus, and took hold on him…. 57 And those laying hold on Jesus led [him] away unto Caiaphas the chief priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together,” (Matt. 26: 30, 47, 50, 57, YLT)).
Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mt. of Olives (Acts 1:9-12).
“9 And these things having said — they beholding — he was taken up, and a cloud did receive him up from their sight; 10 and as they were looking stedfastly to the heaven in his going on, then, lo, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, `Men, Galileans, why do ye stand gazing into the heaven? this Jesus who was received up from you into the heaven, shall so come in what manner ye saw him going on to the heaven.’
12 Then did they return to Jerusalem from the mount that is called of Olives, that is near Jerusalem, a sabbath’s journey;” (Acts 1:9-12, YLT)
Solomon had caused pagan altars to be built on the southern slope, or on the right hand of the mount (2 Kings 23:13) and so the mount was also called the Mount of Corruption, or the Mount of Scandal.
“13 And the high places that [are] on the front of Jerusalem, that [are] on the right of the mount of corruption, that Solomon king of Israel had built to Ashtoreth abomination of the Zidonians, and Chemosh abomination of Moab, and to Milcom abomination of the sons of Ammon, hath the king defiled.” (2 Kings 23:13, YLT)
The highest peak of the Mt. of Olives was the place where David had established prayer and worship to YWHW, and the place where the glory of the Lord had removed to stand east of the temple at Jerusalem. In memory of David’s worship, the Son of God worshiped our Father and often prayed on the Mt. of Olives, His presence literally on the Mt. of Olives before His crucifixion, overlooking the sinful, corrupted, and soon to be destroyed temple in Jerusalem. Jesus literally ascended from the Mt. of Olives.
The left hand side of the Mt. Of Olives was taller, the highest peak of the mountain range. It was a strategic vantage point, a lookout position east of the city from a high peak.
The southern peak, or right hand side as one faces east of Jerusalem was lower than the left hand side, and was the Mt of Corruption where Solomon’s foreign wives worshiped their pagan idols.
We can now draw some conclusions in the next Part II.
Shredding The Veil 