"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 (NIV)
The Mount of Olives (aka Mount Olivet) may very well be the most well-known landmark in Jerusalem, if not Israel. Part of what makes the Mount so revered is not for its past history (which consequently is very rich) but for its future history. The Old Testament book of Zechariah mentions it as the place the dead will be resurrected during the arrival of the Messiah. Christians and Messianic Jews believe this event will take place during the Second Coming (see the book of Revelation). However, Jews believe this event will take place the first time the Messiah comes. Because of this, many Jews wish to be buried there. In fact, the largest and oldest Jewish cemetery in the world stretches from the foot of the Mount up to the top and dates back to biblical times (think Gethsemane). Graves are literally stacked on top of each other, while many graves are placed vertically to allow room for more. According to Wikipedia, there are an estimated 150,000 graves. Famous people buried there include Jesus (only for a little while), Ben Yehuda (the dude who revived the Hebrew language), Oskar Schindler (as in Schindler's List), a plethora of rabbi's, Israeli prime ministers, and royalty.
Those objects that look like white rocks are actually tombstones. The steeple marks the Mount's peak. The taller buildings are a neighborhood.
The Mount of Olives is actually a hilltop east of Jerusalem and is named for the numerous olive groves once found on it. It's Biblical references include:
- David's flight from Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 15
- Solomon's houses for idols in 1 Kings 11 & 2 Kings 23
- Zechariah's prophecy in Zechariah 14
- The place of the Glory of the Lord in Ezekiel 11
- Where Jesus taught & wept in Matthew
- Garden of Gethsemane
- The road Jesus, Apostles, and Paul walked on their way to Bethany
3 comments:
remember these things that you see. its amazing. be blessed.
This looks great girls. I hope you are haveing a wonderful time.
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