What the Mount of Olives tells us about Yeshua’s return

The Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem, gives one of the most spectacular views of the city, and is one visitors should not miss. Yeshua famously sat there, taking in the panoramic view of the city where God chose to put His name, and wept.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” He lamented, “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37).

It’s not a high mountain, just over 800 meters (about 2,625 feet) above sea level, and it’s possible to walk up to the scenic viewpoint in a matter of minutes. However, the path is very steep. Between Jerusalem’s Old City and the Mount of Olives lies the Kidron Valley, and heading up from there one of the first major sites along the way is the Garden of Gethsemane, an ancient olive grove at the foot of the mountain.

Gethsemane, where Yeshua famously wrestled in prayer, has olive trees that date back all the way to His time, some being 2000 years old. Right before Yeshua was arrested there, drops of His blood fell to the ground rather than tears. The name Gethsemane also relates to the olive trees, in that it means “olive press”. It was there that the olives were crushed to produce oil, much as the Messiah’s will was yielded to God’s. But what a precious result of the crushing!

In Jewish tradition the mountain is sometimes known as “the Mount of Anointment”, because of the many olive trees and the olive oil produced there, were used to anoint God’s chosen ones. The word Messiah means “anointed one.” Today there is a beautiful church beside the Garden of Gethsemane, designed to give a sense of the night Yeshua was betrayed. 

Yeshua prayed “Not my will, but Yours be done.” In the Messianic prophecy about that moment in history, Isaiah wrote, “It was the will of the Lord to crush him” (Isaiah 53:10). But of course, the story didn’t end there. As Isaiah continued to prophesy, “When his soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see his offspring; He shall prolong his days,” and adding, “the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” God’s future plans for the Messiah were far from finished.

Slightly further up the path are other churches, one called Dominus Flevit, shaped like a tear, to mark the place Yeshua wept over Jerusalem. There is an iconic Russian Orthodox church of Mary Magdalene, with golden onion-shaped cupolas, a little further up, and before you know it, you’re at the lookout point. 

Along the pathway, looking over the wall to the right, there are countless gravestones. Why? It is believed by Jews, Christians, and Muslims that this Eastern approach to Jerusalem will play a key role in the Messiah’s glorious coming. It is thought that being buried closer to the significant spot would mean a speedier resurrection.

The Mount of Olives faces the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, also known as the Golden Gate. It is believed that the Messiah will enter through this gate. According to urban legend, it was blocked up during the Ottoman era in order to stop the Jewish Messiah from coming through. Many centuries before it was bricked up, Ezekiel predicted that the gate would be shut up for a time, only to be used by the “Prince” to come. Muslim graves also surround the site around the Eastern gate, apparently to ward off Jewish priests and holy ones who cannot come into contact with the dead according to Jewish law. This was the gate that Yeshua went through in His first coming on a donkey, as prophesied in Zechariah 9, and it is the same place He will enter at the time of His glorious return, coming from the east, from the direction of the Mount of Olives. Here’s how the prophet Ezekiel describes it in a vision:

“Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple (Ezekiel 43:1-5).

Zechariah the prophet also writes that the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives when He comes in glory, and many who visit the site wonder if they will get to see the grand event!

“On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward” (Zechariah 14:4).

Israel is no stranger to earthquakes. There is a fault line going right through the country, from north to south, passing just 25 miles away from Jerusalem and causing occasional landslides on the Mount of Olives. It seems when Yeshua arrives God will do some landscaping on another scale entirely.

Whether Yeshua will actually “land” on the Mount of Olives when He comes remains to be seen, but two things are very clear: He will return in the same way He ascended, that is to say in the clouds, as He told His disciples in Acts 1:11, and His feet will at some point stand on the Mount of Olives on the Day of the Lord.

Another significant aspect of the Mount of Olives is the issue of the red heifers. The ashes of a flawless red cow are necessary for purification in the sacrificial system, and it was only recently that suitable specimens have been found. According to Jewish law, they are to be sacrificed “outside the camp” but within sight of the temple. The Mount of Olives was chosen as the designated spot, given how high the walls had been at the time of the second temple:

“All the walls that were there [in the Temple] were high except the eastern wall, for the priest who burned the red heifer would stand on the top of the Mount of Olives and direct his gaze carefully to see the opening of the Sanctuary at the time of the sprinkling of the blood (Mishnah Middot 2:4).

Ancient rabbinic literature describes how there was once a bridge linking the Mount of Olives to the temple for this purpose:

“They made a ramp from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives, being constructed of arches above arches, each arch placed directly above each foundation [of the arch below] as a protection against a grave in the depths, whereby the priest who was to burn the cow, the cow itself and all who aided in its preparation went forth to the Mount of Olives” (Mishnah Para 3:6).

Mishnah Middot 1:3 also reveals how the Mount of Olives was linked to the temple via the Eastern Gate: “The Eastern gate over which was a representation of the palace of Shushan and through which the high priest who burned the red heifer and all who assisted with it would go out to the Mount of Olives.”

Many see the discovery of the red heifers after all these years as a sign that the restoration of Jewish practice could now be imminent, and there is much talk of a third temple.

At what point the cows will be turned to ash or the temple rebuilt on the Temple Mount, only God knows. It’s possible that with all the wheeling and dealing in the Middle East a bargain may eventually be struck to allow for rebuilding. We see that even the New Testament affirms a temple will be built by the time Yeshua comes again from the East, for example in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2:6-8. However, we also know that it will be a “great and terrible day” when the Messiah’s feet stand on the Mount of Olives. 

The Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives is also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which means “God has judged.” This is where the nations of the world will be judged, according to Joel chapter 3. God will gather the nations to the valley and bring justice, defending His people, Israel. But this time, Israel will be ready to welcome Him as Messiah. 

When Yeshua wept on the Mount of Olives He was quoting from Psalm 118:26, a powerful Messianic prophecy read at the end of every Passover meal, and a chapter worth reading in its entirety. He says to the people of Israel in Jerusalem,

“I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:39).

It will happen.