Mount of Olives – Praying Pint

34.q. “I will not deny you!”

Matthew 26:30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Luke 22:31-32    “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,  but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Job 19:13-16    “He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.  My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me.

Psalms 69:20     Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.

Ezekiel 34:5-6     So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered;  they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

Exodus 19:8    All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

1 Corinthians 10:12    Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Peter, not convinced of his weakness, or that any temptation could make him guilty of such base conduct so as to deny Christ, claims with great confidence that he will not deny Christ even in the face of death. We are frequently ignorant of our self-confidence which leads us to become over-confident and safe from being tempted away from following, obeying, trusting, and relying on Jesus Christ alone. Those that are least safe are those who in themselves think they are secure.

We never know when or what trial or trouble may fall upon us. We never know how feeble and weak we are until we are tried. Reliance upon our own strength is an act of ignorance of the need for Jesus Christ in all things at all times.

It doesn’t matter what we are engaged in doing, when we go it alone and in our own strength, own ideas, own self-reliance, and own self-interest we expose our lack of reliance on Christ. How many days do we start in our own strength and our own ideas? Can we not ask at the beginning of the day before we are even out of bed for Jesus to guide our thoughts, lead our steps, and keep our hearts and minds free from that which does not honor and glorify Him alone? Can we not ask Him to show us our weaknesses and for His strengthening of our minds? Can we not ask Him to show us where we are being self-reliant? Can we not ask for His protection over the day? Can we not ask Him to continually speak into our hearts and minds? Yes, we can if we would just do it.

34.d. “Let no one deceive you with empty words and leads you astray”

Matthew 24:3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Jeremiah 29:8    For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,

2 Corinthians 11:13-15    For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Ephesians 4:14     so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Ephesians 5:6    Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Colossians 2:8    See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Colossians 2:18    Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,

2 Peter 2:1-3   But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

1 John 4:1   Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

When shall these things be? – There are three questions here: When those things should take place? What should be the signs of his own coming? What should be the signs that the end of the world was near? To these questions He replies, not by noticing them distinctly, but by intermingling the descriptions of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the end of the world, so that it is sometimes difficult to tell to what particular subject his remarks apply. The principle on which this combined description of two events was spoken appears to be, that “they could be described in the same words,” and therefore the accounts are intermingled.

Why didn’t Jesus simply say it so clearly that there was no possibility anyone could misunderstand Him? One reason why prophecy may seem vague or imprecise is that God wants every age to have reasons to be ready for Jesus’ return. We should not think of Jesus’ return as an event far off on a timeline, but as something we have been running parallel with since the day of Pentecost. Though some prophetic interpretations are different, we are sure of this: He is coming again, and we must be ready.

The pretended wisdom of the heathen philosophers; and vain deceit — Sophistical and delusive reasonings, and unprofitable speculations will come in every generation by men or women who are led astray by demonic influences. We should not deny or condemn sound philosophy, but the kind of it which had no foundation in truth; and, being formed merely from imagination, aided by the pride of human reason, was supported by tradition; that is, by the affirmation of the inventors, handed down or built upon from one to another. There is a philosophy that is vain and deceitful; and while it pleases men’s fancies, hinders their faith: such are curious speculations about things above us or no concern to us. Those who walk in the way of the world, are turned from following Christ. Opinions, speculations, philosophies, and traditions are used by Satan to corrupt the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is danger in being swept away by them and led down paths in life away from following, obeying, trusting, serving, worshiping, honoring, and glorifying Jesus Christ.

What kind of workman or servant does not study and learn what is expected of them? Are we not to study God’s Word with a seeking and desire to be taught and led by the Holy Spirit, rightly dividing the Word of Truth? When we spend more time listening to what others think scripture says than reading it for ourselves we are exposing ourselves to being led astray. There are many fine pastors and teachers who are able to unpack scripture. I love to read or listen to them on scripture that seems unclear or to see if what I am understanding it says, is in line with godly teachers. There are many times I am in line just as there are times when I am not. This is called “Studying”. When we only rely on what others think and say we are weak and shallow in our understanding and leave little room for our own growth by the hand of God through the Holy Spirit. I am not saying we should not listen – God uses men of God to proclaim truths that we should be fully grounded in and reminded of. What I am saying is that when all of our studies are based on what others have interpreted from Scripture we are not working through the efforts of study that grow us spiritually, establish our faith-roots, waters and feeds our souls, fixes our eyes on Jesus, softens our hearts, quickens our minds, or produces fruits in line with what honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.

34.p. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Matthew 21:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Christ would appear in his glory, it is in his meekness, not in his majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion’s King, and marked his triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion’s citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner’s consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did him honour. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under his feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ’s kingdom. (Henry)

As I read Henry’s comments I think his point on “Cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him”, is common in all men. Jesus made this very clear when He spoke of the seeds that fell on dry ground and had no roots, seeds that grew into plants but were choked out by weeds, and seeds that grew and produced fruit. Caught in the moment and being committed for a moment is not trusting, relying, obeying, surrendering, serving, or following Jesus with a repentant heart. No, it is a head nod and words from the lips but not from the heart. Being convinced that this is what it takes to have eternal life they continue on just as before but with a confidence that is fueled by satan and demonic spirits that guide and direct the affairs of this world. When given the choice of Barabas or Jesus, they chose Barabas and cried out “crucify Him.” Satan’s demonic spirit invades people’s hearts and minds and guides them toward envy, power, glory, self-worth, self-reliance, addictive drugs, pornography, lies, fear, hate, and worldly obedient foolishness. Look at what society approves, pornography is called, adult entertainment, abortion is called, woman’s right, and those engaged in transgender and gay lifestyles are called, alternative lifestyles. These are the very people that Jesus willingly went to the cross to save. Condemning them or giving head nods of approval are both wrong. However, we are to see them as they are, lost, blind, and deaf to things of God. We do well to give them hope in Jesus Christ, sharing the gospel with them.

Giving head nods and lip service to Jesus is another tolerance people accept as the norm as society moves away from the light of Jesus Christ choosing darkness rather than the light.

Believing, trusting, humbly serving, following, and obeying Jesus Christ for His honor and glory is more than a head nod or words from your lips. It is a repentant change of your heart and mind that is soul deep. As His love permeates into our hearts and minds, it is then we will see, with compassion, the souls bound by satan’s deceptions and want to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

17.q. “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”, “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Luke 19:35 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

“The donkey was not normally used by a warlike person. It was the animal of a man of peace, a priest, a merchant, or the like. It might also be used by a person of importance but in connection with peaceable purposes. The donkey speaks of peace.” (Morris) “They greeted Jesus as a king, though ignorant of the nature of His kingship. It would seem that they looked upon Him as a potential nationalist leader, with whose help they might be able to become wholly independent of foreign powers who ruled over them.”

What were the people really praising Jesus for? Was it for raising Lazarus from the dead? Was it because they anticipated Him to become their mighty King? Was it because, on the coming Passover, they thought He was their deliverer from their Roman oppressors? When we praise and worship Jesus it is because He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God, and Savior. It should never be about what we can get from Him, but because of who He is. Granted, we are blessed beyond all measure, we are forgiven of sin, we are redeemed, we are redeemed, forgiven, and born again, we are given and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given His written Word, we are given joy, peace, love, hope, power, refuge, and the promises of eternal life and His coming again. These blessings we can truly be thankful for, but our praise and worship should be for who He is. I guess this is a very fine line. Thankfulness can be an expression of praise and worship. However, the line can grow strangely wide when our heart speaks thankfulness for what we can get rather than for who the Giver is.

13.u. “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord”

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’;and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Zechariah 14:1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 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 14:9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

In this prophecy from Zechariah we see a clear picture of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd was struck (crucified) and the scattering of the sheep took place when persecution fell on those in Jerusalem. Act 8:1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. We also see those who will be alive at His return to earth for the millennial reign, and the death of those who were striving to destroy Israel and His followers who came to an understanding of and trusted in salvation and redemption through Him during the tribulation period and were alive at His coming. “His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives.” Those that come against Him will surely perish. Those that trust in Him will surely live and they will reign with Him on earth for 1000 years.

There is more definition to the timing and what will occur in Revelation about the tribulation period when the wrath of God is poured out on all mankind for their rejection of Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, and love. We know that man has both physical and spiritual makeup. The physical dies but the spirit is eternal. Those who have rejected Jesus Christ will die physically but spiritually they will live in torment, Hell, totally separated from Jesus Christ. This is not something to be taken lightly. I recently had a conversation with a relative who said when he dies he knows he is going to hell and he said that he will only take up a small portion there. I told him he is still alive and while he still has breath there is time to change that outcome. How is it that people can take Hell so lightly? It is because they make the sacrifice, redemption, and salvation of Jesus Christ his offer of grace, mercy, and love lightly. I don’t know how it works, but Jesus Christ can soften hearts and harden hearts with the same offer of redemption, and salvation. Look at Paul the leader of and the one who carried out great persecution on the early church yet his heart was softened. Look at Pharaoh who in the light of all of the wonders displayed hardened his heart like stone. Look at your own life and how self-centered, self-absorbed, and self-satisfied you were and somehow the Word of God softened your heart to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Obviously it was not a work of your own thinking but the work of the Holy Spirit of God opening up your mind to understand the need and offer of redemption. Only God knows how this works. He is all-knowing, Holy, and just. Somewhere in all of this is a free will choice that is made deep within the heart and soul of every person. All I can say is that if the Holy Spirit of God is revealing the need and offer of redemption and salvation, do not reject it. Your eternal destiny is based on this choice.

In His presence

Psalms 100 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 66:1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;

Psalms 66:4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Psalms 95:1-2 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Isaiah 24:14-16 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Luke 19:37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

Psalms 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Psalms 68:32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord,

God first. God only. God above self. I read these verses and am reminded of the gene that was deleted in my birth. I have joyfulness but if I were to sing, it certainly would not be joyful to anyone hearing it. There were and are those who are gifted with this ability, however it is the heart, mind and sole that burst forth with joyfulness in what God has done, is doing, and will do. Wise is the man that numbers his days and chooses to joyfully humble, honor, serve, follow and obey. Our change is on the inside and is reflected on the outside. Have a joyful day in our Lord and savior.