ON MOUNT OLIVET

 

ON MOUNT OLIVET (Easter Story Continued) Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and every night he would go out of the city to the mountain that is called Olivet, so he could pray. The city wall of Jerusalem was only half a mile from the Garden of Gethsemane, which is at the foot of Mount Olivet. The mountain was a Jewish cemetery with gardens, as it continues to be today. JESUS WEPT OVER JERUSALEM While on Mount Olivet, overlooking the city: Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem (which happened less than 40 years later.) Jesus wept over the city as he prophesied. Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate. Jesus wept over the tragedies that were coming. In less than 40 years, Jerusalem would be completely destroyed, because they failed to recognize their Messiah even when He did great miracles among them. Easter reminds us that we, too, have an obligation to recognize Jesus for who he is. We think nothing will happen if we ignore Him, but we are hardening our hearts when we do that. Don't let this happen to you.

 

MINISTERING IN THE TEMPLE (Easter Story)

 

MINISTERING IN THE TEMPLE Easter Story Continued MATTHEW 21:14 The blind and the lame came to Jesus at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. VOICE FROM HEAVEN Jesus was in the Temple every day of Passover week, healing people and teaching. No wonder the religious rulers were upset: Jesus took over the Temple as if he owned the place (which in fact, He did.) And a very miraculous event happened to confirm that God approved of everything Jesus was doing: JOHN 12:27-33 Jesus went to the Temple to minister to the people. He healed many. And he taught them. And then Jesus cried out, "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, An angel has spoken to Him. 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. I WILL REBUILD THIS TEMPLE During Passover week, Jesus Christ spoke many prophecies regarding the Jewish Temple, and predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. MARK 13:1-2 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!” “Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” John 2:19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” He said that if they tore down the great stones of the Temple, he would rebuild it in three days. Jesus was referring to his own death and resurrection, but of course the religious leaders thought he was crazy. The Easter Story will continue tomorrow.

 

THE EASTER STORY!

 

THE EASTER STORY! For the next two weeks, we will be telling the story of Easter every day, starting with Palm Sunday; which isn’t actually until NEXT weekend, but we need more than one week to tell the whole story. Luke 19:28 Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When Jesus came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” This passage in Luke 19 describes the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  However, by the end of the week the same people who shouted "Hosanna" would demand that Jesus be crucified. So the Triumphal Entry is a very strange story. What exactly happened, and why? Mainly it seems to be a prophetic event. Palm Sunday holds a promise: that Jesus will indeed return to Jerusalem and take the place of authority that He has earned. Furthermore, the Bible says that He will do it easily and quickly. The power that Christ restrained during the crucifixion will not be restrained or held back any longer. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode on a donkey - but when He returns, Jesus will ride on a white horse. The Second Coming will be full of the majesty, glory and overwhelming power that one would expect from the Son of God. "And every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10-11 CLEANSING THE TEMPLE After his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went straight to the Jewish Temple and threw all the vendors and money changers out. He overturned the tables and used a whip to force them to leave. He also forbid the women who carried water to take a shortcut through the temple court. Passover was the busiest week of the year for the religious leaders, scribes and temple vendors. They made a lot of money off of temple activities, and they had a well-honed system for doing it. Jesus upset their financial system by demanding respect for God and His Holy Temple. And since Jesus went to the temple every day of Passover week, he made sure they didn't come back. Jesus declared, "You shall not make my Father's House into a den of thieves!" When people say, "What would Jesus do?", I think of this story. Jesus was not a wimp. He confronted people. Jesus challenged people to do better. The Easter story will continue tomorrow. I was always angry, and I had a huge hole in my heart. Nothing made me happy. Then I got married to a God-fearing woman, and at home she would read the Bible every morning. After a while she said, “do you want me to read aloud to you?” So I sat down, and she started reading the Bible aloud to me, every morning. Eventually I said, “Well, let me read it,” and so I started to read it aloud to her. And then it was like the Lord said to me “Chuck, it’s time to come home. It’s been long enough.” And now my heart is filled up again.’ Chuck Norris 1940-2026

 

GOD OF THE GAPS?

 

GOD OF THE GAPS? By Biblical Creation A common criticism from atheists is that Christians only believe in God to explain what we don’t understand—what’s often called the “God of the gaps.” The idea is, that whenever science hasn’t figured something out, believers just insert “God did it” as a lazy answer. But that’s not an accurate picture of biblical faith. Christians don’t worship God because of what we don’t know—we believe in Him because of what we do know. The order, complexity, and beauty of the universe point clearly to an intelligent Creator. From the precise constants in physics to the intricate design of living cells, these aren’t gaps—they’re powerful signs of intentionality. In fact, the Bible encourages investigation and discovery. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” In other words, God built a world worth exploring, and science is one way we uncover His fingerprints. Many early scientists were Christians who believed they were studying God’s creation—people like Newton, Boyle, and Kepler. Their faith didn’t stop them from asking questions; it drove them to dig deeper, knowing the universe was made by a rational Mind. So when Christians speak of God as the Creator, it’s not about plugging Him into the unknown. It’s about recognizing that even what is known—laws of nature, DNA, consciousness, morality—points beyond mere chance. God isn’t hiding in the gaps; He’s woven into the very fabric of reality. Faith isn’t the end of curiosity— it’s the beginning of wonder. You can visit Biblical Creation on Facebook: CLICK HERE