橄榄山之四：预言与墓园 Isr-9

Mount of Olives Part 4: Prophecy and the Cemetery Isr-9

 (2025-08-11 16:12:41)Next

Whether you look at the Mount of Olives from the Old City of Jerusalem or from the top of the Mount of Olives, you will see clusters of dark green olive trees on the mountain; but what is more eye-catching is the yellow and white slope... which is the cemetery.

Mount of Olives Prophecy

For over 3,000 years, Jerusalem has been considered a holy place for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. From the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount, you can overlook the walls of Jerusalem, the Golden/Eastern Gate, and the Old City.

The Mount of Olives is considered a holy site because the three major religions all prophesied great events to take place there in the future. These records and prophecies span over three thousand years. I have briefly touched upon them in the previous articles on the Mount of Olives. In chronological order, they begin with David's son Absalom three thousand years ago, then Jesus' final night on the Mount of Olives two thousand years ago, then His ascension there after His resurrection three days later, and finally, at the "Final Judgment," when the Lord returns to judge the world. The prophecies of these three major religions share both similarities and significant differences.

Christianity , including Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, all believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind. Jesus' footprints can be seen on the Mount of Olives; Christians experience a sense of being there, a closer connection with Jesus. The Mount of Olives prophecy is a crucial component of prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments, foretelling the judgment of Jesus' return, Israel's future restoration, the signs of the end times, and the glory of the New Jerusalem.

Since this prophecy was made thousands of years ago, it includes events that have already occurred and those that will occur in the future. Over the past two thousand years, significant events predicted in the prophecy have already occurred, including the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, the dispersal of the Jews throughout the world, and their subsequent return to Jerusalem.

However, the most crucial prophecy has not yet happened, which has been mentioned many times: at the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come again to judge the world, and he will first descend in Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives...

In addition, the "signs" before the end of the world, such as wars, earthquakes, famines, and plagues, have occurred many times over the past two thousand years, but it is difficult to infer which disaster will trigger the Lord's return and the beginning of the final judgment.

Judaism : The Mount of Olives prophecy concerns Israel's restoration and final salvation. They believe in the fulfilled covenant God made with their ancestors, including God's return to Jerusalem. The unfulfilled part of the prophecy is the resurrection of the Messiah (they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, nor do they acknowledge that he has already come, so they await their Messiah). (Gal. 14:4) The dead buried on the Mount of Olives will be resurrected first, and a perpetual and peaceful Messianic kingdom will be established on earth.

Islam : The Mount of Olives ranks third among Islam's holiest sites, after Mecca and Medina. Islam also considers the Mount of Olives prophecy to be about the Last Days of Judgment. They believe that at the end of the world, the dead will be resurrected and judged. They also believe that at that time, Jesus (Isa in Islam) will return, defeat the "false Messiah," and establish a just society.

Today, 30% of Jerusalem's population is Arab. Atop the Mount of Olives, there's a long-established Muslim community whose mosque was once a Christian church. This community is vibrant and interacts with other communities and ethnic groups.

Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery

The Mount of Olives is a holy site, a place of blessing longed for by believers of all three major religions. Whether gazing at the Mount of Olives from the Old City of Jerusalem or gazing at Jerusalem from the summit of the Mount of Olives, one can see clusters of green olive trees perched atop the mountain. Even more striking, however, are the vast expanses of yellow-white slopes that form the Mount of Olives Cemetery.

The Old Testament prophets Zechariah and Joel, trusted servants of God by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, prophesied thousands of years ago that God would judge the nations in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat/Kidron" (Joel 3:2) at the end of the world. As the Mount of Olives is a sacred site for all three major religions, it's natural for believers to yearn to rest there. However, for ordinary people, this desire seems somewhat unattainable (the bar is high).

The Mount of Olives Cemetery is the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world, boasting over 3,000 years of history and housing 150,000 graves. It is a coveted burial ground for Jews, who believe those buried there will be the first to be resurrected and receive eternal life.

The Jewish cemetery is located on the upper part of the Mount of Olives. The tombs are neatly arranged, all facing the East Gate of Jerusalem (they believe that the Savior will descend from the East Gate at the Last Judgment).

the Christian cemetery , in the Kidron Valley between the Mount of Olives and the Tower of David;

Muslim cemetery near the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.

Ancient Tombs of Jewish Believers : As briefly mentioned in the previous article, from 1953 to 1955, Father B. Bagatti of the Franciscan Order conducted archaeological excavations at the original site of the Church of the Weeping Lord (Dominus Flevit), unearthing more than 500 tombs. The names of early saints were engraved in Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and other languages on the coffins and stone tablets, proving that this was the cemetery of ancient Jewish Christians.

The cemetery has been destroyed . Jerusalem has gone through thousands of years and many wars, so it is inevitable that the cemetery will be destroyed. When Israel was established in 1948, East Jerusalem (including the Mount of Olives) was assigned to Jordan. This is why there is still an Arab community at At-Tur on the Mount of Olives.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-Tur,_East_Jerusalem

After Israel's founding, it fought numerous wars with neighboring Arab states. During Jordan's nearly two decades of occupation of the Mount of Olives, Jewish cemeteries were severely damaged, with ancient Jewish tombstones even being used to build roads and toilets (the Old Summer Palace in Beijing suffered the same fate, with pig pens also added).

It wasn't until the 1967 Six-Day War that Israel finally recaptured the Mount of Olives. Following the Six-Day War, the Israelis made every effort to restore the cemetery. Today, the Mount of Olives Cemetery is neatly planned and maintained.

Flowers and stones

Jewish and Chinese burial customs differ. The Chinese emphasize "rest in peace" and bury the coffin in the ground. Jewish sarcophagi, on the other hand, are placed above ground, facing the Old City of Jerusalem. In cemeteries of other ethnic groups, the coffin is buried below ground, with tombstones above ground, some standing upright and others lying horizontally. Flowers are often placed in front of the tombstones.

On the Mount of Olives, however, only stones are seen placed above the Jewish sarcophagi. There's a famous film called "Schindler's List," in which the German Ottoman Schindler, the prototype for the main character, was buried on the Mount of Olives. In the film, there's a scene where Jews visiting his grave place small stones at his grave.

This is a Jewish custom that expresses respect and mourning for the deceased. According to Jewish tradition, stone symbolizes solidity and immutability, and the stacking of stones represents the eternal commemoration and collective memory of the deceased. The Talmud, the Jewish religious text, states that placing stones on a sarcophagus is "chessed shel emet," true charity, allowing the deceased's soul to rest in peace.

Furthermore, Jerusalem has a hot and dry climate, so flowers quickly wither, but stones remain unchanged. Just as the Bible says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

 

Reference: https://laiguanlee.blogspot.com/2016/11/3000-58615-586-1000960-1520-8-dominus.html