Jesus was a mountain man

JESUS WAS A MOUNTAIN MAN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 6:3 Then Jesus went up on the mountainand sat
down with His disciples.
Mark 3:13 13Jesus went up on a mountainsideand
calledto him those he wanted, and they came to him.
Luke 6:12 12Oneof those days Jesus went out to a
mountainsideto pray, and spent the night praying to
God.
Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the
mountain, great multitudes followedhim.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(3) A mountain.—Better, the mountain, or, perhaps, the hill-country on the east shore of
the sea. See the parallel passages.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
6:1-14 John relates the miracle of feeding the multitude, for its reference to the following
discourse. Observe the effect this miracle had upon the people. Even the common Jews
expected the Messiahto come into the world, and to be a great Prophet. The Pharisees

despised them as not knowing the law; but they knew most of Him who is the end of the
law. Yet men may acknowledge Christ as that Prophet, and still turn a deaf ear to him.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Because they saw his miracles ... - They saw that he had the power to supply their wants,
and they therefore followed him. See John 6:26. Compare also Matthew 14:14.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. a mountain—somewhere in that hilly range which skirts the east side of the lake.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 3,4. That is, the third passover after our Saviour had entered upon his public
ministry; by which we may observe, that John omitted many things spoken and done by
our Saviour in the year immediately following the second passover, for he giveth us no
further account than what we have in the former chapter, and in this. The other evangelists
give us a more full account of them. The place whither our Saviour went seemethto have
been toward the end of the lake, so as the people could go on foot, and turn at the point of
the lake, and be there before the ship could cross the water.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And Jesus went up into a mountain,.... In a desert place near Bethsaida, Luke 9:10;
and there he sat with his disciples; partly for security from the cruelty of Herod, having
just heard of the beheading of John; and partly for privacy, that he might have some
conversation alone with his disciples, upon their return from off their journey; as also for
the sake of rest and refreshment; and according to the custom of the Jewish doctors, which
now prevailed; see Gill on Matthew 5:1, he sat with his disciples, in order to teach and
instruct them.
Geneva Study Bible
And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
3. into a mountain] Rather, into the mountain, or, perhaps the mountainous part of the
district. The definite article indicates familiarity with the locality. Comp. John 6:15. We
have no means of determining the precise eminence.
Bengel's Gnomen

John 6:3. Ἀνῆλθε, went up) Not after the arrival of the people, but in the meantime, whilst
the people were approaching.—ἐκάθητο, He was sitting) He did not desire the people to
come to Him; but He graciously received them [when they came].
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 3. - And Jesus went up into the mountain; i.e. the high ground which everywhere
surrounded the lake. The same expression, εἰς τὸ ὄρος, occurs very frequently in the
synoptist Gospels (Mark 3:13; Matthew 5:1; Matthew 14:23). This last passage is an
interesting confirmation of our text. The usage implies on the part of the four evangelists
familiar acquaintance with the scenery. And there he sat down with his disciples. From this
elevation they would see the gathering multitudes streaming from different points and
meeting on the pebbly beach, asking each other where was the Master? and whither had
the Prophet, the Healer, fled? Women and little children are in the crowd (Matthew 14:21).
Weiss, who argues that the main features of the narrative are deeply imbedded in all the
traditions, summarily disposes of the later accounts of the similar event recited by Mark
(Mark 8:1-11) and Matthew (Matthew 15:32-38).
Vincent's Word Studies
A mountain (τὸ ὄρος)
Strictly, the mountain. The writer speaks as one familiar with the district.
He sat (ἐκάθητο)
Imperfect: was sitting, when he saw the multitude approaching (John 6:5).
JESUS AND THE MOUNTAINS
"WHEN he was come down from the
mountain, greatmultitudes followedhim."
"And when he had sentthe multitudes
away, he went up into a mountain apart to
pray; and when the evening was come he

was there alone."
"And after six days Jesus takethPeter,
James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into an high mountain apart, and
was transfigured before them; and his face
did shine as the sun, and his raiment was as
white as the light. And, behold, there ap
peared unto them Moses andElias talking
with him. Then answeredPeter, and said
unto Jesus, Lord, it is goodfor us to be here ;
if thou wilt, let us make here three taber
nacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses,and
one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold,
a bright cloud overshadowedthem; and be
211
hold a voice out of the cloud, which said,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased;hear ye him. And when the disci
ples heard it, they fell on their face, and
were sore afraid. And Jesus came and
touched them, and said, Arise, and be not
afraid. And when they had lifted up their
eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And

as they came down from the mountain,
Jesus chargedthem, saying, Tell the vision
to no man."
137
138 OUT-OF-DOORSWITHJESUS
"And he came out, and went, as lie was
wont, to the mount of Olives; and his dis
ciples also followedhim."
"And when they were come to the place,
which is calledCalvary, there they crucified
212
him, and the malefactors, one on the right
hand and the other on the left."
"Then the eleven disciples went awayinto
Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had
appointed them."
"Nighunto the mountains."
We know Jesus was a seaman. The sight of
boats and sails and oars was an exhilaration to
his spirit. Equally true it is that Jesus was a
mountain-man, by which is intended that the
mountains lured him. He felt the mountains.
They always climbed before the eyes of his spirit.

This is the mark of the mountain-man. Moun
tains always loom before his spiritual eyes.
They are in the landscape ofhis soul. He is
never out of sight of their majestic forms. He
does not need to journey to them; they journey
to him.
This is not strange. It is natural ; for himself
213
is the highestmountain peak ever thrust into
the heavens. All besides are foothills when he
is near. He made wider things than ocean's
brine. Himself was wider than all seas. He
made skies wide and high because he himself
was wider and higher than any sky. He built
mountains up to neighbor with the sky; but he
himself is height unspeakable. Mountains are
JESUS AND THE MOUNTAINS 139
the perceivedaspiration of the world. They
haunt the soul because the soul is crammed with
aspiration. And Jesus who out-toweredall that
ever dwelt in our world would by nature turn
feet and eyes toward such places as essayedto
come to levels where the eaglesfly. God invited

Moses up into Mount Nebo, so that a mountain
soul might have a mountain death; and there
God buried him, on Nebo, overlooking surly
Jordan, in its incessanthaste to the deathbed of
Moses,the man of Sinai and the Decalogueand
214
the sense ofhigh courage that for all the years
had moved along as majestic as the tide of the
sea. No man shall find his grave. God opened
it before the resurrectionday. He was lone
some without Moses beside him and clothed
him with immortality before his time. God
understands. "He knoweththat we are dust."
So it is written, and he knew not only that
we are dust but that as the dust of the world
aspires into mountains so our dust aspires.
When our whole story is told we be mountain
men. Godmade the mountains and we want
them : mountain spirit resents deadlevels. Men's
feet want to climb. The mountains are his. God
made them. Man cannot sit and look at the
mountain's rugged and vigorous bulk. He wants
to climb. No dangerscares him. 'phese climb

ers who lie dead in the gorgesofthe Alps and
the Andes would be an army that should cover
the mountain's alluring acclivities that stand
215
in sunny splendor againstthe dawn. That the
way was foggywith death stayed them not. "I
am coming," calledthe man challengedby the
mountain, "coming" and the mountain eagles
dreamed they heard an avalanche crushing into
the hollow of the precipice. So it was. A brave
man's feet had slipped on the icy stairwayand
a brave climber whirled headlong to death but
his spirit calledexultant as a storm, "I climbed."
Deathis no calamity. Living with no possibility
for climbing the pinnacles of the world is the
calamity.
Climbing is the highest exploit possible with
out wings. It is where curl the clouds and eagles
fling their gyrating shadows in sheerecstasyof
flight. Men must climb to neighbor with winged
things and dawns and storms.
Since mountains are in our blood, we are con

firmed mountaineers. What dreamer can keep
his feetfrom the mountain ascent? I remember
when I a prairie man first saw a mountain.
216
It was mid afternoonwhen I landed at its foot.
I was total strangerin this localitybut not to
the mountain. It glowedon high and pro
nounced my name. I answered. I climbed the
bowldered ways till dark, till the moon arose and
the augustpines set up an anthem in the dark.
I heard the diapason. I clung to the mountain
side like wings to a bird's heart. The way down
was pitch dark. Stars did not seemto light that
bleak staircase.I was on the mountain ways all
alone, but undismayed as eagles andglad as doves
on summer days. I had climbed a mountainside !
I had heard the tremendous music of a moun
tain streamin the dark. I had seenthe world
beneath me. I had watchedthe sun in solitary
splendor set the heavens to conflagrationand
splash the clouds of sunsetwith splendor. I
had feet. My feethad taken the way of winds

and clouds and had become as wings. I heard
217
the night streamcalling. I heard the night
winds crooning. I felt the solitude as if it had
been a voice. I was where I belonged. My body
had become a part of my spirit. The pines were
below me. I had outclimbed them. Should pine
trees outclimb a human soul? I stumbled in the
dark. Upward the height was still beyond!
I must catchthe sunrise there. I did. And then,
wearyas a tired bird, I knew what the august
saying meant, "The Mountain of the Lord."
Jesus the Mountains-Man. I love it of him
and I love it in him. I love to watch him preach
in a mountain a mountaineer sermon whose voice
rolls down the accumulatedyears like accumu
lated thunders.
Mountains expressedhim and mountains im
pressedhim. Mountains, be glad. Ruskinloved
ye. That was high encomium. Coleridge loved
ye. Shakespeare lovedye. That is encomium
sufficient, I ween. And yet ye mind them not.
Jesus lovedye, built ye, haunted ye with shadow

and streams and nesting eagles andwind and
218
clouds: and there he caine and made ye pulpit
and place of prayer and place of transfiguration
and place of death and redemption. Mountains,
exult! Jesus loved ye.
All mountains are romances written of God.
I know so many ranges haunted by eagles'wings
and pines and passing and unpassing clouds and
thundering waterfalls and pine breath and
craggyfastnessesofsilence and voices ofrivers
and watchtowersstars might wish to share.
Lessermountains, and unimaginable leap of
mighty mountain peaks, seeming to be built for
eternity all of that is dear to me. I make
obeisance to them all. My mother has her grave
on a mountain nine thousand feet in the sky.
The stars keepwatchabove her sleeping dust,
and will until Jesus shallput his trumpet to
219
his lips and bid the dead arise.
Had I time and could I would visit every

mountain range of earth. My spirit demands to
see them all and climb them all. I shall not
here. Somewhere I shall. This climbing mood
does not preempt my soul for naught. I was
meant for the tops of the mountains. I shall
somewhere climb all mountains of the Lord.
I am familiar with a mountain range called
the Ozarks. Theyoccupy substantial portions
of Arkansas and Missouri. They have more
streams of crystal waterthan any mountains I
know. They are not high peaks but are varie
gatedand very beautiful. Built of limestone,
they abound in caverns of rare beauty and
streams clearas silvern mirrors, wide and deep
enough for boats to come and go. This is the
220
regionof lostrivers. Through crevices in the
limestone a river will disappear utterly. Then,
somewhere faroff, a river full grown will leap
from a fissure in the rocks in the beautiful guise
of a spring. These lostrivers play hide-and-go
seek in these enchanting mountains. It seems

like a land of dreams. Anyone who will go and
wander and saunterfor months through this
enchanted land will think that he has been out
alone with God in a land of his specialfavor
watereverywhere, and waterwhich to drink is
to be thirsty for it for the rest of one's days,
the rivers are so clear, with limestone channels,
with pools of deep delight where trout live.
This is a realm of pure delight, where the Ike
Walton men come and loiter and creepand cook
fish and eatthem and renew their youth and
laughter. And here are rivulets an artist would
find his sleeve pulled by at every turn ; and trees
of vivid leaf and bud making shadows forthe
rivers and roads to run beneath. It is a place
for such as love to lie on their backs and look
at the skyand dream. New England hills and
mountains are not more a delight, nor Pennsyl
221
vania Alleghanies, lovely as they are. Anywhere
a body loiters in this Ozark land he will have
heart's delight.
Everywhere is where a body startedfor. You

144 OUT-OF-DOOKS WITHJESUS
cannot miss your way. A whole country will be
without a routine crossing, ora railroad. People
are not in a hurry, save the motor. It can in
trude where you would serenelystand alone in
love of the out-of-doors.
One Ozark place I know, Glen Metowee by
name, could teachany artist beauty for a life
time. Three fourths of circumference of the sky
is visible from where you stand, and never a spot
the eye lights is like any other spot. Summer
is a delight, though I will think it loveliestwhen
the leaves fall and perfume the ground and sky,
and the trees do not hide the hills, and the
222
landscape displays its wide variety of loveliness.
If a body w.ho had journeyed around the belt of
the world would stand for a moment in this place,
he should bear awaythe delight of the vision into
heaven with him. A river wandering in the dis
tance among the hills and the white pillars of
the sycamore standnear and afar. The smoke
of many chimneys, blue as the sky, blows on us,

showing woodfires were burning there. Cedars
and pines lifting green plumes among the lamp
less trees and a dozen winding roads going leis
urely where they would the world is as if it
reachedup and out only to the sky, and the scene
is so satisfying that if the world stopped where
the hills rimmed your road, the world would be
large enough.
Another day, a day of early fall, I came to
where at a river the railroad halted. There it
223
turned and retracedits way. Beyond the river
lay an Ozark land untouched by railroad for
sixty miles. The river was bridged by a ferry
boat, nameless and silent. You summoned it for
passengersby ringing a bell setin a high and
ancient tower. The river was swollenby recent
rains. It wanderedaway wildly, giving no hint
as to its destination. Pushed by its swift cur
rent, which ordinarily was indolent and indif
ferent, the ferryboat made unaccustomedhead
way. If anybody has never crosseda river by

a ferry run by a rope and pushed by the cur
rent, that body should repent of his ways and
mend them. Ferrying is the poetry of crossing.
Birds fly across, and man canfly on very noisy
wings which subtract all poetry from flight.
Noisycrossing annihilates the romance of cross
ing. Driving through an old-time woodtunnel
bridge with the wheels and horses'hoofs playing
a tune of the journey on the shadow bridge road
way, has something of music in it like the rhythm
of horses'feet heard afar. Now, tunneled wood
bridges are few ; and the current-pushed ferry is
our remaining poetry. I would knowingly make
224
a long journey for such a crossing;but this ar
rival was a surprise. I did not know to what
crossing I was coming. The river muttered to its
muddy banks, "I am in a hurry and in no mood
to push the boat for these newcomers." Never
theless, having complained first, it did the job
cheerfully and pushed us over. The bell was
pulled by myself hilariously. It jingled out.

lugubriously, "A man wants across";and the
ferryman came. He had his baby with him.
That helped the crossing amazingly. Babies
help everything. I stoodlooking at the frothing
river that pushed us across to be rid of us, and
the Ozark stream took a long course before it
disappearedaround the knees ofthe mountains,
going with intent towardthe sea, in weary dis
tances. And, the river crossed, we regrettedthe
passagewas so speedy. We climbed a long slant
up the mountain and came to a road which for
225
twenty-five miles never left the winding ridge
top. Sometimes the river lay below us in plain
sight making long curves, so that it might linger
longeramong the mountains of its love; some
times it eluded us as if tiring of our company,
only to show its sinuous course againafaroff,
at last disappearing like a flock of wild birds in
a wood. On the ridgetop the road stayedand
wandered like a vagabond stream, and looked
across the miles of billowy hills clad in autumn
greens and golds and browns, through which the

hill winds blew. I was in glad mind. I was to
dedicate a house of God situated on the banks
of a crystal river where the bright water rippled
over the pebbles, making music very sweet, or
stoodin pools where sycamore roots were spread
out to detain it; and the sycamore trunk stands
white as the pillar of a Greek temple, sending up
a trunk beautiful with sycamore leaf. Thither
226
we tend. And the church was on the edge of the
river, so that the pulpit was nearestto the
stream, and with the windows opened, the voice
of the running waters, sadas tears, was audible
betweenthe singing of the hymns; and the
church bell on Saturday evening calledto all the
valley that a house of God was there, and such
as cared for God might meet him if they came.
Thither we tended when the skywas sweetand
sad, and the hill winds wanderedcoyly in and
out among the trees;so we ventured on with
singing hearts and eyes that dancedfor joy of
the day and the morrow, and the church to be

consecratedto the Lord of hosts. And we were
as if in the glad land of dreams. We stopped
for dinner, nothing loath, beside the stream,
which would not by any inducement of our hos
pitality be persuaded to linger. We slakedour
thirst at the stream, nor lingered long. We must
on to other mountains, for they beckoned, so
on we went. There was a place named Haha
tonka, the friends said, was too fair for my eyes
to miss. I did not desire them to. When did I
desire to miss seeing God's out-of-doors? So on
227
we went, leaving the ridge road and ran along
the streamand up the lifting hills, as if the hills
were the waves ofa greatsea at storm, going
along unexpectedly nor querying what the road
would do, nor caring. For are we not on the
road and anywhere bound? This is as joyful as
Christmas. And then we came to Hahatonka.
We did well to come. The way had been laugh
ter and the arrival was delight. Here we stopped
where a cliff of limestone built a wall unscalable

for hundreds of feet. A lostriver found itself
and poured into the river in a single spring, cold
to the lips and sweetto the spirit. A mill, built
of oak boards, gray coveredwith a patination
of green, beautiful as Greek coins, is built here.
A mill wheelkept singing to itself slumber songs
as the rush of waters poured over it. A water
fall frothed and sang and cut up didoes in
numerable with a voice that brought long-de
228
parted yesterdays. A little distance from where
we camped by the gray-greenmill and the sing
ing waterfalland the waterwheel, was a nat
ural bridge enticing to see, the more so that it
was not set down in any book. Evidently, a cave
had fallen in, but the stone of the natural bridge
had strong enough arch to hold the bridge
up, while on either side the ground had fallen
into the cave. So had God bridged the chasm.
Under the natural bridge we walkedand over
it we ran; and the day was beautiful nearing
evening. The sun was not set but had passed
behind our palisades of the limestone wall. Be

tweenit and the waterfallof the lostriver day
came to night. The river widened like a lake
where water cress grew in greatpatches of vivid
green, and the lake-river threw back the skies
with their wine-glow which flooded the waters
with glory. We wanted to tarry there as Peter
229
on the Mount of Transfiguration. We kindled
our fire, cookedoursupper, drank from the new
river, having said our grace with glad hearts
while the fire crackledand sputtered and sent
up its incense very precious. The day setand
the night came on with its stars and its precious
night odors. And the steadymurmur of the
waterfallwas heard. The mill wheelwas
resting from its labors, the mountains gathering
around us like statelyguardsmen of the dark.
What mountains are these? Nay, the right ques
tion is, Whose mountains are these? Theyare
the Lord's mountains. He made them. He loves
them. He rested his heart when it was tired and
troubled by climbing to their crests and making

their solitudes places of prayer and praise and
yearning. God be thanked for the consecration
Jesus gave the mountains:
Mount Zion where the Temple stood: Jesus
sitting in sight of historied Mounts Ebal and
Gerizim : Jesus atthe Mount of Prayer: Jesus
at the Mount of the Sermon: Jesus at Mount
Hermon and its summit of snow, where his
230
garments glisteredas no fuller could whiten
them : Jesus on Mount Calvary, higher in spirit
than all earthly mountains are, died upon the
cross for us : Jesus onMount Calvary for burial
and resurrection: Jesus in Galilee on some un
named mountain, whose name we shall know
in heaven : Jesus onthe Mount of Olives to start
on a longer journey than any far-going stars have
ever made. Surely, Jesus hath hallowedall
mountains forever.
Nor have my feet ever climbed mountains
where I did not find the Lord of the mountains
before me, and did not see his footprints on the

mountainside.
Lord of the mountains, hallowed be thy name.
Jesus is changedon the slopes of Mount Hermon
Mk 9:2-13 Six days after this momentous declaration, Jesus takes his three
closestdisciples – Peter, James and John – onto a high mountain where his
appearance is changedor ‘transfigured’ (see 2 on Map 9). His face shines
brightly and his clothes become dazzling white, while Moses andElijah
(representing the Jewishlawgivers and the prophets) are seenby the disciples
talking with Jesus. A cloud envelops the snow-toppedmountain and God’s
voice is heard saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark
9:7)
Jesus's clothes become
dazzling white on the
slopes of Mount Hermon
(Mark 9:3)

The Transfiguration
The significance ofthe ‘transfiguration’ of Jesus may appear obscure to
modern readers, but to Jewishobservers, its meaning was quite clear. In the
Old Testament, the glory of the Lord – the ‘Shekinah’, the radiant, shining
presence ofGod himself – had appearedto Moses onMount Sinai (see Exodus
24:16), and had later filled the temple in Jerusalem(see 1 Kings 8:11). When
Jesus was born, the glory of the Lord – the same radiant, shining presence of
God – appearedto the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem (see Luke
2:9-20), indicating that God’s presence had come on earth again.
On the high mountain where Jesus took his three closestfollowers, the glory
of the Lord – this same shining presence ofGod – appearedagain to Moses,
just as on Mount Sinai. But this time, it was Jesus who reflectedthe glory of
the Lord – the personalpresence of God – in himself.
The mountain where the ‘transfiguration’ occurredwas probably Mount
Hermon, a short distance to the north of CaesareaPhilippi – in the area where
Jesus askedthe disciples, ‘Who do you say I am?’ (see Map 9). Mount
Hermon (meaning ‘sanctuary’) is the highest mountain in Palestine (at9233 ft
/ 2815mabove sea level) and has a permanent white snowfieldthat provides
meltwater during the dry spring and summer to feed the River Jordan. It was
a sacredplace to the early Caananites andwas one of the ‘high places’of
paganworship often reveredduring Old Testamenttimes. Jesus chose this
specialplace to show his personaland unique relationship with God, together
with his close ties to the most respectedearlyleaders of the Jewishreligion,
Moses andElijah.
Some Christians believe that the ‘transfiguration’ took place after Jesus and
his disciples returned from Caesarea Philippi to Galilee. If this was the case,
the mountain top experience may have occurredon Mount Taborto the east
of Nazareth (see Map9). Here, the event is commemoratedat the Franciscan
Church of the Transfigurationwhich stands on the site of a 4th century

Byzantine basilica and beside the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey. This location
is unlikely, however, as Mount Tabor was the site of a Roman military camp
at the time of Jesus https://thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney1/5-jesuss-
journeys-beyond-galilee/jesus-is-changed-on-the-slopes-of-mount-hermon/
Jesus Was Mountain Man
Contributed by Terry Baileyon Dec 23, 2000
based on 77 ratings
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| 1,958 views
Scripture: Matthew 8:1-3
Denomination: Pentecostal
Summary: Jesus knew the need and the rewards of spending time alone with
the Father.
Jesus Was A Mountain Man

The Text: Matthew 8:1-3
The Teaching:Jesus knew the need and the rewards of spending time alone
with the Father.
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Verse #1: When He came down from the mountain...
1. Jesus was notafraid of the Wildlife (Bears & Lions)
2. Jesus was notafraid of the locallegends (Ghost Stories)
3. Jesus was notafraid of the Devil himself
...greatmultitudes followedHim...
1. Time in prayer makes us approachable
2. Time in prayer allows us to see others needs
3. Time in prayer allows Godto use us for His glory
Verse #2: And behold , a leper came and worshipedHim, saying "Lord, if you
are willing, You canmake me clean."...
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1. The Leper knew he could approachJesus eventhough he was supposedto
keephis distance
2. He knew his worship would be receivedeven though he was unclean
3. He knew Jesus could do the impossible!
Verse #3: Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am
willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed...

1. There is no one Jesus is unwilling to touch!
2. There is no one Jesus is incapable of healing!
Note:The leper was pleasedto just be touched! The fact that he was healed
was icing on the cake!
Can faith really move mountains?
Question:"Can faith really move mountains?"
Answer: In order to correctlyinterpret a passage suchas Matthew 17:20, we
first look at the overallcontext of the passage. Jesus, along withPeter, James
and John, had just come down from the “mount of transfiguration,” and they
encounter a man with a demon-possessedchild. The man tells Jesus that he
brought his sonto Jesus’disciples, but they couldn’t castthe demon out
(recallthat Jesus earlier, in Matthew 10:1, gave His disciples the authority to
castout evil spirits). Jesus then chastisesthem for their lack of faith and then
casts the demon out of the boy. When His disciples inquire as to why the
demon didn’t obey their command, Jesus replies with the statementin
Matthew 17:20. Their faith, He says, is small and weak. If it were the size of
even the smallestof the seeds, the mustard bush, they would be able to “move
mountains.”
The first thing that needs to be consideredis the Bible’s use of literary
techniques. The Bible is first and foremostGod’s revealedWord; we want to
be clearon this point (2 Timothy 3:16). While the Bible is God’s revealed

Word, it is revealedto us by way of language. Godcondescended—He
loweredHimself—to speak to us in ways in which we would understand.
Considera father trying to communicate with his young child. The father has
to condescendin order to be understood by the limited intellect and
understanding of the child. This is analogous(though not identical) to the way
in which God speaks to us.
The Bible employs many forms, or genres, ofliterature. There is historical
narrative, poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic writing, and epistolary literature (to
name a few). Among these various literary genres, severalliterary techniques
are used—metaphor, simile, imagery, parable, allusion, irony, personification,
paradox, and hyperbole. As readers of the Bible, we must recognize when
these techniques are being used so we can properly interpret the meaning. For
example, in John 10:7, Jesus says, “Iam the door of the sheep.” How are we to
interpret this verse? If we are too literal, we might start looking for a
doorknob hidden somewhere onHis body. However, if we understand this to
be a metaphor, then we can begin to understand His meaning (Jesus is the
way of accessto eternallife, much like a door is the way of accessinto a
room).
Another thing to consider in biblical interpretation is the context of the
passage. More oftenthan not, when we take a single verse out of its native
context, we end up misinterpreting the verse. In the context of Matthew 17,
Jesus rebukes the disciples for their weak faith and says that even if they had
mustard seed-sizedfaith, they could command the mountain to move.
Contextually, the mountain must refer to the demon that was afflicting the
man’s son. Jesus tells His disciples that, if their faith was stronger, they could
have commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it would be so. This was
clearly the case in Matthew 10 when Jesus sentthem out to cure diseases, cast
out demons, and spread the gospel. Therefore, it is clearfrom the context that
Jesus does not intend to assertthat mustard seed-sizedfaith can literally move
mountains. Rather, the expressionJesus uses was a common colloquialism of

that day; to a Jew of Jesus’day, a mountain is a metaphor signifying a
seemingly impossible task.
Faith that can move mountains is not meant to imply a faith that can literally
move literal mountains. The point Jesus was making is that even a little bit of
faith—faith the size of a tiny mustard seed—canovercome mountainous
obstacles inour lives.
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil takes him up into an
exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(8) An exceeding high mountain.—Here, if proof were wanted, we have
evidence that all that passedin the Temptation was in the region of which the
spirit, and not the senses,takescognisance. No “specularmount” (I use
Milton’s phrase) in the whole earth commands a survey of “all the kingdoms
of the world, and the glory of them.” St. Luke’s addition “in a moment of
time,” in one of those flashes of intuition which concentrate into a single actof
consciousnessthe work of years, adds, if anything could add, to the certainty
of this view. Milton’s well-knownexpansionof this part of the Temptation
(Paradise Regained, BookIII.), though too obviously the work of a scholar
exulting in his scholarship, is yet worth studying as the first serious attempt to

realise in part, at least, whatmust thus have been presented to our Lord’s
mind.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 4:8-9. Again the devil taketh him up — In what wayis not said; into
an exceeding high mountain — Probably one of the mountains in the
wilderness, and from that eminence, partly by the advantage of the place,
from which he might behold many magnificent buildings, rich fields, pleasant
meadows, hills coveredwith woodand cattle, rivers rolling through the fertile
valleys, and washing the cities as they passedalong;and partly by an artful
visionary representation, showethhim all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them — Whatsoeverwas gay, splendid, or glorious, either in respect
of the honours, riches, or pleasures ofthe world; their greatand opulent
cities, sumptuous edifices, costlyattire, equipage, pomp, and splendour;
displaying to his view one of the finest prospects that the most pleasurable and
triumphant scenes couldfurnish out; and all this, not one after another, but in
a moment of time, that so they might amaze and affect him the more with
their splendour, and on a sudden prevail upon him, which otherwise they
would not have been so likely to do. And saith unto him — With the most
egregious impudence, falsehood, and pride; All these things will I give thee —
All this glory and power, and all these possessions, ifthou wilt fall down and
worship me — The devil now showedclearlywho he was, and therefore
Christ, in answering this suggestion, calls him by his proper name, Satan,
which, though he undoubtedly knew him, he had not done before. We may
learn from hence not to conclude we are utterly abandoned of God when we
are assaultedwith horrible temptations; Christ himself, we see, was tempted
even to worship the devil: but in such casesletus, like Jesus, resolutelyrepel
the temptation, rather than parley with it. Dr. Doddridge observes, that, if we
suppose Satan, in these two last temptations, to have worn the form of an
angelof light, it will make them both appear more plausible; “forthus he
might pretend, in the former, to take charge of Christ in his fall, as one of his
celestialguards;and in this latter to resignto him a province which God had
committed to his administration and care.” And this, he thinks, may not be

inconsistent“with supposing that he first appearedas a man, (it may be as a
hungry traveller, who pretended to ask the miracle of turning stones into
loaves for his own supply,) for angels, under the Old Testament, had often
worn a human form.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
4:1-11 Concerning Christ's temptation, observe, that directly after he was
declaredto be the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, he was tempted;
greatprivileges, and specialtokens ofDivine favour, will not secure any from
being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children
of God, that will answerall the suggestionsofthe evil spirit. Christ was
directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the
devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are
tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed, Jas 1:14; but our
Lord Jesus had no corrupt nature, therefore he was tempted only by the devil.
In the temptation of Christ it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and
very daring; but he canbe resisted. It is a comfort to us that Christ suffered,
being tempted; for thus it appears that our temptations, if not yielded to, are
not sins, they are afflictions only. Satanaimed in all his temptations, to bring
Christ to sin againstGod. 1. He tempted him to despair of his Father's
goodness,and to distrust his Father's care concerning him. It is one of the
wiles of Satan to take advantage of our outward condition; and those who are
brought into straits have need to double their guard. Christ answeredall the
temptations of Satan with It is written; to set us an example, he appealed to
what was written in the Scriptures. This method we must take, when at any
time we are tempted to sin. Let us learn not to take any wrong courses for our
supply, when our wants are ever so pressing: in some way or other the Lord
will provide. 2. Satantempted Christ to presume upon his Father's powerand
protection, in a point of safety. Nor are any extremes more dangerous than
despair and presumption, especiallyin the affairs of our souls. Satanhas no
objectionto holy places as the scene ofhis assaults. Letus not, in any place, be
off our watch. The holy city is the place, where he does, with the greatest
advantage, tempt men to pride and presumption. All high places are slippery
places;advancements in the world makes a man a mark for Satanto shoot his
fiery darts at. Is Satan so well versedin Scripture as to be able to quote it

readily? He is so. It is possible for a man to have his head full of Scripture
notions, and his mouth full of Scripture expressions, while his heart is full of
bitter enmity to God and to all goodness. Satanmisquoted the words. If we go
out of our way, out of the way of our duty, we forfeit the promise, and put
ourselves out of God's protection. This passage, De 8:3, made againstthe
tempter, therefore he left out part. This promise is firm and stands good. But
shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No. 3. Satantempted Christ
to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.
The glory of the world is the most charming temptation to the unthinking and
unwary; by that men are most easilyimposed upon. Christ was tempted to
worship Satan. He rejectedthe proposalwith abhorrence. Getthee hence,
Satan! Some temptations are openly wicked;and they are not merely to be
opposed, but rejectedat once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting
temptation. If we resistthe devil he will flee from us. But the soul that
deliberates is almost overcome. We find but few who can decidedly reject such
baits as Satan offers;yet what is a man profited if he gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? Christ was succouredafterthe temptation, for his
encouragementto go on in his undertaking, and for our encouragementto
trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, whatit was to suffer, being
tempted, so he knew what it was to be succoured, being tempted; therefore we
may expect, not only that he will feel for his tempted people, but that he will
come to them with seasonable relief.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
An exceeding high mountain - It is not known what mountain this was. It was
probably some elevatedplace in the vicinity of Jerusalem, from the top of
which could be seenno small part of the land of Palestine. The Abbe Mariti
speaks ofa mountain on which he was, which answers to the description here.
"This part of the mountain," says he, "overlooks the mountains of Arabia, the
country of Gilead, the country of the Amorites, the plains of Moab, the plains
of Jericho, the River Jordan, and the whole extent of the DeadSea." So
Moses,before he died, went up into Mount Nebo, and from it God showedhim
"all the land of Gileadunto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim
and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south,
and the plain of the valley of Jericho, and the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar,"

Deuteronomy 34:1-3. This shows that there were mountains from which no
small part of the land of Canaancould be seen;and we need not suppose that
there was any miracle when they were shownto the Saviour.
All the kingdoms of the world - It is not probable that anything more is
intended here than the kingdoms of Palestine, or of the land of Canaan, and
those in the immediate vicinity. Judea was divided into three parts, and those
parts were called kingdoms;and the sons of Herod, who presided over them,
were calledkings. The term "world" is often used in this limited sense to
denote a part or a large part of the world, particularly the land of Canaan.
See Romans 4:13, where it means the land of Judah; also Luke 2:1, and the
note on the place.
The glory of them - The riches, splendor, towns, cities, mountains, etc., of this
beautiful land,
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
8. Again, the devil taketh him up—"conductethhim," as before.
into—or "unto"
an exceeding high mountain, and showethhim all the kingdoms of the world,
and the glory of them—Luke (Lu 4:5) adds the important clause, "ina
moment of time"; a clause which seems to furnish a key to the true meaning.
That a scene was presentedto our Lord's natural eye seems plainly expressed.
But to limit this to the most extensive scene whichthe natural eye could take
in, is to give a sense to the expression, "allthe kingdoms of the world," quite
violent. It remains, then, to gatherfrom the expression, "in a moment of
time"—which manifestly is intended to intimate some supernatural
operation—thatit was permitted to the tempter to extend preternaturally for
a moment our Lord's range of vision, and throw a "glory" or glitter over the
scene ofvision: a thing not inconsistentwith the analogyof other scriptural
statements regarding the permitted operations of the wickedone. In this case,
the "exceeding height" of the "mountain" from which this sight was beheld
would favor the effectto be produced.
Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on"Matthew 4:9".
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Again, the devil takethhim up into an exceeding high mountain,.... That is, he
took him off from the pinnacle of the temple, and carried him through the air,
to one of the mountains which were round about Jerusalem;or to some very
high mountain at a greaterdistance;but what mountain is not certain; nor
can it be known; nor is it of any moment; it has been said (g) to be Mount
Lebanon: here he
shewethhim all the kingdoms of the world, and glory of them. By "all the
kingdoms of the world" are meant, not only the Roman empire, as Dr.
Lightfoot thinks, though that was, to he sure, the greatestin the world at that
time; but all the kingdoms in the whole world, which subsistedin any form,
whether within, or independent of the Romanempire; or whether greateror
lesser:and by "the glory of them", is meant, the riches, pomp, power, and
grandeur of them. Now the view which Satan gave Christ of all this, was not
by a representationof them in a picture, or in a map, or in any geographical
tables, as (h) some have thought; since to do this there was no need to take
him up into a mountain, and that an exceeding high one; for this might have
been done in a valley, as wellas in a mountain: and yet it could not be a true
and real sight of these things he gave him; for there is no mountain in the
world, from whence can be beheld anyone kingdom, much less all the
kingdoms of the world; and still less the riches, glory, pomp, and power of
them: but this was a fictitious, delusive representation, which Satan was
permitted to make;to cover which, and that it might be thought to be real, he
took Christ into an high mountain; where he proposedan objectexternally to
his sight, and internally to his imagination, which represented, in appearance,
the whole world, and all its glory. Xiphilinus (i) reports of Severus, that he
dreamed, he was had by a certain person, to a place where he could look all
around him, and from thence he beheld , "all the earth, and also all the sea";
which was all in imagination. Satanthought to have imposed on Christ this
way, but failed in his attempt. Luke says, this was done

in a moment of time, in the twinkling of an eye; as these two phrases are
joined together, 1 Corinthians 15:52 or "in a point of time". The word used by
Luke 4:5 sometimes signifies a mathematical point, which Zeno says (k) is the
end of the line, and the leastmark; to which the allusion may be here, and
designs the smallestpart of time that can be conceivedof. Antoninus the
emperor uses the word, as here, for a point of time; and says (l), that the time
of human life, and the whole present time, is but a point. Would you know
what a moment, or point of time is, according to the calculationof the Jewish
doctors, take the accountas follows;though in it they differ: a moment, say
they (m), is the fifty six thousandth, elsewhere (n), the fifty eight thousandth,
and in another place (o), the fifty three thousandth and eight hundredth and
forty eighth, or, according to another account(p), eighty eighth part of an
hour. If this could be thought to be a true and exact accountof a moment, or
point of time, it was a very short space oftime indeed, in which the devil
showedto Christ the kingdoms of this world, and their glory; but this is not
more surprising than his vanity, pride, and impudence, in the following verse.
(g) Vid. Fabricii Bibliograph. Antiq. c. 5. p. 137. (h) Vid. Fabricium, ibid. &
Grotium in loc. (i) Apud Fabricium, ib. (k) Vid. Laertium in Vit. Zenou. (l) De
seipso, l. 2. c. 17. & l. 6. c. 36. (m) T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 2. 4. (n) T. Bab
Beracot. fol. 7. 1.((o) Avoda Zara, fol. 4. 1.((p) T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 7. 1.
Geneva Study Bible
Again, the devil takethhim up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth
him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 4:8 f. Πάσας … κόσμου] ‫כ‬ ָּ‫ל‬ ‫מ־‬ ‫מ־‬ ‫כְל‬‫תֹו‬ ‫ֹו‬‫ה‬ָ‫,ץ־תָא‬ Ezra 1:2. Not a
hyperbolical expression:amplissimum terrarum tractum, but actually all the
kingdoms of the world, Luke 4:5. The devil could indeed regard only all
heathen lands as his disposable possession(Luke 4:6; Lightfoot, p. 1088;
Eisenmenger, entd. Judenth. II. p. 820 ff.); but even unto those remote
heathen lands, and beyond, and far beyond the small country of Palestine, has

the marvellous height of the mountain enabled the eye to look; the Holy Land,
with the temple and the peculiar people of God, certainly belongedbesides to
the Sonof Godas a matter of course;therefore to explain it awayas omnes
Palaestinaeregiones(Krebs, Loesner, Fischer, Gratz) is quite awayfrom the
point.
ἐὰν πες … μοι]If Thou wilt have castThyself down before me as Thy master,
and thereby have manifestedThy homage (Matthew 2:2) to me. By the
fulfilment of this demand the devil would have made Jesus unfaithful to
Himself, and would have securedhis own world-rule over Him. Where the
mountain in question is to be soughtfor (according to Michaelis, it was Nebo;
according to others, the Mount of Olives, Tabor, Moriah, Horeb) is,
considering the miraculous nature of the scene (Luke 4:5 : ἐν στιγμῇ χρόνου),
not even to be asked;just as little is δείκνυσιν to be rationalized as if it
denoted not merely the actualpointing, but also the verbis demonstrare
(Kuinoel, Glöckler);the δόξα αὐτῶν, moreover, is the external splendour of
the kingdoms that lay before His eye.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 4:8-10. Third temptation. εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸνλίαν: a mountain high
enough for the purpose. There is no such mountain in the world, not even in
the highestranges, “not to be sought for in terrestrial geography,” says De
Wette. The vision of all the kingdoms and their glory was not physical.—τοῦ
κόσμου. Whatworld? Palestine merely, or all the world, Palestine excepted?
or all the world, Palestine included? All these alternatives have been
supported. The last is the most likely. The secondharmonises with the ideas of
contemporary Jews, who regardedthe heathen world as distinct from the
Holy Land, as belonging to the devil. The tempter points in the direction of a
universal Messianic empire, and claims power to give effectto the dazzling
prospect.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges

8. an exceeding high mountain] It is idle to ask what this mountain was, or in
what sense Jesus saw the kingdoms of the world. It is enough that the thought
and the temptation of earthly despotism and glory were presentto the mind of
Jesus.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 4:8. Πάλιν, again) This was the third and lastconflict, as is evident
from the expression“Depart,” Matthew 4:10.—ὄρος,a mountain) A new
theatre of temptation.—δείκνυσιν, shows)To His eyes those things which the
horizon enclosed:the rest, perhaps, by enumeration and indication. Satanis a
subtle spirit.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 8. - Into an exceeding high mountain (εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸνλίαν; cf. Ezekiel
40:2; Revelation21:10). Not in Luke. While no material mountain would have
enabled our Lord to see all the kingdoms, etc., with his bodily eyes, it is
probable that the physical elevationand distance of landscape would
psychologicallyhelp such a vision. The Quarantana, which "commands a
noble prospect" (Soein's ' Baedeker,'p. 263), may have been the spot. In the
case ofEzekielit is expresslysaid that his being "brought into the land of
Israel, and setupon a very high mountain," was only "in the visions of God."
All the kingdoms of the world (τοῦ κόσμου;but Luke, τῆς ρἰκουμένης, i.e. of
the whole world as occupiedby man, cf. BishopWestcotton Hebrews 2:5).
Cyrus says (Ezra 1:2), "All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God
of heaven, given me." And the glory of them'; "i.e. their resources, wealth, the
magnificence and greatness oftheir cities, their fertile lands, their thronging
population" (Thayer); cf. Matthew 6:29; Revelation21:24, 26. The kingdoms
themselves and their outward show. Contrastthe words of the seraphim, "The
whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah6:3). In Luke this expressiondoes not
occurat this point, but in the tempter's words. As it there comes more
abruptly, that is perhaps the more originalposition. St. Luke adds, "In a
moment of time."

What is the significance ofpraying on a mountain, does it mean God hears
prayers fasterfrom a mountain top? - AFTB
Postedon Mar 28, 2015
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We find severalinstances in the scriptures where the Lord Jesus wentto a
mountain to pray. Matthew 14:23tells us, “And when he had sent the
multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the
evening was come, he was there alone.” We readin Luke 6:12, “And it came
to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued
all night in prayer to God.”
Is there a significance to the Lord going into a mountain to pray? Does the
Lord hear us better from the mountain top? To both of these questions, I
would say “No”. The Lord going into the mountain shows us the importance
of finding time apart from all distractions to pray, and the importance of
solitude when we are involved in earnestprayer and supplication. We can
imagine that being alone in the silence of the evening, the Lord Jesus enjoyed
this time of uninterrupted communion with His Father. In Luke 6:12, we
read that the Lord “continuedall night in prayer”. From this, we see the
value of private prolonged prayer when we really pour out our hearts to the
Lord, allowing His Spirit to bring things to our minds to pray about. We read
in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know
not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercessionfor us with groanings which cannotbe uttered.” It may be during

these times of prolongedprivate prayer that the Spirit works mightily in
leading us in our prayers.
We also readwhere the Lord took some of His disciples with Him to a
mountain to pray. Luke 9:28says, “And it came to pass about an eight days
after these sayings, he took Peterand John and James, and went up into a
mountain to pray.” Immediately after this, the Lord was transfigured in the
presence ofthese three disciples as we read in Luke 9:29-36. This gives us the
thought of being in prayer before a big, important event. How important it is
to be in much prayer when we are facing tough decisions, life changing events,
and opportunities to minister to others. All these things should be prayed
about in advance. In the garden, before going to the cross to die for our sins,
the Lord told His disciples in Mark 14:38, “Watchye and pray, lest ye enter
into temptation…”
Private prayer is vital to the effective Christian life. I would dare saythat if a
believer grows coldand gets awayfrom the Lord, his downward fall usually
begins with the lack of earnestprivate prayer. In Matthew 6:6 the Lord
teaches us, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, andwhen thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;and thy Father
which seeth in secretshallreward thee openly.” It is goodto come apart from
all distractions to spend some alone time with the Lord in earnestprayer.
Public prayer is often part of the believer’s practice, but we should be so
careful that we never neglectour times of private prayer. We should always
be ready to take all our needs and cares to the Lord. 1 Thessalonians5:17tells
us to, “Pray without ceasing.”
Do we need to find a specialplace to pray? 1 Timothy 2:8says, “I will
therefore that men pray every where…” Anywhere we are is a goodplace to
pray. May we be like King David who said in Psalms 55:17, “Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
(141.4)
http://answersfromthebook.net/what-is-the-significance-of-praying-on-a-
mountain-does-it-mean-god-hears-prayers-faster-from-a-mountain-top/

Mountain Men
By David Berg - December1969
Matthew 5--Greatdifference in mountain and multitude. Mountain is the
opposite of multitude. Jesus left the multitude behind. The mountain peaks
are never crowded. I climbed many mountains, and I was almostalways
alone. Why?
It's hard work.
Not very many people desire to climb mountains.
It's lonesome.
You have to forsake allto do it.
It's apt to costyou your life.
Lots of scratches andbumps.
Long after the valley was in darkness, I could still see the sun. There is more
light on the mountain. The valley is almost always dark--full of people and
things, but usually in darkness. The mountain is windy and cold, but thrilling.
You really have to have the feeling that it's worth dying for. Any mountain--
the mountain of this life, the mountain of accomplishment, the mountain of
obstacles,ofdifficulty--if you're going to climb them, they have to be worth
dying for, to brave wind and cold and storm, symbolic of adversities.
On the mount alone you feelso close to the Lord. The voice of His Spirit there
is so loud, it's almostlike it's thundering. The voice of the multitude is so loud
in the valley, you can't hear the voice of God. The silence on the mountain

peak is deafening. You get a real "high" on top of a mountain. It's a thrill. It's
almost terrifying!
Of course, it's extremely dangerous. You're never so near the abyss as you are
when you're on the brink. One little misstep will end you up right down at the
bottom again. You'll hit bottom hard. Strange thing about mountain
climbing--it's much easierto climb up than to go back down again. Once
you're up, you may never getback--one of the prices you pay for climbing
mountains. Most mountain climbers who were lost were lostin the descent,
because whenyou are going up, you cansee where you're going, but when
you're going down, you can't see.
How many people who go back really see what they are getting into? They
think they're going back to the easyway, but they never realize what they're
getting into by going back--a terrible letdown. You have a peculiar feeling like
you don't want to leave the mountain. No inspiration in it. There is a certain
drive going up, almosta spiritual thing. You'll risk anything. But going down?
No inspiration, no goal, no accomplishment. You're just sliding back down
into the morass of humanity and the mire of the multitude.
Only pioneers climb mountains--people who want to do something that no one
ever did before, who want to getabove the multitude, beyond what has
already been done and accomplished. Pioneersmust have vision--vision to see
what no one else can see;faith--faith to believe things no one else believes;
initiative--initiative to be the first one to try it; courage--the guts to see it
through!
On the mountain you are the first to see the sun rise and the last to see it set.
You see the full circle of God's glorious creation. You see the world in its
proper perspective, with range after range to be conquered and a world
beyond the horizon of normal men. You see distant peaks yet to be climbed.
You see distant valleys yet to be crossed. Yousee things that the men in the
valleys cannever see, can'teven comprehend, because they can't see it. You
can see the 360-degreecircumference ofthe horizon. It's like seeing all of life
from its beginning to its end and understanding. You feellike you're living in
eternity, whereas downbelow they're living in time.

You getover here in this little multitude and this little make-believe of
mammon and you can't see anything but time and creatures of time and
things of time, which are soonto pass away. But you thrust your head above
those around you in that multitude and you become a mountain in their
midst; and they resent you and resistyou and fight you, because they can't
understand you and they don't want you. They don't even want to know there
are mountains. They don't want their children to hear there are mountains.
When you appear to be on a mountain while they are in the valley, they resent
you, because they don't want it to be known that there is any place else to go.
They don't even want their children to know there is anything else or any
other place to go or a way to get there. They want to keepthem shut in down
in the valley in the mud and the mire.
Do you realize that since time immemorial, wars have been fought between
the people who lived in the valleys and the people who lived on the
mountains? There have always been wars betweenthe mountain people and
the valley people. The mountain people are always tougher, huskier, hardier,
but fewer. But they always survived, because theyhad their mountains to flee
to. The valley people could never follow because theyweren't tough and husky
enough to climb, so they would chase them up a little way and let them go.
They didn't want to conquer mountains. They just wanted to get rid of the
mountain people. The mountain people were thorns in their flesh and pricks
in their side. They proved someone couldlive somewhere otherthan in the
valley, something they saidwas impossible.
History is full of examples of mountain people conquering valley people, but
seldom of the valley people conquering the mountain people. But the danger
has always beenthat when the mountain people had conqueredthe valley
people, they settled down in the valley. The dangeris when you make peace
with the valley, when it becomes safe foryou to go down into the valley. The
greatestdangeris safetyand security, because then you lose the wild freedom
and liberty of the mountain.
The valley land is man's country; the high lands are God's country. Man
dominates the valley; only God dominates the mountain, and the men living
on the mountains know this. Men living in the valleys think they are God,

because they dominate themselves. But those on the mountains live so close to
the things that are frightening and terrible and dangerous, they have to live
close to God. The men in the valleys have become so secure they don't need
God, because theyhave forgotten there is any God.
It's a rough and rugged road, a hard and a heavy load, and the people you
meet aren't always kind--on the way up. But they're even worse down in the
valley, and in the valley they will do everything they canto discourage you
from climbing the mountain.
There aren't many places to live on the mountain--little ruggedshelters, lean-
tos. Not much to eat, coldand windy, but it's a thrill even to die there. Better
to die on the mountain than to live in the valley. Whoeverread in the
newspaperabout the man who slipped and fell on the city street? But the man
who dies on the mountain even in far-off Switzerland, you'll read about in the
newspapers here. Becauseatleasthe dared to try. Beatenpaths are for beaten
men, but mountain peaks are for the mighty pioneers.
You take the mountain and you'll leave the multitudes behind, and then you'll
know who the disciples are. Only Jesus'disciples came unto Him (Matthew
5:1). When He went up into the mountain, the only ones who had the priceless
privilege of hearing the world's most famous sermon were the ones who left
the multitudes and took the mountain--the ones who followedJesus all the
way.
I wonder how many tried to go along with them for a while and got left by the
wayside huffing and puffing. I'm quite sure it weededout all the people who
were looking for the loaves and fishes and "What's in it for me?" because the
price was too great. "What's the use of climbing this big mountain? Don't
they know it's never been climbed before? Don't they know you can't do it?
Why should we go up there and risk our necks even to see a miracle or to get
another fish sandwich? No use wearying ourselves with this mountain. Let's
sit down here and see if they ever make it back down again. Wait and see if it
can be done first."
You never hear about the people who wait to see if it can be done. You only
hear about the people who either made it or died trying. But when you make

it, the mouth of God will be opened unto you. He'll speak to you face to face.
He will teachyou and revealto you the greatestofHis secrets.
The greatestlaws evergiven to man whereby most of the civilized world is still
ruled were given to one man on a mountain--Moses. The greatestso-called
sermon ever preachedwas given to a handful of mountain men by the greatest
mountaineer of all, Jesus.--Who finally climbed His last mountain, mount
Calvary, Golgotha, anddied alone for the sins of the world. That was a
mountain that only He could climb for you and me--but He made it.
So what do you hear on the mountain? You hear things that are going to echo
around the world. What do you hear in the stillness? Whispers that are going
to change the course of history. Eight people came down from one mountain--
Noahand his family from the Ark on Mt. Ararat--and they were never the
same, and the world was never the same. One man, Moses, came downfrom a
mountain and a whole nation was never the same, and they changedthe
world. And Jesus and His disciples came down from this mountain and
changedthe world. They were never the same.
What changedthem that changedthe world? When they heard the voice of
God teaching them things that were completely contrary to what was being
said in the valley. In the valley they were saying, "Blessedare the Romans--
the proud, haughty, and powerful. Look what they've done. They've
conquered the whole world. It pays to be a Roman." But Jesus was saying on
the mount, "Blessedare the poor in spirit (the humble), for theirs is the
kingdom." (Matthew 5:3). Simple fishermen were listening to a carpentertell
them something that would make them greaterrulers than the Caesarsof
Rome--rulers of a greaterempire than Rome. "Blessedare the poor in
spirit."--For theirs is the kingdom that is going to rule the universe!
"Blessedare they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).
Blessedto mourn? More blessedto have problems and sorrows? Yes, because
you will be comforted. "Blessedare the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"
(Matthew 5:5). Those that don't fight back are going to win the greatestbattle
of all--that for the whole world. Those who are persecutedfor their faith are
the rulers of the next world, the world to come.

The poor in spirit are a mountain people. They that mourn dwell on the
mountain. The meek are from the mountains. "Blessedare they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness,for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
The people on the mountain hunger and thirst, and only God can satisfythem.
The merciful are from the mountain. "Blessedare the merciful, for they shall
obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
"Blessedare the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). There is
no condemnation on the mountain. Melted snow is the purest water in the
world, distilled water, straight from God. "Thoughyour sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be
as wool" (Isaiah1:18). Pure in heart. There is no smog on the mountain. The
air is pure. The wateris pure. The people are pure in heart. They see God.
"Blessedare the peacemakers, forthey shall be called the children of God"
(Matthew 5:9). Peacemakers withwhom? How can you be at peace with the
valley, when the valley refuses to be at peace with you? You cannotmake
peace with those who want war. Who then can you make peace with? Peace
with God and peace with the peacemakers. Peacewith those who want peace,
as the angels sang, "Peaceonearth toward men of goodwill" (Luke 2:14).
How can you have peace with evil men and men of evil will? You cannotmake
peace with those who want war.
"Blessedare they which are persecutedfor righteousness sake"(Matthew
5:10). They come down from the mountain and offer the peace ofthe
mountain to those in the valley, and they are maligned and jailed and
crucified. But they are blessed.
"Fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven." We end where we started. The poor in
spirit are the persecuted, and both wind up with the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessedare ye when men shall revile you and shall say all manner of evil
againstyou falsely" (Matthew 5:11). But "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for
greatis your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12). Nothere always. Of course,
if you live in the continual heavenof His peace and joy, you get a lot of that
reward right now, don't you? You're already in heaven in spirit. "The

kingdom of heaven is within you," so greatis that reward of heaven in your
heart, and greatis your reward in the heaven hereafter(Luke 17:21).
"So persecutedthey the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:12). All
my life I read that and took it to mean, "So persecutedthey the prophets
which were before you." What it really means is "So persecutedthey the
prophets which were before you"--those other prophets like you. You too are
prophets. This is a part of your reward, because theypersecutedthem too.
You have attained the ranks of prophets when you receive persecutionfor
giving people God's Word and prophesying, and "greatis your reward in
heaven!"
Did you know what nations have stayedfree longerthan any others?--
Switzerland in the top of the Alps, and Afghanistan and Nepalin the top of
the Himalayas. Other civilizations have come and gone, and they are still here.
One reasonthey are still free is that they don't have much anybody else wants.
Nobody wants their mountains but them. "I'll take the mountain!" (Joshua
14:12).
Powerand greatness were symbolized by mountains in the Scriptures, never
valleys. The "mountain of the Lord's house" (Isaiah 2:2). God's house is a
mountain. You are a mountain. He speaks ofthe kingdom of God as a
mountain that becomes so greatit fills the whole earth (Daniel2:35). It speaks
of Zion as a mountain. "Out of Zion shall go forth the word of the Lord"
(Isaiah 2:3). The word of the Lord shall go out from the mountain of the
Lord's house. The whole earth shall come and worship at the mountain of the
Lord's house.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
greenpastures" (Psalm23:1-2). Where have you pictured those pastures? I've
always pictured them as mountain meadows with beautiful little crystal
mountain pools. "He restorethmy soul … He leadethme in the paths of
righteousness forHis name's sake" (Psalm23:3). What is His path like? A
narrow and ruggedmountain path. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:4). There's death in the valley. Life is on the

mountain. Get out of the valley! "Flee as a bird to the mountain, ye who are
wearyof sin." (Psalm 11:1).
How the Mountain of God Expands the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth by
Crushing Satan and his demonic kingdom Under our PhysicalFeet
The greatestdiscoveryofmy entire Christian experience has been learning to
enter the throne room by receiving the mountain of God and heaven here.
Some have called this "going up through the middle of the mountain."
In the "FinalQuest," Rick Joynertalks about how some believers draw near
to God by "going up through the middle of the mountain." And that the
Christian experience of most can be likened to trying to climb up the outside
wall of a greatmountain. This page uses a lot of scripture to explain why
going up the side is "slippery" and why going through the middle is far more
effective. Going "up" through the middle of the mountain of God is a very
real and helpful spiritual activity that you too can learn to do.
My own "quest" has been for a practicalkind of righteousness thatincludes
purity of heart. While I admit I still have a lot of growing to do, learning to
crush the demonic by receiving the mountain of God has become the greatest
help in the area of practical, and evenheart-level purity -- it is also what I
believe to be the greatestdiscoveryofmy entire Christian experience.
Applying the scriptures this way is the most powerful kind of spiritual
warfare I have ever experienced.
Please note that this web page is part of a large website aimed mainly at
helping people joyfully repent of idolatry so they can find greaterfreedomfor

entering the throne room to stand before the Lord, and experience Godas
their God, rather than earthly things. As you try to apply these things, you
may find as I have, that repentance by "heart-training" is a greatand
effective way of growing to a place of being able to experience these things.
Depending on the condition of my own heart, I find these things simple to
apply or difficult. It is all about learning to humble ourselves from pride so we
can restinto confident faith, and by that enter the throne room more easily,
receive heavenwith the mountain here, and abide in His tangible presence 24
hours-a-day, 7 days a week. The heart-training helps me do this far more
effectively than anything else I have found. It canhelp you too.
Before I can get more practicalabout how to receive the mountain of God this
way, I need to do some teaching (and I hope to do a video about this sometime
early in 2015 -- please subscribe to my youtube channel).
The mountain of God should be very important to your Christian experience.
"...youwho forsake the Lord, who forgetMy holy mountain..." (Isa 65:11).
God makes forgetting Him and forgetting His holy mountain to be the same
thing. So for us, remembering the mountain of Godand understanding it's
role, ought to be a vital and important part of our Christian experience.
What is the Mountain of God?
The mountain of God is where the throne room is in heaven. When we live as
kingdom priests (Rev 5:10), the top of the mountain of the Lord is where we
present ourselves before Him.
The Bible says of God, "...Idwell on a high and holy place... " (Isa 57:15).
And, "...know thatI am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy
mountain..." (Joel3:17). And also, "...the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount
Zion" (Isa 8:18).
Some scriptures about "mount Zion" refer to the the mountain in Israel
where Jerusalemis located. But we canNOT blindly take all of the scriptures

about the mountain of God this way. Doing that may be what God sees as
"forgetting My holy mountain."
While reading this next paragraph try to remember that I am explaining why
we should believe that many verses about "mount Zion" are actually referring
to heaven, rather than to the physical mountain or the city of Jerusalemhere.
Remembering that the throne of God is in heaven, the book of Hebrews says,
"...letus draw near with confidence to the throne..." (Heb 4:16). Then staying
on that theme it says "...sincewe have confidence to enter the holy place by
the blood of Jesus...letus draw nearwith a sincere heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled cleanfrom an evil conscienceand our
bodies washedwith pure water" (Heb. 10:19,22). The writerthen assumes the
reader is applying what he has written and has entered the throne room
before the Lord. And in chapter 11, it talks about the Old Testamentsaints
who are now living in heaven; and chapter12 opens by saying, "...since we
have so greata cloud of witnesses surrounding us..." (Heb 12:1). When we
enter the throne room on the mountain of God, there are a lot of saints now
living in heavensurrounding us. But He doesn't stopthere. To those who have
actually entered the throne room it says, "...youhave come to Mount Zion and
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of
angels" (Heb 12:22).
So the throne room in heaven is on top of a spiritual and very real mountain
called"Zion." And, the "Mount Zion" we "come" to is just as important as
the "New Jerusalem," thatwe become part of when we enter to stand before
Him.
So when we see scriptures about the mountain or the city of God, it is
important that we don't automatically assume it is talking about physical
Mount Zion or the city of Jerusalemin Israel. Sometimes it is, but often it is
not.
Please note also that the scriptures we have just seenin the book of Hebrews,
are about our entering and coming before the Lord in heaven, before we die.

While we are still living, God is trying to lead all true believers to the top of
the mountain of God--to the place where heaven is. God calls it the "renowned
planting place."
While heaven is the ultimate destination of every true believer, the sanctuary
on the mountain of God is the place God is trying to lead all of us, before we
die. Way back in Exodus it says, "In Your lovingkindness You have led the
people whom You have redeemed; in Your strength You have guided them to
Your holy habitation...You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of
Your inheritance, the place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established" (Exo. 15:13,17).
So even though we are different, and at different stages in our growth, God is
trying to lead all of us to the same place. From the very start, God has been
trying to guide you into the "sanctuary" on the mountain of God, so that He
can plant you there and you can stay in His presence while you are still living
here.
"I will establishfor them a renownedplanting place..." (Eze 34:9). And, "...it
will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord
will be establishedas the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the
hills, and the peoples will stream to it" (Mica 4:1).
"...plantedin the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our
God..." (Psa 92:12-14).
God uses the heavenly mountain of God to crush Satanand his demonic
kingdom under our physical feet.
The Bible tells us, "...the stone that struck [and crushed] the statue [other
kingdoms] became a greatmountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan 2:35).
And, "...the Godof heavenwill set up a kingdom which...will crush...allthese
kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan 2:44).
From the verses above we see that the mountain of God = the kingdom of
God. OR, the mountain of God is a vital part and plays an important role in
kingdom of God. To me it is the latter.

Note that the stone that becomes a mountain does the crushing. And, "The
God of peace will sooncrush Satan under your feet..." (Rom 16:20).
So it is not how much spiritual warfare we do, or even how much we share our
faith. It is the heavenly and holy mountain that God uses to crush Satanunder
our feet. And Jesus speaking ofhimself said, "...the stone which the builders
rejected...onwhomeverit falls, it will scatterhim like dust" (Luke 20:17,!8).
Let me say againthat "The God of peace will sooncrush Satan under your
feet..." (Rom16:20). So how does this work? How can we cooperate withGod
so that He is able to actually crush Satanthis way?
Receive the Kingdom Here
Much of what makes this practicalhas to do with what we are believing about
how we enter.
Lets start by saying that Jesus spoke ofthe Kingdom of God in the same way
as He spoke ofthe Kingdom of Heaven. "Jesus answeredthem, ‘To you it has
been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
has not been granted’" (Mat 13:11). And in a different verse, "...He was
saying to them, ‘To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God,
but those who are outside get everything in parables" (Mark 4:11). So when
we think of the kingdom of God we need to be thinking about heaven itself.
And Jesus told us how to enter when He said, "Truly I say to you, whoever
does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all" (Luke
18:17). So 2 things are required. We have to be childlike. We also have to
"receive the kingdom." So togetherI think we need to be childlike in our faith
and joyous about the kingdom we believe we are "receiving."
Let me use this verse againwhere it says, we "come" to the throne room, "in
full assurance offaith" (Heb 10:19), and to those who come it says that we
"...have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels" (Heb12:22). So here it says we "come"
into the throne room in heaven, but Jesus saidwe have to "receive." So which

is it? Five verses after it says to those who enter, we have come, it says that
"..we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken..." (Heb 12:28).
So in one sense, and I think in God's perspective, we "come to Him" when we
enter. But from our perspective and on the most practicallevel, we enter by
receiving Heaven around us here. And, "...since we receive a kingdom which
cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude..." (Heb 12:28).
But does our receiving the kingdom fit with other scriptures? Yes it does. 2
times the Bible says, "...the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mat 3:1,2;Mat
4:17); 2 times it says, "...the kingdomof Godhas come upon you." (Mat
12:28;Luke 11:20);and 2 times it says, "..the kingdom of God has come near
..." (Luke 10:9; Luke 10:11). In all 6 of these cases, the kingdom of heavenis
around the outside of us.
Then in the 1984 versionof the NIV it says in Luke 17 that, "...the kingdom of
God is within you." (LUK 17:21). But in the 2011 updated version of the NIV
that same verse says, "...the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:21).
They changedit, but which should it really be? When Jesus spoke these words
He was talking to the religious leaders of the day calledPharisees. If the 1984
version were the most accurate, Jesus wouldhave been saying that the
kingdom of God was within them. And we have LOTS of other scriptures
strongly suggesting that the kingdom of God being "within" the religious
hypocrites canNOT be true.
So putting this together, receiving Christ inside us for salvationand receiving
the Kingdom of Heaven all around the outside of us are not the same thing.
They are 2 separate spiritual activities that both involve "receiving."
Let me use these verses again, "Truly I sayto you, whoeverdoes not receive
the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all" (Luke 18:17). And,
"..since we receive a kingdom which cannotbe shaken, letus show
gratitude..." (Heb 12:28).
So putting this together, the best and most accurate wayto think of entering
the throne room, is by our receiving the kingdom of heavenaround us here.

And since the heavenly dwelling place of God is on the mountain of God, when
we "receive" the kingdom of heaven, we first receive the mountain of God
coming down onto us and going past us. Every time we enter the throne room,
the mountain of God comes down with the kingdom of heaven. And by
thinking of it this way, and applying faith to believing the powerand holiness
of the mountain of God, then God is able to crush Satan and his demonic
enemies under our physical feet.
So in a sense, Rick Joynerwas right when he talkedabout entering the throne
room by going up through the middle of the mountain of God. I just think the
language Rick was using was language spokenfrom God's perspective.
Thinking from our perspective, and trying to stay biblical we enter by
receiving the mountain of Godand heaven all around us here.
Thinking about entering this wayis consistentwith scripture. God said to
Moses ofHimself, "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock..." (Exo
17:6). And, "...the Lord said...there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there
on the rock" (Exo 33:21).
Elijah and Elisha both introduced themselves by saying "...I am Elijah [or,
Elisha] who stands before the Lord..." (1 Kings 17:1; 18:5; 2 Kings 3:14).
Considerthe symbolism where God told Moses,"...presentyourselfthere to
Me on the top of the mountain" (Exo 34:2). And in the valley when Elijah was
depressedand thought he was going to die, God said to him, "...Go forth and
stand on the mountain before the Lord...." (1Ki 19:11). And Elijah heard God
and experiencedGod's presence there. The meaning of these things
symbolically is important and we should not miss these things.
The "sanctuary" ofGod is on the mountain of God. "You will bring them and
plant them in the mountain...the place, O Lord, which You have made for
Your dwelling, the sanctuary..." (Exo. 15:17). And God says, "...Mydwelling
place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My
people. And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel,
when My sanctuaryis in their midst forever" (Ezek. 37:26-28). So, the more
effectively we learn to receive the kingdom of God here, the more the

sanctuary of God will fill the earth and as that happens, it says "the nations
will know" that He is the Lord.
So When Christians come to believe it is right, and they start intentionally
applying faith, believing they are receiving the the heavenly mountain from
above to down under them, God will then be able to more effectively crush
Satanand his demonic kingdom way down under our physical feet.
When I believe for a physical area around me and others believe God for an
area around them, and then when those areas intersect, thatis when the
kingdom of God grows into a mountain that fills the earth. Let me remind you
againthat we "enter" by being childlike in our faith AND by "receiving"
(Luke 18:17). The earth gets filled with heaven, the more we open up to God
and trust we are receiving the kingdom here. And it isn't about just a few
Christians doing this. It is a team effort. The more people are actively
receiving and abiding, the better it will get.
So enter the throne room by receiving the mountain of God and heaven all
around you here. Presentyour body before the Lord (Rom 12:1). And, like
what God said He would do with Moses, trustthat Jesus and the Fatherare
standing before you here. Include your humanity in it because, "...the body
is...forthe Lord, and the Lord is for the body" (1 Cor. 6:13).
Understand the mountain "being establishedas chief" and the "increaseof
His government"
The Bible says that "There will be no end to the increase of His government or
of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establishit and to
uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplishthis" (Isa 9:7). And it clarifies what
that means when it says, "...the stone that struck [and crushed] the statue
[other kingdoms] became a greatmountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan
2:35).
So the more we apply these things, the reign and rule of God on earth will just
keepgetting better and better! "And it will come about in the lastdays that

the mountain of the house of the Lord will be establishedas the chief of the
mountains. It will be raisedabove the hills, and the peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, thatHe may teachus about
His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the
law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between
many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will
hammer their swords into plowshares andtheir spears into pruning hooks;
nation will not lift up swordagainstnation, and never againwill they train for
war. Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to
make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. Thoughall
the peoples walk eachin the name of his god, as for us, we will walk in the
name of the Lord our God foreverand ever. In that day, ‘declares the Lord, ‘I
will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts, eventhose whom I have
afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant and the outcasts a strong nation, and
the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever" (Mica
4:1-7).
The mountain and the city God are directly related.
Along with all true believers you "...are being built togetherinto a dwelling of
God in the Spirit" (Eph 2:21,22).Andbeing part of that "city" is what we all
want, what we all long for because "...weare seeking the city which is to
come" (Heb 13:14). It is "...the city which has foundations, whose architect
and builder is God" (Heb 11:10).
And the "city" God is building is on the mountain of God because "...one of
the sevenangels...spokewith me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the
bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carriedme awayin the Spirit to a great
and high mountain, and showedme the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, having the glory of God..." (Rev. 21:9-11).
But let me remind you againthat it is only to those who enter by receiving the
throne room here that it says, "...youhave come to Mount Zion and to the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels" (Heb

12:22). So the more we apply this now, the sooner"...itwill come about that in
the lastdays the mountain of the house of the Lord will be establishedas the
chief of the mountains ...Come, house ofJacob, and let us walk in the light of
the Lord" (Isa 2:2-5).
Learning to apply these things is important. It is also urgent.
A war is coming againstthe mountain of God, and His people.
"...the nations will...wagewaragainstMount Zion" (Isa 29:8). "But on Mount
Zion there will be those who escape, andit will be holy" (Oba 1:17). "Forout
of Jerusalemwill go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."' (Isa 37:32). "...onMount Zion
and in Jerusalemthere will be those who escape,as the Lord has said, even
among the survivors whom the Lord calls" (Joel2:32).
All true believing Christians are part of the "holy city," but not all will
survive the coming war.
"And they said to me [John], ‘You must prophesy againconcerning many
peoples and nations and tongues and kings. Then there was given me a
measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Get up and measure the temple
of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which
is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the
nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months"
(Rev 10:11, 11:1-2). But this can't be talking about physical Jerusalem
because just a few verses later talks about "...the greatcity which mystically is
calledSodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified" (Rev 11:8).
According to the verse above, some of the people who are part of the "holy
city" won't survive. While another place it says, "Theywill not hurt or
destroy in all My holy mountain..." (Isa 11:9). So I canonly hope that this
next verse is not talking about those who won't survive "...youwho forsake
the Lord, who forget My holy mountain...I will destine you for the sword..."
(Isa 65:11,12). At the very least, this should motivate the people of God to get
ready.

So who will survive and win the coming war? Those who survive and win the
war will be those who enter by receiving heavenhere and then learn to stay on
the mountain of God. And they will win the warbecause "It will be as when a
hungry man dreams and behold, he is eating; but when he awakens, his
hunger is not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams and behold, he is
drinking, but when he awakens,behold, he is faint and his thirst is not
quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be who wage waragainst
Mount Zion" (Isa 29:8).
My Journey to the Top of the Mountain of God
For many years, the way I entered the throne room was by my trusting I was
entering at the same time as my taking a physical step forward. Sometimes it
was easyand I just knew that I was in the throne room. Other times it didn’t
seemto work at all. I was doing my best to believe I was entering and before
the Lord but in my heart, I knew I wasn’t really before Him. I was doing
heart-training about faith for entering and about my being sure I was before
the Lord, and the truth is that doing that helped a lot, but it all still seemed
way too inconsistent.
Then while trying to enter by faith, on two or maybe three occasions, Ifelt like
I saw a torn curtain in front of me. At the same time as having the spiritual
sense that I was before the torn curtain, it felt spiritually like all I had to do
was enter with one shoulder through the opening and then with that shoulder
I would push the curtain back behind me and pull the other shoulder through
the opening – and I was in. But it wasn’tmy physical shoulders that I was
moving in order to enter. It was something I was doing with "shoulders" on
the inside of me. At first I was concernedthat I might be applying "works"
for entering insteadof faith. But I was reminded of learning earlier the
importance of "opening up" inside in order to receive from the Lord. The
main verses Godhad used to teach me these things are where it says about
salvationthat, "...we were allmade to drink of one Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:13).
And also where it says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock;if anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." (Rev. 3:20). From

this I concludedthat even though it says we receive Christ for salvationby
faith, the faith that is real faith, believes so thoroughly that it is accompanied
by lowering our self-protectionand opening up inside in order to receive what
we are believing God for. So, I learned to enter by apply faith along with those
"opening up" muscles. The same thing inside me I had earlier used to open up
to drink from earthly things, I was now using in my relationship with God.
So for years I entered by believing I was entering, while taking a physical step
forward and rocking my inner shoulders as an aid for entering to stand before
the Lord. And this workedway far more consistentlythan my just believing I
was entering and before Him. The practical difficulty was that it seemed
easierto slip back out into the world again, than it was to enter the throne
room in the first place. Those were frustrating years for me.
During those days, I would sense something evil in my surroundings, or feel
pressure from lust or something like that, and I would enter in order to put on
the armor of light and be protected. And it workeddoing that. Lust and any
sense ofevil in my surroundings would be gone. But normally, just a few
minutes later, I could be only slightly distractedby something, or just in the
process ofinteracting with someone, andsomething I didn’t really understand
spiritually would happen, and I was right back to the same place as before. I
was unprotected and could sense evil in my surroundings again. The only
thing I knew at the time, was to enter againand try again to stay before the
Lord.
Many years after reading Rick Joyner’s book called"The Final Quest," I
realized what was happening to me. Rick wrote that going up the side of the
mountain is "slippery." And I think that is what I was doing. Rick said that in
order to keep from slipping off the side of the mountain you had to be very
strong in your faith. You had to sink your sword deep into the side of the
mountain and hang on tight. Looking back, it seemedlike I was trying to do
that. Trying really hard. But I could make it practical enoughto where I
could stay in the throne room where I was abiding.
After much prayer and many tears asking God for answers, I felt like God
was directing me to enter vertically rather than taking a step forward. And

because ofthe ways God had been leading me to that point, I knew it wasn’t
about me going way out there in heaven somewhere.It was about my
receiving heaven here. This time, rather than my taking a step forward and
believing I was entering that way, it was clearto me I was being told to trust
heaven was coming down upon me and surrounding me here. This all seemed
to be a more consistentapplicationof the scriptures so I begantrusting I was
entering that way.
As time went on, the scriptures about the mountain of God became more real
to me. I used heart-training principles to thank the Lord for the truth so that I
could believe the truth about the mountain of God more deeply. In doing this,
togetherwith repentance I had alreadydone in other areas I have written
about, applying what the Bible says about the mountain of Godhas become
the greatestdiscoveryofmy entire Christian experience. Nothing has done
more for practicalpurity of heart than applying what God has taught me in
this area. Now, I can enter the throne room and it doesn’t seemslippery like it
was before. It feels like God is "planting" me in the throne room this way. In
some areas in my life, it seems like God has planted me in the throne room
and on the mountain of God. In other areas ofmy life, it feels like I have a lot
more to learn before I become fully "planted" before the Lord.
Now when I sense evil around me, or feel any slight amount of demonic
pressure toward sin, I trust I am entering the throne room where the holy and
powerful mountain of God is coming down, and as it goes pastme, the
mountain is tearing awayany evil and demonic activity and crushing it way
down under my feet. More recently, God has been "expanding my boarders"
by my learning to believe I am receiving for a wide area around me. I have
also learned I can"drop the mountain" on the enemy attacking otherpeople I
am praying for. The comments I get from other people who know I am
praying for them this way is that it is really powerful and amazingly effective.
Now let's make this practical!

The shortestway to sayit is that repentance makes it practical. The problem
is that understanding what that means requires a lot of explanation. And this
website is for doing that. But let me try to sayit briefly here.
God says, "...Idwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite...in
order to revive...the contrite " (Isa 57:15). Contrite means repentant. Let me
explain how this works.
The Bible says, "Who may ascendinto the hill of the Lord? And who may
stand in His holy place? He who has cleanhands and a pure heart..." (Psa
24:3). It also says, " Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James
4:8). So it takes "cleanhands" and a "pure heart." But who among us have
those things? And who among us are able to clean our own hands and actually
washheart? No one, exceptGod Himself: "...washed...inthe Spirit of our
God." (1 Cor. 6:11).
So remember that repentance means to change our thinking. And for many,
the place to start in repentance has to do with what we are trusting for
righteousness. Ifyou are trusting yourself and you read verses like that you
will want to run awayfrom God because you will never feelrighteous enough
on your own. And when you are desperate for God but are still feeling like
you have to produce your own righteousness,you will try to draw near to
God, but because your shame hasn't been washedaway, you will feel
intimidated by the intensity of God's holiness and will want to hide.
So repent by thanking God that you don't have to hold back or hide from God
-- and that He is the God who cleansesyou. Then pause to let your heart
believe that God is actuallywashing your body and your heart cleanand holy
with the Holy Spirit. Note especiallythat your body needs to be included in
the cleansing whendrawing near to God (Heb 10:22), if not, the
unrighteousness of your humanity, canbe very intimidated before a holy and
righteous God (see Isaiah6).
Another thing that has to change is any use of condemnation and shame as
motivation to do the right thing. Becauseyou are a true believer you want to
be close to God. But if you are trying to draw near using condemnation and

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