[note color=”#f8f0a2″]“Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.” (Eze 10:18-19)
“The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the
city.” (Eze 11:23)
“Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. … And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east.”(Eze 43:1-4)
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east … ” (Zec 14:3-4)[/note]
Journal,
The Eastern Gate of the old city of Jerusalem has been known by many names, the ‘Beautiful Gate’, the ‘Golden Gate’, the ‘Gate of Mercy’, and in Arabic, the ‘Gate of Eternal Life.’
This is said to be the gate that Jesus passed through in fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9: “…your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey…”
“When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’
“And the crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.’
“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
“And He said to them, ‘It is written, “MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER”; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”
“And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
“But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they became indignant.” (Mat 21:10-15
The Glory Left the Temple
Why did the chief priest become so indignant? Their rage had mounted, but they became especially furious in hearing the children, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The children were calling Jesus, God’s Messiah. The ‘Son of David’ was well accepted by the Jews as an expression that applied to the Messiah, as a descendant of David.
Jesus left the temple, and went to the Mount of Olives. It was in returning the next morning, that we find, ‘an acted out prophecy.’
“Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it,
“‘No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.’
“And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, ‘How did the fig tree wither
all at once?'” (Mat 21:19-20)
The withered fig tree was a prophetic telling of Israel. Not long hence, Jerusalem and the Temple would lie smoldering in fires of destruction. Israel would bear no more fruit for the kingdom.
The Lord also used a parable in addressing this very issue of Israel bearing no more fruit, in speaking to certain of the religious the Jewish leaders –
“Jesus said to them,’Did you never read in the Scriptures, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES”‘?
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.'” (Mat 21:42-43)
When the Jewish leadership rejected Jesus Christ as God’s true Messiah, they were rejecting the very Glory of God. It was the glory of God’s Son was leaving the temple.
Paul speaks to this:
” … but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; …
“… for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.“ (1Co 2:7-8)
This brings me back to interesting insights about the Eastern Gate.
Stories of the Gate
Some years ago when Betty and I were in Israel, I stood before the Eastern Gate, and thought about the various prophecies about the gate. (The foundations of the original gate are deep in the earth.)
There are interesting stories about the Eastern Gate and the Mount of Olives. Here are various writings that are quite interesting.
[note color=”#bafdb1″]Not long before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, we have this report from a Talmudic Midrash –“Jewish historical records state that the Shekinah glory departed the Temple at that time and remained over the mount of olives for three and a half years, during which time, a voice could sometimes be heard coming from the mount pleading for the Jews to repent. See Midrash Lamentations 2:11
There are other legends, and myths, and historical and prophetic insights behind the Eastern Gate.
According to Jewish tradition, the Shekinah (Divine Presence or Glory of God), use to appear at this gate, and would come again with the Messiah.
Both the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (37-100 ad.), and the Talmudic Rabbis, call attention to the strange happenings in Jerusalem, prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 ad. Josephus records this:
During the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 66 A.D. … around midnight, during the Feast, the huge eastern gate of the inner court of the temple … opened on its own. … … this was understood by knowledgeable men to mean that the Temple’s protection had vanished … this sign foreshadowed the disaster that was coming on them (Wars IV,5,3).
During the night portion of the day of Pentecost in 66 A.D., as the priests were entering the inner court of the Temple, they felt a quaking and heard a great noise and a sound like a great multitude of voices saying, “Let us remove hence”.
It is said that, just before the Roman’s final siege of Jerusalem, that this light which appeared over the Mount of Olives disappeared into the heavens.[/note]
When the Glory Returns
What makes all this so strange, is that Josephus and the Rabbis were speaking after the fact. The things they recorded were fulfilled and will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Regardless of how technical we wish to be with regard to end time prophecy, one thing is clear. The glory of God will not return to Israel until the nation as a whole, and its Jewish leadership, begins to call upon and publicly acknowledge Jesus Christ as both, Son of David, Son of God, Redeemer, Lord, Savior, Messiah, and all that pertains to the truth of who He really is.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when 
you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’“ (Luk 13:34-35)
From all that we see happening in the world today, that day of calling upon the Lord is not long to come.
Oh yes, it is going to happen. The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles all affirm this in one voice.
With all this being said, I wish to admonish those who take to themselves the name, ‘Christian.’ It is time to get your house in order. There is nothing I can add to that.
While you think on these things, you may wish to take time for this narrative music. It is lengthy but well worth the listening. Let the Lord inspire your heart by His Spirit …
In Christ always,
Buddy
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