Here we approach another of the gates in which man has no part – the fulfillment of this, like that of the Fountain, Water and Horse Gates, is solely the initiative and activity of God, in which man has no part.

The above prophecy of Malachi refers specifically to the Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgement. As this writing is not intended as a dogmatic, doctrinal dissertation, but rather as a few devotional thoughts based on the Gates of Jerusalem, it is appropriate to quote Malachi’s verse in connection with the East Gate. Say the word sunrise, and the eastern direction is indicated; say the word east, and sunrise comes into mind. But for Christians, the word in Malachi’s verse is spelt Son rise. Is not Jesus the Sun of Righteousness, Who rose with heal­ing in His ‘wings’? The east as the place of sunrise, draws our thoughts to Him, and to His two-fold Coming.

The East Gate in Nehemiah’s Wall⤒🔗

Naturally, the name East Gate was given in accordance with its relationship to Jerusalem itself, on the east wall of the city. Yet its unique name of position rather than specific meaning or use, seems to point to East itself being somewhat significant. That significance will become apparent.

The mention of the gate in Nehemiah 3 seems another with only a passing refer­ence. Shemaiah, son of Shecaniah, who was the keeper of the gate, made the repairs, and the account follows with a list of those who repaired wall sections from here to the house of the temple servants and merchants opposite the final gate, the Inspection Gate (NIV). This does not lessen the importance of the East Gate. It was one of those on this royal, priestly side of the city, and it is not unusual for the Bible to associate the east in some way with the coming of the Lord. The approach of the Lord to the city on Palm Sunday, as referred to in the account of the Horse Gate, was from the eastern region, from the village of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Perhaps this was the gate he entered then, not the Horse Gate as suggested in last month’s topic. Both are fitting. We cannot say for certain, nor is it vital to know.

A Gate for the Church or Catechism Calendar←⤒🔗

By coincidence, not design, this article will appear in the December magazine, the month in which, in the Church’s Year, the traditional celebration of Jesus’ birth is observed. During the preceding Advent season, it is customary in some churches to prepare the hearts of the people not only for Christmas, but also to remind them of the promise of his Second Coming, and of the even greater need to prepare for this Advent (Coming) too.

While it is by no means certain that Jesus was born at this time, it being possible that the birth actually occurred, as some believe, in early October, and while some churches prefer to remember the events surrounding His birth during the Catechism Calendar (Lord’s Day 14) rather than the Church Calendar, nevertheless traditionally most are accustomed to celebrate Christmas this month. And in the Christmas/Epiphany season the east is prominently featured in the story of the visit of the magi, the so-called ‘three wise men.’ They saw His star while they were still in the east, and so travelled in a westerly direction following its leading, to the gates of Jerusalem, the logical place as far as they were concerned, to find a new­born King of the Jews. The east they came from, thought in probability to be Babylon, is where the prophet Daniel had seen his vision of the Anointed one, the ruler Who would come (Dan. 9:25). And Balaam of Pethor by the River (Euphrates) foretold a ‘star’ coming out of Jacob, a sceptre arising out of Israel. (Numbers 24:17) So the magi came from the east when they saw His star, and following the star they were led westward, even be­yond Jerusalem to Bethlehem. From within Jerusalem, if the star were seen, it would be approaching the city from the east.

The East Gate in Ezekiel’s Temple←⤒🔗

In Ezekiel, the east gate of the visionary temple seen by the Prophet also features in an interesting way. This is not the East Gate in the wall of Nehemiah, of course, but it is not irrelevant to our present thoughts. Ezekiel 43:1, 2, 4 tell us that the Glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east to the gate facing east. “His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory.” Cf. Rev.1:15. It was a gate of great importance. (See Ez. 44:1, 2; 46:1, 12.) ‘The Glory of the Lord’, the God of Israel, is a frequent phrase in this book of prophecy. Who is this Glory of the Lord?

John 1:14 answers: “The Word became flesh and lived for a while amongst us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” There will be no end to our marvelling at such glory!

The East in the Garden of Eden←⤒🔗

Ezekiel 44:2 brings a further thought to mind. “The Lord said to me, ‘This gate (the one facing east) is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.’ It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico and go out the same way.” Chapter 46:1 says,

The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath Day and on the Day of the New Moon it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway.

Again, this is referring to the temple of the Prophet’s vision, and the symbolism must not be pressed too far. But from this reading my thoughts switched backward to the Garden of Eden, where the way to the Tree of Life was shut off by God. Genesis 3: 24 points to the east as the place of the ‘shutting out’ – “after (God) drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Our Prince is the only one with the right to enter the Gate that remains shut until He re-opens to us the way to the Tree of Life. More than that, although this is changing the metaphor a little, He said, “I am the Gate, whoever enters through me, will be saved.” (John 10:9).

Saved? It was inspired writing that tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed their sins from them.” Unlike north and south, definite points on the globe from which we can travel one to the other, east and west have no points; east and west never meet. Sin once removed, will never catch us up.

The East Gate at the end of Time←⤒🔗

Our devotional meditation this month has developed from Nehemiah’s almost casual mention of the East Gate, by a thread of ideas concerning the Coming of the Lord, that now culminate in the sign given in Mat­thew 24:27, 30-31:

As the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man ... At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from one end of the heavens to the other.

So the East Gate of Jerusalem leads us from the First Coming of our Lord to His Second Coming. All eyes will see Him in His great Glory. Though the nations of earth will mourn, for us who believe, this final event of history will be a time of great blessing and rejoicing. In His wings will be final heal­ing – from sin, from sorrow, from physical suffering, from the worry and catastrophe of earthly life into the joy and peace of His heavenly Presence.

Glory be to His Name.