The “Golden Gate” of Jerusalem

Dr. Elisha Weismann

The Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, commonly referred to as the Golden Gate, presents some unique historical facts about prophecy concerning Israel, and also shows that the Muslims are very aware that Jesus is in fact, the Messiah and they have purposely attempted to prevent His coming. [They are of course, a little behind on history!]

Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.

Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.” Ezekiel 44:1-3

If our Jewish brothers had paid attention to this prophecy, they would note that Messiah has already passed through this gate. Matthew 21, Mark 11:8-11. Although Jews do not embrace the teachings of the B’rit Chadasha (New Covenant), Ezekiel 44:2 shows that the Lord, the God of Israel “HATH entered in by it”. Not only does this verse show that Christ came into Jerusalem via this gate during His “Triumphal Entry”, but Ezekiel 44:2 also shows that Christ is the God of Israel.

This gate will remain shut until the return of Christ.. It was sealed by Islamic Ottoman Turks under the leadership of “Suleiman the Magnificent” in 1517 due to his fear that the Jewish Messiah would enter in through this gate. In fact, Suleiman was so terrified of this prophecy that he created a Muslim cemetery in front of the gate that remains to this day. Suleiman believed that no Jew or Jewish rabbi would be able to come in contact with the dead remains because of the Old Testament mitzvah about ceremonial impurity (Although under the Tanakh, this would not prevent a Levite from entering in provided that the ceremonial cleansings were observed-Jesus has already fulfilled the order of priesthood-Hebrews 7:17-so this would not prevent Christ from entering the gate!).

Unfortunately, for the Muslim and the Jew, they fail to recognize that Christ has already came once. But the significance of Ezekiel’s prophecy as yet a future event that will be fulfilled at Christ’s second coming (Ezekiel 46:1-2,12)  is fascinating when we see that the gate has never been breached. It also shows that Muslims are deliberately and willfully ignorant about the nature of who Christ is, and that they feared He was actually more than the mere prophet and good moral teacher they made Him out to be.

The Turkeys possessed this area until December 12, 1917, when as they were preparing to blow up the Eastern Gate, they were subdued by British soldiers under General Edmund Allenby. Then unfortunately, Britain divided up the land (Joel 3:2) and gave part of it to Jordan in 1922 giving Arabs control of the eastern part of Jerusalem. However, Israel regained this area during the 6 day was in 1967. On June 7, 1967, King Hussein had plotted to disprove Bible prophecy by attacking the Eastern Gate which failed miserably and of course, Israel won the war in just six days, outnumbered on all sides.

Since the Temple faces the Eastern Gate near the Mount of Olives, I personally believe that when Christ settles down on the Mount of Olives that when the mountain splits (Zechariah 14:4) it is going to split the temple doors open where He will once again proceed from the Mount of Olives through the Eastern Gate to the temple and take His seat as the King of kings and Lord of lords, only this time, on a giant HORSE (Revelation 19:11) instead of the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9).

See our other article on Prophecies Fulfilled in Modern Israel

 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” Psalm 24:9

Prophecies Fulfilled In Modern Israel

“Pastor” Steven Anderson created a video in which he explains that God did not cause Israel to be regathered as a nation in 1948, due to the nation’s continued rejection of Christ. Anderson is not alone in sharing this sentiment, the Aryan Nation, Ku Klux Klan and Catholic Church agree with him.

Apparently, Anderson is of the persuasion that the promise of God to bring Israel back into their land depends upon their acknowledgment of Christ as Messiah. Yet, if Israel is said to be blinded for the moment (Romans 11:26), then how would Israel as a nation be expected to corporately turn to Christ? Anderson is also opposed to dispensationalism, which is the death-knell of every amillennial, post millennial, preterist, historicist and covenant system of theology which fails to rightly divide the word of truth, and leads to blurring the distinctions between the church and Israel. (See our Article on Steven Anderson’s “After The Tribulation” and “Debunking Myths About Israel”  for a refutation of common proof-texts used by these systems to claim that the church and Israel are the same.)

Israel has yet to fulfill the birthright promise to Ephraim in Genesis 48-49. The church inherited the spiritual blessings of faith through Abraham, but the church has nothing to do with the physical promises that are yet to be fulfilled in Israel. The spiritual blessings were fulfilled in the genealogy of Abraham through Judah to Christ (Genesis 49:10,Romans 9:1-7, Galatians 3:16), but the birthright was not reckoned after the genealogy (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). The failure of even the most sincere Bible students to get this throughout the Bible is partly responsible for the plethora of heresies and denominations that exist today.

But what we want to focus on in this article, since there is already so much material extant that clearly shows that Israel will be regathered, are many of the other prophecies concerning Israel that are ignored by Anderson and his ilk.

The Restoration of the Hebrew Language

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent” Zephaniah 3:8-9

Since the ousting of the Jews from Jerusalem in AD 70 under Titus and the “Diaspora”, the Hebrew language had largely become obscure, and was only well-known to those who preserved and studied the Old Testament texts among scholars, linguists, and palaeographers. Within the last few centuries, Hebrew had been mixed with German (Yiddish) and Spanish (Ladino).

In 1858, Eliezer Ben Yahuda was born, who by age 12 had mastered several different languages including Russian, German, French and Hebrew. Ben Yahuda is largely responsible for the revival of the Hebrew language which in 1982, became the official language of Israel.

The Order Of Israel’s Regathering

Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth” Isaiah 43:5-6

The first major exodus back to Israel came from Jews in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan from 1930-1940 (The East). The next groups returned to Israel from Europe following World War 2 (The West). Following the East then West, the Jews returned from Russia (The North) followed by Ethiopian Jews under Operation Solomon in 1991 (The South).

Israel Rejoices Over Regathering From the North

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15

This nugget is very interesting in light of the fact that most anti-Semites argue that all of the current Israelites who are not “real Jews” are Ashkenazi impostors from Russia (The North). This has caused Israel to defend the largest part of their migration from the North as legitimate and thus Israel has literally been outspoken in declaring their gratefulness to God in bringing them from the North more so now than they did in declaring how He brought them out of Egypt.

The Land Will Be Called Israel

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Ezekiel 37:12

This is rather crucial prophecy because it dispels the notion that the current occupiers of Israel are not real Jews. If the current occupants are not real Jews, then that begs the question: when will the REAL JEWS then occupy the land? If there is a future occupant in mind other than the current Israelites, then impostor Jews got the credit for restoring the name Israel to the land formerly referred to as Palestine after the Jews were dispersed in AD 70. Would God fulfill this prophecy by permitting fake Jews to restore the name of the land? And how then would a future “real” Jew restore the name to the land that is already called “Israel”?

This prophecy also eliminates the absurd notion that the church is Israel, and other heresies following this line of logic such as British Israelitism. The Bible says that not only will the Jews be regathered, but that the land in which they will be gathered in will be called ISRAEL, not Britain, not United States, and not a fairy tale land in Missouri discovered by Joseph Smith. Some ignoramous can’t tell the difference between “LAND” and “spiritual promises”, and interpret most references to Israel as a “spiritual” fulfillment in the church.

The Military Power of Israel 

In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.”  Zechariah 12:6

The event in Israel known as מלחמת ששת הימים (The Six Day War) is one of the most impressive military victories in history. Israel was under attack and outnumbered by all of our surrounding countries, and made short work of all of them in just six days (from June 5-June 10, 1967)! Since then, Israel has been under constant attack by her enemies (War of Attrition, 1967-1970, Yom Kippur, 1973, First Intafada, 1987-1993, Second Intafada, 2000-2005, Gaza War, 2008-2009, Lebanon attack led by Hezbollah, 1982-2000, etc..). Israel has since 1948 when becoming a nation, never been defeated in battle.

The Shekel Restored As National Currency

And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:  Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer: And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord God.  All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel.” Ezekiel 45:12-16

The “Pound” was the Israeli currency from 1948 to February 23, 1980 when it was replaced by the shekel.

Israel Will Be Center Of World Controversy

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:3

No other nation has been the subject of such ridicule, persecution, and world conflict than Israel. With one word of potential conflict in middle East, oil prices rise, and stock markets fluctuate, and the crisis is always revolved around Israel and America’s support of her.

Israel Growing Crops In The Desert

Mark Twain once visited Israel in 1860, and said that Israel was a barren wasteland with no trees. For nearly 2000 years, Israel had been a wasteland, the grounds  untilled and “Palestinians” unsuccessfully attempting to grow any crops in Israel.

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.” Isaiah 35:1-2

Israel now has over 400 million trees, and has seen an increase in rain by nearly 500% which has led to other Biblical fulfillments:

 Filling the World With Fruit

He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6

Israel has become one of the leading sources in the world for fruit, including the introduction of twelve new fruits and vegetables.

 Largest Underground Water Source In Israel

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.” Zechariah 14:8

The largest underground water source was discovered in Israel in 2011 during excavation work in the railways of Jerusalem.

These prophecies are a clear indication that God has kept His promise to Israel. These prophecies are a clear fulfillment of events that effect flesh and blood, literal Jews in the land that God gave to our fathers. One must be blind or just plain STUPID and willingly ignorant to reject these evidences in order to make their theology fit their biases.

I’ve discovered one of the fastest ways to learn whether or not a professing Bible believer is a heretic is to see what they believe about Israel.

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By Dr. Elisha Weismann and edited by Dr. James Ach