THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EAST GATE IN BIBLICAL PROPHECY
By Ezekiel Kimosop
Someone asked me about the role of the East Gate of Jerusalem in biblical prophecy. Allow me to make a few observations on the significance of this iconic feature of the Jerusalem Temple Mount that faces the Mount of Olives.
The East Gate is mentioned six times in the NKJV; twice in 1 & 2 Chronicles (1 Chron. 26:14; 2 Chron. 31:14); once in Nehemiah 3:29 and three times in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 10:19, 11:1, 44:1).
It is perhaps instructive that the Cherubim in prophet Ezekiel's vision stood at the door of the East Gate of the Temple and God's glory was shone from above that point (Ezekiel 10:19).
Pre-tribulation Premillenialism scholars of biblical prophecy say that Jesus' feet will land on the Mount of Olives on His second coming and precisely on the very same spot from which He ascended to heaven in Acts 1:9-11. Jesus will then enter Jerusalem by the East Gate which Messianic Jews have barricaded until that future time.
This teaching is based on the prophecy of Zechariah 14 which reports that the Messiah will step on the Mount of Olives which will split into two.
It is instructive that the second coming of Jesus is distinct from His first coming when He will take away the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
According to these scholars, Jesus will reign with the saints from the Temple in Jerusalem as the Messiah for 1000 years following His second coming at the close of the seven years of the signing of the the final Middle East peace agreement [also known as the 70th week of Daniel cf. Daniel 9:25-27] .
They say that the second coming of Christ occurs after the great tribulation and during which period the glorified church which was earlier raptured will be celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb recorded in Revelation 19.
According to this theory, the tribulation saints will miss out on this key apocalyptic event until the thousand year reign is concluded (Rev. 20:7-15).
Some scholars dispute this sequence of events. I will not delve into their opinions in this article because I had written a separate article on this page on the Tribulation debate.
Other scholars say that the Third Temple will be reconstructed on the very spot that the present Temple lies. However, given the present tension with the Arabs in East Jerusalem, a compromise location will possibly be negotiated by the Antichrist.
The Al Acqsa Mosque presently lies on top of the Temple Mount which is considered the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. This sector is controlled by the Arabs including the Mount of Olives.
Any attempt to forcefully dislodge the Arabs from this sector is likely to precipitate a cataclysmic battle of Armageddon before its appointed time!
It will inevitably draw all Arab nations into a Jihad battle against Israel, something that America and other allies of Israel would seek to avoid.
This possibly explains why the Middle East peace treaty has been delicate and elusive for decades. Several treaties such as the famous 1978 Camp David Accords under the Carter administration have been signed but lasting peace is yet to be realized.
Most Bible scholars agree that only a comprehensive Middle East peace treaty will permit the reconstruction of the Third Temple under strict conditions that would possibly allow the Arabs access to their holy site.
Whether Jesus will enter Jerusalem through the present East Gate or the reconstructed Third Temple is a matter of speculation.
Some Bible scholars who do not subscribe to the pre-tribulation Premillenialism theory have disputed this sequence of events which is identified with most Evangelical church traditions.
There is always a residual mystery on the end times prophecy and it is not possible to conclusively determine how things will unfold. Those who are in Christ have nothing to fear because no matter what happens in the immediate or distant future, our security in Christ is guaranteed in the Bible (Ephesians 4:30).
© Ezekiel Kimosop Teaching Series 2019
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