Let Us Rise up and Build (East Gate)
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 39 viewsNotes
Transcript
Text: Nehemiah 3:29
After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.
intro: The (EAST GATE) is greatest and most significant gate we will talk about! Biblically, it represents the gate of prophecy, it is the gate of promise, as well as the gate of fulfillment! In the New Testament gospels we see several events which we understand Jesus uses the East Gate. Not because it is mentioned by name, but because of the location of the events and the East Gate is the gate in proximity to those events.
One event we will consider today is His triumphant entry into the city!
And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
It is also the East Gate that Jesus goes out to pray prior to His arrest and Crucifixion.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
Just as we saw Him use it in those days, we will see Him use the East Gate again!
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise
With healing in his wings;
And ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of the “glory of the God of Israel” at the east gate...
Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
He later is shown the entrance of the Lord Jesus through the gate!
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.
Remember the Jewish revolt of A. D. 70 resulted in the destruction of the city and temple, but in around 560 A. D. the city was restored, and the east wall repaired.
It is interesting to note: That the East Gate was sealed by the Muslims who had taken control of the city of Jerusalem in 810, reopened in 1102 during the Crusades, then sealed again by Saladin after regaining control of Jerusalem in 1187. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt it the gate with the city walls, but sealed the east gate in 1541, and it has been sealed ever since.
Believe it or not, this is the Muslims attempt to thwarting the return of the Jewish Messiah from entering into the city…
If powers, principalities, and all the armies of the anti-christ can’t stop HIM, do they really think some bricks and mortar stands a chance?
And it shall come to pass in that day,
That I will seek to destroy all the nations
That come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
The spirit of grace and of supplications:
And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced,
And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son,
And shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
We have talked about many times how that Solomon and his kingdom of rest is a clear picture of the millenium kingdom. Just consider some of the names of Christ, from the Song of Solomon...
S.O.S. 6:16 - All together lovely
S.O.S. 2:4 - He is the banner over us
S.O.S. 5:10 - Chief Among 10,000
S.O.S. 2:1 Lilly of the Valley
S.O.S. 2:1 Rose of Sharon
Isaiah 60 speaks of that day of rest for the city of God! It describes the glory of the Lord, the vast riches of Israel, and even they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold, and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD… Unto the LORD thy God, and to the HOLY ONE of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all powders of the merchant?
Just like He led the children of Israel out of Egypt by a pillar of cloud, and a pillar of fire, He will come the same way again…
What I find remarkable, is that the Bible records for us the journey… Bible records for us the exact path that Jesus is going to come when He leaves heaven to re-enter the city of Jerusalem through the east gate as King of kings, and Lord of lords.
And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai,
And rose up from Seir unto them;
He shined forth from mount Paran,
And he came with ten thousands of saints:
From his right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, he loved the people;
All his saints are in thy hand:
And they sat down at thy feet;
Every one shall receive of thy words.
The events described in Deut. 33:1-3, have yet to occur!
Where is He headed? He is going through Edom, by way of the kings highway…
Lord, When thou wentest out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped,
The clouds also dropped water.
The mountains melted from before the Lord,
Even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.
Here is what we see here is that all those high places that existed naturally that man defiled, by building up places of idol worship upon them, will melt before the glory, and majesty of the Lord Jesus when He returns as KING!
Now HE is coming out of Edom...
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid:
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make known;
In wrath remember mercy.
God came from Teman,
And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah.
His glory covered the heavens,
And the earth was full of his praise.
And his brightness was as the light;
He had horns coming out of his hand:
And there was the hiding of his power.
Before him went the pestilence,
And burning coals went forth at his feet.
The mountains saw thee, and they trembled:
The overflowing of the water passed by:
The deep uttered his voice,
And lifted up his hands on high.
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation:
At the light of thine arrows they went,
And at the shining of thy glittering spear.
Thou didst march through the land in indignation,
Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people,
Even for salvation with thine anointed;
Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked,
By discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
Can you even imagine what it all will be like, when the Lord Jesus comes in honor and glory, and vengeance?
For thus saith the Lord;
Behold, he shall fly as an eagle,
And shall spread his wings over Moab.
Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised,
And the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be
As the heart of a woman in her pangs.
And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people,
Because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee,
O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit;
And he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare:
For I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
From Moab, He moves north to Ammon...
I have heard the reproach of Moab,
And the revilings of the children of Ammon,
Whereby they have reproached my people,
And magnified themselves against their border.
Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah,
Even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation:
The residue of my people shall spoil them,
And the remnant of my people shall possess them.
The Lord Jesus as He comes to battle… The Battle of Armageddon… Where HE defeats the anti-christ, and his followers, and imprisons the devil for 1000 years.
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,
And thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
And the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished;
And half of the city shall go forth into captivity,
And the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
As when he fought in the day of battle.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,
Which is before Jerusalem on the east,
And the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,
And there shall be a very great valley;
And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
And half of it toward the south.
Can I help us with something, because for so long I didn’t understand this… I do now… Those passages in the New Testament that Jesus speaks of moving mountains, this is really what He is talking about… Remember what He said? “…Because of your unbelief.... if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove...”
What is it that hindered the coming of the kingdom of heaven? Unbelief… He speaking to His disciples, which are Jews, furthermore, which become the apostles to the Jews… They preached the kingdom to come, in Acts, and because of there unbelief, the Gospel was sent to the Gentiles.
I know we live Laodicean church age that wants to make it all about us… It isn’t about us at all! It is all about HIM! His GLORY, HIS HONOR, HIS MAJESTY, AND HIS KINGDOM!!!!
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered:
Let them also that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away:
As wax melteth before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God:
Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
Extol him that rideth upon the heavens
By his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,
Is God in his holy habitation.
God setteth the solitary in families:
He bringeth out those which are bound with chains:
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
The earth shook, the heavens also dropped
At the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved
At the presence of God, the God of Israel.
After He ascends up the mount of olives, the mountain is cleaved in two, and the valley where he defeats is enemies is accomplished, the saints (which includes us) will then possess the kingdom, and judgment will be given to us, and we will reign as kings and priests with Him, forever more!
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
I mentioned the Muslims already… Islam teaches that a Jewish Rabbi or Priest is not permitted to enter a cemetery. In an effort the keep the Lord Jesus from entering into that gate, they put a cemetery between the east wall and the Mount of Olives. (Not just any cemetery, they put in a whole lot of effort, this cemetery in total covers 100 acres… But they missed and important fact… When Jesus comes form Edom, crossed the Jordan, passed Jericho, He is coming with garments that have been stained first by His own blood, that are going to be sprinkled with the blood of His enemies… Does anyone really think, a pile of bones, and stones are going to keep HIM out??????
Who is this that cometh from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah?
This that is glorious in his apparel,
Travelling in the greatness of his strength?
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel,
And thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
I have trodden the winepress alone;
And of the people there was none with me:
For I will tread them in mine anger,
And trample them in my fury;
And their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments,
And I will stain all my raiment.
For the day of vengeance is in mine heart,
And the year of my redeemed is come.
Revelation desribes the events like this…
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Why on His thigh? Because when HE comes riding on that white horse… It will be seen at eye level!
That army… It isn’t angels… Although it is true angels will be with Him when He comes…
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
His angels will be the reapers in His judgment.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And they will be the one’s that gather the nation of Isreal, which is that day in which the Nation of Israel, becomes again, the nation of Israel! (Not the state of Israel) There won’t be any doubt...
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The army dressed in white riding on white horses like HIM… That’s His church!
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
It is then that the famine upon the earth ends, and God feeds the fowls that fly, with the flesh of His enemies, and the later rains fall upon the earth… Marking even the dessert places like a garden...
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Remember back in Habakkuk 3, the sun and the moon stand still...
Thy sun shall no more go down;
Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself:
For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light,
And the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Thy people also shall be all righteous:
They shall inherit the land for ever,
The branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation:
I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
For us, anticipating His return… All of this marks a time of rejoicing...
For those who would deny it, let it be a warning… Those that think that a loving God could never execute judgment… Vs. 18 we see 5 occasions we see “the flesh” being feasted upon…
Chapter 20 we see another battle unfold…
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Oh, the importance of the Eastern Gate!
Closing:
Question: How different would your day to day life be lived, if we lived it as though Jesus was returning at any moment.
There would be no time for sin and selfishness… Let me be clear, we are not anticipating his return for His kingdom… We are looking for the gathering of the saints… But one, is a precursor for the other...
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
There is not greater purifying doctrine for the church today then the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ!
