I wrote this article before going out of town for several days, so most of it is not about current events (there are some current events at the end of the article).

In Old Testament times there was a wall around the city of Jerusalem, and there were several gates in that wall.

One of those gates was called the Eastern Gate (It was also called the Golden Gate, the Gate of Mercy and the Beautiful Gate).

Ezek. 44:1-3 records a very interesting prophecy about the Eastern 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.”

The Lord was saying that there will come a time when the Eastern Gate will be shut because the Messiah passed through it (Jesus passed through it at His Triumphal Entry), and no one will pass through it until the Messiah comes back.

In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.

In 1517 A.D., the Ottoman Empire (the Turks) took over the Middle East.

At some point in the 1530’s or 1540’s, the Turkish ruler Suleiman the Magnificent heard that the Jews believe that their Messiah would come from the east and pass through the Eastern Gate (Christians believe this will be Jesus’ Second Coming).

Suleiman didn’t want the Jewish Messiah to pass through the Eastern Gate, so he ordered his people to shut it and seal it up.

They closed it in with bricks, but that was just one part of the prophecy. The other part of the prophecy said the Eastern Gate will remain shut until the Messiah appears and passes through it.

In 1967, both Jordan and Israel almost opened the Eastern Gate; but both nations failed, and the Eastern Gate is still shut.

This is how Jordan failed:

Jordan controlled East Jerusalem. Jordan’s king wanted to open the Eastern Gate and build a hotel against the inside of the wall so that people could enter his hotel through the Eastern Gate. Jordan’s king sent workmen, equipment and materials to the Eastern Gate to knock out the bricks and open it up. The workmen moved their equipment and materials to the Gate and left it there for the night. They intended to go back the next day to break the gate open.

That night, the 1967 war between Israel and Jordan broke out, and Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The king’s crew could no longer break open the gate, and his hotel never got built.

This is how Israel failed:

The 1967 war broke out, Israeli troops captured the Temple Mount, and some of Israel’s military leaders wanted to blow open the Eastern Gate to send tanks and troops through it for an attack on Jordan. Other Israeli military leaders were aware that the Scriptures say that the Gate will remain shut until the Messiah appears and passes through it. Israel’s military leaders discussed blowing open the Eastern Gate, but the leaders that were familiar with the Scriptures won the debate.

Israel attacked Jordan from a different location. The Jordanian troops were caught by surprise, and Israel won the war. Since capturing it, Israel has not allowed the Eastern Gate to be opened.

Following the 1967 war, Israel agreed to let Jordan administer activities on the Temple Mount, and Jordan agreed to let Israel be in charge of security on the Temple Mount. The two nations also agreed to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount.

In 2005, the Palestinians tried to occupy an area on the Temple Mount just inside the Eastern Gate. Israel wouldn’t allow the Palestinians to occupy that area, and the Palestinians rioted.

The disagreement went to court, and a judge ordered the area next to the Eastern Gate closed to everyone. Israel installed a fence with an iron gate leading to the Eastern Gate, and access to the area on the inside of the Eastern Gate was blocked off with a fence, a gate, a chain and a lock.

Calm prevailed on the inside of the Eastern Gate from 2005 until Feb. 2019.

On Feb. 22, 2019, the Palestinians rioted, destroyed the lock on the iron gate barring access to the Eastern Gate, and took over the area butting up against the inside of the Eastern Gate. Rumors circulated that the Palestinians intended to build another mosque and hold Muslim prayers inside the Eastern Gate. Prime Min. Netanyahu said he wouldn’t allow it.

Mr. Netanyahu gave the Palestinians until Monday, Mar. 11, 2019, to leave the area near the Eastern Gate. Palestinian leaders ignored Mr. Netanyahu’s ultimatum.

A group of Jewish settlers said the Palestinians were breaking their agreement with Israel to keep the status quo by illegally opening the area inside of the Eastern Gate for a mosque and Muslim prayers. They said the status quo that Israel and Jordan agreed to no longer exists. They added that the door is now open for Jews to ignore the status quo and build a synagogue on the Temple Mount for Jewish prayers. They said the Israeli government should not agree to any settlement of this issue unless Jews are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount too.

Israel and Jordan started holding high-level talks to resolve the issue, but they couldn’t reach an agreement.

On Mar. 9, 2019, the King of Jordan went to Washington to seek help to resolve the issue in his favor, but it didn’t work.

On Mar. 11, 2019, Mr. Netanyahu’s deadline came, and the Palestinians were still occupying the forbidden area inside the Eastern Gate.

Israel had a large number of police and security forces in the area.

On Mar. 12, 2019, a protester threw a Molotov cocktail at a police cart in the area. Israeli security forces closed the entrances to the Temple Mount, arrested some of the protesters, and ordered everyone on the Temple Mount to leave.

There was another court hearing, and the court told Israel to keep the area closed; the judge gave Jordan 60 days to respond to the court order.

I am not privy to Palestinian secret schemes and motives, and I don’t know how all of this is going to come out. But I do know that Jordan wanted to open the Eastern Gate to send in workers, material and equipment to build a hotel in 1967, and I tend to believe that opening the Eastern Gate is what the protesters want to do now.

I believe their ultimate goal is to thwart the prophecy in the Bible.

Nevertheless, the issue hasn’t been settled; and I rejoice over the fact that the Eastern Gate is still closed and that it could soon be opened to greet the coming Messiah.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

 

 

It is not too unusual to hear someone say, “Bible prophecy is shaping up or being fulfilled every day.”

This is a day-by-day report of events from Mar. 24–30, 2019.

Sunday, Mar. 24: Sean Osborne (escatologytoday.blogspot.com) wrote that some are anticipating violence over Pres. Trump’s recognition of the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory.

Monday, Mar. 25: Pres. Trump signed the document recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Prime Min. Netanyahu was in Washington, D.C. for the signing; and violence erupted when terrorists fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel that struck a house and injured seven people including two children.

Mr. Netanyahu cut his visit short, ordered the deployment of two divisions of troops to positions near Gaza, and called up 1,000 reservists. 60 more rockets were fired into Israel, and Israel struck dozens of targets in Gaza.

Tuesday, Mar. 26: Terrorists fired 30 more rockets into Israel; the IDF struck 15 more targets in Gaza; and Prime Min. Netanyahu deployed more troops to positions near Gaza.

An anonymous senior terrorist was quoted in a newspaper as saying Monday’s terrorist attacks on Israel were ordered by Iran.

Officials in Egypt confirmed that the Iranians instigated the violence against Israel.

Wednesday, Mar. 27: Terrorists fired more rockets into Israel; the IDF struck more targets in Gaza; the IDF launched a major attack on Iranian targets in Syria; and some reports said there were loud explosions at Iranian sites in Syria for several hours.

Thursday, Mar. 28: Prime Min. Netanyahu continued to strengthen Israel’s forces near Gaza; he said an invasion of Gaza is a last resort; and he said Israel will continue efforts to prevent Iran from building up its weapons and forces in Syria.

Friday, Mar. 29: Palestinians and terrorists tossed hundreds of firebombs and grenades at Israeli troops, and these were answered with tank-fired shells directed at terrorist targets in Gaza.

Throughout the week, Egyptian negotiators tried to broker a truce; however, the terrorists kept upping their demands, including issues concerning the Temple Mount and Jerusalem—the cup of trembling, but nothing could be worked out.

Terrorists threatened major demonstrations along Gaza’s border with Israel, and Prime Min. Netanyahu warned that one mistake could lead to war.

Pres. Trump issued an order for U.S. maps to show that the Golan Heights are part of Israel.

It was reported that the Arab League has scheduled a Sunday meeting to criticize Pres. Trump’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

According to the writer, the Arabs criticized Pres. Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but they didn’t do anything about it.

It is the writer’s opinion that they will do the same thing regarding the Golan Heights: criticize Pres. Trump, but not do anything about it because they need U.S. and Israeli help in dealing with Iran.

Saturday, Mar. 30: There were demonstrations on the border; explosive devices and grenades were thrown at Israeli troops; the IDF fired shots and used tear gas; some people were injured (one critically).

Sunday, Mar. 31: Egyptian mediators were finally making some progress toward a truce, but few people believe the terrorists and their Iranian instigators will keep it for very long.

This is the point: When the disciples wanted to know the signs of Jesus’ coming, He said there will be wars and rumors of wars, and He told them to watch the Fig Tree (Israel).

Every day could be a day that someone does something that starts a war with Israel or a whole series of wars with Israel that relate to end-of-the-age Bible prophecy.

One mistake could be the beginning of a major event that will draw in many nations and signal that the latter days have arrived.

All of the signs suggest that people need to be ready, and the only way to be ready is to truly accept Jesus.

God didn’t reveal these things to scare people.

He revealed these things to show people that He is real; He is alive; He is still on the throne; He is in control and His Word is true; and He is demonstrating this every day that goes by.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com