Ezekiel 43:4–5: “And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”

October 6th, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotional

As God continued to show Ezekiel a vision of a future temple in Jerusalem, the Spirit took him into the inner court and showed him the return of God’s presence. The verse says that He came in by way of the eastern gate. Some read this as a description of Jesus Christ’s entry through Jerusalem’s Eastern gate on Palm Sunday at the time of His First Coming in 32 AD, but others see it as yet to be fulfilled, believing that it will take place after this new temple is constructed.

There is an interesting historic story that goes with this second view. In 1537–1540 AD, Suleiman I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (which at its peak included Turkey, large parts of the Middle East and parts of southeastern Europe) rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, the very walls that are standing there today. One old tradition reports that during the rebuilding, someone called Suleiman’s attention to this prophecy. In an attempt to prevent God from returning, he had the Eastern Gate bricked shut, and it has remained shut to this day.

There has been at least one attempt to reopen Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate. In 1967, King Hussein of Jordan wanted to reopen the gate to provide access to a new hotel that was to be built along the Western Wall of the Temple site. On June 4, 1967, Jordanian workmen set up a crane and jack hammers in preparation of opening the gate the next morning. But on June 5, 1967, at 8:00 AM, the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War broke out, preventing the reopening of the Eastern Gate. God moves in mysterious ways and we look forward to the day when all will be revealed.

“LORD, Your ways are mysterious to us now but we trust that someday, when we can all see clearly, we will simply fall on our knees and worship You.”