Dedicated to
Darryl Nunnelley
in appreciation for his encouragement and support.
First edition, 2005
Second edition, 2020
Copyright 2020 by Lamb & Lion Ministries
ISBN: 978-0-945593-33-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020909043
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or copied by mechanical, photocopying, recording or other means, without permission from the publisher.
Lamb & Lion Ministries
P.O. Box 919
McKinney, Texas 75070
lamblion@lamblion.com
www.lamblion.com
Foreword
I'm tired of reading sensationalist prophecy books. Because Bible prophecy deals with the future, it attracts curiosity seekers, and that, in turn, motivates sensationalist to write titillating books that appeal to the flesh rather than minister to the spirit.
Journalistic Prophecy
The book titles in the prophecy section of any Christian bookstore often smack of the same flavor as the headlines in the tabloids:
"Babylon Rebuilt!"
"Ark of the Covenant Discovered!"
"Planets Are Aligning!"
"Computer Beast in Belgium!"
"Is Gorbachev Gog?"
"Could Prince Charles be the Antichrist?"
"The Mark of the Beast is Here!"
On and on it goes, ad nauseam.
Prophecy Rumors
A few years ago I received a letter from a radio listener who said her pastor had preached a whole sermon on a rumor he had heard from some prophecy teacher. The rumor, believe it or not, was that the building blocks of the next Jewish Temple have all been cut and numbered, and the blocks have been stored in K-Marts across the United States, waiting for the call to ship them to Jerusalem!
Bizarre rumors like this circulate constantly among prophecy buffs. It's enough to make anyone conclude that the whole field of bible prophecy is nothing but a playground for fanatics. Unfortunately, many Christians have come to that conclusion and have written off prophecy as a fruitful field for study.
That is too bad, for prophecy, properly taught, can be green pastures for disciples.
Purposes of This Book
God has a plan for the future. He has had it from the foundation of the world. God proclaimed this truth through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 46:9-11 of his prophecies:
". . . For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure;' . . . Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it."
The basic purpose of this book is to spell out the details of God's plan for the future as revealed in His Prophetic Word.
In the process, I will attempt to explain some of the basic concepts and issues in Bible prophecy in a non-sensational way. The purpose is not to stimulate the imagination but to feed the spirit.
Additionally, the book aims to use God's Prophetic Word to motivate Bible study, to generate greater hope about the future, to spur evangelism, to encourage a commitment to holiness and to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus.
It is also written to create a sense of urgency about the soon return of Jesus - and, more than that, a sense of expectancy.
The Book's Format
I have purposefully tried to construct each chapter in a manner that will enable it to stand on its own. That means you do not have to read the book in order. You can simply go directly to any particular chapter you may be interested in.
This approach results in some repetition in order to make the chapters stand-alone and independent of each other. But then, repetition is one of the keys to learning.
Prophetic Apathy
Because the proper study of Bible prophecy has been so ignored in the modern-day Church, the average Christian is apathetic about the return of Jesus. The Bible says we are to yearn for the return of the Lord (2 Timothy 4:7-8). The Church today is yawning.
The proper biblical yearning can be found today primarily among the Orthodox Jews worldwide who are earnestly expecting the coming of the Messiah any moment. They sense His soon coming because they know the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament.
The Church, by contrast, is generally ignorant of Old Testament prophecies and has ignored or spiritualized New Testament prophecies.
The resulting paradox is that whereas the Jews failed to recognize the First Coming of the Messiah, it is the Jews who are now attuned to the signs of the times while the Gentile Church seems blind.
As we will see in this book, God is currently performing one of His greatest miracles in history. The Jews fully recognize it. The Church seems oblivious to it.
A Prayer
I pray this book will challenge and transform your thinking about the future by driving you deeper into God's Prophetic Word than you have ever dared to venture.
I pray the book will give you an appreciation for the fact that God is in control of history, that He has a master plan and that He is capable of orchestrating its fulfillment.
Introduction
The Gate to Prophecy
The Eastern Gate in the old walled city of Jerusalem has a very special place in my heart. The reason is that God used that gate to open my eyes to His Prophetic Word.
They year was 1967. The occasion was the Six Day War. As the fate of the new state of Israel hung in the balance, I searched the newspapers daily for any information I could find about the war.
The turning point came on June 7 when the Israeli army broke through the Lion's Gate and returned control of the ancient city of Jerusalem to the Jewish people for the first time in 1,897 years.
A Mysterious Remark
The next day I read a fascinating news account about one of the Jewish commando groups that had been involved in the assault on the city.
The article stated that some members of the group had suggested catching the Jordanian defenders of the city off guard by blowing open the sealed Eastern Gate. But the leader of the group, an Orthodox Jew, had vehemently protested the idea, stating that "the Eastern Gate can be opened only when the Messiah comes."
That statement caught my eye. I wondered what the fellow was talking about. I knew nothing about the Eastern Gate except that it was the only external gate of the city that led directly onto the Temple Mount. I was not aware that it was sealed, nor did I know that its opening was in any way biblically linked to the return of the Messiah.
A Remarkable Prophecy
I decided to do some research on the matter, and that decision initiated my study of Bible prophecy. I had been attending church for 30 years, but like most Christians, I knew nothing about Bible prophecy. The topic was generally ignored by the preachers in my boyhood church.
My concordance quickly directed me to the passage that the Orthodox Jew had alluded to. I found it in Ezekiel 44. The context is a supernatural tour which the Lord is giving Ezekiel of the future Millennial temple (Ezekiel 40:1-3).
In chapter 43 the Lord gives Ezekiel a vision of God's glory entering the Millennial temple from the east, through the eastern Gate. The Lord says to Ezekiel: "Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever" (Ezekiel 43:7).
The Lord then reveals to Ezekiel that the Eastern Gate will be closed and will not be reopened until the Messiah returns in glory (Ezekiel 44:1-3).
A Momentous Decision
The stage was set for the fulfillment of this prophecy more than 400 hundred years ago in 1517 when the Turks conquered Jerusalem under the leadership of Suleiman the Magnificent. He commanded that the city's ancient walls be rebuilt, and in the midst of this rebuilding project, for some unknown reason, he ordered that the Eastern Gate be sealed up with stones.
Legends abound as to why Suleiman closed the gate. The most believable one is that while the walls were being rebuilt, a rumor swept Jerusalem that the Messiah was coming. Suleiman called together some Jewish rabbis and asked them to tell him about the Messiah. They described the Messiah as a great military leader who would be sent by God from the east. He would enter the Eastern Gate and liberate the city from foreign control.
Suleiman then decided to put an end to Jewish hopes by ordering the Eastern Gate sealed. He also put a cemetery in front of the Gate, believing that no Jewish holy man would defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery.
A Prophetic Symbol
The gate has remained sealed since that time. The Muslim cemetery still blocks the entrance. The old walled city has eight gates, and the Eastern Gate, and it alone, is sealed - just as prophesied in Ezekiel 44. The world would call that an "amazing coincidence." I call it a "God-incidence."
The Eastern Gate is proof positive that the bible is the Word of God. Its sealing is clear evidence that we are living in the end-times. The Gate awaits the return of the Messiah. Then and only then, will it be opened.
A Vision
I have a vision of what that glorious day will be like. It is related to the Lord's First Coming. I believe Jesus is going to replay His triumphal entry into Jerusalem when He returns.
When He came the first time, Jesus rode a donkey from the Mt. of Olives down into the Kidron Valley and up to the Eastern Gate where He entered the Temple Mount for His last days of teaching. As He made that ride, the Valley of Kidron was filled with thousands of admirers who had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus. They waved palm branches and chanted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Within a few days, some of those in that fickle crowd were shouting, "Crucify Him!"
We are told in Revelation 19 that when Jesus returns He will come as a victorious military conqueror, riding through the air on a supernatural white horse. In Isaiah 63 we are told that He will come from the east, and in Zechariah 14 we are told that He will touch ground on the Mt. of Olives from which He ascended into Heaven.
Revelation 19:14 says that all the Redeemed will come with the Lord. Think of it! Those of us who are saved will be there to witness the Lord's return. Zechariah 14 says He will speak a word that will supernaturally destroy the Antichrist and his forces.
Then, I believe we will witness a replay of the Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. With angels hovering above, together with millions of glorified saints, Jesus will ride down into the Kidron Valley and up to the Eastern Gate on His white horse, and as He approaches the Gate, it will open supernaturally. He will then enter the City of David, and to the triumphant shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David," He will be coronated the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
I believe that's what Psalm 24 is all about when it says:
7) Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
8)Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle . . .
10) Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
An Invitation
I invite you to enter the fascinating and spiritually enriching world of Bible prophecy with me. Allow me to be your guide to an overview of God's master plan for the future.
And as we proceed, remember to be a good Berean by testing everything I have to say against Scriptures (Acts 17:10-11)