Dreams of the Future
Dreams of the Future
There are few places in Jerusalem where the past, present, and future seem to stand so closely together as at the Eastern Gate. Looking across the Kidron Valley toward the eastern wall of the Old City, the sealed gateway seems almost to invite us to think not only about what has happened in Jerusalem, but about what Scripture says is still to come.
The gate is commonly called the Golden Gate and is also known as the Gate of Mercy. The present structure is centuries younger than the biblical period, and the precise relationship between this gate and the eastern gates mentioned in Scripture is debated. Yet its location on Jerusalem's eastern wall, facing the Mount of Olives, has caused generations of Jews and Christians to associate this place with biblical expectations of God's future work.
The King Comes from the East
One of the most striking passages is found in Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God returning to Jerusalem:
"And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east."
Ezekiel 43:2
Ezekiel then says:
"And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east."
Ezekiel 43:4
Later, Ezekiel is shown the eastern gate shut and is told:
"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."
Ezekiel 44:2
Christians have long seen powerful messianic imagery in these passages. We should be careful not to claim that Ezekiel was necessarily describing the exact masonry gate visible today. His vision concerns a future temple, and Christians interpret its details in different ways. But the theological picture is unmistakable: the glory of the Lord comes from the east, and the eastern gate is associated with the coming of the Lord.
Jesus and the Mount of Olives
The New Testament makes the geography even more compelling. During the final week before His crucifixion, Jesus approached Jerusalem from the east. He came from Bethany and Bethphage, crossed the Mount of Olives, and descended toward Jerusalem. Matthew records:
"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives..."
Matthew 21:1
Jesus then rode into Jerusalem as the crowds cried:
"Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Matthew 21:9
The Gospels do not identify the particular city gate through which Jesus entered. Therefore, we cannot state with certainty that He passed through the Eastern Gate itself. What we can say is that Jesus approached Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of the city.
That makes the view across the Kidron Valley especially meaningful. Somewhere along this eastern approach, the Messiah came toward Jerusalem while the crowds proclaimed Him the Son of David. But that was not the end of the story.
He Will Come Again
After His resurrection, Jesus gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives. There, before their eyes, He ascended into heaven. As they stood looking upward, two angels told them:
"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Acts 1:11
That promise immediately connects the ascension with the hope of Christ's return. Jesus left from the vicinity of the Mount of Olives, and His disciples were assured that this same Jesus will come again. The Old Testament adds another remarkable image. Zechariah describes the coming Day of the Lord:
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east."
Zechariah 14:4
The Mount of Olives stands directly east of Jerusalem, separated from the city by the Kidron Valley. From there, the eastern wall of Jerusalem dominates the view. The biblical picture is therefore powerful: the Lord comes from the east in Ezekiel; Jesus approached Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives; Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives; the angels promised that He would return; and Zechariah pictures the Lord standing upon that same mountain in the Day of the Lord.
A Gate That Points Beyond Itself
Today the Eastern Gate is sealed. It cannot fulfill all the claims sometimes made about it simply on the basis of its present appearance. The existing gate is not the gate through which Jesus entered Jerusalem in its current architectural form, and Scripture never explicitly says, "Jesus will return through the Golden Gate." Yet standing before it can still become an extraordinary moment of biblical reflection. The gate points our attention toward something greater than stone walls and ancient architecture. It points us toward the Christian hope that history is moving somewhere.
Jesus came once in humility, riding upon a donkey. He was rejected, crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. He ascended from the Mount of Olives with the promise that He would return. The Jesus who once looked across the Kidron Valley toward Jerusalem will one day be seen as King.
Dreams of the Future
Perhaps that is why this view encourages us to dream of the future. Not dreams built merely upon human optimism, but dreams grounded in God's promises. A day is coming when faith will become sight. A day is coming when the kingdoms of this world will give way to the kingdom of Christ. A day is coming when the King who was once rejected will be universally acknowledged.
Revelation looks toward that day:
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him."
Revelation 1:7
So when we look toward Jerusalem's Eastern Gate, we can remember the past—but we should also look toward the future.
· The empty tomb tells us that Jesus lives.
· The Mount of Olives reminds us that Jesus ascended.
· The promise of the angels assures us that Jesus will return.
· And the eastern horizon reminds us to keep watching for the King.
The Christian faith does not end by looking backward at what God once did. It looks forward with expectation to what God has promised He will yet do. And perhaps that is the greatest lesson of the Eastern Gate: We remember the past, we serve Christ in the present, and we live with our eyes fixed upon the future—because the King is coming.