The Ten Gates of Jerusalem. Pt. 13

Good Morning Dear Ones.

We are in the midst of about 5 days in a row with highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's.  In my opinion this is Ohio weather at its best. We have even see a few trees starting to change color as we move closer to fall.  The morning air is sweet, crisp and refreshing. 

• The Sheep Gate (Salvation) points us to Jesus Christ the Lamb of God and our salvation.

• The Fish Gate (Service) points us to serving Jesus Christ by being fisher's of men.

• The Old Gate (Standards) points us to the unchanging standards of Jehovah's Word and our need to stay in the good path and the good way that scripture marks out.

• The Valley Gate (Suffering)  points us to the sufferings of Christ and the general struggles of living in a sin cursed world. Born again Christians are in a battle against a fierce enemy who would seek to send us into a dark valley of suffering.

• The Dung Gate (Sanctification) points out our need to carry out the dung and trash (sin) that accumulates in our minds or through our actions. 

• The Fountain Gate (Supplying) points us to relying on the Spirit of God.  Jesus said the Spirit is like a river of waters springing up to life everlasting. 

• The Water Gate (Sufficiency) reminds us that God gave us everything we need to know for this life and for preparation of eternal life.  The Scriptures are the full revelation from God to man.  We cannot live without them nor can we have spiritual life without them. 

• The Horse Gate (Struggles & Sacrifice) is the gate of battle.  It looks out on the Kidron Valley where many terrible things happened with regard to idolatry.  It reminds us that we will have a lifelong battle against the powers of darkness. 

• The East Gate (Sovereign Savior) is the Gate where the King of kings will enter with the full shekinah glory of God to rule and reign for eternity.  It reminds us that Christ will come to this earth again and we should be busy doing our Master's business until He arrives.

• The Inspection Gate (Sifting & Scrutinizing) is the Gate where the King of Kings will cause all peoples and nations to be gathered for inspection.  He will judge the motivation each born again Christian's service to Him.  This is the "Bema" seat of Christ that happens at the resurrection of life.  There is also the resurrection of damnation for all unbelievers known as the Great White Throne Judgment. 

The last gate in our study is the Inspection Gate as seen in the photo below.




The text is fairly brief and we see some familiar names of people working on the wall.  We could call this part of the reconstruction project the wrap around because when they finish the Inspection Gate, they also finish the wall leading to the Sheep Gate.  Thus, they came full circle around Jerusalem. 

This gate comes right after the East Gate that represented the return of the King of kings, Jesus Christ.  The Hebrew word "Miphkad" means an appointed place for the people to muster.  The word "muster" is a military term meaning to bring the people or troops together for a formal inspection or to gather them for a formal accounting of their deeds.

Nehemiah 3:31-32 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner. 
And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

We have some examples of this gate from scripture.  In the text below we see King Hezekiah preparing for battle.  He was going through the process of strengthening the various gates and fortifying vital portions of the walls.  Hezekiah gathered the people together at the Inspection Gate to address them before the battle began.  He spoke encouraging words to them. 

Thus, we can see the idea of "mustering" the army in this text.  The name of the goldsmith in this text means "Jehovah is King."

2 Chronicles 32:5-8 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. 

And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, 
Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

In this text we see that King David is mustering the people together at the Inspection Gate to send an army out to defeat his son, Absalom.  The King was older and the people wanted David to stay back rather than to go and fight.  We see King David numbered the army, gave them instructions and then he sat in the Inspection Gate to await the outcome of the battle.

2 Samuel 18:1-4  And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 

 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. 

 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. 

And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. 

In the next text we read of King David sitting between the 2 gates, the East Gate or Gate of the King and the Inspection Gate.  This is during the time when the rebellion of his son Absalom was being put down.  The King was there to receive tidings about the battle.

2 Samuel 18:24-33  And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone. 

  And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. 

   And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. 

   And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. 

   And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. 

   And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. 

   And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still. 

   And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. 

   And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. 

  And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! 

The Inspection Gate points to the judgement seat of Christ for the Christian.

The Judgment Seat of Christ is pictured by the Inspection Gate of  people.  It is a judgment from our King for the service that we born again believers have rendered to Him.  What we do in this life will be inspected and shown to be either good or bad. 

This is not a judgment regarding the status of our salvation.  Rather, it is a judgment of how we served Him.  It will be an examination of our motivation for serving Christ.  It is called the resurrection of life in John's gospel.

2Co 5:8-10  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The Apostle Paul gives more detail of the Inspection Gate of King Jesus in the text below.  This is a judgment that specifically looks at our lives from the time we were born again until the day that the Lord calls us home.  We build on the foundation of having a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ. 

Paul tells us there are two kinds of works. There are works that are going to burn in the fire like wood, hay or stubble and there are works that will withstand the fire of inspection like gold, silver or precious stones.  The discerning fires of God will determine what kind of works we have when that day comes. 

This is a good time to remind all of us that every word we speak, every thought we have or every action that we take will either bring honor and glory to God or it will dishonor Him.  We are either seeking those things which are above or we are entangled with the things of the world. 

1 Corinthians 3: 11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

This Inspection Gate will be a time of dividing. It is the Gate of sifting out the bad from the good and of scrutinizing our motivation for service. 

We want our motives for serving Christ to be pure in heart so that we can serve Him joyfully.   Our hearts should be filled with joy and gladness because of all that Christ does for us.

 We do not want to be like the Pharisees who prayed long prayers in order to gain the admiration of men.  Rather, we should seek to be like the humble publican who would not lift his eyes to heaven, but cried out "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." 

The Christian will be judged at the resurrection of life. The unbeliever will be judged at the resurrection of damnation. 

There are two resurrections mentioned and both of them include the Lord Jesus Christ as final judge over all.  Both judgments would fall under what we are learning about the Inspection Gate. The resurrection of life is often called the "bema" seat where olympic athletes were rewarded for their participation in the games and where various awards were given. 

The Bema seat is a time when each believer will have the Lord review the body of work and service we have given to Christ in this life. He sees our motivations and will reward us for the service that survives the fire but we may suffer loss of reward if we lived for ourselves instead of living for Christ. 

The resurrection of damnation is different. It is a time of condemnation where all who are not born again will be judged by the works of their flesh.  They will stand condemned before Christ as He proves their guilt of sinning and be cast into hell.  A graphic picture of this resurrection is in Revelation 19 and it is often called the Great White Throne judgment. 

John 5:25-30 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 
And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 

Points to Ponder......

• Some people are religious but not born again.

The people in the text below were like the Pharisees.  They were involved in a lot of religious activities but they did not have a relationship with Jehovah.  They did not know Him.  Jesus cast them out because He had no relationship with them.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

• Some people claim to be Christians but they never serve their Lord or bring forth fruit.

In the parable below, Jesus explains how a businessman gave talents to his servants to watch over while he was on a journey. When he returned he demanded an accounting of the financial assets that he entrusted to them.  Some invested the assets wisely and made them grow but one servant hid the money and gave it to his Master with no increase.

The idea here is of accounting and investing and making what has been entrusted to us to grow.  Each born again Christian has been given the gift of God's Spirit living in us and we have been given the inspired scriptures.  This is what Christ is teaching us.  We are to fulfill His mandate to make disciples one at a time. Those who say they are Christians and never share the truth with anyone are those who will be condemned. 

Matthew 25:14-30 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 

And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 
And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Some people are born again and some are just religious people.

This will be our last text but there are many more that could be added to illustrate the reality of the Inspection Gate.  In this text, we can see that King Jesus has returned in glory to the East Gate. He will then hold court and issue judgment in the Inspection Gate. The key question is were we the hands and feet of Christ in the lives of people that He placed in our paths or were we selfish and worldly in our pursuits?

Matthew 25;31-46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

• We should examine our hearts to ensure that we are truly a born again, regenerated believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

• We should examine the motivation of our service for Christ. If we did anything for the praise of men it will burn.

• We need to redeem the time wisely and use the talents God has given each believer to multiply His kingdom.

•  We will stand before Christ at the Inspection Gate one day. Are you ready?

• Will you be at the resurrection of life judgment or at the resurrection of damnation judgment?

This is the last of the Ten Gates of Jerusalem. I continue to pray that all of us are impacted by these truths so that we seek the honor and glory of God first and foremost in our lives.

Bob