Why is this Gate closed on the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount?

The great thing about walking along the Mount of Olives is that there is an incredible view no matter where you look—and so many amazing things to see!

If you can tear your gaze away from the Garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish cemetery, and everything else that's going on and look to your left, you'll see something amazing:

The Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount and the Golden Gate.

But that's not all.

In the past year, some vines have started growing out of openings in the city walls, which date almost 500 years.... and they are forming an interesting design. Naturally, my friends and I had to get closer. That's when you discovered that you can walk through the Muslim cemetery directly in front of the wall as well. I'd had no idea! 

Anyway... can you see it?

That's right, directly across the Mount of Olives, on the Eastern Wall, vines are growing that—almost—spell out the Hebrew name of God: yod, hei, vav.... It's only missing 1 letter.

Wow.

The cemetery is interesting, as it is so different from the one on the Mount of Olives directly across from it.

But my favorite part is halfway across: the closed-in Golden Gate.

Why is this important?

The Golden Gate (Eastern Gate) of the Temple complex is where Jesus entered in John 12 and Luke 19. He left Bethany, asked His disciples to bring Him a young, unbroken donkey, and entered the city riding down the Mount of Olives with the crowd yelling, singing praises, and placing their cloaks and palm branches on the road before Him. He was welcomed as a king.

Within the next week, He would be crucified and raised back to life.

But that's not all.

In prophecy in Zechariah 14 says the Messiah will return to the Mount of Olives. The mountain will split in two and water will run to the east and west. He, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, will enter Jerusalem on a white horse.

Being aware of this prophecy, whenever Muslims were in power during Jerusalem's history, the gate was sealed, most recently in 1541 under Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent. For good measure, a cemetery was posted as well in front of the gate, because, according to Jewish Law, for the Jewish Messiah to enter a cemetery on the way to the (not currently present) Temple would make Him unclean. Both these things together should make it impossible, according to man's logic.

And yet, there's something incredible at sitting there, tracing the path of Palm Sunday Road on the Mount of Olives, visualizing Jesus' procession into the city, and then imagining it again, this time in His second coming. Something tells me that no plan, design, or trap of man will be able to stop the Messiah. Right now, we are in the waiting. 

I have to say, sitting right below that gate is an incredible place to sit with God, read your Bible, and pray. 

And then, if you keep walking past the Golden Gate and turn left to enter into the city, you'll pass the Pool of Bethesda at St. Anne's Church and start down the Via Dolorosa. I highly recommend it!

Whitewashed Tombs along the Mount of Olives

One of the many things I recommend doing while in Jerusalem is walking along the Mount of Olives. It's an incredible view of so many historic places that your mind will be continually blown. So much history in such a concentrated to area!

If you are coming from the City of David, you'll turn the corner and cross the street. The Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount will be on your left and the Mount of Olives on your right. Walking along the low stone wall, you'll be able to see the Mount in its entirety while seeking shade from the—you guessed it—olive trees.

A large portion of the Mount of Olives is a Jewish cemetery that faces the Temple Mount. From a distance, most of the graves look similar except for two. These stick out and can be seen from a distance. Do you know what they are?

The pillar above is Absolam's pillar, as spoken of in 2 Samuel 18. The one below is the prophet Zechariah's tomb.

You can actually walk right up to these pillars. They are HUGE! First, you cross over the Kidron Valley and start walking along it (we'll talk about this more in a future post). 

On the wall are signs with Bible verses specifically mentioning the Kidron Valley:

And then, there you are:

It's always cool to see something dating back millennia that is from the Bible. Nothing compares to that feeling. But a friend pointed something out to me that I want to share here:

While the architecture and the Land have changed, it's easy to accept that these pillars, as well as the cemetery, could be seen by people at the Temple when Jesus said in Matthew 23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

Wow!!! 

That adds so much meaning and context to this verse!

Can you see it?