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Jerusalem's gates
spiritual meaning
In the Bible is also exemplary teaching,
in which some issues of the old covenant have spiritual meanings in the New Covenant. In the book of Nehemiah chapter 3 we can find this kind of
exemplary. Jerusalem's gates in the book of Nehemiah have very clear
spiritual meaning, which we examine in this teaching. Study and
test my teaching with the Bible in the prayer.
The Sheep Gate
Neh 3:
1 ¶ And Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers
the priests. And they built the Sheep Gate. They sanctified it and
set up its doors. Even to the Tower of Meah they sanctified it, to
the Tower of Hananeel.
The high priest Eliashib with his brethren,
and priests built the Sheep Gate and set up its doors. This is first
gate mentioned. The spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is that the high
priest was building it and that through the Sheep Gate lambs and sheep
were brought to the temple, in which they were offered. The Lord and the
Messiah (Christ) Jesus (Yeshua) is
the High Priest of New Covenant, who is the Lamb, who was offered for
the sake of our sins. Spiritual meaning of Sheep Gate is death and
offering the Lamb (the Lord Jesus), which death, blood and resurrection
bring us forgiveness of sins and redemption. The high priest was setting
up the doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that He is the Door of the sheep.
Through the Lord Jesus a man will be saved from the power of death-, sin
and eternal damnation to eternal life.
Building of the wall and gates begins from
the Sheep Gate in Nehemiah 3, because everything begins from the
offering of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus). This is a spiritual meaning,
because of salvation and God's kingdom a man will enter through the
offering and blood of the Lamb (The Lord Jesus). It is very significant
that Eliashib means in Hebrew God restores. All things in the Bible are
accurate in their places and have important meanings. It is not an
accident that the high priest whose name was Eliashib was building up
the Sheep Gate. Jerusalem and the wall and gates were destroyed, so
needed Eliashib (HaKohen HaGadol) the high priest who sets up the doors
of the Sheep Gate. Same also satan and sin has destroyed the heart of a
man and so there is a need for New Covenant High Priest, Jesus Christ (Yeshua
the Messiah), who is the Door of the sheep and who can save and restore men
back towards the image of God. When men from the grace of God, repent
their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus, then a man can receive the
salvation. The Sheep Gate proclaims forgiveness of sins through the
blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ). The Sheep Gate proclaims grace of
redemption (grace of God), which a man can encounter through the blood of the
Lamb (the Lord Jesus). The Sheep Gate has been clear exemplary in
the redemption of the Lord Jesus, who is the Door of the sheep.
The Fish Gate
Neh 3:
3 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also
laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks
thereof, and the bars thereof.
The next gate was the Fish Gate. Fishermen
brought through the Fish Gate fishes for selling to Jerusalem. The
spiritual
meaning of the Fish Gate is there that after the Sheep Gate redemption
in the blood of the Lord Jesus begins fishing of men; in other words,
preaching of the Gospel about the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ said that He will
make from His disciples fishers of men. The Fish Gate means the preaching of
the Gospel and fishing, the men to the kingdom of God.
The Old Gate
Neh
3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah,
and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and
set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars
thereof.
After the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate
comes the Old Gate, which spiritual meaning is death of the old man.
The Lord Jesus doesn't repair the old man, but makes the new man through the
regeneration in the Holy Spirit. In sanctification life, the Lord Jesus
sets up "doors and locks" that sin can't get any grip on our heart.
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit
kills deeds of our flesh. The Holy Spirit rules and leads us in
righteousness and by that way we will die to sinful deeds. The Old Gate
proclaims us that the old one must die, because the new one has been
reborn. The Holy Spirit gives to believer the power to die to the flesh
and resist sin and choose the righteousness of God instead of sins. The Old
Gate is an important gate, because without death of the flesh believer
cannot wander in the will of God. Death of the flesh is God's gracious work
and by this work Jesus's disciples have ability to walk and live
according to the will of God.
The Valley Gate
Neh
3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of
Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks
thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall
unto the dung gate. 
The Valley Gate describes wandering of
Jesus's disciples.
Ge 26:19 And Isaac’s servants
digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
De 8:7 For the LORD thy God
bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains
and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Eze 3:22 ¶ And the hand of the
LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the
plain, and I will there talk with thee.
When Jesus' disciple understands, and
accepts death of the flesh, so after that he can begin to wander with God
according to the will of God. Genesis 26:19 says that by digging in the
valley Isaac's servants found well of springing water. As the purpose of
digging was to find water, and it spiritually means, that we dig deeper
spiritual things than the surface of the ground and we shall find holy
and beautiful spiritual gifts of God.
As Jesus' disciples, we must also dig deeper; in other words, we must
grow and renew our mind daily according to the will of God. The New
Covenant believer grows obeying the truth in love as says letter of
Ephesus in chapter 4 and verse 15.
Digging deeper means that we are not only hearers of the word, but we
must hear and come doers of the Word, which means that we must live in
practice according to the teaching of the God's word by the power of the Holy
Spirit. The Bible says: But become doers of the Word, and not hearers
only deceiving yourselves. If we have knowledge in the head, and
theoretical knowledge about the word of God, but we are not living
according to the word of God, we are deceiving ourselves. We must become
doers of the word of God from the grace of God, and by His grace, we can
do works of faith, because God works in us through the Holy Spirit, that
we are able to do the will and the work of God.
By the grace of God, we must give our heart, mind and life as a living
sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to God, and it is our reasonable
service. We cannot conform ourselves according to sinful deeds of this
world. But we must be in the process of transformation by the Holy
Spirit, where our mind shall be renewed to understand and live according
to good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
God has made a man as such, that he is sensitive to receive the influence of
God, that the good will of God can protect and guide us. But when a man fell
in a sin, so he came sensitive to receive the influence of sin and satan.
So it is very important, that we fill our mind with the word of God, and
do not listen the voice of sin. The Bible warns us about this in 1
Corinthians and chapter 15, and verse 33, by saying.
Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners.
So it is very important, that we fill our mind with heavenly things, and
not things of sins. Wandering with God is the same thing as
sanctification life. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be
ready always to give an answer to every man, that asks you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
The Dung Gate
Neh
3:14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab,
the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors
thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
The Old Gate described, death of the flesh,
and the Valley Gate described, wandering of believers. The Dung Gate
describes, how in practice the flesh will die. Through the Dung Gate,
the trashes were taken out of Jerusalem, to a valley of Hinnom, in which
those trashes were burnt. In the same way as trashes couldn't, stink and
smell bad in Jerusalem, but were burnt in a valley of Hinnom, in
the dumpster, so sins must die from the heart of the believer.
The Dung Gate spiritual meaning is that sin, which is smelling bad and
destroys, our heart and mind, must put away, by dying of the flesh. In
wandering of the life of the faith, we must face concretely issues,
which must put away from the heart. Those issues are example:
Mt 15:19 For out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies:
Mr 7:
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
All these evil things come from the heart,
and defile the man. All sins, which live in the heart, of a man must
die. The Holy Spirit renews our mind, and affect rejection towards sin.
We are not going to be perfect, in our wandering, but we will die to our
flesh, and grow in righteousness.
Apostle Paul said.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect,
However, I follow after, if that I may apprehend, that for which also I
am, apprehended of Christ Jesus.
God washes up the heart of believers through the faith in the Holy Spirit
by the blood of the Lord Jesus.
And when we understand that we are not perfect, and are not coming
perfect at this present time, but are growing toward it, so it can't be
an excuse
for us to make sin, but the fact that, we need to grow, and that there
is the need for growth in righteousness. So we as Jesus' disciples, can't
ever accept or support sin, but reject it and grow in the grace of God.
In the old covenant time was the burnt offering, which describes dying
of the flesh in the New Covenant. Burnt offering animal's was cut in
pieces, and those pieces were burnt, and offering animal's inward part,
and feet were washed with pure water. This teaches for us, that dying of
the flesh is the process, where we are dying in the flesh piece by piece
as the burnt offering was also burnt in pieces. The animal offering inward
parts, and feet, which were washed with pure water describes for us, that
when our heart is purified with the blood of Jesus in the Holy spirit, and we do the will of God, so our wandering
is pure, and acceptable to God. Pure Feet are describing wandering in
the will of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Inward part describes
our heart, which must wash with pure water. In the old testament water
describes the Holy Spirit, so the Holy Spirit will purify our heart by
dying of the flesh, and when our heart is cleansed, and living in the
will of God, then we can wander, according to the will of God. We must
remember that the blood of Jesus is always there where the sins are
washed away.
Ro 5:5 And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
1Ti 1:5 ¶ Now the end of the
commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience,
and of faith unfeigned:
The Holy Spirit is working the will and
the work according to the will of God in the heart of the believer. God's love
washes our heart affecting good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Like
this we can grow in faith according to the will of God through the Holy
Spirit.
The Fountain Gate
Neh
3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of
Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it,
and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars
thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden,
and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David. 
The Fountain Gate located near the pool of
Siloah (Siloam), where water flows. The pool of Siloam is the same place
where Jesus said to the blind man to wash up, John 7:9. At the time of
Nehemiah and after it many washed (mikveh) themselves before they
entered into the temple area.
The s piritual meaning of the Fountain Gate
teaches from the fountain of living waters, and its source, who is God
in the Holy Spirit through the Lord Jesus.
John 7:38 He that believeth on
me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water.
When Jesus's disciple has accepted to die
to his flesh and to sin and believe in the Lord Jesus as the Scriptures
(the Bible)
has said, so in his heart will flow living waters (the Holy Spirit)
according to the teaching of the Bible. Remarkable is that the Holy Spirit
works according to the word of God and the word of God tells how the Holy
Spirit works. The Fountain Gate proclaims holy and pure life in the
power of the Holy Spirit to us.
It is very important that we understand
that the word of God and the Holy Spirit belong together, because Jesus
said. You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. In
the life of Jesus' disciples must be the balance with the word of God and the
Holy Spirit. If we want only to deal with the word of God, but don't want
to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which change our heart and mind to
serve God in practical life, so we have deceived ourselves. This kind of
belief is a belief of theoretical knowledge of the head, and it is deception.
If we want to live in the spirit, but not according to the teaching of the
word of God, we have deceived ourselves. Because in this kind of case
false spirits have deceived us, and they want to keep us out about the
truth of the word of God. So our life as Jesus' disciples must belong
believing in the word of God as it has been written and living in the
Holy Spirit according to the power how God works in us.
In the gospel of Luke chapter 4 is a very important teaching to us. Jesus
was full of the Holy Spirit, and He was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness. The devil tempted Jesus there. The devil said to Jesus. If you
are
the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. Evil spirits
want that you concentrate things, which you are not told to do or things
which you are not yet ready, but will be in the future. Task of Jesus
was not in the wilderness to make for stones as breads. Evil spirits are
leading you to reach out miracles and sensations and away from the truth
of the word of God. Evil spirits lead you to live according to emotions
by the carnal mind, but they want to keep you out from the truth of the word
of God. It is important to believe in the word of God.
The devil said to Jesus that cast down from the pinnacle of the temple and then
devil said. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you,
to keep you: And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time
you dash your foot against a stone.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John that the devil was a murderer from the beginning,
and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it.
So how devil can quote the word of God. The devil quoted Psalm 91 verses 11
and 12, but devil left out four words in verse 11 and those four words
are in all thy ways. God takes care of us and keeps us in His shelter in all
our ways. So you see that satan comes very near to the word of God and
twists it that it looks similar as the word of God, but it is not,
because satan always leaves out or adds something or twists the word of
God.
We must understand that how important is to know the word of God and
also the power of the Holy Spirit that the devil cannot deceive us.
Psalm
119 and verse 169 says. Your word is true from the beginning: and every
one of your righteous judgments endures forever. All the words of God
are true, but if we leave out or add something it is not anymore the
word of God, but the voice of satan. We must believe the word completely
and all His words. So read the Bible daily and pray that God opens to
you His truth from the Bible.
The Water Gate
Neh
3:26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place
over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that
lieth out.
The Water Gate tells about God, who is
the source of the Holy Spirit through The Lord and the Messiah Jesus. In old testament water
describes the Holy Spirit. The spiritual meaning of the Water Gate is
practical life in the Holy Spirit.
Joh 4:
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not,
neither come hither to draw.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, be multiplied.
Through sanctification of the Spirit
Jesus's disciples are elected to obey God through the blood of the Lord
Jesus. For the grace of God, we have a part in the Holy Spirit, in
which He leads us in the way of obedience. Like this we serve God in the
Holy Spirit through obedience.
The Horse Gate
Neh
3:28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every
one over against his house. 
The Horse Gate located next by the horse
stables. Horses were used in the wars against enemies. The spiritual meaning
of the Horse Gate is spiritual warfare:
Re 19:
11 ¶ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that
sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns;
and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
When Jesus' disciple lives in the Holy
Spirit, he is involved in spiritual warfare.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
Heb 12:4 ¶ Ye have not yet
resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Jas 1:14 But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jesus' disciple lives in the Holy Spirit
and is on the spiritual battlefield in a warfare, in which he fights against
evil spirits, sin and the lusts of his flesh. Jesus' disciple's mission is not
fighting against his sisters and brothers in the Lord Jesus, where to he
unfortunately falls sometimes and some even very eager are looking for
these fights.
He who has been filled with the Holy Spirit has a part in a spiritual
warfare, which power source is the Holy Spirit. When we accept the work of
the Holy Spirit in our heart (work of the Holy Spirit is to affect the will
and the work in our heart, according to the will of God), so we don't walk
into the deceptions of evil spirits, and we can win lusts and desires of sin
in our heart. From the grace of God we can
achieve all the time more victories in spiritual battlefields when we
grow in faith in a healthy way. We have
been saved by the grace of God from the power of sin and satan and
eternal damnation on that day when we repented and believed in the Lord
Jesus by the grace of God. However, by the grace of God, we can fight in
the Holy Spirit against evil spirits and sin, not for our salvation, but
for the sanctification life that we are capable to avoid sins and snares
of the devil.
The East Gate
Neh
3:29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against
his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah,
the keeper of the east gate.
The East Gate is the place, where the Lord
Jesus the Messiah of Israel arrives:
Zec 14:4 And his feet shall
stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on
the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof
toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great
valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half
of it toward the south.
The s piritual meaning of the East Gate is
returning of the Messiah and waiting on the Lord Jesus.
Re 22:20 ¶ He which testifieth
these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord
Jesus.
The Gate Miphkad
Neh 3:
31 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.
Miphkad means numbering (census) and
appointed place. The spiritual meaning of the Gate Miphkad comes into view
from Eze 43:
Eze 43:21 Thou shalt take the
bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed
place (miphkad) of the house, without the sanctuary.
The s piritual meaning of the Gate Miphkad
means the place, where is presence of God and His forgiveness by the
blood and offering of the Lord Jesus.
Order of the gates
The order of the gates in the book of
Nehemiah includes also exemplary dimensions:
The order of the gates is a clear order of
growth in the faith. The life of the faith begins from the Sheep Gate by
forgiveness of sins for the sake of Jesus' redemption in His blood. The
Sheep Gate proclaims about forgiveness and grace of God. After we have
been saved, we want to tell everybody about Jesus Christ (fishers of
men); from this the Fish Gate is exemplary. After salvation God speaks
to us the death of the old man; from this the Old Gate is exemplary. The
Valley Gate speaks us about the new way in Christ, where we can wander.
The Dung Gate speaks us for sins that we must reject. The Fountain Gate
speaks to us from the source of the living water (God in the Holy
Spirit). The Water Gate speaks to us of obedient life in the Holy
Spirit. The Horse Gate speaks to us from spiritual warfare. The East
Gate speaks us about returning of the Messiah and how His disciples are
waiting for the Lord Jesus. The Miphkad Gate reminds us that God dwells
in us in the Holy Spirit by the blood and redemption of Jthe Lord Jesus.
In conclusion
Description of the book Nehemiah about
repairing the wall and the gates starts from the Sheep Gate and comes to
an end to the Sheep Gate, Neh 3:32. Everything begins redemption of
the Lord Jesus and forgiveness of sins and comes to an end of it, because
it is the foundation of our salvation. Glory and praise to our God!
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Jerusalem gates sources:
-
Finnish Bible 33/38
- Biblia 1776 (Finnish Bible)
- Old King James Version 1769
- Online Bible Hebrew and Greek Lexicons
-
prophecyinthenews.com
-
jesusplusnothing.com
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