Tag: Gates

Entering and Leaving Sha’ar Yerushalayim – Part 4

continuing from part 3

We must remind ourselves that

The Old City of Jerusalem 

Hebrew: העיר העתיקה‎,

HaEer HaAtika

is a walled area within modern Jerusalem and is just a 0.9 square kilometer (0.35 square mile) in area.

שַׁעַר  sh’ar  gates

Yerushalaim

יְרוּשָׁלַם

Yerushalayim

The 2 gates in this post are Not named in

Nehemiah’s Jerusalem…

but still an important gate is

שער ציון

Zion Gate

Sha’ar Tzion

ZION

Zion Gate

The Hebrew for the Zion Gate is

Sha’ar Tzion.

 שער ציון

Zion is one of the biblical names of Jerusalem,

and this gate is on Mount Zion.

Note there are old and new areas with the same name.

The third of the four major gates of Jerusalem is the Zion Gate. This gate faces the compass direction south, and is located along the southwestern walls of the Old city.

It is named such because the gate faces, and provides access, to Mount Zion.

The gate was built by the Ottoman sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent in 1540; who built many of the gates of Jerusalem which along with the Zion Gate still stand today.

It is one of the gates of Jerusalem that lead into the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.

Walls near the Zion Gate date from the Hasmonean and Herodian periods of the history of Jerusalem.

Similar to the previously mentioned gates of Jerusalem, the Zion Gate was built with an L-shaped internal structure.

One window on each side of the gate lent its distinguishable characteristic; and like the Jaffa Gate, can support both foot and vehicle traffic. However, vehicles are not allowed to enter only through the gate, only to exit.


Other names of the Zion Gate are;

the Gate of the Prophet David,

and the Gate to the Jewish Quarter.

The name, the Gate of the Prophet David, 

is due to Muslim tradition

which places the tomb of king David on Mount Zion;

and in Arabic the gate is called Bab Nabi Daud.

It is believed the Crusaders and other early Christians misidentified the location of David’s tomb. David was
not buried on Mount Zion, but in the City of David, probably on the Ophel outside the northern walls of the
city at that time:

Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. – 2 Kings 2:10 

The tomb of David was still in Jerusalem in 30 AD when Peter addressed a crowd of Jews and said:

Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. – Acts 2:2

The Zion Gate saw much fighting in the 1967 war of Independence and it was one of the main gates used to enter and liberate the Old City, even today Zion Gate is riddled with bullet holes from the War of 1948.

 Both the Zion Gate and the Jaffa Gate were closed from 1948 to 1967 when the Jordanians (Arabs) maintained control of the Old City.

They closed the gates because they faced West
Jerusalem, which was controlled by Israel.

However, during the Six Day War of 1967, Israeli troops erupted through the Zion Gate, dashing through the Armenian Quarter on their way to the Jewish Quarter.

At the same time Israelite forces flooded through the other gates of Jerusalem converging on the Wall.

This gate leads to the Armenian quarter, through which you can reach the Jewish Quarter. Picture below showing bullet holes and a Mezuzah on the entrance wall of the gate.

Jaffa Gate

   שער יפו   

Sha’ar Yaffo

Also called:

The Gate of David’s Prayer Shrine,

Porta David.

This gate was added into the walls of the expanded city limits and we looked at its predecessor called the Valley Gate in a previous post.

Today’s Jaffa Gate seems to have taken the place of the ancient Valley Gate, though the western portion of the city wall lies much further west than it did in the city of David and Nehemiah.

Jaffa Gate‘s entry was strategically built

and retains its original L-shaped interior.

 

The Jaffa Gate,

also known as

Sha’ar Yafo

שער יפו

or

David’s Gate,

Sha’ar David שער דוד

And in Arabic Bab el-Khalil,

This gate gets its name because it leads to the Jaffa/Joppa road, the main thoroughfare, the forerunner of the contemporary highway to the port of Jaffa/Joppa.

It is also known as David’s Gate because of the proximity of the Tower of David or David’s Citadel.

The present tower was built by Suleiman the Magnificent, but still called the Tower of David because the current structure was built on the foundations of the original tower built by King David.

The main entrance to the Old City is the Jaffa Gate, which was also built by Suleiman in 1538.

The name in Arabic, Bab el-Halil 

or Hebron Gate,

means

The Beloved;

 and refers to Abraham,

the beloved of God who is buried in Hebron. 

The Jaffa gate also leads to the road to Hebron.

 Facing due west, the Jaffa Gate is the best known and busiest of the gates of Jerusalem and is the only gate on the western side of the Old city. Today it is the main vehicle entry point into the Old City, and one of only two of the gates of Jerusalem that allow vehicle access.

Located above the Hinnom Valley, or Gehenna Valley (Valley of Hell), it was the main entrance into the Old city until 1948.

This was mentioned in previous post in Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the smaller Jerusalem and was then known as the Valley gate.

The main road from the Jaffa Gate runs between the northern hill of the Acra and the southern hill Mount Zion; it leads eastward into the city down into the Tyropeon Valley.

Each of the gates of Jerusalem has a unique or distinctive quality or feature about it.

The Jaffa Gate’s distinctive characteristic is

a small sphere on each side of the arch.

The gate is constructed of large, hewn, sand-colored bricks and the entry is about twenty feet in height. The wall rises another twenty feet above the gate. The Jaffa Gate was strategically built on a right angle with the wall as a defensive measure.

Just inside the Joppa /Jaffa Gate

is David street.

As one enters, to the left is the Christian Quarter,

to the right the Armenian Quarter,

and straight ahead is the Muslim Quarter of the city.

 

A square is located across the street from the nearby Tower of David.

In times past wheat and other goods and merchandise were sold in this square. During the Crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 AD, Moslem defenders and their wives and children sought refuge and protection inside the Tower of David.

The gate on the western side of the Old City marked the end of the highway leading from the Jaffa coast and now leads into the Muslim and Armenian quarters. A road allows cars to enter the Old City through a wide gap in the wall between Jaffa Gate and the Citadel. 

This passage was originally built in 1898 when Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany visited Jerusalem. The ruling Ottoman Turks opened it so the German Emperor would not have to dismount his carriage to enter the city.

In the early 1900’s Pasha, the tyrant of Jerusalem, staged hangings near the Jaffa Gate to coincide with the dismissal of Friday Prayers so that large audiences would see the dead bodies.

Up until the end of the 19th century AD the Jaffa Gate was locked each night. This was done in order to keep out marauders, bandits and thieves, as well as jackals, hyenas, and other unwanted invaders. Travelers at dusk carried lanterns to identify themselves, and those who arrived after dark were forced to sleep outside the city gate. The gate was reopened at dawn. 

Jaffa gate Sha’ar Yaffo  –  this western facing gate was traditionally the main entrance to the Old City. It is named for the port city of Jaffa which faces this gate, and from where visitors and pilgrims to the Holy Land would disembark from their boats to start the last stretch to Jerusalem by foot or carriage.

Also known as the Hebron Gate,

in Arabic, this gate is called Bab el Halil;

or Bab-el-Khalil, the Gate of the Friend.

Halil is the one of the names for Abraham who is buried in Hebron, which is where the name Abraham, the friend of God, comes from; and this gate also links Jerusalem to Hebron via the Patriarchs Route which starts just outside the gate.

From the Jaffa gate, there is access to the Arab Market,

or the King David Citadel or to

go into the Jewish Quarter via the Armenian Quarter. 

It was also called Joppa Gate because the road to the port city of Joppa – on the Mediteranean coast also began from it.

This gate is the only one on the western side of the Old City and is called the gate of Hebron, because the main road to Hebron also started from here.

Herod built three towers, which he named the

Hippicus, Phasael and Mariamme

connected to the western section of the walls in 37 – 34 B.C.

One of these towers, now known as the Tower of David, stands today just inside the Jaffa Gate.

It is the highest point in the Old city, and the gate was originally built to defend and protect the approach from the west.

The Tower of David is the dominating feature near the Jaffa Gate.

It has also been called the Chevron Gate, as the road from this gate leads to Chevron as well.

Another name for this gate, the Gate of David’s Prayer Shrine.

Porta David/the Gate of David and so not surprisingly the gates of Jerusalem can quickly become a confusing mixture of names.

The Crusader name for the Jaffa Gate was Forte David. An anonymous pilgrim spoke of the area in 1220 A.D. while traveling through the city and is recorded as saying:

“In the city of Jerusalem there are four principal gates, in the shape of a cross, one opposite the other… David’s Gate faces west, and stands exactly opposite the Golden Gate, which faces east… This gate belongs to the Tower of David, and is therefore called David’s Gate.”

The present day name of this gate is the Jaffa Gate since it still leads to the port of the city of Jaffa. In the photo above, the Jaffa Gate is on the left and the Citadel/Tower of David on the right.

This is the wall south of Jaffa Gate (in between the gate and the Citadel/Tower) which was removed in 1898 by the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II. The moat, which was located where the road is now, was also filled in at that time. The sultan did this to give the Kaiser the impression that he was entering Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate when really he was not, since there is a legend that says all conquerors will enter through the Jaffa Gate!

It was through the Jaffa Gate the mayor of Jerusalem exited the city seeking out the British army in order to surrender the city. On December 9, 1917 Brigadier General CF Watson and Lt. Colonel H Bailey entered Jerusalem with the mayor through the 1898 opening near the Jaffa Gate used by the Kaiser.

Two days later, British General Edmund Allenby entered through the Jaffa Gate on foot and gave a speech on the steps of the Citadel. General Allenby entered, on foot, through the Jaffa Gate, deliberately ignoring the German Kaiser’s opening, and accepted the surrender of Jerusalem to the British.

General Allenby chose the Jaffa Gate because it was one of four major gates of Jerusalem. Some have suggested his first choice would have been the Golden Gate, however, this required walking through a Muslim cemetery, thus Allenby chose the Jaffa Gate as his point of entrance. He did so as a show of respect to the city and to differentiate and distance himself from any comparison to Kaiser Willem.

Accompanying him was Major T.E. Lawrence, who is better known by his later name Lawrence of Arabia.

The Jaffa Gate was the focus of Israeli forces in 1948 as they tried to capture the Old City in order to unite it with Israeli-controlled western Jerusalem. However, the Jews did not gain control of it until 1967. Between 1948 and 1967 the Jordanians could not use this gate for traffic so they had to widen the Dung Gate to get access the Old City and its Citadel.

In 1908 a clock tower was erected just outside the gate to accommodate the budding business district in that location. However, the tower lasted just ten years and then destroyed by the British.

In 1948 during the Israeli Independence War, Haganah forces were defeated by the Jordanians in their attempt to capture the Jewish Quarter of the old city and connect it with Western Jerusalem. It was only after the 1967 Six Day War that Israeli forces were able to regain control of the Jaffa Gate.


The Jaffa Gate has been, and will continue to be, one of the four primary gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Its strategic location, nearby artifacts and historical importance, as well as its ability to host vehicle traffic, make it also one of the most unique of the gates of Jerusalem.

The gates will continue in next post….

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past. I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Entering and Leaving – Sha’ar Yerushalyim Part 2

Continuing from part one …

Recall

A GATE gives access to the City; it is a seat of power, authority and influence; 1 Chronicles 9:22-23.

We enter God’s City through these Gates;

Matthew 5:14; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22

These Gates reflect the restoration of Kingdom Principles in the lives of God’s people.

The Restoration of the 12 Gates reveals the rebuilding of an original structure: God’s Divine Order and Government;

Gen. 35:22; 1 Kings 4:7; Matt. 10:1; Rev. 12:1; 21:12-21

Last post was a look at The SHEEP Gate –

The principle of conversion, repentance, atonement, new birth.

Nehemiah.3:1-2; John 3:3

Sheep enter through the DoorJesus/Yeshua and become part of God’s flock; John 10:7-16

Jesus/Yeshua seeks after sheep who wander and go astray; Isaiah 53:6.

 

The next Gate:

And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build…. Nehemiah 3:3

Fish Gate – sha’ar dag -שַׁ֤עַר דָּג

This was one of Jerusalem’s main entrances in the days of the First Temple, according to 2 Chr. 33:14. This gate led out to the main road north from Jerusalem/Yesushalyim, the road descended to the coastal plain through Beth-Horon. The majority of researchers agree that it is located close to the site where the Damascus Gate is today.

This gate was called the Fish Gate because merchants brought fish from Tyre or the Sea of Galilee through it to the fish market 13:16.

Fish Gate – sha’ar dag -שַׁ֤עַר דָּג

reminds us of Jesus/Yeshua’s words concerning soul winning.

We are to become fishers of men Mt. 4:19 in response to Yeshua/Jesus’ call to His disciples.

 It seems that the Fish Gate was next in line to the Sheep Gate. Recall that the first thing Yeshua/Jesus was to send them out immediately after being saved, to witness for Him. The woman at the well and the possessed man among the tombs were examples of this recorded in John 4:5-38 and Mark 5:1-20.

At the time of Nehemiah, the Fish Gate was in disrepair. That is like so many believers who, for long periods of time, make no attempt to witness or win anyone to Messiah. There are many Believers who are fishing; sometimes they do not catch anything, but we’ll never catch a fish until we try! He is still calling us to be fishers of men because all around us today there are hungry hearts. 

      Yeshua/Jesus said to His disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He is giving us the same message as we stand before the Fish Gate.

Nehemiah 3:3-5; Matthew 13:47-49; Mark 16:15; Luke 5:6-9

The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee Is 60:5 

The FISH Gate -shows us the principle of evangelism, outreach, soul-winning.

 An interesting note:

      And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. (Nehemiah 3:5)

Think what it would mean to be recorded in God’s book that, when the opportunity presented itself to put ourselves to the work of the Lord, we did not do it and missed the opportunity!

They were right next to the Fish Gate. Scripture says,

He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him… Proverbs 11:26.

Today some are withholding grain/the Word of God, from those that are hungry.

 

Prov. 11:30

tells us that

he that winneth souls is wise

and He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [souls] with him Ps. 126:6.

Every believer should heed Mt. 28:19–20 and share the message of salvation, so that souls will be saved and we will shine as the stars forever and ever Dan. 12:3. and of course we are to make disciples of those that choose to follow Messiah.

As previously, mentioned, the majority of researchers agree that the Fish Gate was located close to the site where the Damascus Gate is today.

Damascus Gate שער שכם‎, Sha’ar Sh’khem

meaning

Shechem Gate, or Nablus Gate.

Sha’ar Shchem שער שכם

also known as

Nablus Gate

was built in 1542 by Suleiman the Magnificent and faces north. In Hebrew, the gate is named after the important northern city in Israel in ancient times, Shechem. The triple gate has one large center gate originally intended for important people, and two smaller side entrances for commoners.

It was also called Neapolis Gate around 325-638 AD

The original gate is believed to have been built during the period of the Second Jewish Temple or בית מקדש , that was destroyed by the Romans. In the second century AD during the reign of Hadrian, the Romans built a new gate.

A Roman victory column was erected in front of the gate,

giving the gate its Arabic name

Bab el-Amud,

meaning the

Gate of the Column/Pillar or Column Gate.

The Romans would place milestones along the roads and highways that they built throughout their empire in order to measure distance.  Point zero in the land of Israel was a great pillar just inside Damascus Gate and the name preserves its memory.  The pillar, for which the gate was named, has been seen in ancient art works. During the British mandate excavation unearthed the gate, however the column was never found.

The Damascus Gate is the largest and most magnificent and was probably the gate used as the main entrance to the city in ancient times and two towers stand on each side of the gate prepared for battle.

The Gates led to the main roads leading from the city. In this case the road leads to Shechem – Nablus and then on to Damascus…The road along which Saul met Yeshua/Jesus.

These are photos of the modern day Damascus Gate note the thickness of the walls bottom right photo!

Currently it opens to the beginning of the Arab bazaar and marketplace and to the Moslem Quarter and is the busiest of all the Old City gates. The location of this gate today marks the position of a major city gate from when Herod Agrippa expanded the city walls in 41 AD.

In the northwest corner is

The Old Gate

11

Moreover, the old gate repaired Joiada, the son of Paseah…. (Nehemiah 3:6)

this gate is identified with the

Corner Gate of

2 Kings 14:13 and Jeremiah 31:38.

Scholars differ in their Opinions concerning the use of the term Old Gate, but some believe this gate was so named, because it was the main entrance into the old city of Salem /Jerusalem on the north side.

Maps differ in their opinions of the position of the Old Gate as shown on the diagram.

The Old Gate is one of the many gates of the wall of Jerusalem, located on the northern side. It was repaired by the Jebusites during the wall rebuilding in the Book of Nehemiah.

In some versions the gate is called

the Jeshanah Gate, which translates to the old gate.

Despite the destructive fire of the city, evidently it left some remnant of the walls and gates that could be put to use so repairs to the third gate are recorded as the beams being laid, the doors set in place, and bolts and bars attached. This is similar to the repairs of many of the other gates.

Young’s Literal Translation uses the word strengthened rather than repaired, because the Hebrew word gives the idea of making strong and firm.

There are no references to the old gate having a specific use, as the Sheep and Fish Gates did however, it was in a convenient place for everyone as an entrance and exit from the city.

The Old Gate brings to mind the old man being renewed spiritually by our Heavenly Fathers spirit of Holiness. We could look at this in a significant way, that as The Old Gate is made new, repaired, strength­ened in order to fulfill the purpose of the Fish Gate, and this is only made because of the Sheep Gate.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceit­ful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4: 22:

Everything is connected! We know that it is impossible to serve God until we are made new in Messiah. Becoming fishers of men depends on us being renewed, strengthened and made firm in our faith and walk and only through the Lord Jesus/Yeshua Messiah.

The Old Gate serves to remind us that in us all some of the old still remains.

But just as The old gate, though dam­aged and broken, was not thrown away when Nehemiah and his men came to rebuild; the gate was repaired, strengthened and put to good use/re-purposed! And renamed the New Gate.

The prophetic type in the Old Gate seems to be that men are plagued with a sin nature which is inherited from Adam. The unregenerate man is known in Paul’s writings as the old man:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” Romans 6:6.
 Ephesians 4:22 and Colossians 3:9

There is an ongoing struggle for each of us, because we are not suddenly transformed the moment we become born again from above. Because we are left in our bodies of death; and there will always be this tension between the old and the new while we are still on the earth. Paul said “What a wretched man I am. “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are made new spiritually, but our physical bodies are still part of the old creation.

Because the Old Gate reminds us of the old man/nature of believers in Yeshua/Jesus. It contrasts God’s ways and with our old lifestyle before we began to walk with Him Jer. 6:16. In Jeremiah 6:16 we find this statement:

      Thus saith the LORD, Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

We are living in a day when we are interested in the new thing; the newest model of car, style of clothes, and gadgets for the house, etc. Things may change around us, but the human heart remains the same and the constant search for something new, is the thing that is leading us to frustration.

We need to ask for the old paths. Jeremiah said that when we do we will find rest for our souls.

We need to restore the old virtues for the pattern of living today. Although the human heart is the same as it has always been, its needs are greater because of the technological life in which it is surrounded.

We are to put off the opinions of the old nature and walk in the newness of Jesus/Yeshua’s life as Col. 3:5–17 tells us to, so that sin has no dominion over our everyday living. Rom. 6:6–14.

The Old Gate sets forth the concept that sinful man needs to hear the Gospel of the Lamb. Those who tell the story are called fishers of men and enter in through the New Gate of Jesus/Yeshua.

HaSha’ar HeChadash –

The New Gate  השער החדש

or HaSha’ar HeHadash

השער החדש

Gate of Hammid

The New Gate

is known in Hebrew as HaSha’ar Hechadash,

Heb. השער החדש

and in Arabic as Bab el-Jadid, the Gate of Hammid. 

This gate was constructed in 1889 by permission of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

Called HaSha’ar HeChadash, the New Gate because it is the newest gate added to the old city of Jerusalem. Unlike all the other gates that were part of the original design of the wall constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, this gate was breached in 1889. Though it was opened by the permission of the Ottoman ruler, it was done in the waning years of that empire. The New Gate was breached to afford the Christian pilgrims, and some note, specifically to provide the German Emperor William II easier access to the Christian Quarter.

This gate is also called Gate of Hammid in honor of the Sultan Abdul Hamid who gave permission to build it.

After the New Gate was captured by Jordan in 1948 it was closed off. It was reopened in 1967 after the Six Day war when Israel regained control of the Old City and the New Gate.

At the end of the Six Day War, Israeli soldiers file past a burnt vehicle as they enter the Lions’ Gate (or St Stephen’s Gate), Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, June 11, 1967. Israeli forces defeated the Jordan, which had held the Old City of Jerusalem since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

In The OLD Gate we can see the principle of the restoration of foundational truths. Nehemiah 3:6-12; Ecclesiastes 1:9

This is the uncovering of scriptural truth and a return to the apostles teaching and practices;

Isaiah 28:10; Hebrews 6:1-2

Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set.

Prov. 22:28

Ask for the ancient paths!

The New Gate was not part of the original 1535 design of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Even though the New Gate is located just up the hill from the Damascus Gate in the north wall, there’s no comparison. 

The New Gate was placed into the wall by the Ottomans in 1887 so that people could easily access the homes being built outside the city wall to the north of the city. The sultan Abdul Hamid also wanted to assist the Christian pilgrims from Russia, (they stayed at the Russian Compound just outside these walls), within easy access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

The New Gate is located near the northwestern corner of the city and leads into the Christian quarter.

New Gate  Sha’ar Chadash 

was not a part of the original plan of the city walls. It was opened in 1887 by the Turkish sultan Abed el Hamid in order to give Christian pilgrims who had settled in this area outside of the Old City walls direct access to the sites holy to them in the Christian Quarter. Since it is the most recent of all gates to be built it is called the New gate and it faces Northwest.

From looking at the gates we become aware that next to the Old Gate there was another gate called the Gate of Ephraim. Ephraim means fruitfulness or doubly fruitful and it was at the beginning of a long valley, or depression in the landscape called the

valley of the cheese makers

or the Tyropoean Valley.

Today this valley runs through the center of the old city parts of the excavated wall run parallel to it.

As we make progress in our walk, there will be a choice either

the old gate or the gate of Ephraim?

We may have been called like the one lost sheep or we may have been caught like a fish.

When first we are born again from above the scales fall off our eyes like Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus and we see truth for the first time. After a few days we begin to wonder if it is real and do we want to make that lifetime commitment. We have come through the sheep gate and through the fish gate now there is a choice which one will we choose….

the old gate back to the old life and friends

or

the gate that leads to fruitfulness?

It is tied directly to Matthew 13:20,21 and Mark 4

the sower and the seed.

The Old Gate lies at the threshold of a valley a long deep valley

The Tyropean Valley.

Here the believer will have trials which valleys represent. However we are to go through the valley as in the shepherds Psalm 23 and He is with us all the Way.

More Gates coming in the next post…

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Entering and Leaving- Sha’ar Yerushalyim

Gates of Jerusalem

sha’ar yerushalyim

ירושלים שערי

Strong’s Hebrew: 8179.

שַׁ֫עַר  shaar

— a gate

How many gates were there?

How many gates are there today?

How many gates will there be?

Is the gospel message hidden in the gates?

The prophet Ezekiel says that a day will come when there will be 12 gates in the city walls, one for each of Israel’s tribes. (Ezekiel 48:31-34).

There can be some confusion as to which gate is called what because, over the generations they have been given different names depending on who was in control of the city.

A GATE

שַׁ֫עַר  shaar

gives access to the City; it is a seat of power, authority and influence; 1 Chronicles 9:22-23

Cities were walled with gates to protect those inside, it was a security defense; they were very thick. See pictures below.

The walls around the Old City of Jerusalem were built in the early 16th century by Turkish Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent. 

There are many stories connected to

Sha’ar Yerushalyim

the walls of Jerusalem.

Via the gates people entered and left the city, by them, Jerusalem was conquered numerous times, and here trading has taken place for thousands of years.  Although the gates of Jerusalem were in a slightly different place in Biblical times, the city gates were a place to learn Torah and to teach the laws in scripture. Today, officially there are 8 gates in the walls of the Old City, although there are a few extra “unofficial” gates. 7 of the official gates are still in use, while one has been blocked off for hundreds of years.

If we count 12 the list would be:

  1. The Valley Gate (2:13; 3:13). Also 2Chronicles 26:9.

  2. The Gate of the Fountain (2:14; 3:15; 12:37), on Ophel at the Gihon spring that is mentioned in 2Kings 25:4. Jeremiah 39:4.

  3. The Sheep Gate (3:1; 12:39). North of the Temple.

  4. The Fish Gate (3:3; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 33:14. Zephaniah 1:10.

  5. The Old Gate (3:6; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 33:14, and 2Kings 22:14, college. Also called the First Gate. Zechariah 14:10.

  6. The Dung Gate (2:14; 3:14; 12:31). Probably same as Harsith Gate (Jeremiah 19:2); sometimes rendered the Gate of Potsherds/Pottery Gate. Leading to Hinnom. .

  7. The Water Gate (3:25, 26).

  8. The Horse Gate (3:28). Also 2Kings 11:16. 2Chronicles 23:15. Jeremiah 31:40. South-east of the Temple, and close to the city and house of David.

  9. The East Gate (3:29). East of the Temple, and connected with it.

  10. The Gate of Miphkad (3:31). Probably north-east of Temple. Also called The Registry Gate.

  11. The Gate of Ephraim (8:16; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 25:23.

  12. The Prison Gate (12:39), or Gate of the Guard 2Kings 11:6, 19

 In Nehemiah 3, the first sixteen verses refer to Jerusalem, and the latter sixteen verses to Zion (or the city of David), south of Moriah. Those who wish to study these, and a comparison with chapter 12, will find it explains most of the difficulties connected with the layout of the city. 

Four of the gates of Jerusalem face the cardinal directions; the Damascus Gate to the north, the Golden Gate to the east, the Zion Gate to the south, and the Jaffa Gate to the west.

The remaining gates are:

the Flower, or Herods Gate,

the Lion Gate,

the Dung Gate,

and the New Gate.

The Old City of Jerusalem had eight gates in its walls.

Suleiman’s original walls had six gates:

Damascus Gate,

Herod’s Gate,

Stephen’s Gate,

Dung Gate,

Zion Gate and

Jappa Gate.

The gates were all designed and built to have an L-shaped entry instead of a straight line of entry. Taking this sharp ninety degree turn would have slowed down an invading army in the final moments of a siege. The “L” turns have been removed from Stephen’s Gate and the Dung Gate to better facilitate modern traffic but can still be seen in the other four gates.


The Gates Of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s Day.

Nehemiah chapter 3 describes the building of the walls and gates of the city, giving the names of the individuals and families who performed the work and the portion of the wall or gates on which they were employed.

After the Babylonian Captivity, when the Jewish people returned to their homeland, Jerusalem lay in ruins. The Temple, the city walls, and the gates had been destroyed as a result of the three invasions of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces in 606 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC.

Much work needed to be done, and Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah each led groups of the returned remnant in the task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.

Restoring the gates was a necessary element in rebuilding the walls and securing the city. The dictionary defines a gate as a movable structure controlling entrance or exit through an opening in a fence or wall or any means of entrance.

Under the adverse conditions which he encountered, Nehemiah’s task was enormous.

The job required a team effort, as described in chapter 3. To accomplish the task, Nehemiah assigned specific work places to individuals and families, who were assigned to work on sections of the wall or gates near their homes. This provided the motivation needed to complete the work and it also avoided wasting time that would have been needed to travel to other parts of the city. It assured the workers that they would be near their homes to protect their families in the event of an attack. Each family was to use all of its available talent, thus making it a household project v. 21, 23–24, 26, 28–30. In addition to local residents, many people who lived outside of Jerusalem were assigned to work on sections of the wall where homes were sparse v. 2, 5, 7, 27.

Some of the work assignments were given according to their roles in life .e.g. v. 1 the High Priest and other priests were assigned to rebuild the

Sheep Gate which was important to the priests

because animals were brought through that gate to the Temple for sacrificial offerings.

Beginning from the north wall of the Temple, and going forward counterclockwise 10 gates are mentioned in chapter 3.

The circumference of the walls was approximately 2 1/2 miles, or 4 km. and covering approximately 220 acres/890308 sq.metres.

There are spiritual applications for our lives today

reflected in the

10 gates names

and what they were connected to.

The Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, and Old Gate

were located in the northern section of the wall.

The Sheep Gate

is the first gate mentioned in Nehemiah.

The building of the wall and gates

begins from the Sheep Gate

in Nehemiah 3,

because

everything begins from the offering of

the Lamb

Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ.

The first gate is the Sheep Gate

and, next to it,

the Tower of Hananel, which means God’s mercy

or something to do with the mercy of God;

and the Tower of the Me’ah, which is the Hebrew word for one hundred.

As just mentioned, that is the gate to which they brought the sheep into Jerusalem to be sacrificed in the temple.

 Recall, when Yeshua/Jesus said

if a shepherd loses a sheep,

he’ll leave the 99 and go after the 1?

(Luke 15:3-7)

If 1 sheep is missing,

it is not counted as a legitimate flock.

A flock had to be 100!

Sometimes, some of us go astray, maybe some fall away and young believers sometimes backslide. In times of stress and crisis, it can sometimes seem that the Lord has abandoned us, and so we wander off. This is not true and the Good Shepherd comes after us because He doesn’t want to lose any that the Father has given to Him. The Sheep Gate is representative of Messiahs statement in

John 10:27

The spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is that the High Priest built it, and that through that gate, lambs and sheep were brought to the temple for sacrifice. 

Note that the sheep gate had no locks or bars,

for

the door of salvation

is open to everyone.

This was the only gate that was sanctified,

setting it apart as a special gate!

IN v. 1, 32 on the northeast corner of the wall. was the location of The Sheep Gate named because sheep were led through it to the Temple. It was near the market where sheep were sold and close to the Sheep Pool where the Temple sacrifices were washed. The Sheep Gate was also near another well known place, the Pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:2).

The Tower of Hammeah (hundred) and the Tower of Hananel (12:39). Were Between the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate.

The Tower of Hananel is also mentioned in Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10 as the northernmost part of the city.

The Sheep Gate is a reminder to us of calvarys’ cross. Yeshua/Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world” Jn. 1:29 Humanity is described as wayward sheep (Isa. 53:6) who need a shepherd to lead them into God’s eternal heavenly sheepfold. Yeshua/Jesus is the door through which sinners can enter the sheepfold and be redeemed (Jn. 10:1–9).Believers are bought with a price according to 1 Cor. 6:20, the blood of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach

Then Eliashib, the high priest, rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it. (Nehemiah 3:1)

      The Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was near the temple; it was where the sacrificial animals were brought in to be offered on the altar. It is in keeping that the priests should build this particular gate, for it speaks of Christ and His work upon the cross for us. That is exactly what the prophet had said:

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

      When John the Baptist marked Christ out for His ministry he said,

“Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

It makes one wonder if the Yeshua/Jesus came in at the Sheep Gate every time He entered the city except on the day of the Triumphal Entry? 

We do know for sure that He came in through the Sheep Gate to the Pool of Bethesda, where He healed the blind man. That act was symbolic of the fact that He came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, the poor man who was healed is a picture of every sinner who, will find deliverance from sin if they are willing to come to the cross of Messiah.

      Yeshua/Jesus not only came in through that gate, but they took Him out through that gate when He was arrested and also when He was led out to be crucified. The Sheep Gate was the place of judgment, telling us that He bore the judgment of our sin. This is the gate where we must begin with God, because He is not prepared to meet us anywhere else but at the cross.

      It is interesting to note that,

next unto him the men of Jericho built. Nehemiah 3:2. Jericho was the city of the curse, and the men of Jericho were building right next to the Sheep Gate.

Surely, that’s not by chance!

Messiah bore the curse of sin on the cross for us.

in Galatians, Paul wrote saying:

      Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3:13.

The old Sheep gate

שער כבשים

sha`ar ha-tso’-n or sha’ar ke-ves

is also known as

St Stephens gate

and

Lions gate

שער האריות‎  Sha’ar ha-Arayot,

to the north of the Haram es-Sherif, or temple area from which the path leads down into the valley of the Kedron.

   The first gate has implications in being called sheep (sacrifical lamb) and lion (of Judah/tribes) and Stephen seeing heaven opened, (martyr). This is where we too must begin our journey into His Kingdom/City…   

At the foot of the cross where

freedom from the curse of sin awaits us.

Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach is the High Priest of the ReNewEd Covenant, He is the Lamb, who offered His life as the price of our sins.

As our spiritual High Priest, Yeshua/Jesus set up doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that

He is the Door of the sheep.

To receive salvation and, therefore enter God’s kingdom, a man must enter through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.  

John 10:7 Then said Jesus to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 

It is very significant that

Eliashib in Hebrew means:

God restores.

Again it’s not by chance but our Heavenly Fathers’ design that, as High Priest, he was the one who rebuilt the Sheep Gate and the walls surrounding it.

The Gates continue in Part 2!

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

21 12 21 12 12 12 12 12 12 ?

Most likely we have all heard the references to Heavens pearly gates and it may be that the image we have in our minds is something like the picture below.

A huge gate made out of a single pearl?

Our frame of reference is limited to what we know and of what we see in our physical earth realm.

What size must the oyster have had to be?

Impossible?

.. all things are possible with God!

Mark 10:27

We limit Him and ourselves by our humanity and our measures..His Ways are not ours neither are His thoughts. Is.55:8.. It’s time to stre-a-t-c-hh our spiritual muscles!

The pearl is often associated with tears because it’s believed that the pearl is formed through intrusive particles like sand, they become an agitant within the mollusk and cause discomfort/pain. It apparently secretes a substance around the particle to prevent further irritation and damage. The build up of this secretion eventually forms the beautiful pearl. If this is so, tears are then the symbols of the gates and the Way into heaven.

Pearls represent tears and if, as we have previously noted, tears bring life…

click link for more on tears https://www.minimannamoments.com/keeping-it-all-bottled-up-part-1/

..then as we enter into life through the pearl gate – the tears of sorrow turn to beautiful pearls/tears of joy.

 Ps. 30:5 in his favour is life: weeping/tears may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Tears of true repentance are essential and integral to salvation. He wipes away all tears as we enter through that Pearl/symbol.

Rev. 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

It’s the last reminder of the tears we have shed in this life as we enter in to His joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Many times we have only heard what someone else says of Heaven and have not actually read the scripture references for ourselves and because if this we sometimes miss some amazing details.

Maybe each of the gates are more like this??…

Heaven is in the spiritual realm and is beyond the veil separating the dimensions and yet it exists just as solidly as anything here on earth and is in many ways more real!

How do we know that?

Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Nothing in Heaven decays in any way and is eternal, whereas this earth is scheduled for renewal in the future.

According to revelation, heaven is the location of Fathers’ throne and it is also where the new Jerusalem is – are they one and the same?

What we do know is that according to Revelation, the new Jerusalem is going to come down to the earth and that is where Messiah will rule from in the millenial reign.

So it’s at least a portion of shamayim/heaven that is coming to earth. Rev 21:12-21.

The first thing that is clear, is that there is more than one pearl because, there is more than one gate to enter into the New Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

Yerusalyim/Yerushalyim

(Remember the im Hebrew suffix means more than one – spiritually speaking, there has always been more than one Yerushalyim) 

חָדָשׁ      (chadash) — new

Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-dawsh’)

חָדָשׁ

In the same pattern that there were 12 gates

into the old city of Jerusalem in Israel,

there are 12 gates into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12).

The 12 gates in Revelation 21 belong to the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven to the new earth (verse 10), shining with the glory of God (verse 11). John describes the city: “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.”

The gates are most likely equal distances apart. As the structure is a square, it would make logical sense for there to be 3 gates on the north, 3 on the east, 3 on the west and 3 on the south. (Rev. 21:13).

In Revelation 21:10-12 the apostle John says “And he …showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God….It had a great and high wall and had twelve gates.”

Our natural, fallen man is excluded from New Jerusalem by the (soreg), wall (of separation), the only

WAY to ENTER IN is through THE GATE.

The pearl signifies the death and resurrection of Messiah, through whom we enter New Jerusalem. He tore down that wall which had a literal physical manifestation when the veil/curtain/wall to the Holy of Holies was rent in two. This thick veil in the temple kept everyone out of His Holy presence including the Jewish men.

Eph.2:14  (τὸ μεσότοιχον του̂ φραγμου̂). Paul asserts that Messiah has broken down the “middle wall of partition” (niv “dividing wall of hostility”) that divided Jews and Gentiles, and has made of the two, one new people/man. Paul probably had in mind a literal wall as a tangible symbol of the division between Jews and Gentiles—the wall in the temple area in Jerusalem separating the court of the Gentiles from the courts into which only Jews might enter.

He is the pearl of great price.Each of the 12 pearls speak of great price for which the Messiah/Moshiach ‘sold’ all that he had by giving His all. (Mattiyahu 13:45,46)

Messiah is the crown jewel of heaven and our entrance into the city is through His death and resurrection.

He is the Gate and as Eph. 2:14 tells us: ‘For He is our peace, who of both has made one, breaking down the middle wall of separation.’

The wall in the Temple was only a symbol of the spiritual wall that existed between Jew and Gentile, now because Messiah has broken down the wall, Jew and Gentile can step across it and worship the Lord together. This worship will be for all eternity in Heaven.

Notice the square/cube plan of the Temple blueprint above is the same shape as the New Jerusalem.

Our Heavenly Father Creator of the universe has a blueprint which seems to be recurring throughout Hi-Story.

We are seeing more and more how everything is connected.

As God declares the end from the beginning… did He plant the garden east of Eden, based on His design of the New Jerusalem? It is only new to us!

Gates are significant in scripture and in the days of the New Testament, the Israelites would enter Jerusalem for Passover/Pesach through the Eastern Gate, which led to the Temple. Also called the Golden Gate and the one which Messiah will enter on HIs return.

crucifixion and death at Pesach/Passover. Matt. 21:1-11.

By our inclusion in His death and resurrection, our old man was terminated and buried, the created part of our being was redeemed and justified, we were made alive by being born of the Spirit, and we were raised up in Messiah to walk in newness of life.

All this together is our entrance into New Jerusalem through the PEARL of great price.

Our includes All Gentile/Goyim/Nations/Tribes/Cultures/ Languages/Heathen. Mark. 13:10.  And the gospel of the KINGDOM must first be preached unto all the nations. (The ‘Kingdom of the Heavens/shamayim‘, as John preached; ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ Matt. 3:1-2).

Also that the Kingdom of God is also spiritually within us; this is the real meaning of ‘as above so below’! (As always the adversary has taken what was originally Fathers’ and perverted it.)

Before He returns, Matt. 24:14 says it shall be preached “in the whole world, for a testimony unto all the nations” (ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ εἰς μαρτύριον).

Revelation 21:21a says, “ And the 12 gates were 12 pearls; each one of the gates was, respectively, of one pearl.

Then we see 12 gates, portals, doors or entryways into the city. 

In as much as the ‘city’, is probably an entire planetary celestial object, we must now envision 12 portals or entryways into an entirely new realm, of which we have very little experience or comprehension.

These are guarded by 12 cherubim.  We saw 2 cherubim at the Garden of Eden and 4 surrounding the Throne of God. 

Are these the guardian angels (Cherubim/kerubim) for each of the 12 tribes represented by the 144,000? (Rev. 7:4-8)

The word kerubim has a meaning of ‘one who prays’, or ‘one who intercedes.’ Cherubim or Kerubim are an order of angel described in the Bible and ancient texts as a combination of two, or more often, four creatures — including that of a human. Both the mythical Sphinx and the scriptural cherubim are “hybrid” beings combining two to four creatures.

Click links below for more on Cherubim + pictures.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-are-those-around-the-throne/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/keruvim-not-quite-like-we-imagined/

Because the pearl signifies the death and resurrection of Messiah, through which we enter New Jerusalem.  Revelation 21:21 gives an understanding that each gate of the Holy city is one single pearl, signifying that the entrance to the city is unique and is once for all; that is, we can enter the city only through the once-for-all regeneration accomplished by Messiah’s overcoming death and life-imparting resurrection.

The gates of pearl at the entrances to New Jerusalem, are they real?

Because they signify the death and resurrection of Messiah as our entrance into the new creation. They are far more ‘real’ or precious than any physical pearl.

The New Jerusalem, which will also be connected with the New Earth, a large portion of verses are used in describing the foundations of the city. (Hebrews 11:10, Revelation 21:14, 19)

Scripture states these foundations will be 12 in number, 12 has a significant symbolism to the Father.  **There was similar creative detail in the formation of the foundations of this earth in Genesis. The Lord of Hosts marked off its dimension and stretched a measuring line across it, which provided footings to set it, and laid its cornerstone.

(Footings could refer to magnetic properties, as in grounding or earthing as in an electrical power source; and the cornerstone refers prophetically to Messiah Jesus/Yeshua. Eph.2:20. Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, the Alef/Tav-Alpha/Omega-Beginning/End-Genesis/Revelation – the End from the Beginning).

Job 38:5“Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched … Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of …

Isaiah 45:12 KJV: I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, [even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

Most significant is the shape and size of the celestial city, which is enormous. 

Calculated at a diameter of 1,325.75 miles or 2,133.58 km across. 1,200,000 x the height of a man. It’s impossible that 2000 yrs ago a ‘precise guestimate’ was made for its length and breadth as these are = to the principals used in today’s modern engineering. These formulas based on mathematics that validate such construction, have only existed less than 80 years, highlighting the fact that the design of the New Jerusalem, is beyond our current abilities!

Here are some world maps with the New Jerusalem overlaid on different countries to give us a better understanding of its size.

Over the Middle East

Mediteranean

Over America

and Australia

According to scripture, the foundation of the Throne of the Father lies upon a crystal sea, which is the canopy over the cherubim, who in turn form the footings and the cornerstone for the Throne.

Is this a real, liquid, sea?

We know a sapphire-blue is the color of pure water, however, the great multitude of people is standing on the sea. So, this crystalline sea has to be solid enough to support a great multitude and a giant sapphire throne, and has to have the hardness similar to that of a diamond.

According to scientific research, the core building material of this earths matrix is Silicon, and at least one archangel or anointed cherub, Lucifer, was made of silicon and gold.

See in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-17 the scripture speaks of the King of Tyre/stones of fire?..

Y’ḥezqēl   חֶזְקֵאל

‘Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. Ezek.28:13.

Silicon based stones seem in large part to encompass the foundations of the New Jerusalem and silicon is the number one conductor of energy (electricity/power) and so is gold. So what is described for us is an enormous storehouse of the eternal, inexhaustible energy of HaShem, our Father, the source of all creation; who upholds all things by the Word of His power.

In Revelation 21:19, the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem are described:

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.

 Are the stone foundations on top of one another in layers or next to each other side by side, around the base where each of the 12 tribes gates are?

The first foundation was jasper.

Jasper is a common mineral.  It can be found in many colors one is a very opaque, dense burnt-orange/red colored stone.

There is also a crystalline type of jasper, which is an emerald green color and very similar to crystal clear green Jade which is valued as a very precious stone.

According to some scholars, iaspis, (Strong’s Greek 2393) is a brilliant green crystalline structure.  John writes that the city itself had every appearance of a precious jewel, like jasper, clear as a crystal.

Is it envisioning a traditional foursquare city with foundations settling on a flat surface like the earth?  It does not appear that way because the Greek word, krustallizo, means to be clear or brilliant like a crystal, or having a crystalline matrix like a clear crystal.

The Hebrew is yashpheh, היֱשְׁפֵ        Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-shef-ay’)

(Strong’s 3471) coming from an unused root meaning to polish.

From the context of its use, we could assume that the city is constructed of gem stone quality but this type of gem is only assumed because of the similarity of yashpheh with jasper.

Until the original Breast Plate of the Hebrew High Priest is recovered, it will remain a mystery.  The Greek word for jasper is iaspis (Strong’s 2393) and it’s only translated as jasper.

So we could conclude that when looking from the exterior surface, the city will look like jasper, however there are 12 foundations of the city, the 1st and exterior surface being jasper, the 2nd being sapphire.

While considering these concepts, it’s helpful to remember that we are dealing with crystalline or minerals structures.  Each of the foundation stones has a crystalline matrix and as such, each one transmits energy in a different way.  The transmission of light (energy) will depend on the hue of the color (light frequency) that is transmitted. We looked at the rainbow and light frequencies in a previous post.

The 12

foundation stones

אבן השתייה

Even ha-Shtiyya

There are several variations of the stones names and colors due to translations and modern names. Here are some to help give a visual reference.

v.19 The 1st foundation was Jasper (in some listed as diamond/Yahalom), Jashepheh/Yashpheh-RED/GREEN

the 2nd Sapphire, Sappiyr, Leshem,  -BLUE

the 3rd chalcedony/carbunkle/garnet, Bareqeth from same word as lightning purple-blue or possibly green?

the 4th emerald, Nophek.

v. 20 the 5th Sardonyx, RED and WHITE

the 6th Sardius, Odem-RED

the 7th Chrysolite, Shoham-YELLOW like chrysolite Tarshish (Yellow). 

the 8th Beryl, Tarshish 

the 9th Topaz, Pitdah-YELLOW/BROWN

the 10th Chrysoprase/chrysoprasus, 

the 11th Jacinth or Carbunkle, REDDISH BLACK

and the 12th Amethyst, Aclamah-PURPLE.”

So, if the 1st foundation is an emerald green crystalline hue like jasper where the Throne of the Father positioned upon it, (within its midst).  Then the 2nd foundation is the brilliant blue of sapphire, the same as the foundation below the throne of God, seen as the sea of glass, clear as crystal. 

Is it possible that we are seeing described as the New Jerusalem, is another spherical body, a planet, that has its orbit along side earth during the millennium and at the end of a thousand years it will come down and rest upon the earth?

Revelation 21:1-3 – “Now I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth, for the First Heaven and the First Earth were passed away.  Also there was no more sea.”

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

When John saw the Holy City descending down out of heaven, as described, he stated:

Revelation 21:10-12 – “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.  Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.  And she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

Traditional pictures of the New Jerusalem are all modeled after ancient or medieval 3-dimensional walled cities. 

None depict a crystalline structure, yet in the days of Herod, Jerusalem ancient writers described the city as shining with the brilliance of whiteness due to the gleaming temple, which was built of polished limestone.

The 12 foundations describe a huge structure, and the measurements are for a 4square or cube-like shape.

The almost unimaginable beauty of the New Jerusalem becomes clear, emerging out of the words in Johns descriptions: whose length, breadth and height are equal, yet having 12 foundations with 12 gates (or we may could call them energy portals) with height, (Greek hypsos), which interestingly suggests some kind of points or crowns, (like a a geo-magnetic structure).

The other possibility is that all the 12 foundations are Diamonds…

Taking the measurements from the ancient human cubit scale and converting into those we use today, the size of such a city would be 12,000 furlongs in height, width and length. A furlong is 220 yards, therefore, each side is 660 feet x 12,000 feet = 7,920,000 feet per side. One mile is 5,280 feet, so each side is 7,920,000 divided by 5280 feet = 1500 MILES on each side.

We are not looking for something the size of our home village, town or city! Or even a place where humans could live!

1,500 X 1,500 x 1,500 = 3,375,000,000 cubic miles for the whole city. 1,500 miles = 2,414.016 kilometers so the city would be 14,067,613,676.25 cubic km. The length and breadth would be 2.25 million square miles, (3.86 million square meters) and including the height, or the cubic size, makes this planetary sphere about 3.375 billion cubic miles or in volume about the size of the moon!

  It will be a self-radiating, there is no need of light for the Lord Himself is the source of LIGHT. Due to His being eternally self-sustaining as an everlasting source of life energy; it will truly be the center of its own heavenly solar system, or universe/shamayim. Here our Heavenly Father Himself, will dwell there with His people and His Omnipotent, all-encompassing presence, will be that in which we will abide.

This is everlasting life, this is heaven – never being separated from Him and all that He is.

Revelation 21: 15-17 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. – KJV

The new international version converts the above measurements to be 2,200km long and wide and high and 65 metres thick.

12,000 furlongs square, while the wall will be 144 (12 x 12) cubits.

To get an idea of how big this is, the average diameter of the earth is 12,742km Earth has an equatorial diameter of 12,756 km (7926 mi),

Since the height, width and length of the walls of the city of New Jerusalem is given, the best statistic to compare with our planet earth is volume. From the measurements of New Jerusalem described above the volume of New Jerusalem is 1.0648x 1010 km3.

According to calculations, the volume of the earth is 1.08321×1012 km3. This implies that the earth is 169 times larger in volume than the city of New Jerusalem! (All measurements are approximations, however we get the idea…Its HUGE!)

As for a planet that could possibly be made of diamonds… think again!

Scientists discover massive planet made of diamonds twice the size of Earth.

(Have scientists discovered a Sanctified World? George Potter) On August 25, 2011 the Reuters news agency announced that “Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard.

The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbonBecause it is so dense, scientists calculate that the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be a diamond.” 

Link  to article below

https://www.space.com/18011-super-earth-planet-diamond-world.html

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Hebrews. 12:22.

There’s No ‘GPS App’ for Our Final Destination. Our Road map is in the Scriptures, so before leaving this page make certain this will be the destination at the end of your road; for His WAY is Clearly Truth and Life.

12 Pearl Gates, 12 Angels, 12 Foundations, 12 Breastplate stones, 12 Apostles, 12 Tribes. The number 12 signifies perfection of government or rule.

The 12’s of the New Jerusalem = the sign of the perfect covenant.

The Name of each tribe is written over a gate.

Does this mean it is only for the members of that tribe?

Shalom Mishpachah!

Conclusions coming in Part 2..

Please don’t leave this page without a certainty in your heart that you will one day enter in to Heaven through one of 12 gates of pearl.

Don’t put it off, the days draw ever closer to the door closing at end of this age just as it did in the days of Noah..

NOT CERTAIN?

YOU CAN BE..

Make sure Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.