For my readers, I do extensive research. As a reader, I want to learn new things and share my findings with readers continually.
Research took me to Israel twice. Visiting Israel is life-changing. Pieces of Israel have appeared in several of my books. Secrecy Order is set in Israel. Cohen Code is being written and is also set in Israel. Much of what I learned is being written into a book guiding Westerners to see Israel through Eastern eyes. Visiting a place brings nuances that cannot be found otherwise.
Here is a piece of what I learned and a behind-the-scenes peek into one of my projects in process.
Jerusalem Findings
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing,” Matthew 23:37.
Jerusalem’s original walls around the Holy City formed the shape of God’s giant footprint, marking the place he set apart.
For viewers, stand near lush olive trees on the Mount of Olives. Visible from there is the Kidron Valley filled with graves. On the far side of the Kidron Valley, the land rises into the Temple Mount. At the base of the rise is the Eastern Gate into the city of Jerusalem.
Also called the Golden Gate or Beautiful Gate, this Eastern Gate glistens brightly. Reflecting God’s glory, the gate is a reminder that God is still sovereign. The setting is breathtaking and the Biblical place names remain the same. Yet, today’s view is far different from what would have looked familiar to the prophets, King David, or the disciples.
In the same way, Plymouth Massachusetts does not resemble the landing spot for the pilgrims. San Francisco no longer looks like the rugged days of the gold rush. Jerusalem today is little like how the area appeared in Biblical times.
Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate Closed
Suleiman the Magnificent, a sultan of the Ottoman Empire sealed the Eastern Gate. He apparently knew prophecy. He may have sealed the gate for defensive reasons. Maybe to prevent a false Messiah from entering. Or to deter the Christ from using the gate as foretold by Ezekiel. Not that a wall could ever stop the Lord.
Still, Ezekiel 10:18-19, 43:1-5, and 46:12 foretold the closing of the gate, the departure of God from the temple, and the future return of Christ who is the only one who will enter through this Eastern Gate. “Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way,” Ezekiel 44:1-3.
Probably unaware of his part in the prophecy, Sulieman did God’s work as part of God’s plan. He sealed the gate in 1541. The Gate we view currently is not the original. Yet today’s version sits directly atop the actual Eastern Gate, which formed God’s footprint.
Twelve Gates
In fact, all of Jerusalem’s original gates lay buried. Conquerors remodeled the Holy City, replacing the ten gates mentioned in Nehemiah 3 with eight gates. They added the gate of Ephraim and the prison or guard gate for a total of twelve. “The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall,and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Gate of Yeshanah, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard,” Nehemiah 12:38-39.
After studying the Book of Nehemiah, visitors to Jerusalem often expect to see the rebuilt wall. Expect to see at least a remnant of the gates. However, only a small portion of Nehemiah’s wall remains. Conquerors enlarged the current wall for their own purposes.
Built in the late 7th century CE on the Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock. Situated where the Jewish temple once stood, it is the oldest extant Islamic monument in the world. Much of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the city walls have physically changed. Little resembles the descriptions found in Ezekiel and Nehemiah. Because of the radical remodeling, it is difficult to grasp the placement of the original gates. To visualize the footprint shape of the city walls rebuilt in the 5th century B.C.
The Gates By Night
Currently, visitors to the Holy Land stand amid the old archeology and newer construction designed to obliterate God’s impact. Conquerors tried to deny that God chose the nation of Abraham’s descendants and gave them the land. People from other cultures covered the history of Israel. Archeologists continue to unearth the past and the truth.
The ancient gates are highly significant. “I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass.Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned,” Nehemiah 2:13-15.
The gates symbolize our spiritual path to God. The Valley Gate represents the realization we are empty. The Dung Gate reflects our sins. The Fountain Gate signifies the Living Water that is Christ and baptism into life with him. Jesus called himself the sheep gate, the entryway to God’s fold.
Sha’ar Harahamim is the Hebrew name Gate of Mercy for the Eastern Gate that leads straight to the Temple Mount. God of Mercy is the name of one of the two great doors. God of Repentance is the name of the other door. The Messiah is prophesied to come through this gate, people pray at the gate for mercy.
Under Nehemiah’s direction, the people rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. But none of their efforts lasted. Revelation 21:10-21 gives a picture of the coming New Jerusalem prepared by God.
Jerusalem, Sacred Jewel
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Pearl Gates
John goes on to describe the new Jerusalem and the 12 gates in his writings in Revelation.
“And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
“The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”
Author Research
Interestingly, the early city, shaped like God’s footprint, was a picture of what is to come. Unlike any place on Earth, Jerusalem with the original gates would have been stunning to see. The New Jerusalem will include the original gates. Most importantly, be filled with the presence of our loving and glorious God.
As an author, research is essential. While terrific information is available online, nothing can take the place of going to a place. Consider the nuances of sight, smell, sounds, taste, and the feel of a place physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This magic happens uniquely at that spot on the globe.
We can read about history, yet being in a place is to feel the impact of history. The effect is seen in how people treat one another. You see it in why their traditions are embedded culturally, and why a food is common.
For Chasing Sunrise, I visited the St. Croix twice. Once before Hurricane Hugo and again after the storm devastated 95 percent of the island. St. Croix after Hurricane Hugo was much altered from the tropical island before the winds and water ravaged. Similarly, Israel has had such a profound impact on me that the land of Jesus’ birth has shown up frequently. Israel exists in my books and articles including as the setting for Secrecy Order and for Cohen Code.
If you are writing about a place, go and explore the setting with all five senses. Go explore all kinds of places because eventually, they will make their way into your writing.
For You
The Marc Wayne action adventure series will take you where you have never been before. Open the pages to experiences you’ve not tried before, and share history you did not find in your textbooks.
Get the series HERE.
