Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The LORD said to me, "This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. – Ezekiel 44:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (July 18, 2020): Ezekiel 44

In 1517, Jerusalem and the surrounding area came under the influence of the Ottoman Turks. It would remain under Turkish control for the next 400 years. In the early days of their control, under Suleiman the Magnificent, the city enjoyed a time of peace and renewal. It was a prosperous, if now minor, city in the Middle East. The trade routes that dominated the area no longer went anyplace near Jerusalem. The city was important because if its religious significance, but that was all.

At that time, Suleiman the Magnificent began a campaign of restoration in the city, including the rebuilding of the walls around the Old City. And in the process, Suleiman sealed the Eastern Gate in 1540-41. His reason for the closure was to prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering into the city through that gate, which was the expected route that the Jews expected the Messiah to take on his return to the Holy City. For the past almost five centuries, the Eastern Gate to the city has remained closed; for five centuries, no one has entered into the city through the Gate called Beautiful.

Of course, the Temple, the reason why the Eastern Gate had been famous in the first place, has also been removed. But some still see Suleiman's closure of the Eastern Gate as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel. Others scoff that cannot be not the case since Ezekiel's Temple still does not exist.

Whatever the prophecy might be, the reality is that the Eastern Gate remains closed. And this prophecy has been viewed in various ways over the centuries. Some Roman Catholic Christians have even argued that it is Ezekiel's prophecy about the closure of the Eastern Gate that confirms their belief in the eternal virginity of Mary. Jesus entered the world through Mary, and after his birth through that "gate," the "gate" was closed. Joseph had no marital relations with his wife and, of course, Mary had no further children, despite what the Gospels seem to indicate. But that interpretation seems to be more of a stretch than the impossibility of Ezekiel speaking of the current closure of the Eastern Gate in modern times.

For now, the Eastern Gate to the city remains closed. And it might be that the Gate that Ezekiel speaks of here has yet even to be built. But even then, the gate will be used only by the Messiah, and after he passes through the gate, the Eastern Gate will once again be closed and locked. The place of entrance will be reserved, only available for the use of the one who is to come, in the Temple that has yet to be built.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 45