Scripture to Read: Nehemiah 3:29-32
The last two gates are the East Gate and the Inspection Gate. The East Gate was the first gate opened each morning to allow the first rays of sunlight into Jerusalem. The East Gate reminds us that our Lord Jesus Christ will be coming back soon. We need to live with the expectation that our Lord could come back today. God reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” When that trumpet sounds, we must be ready to meet our Lord. As God tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” The final gate is the Inspection Gate, the gate the armies passed through after returning from battle. The king would be there to inspect his warriors and thank them for their service. We will one day be inspected by our King for the battles we faced. God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” We must serve Him well here.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you about His return and how you are to live for Him now?
2. How are you living with the expectation of Christ’s return? How are you serving Him in order to hear “well done” from your King?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!