Exploits
Lift up your heads,O gates! Be lifted up, ancient doors!
That the King of Glory may come in!
Ancient Gates of Jerusalem: A Parable of Our Walk with God
By Christine Darg At this time of year, we commemorate the atoning sufferings of our Lord and how He entered Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate to fulfill Zechariah 9: 9, “Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey.” As our cover art illustrates, this same gate, also known as the Golden Gate, is associated with the Lord’s first and second comings! “e Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob!” (Psalm 87:2) I also love Jerusalem’s gates and believe they’re parables of heavenly realities. e Bible has much to say about gates. e gates of Hell are barricaded by the Cross so that people must bypass the Cross to enter Hell. e Book of Revelation mentions 12 glorious gates in the New Jerusalem. But Nehemiah Chapter 3 concerns the repair of Jerusalem’s ancient gates whose names are recorded to represent a parable of the various “stations of the cross” in a believer’s life. For that reason they are object lessons to study. Jerusalem pilgrims are privileged to walk the so-called “14 stations of the cross.” Also called the Via Doloroso, or the Way of Sorrows, this meditative walk through the busy streets of Jerusalem’s sacred Old City categorizes the last hours of our Lord’s Passion. e tradition as a devotional walk actually began with St. Francis of Assisi and was extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period, especially on Good Friday, to remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. Walking the stations of the Cross is observed less oen in Anglican, Lutheran and Protestant churches. Out of the 14 traditional “Stations of the Cross,” eight have clear scriptural references. To provide a devotional walk more closely aligned with the Gospels, Pope John Paul II introduced a revised list that is called the “Scriptural Way of the Cross.” In 2007, Pope Benedict approved this newer set of stations for meditation and public celebration:
1. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, makes his final decision to accept the suffering of crucifixion in order to atone for the sins of the world. He prayed that this cup of suffering would pass, but nevertheless, He resigned to his Father’s will, saying, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” 2. Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested. 3. Jesus is condemned before the Jewish tribunal, the Sanhedrin. 4. Jesus is denied by three times by Peter. 5. Jesus is judged by Pilate. 6. Jesus is scourged, crowned with thorns. 7. Jesus takes up his Cross. 8. Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross. 9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. 10. Jesus is crucified. 11. Jesus promises a place in his kingdom to the repentant thief. 12. Jesus entrusts his mother to John. 13. Jesus dies on the cross. 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb. As I’ve meditated, I’ve seen a correlation between theses Stations of the Cross and Jerusalem’s ancient gates: Jesus told his disciples that we would also carry our individualized, custom-made crosses throughout our lifetime. Our walk is to be one of self-sacrifice, continually following in His footsteps. As the Apostle Paul testified in Galatians 2: 20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. e life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” So we must live the crucified life, progressing, as it were, from one station to the next in order to bear much fruit for the Lord! Nehemiah, as an exile in Persia, was Lion’s Gate
deeply burdened for the welfare of his people and for Jerusalem. When he heard a report of Jerusalem’s deplorable state, Nehemiah was greatly disturbed. e capital city was in “great trouble and disgrace. e walls were broken down, and Jerusalem’s gates were burned with fire.” Nehemiah wept, fasted and repented, and he received permission from the King of Persia to return to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls and gates. Let’s consider some of the spiritual lessons along our life’s journey at each of these gate “stations:” e Sheep Gate was the first gate to be repaired (Nehemiah 3: 1). e Sheep Gate speaks of the primary and foundational sacrifice of Messiah on the cross as the Lamb of God. Messiah dying as a sacrifice for sins is the beginning of our spiritual journey. Interestingly, because the Sheep Gate was the first gate to be repaired, this represents the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God, without which there is no salvation. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the start of salvation and the ultimate gateway of truth. e Good Shepherd said, “I am the door.” Jesus also said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I discovered in Nehemiah 3 that the Sheep Gate had no bolts, locks or bars, although bolts and bars are mentioned concerning the other gates. is speaks of the fact that the door of salvation is always open to all sinners! e Sheep Gate is the only gate that was dedicated, thus setting it apart as a special gate. e Good Shepherd of our souls teaches us to enter by this narrow gate. He said in Matthew 7:13, “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and many people are entering by it.” e Fish Gate was the second gate that was repaired (Nehemiah 3:3). e name of this gate reminds us of the fact that we are called not just to salvation but to “fish souls” for the Lord. us the Fish Gate speaks of the necessity of soul winning and fulfilling the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to every creature. Jesus said in Mark 1:17, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” We may have begun at the Sheep gate of salvation, but we cannot linger there. We must move on to the Fish Gate and learn to be fishers of men. Every vocation, no matter what we do in life, should be related to catching men for Jesus, whether it is the work of direct evangelism, prayer, parenting, the ministry of helps or the ministry of giving our financial support. e Old Gate is the third gate listed in Nehemiah 3:6. is gate symbolizes the ancient
Damascus Gate
paths and the eternal truths of the Word of God that bring peace, protection and safety when we walk in the Lord’s precepts and ways. e world is always extolling the latest ideas, but time-honored truths such as the Ten Commandments bring health and order to society, protecting us from lawlessness and chaos. Jeremiah 6: 16 contains an exhortation to “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” So along our path of life, we must purpose to enter the Old Gate. As we walk in time-tested principles of righteousness expounded in the Word of God, we experience peace, safety and protection. Psalm 119: 9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” And the answer is by living according to the Word of God! e Valley Gate in Nehemiah 3:13 is the fourth gate, an important picture of the believer’s inevitable descent into humility. Messiah, of course, is our example because He descended the furtherest from heavenly Glory into the valley of humiliations, stooping to fulfill the despicable death on the Cross as a vile criminal. Of course, we prefer mountaintop experiences to depressing valleys. We don’t easily embrace the “dark night of the soul,” but sometimes our Good Shepherd leads us to descend into the valley to learn valuable lessons. If we willingly humble ourselves in the sight of God, he will exalt us in due season. Nobody can become great in the Kingdom of God without going through the Valley Gate. Every person of worth spends much time at the Station of the Cross called the Valley Gate! e Dung Gate was the fih gate to be repaired (Nehemiah 3: 13-14), sometimes called the Refuge Gate. is was the portal where the city’s rubbish was dumped. is gate speaks very clearly of purging our lives from sin, filth, disobedience and every unprofitable habit. We must shed every weight that so easily besets us and consider all things as dung compared to Messiah’s riches. (Philippians 3:8)
Gate six was the Fountain Gate (Nehemiah 3:15). e Fountain Gate speaks of sanctification and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Indeed, the order of these gates is notable: the initial Sheep Gate speaks of salvation, but there is a further step of sanctification and the filling of the Spirit represented by the Fountain Gate. As an act of obedience to the Gospel, we must be baptized in water, and then when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises that out of our spiritual beings will flow living water welling up to eternal life! (See also Zechariah 13:1.) e Water Gate was the seventh gate in Nehemiah 3:26. Seven is the Bible number for perfection, symbolic of God’s Word. e Water Gate speaks not only of the ordinance of baptism but it also speaks of our daily cleansing by the Word of God. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25-26, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” One day my ministry partner at Gethsemane, Miss Florence of blessed memory, asked the Lord, “Why must I clean these same dishes over and over, day aer day?” And He answered, “For the same reason that you must read the Word daily: to stay clean, you need the continual washing of the Word.” Gate Eight, the Horse Gate, is recorded in Nehemiah 3: 28 perhaps to represent the truth of spiritual warfare in our lives. Paul exhorts us to fight the good fight of faith. We must be trained like good soldiers and faithful war horses to endure battles. Certainly there are many hardships in the Christian life to overcome, and we must be ready to persevere. A soldier never learns to fight in a dress parade but must enter the real fray. erefore, at the Horse Gate we remind ourselves to be clothed in the full armor of God to fight the good fight of faith. As the Apostle Paul exhorted, using military language, “erefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” e Ninth Gate, the Eastern Gate, recorded in Nehemiah 3: 29 survives to this day. e Eastern Gate faces the direction of the Second Coming, and for this blessed event we must always be watching and waiting. Whoever cherishes this hope of the Second Coming of the Lord purifies himself and lives a life worthy of the Lord, occupying this world until He comes. e Eastern Gate, also called the Golden Gate, is sealed until Messiah returns to rule. Sadly today many professing believers do not love His appearing and are not living with a joyful expectation of His return to rule. Gate 10 was called the Miphkad Gate, or the Inspection Gate (Nehemiah 3:31), symbolic of God’s coming judgment. e Hebrew word for this
The Eastern Gate
gate means “appointment, account, mustering, census.” It carries the idea of troops showing up for review, or an appointed place for a meeting. Every soul has an appointment to die and aerward comes the judgment . . . unless our sins are covered and atoned for by the Blood of the Lamb! Praise God, according to the New Testament, souls who are safely by faith sequestered in the ark of Messiah, (those whose sins have been washed by the atoning blood of the Messiah and are “in” Him), will never face judgment because of our sins. John 5:24 is a beautiful Gospel promise: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Furthermore, Romans 8: 1-2 promises, “erefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Yeshua’s blood cleanses us and qualifies us with a righteous status in the presence of a holy God. Oh, what a great salvation! Hallelu-Yah to the Lamb! As we have reviewed these gates in their order around Jerusalem, we have seen the major stations and appointments of the life of a believer from the Sheep Gate (salvation) to the Inspection Gate (final judgment). But my analogy of the ten gates in the Book of Nehemiah doesn't follow through to the 14 stations of the Cross numerically, unless we mention four of the later gates in Jerusalem’s history that are “modern,” relatively speaking. e New Gate could also represent the new birth, Herod’s Gate the place of overcoming the enemies of God--every evil Herod, Haman and Hitler of our lives or threatening the nation Israel. e Jaffa Gate in Arabic is called the “Gate of
the Friend,” referring to Abraham, because it faces the direction of Hebron, where the biblical patriarchs are buried. We must all become the friends of God. Zion Gate would represent our ultimate dwelling in the heavenly New Jerusalem. Hebrews 12: 22 declares, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels.” Presently there are eight main gates in Jerusalem. When you consider Jerusalem is at least 3,000 years old, it’s relative to call these gates “modern.” Jerusalem’s Old City walls were rebuilt in the early 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent, the Turkish Sultan, when the Ottoman Empire ruled the region. e New Gate is the only Old City entryway that is not part of the original design of the 16th Century walls. It was breached in 1889 in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire to allow pilgrims quicker access to the holy sites. e New Gate was built at the highest point of the present wall, at 790 meters above sea level. Psalm 48:12-13 admonishes us to “walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts.” So let’s review the gates in Jerusalem’s Old City walls today, beginning with the western Jaffa Gate. Since the gates were sometimes named for their directions, the Jaffa Gate was the destination of pilgrims disembarking at the Jaffa port. Sometimes called the “front door” of Jerusalem, Jaffa Gate leads into the Christian Quarter and the market on David’s Street. As we stroll around the walls or walk atop the ramparts of the walls, the next gate is Zion Gate. Bearing Jerusalem’s earliest biblical name, this gate is called Zion Gate in both Hebrew and English, but its Arabic name is the “Gate of the Prophet David.” is is because the traditional tomb of King David on Mount Zion is only a few steps away. Zion Gate leads directly
to the Armenian and also to the Jewish quarters. Next on our tour of Jerusalem’s modern gates is the Dung Gate. is gate’s unusual name derives from the refuse dumped here in antiquity, where the prevailing winds would carry odors away. is was also one of the Biblical gates. Mentioned previously, Nehemiah 2:13 cited a Dung Gate that was near the present gate. Today this gate leads directly to the Jewish Quarter’s Western Wall, the central place of worship of the Jewish people. As we circle around the city walls, the next gate (photographed at le) is the Golden Gate, also called the Eastern Gate, or more formally, the Gate of Mercy. Mentioned also by Nehemiah, this gate, in the eastern Temple Mount wall, is the bestknown of all of the holy city’s gates. It has been sealed for centuries, and awaits a miraculous opening when Messiah returns and the dead are raised. Next is the Lion’s Gate, also called St. Stephen’s Gate aer the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death nearby. is gate is decorated with carved lions. It leads to the Temple Mount and the pool of Bethesda. Since ancient times, invalids were brought here for healing. Jesus confronted and healed a paralyzed man who had waited at the pool every day for 38 years. Next is Herod’s Gate. Despite its name, the notorious Judean king had nothing to do with this entrance into the Muslim Quarter. In Arabic and Hebrew this north-facing gate is called the Flowers Gate. e name may derive from a rosette carving atop the gate. However, a similar word in Arabic means “awakened,” and this may refer to a nearby cemetery and the hope of resurrection. Damascus Gate is the most decorated of Jerusalem’s gateways. It faces north and is named for the Syrian city from which Jerusalem’s rulers once came. It’s always busy, thanks to bustling markets. Archaeologists have uncovered earlier entranceways below. Some say this was the portal through which Jesus exited on the Way of Sorrows to Calvary. And most likely this was the same area where Paul exited on his eventful journey to Damascus when he met the Risen Lord. Finally, we have come full circle to the aforementioned New Gate. Dear ministry partners, please prayerfully commit to attend one of our Jerusalem prayer convocations. Many of you are longing to visit the Holy Land. It is a truly a joy to make the journey and to fulfill Psalm 122: 2, 6, 7, “Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper who love you. . . may there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels!”
Winning Souls in Pakistan
We give GLORY to our Lord for testimonies from our recent mission in Lahore, Pakistan. A man’s foot was going to be amputated due to diabetes. But he watched us praying on TV on the “Winning Souls” program with Pastor Anwar Fazal, and aer prayer, the man’s foot was healed! Now there’s no need for amputation. Hallelu-Yah! Other testimonies from the tent meeting pictured above include: --Healing of a 14-year-old child from diabetes. --A woman’s leg was fractured in three places due to an accident. Aer prayer, her broken bones came to their positions, and she was healed without
need of an operation. We carefully give glory to the Lord our Healer for these outstanding testimonies! --Furthermore, a woman named Saima brought her child with a fever for prayer and the child got up. e fever was gone! --Infected tonsils of an adult were healed. -- A person suffering from the torment of a skin allergy was healed aer prayer. --Many Pakistanis turned their lives over to the Lord, and some who were unemployed said they received jobs the following week because of the prayer of faith.
Deacons in Lahore are excellent bodyguards!
The Eyes in This Photo Tell Stories of Both Desperation and Hope
The Daring TV Set of Pastor Anwar and His Wife Nida in Lahore
When you partner with Exploits Ministry, you help to spread the Gospel on Pakistan’s only 24/7 Christian satellite channel and to educate underprivileged Christian children. Many work in a brick factory because their families cannot afford to send them to school.
Imagine my joy to partner with a church in Pakistan where salvation and healing are preached and where the pastor (photo above) displays ‘Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem’!
Christine welcomed at a mission school supported by Exploits
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem & Exploits Ministry By Christine & Peter Darg A followup to our previous Exploits newsletter concerning our guardianship of a tree at Jerusalem’s Holocaust Memorial is this letter from Buckingham Palace to our ministry partner, Barbara Dingle. Please continue to pray that Prince Philip and the Queen will visit Israel, and perhaps this tree in honour of his mother, Princess Alice, will be a key to their visit! ***** An Orthodox Jew wrote to me on Facebook, quoting the Great Commission in Mark 16: 17, “ese signs will follow those who believe. In my Name they will cast out devils; they shall lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover.” Why, then, he asked, are so many Christians sick? e fault is not with Jesus. Many “unbelieving believers” are not able or willing to demonstrate the Gospel’s power! A true Bible evangelist preaches not only salvation for our souls through faith in the Atonement of Jesus, but also the fact that the Atonement includes healing of our bodies and deliverance from torments. e example of a New Testament evangelist is Philip in Acts 8. He didn’t preach “psychology;” he simply “preached Messiah.” And what was the result? Demons departed with loud shrieks, the lame were healed and great joy erupted in the city. We will not settle for anything less than evangelism as described in the New Testament. In our Gospel Festivals, that’s what happens-cripples walk and evil spirits vacate people. Glory to God! At le, a response card shows a testimony of healing from AIDS during one of our recent Gospel Festivals in India. Hallelu-Yah! What is the Lord’s attitude to sickness? It is righteous anger as well as compassion. He is a willing Healer! What is Jesus’ attitude to demonic activity? He rebukes it! What is Jesus’ attitude to sin? While
the Lord does not condone sin, He forgives those who repent! Our times demand total dedication and determination to develop emotional strength to endure tribulations and hardships. Let’s be courageous and brave to accomplish exploits, separating, as it were, the “men from the boys!” Please pray for greater doors, new finances and New Testament results in our open air meetings! ***** Much contention over Jerusalem orbits around the argument that the city should be divided. Many politicians claim that making eastern Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state would help to create a “peaceful settlement” in the region. e demands at the UN and at the various “peace” conferences always repeat the mantra to divide the holy city. What short memories the world has! Prior to the June 1967 War, the Old City of Jerusalem and the “West Bank” were under Arab
control, illustrated by this Jordanian postage stamp. King Hussein was the former caretaker of the holy sites. During his rule he did not seize the opportunity to change his capital from Amman to Jerusalem. And why was there no peace? e PLO was founded two years before the 1967 war and had already launched 113 terror raids into Israel, all of them against civilians. Postage stamps, it seems, are a faithful witness to failed visions and ventures of men. Let’s continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!