Nehemiah 3 tells of the ten gates of the Jerusalem wall as they are rebuilt by the Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the Medo-Persian Empire defeated the Babylonian Empire. After the end of the Babylonian Empire, the Persian king Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. It is believed by some that Cyrus was part Jewish. This rebuilt temple is sometimes referred to as Zerubbabel’s temple since Zerubbabel was the governor and leader of Judah who led a group of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. (II Chronicles 36:22-23 22 ¶ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.) Nehemiah led the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem and the gates. Each of the ten gates has a meaning and God had them rebuilt in a specific order for a reason. Each of the gates in some way points to Jesus and our relationship with him. The ten gates listed are built in a counterclockwise order from the north wall starting with the sheep gate. Notice where the gates are located and what they represent. Just as numbers and colors in scripture have meaning, so do compass directions in scripture such as north, west, south, and east and the gates will show them. North represents death as all are born spiritually dead, thus the sheep gate brings salvation, west represents harvest of the seed seen in the fish gate as fishers of men win souls, south represents life as the dung gate cleanses sin from us, and east means Jesus Christ as seen in the various gates of the east such as the second coming of Jesus in the east gate. The circumference of the ten gates was approximately 2.5 miles and enclosed about 220 acres. People of all backgrounds and occupations helped rebuild the wall and gates, just as the church of God and the body of Christ is made up of a diverse background of people and occupations and Jesus wants all to work for him.
Modern Jerusalem only has eight gates: new gate, Damascas gate, Herod’s gate, lion’s gate, golden gate (sealed up), dung gate, Zion gate, Jaffa gate. The new Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each side, named for the twelve tribes of Israel. (Revelation 21:12-13 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.) The wall of Nehemiah’s day may have had ten gates since ten represents the law and the purpose of the law was to show we are sinners and to point us to Jesus as each of the gates did.
The first gate that was rebuilt on the wall surrounding Jerusalem was the sheep gate. [verses 1-2] This gate was rebuilt by the priests. (Nehemiah 3:1 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; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.) The sheep gate represents salvation with it representing Jesus who as the Lamb of God is the only way of salvation. The sheep gate was the only gate that was sanctified to be holy as it represents salvation from Jesus. This gate pointed to the first coming of Jesus who died for us on that cross, was buried, and rose again from the grave on the third day so that we may have salvation. (John 1:29 ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.) (John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) We must always start with concern for the salvation of the lost, for without salvation, it does not matter what a person does. Without salvation a person no matter how good they are will spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire. The lost must enter the sheep gate in order to pass through the door of Jesus in order to be saved. The priests understood the priority of salvation, which is why this was the first gate rebuilt, and I pray that all who hear this sermon (message) will also see the priority and need for their own salvation as well as others. A person must be saved first before they can pass through the other spiritual gates in their order as given. The sheep gate was also the gate that animals such as sheep were brought through for the animal sacrifices that were necessary for worship. The sheep gate was located on the northeast corner of the wall.
The second gate rebuilt was the fish gate. [verses 3-5] (Nehemiah 3:3 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.) The fish gate represents Christians as being fishers of men or at least they should be. This gate is a reminder for Christians to tell others about Jesus and to bring others to Jesus such as here to church. Jesus told the two fishermen, Peter and his brother Andrew, to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.) Let us all become fishers of men just as these two men were. Those who win souls are wise. (Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.) A person cannot become a fisher of men without first having passed through the sheep gate of salvation. The fish gate was the gate used by fishermen to bring their fish into Jerusalem to the market.
The third gate rebuilt was the old gate. [verses 6-12] (Nehemiah 3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.) The old gate was in the northwest corner of the wall and along with the sheep gate and fish gate were the three gates on the north wall. Some show the old gate on the western side of the wall. It is believed the old gate was named as such since it was the old gate into Salem or early Jerusalem as the city was originally called. The old gate was rebuilt by the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem and his daughters as well as goldsmiths, apothecaries [a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs, such as a pharmacist], and other diverse persons. The old gate reminds us to get rid of our old sinful nature that is contrary to God and follow the old paths of righteousness. (Romans 6:6 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.)The old man is our old sinful nature.(Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.) As a Christian seeks to grow, they should have less sin in their lives and they should be seeking the old ways of God.
The fourth gate rebuilt was the valley gate. (Nehemiah 3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.) The valley gate was on the western part of the wall and led to the Tyropoeon Valley, also known as the Outer Valley or some sources say it led to the Hinnom Valley. The valley gate represents us learning to be meek and humble. Many young Christians start all excited and on fire for the Lord as they should be. Unfortunately, all Christians will eventually have a period where they are low in spirits and down in the valley. They feel as if things are no longer going their way and God has abandoned them. This is the time that God really teaches us to grow for him so that we can serve him better. A Christian must experience the valley and its trials in order to reach the mountain top. Jesus said in (Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.) Just as very little in nature grows on mountain tops, but much grows in valleys, so do we as Christians when we are in the valley. A person must spend time in the valley in order to reach the mountain top. God knows we will feel as though we do not need him if we are always on the mountain top. Being in the valley humbles us to rely on him and also helps us to have compassion for others who may be in the valley.
The fifth gate rebuilt was the dung gate. (Nehemiah 3:14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth–haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.) This gate was on the southern part of the wall. The filth of Jerusalem (dung) such as the rubbish, manure [dung], and waste was carried out of the city through this gate to the valley of Hinnom where it was burnt. This represents the reminder for all Christians to constantly be cleaning the sin out of their lives so that we may be holy before God. (II Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.) Paul himself said all things in his life were dung, so he could grow in Christ. (Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,) Just as our bodies were initially cleansed by the washing of our sins away by the blood of Jesus at the time of our salvation, our bodies need to be constantly cleansed by prayer, reading the word of God, and having a healthy fear of God. A Christian has just gone through the valley gate and now God seeks to get rid of the dung in their life so they can proceed to the next gate of their spiritual growth and life. The dung gate was rebuilt by only one person as each person must get rid of their own sin in order to cleanse their lives. A person must let the Holy Ghost lead them so they will do the will of God.
The sixth gate rebuilt was the gate of the fountain. [verses 15-25] (Nehemiah 3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col–hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.) The gate of the fountain was on the eastern side of the wall as are all of the rest of the ten gates. The gate of the fountain is very close to the dung gate and leads to the Kidron Valley and was near the pool of Siloam which was used by people for cleaning themselves before entering the temple. Water from the Gihon Spring entered the Siloam tunnel to the pool of Siloam and this is where the name of the gate comes from. The gate was close to the dung gate since it represents us receiving the Holy Ghost as the living water that Jesus promised and is represented in the feast of tabernacles. A Christian in their walk after going through the valley gate, gets rid of the dung [sin] in their lives by going through the dung gate, and then goes through the gate of the fountain and receives the living water of the Holy Ghost as our faith grows and should flow living water to show the world Jesus. (John 7:38-39 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) This gate was rebuilt by rulers and Levites just as Jesus who is the King of kings will rebuild our lives by us obeying the Holy Ghost.
The seventh gate was the water gate. [verses 26-27] (Nehemiah 3:26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.) The water gate was located near the gate of the fountain as the two of them are associated. The water gate led to the Gihon Spring, the main source of water for Jerusalem. The water gate was never repaired or rebuilt. The water gate represents the word of God [scripture, Holy Bible] which needs no repairs [King James Bible is perfect] and will water our lives and cleanse us if we read it, study it, and allow the Holy Ghost of the gate of the fountain to convict us of our sin so we will obey the word of God and grow. The Holy Ghost wrote it and will bring it alive for the Christian who wants to grow. The word of God will wash and cleanse us of our sin as we read it and absorb it. (Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.) (Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,) Ezra read the law before the people in front of the water gate. This gate was chosen by God for Ezra to read here since it represents the word of God which the people wanted to hear. The area near the water gate must have been large in order to have all of the people here. The word of God is also large as it has the answers to everything in life and for eternal life. (Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.)
The eighth gate repaired was the horse gate. (Nehemiah 3:28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.) The horse gate was near the horse stables of the king that were ridden out of Jerusalem for war. The horse gate along with the east gate and the gate Miphkad were all close together and were located on the northeast part of the eastern side of the wall. The horse gate represents the fact that Christians, especially those trying to grow and serve the Lord are in a spiritual warfare against Satan and his angels. Every Christian is in a spiritual war whether they know it or not, but it is especially bad for those serving Jesus. As we read the word of God of the water gate and obey it, we will encounter greater warfare. (Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.) This gate should remind Christians to be good soldiers for Jesus and to always be ready and equipped to fight. (Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.)
The ninth gate rebuilt was the east gate. [verses 29-30] (Nehemiah 3:29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.) The east gate, as all of the gates on the eastern wall, overlooks the Kidron Valley and faces the mount of olives. The east gate was the gate the people entered through on their way to the temple to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices. The east gate is called Beautiful in Acts 3:2. (Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;) In Hebrew this gate is known as the gate of mercy. This gate represents the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus entered Jerusalem through the east gate on Palm Sunday during his triumphant entry. The east gate was sealed closed by the Muslims in 1540 and a cemetery put in front of it to try and prevent the return of Jesus. Ezekiel prophesied of this in Ezekiel 44. (Ezekiel 44:1-3 1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.) Jesus will reenter this gate at his second coming after coming back to earth with all of his saints (all true Christians) on white horses and touching down on the mount of olives. No cemetery or walled up gate will prevent Jesus from opening and entering through the east gate as the triumphant King. The east gate should be a reminder for all Christians to long for the soon return of the second coming of Jesus.
The tenth gate rebuilt was the gate Miphkad. (Nehemiah 3:31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.) The gate Miphkad was located on the northeastern most part of the wall and was were the elders sat and judged the people. The gate Miphkad represents the bema judgment seat of Christ which all Christians must appear before to determine if their works will be burnt up or they will receive rewards and crowns from Jesus. (II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.) Only works done for Jesus with a righteous motive will count with all others being burnt up. (I Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.) Tradition says that David inspected his troops at this gate. This is what Jesus will do with our lives at the judgment seat of Christ, so let our lives shine for Jesus. This gate reminds Christians to spend our time for the Lord for things that will count in eternity and not for the things that will be burnt up here on earth.
After the gate Miphkad, those repairing the wall and gates returned back to the sheep gate. (Nehemiah 3:32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.) This final repair was done by the goldsmiths and merchants. Goldsmiths work with gold which is refined. Gold represents deity and God refines Christians as they travel through the gates. By returning to the sheep gate, it represents us returning to the cross where our spiritual journey all started with our salvation at the cross of Jesus. This is a reminder for all Christians that their sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus at the cross and that we are now sinners saved by grace and not works. (I John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.) (Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.) May all who have heard this sermon be on this spiritual journey through these ten gates. If there is anyone here today or anyone who is listening to this video who has not passed through the sheep gate of salvation, may today be the day of salvation before it is too late.
