http://www.lamblion.com/articles/pro...ral/bpg-06.php

This is interesting for those studying Bible Prophecy. I was not aware that the Eastern Gate to Jeruselum had been permanently closed for over 400 years.

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"Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him." Luke 8:25

Were you aware that the Jewish state of Israel ceased to exist in about 74 C.E. and was only just resurrected by Britain and the West after WW2?

As usual, I'll take the centrist Christian stance. Now first of all, those who wish to take a literal view of the entire Bible have every right to do so and I admit that, since such a belief is one of faith rather than reason, it cannot be proven, but it also cannot be disproven. As a Christian, I hold many such beliefs myself.
Having stated that, I would point out a possibility about that essay and the part of the prophecy it deems fulfilled. This is from the above link:

Legends abound as to why Suleiman closed the Gate. The most believable one is that while the walls were being rebuilt, a rumor swept Jerusalem that the Messiah was coming. Suleiman called together some Jewish rabbis and asked them to tell him about the Messiah. They described the Messiah as a great military leader who would be sent by God from the east. He would enter the Eastern Gate and liberate the city from foreign control.

Suleiman then decided to put an end to Jewish hopes by ordering the Eastern Gate sealed. He also put a Muslim cemetery in front of the Gate, believing that no Jewish holy man would defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery.

A Prophetic Symbol

The Gate has remained sealed since that time. The Muslim cemetery still blocks the entrance. The old walled city has eight gates, and the Eastern Gate, and it alone, is sealed — just as prophesied in Ezekiel 44. The world would call that an "amazing coincidence." I call it a "God-incidence."

The Eastern Gate is proof positive that the Bible is the Word of God. Its sealing is clear evidence that we are living in the end times. The Gate awaits the return of the Messiah. Then and only then, will it be opened.

The writer is wrong in his assertions in the final paragraph, since Suleiman did not seal the Eastern Gate, according to the theory presented, until after he had himself heard that the Messiah was supposed to enter through it. Had he not known of the prophecy, his decision could be seen as proof beyond all reasonable doubt of the infallible nature of at least the passages in question, but he most likely did know of the prophecies, so he fulfilled them because he knew about them. In other words, one could believe that Suleiman sealed the Eastern Gate because he was preordained to do so to fulfill a divine prophecy, or one could believe that, only because of his belief in the truth of the prophecy, he took what seemed to him a logical step to maintain his own power.
Ultimately, therefore, the truth or lack of truth in a literal interpretation of the Biblical passages in question rests solely on whether Suleiman's own belief in their literal truth was correct. Logically, it is equally likely to be true or false. Personally, I believe in the Second Coming, but I see it as a pantheistic union of all things with God, Whom I believe simultaneously to be the ultimate substance of all things. That may be an unconventional viewpoint, but that is what I believe. At the same time, it is equally likely that a more conventional view of the Second Coming is correct. I'm just pointing out that nothing has been proven.

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"Some people complain about the system. The system is not good, so they can't do anything. It's an excuse. Freedom is in your heart." (Jin Xing)

YES

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"Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him." Luke 8:25

Thanks for the background! I haven't read the above article from Lamb and Lion, but they are typically not the sensational articles that permeate the web most of the time. Nor are they very short... lol Usually they're pretty solid. (the writer has a grad degree from Harvard...) Nevertheless, I believe the Eastern Gate thing to be kinda neat, but it's not the most important or clear item in Bible prophecy by a looooong shot.

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