The Ephraim Gate
The Ephraim Gate did not need restoration, for it was already intact. Ephraim means "double fruitfulness." Anything that is "double" means requires a previous measure as a reference point for the doubling. The double fruitfulness of today's Church is measured against the original fruitfulness of the early Church.
This gate in the Church is not restored, but rather fulfilled. The Ephraim Gate was also associated with the Feast of Tabernacles (Ne. 8:16-18), which is God's pattern for the last day harvest. The focal day of this feast was the Day of Atonement (Le.16:2,12-17), which also has a spiritual fulfilment in the Church (Re. 8:1-5). As His Church, we are called not only to be fruitful, but doubly fruitful (Jn. 15:1-8; 14:12).
The Gate of the Guard
This gate (also called the King's Gate because it led to the palace) also needed no repairs (see Ne. 3:29; 12:39). There were two kinds of guards: the guards at all the gates (7:1-3) and the keepers at the Guard Gate (7:45,73). This last kind were not simply recruited, but appointed as a lineage, just like the priests, singers and temple servants (Ne. 10:28-29,39; 12:45-47; 13:4-5).
Read (1 Chr. 9:17-26). The responsibilities of the gate-keepers (as an order within the temple) were to:
Guard the thresholds of "the Tent" - the Temple (verses 19-25).
Responsible for the rooms and treasures in the house of God (verse 26; Ro.11:33; Col. 2:2-3).
Had charge of the key for opening each morning (verse 27; Lk. 11:52; Mt. 16:19).
Had charge of the articles used in temple service (verse 28).
Were assigned to take care of the furnishings and consumables (verse 29).
One particular man set apart as a gatekeeper was Obed-Edom (read 2 Sa. 6:12; 1 Chr. 13:13; 15:18,19,24; 16:4-5,37-38).
The gatekeepers were those who had such an experience of the riches of God's presence that they devoted their whole lives to ushering others into the presence of God ( Ps. 84:10).
The East Gate
"Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs" (Ne. 3:29).
The East Gate was another gate that needed no repair. It was the middle of the three gates that led into the Temple compound - the other two being the Water Gate and the Gate of the Guard - and had a special prophetic significance for the people of Israel (Eze. 47:1; 10:1-5,15-19) and represented two things:
The Coming of the Glory of the Lord (Eze. 43:1-5; Isa. 6:1-4).
The Coming of the Lord of Glory - both the First Coming (Ze. 9:9-10; Lk. 19:29-49; 21:37-38; Eze.44:1-2) and the Second Coming (Mt.24:27; Ze. 14:3).
The week before His crucifixion, Jesus spent each night on the Mount of Olives . Each morning he would enter through the East Gate (Mt. 24:1-3; Mk. 13:1-4). He later ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12) and will return the same way He left (verses 10-11; Eze. 11:1-3,23). At that time He will again pass through the East Gate into the city of Jerusalem (Psalm 24).
