“Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.” Ezek. 43:1-2. God’s glory always comes from the east. Just as the sun comes from the east with life and warmth, so the Father of spirits comes from the east with His love, life and light. The perfect law of liberty rises in the east. Blessed is every man who looks into it. Why does hope always come from the east? Because the darkest night must give way to the sun rising in the east. The watchman waits for the morning, for light from the east. While he waits, he hopes for the coming of this light and life that will release him. The light from the east enlightens our darkness. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matt. 2:2. Happy is every soul who finds this star in the east. If he understands and believes, it will become wisdom for him, just as it became wisdom for the wise men from the East. “And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.” Ezek. 43:4. If, like the watchman, our mind is eagerly awaiting the morning, the glory of the Lord will come into our hearts through this gate of hope. How good it is in every difficulty to have your face turned toward Him from whom your help comes. To rely on people is the same as turning your expectation toward the west. For thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer. 17:5-8. The direction in which you turn on the day of need is very significant. If you turn to people, your soul will become parched and will languish; you will shed tears and no one will care. Once we turn our back on the rising sun by setting our hope on something from the west, the sun has no other option than to turn its back on us. However, if we turn to the Lord, to the east, His glory will enter through our gates, and His footsteps will drip with abundance. Then our roots are planted by a life-giving fountain and our leaves are bathed in the light of the sun! We bear fruit in its season—blessed and nourishing fruits. So, dear soul, make sure you position yourself correctly in relationship to your great Savior and Helper. For without Him we can do absolutely nothing. “The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Ezek. 43:5. When we turn inward and take God’s kingdom by force, don’t we find that the glory of the Lord fills the house? We need this fullness of God’s Spirit in our inner being so that we can rejoice in His truth, His judgments and His sufferings and death. Glorious resurrection power! Blessed is every soul who in this power allows himself to be led and driven into all truth. He will become a stranger to his mother’s children; he will be misjudged and misunderstood by his brothers. But he will be known by the Father and the Son, and They will come to him and manifest Themselves to him. The Spirit will lift him up and bring him into the temple, precisely because he has given everything to make progress in the kingdom of God. Listen, you enemy of the cross of Christ! You may think that you can soak up the sun and bathe in God’s light, but let it be known that these glorious treasures are only for those who love the Lord’s judgments and who daily take up their cross. These are the ones who testify earnestly and enthusiastically about this glory, and there is salt and savor in their testimony. The person who merely seeks God’s glories while energetically avoiding judgment and truth is like a man who only wants pleasure but does not want to work. Such people will end up in poverty. Their end will be corruption. Throughout my life I have met many who have gathered a flock of souls around themselves and have fed these souls promises without conditions and without the cross. Nonetheless, the result has always been in accordance with Jeremiah 17:10-11. “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.” Haven’t we often seen shepherds who have unrighteously acquired riches? They have seized these treasures without paying the price and then have allowed their young to partake of the same easily-acquired treasures. But isn’t it also true, as we have so often seen, that they were forced to forsake their riches while still in the prime of their life and have ended up as fools??? God’s Word stands fast. Dear soul, pay the price. Buy (pay for) gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed. Rev. 3:18. Don’t say that you are rich and have become wealthy when you haven’t paid the price. Because then, without knowing it, you are actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Rev. 3:17. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14 (Norw.).Johan O. Smith