Opening the Gates

The Bible speaks of many different types of gates. Possibly, the most famous gates spoken of in the Bible are the gates of hell. In Matthew 16:18, KJV.  Jesus states to the Apostle Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” In the Greek, the word for gates is “pylai”, which is plural for gate. So, we’re speaking about more than one gate of hell. In reality, there are many gates to hell. Yet, beyond the physical structure of each individual gate, there’s the spiritual implication of what that gate represents, which in the minds of those present was a place of authority, meeting, or power. In that context, I want to talk about opening the gates that have been closed for so long that no one thinks of them as gates any longer. Rather, believers see those gates as walls. And it’s time for those walls to fall and the gates to be opened for God’s people to flow in God’s purpose.            

God’s purpose for His people, although multifaceted, has an overwhelming theme, which is revealed in and through the gospel, which is to restore His blessing to ALL mankind. Yes, it’s God’s will to bless everyone. God isn’t looking to curse His creation. No, He’s been working for generations to restore His blessing to mankind. The culmination of God’s purpose to restore His blessing to ALL mankind came through the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and continuing priesthood and kingship of His Son, Jesus, who is described in Matthew 1:1 as both “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” That was (and is) God’s plan to restore His blessing to mankind. 

What stopped the blessing of God? Sin. Mankind’s sin not only caused the fall of mankind but gradually removed God’s blessing from mankind. We see that truth in the gospel preached by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. Clearly, that message ignited the New Testament Church. Hence, it must be of extreme importance in the purpose and plan of God. How does the Apostle Peter conclude His message to the Jewish people present on Pentecost. We have what he said: “God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:26,  KJV.  Yes, God’s blessing is connected to us turning from iniquity. That message has largely been lost by the Church. Nevertheless, it’s true.

We cannot continue in our sin and receive God’s blessing. No matter how much we preach grace, believe in grace, and teach grace, the truth still remains — the blessing of God turns us, everyone, from our sins so we can we receive the blessings God has stored up for us. God’s desire to bless us, therefore, is connected to us turning from our sin. Anyone who preaches anything else is preaching error. The New Covenant, although it replaces the Old Covenant under grace, it doesn’t do away with the Old Covenant. What do I mean? The law remains, but grace supersedes the law for those under grace. For grace to supersede the law in our lives, we must live under grace. Grace is given to us to turn us from sin. Sin was, and still is, the primary thing that stops God’s blessing (and blessings) in our lives.

“We MUST open the gates to establish the authority of Christ in the Earth.  That is our responsibility.”—Scott Wallis

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul uses two mountains to convey this concept of law and grace — Sinai and Jerusalem. Sinai represents the law and Jerusalem represents grace. Both mountains are gates of power and authority. Mountains in scripture are connecting points to God. We see that truth conveyed in Genesis 28:12, NLT, with Jacob receiving a dream with a ladder: “As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.” After that dream, Jacob realizes, where he is — the seat of God’s authority and he becomes afraid; he knows he’s supposed to tread lightly: “But he was also afraid and said, ‘What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!’” Genesis 28:17, NLT. Right here, we see the connection between mountains and gates.

Two of the prominent mountains in the Old Covenant are Mount Ebal and Mount Getizim. Both mountains can be seen in Deuteronomy 11:29, NLT, “When the LORD your God brings you into the land and helps you take possession of it, you must pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.” Why did God bring Israel to those two mountains? To prominently place in their minds an understanding of His covenant promise: “Take note — I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments and turn from the way I am setting before you today to pursue other gods you have not known.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28, Net Bible. 

Sinai, Jerusalem, Ebal, Gerizim, and Bethel (where Jacob dreamed about the ladder between heaven and earth). All are mountains. And all are gates. At each place, something is opened and closed. The law is given at Sinai. Jerusalem is the City of God, which King David took from the Jebusites. Later, it became known as the City of David. The Apostle Paul uses Jerusalem to convey a spiritual truth: Grace has authority over the law, as is revealed through Sinai and Jerusalem, as is also revealed through Hagar and Sarah. As Sarah had authority over Hagar, and Jerusalem has authority over Sinai, so also does Grace have authority over law. Ebal revealed the curse and Gerizim the blessing. At each place we see each mountain representing authority over a particular important truth in scripture.

Are you seeing what I’m saying? Yes, we must go back to the gates where doors are opened and closed so we can receive what God is offering us. Each gate is a place of authority where God gave mankind specific spiritual truths. When God gives revelation to us, he’s giving us spiritual authority in that area. In the New Testament this can be seen in three mountains: Mount Moriah (Calvary), where Father Abraham offered Isaac and Father God offered His Son, Jesus; Mount Hermon, where Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”, Matthew 16:18, KJV;  and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus is physically promised to return. See Acts 1:11. My point: Each mountain reveals a spiritual truth. That spiritual truth releases spiritual authority to us over those areas — The Cross, The Church, and The Return of Christ. 

I hope you’re hearing what I’m saying — we must approach these mountains to wrestle with the truths conveyed at those mountains, for each mountain is a gate that opens to us spiritual authority we need to live and walk in this world. God is calling us to open the gates so we can gain understanding of those spiritual truths. We must open the gates and not close them at this time in history. God has already opened those gates by revealing to us the spiritual truth corresponding to each gate. Now, we must choose to open the gate of each spiritual truth conveyed. That’s our decision. The revelation has been given. Now, we must go to that gate to receive the authority offered by each truth. We must open the gates to establish the authority of Christ in the earth. That’s our responsibility. Are you ready to open the gates? God has already said, “I Am”.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis