OPEN UP THE GATES!

  “GATES”  OF   HELL 

 

Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”   Let’s take an in-depth look at the word

“gates” in Scripture.  Gates in ancient times were focal points of power.

l.  Business was conducted at the city gates.  Boaz took off his shoe and gave it to the city officials at the gate, officially indicating that he was redeeming Ruth’s possession. - Ruth 4:1-11

2.   Military strategy was planned at the gates.  It was said that a city

     would be open and vulnerable if the gates could be taken.-  Obadiah l:11

3.   Judgments and punishment were delivered at the gates. - Deuteronomy 17:5

4.  The husband of a virtuous woman was known in the gates.    - Proverbs 31:23

5.   Abraham’s nephew, Lot, sat at the gates of Sodom as an elder. -  Genesis 19;1

6.   The safety of a city was determined by the strength of its gates.

7.   When the gates came down, the city was conquered. Nehemiah 1:3

   So the gates of hell in the spirit realm, there are evil magistrates, rulers, and elders “sitting at the gates” all over the world plotting, scheming, strategising, and planning to prevent our churches and our homes from achieving any kind of breakthrough.

  Gates of hell contaminate businesses and social structures to destruction.  They contaminate society, social, education, political and economic of a nation.

  Jesus says “the gates of hell” would not prevail against His church.

They will not prevent, overpower, block, overwhelm, outlast or win against His Church.

What Is a Gate?  A gate is “an opening in a wall or fence; a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures, an area for departure or arrival, a door or controlling passage.”

What Are Hell’s Gates?

The Scriptures describe hell in at least three contexts:

   l. Hell is a literal place or region in the underworld where God will ultimately cast satan, the fallen angels and the souls of humans who chose to reject God’s Son as Saviour and Lord.

2.   Hell can describe a condition. - James 3:6   This  picture of a tongue that is ignited by the fire of hell also gives us a vivid picture of hell itself.

3.   Hell’s gates refers to satan’s earthly seat of power as manifested in the brassy heavens he creates over the heads of men who consistently disobey God willfully live in sin.  Satan is not in hell yet.

     He is the “prince of this world” and the “prince of the power

    of   the air,  the spirit that now worketh in the children of 

    disobedience.”

4.  Jesus was not talking about gates in the underworld.  He was speaking of devilish gates in the heavens over our heads, where satan the adversary actively works to obstruct the dealings of men with God.

 

5.   The gates of hell are where the architects and intelligent principalities of satan devise their schemes, plans, and strategies to stop Christians.  Their chief goals is to isolate our churches and homes, a task they accomplished by seducing us, tricking us, or persuading us to fall into various sins and acts of disobedience.  Wise principalities know the right moves that are needed to distract, discourage, and dishearten us.

6.   Promises of God the power to prevail - Isaiah 45:1-3

 God would break up the gates of brass and cut apart

 the bars

       of iron.

 God said that He would give Cyrus the treasures of darkness

       and the hidden riches of secret places.

Where Are All My Blessings?? Satan steal our blessings and

he doesn’t destroy them because he doesn’t have the power or authority to do so.  He locks away these “treasures in darkness, and hidden riches of secret places.”

What are these treasures and riches?

              James says: “every good gift and every perfect gift is from  

               above ….. James 1:17

God’s Plan concerning gates.

  Genesis 22:17 _”they seed shall possess the gate of his   

     enemies.”

            Isaiah 28:5,6 - “ for strength to them that turn the battle to

               the gate.”

 

Psalms 24:7-10

7 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, invincible in battle. 9 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. 10 Who is the King of glory? The LORD Almighty -- he is the King of glory. Interlude

 “Lift up your heads, O gates!” who is the psalmist talking to here? Gates don’t have heads. Are we the gates? The gates of God, the gates for God. Are we the ‘ancient doors’? Do we need to lift ourselves up to God fully? Well, yes, of course we do.

           “If we will turn the battle to hell’s gate, He will supply the strength for the battle.  The devil is busy hindering Christians by getting to live in sin and disobedience.  Then he stole our most precious treasures and locks them away.   But the Seed of Jesus shall possess the gate of the enemies.  “Lift up O ancient gates” – these are gates of grace and gates of glory – that is where King Jesus will enter. 

When we allow the gates of glory to come into our life gates – all other gates of hell will be broken and God’s glory shall come and dwell.  Then treasure in darkness shall be expose and hidden riches of blessings in secret places will be manifest.  That is where the miracles and blessings of God is.  SO OPEN UP AND LET THE KING OF GLORY ENTER IN!  INVITE KING JESUS INTO OUR LIVES AND WE SHALL POSSESS THE GATES OF THE ENEMIES.

ANONYMOUS WRITER