Deuteronomy 12:5 says, “But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God shall choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.” The place the Father chose for the manifestation of His Son to mankind was a humble stable in a small town, Bethlehem. Personally, I believe the Lord chooses a place that will test the hearts of people. Will we humble ourselves and come to an undesirable place in man’s eyes where the Lord has chosen to establish His name and reveal His glory?
According to Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, a city gate was “a massive wooden door in a city wall through which traffic passed… these gates were opened during the day to allow the city’s citizens to come and go. But they were generally closed at night as a safety measure. In the event of attack, the gates were closed and barred to keep out the enemy… Because of their central location, gates were often spoken of in the Bible as symbols of power and authority. God promised Abraham that his descendants would possess the gates of their enemies (Genesis 22:17).”
In Genesis 28:10-17, we are given the account of Jacob’s encounter with God while on the way to Bethel. Verse 11 tells us that he came to “a certain place” where he decided to stop on his journey. That night he had a dream in which he saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder that was set on the earth and reached up into heaven.
At an unexpected place on his journey, the Lord reveals Himself to Jacob in a dream. To his surprise, he is shown that where he is sleeping just happens to be the chosen place of the Lord’s gateway. It would be His house (which Jacob would call Bethel), His dwelling, His avenue for ascending and descending between heaven and earth. It would be in this place where a way would be built up (symbolized by the ladder) for the Lord to come down upon.
You see, the gate, or gateway of the Lord is the place through which He chooses to come. The Bible says that when His Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Often man will try to bring this through forceful coercion in the flesh at a place of his own choosing.
The gatekeepers are those who have been entrusted by God with the power and authority to open or close the “gate,” Jesus Christ, for others. If their hearts have closed off the way of the Lord within them, it will be closed for others as well. If the world doesn’t see Jesus through His chosen ones, they simply will not see Him. He comes through the open doorway established by His obedient servants. These gateways of the Lord are specific locations where He wills to come through, blessing those who will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to come and enter in. In Biblical times, the one who controlled the gates controlled the city. Spiritually speaking, it is the same today.
To possess the gate speaks of occupying by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place. At the place the Lord tells us, we are to seize the enemy’s gates, expelling the demonic guards and taking possession in the name of Christ. The blessing of possessing is ours through faith in Jesus.
There is a place in Cedar Springs where God has chosen to establish His name. It is an unexpected place where man will once again have to humble himself and come. Only those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear will, like Jacob, have its location revealed to them. Some will try to claim this well for their own. The Lord will openly deal with their rebellion.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. (For more revelation on this subject see chapter 14, “Gates And Gatekeepers,” in my book “The Resurrected Bride” at http://capstone-ministries.com/books.html.)
Tim Bauer, Capstone Ministries
