HOUSE OF GOD – GATE OF HEAVEN

This is none other than the HOUSE of GOD, and this is the GATE of HEAVEN!”  – Genesis 28: 17

Although God’s House is more than a place, there is truth in Jacob’s description of God’s House as the GATE of HEAVEN: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the HOUSE of GOD, and this is the gate of heaven!” (vv.16-17). Jacob was on the run, in the middle of a five-hundred mile journey across a foreign land, but he remained under the watchful eye – the omniscient surveillance – of the Almighty. His earthly parents did not know what he was going through, but the heavenly Father did.

As the young man entered into sleep, with a stone being the best pillow he could lay his head upon, he received a vision. He saw a dynamic connection between heaven and earth, “a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven…” (v.12). The angels were not only ascending into heaven, but also descending to the earth, where they serve God among His people: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psa.91:11). Jacob went from being unaware of God’s presence, to becoming vibrantly aware of God in His midst. Upon waking from his dream, he called the place Bethel, which means “house of God.”

Jacob’s location seemed to be ordinary and natural until he had the heavenly encounter. That is the same with most local assemblies of believers, whether it is in a home, under a tree, in a temporary shed, a permanent auditorium or a prominent cathedral. At the least, the Lord sees His Church thus: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Mt.18:20). The essence of the Church is not in the multitude gathered, the physical beauty, environmental comfort or grandeur of the edifice. What authenticates the Church is the spiritual communion between the Lord and two or more of His saints. Even when our local churches do not look awesome or magnificent, every true local assembly of believers represents the GATE of HEAVEN!

A gate is a transition place; in this case a connection point between heaven and earth, where heaven’s activity touched earth and God’s presence changed the natural realm. Today, the Church provides such connection as the Gate of Heaven! The Church offers heaven’s access to earth’s dwellers – Salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, through grace. The Lord of the Church says: “I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jh.14:6). Acts 4:12 declares: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Church is the witness that connects the generality of humanity to divinity. The Church is where spiritual sense is made of the prayer: “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt.6:10).

Jacob’s encounter is for us, a message of encouragement. We may recall moments in life when we had felt troubled, discouraged or disconnected. But our trouble does not equal trouble to the Lord. God remains at His best even on what we might call our “worst days.” Jacob’s dream caused a shift in his awareness that changed his perspective, enabled him to believe, and gave him a picture of the reality of God’s activity on the earth. The Lord reminded Jacob where he had come from and infused his perspective with a promise of what his life would look like: an established, ever-increasing family that would be a blessing to those around him, and territory larger than he could imagine as a dwelling place. God reminded him through this unique encounter that even in his dire state, there was a connection between heaven and earth. The Lord is sending the same reminder to us: Welcome to the House of God. Welcome to your heavenly connection!