Gateway to Heaven

UV 555/10,000 Genesis 28 v 17 Gateway or Getaway ? Genesis 28 v 17 : “ He was afraid and said, “ How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven.” If we remove the letter ‘ f’ from the word “ life” we get the word ‘lie.’ A life without faith in the living God is a lie or a series of lies. When we are restored to faith and a right relationship with God, we are restored to life. Faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a gateway to heaven. Anything else is a getaway from reality and the truth. Jacob, the young man, who robbed his elder brother’s birthrights, was trying to get away from the truth and run away from reality. But, His encounter with truth in a dream at Bethel, restored him to a right relationship with God. Jacob, the deceiver becomes transformed into Jacob, the believer. When we are in right relationship with God by faith in His Son Jesus, we encounter the Truth with a capital “T”. The Truth tested in life becomes testimony or evidence of God. Our bodies and lives become the “ house of God” or Bethel. Our lives become awesome. Our hearts become the gate to heaven. The gates of heaven are the praise and worship of God. He will communicate with us as He did with Jacob through dreams and visions. It is written that Heaven’s gates are made of a single pearl. A pearl is formed out of the secretions of the oyster in reaction to pain and irritation caused by a particle of dust. Similarly, our past and present troubles become the gateway of heaven or reasons to praise God for their miraculous resolution or for divine intervention. Our faith interacting with our challenges, problems and persecution will lead to “ secretions” that will cause our spiritual growth to maturity. When we are in right relationship with God, our lives become the points in eternity where angels descend and ascend. When we are at rest, they encamp around us as at Mahamaiyam, the camp of angels. When we engage in prayer, praise and worship, they climb the stairway of Heaven. They ascend to carry our prayers, petitions, praise, honour and thanksgiving to the Lord of the heavens, the earth and Heaven. They descend to bring back answers, solutions and blessings from the Lord. Right relationship with God through faith enables two way communication between God and us. Jacob was afraid as the dream shook him to his roots. But, we need to rejoice as we gently, slowly and surely send down our roots into the seed-bed of faith in the presence and promises of God. Prateep V Philip