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The Gate Of Heaven

The global COVID-19 pandemic taught us the value of some things we may have previously taken for granted. Among those things is the ability to attend in-person church on a weekly basis. In a matter of weeks, congregations all across the United States and the world were forced to adjust to the harsh realities of a vicious virus and make the shift toward virtual church engagement. Ministries found success at varying degrees, but all of them learned this truth: God’s presence must be perceived and received in place. It’s not enough for people to meet God in a house of worship; they must learn to encounter him wherever they are. 

Before he was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob was a scarred and scared young man on the run. He had stolen his brother’s birthright and blessing as the firstborn, and he would have lost his life if he did not leave home. Afraid and alone, he camps out in a town called Luz, en route to Harran. 

While asleep, Jacob sees a ladder resting on the earth and reaching up to heaven. Angels are ascending and descending on it, and at the top of the ladder is Yahweh, the God of Jacob’s father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. In many biblical revelations, a person is carried off by the Spirit of God into a different place to see God. But Jacob’s dream is different. He sees heaven from earth. He sees heaven on earth. 

And then God speaks. “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac ... I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you,” (Genesis 28:13,15). In a moment, Jacob becomes aware of the presence of the God who was already with him. And this abiding presence of God with him guarantees that the promises of God will be fulfilled in his life. Jacob’s response to Yahweh’s word is fitting: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it ... How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven,” (Genesis 28:16-17). 

Luz is no longer a mere place of rest for Jacob; it is now a place of revelation. He gives the town a name of his own — “Bethel,” meaning “House of God.” He will never forget this place or this encounter. Over two decades later, he will return to Bethel and confirm his covenant with Yahweh. Family, what is your Bethel? What are the places and spaces in your life where you become aware of God’s presence? Is it prayer? Fasting? Scripture memorization and meditation? Singing and dancing before the Lord? Contemplative walks in nature? Solitude and silence? Spiritual conversations with friends? Wherever your Bethel is, have you been there lately? Now is the best time to reconnect with the practices that heighten your senses to the nearness of God, and to even discover new ones. 

But there’s something else we have to see within Jacob’s dream encounter: the pre-incarnate presence of Jesus Christ. Toward the very beginning of his earthly ministry, he tells some of his disciples, “You will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man,” (John 1:51). Jesus Christ was the ladder that Jacob saw connecting heaven and earth! And he continues to be that ladder for all who call on his name. 

May we receive the revelation that Jacob received nearly 4,000 years ago: God is always with us. The gate of heaven is wherever Jesus is. And wherever we are gathered in Jesus’ name, he is there (Matthew 18:20). Bethel is wherever we are. If God is your Father, Jesus Christ is your Lord, and the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, then you are an access point and a meeting place between heaven and earth. What would life be like if you walked in this awareness every moment of every day? 

Listen to the song wherever you find music!