Jacob Had a Dream...
Genesis 28:10-17 (ESV)
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 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.”
After Jacob had found a place to sleep he had a dream about a ladder that reached to Heaven. On that ladder Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and descending between Heaven and earth. This ladder was indeed the “gate of heaven”. Angels of God would descend and enter our world and then ascend back into the paradise of God upon completing their divine tasks of strengthening, guiding, and protecting. It was from this place that all promised blessings would flow; and it was from this place that God had promised Jacob that he would multiply his seed and that He would be with Jacob, and protect Jacob, wherever Jacob were to go.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly where to go to meet God and behold the Heavenly hosts? Wouldn’t it be nice to know where the “gate of heaven” resided so that we might go there and gain perhaps just a glimpse of the eternal to find refreshing, hope, healing, and peace in our souls? A place where we could lay our burdens and requests before all of Heaven and hear the very voice of God… Wouldn’t that be nice?
The good news is that there is such a place. However, it’s not a place in relation to a specific location or geography. No, it’s a place found only in the presence of a person. When addressing Nathanael, Jesus said…
John 1:51 (ESV)
And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
As with Jacob’s dream, Nathanael would actually see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man, Jesus. What Jesus is revealing is that He is the very gate of heaven. It is by His authority that every angel of God enters our world. And one can only find refreshing, hope, healing, and peace in Him. In His presence is fullness of joy. It is before Him that we can lay all our burdens and make our all requests before all of Heaven. It is only through Him that we can hear the very voice of God.
And here’s the good news. The Spirit of Christ resides in the heart of the believer. You have full access to Heaven through Christ who is in you. A direct connection to Heaven. A spiritual “ladder” if you will. And it is through this connection that blessings, promises, peace, hope, healing, refreshing, visions, dreams, and spiritual gifts will flow. And if the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of Man who dwells within our hearts… do they do they not then ascend into Heaven and descend to the earth through us? Are we not keepers of the very gate of Heaven and all its glorious power? Do we not have authority to tread over serpents, scorpions, and all the power of the enemy? Do we not have the authority and power to speak grace, forgiveness, and healing into the lives of those seeking a deeper touch from God? All of this is a reality reckoned through faith because it is no longer we who live, but rather it is Christ who lives within us? And if this is true… why do we feel so cut off from Heaven? Why do we feel like Heaven is so far away? Why do we feel like our prayers aren’t heard? The truth is, no matter what the enemy tells us, we are keepers of the very Gate of Heaven. We bear Christ and His Gospel .
So now… let me ask you… Can you see the unseen reality that resides in you? Is not Christ living in you? Do you not see the angels???
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