“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” Matthew 24:10
In the book of Genesis, after reading the sad commentary of fallen humanity in the days of Noah, we find that God instructed him to build an ark according to God’s specifications. In the side of that ark, Noah was to make a large door. Now this door was for the many animals that were to be received into the ark, but also, and principally, for Noah’s family. That door would become the one passage way for anything, whether man or beast, to be saved from the coming flood. For a time, it would be a door of opportunity, of passage, of entrance. However, there would come a day and an hour when, “…the Lord shut him in.” (Gen. 7:16) God would close and seal that door to all who had no initial interest in coming in, much like the five virgins of Jesus’ parable who did not ready themselves to respond to the coming of the bridegroom.
The greatest “door” mentioned in Scripture is not made of wood, or of brass. It is an eternal door which does not age, or ever diminish in its capacity and design, to provide a point of entrance into the kingdom of God. It was the Lord Jesus who said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (Jn. 10:9) This eternal door, which is Christ, is the ONLY point of entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The Lord made this very clear when He said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (Jn. 14:6)
There are other doors mentioned in the Bible, and these could be in the form of gates or doors. In Isaiah 46, God spoke of His commissioning of Cyrus, the King of Persia. Cyrus would say “…to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the Temple, thy foundation shall be laid.” God declares to Cyrus that in order to do this, he will not only anoint Cyrus, take him by the right hand to lead and provide for him, but will subdue nations before him. It is then that the Lord will speak to Cyrus concering the opening the “two leaved gates,” those points of entrance into the citadels of power owned and controlled by the enemy. There are great promises given to Cyrus on this matter, God declaring to him that He will, “…loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.” (45:1) Why does God speak thus to Cyrus, and why is it essential that Heaven intervene in this operation? It is for the same reason that the Captain of the Lord’s Hosts appeared to Joshua just prior to the conquest of Jericho. For Cyrus and Joshua both, there is a spiritual war going on, with battles that must be fought and won. Only God can deal with the resisting powers of darkness. This is seen when Isaiah mentions the “loins of kings,” being loosed. The control and authority of the enemy is weakened by the power of God. But to Cyrus, the promise is clear and certain. God WILL open before him the two leaved gates by His power and authority, giving Cyrus controlled access.
In the New Testament, with regard to Paul’s ministry, He asks for prayer, that God would “…open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.” (Col. 4:3) Faced with spiritual resistance and opposition, his effective weapon is prayer. He asks also, “…that I may make it manifst as I ought to speak, …with boldness.” (v.4) Paul is seeking a God-given opportunity to spread, and preach, the gospel, while there is still time. He appeals to the only One who has the power and authority to weaken the grip by the powers of darkness have on people, nations, and situations.
Dear Father, Fling wide the gates. In Jesus’ name, Amen.