LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GATE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.

Psalm 118:19-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It seems that almost every cartoon I see and many jokes I hear about heaven have something to do with someone trying to get in through a gate. Once there, they encounter God and there is some humorous exchange regarding that person’s suitability to pass through the gate, sometimes referred to as the pearly gates (see Revelation 21 and the description of the New Jerusalem to see where that reference originated).

Of course, we know the entry into the New Jerusalem will not be determined by anyone standing before a gate but rather a throne and entry into the New Jerusalem will depend on whether or not their name was found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. For those not found there, it will be the worst day ever as they will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

So who will be listed in the Lamb’s Book of Life?

Those who placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the One who was sent by the Father to die for the sins of all mankind while crucified on Calvary’s cross, the perfect unblemished Lamb of God who was sacrificed and shed His blood to save anyone who would place their salvation hope in Him.

Are you listed in the Book? If not, I would not delay in making sure my name was added.

So what happens when we do, when we count ourselves as Christians and accept the promise given to us in love from God through Jesus Christ?

Well, look at what the psalmist had to say, and did so prophetically well before Jesus even came to walk among man:

Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.

Can you sense the anticipation and excitement of the psalmist? He is so looking forward to the day when he will get to enter the gates through which only the righteous pass, those who are right with the Father through His Son, Jesus. He yearns for the salvation to come and so should we.

For as we look at life, what are we fretting about when days might not go just the way we want them to? All believers in Jesus Christ have already been assured about their future. The best is yet to come. Death has lost its sting, no matter when it comes. In the end translation, we have the victory now and forever more through Jesus, and this my friends is the good news that should lead us to give thanks to the Lord just as the psalmist did, no matter how difficult times may get.

Friends, Jesus Christ is our salvation, the only One who can get us to the Father eternally. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), and it was His death and resurrection that opened the gates of righteousness, and eventually the gates of New Jerusalem, to all who would believe and trust in Him.

I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to entering the gate at the appointed time, a time when I will live with God the Father and Jesus His Son forever. I pray you will be with me.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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