"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." - Genesis 28:16-17

       According to Genesis chapter twenty-eight, verse twelve, Jacob dreamed a dream, and in this dream he saw a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven where angels ascended and descended upon it. As he was awakened, he came to realize that this experience was a place where God had come to visit him, to reveal himself as a covenant-keeping God.  

       The point to all of this is that, in that moment, God began to reveal himself to Jacob. Not only did Jacob come to understand the importance of the presence of God (in relationship to his covenant), but he realized two other, very important truths. One, that the place where covenant comes alive is also known as the gate of heaven; and two, when covenant becomes a reality it reveals the operation of angels as they pass both between heaven and earth, and earth and heaven.  This is the power and privilege we have available to us when we allow our covenant with God to impact our lives.  Think of it as a portal-an entry way, where we have access to that heavenly realm.  Paul described our covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ to the church of Ephesus, by saying, "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18).  He added a few verses down, "In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22).

       These are important truths we need to embrace. The moment we come to understand our covenant with God, the truth dawns upon us that we have access to the Father and that he has come to dwell in us, to make us his church, the house of God.  That is what Jacob called the gate of heaven-the house of God.  The house of God is where God resides.  It is the true tabernacle of his presence.  God himself came to live and to dwell in us.  Second Corinthians, chapter six, says, "...for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:16-18). This is where the true act of spiritual circumcision occurs.  It is a place where we understand the force behind our covenant with God. The moment we decide to live a separated life we open an entry way into heaven.  That is when heaven itself releases angelic assistance making us a people of divine influence and power!

       Until we understand the true terms of the covenant--that we are to be the true tabernacle of God's presence--there very well may be occasions when the heavens seem shut up like brass. Only as we become a separated people can the curtain be drawn back where we see, as Jacob saw, the enablement of an open heaven.  No wonder Paul went on to say, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).

       When Jacob realized "the LORD is in this place," the Bible says, "And he was afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place!" (Gen. 28:17).  This reminds me of Hebrews chapter twelve, where it says, "But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel...wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire!" (Heb. 12:23-29).

       What an awesome privilege we have--to be in relationship with a covenant-keeping God! Everything that we will ever need is within our grasp!  All it takes is allowing the covenant we have with our Father to come alive in us, where we see the importance of maintaining a spiritual atmosphere where his holy presence can rest upon us.  This is the key to our gateway to heaven. It is where the angels of God become engaged in our affairs on earth, bringing us into the riches of the glory of his grace.