“This is the message from the One who is holy and true. He has the key that belonged to David, and when He opens a door, no one can close it, and when He closes it, no one can open it.” — Revelation 3:7

We know from the third chapter of Revelation that the Lord can open a door that no man can close and close a door no man can open. How awesome to realize that when God opens doors of opportunity that no man can close them, even though we may choose not to pass through them. How wonderful to know that when God has closed the door to the enemy no man, indeed no creature of darkness, can open it. Yet, there are other doors the Lord does not open or will not close unless we participate. There are many closed doors in the spiritual realm that sit waiting for believers to open, and other doors remain open in the heavenly realm allowing demonic attack until we come and close them.

The Door Of Cavan
The fact that God has given us authority to open and close doors in the spiritual realm became very clear on a ministry trip I took to Ireland earlier this year. To prepare for going on the trip I read a book on the Great Irish Revival. This revival started in the north with a powerful outpouring of God's presence that washed over city after city flowing both west and south. After reaching Cavan near the middle of the country this flood-tide of revival suddenly just stopped. As I read this book, I felt that the Lord wanted us to go to the city of Cavan and pray.

Our schedule was quite full, but on the third day we had nothing scheduled but to change locations, and so we decided to drive up to Cavan. When we drove into the city, we had no idea where to go, and so we followed some signs which said “tourist information.” We decided to park at the next available parking space and walk around to see what we could discover. As we pulled over to park, we noticed that we were parked right in front of a Presbyterian church. (The revival in Ireland primarily broke out in Methodist and Presbyterian churches.) We walked up to the building, which was locked, and so we decided to pray at the entry door.

As we prayed, the Lord showed me the church in the days of the revival with scores of people laying on the ground behind the building crying out to God for salvation. As we continued praying, I began to ask the Lord to restore what the enemy had stolen. The Lord then spoke to me in a strong voice, “Look at the door!” This seemed foolish to me, for I had already taken a picture of it, but I obeyed His command and opened my eyes to look at the door. As I looked at the door, I noticed that the skeleton-key lock was installed upside down. The Lord then explained, “Nothing has been stolen. It has been stored in the heavenlies; locked up and awaiting someone to come and command the angels to bring the key and open the door.” With this we began to tell the angels to bring the key from the heavenly realm and unlock the door that has been locked, storing things unto this day.

Doors Of Authority
Later I asked the Lord why He hadn’t released earlier the things stored up at Cavan. Since it was His heart to release them, why were they awaiting someone to come and command the angels. I was surprised at His response: “I will not do for you that which I created you to do.”

God created us to have dominion of the earth. (See the article Authority With a Purpose) We are called to possess the earth, and this begins with possessing the cities in which we live. In the days of the Bible, to possess the gates (or doors) of the city was to possess the city. Part of God's blessing upon Abraham was that the Lord proclaimed to Abraham the promise of his descendants possessing their enemy’s gates. “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:16-17).

This prophetic promise from God is such an important part of the inheritance of Abraham's offspring that it was again declared over Rebekah, Abraham's daughter-in-law. “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them” (Genesis 24:60).

God promised Abraham and Rebekah that the descendants of Abraham would have authority over their enemy by possessing their gates. This is the inheritance of all born-again believers, for the Word of God declares that all who trust in the Lord in true faith are the “seed of Abraham.” “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. … And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7, 29).

It is time for the bride of Christ to walk in the inheritance of possessing the gates of our cities. We need to proclaim an opening to the doors of evangelism, healing, and the presence of God in our cities. It is time for those with gifts of intercession and prophetic revelation to begin to discover what doors are open to the enemy and tell the angelic host to close those doors. If we don’t like what is going on in our cities it is time for us to exercise the authority that is our birthright as born-again believers. God has promised that we will possess the gates of the wicked. It is no wonder the gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church, for we are the gatekeepers who determine what is opened and what is closed!

Let us grow up and take hold of our inheritance as doorkeepers in the spiritual realm. Let us open through prayer and prophetic proclamation every door the Lord desires to have open, and close every door the enemy crawls through. The spiritual atmosphere of our cities are in our hands, and God expects us to make them to be “on earth as it is in heaven.” It is time to rejoice in our calling as spiritual doorkeepers. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”