Keepers of The Keys (1)
The Gates and Gatekeepers of the New Order
(By Tricia Tillin of Banner
Ministries)
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TO THOSE WHO WANT TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL:
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CONTENTS
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Paul complained about the Athenians that they
enjoyed nothing so much as some ear-tickling novelty, some
new doctrine or philosophy to keep their interest in religion
fresh. (Acts 17:21) I feel it’s much the same with churches
now.
One of these new doctrines is teaching on the GATEKEEPERS and it’s
emerging as usual from the aligned revivalist/apostolic churches
(churches of the New Order as I shall call them, because that was
their chosen title the first time around, in the Latter-Rain revival
of 1940’s).
 It
is being said that the Church has gatekeeper ministries, possessing
the “keys of David” to open and shut spiritual portals; that these
gatekeepers can lock out evil and let in righteousness, both in heaven
and on earth; that they can even open the gates of heaven to bring
back the “king of glory”!
When I first heard this bizarre teaching it intrigued me, so I decided
to unpick a little of this new teaching to provide a better overall
understanding of the doctrines of the New Order.
What is the teaching on Gatekeepers?
Until recently, nobody had considered gatekeepers as an office in
the Church. Where has this teaching come from? It is, as is often
the case with supposed new revelations, based
on symbolism and allegory instead of the plain literal understanding
of scripture. And, again typically, scriptures and prophecies have
been given a new context outside their proper meaning.
The teaching is based on references in the Old Testament to gatekeepers
of the City and Temple, and on references to the “key of David” and
the “keys to the kingdom” in the New Testament. Another scripture
used is this:
John 10:1-6
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by
the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door
is the shepherd of the sheep. To him
the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out."
From the passage above it is being taught that:
“the shepherd brings the sheep and then he comes to the sheep
fold. Here you have what is called a gatekeeper. There is a gate
there. Interestingly enough it says, the
gatekeeper will open the gate for the shepherd. What we
have done is we have made gatekeeper and shepherd synonymous. But
it is very clear in the Bible they are different ministries. Actually
in function, one is a position and one is a gift. (Shepherds,
Gatekeepers & Walls Tape #175 World Harvest Church Lloyd Phillips
Fellow Laborers' Int'l Network (FLInt
Net)
Is this really so? Is the Porter or Gatekeeper of this passage a
vital ministry gift? What did Jesus intend to convey in this parable?
The central message of this passage of scripture is that ONLY through
and in Jesus Christ is there any hope of eternal life and blessing
in God. Salvation and admittance to God’s House is ONLY through Jesus
Christ!
John 10:7-9
"Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not
hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall
be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Jesus taught that ONLY he was the legal guardian of the sheep and
the WAY by which they entered the sheepfold of God. All others who
offered an alternative route into the sheepfold were liars. Any route
to salvation that does not pass through Jesus Christ as the Door
or Gate to heaven is a lie.
John 10:2-3
"But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd
of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear
his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out."
 The
word used for porter (KJV) or gatekeeper (LB) or doorkeeper (NAS)
or watchman (NIV) is thuroros from thura (portal, gate or door) and
ouros (a watcher) hence thuroros is a person who watches at the door
or entrance, usually to open and shut to door to authorised callers,
but also to guard the entranceway and stop illegal entry. We see
something like this in the BOUNCERS who stand at the doors of discos
and clubs in the city.
Who is the Porter?
What, then, did Jesus mean by the “gatekeeper”? Although there are
different interpretations of this passage, most biblical scholars
and commentators are agreed on the basic principle. Matthew Henry’s
commentary has this to say: “To him the porter openeth, v. 3. Anciently
they had their sheepfolds within the outer gates of their houses,
for the greater safety of their flocks, so that none could come to
them the right way, but such as the porter opened to or the master
of the house gave the keys to.”
Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament points out that the
Porter is: “An under-shepherd, to whose charge the sheep are committed
after they have been folded for the night, and who opens the door
on the arrival of the shepherd in the morning.”
Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament likewise says: “[Thuroros
is] an old word for doorkeeper. The porter has charge of the sheep
in the fold at night and opens the door in the morning for the shepherd.
It is not certain that Jesus meant this detail to have a special
application. The Holy Spirit, of course, does open the door of our
hearts for Jesus through various agencies.
In the richer houses of Palestine, a guard would be employed to
stop thieves getting into the house, and to open the door to bona
fide entrants, members of the household (including the Shepherd who
had come to let the sheep out in the morning or settle them safely
in the fold for the night).
Looking at this from a spiritual standpoint, with Jesus as the Shepherd,
and the Kingdom of God as the Sheepfold, (Luke 13:24-30/Rev 22:14)
then it seems plain that the Porter or one who allows entry is the
Holy Spirit – for no man comes to the Father by Jesus Christ unless
he is drawn there by God the Holy Spirit and no man enters into eternal
life unless admitted by the power and agency of the Holy Spirit.
(1 Cor 12:3/ Titus 3:5-6) The Holy Spirit is the only one who knows
men’s hearts and knows whether a person should be admitted into the
kingdom of God.
It has been argued that ministers of the gospel have been given
the “keys of the kingdom” and are therefore the gatekeepers who allow
converts to enter the kingdom of God. However, even if men and women
are instrumental in proclaiming the gospel message, it is still the
Holy Spirit who brings the words to life and makes them effective,
who draws, convicts, converts and ushers into the kingdom. Therefore
I feel it’s most appropriate to see the Holy Spirit as the keeper
of the door to heaven.
Only the Holy Spirit of God has the wisdom and understanding required
to admit or refuse mankind at the Gates of Heaven! That is what makes
the following information so disturbing.
Gatekeepers as Men and Women
It is now being taught from this passage of scripture that God has
placed in the Body, the Church, both pastors (shepherds – a position)
and gatekeepers (a gift.) It is said that the gift of a gatekeeper
is to “open the gate”, and this covers a multitude of activities.
In spiritual warfare it would mean opening and closing heavenly places;
in the Body it would mean opening the way for the glory of the Lord
to enter; in the world it would mean opening the floodgates to the
new revelations and new paradigms that represent the kingdom of God
on earth. All this and more is now being claimed for the Gatekeepers.
We need to know what is going on.
Types of Gatekeepers and their tasks
Cheryl McGrath of Great South Land Ministries [pro-revival] has
some teaching that helps us delineate the various aspects of the
Gatekeepers doctrine, from their standpoint. She speaks of six main
areas in which she sees gatekeepers operating today, all based on
an allegorical interpretation of scripture.
1. Spiritual guardians of localities: “many are called to be gatekeepers
and watchmen over their cities and nations”
2. Leadership strategies: “the gates of a city were the place
of decision making. The gates were the place the elders of the
city met to consider important matters.”
3. Prophetic proclamation: “the gates of a city were places where
prophetic words were proclaimed (Jer. 17:19); where the King sat
(2 Samuel 18:24) and where sometimes there were high places of
pagan worship (2 Kings 23:8).”
4. Priests who open and close the doors of God’s Temple: “these
were chosen from the Levitical priesthood and were set in place
by the prophetic office under the authority of the King.”
5. Guardians who hold the keys of the kingdom “gatekeepers were
responsible for guarding the house of the Lord, (v.23) and held
the keys to the Lord's house (v. 27). Keys in scripture represent
authority. Jesus gave us the keys of the Kingdom (Matthew 16:19)
This was authority to establish Kingdom rule on earth.”
6. Opening of spiritual portals of various kinds “there is a sense
in which the scriptures speak about gates as portals or openings
into the heavenlies, as Jacob discovered. He said:’How awesome
is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this
is the gate of heaven!’ (Genesis 28:11-17). Not all of these gates
are portals we would want to open, however! Both Job 38:17 and
Psalm 9:13 speak of "gates of death". (For a fuller study
on this subject see George Otis Jnr.'s "The Twilight Labyrinth.")
The gates of the Lord, however, are gates of righteousness and
may be entered by the righteous. (Psalm 118:20)”
Another handy list showing the duties of Gatekeepers was given in
a conference report of the annual Faith Tabernacle prophetic meeting
hosted by Bill and Marsha Burns.
Duties of the gatekeepers
- Intercessors--pulling down strongholds by spirit-filled prayer
[includes musicians]
- Apostolic provision--bringing in the wealth stored up for kingdom
work
- Prophetic proclamation--announcing God's purposes
- Warriors--soldiers with a warrior's heart [spiritual warfare]
- Apostolic leaders--bring forth divine doctrine and government
I will look more closely at some of these aspects later. But for
now, I want to point out one major area that crops up frequently
as the Gatekeeper’s role – that of opening the gates for the “King
of Glory”
The Divine Visitor – The Glory Cloud?
Biblically literate Christians would think of opening the gate or
door and “letting Christ in” as initially receiving Jesus as Saviour,
and then of allowing Him to minister to our hearts, lead us, teach
us and so forth. That is the result of thinking along the conventional
biblical lines. The Gatekeeper, therefore, would be the Holy Spirit.
But remember that the new teachings are increasingly based around
the novel concept of Jesus (or, God the Spirit, the Shekinah) returning
to his church AS THE GLORY CLOUD, visibly, tangibly and in reality,
in order to create for Himself a Throne on the earth. (See my series
on The Glory for further details.)
This same teaching tape from which the first quote was taken makes
that point very clear:
“God is not going to stand between you and me, but He will come
and His glory will be around us to protect us and He always comes in a cloud… You are called
to … build that Temple with those Living Stones. Those ministries
are to come in and fit those stones in that wall of that Temple
where the glory is inside, where the Lord comes
and visits His people , where the Lord dwells within
us. In the Old Testament He said, "I
want a temple so I can dwell among My people."… But
Paul said in Corinthians, "He wants a temple now where
He can dwell IN His people.”
"He is bringing forth His church of glory. The third temple
is arising. It is the tabernacle of David, the fallen hut. He is
repairing the breeches [sic] and raising up the walls, preparing a holy habitation for His shekinah
glory. Let the church arise to its heritage and make ready
the way of the Lord. Lift up your heads o ye gates and the King of
Glory shall come in, the Lord of Hosts, mighty in battle!"
(Word In Due Season prophecies)
Remembering this, we can view the gatekeeper “gift” from a different
and new angle, for he or she is supposedly opening the gates for
the Glory Cloud to come down upon and within the Church, in an endtimes
Epiphany to outdo all the others! Hence the oft-quoted verses from
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”
"For The Cloud of My Glory is
moving towards the Earth - Is moving Towards you my people.
My gatekeepers - Open The Gates - Swing
Wide The Gates - For into your hands I have given The Keys of Life.
…Yes the Cloud of presence is moving towards the earth -
Is moving towards you my people. Prepare a Habitation unto the
Lord - Make your house ready for I AM Coming to inhabit you my people."
(Dave Howe - August 31st 2000. WellSpring Ministries England)
Restoring the nations
There is also a wider application of these scriptures. As well as
calling forth the Glory Cloud to fill the Church, the Gatekeepers
are said to be establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth. These
two events are often seen as synonymous in prophetic literature.
The keys that open spiritual gates apparently also work in the secular
world to create opportunities to advance the New Order there.
Gatekeepers are also called Josephs and Daniels, two men who became
politically powerful on behalf of God’s people. Part of their role
is to create a transfer of wealth to fund the “kingdom”.
“The Josephs and Daniels of today are persons who have been prepared
and raised up to meet the unusual needs of the era we have entered.
These men and women of God are anointed
business and government leaders who… like Joseph and Daniel
of old will be recognized and respected by the people of the world
they work with…There will be unusual strategic alliances established
between the Josephs and Daniels and key persons of the world they
will be brought to work along side the King Cyruses and Pharaohs.
The Cyruses and Pharaohs will serve
as gatekeepers to open the gates to unusual opportunities - opportunities
that would not be feasible otherwise. The resulting deals, transactions
and ventures will further and greatly enhance the Kingdom of God
in some very strategic ways….May the transactions and ventures
under way become the gateways into further means to create
ongoing revenue streams for the strategic kingdom activities
of our day.” JTL Ministries www.keepersofhisgates.com
“You are as the 'gates'…. You
are the financial, administrative, logistical/ technical, legal,
security, social/spiritual and operational 'managers' of the Kingdom.
Your secular work is not 'just a job'. Your ministry is not 'just
some work for God'. According to My purposes, I have placed you
where you are. Hear and obey My voice throughout your day so that
everything you do is to the benefit of the Kingdom - be My "Josephs" and My "Daniels".
(Petru, via Godspeak.org)
Jill Austin sees America itself as a Gatekeeper, whose role is to
open the gates of righteousness to the whole world!
“We are called to be a Gatekeeper Nation to maintain world peace.
America has a destiny in God as one who will fight for the disenfranchised,
with the economic might of our wealth and resources. That mantle
rests upon us so the world watches and waits to see what we’ll
do.”
By their activities, Gatekeepers believe they are preparing the
way for the Lord to return to earth as King and Judge over the nations.
(We should ask ourselves which “lord” they are in fact calling for
and bringing forth? It appears to be “the glory” rather than the
physical and actual bodily return of the Lord Jesus!)
“’Open up the Ancient Gates’ I heard from behind me as two strong
hands grabbed my shoulders as he shook me and laughed. ‘The
tabernacle will be restored. A holy priesthood shall be established
that serves the King of Glory on his mountain and in his
pavilion. A royal priesthood anointed and separated and commissioned
in their service. All nations will
bow before the king of glory who shall enter through the ancient
gates. The king of glory who is mighty in battle. Who comes
in righteousness with a sword to judge his servants and to make
war upon the nations. Faithful and true is the king of glory’.”
(Bob Neuman)
“This is what the Lord, the Creator, the Holy One of Israel says:
‘Gatekeepers! Rise up and Go! OPEN
UP THE GATES! OPEN UP THE GATES THAT THE KING OF GLORY MAY COME
IN! I have given you the keys to the Kingdom and what you open
in My Name no one can shut! OPEN UP THE GATES! Open up the gates
to your cities, to your regions, to your nations, to your hearts!
OPEN UP THE GATES! Open the
gates because I will not be held back any longer! I am about to
come as a pent up flood! The waters are about to break forth. The
rain is about to pour. These are as the days of Noah - open the
gates that all who will may run into the ark of my Presence’”.
(Diane Bahler)
It should be obvious to serious bible students that no man or woman
can “bring back” nor “call forth” nor arrange for the return of the
Lord of All, and the timing of His return is not dependent on how
much spiritual warfare or intercession is achieved in the churches.
It has been said (based on a misinterpretation of scripture) that
Jesus CANNOT return until the Church has achieved her mission of
christianising the world and ridding it of God’s enemies, that He
is “held” in the heavens until the church and earth is “restored”
and comes into her Golden Age. This is so far from the truth as to
be heretical! In fact, the bible plainly says that the hallmarks
of the Return of Jesus are widespread apostasy (a falling away from
the faith) increasing wickedness, catastrophes, and chaos – far from
a Golden Age.
In any case, Jesus does not return to “inhabit his church” as a
cloud of glory!
A Christian Great Invocation?
We ought to be deeply worried about any attempt to achieve this
kind of event. When I read these exhortations I wonder what spirit
inspired them, as I am familiar with the “Great Invocation” circulated
by the Lucis Trust (New-Agers) which in a very similar way calls
forth light and truth as a flood, and also seeks to “shut the doors”
against evil.
Has the Church been led into reciting a Christian version of the
Invocation – which in reality is a spell or chant to invoke the Antichrist!
Compare the activity of people like Cindy Jacobs, Bill Hamon, Chuck
Pierce and Dutch Sheets with the Great invocation:
[Cindy Jacobs] Mercy! Mercy! Let Your
light come! Let Your truth come! Let Your anointing fall!
Let your wind come! Let your wind blow! Let evil be dispersed,
O God! Let the strongholds of darkness be pushed back! Push them
back, Lord! We say, Open the gates in the East! Open the gates
in the East! Open the gates in the East! Open the gates in the
East! OPEN! OPEN! OPEN! OPEN UP! OPEN UP! Gates of the Lord, Open!
In the name of Jesus, Open! Gates of the Lord, Open! Open, Lord,
Open.
[Chuck Pierce:] We declare great conversion! Great conversion!
Great conversion of Islam!
[Dutch Sheets] Yes! We call forth Your glory over that city! We call forth Your light! We call forth truth!
We call forth brotherly love and harmony! We break down
greed, materialism, power, racial strife, and division! We call
it all down in Jesus’ name, poverty, hatred, division, strife!
We pull it down in Jesus’ name!
Now, we just say, let our prayers
go forth like missiles, guided missiles and smart bombs.
Lord, You know where they need to go. And You just take them and
direct them by Your Spirit. We say, in Jesus’ name, they will hit
the mark! Every Gate on the East Coast, the Eastern Gate, we say,
Open Up, in Jesus’ name, to the Spirit of the Lord! Open Up! Open
Up! Gates of Righteousness, Psalm 118, the Gates of Righteousness,
we command you to open on the Eastern Seaboard, the Eastern Coast.
Open Up! Let the glory
of the Lord come, in Jesus’ name.
We send forth the arrow of the Lord’s deliverance
to the Eastern Coast of the United States of America. We say, as
a laser of the Spirit, that the lightning of God will go forth
and penetrate, penetrate, penetrate! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yes! The breaker anointing! We call on the breaker anointing, to
break through for us. We ask You Lord right now, we ask You for
angelic hosts to be released to the Eastern Coast. We ask You for
legions of angels, hosts, myriads of angels! Lord of Hosts, send
a host of angels, warring angels, to the Eastern Coast, to
unlock the Gates of Righteousness! OPEN! OPEN! OPEN! Yes!
[Bill Hamon:] Amen. Father, as a father of the prophetic,
we release the prophetic supernatural signs and wonders and apostolic
miracles. We
open the Eastern Gate, and let the King of Glory come in! Come
in! Come in! Come in! Come in! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yes! Halleluia! Yeah! Wow! All right!
THE GREAT INVOCATION
From the point of LIGHT within the mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men
Let Light descend on earth.
From the point of LOVE within the heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts
of men [see Part Two!]
May Christ return to earth.
From the centre where the WILL of God is knows
Let purpose guide the little wills of men
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where
evil dwells
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
Both New-Age and Christian warriors and intercessors now believe
they can, by their activities, OPEN THE GATES for an outpouring of
light, truth and goodwill, and CLOSE THE GATES against evil. Bill
Burns in his piece on the “Third Day Church” written in October 2000
says this: “Notice that the key of David is used to open and close
spiritual doors. To open doors into the blessings of the Father's
kingdom, and to close the doors that the enemy uses
against God's people.”
The Keys of David - Spiritual Authority to Open and Close.
Apostolic Rulers
“Beloved, by My Shed Blood, Righteousness and Authority I have
given you jurisdiction, dominion and
power - you have all that you require to rule and reign on earth
on My behalf. I have made you to be both
as gates and as gatekeepers. You have the keys - My authority.
You are as the 'gate keepers'. It is through your prayers, words & deeds
as Kingdom representatives that unbelievers are drawn into the
Kingdom. Yes My grace extends to all but you are as 'extensions'
of My grace. …I am as the wall - you are as the gates and gatekeepers.
Establishing & maintaining Our
Kingdom requires a partnership between Me and you.” (Petru,
Godspeak Prophetic School)
One of the tasks of these newly-appointed Gatekeepers is to use
the “keys of David” usually taken as identical to the “keys of the
kingdom” to establish and maintain that kingdom on earth. In other
words, the Gatekeepers are in some cases Apostles with spiritual
authority to RULE.
“To Him the doorkeeper opens, the gatekeeper. In the Bible the
gatekeepers were the elders of the city. There was some respect
that went with that position. They
were the elders , they would sit in the gate, that's where decisions
would be made for that city.” (Shepherds, Gatekeepers &
Walls Tape #175 World Harvest Church Lloyd Phillips Fellow Laborers'
Int'l Network (FLInt Net)
In a ritualistic piece of spiritual warfare that I shall look at
shortly, “apostle” Tommy Tenney and Bart Pierce led pastors and elders
to stake a claim to their cities and proclaim righteousness over
them. They were (as they believed) establishing the kingdom rule
in their localities:
“Tommy explained that before you take
possession of a property a survey is taken and stakes are driven
at the borders of the property. The pastors being the gatekeepers
of a city should choose the locations for the stakes and should
be the ones to swing the sledge hammer to drive the stakes deep
into the earth. [The pastors then say]: We proclaim this day that this city is now under
the power and ownership of the Holy Spirit. All other spirits are hereby given notice and
are evicted from this property by the power of the name of Jesus.”
(Baltimore Stake-out, David T Jehl Feb 1998)
“Now, let us hear the word of the Lord: Arise you who are called
to be gatekeepers in the Tabernacle of David. This is the hour
that you have longed for. This is the day of My power that David
spoke of (Psalm 110. Now you shall
carry the rod of My strength out of Zion, and you shall rule in
the midst of your enemies, for to you it has been given the power
of binding the enemy and loosing the captive. …. Open now
your hand and receive the keys of authoritative
power which I give to My servants, the gatekeepers, the keys of
David!” (Bill Burns)
But the keys of David belong to DAVID only. The prophetic “David”
is the only One who has come in the line of David, as the heir to
David’s throne – Jesus the Saviour! In the book of Revelation we
see exactly who owns the keys of David. It is not gatekeepers in
the Church, but Jesus the Lord:
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write;
These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath
the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth,
and no man openeth;)
Yet Bill Burns and others claim that men and women in the churches,
gatekeepers, are now the ones who own and use the keys of David:
This church is listening to the gatekeepers who are watchmen,
who can open and no one shuts, and
shuts and no one opens” (The Gatekeepers, Bill Burns May
2000)
CONTINUE TO THE SECOND PORTION
OF THIS ARTICLE
IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
(c) Tricia Tillin 2001
It is not my intention to hinder anyone who has a LEGITIMATE use
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