We Are At War

Pastor Melinda Song
06 & 07 August 2022 

I want to thank God for enthusiastic learners who pointed out pertinent points that are important and crucial for a proper understanding of spiritual lessons found in the gates.  

1. The walls and gates of Jerusalem have been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. During different periods, the city walls followed different outlines and had a varying number of gates. 
2. Exact locations of the gates have yet to be discovered, hence the many different diagrams and maps showing different layouts of the wall and gates.
3. Today, there are only 8 gates into the old city of Jerusalem and most of them date from the time when Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls about AD 1537.
4. In the future, there will be 12 gates.

Progressing on our tour around Jerusalem’s Gates, we are now moving upwards along the eastern wall and are now at the Horse Gate. 

Nehemiah 3:28 (ESV)
Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house.

We are very influenced by Hollywood on the use of horses as a form of transportation. Nowadays we associate horses with racing, equestrian sports and performances, e.g., the legendary Lipizzaner stallions, also known as “the dancing white horses of Vienna” that are well known for their elegance and strength. 

But in the Bible when horses have mentioned it is in the context of war and battles.  

Proverbs 21:31 (ESV)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, 
but the victory belongs to the Lord.

The horses of the Bible are almost exclusively war-horses. They are also the property of kings and not of the common people.

The war horses of Israel are believed to have been stabled next to the King’s palace. Warriors rode out to and returned from the battle at the Horse Gate. And the king’s chariots will pass through the gates on their way back into the city in triumphant procession.

Horses symbolised war, so the Horse Gate is a reminder that…

WE ARE AT WAR! 

We are not on a picnic but on a battlefield, not on a cruise ship but on a battleship. It is a cosmic battle and the stakes are high –  for the souls of men and women and their eternal destination in heaven or hell. 

THE BATTLE IS SPIRITUAL 

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The common view of your struggle is that you are engaged in conflict against flesh and blood, against other people – your nasty boss, a back-stabbing colleague, the corrupt politician or your uncooperative neighbour. 

Behind all that is a SPIRITUAL battle between the kingdom of God and the devil and his satanic forces, which Paul calls the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). They are well organised, well trained and they have been around for a long time.

EVERYONE HAS TO FACE BATTLE

We are ALL in a battle whether we know it or not, or whether we want to or not.

J. C. Ryle: The true Christian is called to be a soldier and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence, and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven.

Just as physical battles need physical weapons, we need spiritual weapons to fight this spiritual battle. 

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NKJV)
³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

God has supplied us with more than we need for victory but we have to equip ourselves for battle. Not in our pyjamas, high heels, toy guns.

God already has a battle plan. It has nothing to do with human wisdom or strength.  It is all about trust and reliance on God who will fight the battle for us. We just have to tap into that which is already available to us.

Ephesians 6:10–18 (ESV)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

God has given us an armour. We have to put it on. 

‘Put on”- the idea of once and for all; permanence. We have to keep that armour on 24/7. The battle never stops raging and the enemy is relentless. 

Every piece of the armour in Ephesians 6 serves a different purpose to protect you, so you need to put on the full armour of God so that you are…

Able to stand – a military word which has the idea of holding a critical position when under attack.

We have no time to go in-depth into the different pieces of the armour. The main point of the armour is not the analogy of the individual pieces but the reality and power of the spiritual weapons God has given you. 

The whole armour is the expression of your full trust in God and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ. But the armour is not complete without v. 18  “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”  

Prayer corresponds to the Horse/War Gate! 

Although technically prayer is not part of the armour, it is most critical because prayer is where we engage in spiritual warfare.

God most definitely listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayer.

Note that this is not superficial, when-I-need-something-I’ll-pray prayers. Rather, praying in the Spirit is an ongoing communion with God.

One important fact we must not forget is that the power of prayer doesn’t stem from the person praying. The power resides in the God who we approach through prayer.  

The battle is the Lord’s! He is the commander of the Lord’s army and victory is secure but the army must stay in constant contact with the commander. 

• In prayer we are drawing on God’s infinite glory and might! 
• In prayer we are prepared to hear God’s voice and align our prayers to the will of God. 

When we are linked with the greatest power in the universe we can boldly declare, if God is for us who can be against us?

Nehemiah 3:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired…

The priests are building above the Horse Gate. Like the Water Gate, the Horse Gate does not need repair. The Water Gate endured just as the word of God endures forever. The Horse Gate also cannot be destroyed because the victory has been secured in spiritual warfare – at the cross of Christ and the blood that was shed there (Rev. 12:11). 

At the Sheep Gate, the priests offer sacrifices on behalf of the people but at the Horse Gate, they were seen as spiritual warriors standing in the gap mediating between God and man. 

That’s why we call those who pray and intercede prayer warriors. 

When we pray we war in the spirit for the honour and glory of God, for His will to be done, for the souls of men and for His kingdom to be established on earth as it is in heaven. 

An example is found in Numbers 16, where 250 of Israel’s leaders led by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron. Moses proposed that all of them appear before the Lord and let Yahweh decide who was His chosen leader.

The Lord confirmed His choice of Moses and Aaron by opening up the earth to swallow every last dissenting leader associated with Korah, along with their households and all their possessions. After this, the Israelites blamed Moses and Aaron for the rebels’ deaths, so God brought a plague against the people. 

Moses, the benevolent mediator, immediately sent Aaron with a censer of incense to make atonement for the people, saying, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the LORD. The LORD’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun” (Numbers 16:46, NLT).

Aaron immediately obeyed Moses’ instruction risking ritual contamination for the sake of the people. As he stood literally “between the living and the dead” with the incense in his hand, the devastating plague ended, but not before 14,700 more Israelites had died.

Standing between the dead and the living is a picture of intercessory prayer. Throughout the Bible, incense is symbolic of prayer (Psalm 141:2; Luke 1:10; Revelation 5:8; 8:3–4). In effect, Aaron was standing in the gap to intercede in prayer for the people of Israel. 

In the New Testament, we are a royal priesthood called to stand in the gap between the living and the dead.

Prayer is the front line where we do spiritual warfare, it is where we win or lose the battle. Prayer makes the difference between success or failure, power or weakness, and life or death. 

In this warfare, we must remember that we fight from the position of victory that has been won at the cross.

Colossians 2:13–15 (ESV) 
¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 

In verse 15 Paul is describing Christ’s victory on the Cross over the powers that opposed Him and that were against God’s faithful people. To describe this victory, Paul uses the spectacle of the military triumph, when prisoners of war were stripped and paraded before the populace behind the conquering general. 

The final victory comes as described by apostle John in…

Revelation 19:11–16 (ESV)
¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

CONCLUSION

Nehemiah 3:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house.

The priests repaired “each one opposite his own house.” 

Speaking to parents, today you face more complex situations and lead a vastly different life than your parents did when they were raising you. As a parent, it is your privilege and duty to pray for the household in your charge and those under your care and authority.

Being a godly parent involves more than rearing children and managing a household — it is fulfilling your destiny. You want to be able to say, “As for me and my house we have served the Lord.” You affect more than just your family — you are helping to shape generations.

This ministry of intercession is a lifelong calling and we cannot give up praying for your children,  and our family members. We must not assume too much when it comes to human beings. If they are living and doing well spiritually, they are not out of the woods. If they are living and not doing well spiritually, their story is not over. Therefore, let us “always . . . pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

God is faithful. He will never default on his word. Let us be faithful to his call on us, and let us be faithful to our children by continually petitioning God on their behalf. He will not allow such labour, no matter what the result is that he determines in his wisdom, to be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).