In Genesis 22:17, God said to Abraham, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.”
What does it mean to possess the gate of the enemy? Now the gate of a city was the only way in and out of the city. To control the gate was to hold the key to life and death to those inside. If the city could not defend its gates, the city was doomed. The person or army who controlled the gate had the privilege of determining the religion, the commerce, the legal system, and every aspect of the life of the city. In short, the whole structure of the society was dominated by the possessor of the gate.
God’s promise to Abraham was that his descendants would some day possess the gates of the enemy, i.e. they would dominate and control all aspects of the enemies’ society. As the word of God is preached and believed and implemented in society, the nations of the world would begin to experience the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant as they are brought into that covenant. And so Christ gives His Church the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) and He promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church (Matt 16:18).
Putting all this together, it seems to me that it is God’s plan and purpose to fill this whole world with the descendents of Abraham, i.e. true believers, who will then take control of every area of life and bring all things under the rule and dominion of Christ. Today, it seems that true believers are the minority and the wicked are the majority. But I believe that as time progresses, that will change. We have the assurance that “He (Christ) shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.” (Psalm 72:8-9) Meanwhile, we must continue to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And we must continue to work for the propagation of God’s word into all the earth and the discipling of all nations.
