Question:
My question is why are there gates in Heaven? Who or what is going to use them and why? This may seem a silly thing but it has puzzled me for some time now.
Answer:
Other than the fact that God obviously wanted gates, I’m not sure our speculation can be anything more than that.
The city of New Jerusalem will be very real, with great walls made of precious stone. A walled city with no gates would be more like a prison, though even if there were not gates by God’s design, it would still be perfect.
While we will live in our dwellings that God is preparing for us, we will obviously not be limited or confined to them, or the city. The entire earth and heavens will be recreated perfectly and we will exist in our glorified bodies. I personally think that the whole universe will be available for us to explore but that is purely speculation on my part.
The gates of a city were historically places of fellowship and gathering and I would guess they will be that way in Heaven too. I can imagine the wonderful stories of exploration and adventure that will be shared as people return, and the feelings of warmth and “welcome home” that the gates will represent.
The gates will also represent things from our earthly past: the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles. There will be three gates on each side of the squared shaped New Jerusalem with an angel standing watch at each. The gates will never close symbolizing the fact that sin no longer exists in God’s creation.
Here are some verses to read:
- Rev 21:12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
- Rev 21:13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
- Rev 21:15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
- Rev 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Rev 21:25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
- Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.