How Do We Possess the Gate of the Enemy?

Understanding Genesis 22:17 Through Christ

God made a powerful promise to Abraham: that his descendants would possess the gates of their enemies. But what does this really mean? How is this fulfilled and who ultimately possesses those gates?

📖 Genesis 22:17 (NIV)

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies.“

In the ancient world, the city gate represented much more than just an entryway it was the seat of power, authority, governance, and defense. Whoever controlled the gate controlled the city.

This promise wasn’t just about military conquest it pointed toward spiritual victory over the ultimate enemies: sin, death, and hell.

1️⃣ The True Seed of Abraham: Jesus Christ

Although Abraham’s physical descendants (Israel) partially fulfilled this promise through military conquest (e.g., defeating the Canaanites), the ultimate fulfillment is in Christ.

📖 Galatians 3:16 (NIV)

“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”

Jesus Christ is the promised Seed through whom all nations are blessed (Genesis 12:3). He is the one who would fully possess the gates of the enemy, not only in the natural but in the spiritual and eternal sense.

2️⃣ Israel Possessed Physical Gates But Not All

Israel, as a nation, conquered many enemy cities. Examples include Jericho (Joshua 6), Ai (Joshua 8), and numerous Canaanite cities. This physical conquest reflected God’s faithfulness to His covenant.

However, there was one gate they could not possess: the gate of death and hell (Sheol/Hades).

📖 Job 38:17 (NIV)

“Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?”

Israel could defeat earthly enemies, but they had no power over spiritual death. They couldn’t stop people from dying, nor could they rescue anyone from the realm of the dead.

3️⃣ Only Christ Possesses the Keys to Death and Hades

The one who possesses a gate is the one who holds its keys. And Scripture is clear—only Jesus Christ has those keys.

📖 Revelation 1:18 (NIV)

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.“

This means Jesus has total authority over death and the realm of the dead. He conquered them through His death and resurrection (see also Hebrews 2:14–15).

4️⃣ Christ’s Authority Over Life and Death

Jesus not only holds the keys He has full authority over His own life and death.

📖 John 10:17–18 (NIV)

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”

Unlike any man, Jesus gave up His life willingly (Luke 23:46) and took it up again, proving His divine authority over the last enemy: death.

📖 1 Corinthians 15:26 (NIV)

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Christ’s resurrection is not only victory over death for Himself, but also for all who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20–22).

5️⃣ Christ Now Rules the Living and the Dead

Jesus’ lordship extends over all existence both physical and spiritual.

📖 Romans 14:9 (NIV)

“For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”

Satan no longer holds dominion over death or the grave. Those powers were stripped from him when Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth (Ephesians 4:9–10) and rose victorious.

✅ Application: We Must Come to the One Who Holds the Keys

If Jesus holds the keys of death and hell, then the only way to overcome death, hell, and sin is through Him. No one else can save. No one else can open the grave. No one else can redeem a soul from Sheol.

Rejecting Christ is rejecting the only one who has the authority to open the gates of life and close the gates of destruction.

❗ Theological Summary:The “gates of enemies” in Genesis 22:17 are ultimately spiritual gates sin, death, and hell.Jesus Christ is the true Seed of Abraham who fulfills this promise in full.He conquered death through His resurrection, and now holds the keys of death and Hades.Victory over sin, death, and hell is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.The church also shares in this victory, for Jesus said:

📖 Matthew 16:18 (NIV)

“I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Through Christ, the Church now advances in His victory possessing the gates of the enemy, not by military might, but through the Gospel, by which souls are rescued from darkness.