Kurt,

I really enjoyed reading that.

I like at the end how you mention how we storm the gates of hell.

For years, all I ever heard was a defensive view of

"and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

Essentially saying, hunker down in the church and gates of hell won't break through.

But I like what you said.

btw - gates don't attack, gates are defensive, no one got chased down the street by a gate

gates don't come against people and places to assault them

the gates of hell don't attack the church

rather, the church, following the great commission, is to storm the gates of hell

to bring the gospel to those trapped in the kingdom of darkness

a possible old testament picture of this:

II Samuel 23:14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

  15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

  16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

It is highly doubtful that a major garrison of Philistines, would have allowed such a strategic thing as the well,

to be outside of the garrison, they would have ensured that the well would have been safely within their garrison.

So, then they see three Hebrews coming towards the garrison, and they probably mocked and laughed.

They probably sent out some troops to cut them down, but they the three Hebrews kept coming

They sent more troops, but these men couldn't be stopped

Now they were losing face before the entire garrison, so they probably sent a lot of men, but the three Hebrews couldn't be stopped.

Then the three Hebrews, against all odds, and military examples, broke through the garrison gate itself!

No doubt, the Philistines inside, were like hornets when their hive is breached, but they couldn't stop the three Hebrews.

The three Hebrews made their way to the well, and one would have busy drawing the water, leaving only two against all those Philistines.

The Philistines would not have simply been watching this, they were trying everything they could to stop and kill the three Hebrews.

Once the three Hebrews have the water, they work their way back to the gate of the garrison, with the Philistines still trying to kill them.

They work their way out of the garrison gate, and back down the road, but the Philistines are furious and want to stop them.

So the Philistines initially follow them, fighting the three Hebrews down the road.

By the time that the Philistines give up, and finally leave the three Hebrews alone, they have suffered such a major defeat.

So, I think that this is a physical picture, of what happens now, in the spiritual, when we storm the gates of hell with the gospel