Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

his priesthood to his son. While the circumstances of their deaths differ in each instance, the departure of the possible heir of the ministry mantle caused great sorrow, anguish, and many questions. In most cases, the child had great knowledge of God and was taken to heaven, which is the ultimate comfort for any parent. There is no doubt that the children of ministers seem to struggle and are targeted at a different level than the others. All individuals have a certain realm of influence as believers. However, a minister reaches larger numbers of souls, which becomes a threat to the kingdom of darkness. T HE P RAYER FOR THE F IRSTBORN The death angel in Egypt was assigned to slay the firstborn sons. God provided supernatural protection for the Hebrew nation by commanding them to apply the blood of a slain lamb on the left, right, and top posts of the outer door of each Hebrew house. The power of Israel’s obedience and the blood from the lamb restrained the angel of death (called “the destroyer” in Exodus 12:23) from crossing the threshold into the Hebrew home. Thus the firstborn sons were preserved as they remained in the house, while the Egyptians lost all of the firstborn sons the same night (v. 29). How could the blood of thousands of lambs provide a supernatural hedge against death itself? The answer is that this narrative was a type and shadow (Heb. 8:5) of the redemptive covenant provided by Christ on the cross.