Kingdom-ology: Keys of the Kingdom
Kingdom-ology: Keys of the Kingdom
There are two sets of keys described in the Bible. One is the set of keys of the kingdom and they have been given to us (Matt 16:19). The second is the keys of death and hades (Rev 1:18).
The second set is held by Christ because He has overcome death and the grave, being the firstborn of the dead. This second set tells us that the very thing that brings about the terminal condition of man (ie death) is held by the One who has conquered the grave and there is nothing about it that we should fear. In fact, our purpose of taking dominion can only occur when nothing else takes dominion over us as the Body of Christ. The Kingdom hierarchy remains with Christ as the head and we as His body, and with death (being the last enemy to be defeated, as recorded in Revelations) and hades out of the way, it is the first set of keys that we have to pay attention to.
Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Encapsulated within this verse is the power and authority vested in us by God. And just before you think that it is a “wow” factor, read the line that says “whatever you bind … shall be bound…whatever you loose … shall be loosed”. It is not just the fact that power and authority have been vested in us but the discretionary use of power and authority that is amazing. Can you imagine this - the King Himself handing to us access to His Kingdom and giving us the boundary of “whatever” (which in essence means anything and everything)?
These keys unlock unlimited access to Kingdom resources and realities for the purpose of establishing the Kingdom. In the context of the passage of Scripture that Jesus made this statement, He said in the previous verse “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. Notice that He did not say I will build my Kingdom. So it is not WHAT He is building but WHO He is building. And if we read this within the context of His ministry of realigning people to the Kingdom (“repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”), this really means that He is building us so that we can co-labour to establish His Kingdom. What this means in totality is that as part of Christ’s building process of His church (you and I), we are granted access to the unlimited capacity of the Kingdom.
Interestingly enough, Christ also reveals to us within the verse (v18) the hindrance to Kingdom-establishment through us - the gates of hell. The gates of hell speak of the entire force of the kingdom of darkness under the rule of Satan and therein lies the conflict, one that we must never shy away or retreat from. What many Christians miss out on is the fact that we have been assured victory and because of that, they fail to take ground. They think that this is going to be some battle that the darkness has an upper-hand and that they are too weak to do anything about it.
But the fact is that we already have the victory and all we are commanded to do is to retrieve ground that was lost to the enemy because of the first Adam. Jesus said, “(John 16:33) In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”, and the word “overcome” is the Greek word “nikao” which means subdue. Our task is not to subdue because it has already been subdued; our task is to regain ground and realign people back to the Kingdom, taking on what Jesus had started - “Repent! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Dear friend, you have the keys of the Kingdom and you are expected to use them to unlock unlimited resources and power which have been given in full access. Don’t let poverty-thinking rob you of releasing Kingdom resources into the earth realm. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your reality (“I prayed but nothing happened”).
The way to unlock the Kingdom over your life and everything that you come into contact with is to “Think Kingdom, Use the Keys”. Ask - “What would the King want me to do?” or rather, “What would the King do in this situation?”. And be relentless in the drive to see the Kingdom established in your life and the environment around you. Unlock the Kingdom over your workplace by speaking out in faith to your circumstances, and praying for your bosses and colleagues. Unlock the Kingdom over your school and class by stepping into the darkness of the lives of the classmates around you and shining the light of the Kingdom brightly. To do so, it requires boldness and involvement in their lives. This could mean lending a listening ear, helping them understand their schoolwork (God grants you wisdom and tells you to be disciplined in school for a purpose!), loving the unlovable, reaching out to those who are hurting, spending time with outcasts/downcasts, and the list goes on.
Jesus said in John 17:18 “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world”. You have the keys of the Kingdom. Be bold and use them today!
Jason
