Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven :: By Charles Gray Adams Jr

Published on: by RR7 Category:General Articles

 

Matthew 16:19

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.)

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

When combined and understood, these two passages reveal a truth that, if applied, can set many free from one of the greatest deceptions known to man. This deception has plagued mankind since the very first couple walked the earth. Indeed, succumbing to this deception has caused many to stray from the straight and narrow way, which leads to life (Matt 7:13-14). [1] Unfortunately, this deception is also responsible for the loss of the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Simply put, this deception is the idea that man can be as god and act accordingly, in their own volition. So, how do we get the keys back?

How Do We Obtain the Keys?

Like so many other portions of Scripture, men have twisted the idea of the keys of the kingdom beyond what is included in the Bible. The truth is, Jesus demonstrated exactly how we are to obtain the keys of the kingdom, and that is simply by seeking and obeying the Father’s will. The following will explain.

Jesus asked His disciples who men said He was. They replied with various answers: John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. In response to the next question, Jesus asked, Whom do you say I am? Peter replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:13-16). Jesus then informed Peter that God had revealed this to him, and next comes the part that confuses many. Jesus goes on to say:

Matthew 16:17-19

“Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (emphasis mine)

Here is the sticky wicket. At first glance, this passage seems to indicate that Peter is the rock upon which the church will be built. However, close examination reveals that even though Jesus gave Peter a new name which means a stone (John 1:42), He is not referring to Peter as the rock in this passage. Entire false religious systems have been built around this misconception. No, the true purpose of this passage is much simpler than most make it out to be.

Peter is confessing that Jesus is the Christ, which means He is the Savior they have been awaiting. This is true, and Jesus affirms it by saying that Peter has heard this from the Father in heaven. The fact that Jesus is the awaited Savior confirms that Jesus is the rock upon which the church will be built.

However, take another look at the emphasized text in the above passage. Jesus explains that the binding and loosing involved are actually the aforementioned keys of the kingdom of heaven. Say what? This will help.

Jesus came to do the will of the Father. He did so, even to the death. He ‘finished it all’ on the cross. He then commissioned men to go forth and do that which He had done. What was that exactly? The will of the Father. This is what binding and loosing is all about. You see, Jesus affirmed Peter by saying the revelation he had received was from God the Father, not flesh and blood.

Following the example of Jesus, the church is a group of called-out ones who simply seek the Father’s will and do it, forever, even unto death. This means that each and every day, this group, now called Christians, takes up their own cross, which means to die to self-will, and lives to do the Father’s will. This is why the text about binding and loosing is so important.

When read correctly, this message actually says that whatsoever is bound in heaven shall be bound on earth, and whatsoever is loosed in heaven shall be loosed on earth as men seek and follow the Father’s will. This means that God is in control, and men are subject to His will. He binds and loosens in heaven, and Christians on earth reciprocate. Ultimately, the authority to bind or loosen comes from God in heaven. Continually seeking His will is then paramount. The New American Standard Bible clears this up nicely:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:19, NASB). (emphasis mine)

Sadly, many have tried to apply this text to authority granted to man on earth, in which man can bind or loosen something on earth, and whatever this is must then be bound or loosened in heaven. Twisting this passage in this fashion smacks of the great deception which causes men to believe they are god, and thereby, the God of heaven is subject to man’s will.

This is why Jesus will tell many who say they did many wonderful works in His name to depart from Him because He never knew them. They were only using His name to further their will; they were not actually using His name to fulfill the Father’s will (Matt 7:22-23).

Notice what Jesus said in the last part of Matthew 7:21-23, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Another word for iniquity is disobedience. Disobedience is part and parcel of what these are accused of; they simply did their own will in the name of Jesus. This implies that even though we may desire to do wonderful works for God, in the name of Jesus, if it is not God’s will, it is done in disobedience.

This may help: imagine for a second that God is leading someone through a particularly difficult circumstance for a reason we cannot see. Human intervention could alleviate the momentary discomfort, but it could also thwart that which God is doing in the person’s life. What we cannot see is the fact that God has a purpose for this difficulty, and that is bringing the individual to greater maturity in Christ, which will invariably bring greater faith. This will then cause this person to rely on God even more. Not to mention, their testimony of God’s grace will help many who are dealing with the same type of circumstance.

Whose Kingdom is it?

The kingdom of God is just that, His kingdom. Many have attempted to bring the kingdom of God to earth to no avail, at least not in the physical sense. This is because His kingdom is in heaven; on earth it is only in the hearts of men that do His will. Look at the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught it:

Matthew 6:9-13

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (emphasis mine)

The highlighted text tells us how the kingdom of God does manifest on earth. It comes by way of man seeking and following the will of God who is in heaven. This is how His spiritual kingdom manifests on earth. Sadly, Satan also knows this, and his main weapon is deception which usually manifests in men who decide to turn from following God’s will to fulfill their own. When this happens, the kingdom of God departs from those who forsake their King, and they suffer loss.

With this in mind, it is crucial for all of us to remember that God is in control. As we embrace this truth, He will use us mightily to show others that He loves them while sharing the gospel with them. After all, Jesus said, “When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28-29).

Conclusion

God’s kingdom can only be entered into by way of the keys given us by Jesus the Christ. We simply must do what Jesus did and follow the will of the Father. This is why the Apostle Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Other translations use the term imitate rather than follow. This indicates that Paul was so successful in his life of ministry because He did what Jesus did, who did what the Father did. This is a perfect example of how we should operate in the spiritual kingdom of God while we await our soon departure for the heavenly kingdom.

Therefore, let us all strive to do the Father’s will in all things, at all cost.

Colossians 3:17

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Website: In His Commission

May 14th, 2022

[1] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told: The Origin of All Lies.“

Beginning Study in Hebrews: Jesus Sat Down :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR7 Category:General Articles, Sean Gooding

 

Hebrews 1:1-4

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (NKJV).

The book of Hebrews is a rich and potent book. It is full of doctrine and imagery that helps us to solidify our faith in Jesus our Lord. The author’s identity remains in question, and there is some debate as to who is writing this book. My observation, based on its language structure and the final greetings in chapter 13, is that Paul was the most likely author. If not Paul, then certainly one of his near companions whose association with Paul may have influenced the grammatical structure of one’s writing.

Nonetheless, the One who actually wrote the book of Hebrews is God, as we know. He oversees the writing of the scripture using some 40 writers over about 1,500 years to author a coherent and well laid out narrative that is fraught with science, historical facts, supernatural characters and offers us an insight into the world that we cannot see. Much like Daniel in the Old Testament, a book that is dedicated to the Gentile history in the future, the book of Hebrews ties all of the Jewish histories into the present moment and shows the culmination of God’s oversight from Abraham to Jesus.

The book of Hebrews is thirteen chapters, and it is a very detailed book about events that happened in the Old Testament. We will explore them as best we can and draw all we can out of the texts. I encourage you to read the book, maybe multiple times to get the gist of the context and an overview of the content. This is a book rich in doctrine, not for the faint of heart and not for the novice. I pray that you will enjoy this journey, but more so, that you and I will be challenged to trust God more, be anchored in our faith more, and become more aware of God’s grace, the power of His salvation, and the honest realization that God used and uses sinful men; He always has and always will.

When we get to chapter 11, called the Hall of Faith, we will meet some characters that many would not allow in our churches today, but these men and women changed the world. Let me give you an example. David is called a ‘man after God’s own heart in 1 Samuel 13:14), then again in Acts 13:22, yet David had eight wives; they are listed in 2 Chronicles 15:13. We have a hard time at times dealing with this, and we tend to avoid these kinds of discussions because they are uncomfortable and they do not fit our narratives of Christianity. Yet God used and is still using David to this day to move His kingdom ahead. We are not condoning sin, never, but it is a reality of the Christian walk, even in godly men and women.

  • God, verse 1

The book just jumps right in. There is no salutation, no introduction of any kind, and not even the name of the author. It begins with God and what He did in the past and is doing now. The assumption here is that the author does not need to prove to the reader that there is a God. This book is for people of the faith, people who are saved and have moved or are moving from the ‘milk’ of the Bible to some meat. This is the solid food, the deep doctrinal stuff that is going to make us think and make us come to a greater appreciation of what Jesus has done.

If you are still looking to find out if God is real, then the book of Hebrews is not for you. It will cause more confusion and create more questions than provide answers. But if you are looking for a spiritual journey, stick with me and we will get you through this. Maybe you want to get into the meat of the Bible and were a bit timid; that we can work with. We will take small bites, chew them as best we can, and digest these truths so as to make us all stronger in the faith for the Lord and His Kingdom.

  • God Spoke, verses 1-2

To understand the book of Hebrews, we will need to explore the Bible in great detail. The Old Testament is primarily about the Jews. It is about the plan of God to redeem man using a Savior who is born in the bloodline of Abraham. The journey through the Old Testament details a supernatural war that is played out before us – a war that began in Genesis 3 with the temptation and subsequent fall of man; a war that has been waging for 6,000 years or so between Light and Darkness; a war that has encompassed all of humanity; a war that required that God become a man and die to redeem His creation; a war that required the Creator to allow the creation to kill Him; a war that is as alive and explosive today as it was in the days of Job.

The Old Testament lays out for us a plan, created and sustained by God, that encompassed 1,500 years of God watching over the lineage of His Son – taking them from modern-day Iraq, a place called Ur of Chaldeans, and into the modern-day land of Israel. His oversight preserved the Levitical line and the tribe of Judah as well as a remnant that will emerge to be marked by God in the very last days (see Revelation 7). God showed us this plan using writers like Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy), Joshua, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Micah, Daniel, and many others. Many of these men never met; they wrote in different geographical locations, and yet the continuity of the account is astonishing. One can go from book to book and find a consistent and coherent theme, and that theme is Jesus.

In John 5:39-40, Jesus makes this statement; He is addressing the religious leaders there in Jerusalem, and they talk about the Old Testament. In it, they think that keeping the Law of Moses will bring them eternal life. Sadly, many peoples and religions still think that to this day. But Jesus makes an astonishing statement,

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (NKJV).

The entire story of the Old Testament is about Jesus. The Law is about Jesus, the prophets tell us about Jesus, the Psalms are about Jesus, the Proverbs, and on and on we can go. Jesus is the central theme, the central character, the Hero, and the main focus of the Old Testament. When we understand this, things that were confusing now become clear, and we can begin to digest and apply the spiritual truths that we are confronted with.

In the Old Testament, God speaks about Jesus. There are pictures and what are called Christophanies where Jesus shows up and talks to people. We will see one of these later in Hebrews when we meet a man called Melchizedek. But Jesus shows up in the book of the Judges to Gideon, He shows up to Samson’s mother and father, He shows up to talk to Daniel, and on and on we can go. Jesus is the central theme of the Bible. He is the Creator in John 1; He is the Savior, the Redeemer, the Sustainer; He will be the King of the Jews; He will rule the world; and He will right the political and ethical wrongs of the world when He returns. Take a look at Isaiah 9: 6-7:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (NKJV).

This is a Jesus prophecy; the book of Isaiah is filled with them. Then there is the famous Isaiah 53, the very chapter the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading from in Acts 8. And from that text, Philip taught him about Jesus; and that man, according to Acts 8:37, came to understand that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

“Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'”

  • God’s Right Hand, verse 3

Jesus sat down once the events recorded in the Gospel were over. This is significant, and it is important for us to explore the furniture of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple to understand the importance of this. Look at Hebrews 9:1-5, and we will see the seven (7) furniture pieces in the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

“Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things, we cannot now speak in detail” (NKJV).

You will notice that there were no chairs in the Temple or the Tabernacle. Why? Because the work of the Priests and High Priests was never finished. The sacrificing went on day in and day out for about 1,000 years until Jesus came and died on the cross. The priests were not allowed to sit in the Temple at all. They stood to perform their service, and once a year, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was and offered a blood sacrifice for the sins of the nation of Israel.

These sacrifices began each day with the morning sacrifice at about 9 am and then finished with the evening sacrifice at about 3 pm. If you take a look at the Gospels, you will see that Jesus was on the cross at about 9 am (the morning sacrifice), and He died at about 3 pm (the evening sacrifice). He was the first and the last. Mark 15:25-37 lays this out for us.

“Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!’ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

“Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, ‘Look, He is calling for Elijah!’ Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.’ And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last” (NKJV).

Notice that the 3rd hour was 9 am (morning sacrifice), and the 9th hour was at 3 pm (evening sacrifice). Jesus was and is our complete sacrifice, so now He can sit down since the work is finished. Jesus paid the total and final price for all of our sins. The veil has been torn; and He, our High Priest in Heaven, has offered His own blood as the FULL PAYMENT for our sins, yours and mine. This is the confidence we need to have in regard to our salvation. Jesus paid the price once and for all. When we are saved, we are saved forever. Jesus died ONCE, for all, forever.

We will explore this even further as we travel through the book of Hebrews. I pray that you will enjoy the journey as we grow in our knowledge, appreciation, and admiration of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

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