The Keys Of The Kingdom!
Matthew 16:19 “And I will give you
the Keys of The Kingdom of Heaven…”
There has been good and bad
teachings based on this passage of Scripture. I, like many others believe I
understand what JESUS was saying and it is contrary to the most popular
teaching of this passage.
So first let’s read this in
context: Matthew 16:13-20 “When JESUS came into the region of Caesarea
Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, The Son of
Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say
John The Baptist, some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them, ‘But, Who do you
say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are The CHRIST, The Son of
The Living GOD!’ JESUS answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar
Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is
in Heaven!
And I also say to you that you are
Peter and on this Rock* I will build My Church, and the gates of hades shall
not prevail (be victorious) against it.
And I will give you the Keys of
The Kingdon of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven
(Or will have been bound in Heaven), and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in Heaven (Or will have been loosed in Heaven).’
Then He commanded His disciples
that they should tell no one that He was JESUS The CHRIST!”
Let’s break this down:13-15 “…JESUS
came to the region of Caesarea Philippi…” there is much teaching about this
being an area of witchcraft and devil worship that was called “the gates of hade.”
JESUS asked the question, “Who do men say that I, The son of Man, am?” This is a loaded question as they, like
the Pharisees understood the phrase, “Son of Man” from Daniel’s prophesy about
the MESSIAH (Daniel 7:13-14). They answered several reasonable names, but He
then asked them the important question, “Who do you say that I am?”
:16-17 Peter answers from his
spirit, “You are The CHRIST, The Son of The Living GOD!” and JESUS commends him
for listening to The SPIRIT.
:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter! And
on this Rock I will build My Church,…” Peter at this point is not the rock that
he will become years later; his boldness in Fatih does not come until Pentecost
and the outpouring of The HOLY SPIRIT, but that was to the Jews in Jerusalem
and Judea, JEHOVAH has to cause persecution to the point that the Believers
spread out into Samaria (Acts 8), then again JEHOVAH has to force Peter to take
the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10), then JEHOVAH calls Saul (Paul) to be the
Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 13). So Peter is not The Rock that JESUS is
building His Church on!
JESUS is the Chief Corner Stone (Psalm
118:21-24; Acts 4:8-12) and The Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:5-17) that The Church is built on (1 Peter 2:1-10)!
“…and the gates of hades will not
prevail against it!” Genesis 22:16-18, this is the first Promise of GOD to His
Chosen People (that is all who Serve JEHOVAH and believe in JESUS CHRIST) to
take the territory of GOD’s enemies; the first fulfillment was with the
Children of Israel possessing The Promised Land (Joshua). JESUS in His Promise
to the Disciples (therefore the whole Body of CHRIST in the earth) was speaking
of the spiritual warfare to take back the souls of those lost to sin, thereby
diminishing the devils kingdom in the earth; the devil is not the lord of hell,
he will be there as a tormented prisoner (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
:19 “And I will give you The Keys
of The Kingdom of Heaven,…” What are the Keys of The Kingdom of Heaven and who
is JESUS giving them to? We know what The Kingdom of Heaven is, it is where
JEHOVAH GOD exists, the place where all who are Born Again in JESUS CHRIST will
dwell with JEHOVAH and JESUS through Eternity, but what are the Keys that will
get us in? John 1:1-14, 3:16-17; Romans 1:16-17, 10:8-15!
We (all Believers) have JESUS’
commission to Preach The Gospel, make Disciples, lay hands on the sick, cast
out demons and do whatever GOD gives us individually to do in the earth as it
is in Heaven (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-18, Luke 11:2)
“…and whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in Heaven (Or will have been bound in Heaven) and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven (Or will have been loosed in
Heaven).” (Matthew 18:15-20; John 20:19-23). This is the spiritual warfare
that we are fighting, to make disciples of the nations – take back the territory
that the devil had usurped from Adam because he caused him to disobey GOD. That
is the devil’s only tool against humanity – to get us to sin against GOD. By
not sinning we stop his encroach in our life. By proclaiming The Gospel of
JESUS CHRIST we take back the lives of people who are trapped in his control.
We are pulling down the gates of hell by our prayers and fastings and preaching
and teaching. Every time a person is saved by Faith in JESUS CHRIST the realm
of hell is diminished.
https://youtu.be/mKO3yQj7kws
Definitions:
* Rock(s) = pĕtra; feminine of the
same as Pĕtrōs; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively):-rock.
Pĕtrōs = a primary word, a (piece
of ) rock (larger than lithōs); as a name, Petrus, an apostle:- Peter, rock. Comparatively
Kēphas.
Lithōs = apparently a primary
word; a stone (literally or figuratively):-(mill, stumbling-) stone. (Luke
20:17-18, 21:6, 24:2; John 8:7, 11:38-41, 20:1; Acts 4:11; this word is used 36
times in the Second Covenant, it references a hand held stone to the stones
that sealed Lazarus and JESUS’ tombs; it also represents JESUS The Stone
rejected Luke 20:17-18, Acts 4:8-11).
Kēphas = of Chaldean origin [comparatively
kêph]; the rock; Cephas (i.e. Kepha), a surname of Peter:-Cephas.
kêph = from kâphaph; a hollow
rock:-rock.
kâphaph = a primary root; to
curve:-bow down (self).
Pĕtra is used 20 times in the
Second Covenant, Matthew 7:24-25 (Luke 6:48 - twice)**, 16:18, 27:60 (Mark
15:46); Luke 8:6, 13; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 10:4 (twice); 1 Peter 2:8.
Trachus-tŏpŏs (rocks) is used once
in Acts 27:29.
trachus = perhaps strengthened from
the base rhēgnum; (as if jagged by rents); uneven, rocky (reefy):- rock, rough.
rhēgnum or rhēssō; both probably
forms of rhēkō (which appears only in certain forms and is itself probably a
strengthen form of agnumi [see katagnumi]; to ‘break’, ‘wreck” or “crack”, i.e.
(especially) to sunder (by separation of the parts; katagnumi being its
intensive [with the preposition in comparative], and thrauō***.
tŏpŏs = apparently a primary word;
a spot (generally in space but limited by occupancy;
whereas chōra; feminine of a derivative
of the base of chsma, from a form of***.)
** In Matthew and Mark’s telling
of the parable of The Sower stony ground is used instead of rocks (see lithōs
above).
*** I stopped here because the
Greeks just did not seem to know how to define words with a single definition.
All Scriptures from The New King
James Version Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers
All definitions are from Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance Of The Bible, MacDonald Publishing
