Keys To Enter The Kingdom
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. (Matthew 16:19 KJV)
Jesus often portrayed God’s kingdom as a house where people could enter and exit through a door with a lock. The mystery and intrigue of this illustration are that the door of that house has a key. What is this key or keys?
Two events in the Gospels help us understand what that key is: Jesus’ commendation of Peter’s confession and His rebuke of the hypocrisy of the experts of the Law.
In Matthew 16:19, Jesus told Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. Note that the term keys here is plural—there are many keys. So Jesus gave Peter the authority to open the door for people to enter into the kingdom of God. The key for Peter was his authority as an Apostle to preach the Gospel. How did Peter bring people into the kingdom of God? He preached the Gospel to them. He began using his key effectively. When he preached on Pentecost, 3000 people were added to the kingdom.
Unlike Peter, who brought Peter into the kingdom, the experts of religious Law shut the door of the kingdom and blocked Peter from entering (Matthew 23:13). In rebuking them, Jesus revealed what the key symbolically represents:
“Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” (Luke 11:52 KJV)
The key here is knowledge. You heard or read about Jesus and entered God’s kingdom when you believed it. Similarly, now that you are already in the kingdom, you still practically enter into your blessings of the kingdom by knowledge (revelation).
So the two keys revealed in these passages to enter the kingdom are authority and knowledge.
Meditate
Consider this for a minute: how is knowledge a key in the kingdom at conversion and afterward?
Apply the Word
What keys of the kingdom do you have in your hands? Your key of power will give you access to kingdom power, the same as your key of prosperity, healing, peace, etc. What is your revelation of Christ?
Pray
Ask the Spirit to give you keys to open any closed doors to God’s will in your mind.
Recommended
- What is the Key of David?
- What is the Key of Knowledge?
- Four Key Insights to Help You Understand the Kingdom of God
- Three Common Misunderstandings of the Kingdom of God
- What is a Devotional?
- View All Deshen Daily Devotionals
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