God’s Keys

Forgive me for taking forever to post anything new on the current study, and instead jumping into the middle of it with something about keys.  Well, it may not be part of the stones study, but trust me, it’s interesting.  Come and see.

About a month ago I read a passage of scripture that has sent me on another fascinating rabbit trail through God’s word.  I honestly never pass up these rabbit holes if I can help it, because Jesus is always hanging out in them, and there is always a treasure to be had in excavating the layers of the scriptures.

We’re all familiar (or maybe not) with Peter’s magnificent confession in Matthew 16:16.  The name Peter (Cephas in Greek) means “rock” and on this rock Jesus said He would build His church.  Peter explained what Jesus meant in his first letter, 1 Peter 2:4-10. After that little exchange, Jesus promised Peter a set of keys, and that’s where I want to take us today. 

“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 [a little rock], and on this rock [a big rock] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’”  Matthew 16: 15-19

Before I get started I’ve gotta say, I’ve never heard anyone preach on these keys, at least not from the perspective that I am seeing them, so it makes me a little nervous to share.  I know that no prophecy of God is not of any private interpretation, and I’m absolutely no Bible scholar, so I am praying that I have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to help me rightly divide the word … and I share this perspective strictly as an “interesting theory” until God proves it through other Bible teachers, or reveals it to others in His own time.  God is revealing so much in these latter times that I have no doubt He will disclose the mystery of these keys, if indeed there is one. But we also live in a day of great deception, and therefore it is paramount that we seek the wisdom of God in everything that we read and hear and see.

The first thing I felt compelled to do was to take a good hard look at the place where Jesus brought His disciples to ask them the very important question: Who do people say that I am?  The Bible says their conversation took place at Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was an area near Dan, at the extreme northern border of Israel. I discovered, through much looking that this place has had quite a sordid history. This area was at the time of Christ a sanctuary for the worship of the Greek god Pan. The place was called Panias (or Banais by the Muslims). Pan was a man from the waist up and a goat from the hips down.  He carried and played a panpipe and had a voracious appetite for sex, any kind of sex. This god is where the term “pansexual” comes from, Pan in Greek means “all.” According to the belief of his followers, He slept the winters in the underworld, accessed by the grotto that is at Panias.  Worshippers believed that cave to be a portal or gateway to Hades.  It appeared to them to be bottomless, and this bottomless pit was filled with water. Interesting that Jesus brought His disciples here to reveal to them who He was and what was going to happen to Him.

Pan’s worshippers went there to awaken him in the spring with orgy parties and bestiality with goats. Greeks would throw their sacrifices into the grotto and if the sacrifice disappeared in the waters it was said to have been accepted.  But the water from the spring that filled that cave also fed out to a nearby stream (one of the headwaters of the Jordan River), and if blood appeared in the waters of the stream, the sacrifice was said to have been rejected.  There were little niches hewn in the rocky cliff face to the right of the huge cavern, and carved idols of Pan, Echo, and Hermes were once placed on display in them.  During the time of Jesus, there was a Roman and/or Greek temple that stood in front of the cave. 

(Visit: Generation Word to see photographs and read the history of the area).

This “little rock” of Panias was at the foot of the “big rock” – Mount Hermon, which was considered to be the “mountain of the gods.”  What gods?  Well, according to a stone stele found at the summit of Mount Hermon in 1869 by explorer Sir Charles Warren, it was the place where the fallen angels made their pact with each other to sin with human women (Genesis 6; Jude vs.6) and create a corrupted super-race of “giants,” which bled out into the animals as well and basically corrupted all species of man and beast, which is what prompted God to flood the earth in order to rescue life on earth from the brink of extinction. The Book of Enoch also confirms this.

Psalm 82:1 says, “God stands in the congregation of the mighty [elohim, gods]; He judges among the gods.” verse 6 says, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High, but you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes (which is a title given to angels, such as Michael – Daniel 10 and 12; and Satan – Matt.12; Mark 3; Luke 11).”

Interestingly, when I researched the word “assembly” as in mount of assembly, one of the Greek words that came up was

2

Strong’s Number: g3831

Greek: paneguris

Assembly: from pan, “all,” and agora, “any kind of assembly,” denoted, among the Greeks, an assembly of the people in contrast to the Council of National Leaders, or a “gathering” of the people in honor of a god, or for some public festival, such as the Olympic games. The word is used in Hbr 12:23, coupled with the word “Church,” as applied to all believers who form the Body of Christ.

Now I want to read further in Matthew for a moment about this “big rock” and then we’ll come back to Peter, the “little rock,” and this “general assembly and church” of Hebrews 12:23. In chapter 17 we find Jesus leading his three inner-circle disciples (Peter, James, and John) up on “a high mountain” by themselves.  This mountain was almost surely Mount Hermon – the mountain of the gods, which was right there in front of them, and may even possibly have been the “exceedingly high mountain” Satan took Jesus to in the temptation (Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5).  Jesus was transfigured (His glorified body revealed) in front of His closest friends, and also (I believe) in front of all the principalities, and powers, the rulers of the darkness, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  Jesus stood in the midst of the assembly there on that mountain, as their judge, just as Psalm 82 prophesied.

I also have a suspicion, again, just a hypothesis, that this mountain (referred to as “Sion” in Deut. 4:48) is the place of the wedding feast. Where a table is prepared before our Lord, our King Jesus, in the presence of His enemies!

Isa 25:6-9

And in this mountain
The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.

And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.

And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

It is interesting that Moses and Elijah are who appeared with Jesus in His transfigured/glorified body, as Elijah was one of only two people in the Bible who never died, Enoch being the other one. Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind (Enoch walked with God and simply was no more).  Moses was with God and only God when he died (if indeed he did die as we think of it, or simply ceased to live on this earth – Deuteronomy 34:5,7), and only the LORD knows where the body of Moses is buried (if indeed it was buried or just put in a safe place where nobody, including the angels, knows – Deuteronomy 34:6; Jude 9).  Moses’ body was not buried in a traditional family grave, like all the other patriarchs before him, nor even in Israel, but the historian recorded it was in a valley in the land of Moab, though his 120 year old body was in stellar health (Dt. 34:7).  So, it is interesting that Moses would appear with Christ, when we consider that the archangel Michael contended with Satan over the body of Moses, and now here is Moses victoriously transfigured on the mountain of the gods, with Jesus His Christ!

In both instances, the question at the grotto of Pan, and this transfiguration at the mountain of the gods, Jesus told His disciples to tell no one until after He had been risen from the dead.  I have often wondered why that was, and the theory I’ve come up with is two-fold.  First of all, it has been in Satan’s heart to kill Jesus ever since the curse in the garden (Genesis 3:15 and 4:8; 1 John 3:12; Revelation 12:4), and then storm heaven to rise above the throne of God (Isaiah 14:12-14). Satan has to have God’s permission before he can do anything (Job 1:6-12 & 2:1-7) to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed (to strike His heal) Matthew 4:6/Psalm 91:12. I believe Jesus personally gave Satan the permission he sought for that day.

And second, the Jews (and the disciples) believed the Messiah would come as their Conquering King (2 Samuel 7:13-14; Isaiah 11:1-4; Hosea 3:4-5; 4 Ezra 12:32; Micah 5:3; Ezekiel 37:24-25), to restore political power to the Jews (Luke 19:11; Acts 1:6), and to defeat all their enemies.  If they had known their Messiah was coming first as a suffering servant, they might not have killed Him (Luke 23:34).  Jesus wanted His disciples to know who He really was, and who the real enemy was (we battle not against flesh and blood), and that He would defy all expectations and instead be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, which no one was looking for, and which they would not understand until after He had risen.  The next time He comes it will be as the conquering King!!!! Jesus spent the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension explaining many things to them (Luke 24:45, 49; John 14:26,16; 15:26; 16:7, 13; 20:22), as well as restoring Peter.  And after Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit (the breath of life) revealed more and more to them, and after them, us.

Now, Peter’s name (Petros # 4074) means small rock – like the rocks David picked up and put in a shepherd’s bag when he went to fight Goliath, who was a giant and a seed of the Gen 6 fall.  David picked up 5 smooth stones, but he only used one to slay the giant.  In the same way, Peter would be a stone in the hands of the Lord, to raze giants and lead the people to Jesus.  Peter tells us that our Lord has lots of stones, which are all being built up into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5) for Him to dwell in, each with unique gifts and talents, which are likened to the parts of our human bodies (1 Corinthians 12:).  Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone of the pile of rocks (1 Peter 2:7).  Jesus said in Luke 17:21 “…the kingdom of God is within you.”  We are God’s house collectively, and not built by human hands. Hebrews 8, 9, 10.

I wonder, however, if Peter was singled out as a stone with a special purpose.

And on this (the massive thing, mount Hermon) rock (Petra, #4073, mass of rock), Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (represented by the grotto of Pan, the stronghold of paganism that was right there in front of them) shall not prevail against it.”

Is this also where Jesus took His disciples to give them the Great Commission after His death and resurrection, and before He ascended to the throne?

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.” Matthew 28:16

It sure fits. If Jesus commissioned His Apostles on that mount of assembly, which Satan intended for evil, but which God could use for good, it would surely have been Jesus making good on the promise He made to Peter and the other disciples in Matthew 16:18. On this rock I will build my church!!!!!

Revelation 21:10-27

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Remember that Jesus told the Pharisees that if they destroyed the temple Jesus would raise it up in three days (Matthew 27:39-40; John 2:19-22), they had in their minds the temple in Jerusalem, but Jesus was talking about His spiritual house on this earth, which we are all a part of, all of us who accept Him as our Savior.  The Pharisees had turned God’s earthy temple into a den of thieves, and when they killed Jesus, the Shepherd, they hoped to scatter the sheep, but three days later Christ arose as the Chief Cornerstone of His house, and His house began to be erected the moment He arose from the tomb. God does not dwell in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24), He dwells in you and me.  He is making us into a temple for Himself to dwell in.  It’s made up of each of us, whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

Moses and the Jewish people are the gates; Peter, and all the Apostles, are the foundation; and we are the walls, being built up as living stones (1 Peter 2:4) together with all those other stones, as His spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5) to bring the world into fellowship and worship of Jesus, our Great High Priest and soon coming King! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We, Gentiles, are the nations that are saved (in Rev 21:24-25), the “mixed multitude” (in Exodus 12:38), and the “general assembly and church” (of Hebrews 12:23), who, with the Hebrews, form a holy priesthood.

Although no key is mentioned, Matthew 18:18 does say that “Whatever we, as Christ’s priests, bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The context is of sins being forgiven or not forgiven, and brothers being reconciled or not being reconciled. We are admonished in the scriptures to forgive, to show mercy, and not to be hasty in judgment, blinded by the plank in our own eyes, lest we be judged by the same measuring stick that we ourselves use. (There are sins that lead to death, and there is unforgivable sin. I fear that if we go down this rabbit hole however, that we will veer too far off course, so I will leave this here for now. A good study for another day!)

If, then, we are all priests, we should act like priests. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we should forgive sins (John 20:23). We should pray for the lost. We should intercede for the immature. We should tend to the sick, prisoners, widows, orphans. We should make sacrifices. We should not be a stumbling block to others who are looking for Christ, but rather a stepping stone that lifts them up into His presence. To the praise and glory of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ. Amen!

On that note… do you know Jesus? What brought you to this blog post today? Do you know, if you were to die today, where you would spend eternity? Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, wanting to commune with you. Will you let Him in? He is a righteous judge. He knows all the secrets of our life. He is ready to forgive you of all of it. Go to Him now and make your confessions. Ask Him to forgive you and be the Lord of your life, your priest, and our soon coming KING!!!!! Bless you, friend.

The next thing I felt led to do in my studies was to grab my concordance and see if there were any other “keys” in scripture.  This is how I usually do Bible study, because I believe scripture will always explain scripture if we dig to find the connections.  And so, the next key that I found was in Isaiah 22:22: 

“The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.”

The “he” (in bold letters, emphasis mine) in this verse is Eliakim, who was indeed a real person in the lineage of David, who sat on David’s throne, but this is also a prophecy of Christ, because what is said of Eliakim here is said of Christ by the apostle John in Revelation 3:7:

“And to the angel/messenger of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.’”

The word key in this verse is maf-tay-ach in Hebrew and means an opener, Strong’s #4668. The name Eliakim (EL-YAW-KEEM), Strong’s#471, means “whom God raises up or sets up”. (Daniel 2:21 tells us, “He [God] raises up kings and also brings them down.”) The word shoulder is she-kem, Strong’s #7926, meaning the area between the neck and shoulders, where a burden (yoke) would be placed.

So now we have the paraphrase: “EL will lay the yoke (or burden = key of David) on the neck/shoulders of the one He raises up. The One who has the key has the ability to open and no one can shut, and shut and no one can open.  The power of binding and loosing belongs to Him, and to only those whom He chooses to give it to (2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 1:6; 3:21; 5:10; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 20:6). Why would we need to know this?

God had raised up Eliakim (aka: Jehoiakim) to be seated on David’s throne, but Eliakim did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Chron 36:5) and King Nebuchadnezzar carried him off to Babylon bound in bronze fetters. His son Jehoiachin (aka: Jeconiah or Coniah) reigned in his place. Jeconiah also did evil in the sight of the Lord (36:9), and he also was taken to Babylon, and Jeremiah pronounced a curse on Jeconiah ( Jeremiah 22:24-30) that he shall be written down as childless. That none of his descendants would prosper or sit on the throne of David to rule anymore in Judah. In fact, none of his sons did. The next, and last king of Judah, was Zedekiah, Jeconiah’s uncle, and he also did evil, stiffened his neck and hardened his heart.

Then fast forward to Matthew 1:11. Where we find Jeconiah in the lineage of Jesus. Many have said this is an error, or that it disqualifies Jesus from being the Messiah. But isn’t it amazing that Matthew didn’t hide that detail of His genealogy in order to avoid controversy. Now, it could be that Matthew recorded Joseph’s family tree and therefore Jesus would not have had Jeconiah’s bloodline in him. So then we go to Luke to check that one (which scholars say is Mary’s bloodline), and the son of David we find listed there was Nathan, who never sat on the throne, nor did any of his descendants. Is that important, or is it only important that He descends from David?

Well, to be honest I disagree with the scholars, and I know the reader may consider this heresy, given that I have no degree next to my name, but I’m looking at the wording of each lineage. The one in Matthew lists Mary by name, along with several other women. The lineage in Luke is all men, and lists Joseph, “being supposedly the father of Jesus.” I’m no scholar, I’m just a student, looking at the scripture’s wording deeply and carefully. This I do know about God, the Father. Curses can be lifted under the right circumstances (Exo 32:14; 2 Sam 24:16; 1 Chron 21:15; 2 Chron 12:12; Psa 106:45; Amos 7:3 & 6; Jeremiah 31:20; Jonah 3:10).

“Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10

Jesus has two things in His favor. First, if we go back to Jeremiah we’ll see in just a few verses after the curse that the Lord promised to raise to David a righteous branch (and it is up to God how He plans to do that – Romans 9:15,18; Romans 11:32); Also was the promise in Gen 49:10, the scepter shall not depart from Judah…. Second, this Righteous Branch atoned for the sins of Eliakim and broke the curses (Galatians 3:13-14), from the curses spoken in the garden, to the curses spoken from Mt Ebal, as well as the curses on the wicked kings ( Jeremiah 31:20); After becoming the curse for everyone on the cross Jesus acquired the key, as prophesied, that opens and no one shuts.

“After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it.” (Amos 9:11-12; Acts 15:15–16)

For the record, Jeconiah must have changed his ways, for in 2 Kings 25:27-30 he was released from prison, and Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, spoke kindly to him, gave him new clothes, gave him a prominent seat over the other kings, and he got to eat bread regularly before the king all the remaining days of his life. So, it sounds like Jeconiah repented, and God is always eager to forgive when we repent. He was the only king of the last kings of Judah to die of old age.

God raised Jesus up (on a cross – which was laid on Him as a yoke, as His burden to carry, the key that opened salvation) to redeem all the people for all time from their sins (Philippians 2:5-8) … 

“Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull, Golgotha, in Aramaic (– which btw. I believe is the place where Goliath’s skull was taken, Goliath the giant – a seed of the fallen ones, and hence the name – 1 Sam. 17:54).  There they crucified Him, and with Him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.  Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross.  It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” John 19:17-19

“And I [Jesus, the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep] gives them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand…and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29

Ezekiel tells us about this “Good Shepherd” in Ezekiel 34 beginning in verse 11, but let’s look at verses 23-24:

“I will establish one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them–My servant David. He shall feed them and be their Shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them: I the Lord have spoken.”

And herein lies the mystery, because King David was dead and in the grave when Ezekiel was alive, and when he prophesied this.

In Luke 19:28-40; Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; and John 12:12-19 is the story of the “Triumphal Entry,” as it is called. The people took palm branches and went out to meet Him, and in John’s gospel they cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” Luke’s gospel adds: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Mark’s gospel adds: “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” And Matthew’s gospel also says, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” It all harkens back to the vision of David’s son Solomon being ushered in as the next king of Israel to occupy the throne of David:

“So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon” (which was at the temple). “Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!”

Zechariah the prophet prophesied of the coming King, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation. Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” John and Matthew reflect this prophecy in their accounts.

Jesus came the first time as the suffering servant, lowly, as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (53); He came in peace, riding into town, lowly (-the Greek word is “praus,” and it means in humility, considerate, unassuming, gentle, meek, mild – meekness is not weakness, it is power under perfect control, in humble wisdom and penetrating love) on a colt, and only a few saw Him, but the apostle John prophesied in Revelation 19:11-16 that King Jesus will come again, and at that time it will be as our conquering King, riding truly “triumphantly” on a white horse, warlike, with all authority displayed, and every eye will see Him! And Satan and evil will be defeated.

King Jesus is now, and forever shall be seated on David’s throne as the King of Israel (Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Luke 1:32), and indeed of the whole world, King of Kings, and Lord of LORDS, seated on the heavenly throne, which David had occupied as a copy and shadow only temporarily on earth (Hebrews 12:2).

“God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realm, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come, and He put all things under His feet in subjection, and gave Him headship over all things to the church which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all” Ephesians 1:19-23.

We are not to be conformed to this word, but transformed, having renewed minds, which are set on things above, not things of earth. Therefore, rejecting the LORD as their King, and in turn asking for an earthly king, like everybody else on earth had (1 Samuel 8:5-20; 10:19; 12:12-13 and 17-25) was Israel’s sin.  It was a sin Israel repeated when they took Jesus before Pilate (John 19:11, 14-15), and in choosing Barabbas – a son-of-Abba over THE SON OF ABBA (John 18:39-40).  Even we today sin when we look to political leaders to lead us and guide us and protect us from our enemies, rather than have faith in the LORD to be our very present help in times of trouble. Men can be called to leadership but we are not to put our faith and our hope in them over Jesus.

The things of God, which are upon this earth, are a copy and shadow of things in heaven (Exodus 25:9,40; 26:30; 27:8; Hebrews 8:5; 9:9,23,24; 10:1; Colossians 2:17; Matthew 6:10). The throne is part of God’s true tabernacle (Hebrews 8:1-2,5), but it was not part of the earthly Tabernacle which God showed to Moses for the people to build (Exodus 25 – 31), although the Ark of the Covenant was God’s representation (compare 2 Samuel 22:11; Ezekiel 1:4-28; Exodus 13:18; Numbers 2 & 10; Revelation 4 – this is a Bible Study unto itself and part of the Stones of Remembrance Bible Studies which I will post at a later date). God dwelled among His people via the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle, but it was not until Israel asked for a king that the copy of the heavenly throne, with one seated upon it, came to be on earth (1 Chronicles 22:10; 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:34-37; Jeremiah 33”17).  God gave the people the desires of their heart only because it would serve His ultimate purpose.

David was the first king of the Tribe of Judah (in the order of Melchizedek – who was the original king of Salem, and also priest of God Most High, and was a king/priest without lineage – without beginning of days or end — Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1-3).  David was God’s chosen (1 Samuel 16:1,12-13) and Israel’s most beloved king.  David knew He was sitting on a heavenly throne which would one day be returned to its rightful place (Psalm 110). 

“The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

David’s kingdom reunited Israel with Judah for a time, and restored the Levitical priesthood.  David desired to make a house for God in His beloved city (Jerusalem), and had the Ark of the Covenant brought to it’s someday house.  This is why I believe it is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. He turned the hearts of the children to their Father and the heart of the Father to His children. David, like Jesus, was a shepherd of the sheep of his father (John 10), born in Bethlehem, of the lineage of Judah.  King David was a foreshadow of King Jesus.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

Jacob, aka Israel, foresaw this in his blessing to his son Judah: “the scepter (a symbol of kingship) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver (another name for a priest) from between his [Judah’s] feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people,” Genesis 49:10.  This scripture shows that God already knew His people would ask for a king.  Their king would come from the tribe of Judah, as a copy and shadow of their heavenly King, who would also come from the tribe of Judah (and whom I believe is personified in the mysterious Melchizedek, whom Abraham visited, who appears to me to be either the Father or Jesus — Genesis 14:18; Matthew 26:26-28; Revelation 1:5-6; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20 thru 10:23).  The name Melchizedek means My King is Righteous (Hebrews 7:2):

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign wisely, and execute judgments and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

Jesus is the rightful, anointed, supreme KING of Israel, who will take back the kingdom by also being a PRIEST who sprinkles His own sacrificial blood on the altar of God behind the veil, which He ripped in half at His death, restoring the obedience of the people – by taking away their/our sin.

Most scholars agree that Shiloh, in Genesis 49:10, is referring to the Messiah. 

Let’s go back to Samuel, the one who anointed David king, and see it from that perspective. 

Samuel was the answered prayer of his mother Hannah.  She had prayed for a son and promised to give her son to God if God would give her a son.  Samuel’s name means “asked for from the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:20).  After Samuel was weaned, she gave him to Eli, the Levitical priest who was serving at the House of God (Tabernacle) in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:24; Joshua 18:1) where she and her family went to worship once a year. 

Samuel (an Ephraimite) grew up under Eli to become a judge over all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba (1 Sam.3:19), that is from the farthest northern boundary to the farthest southern boundary, and also God’s prophet. Only Levites (of the tribe of Levi) could be priests.  Samuel was the only godly influence that we know of after Eli died.  He went on a circuit between Bethel (name means House of God – from the Jacob’s Ladder dream), Mizpah (means Witness – where Jacob made a pact with Laban), and Gilgal (which means rolling – as in rolling off a heavy burden from one’s shoulders – where the first altar to the Lord was built from the stones of the Jordan River) (1 Samuel 7:15-16).  God’s temple was located in Shiloh, but the Levitical priesthood had all but dissolved (1 Samuel 3:13-14). 

“The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation” And because the priests were so corrupted (1 Samuel 3:1; 8:3), “Men abhorred the offering of the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:17).  I’m sure they all loved Samuel, but Samuel’s sons were just as corrupt as Eli’s.  So, when Samuel was getting pretty old and the people feared he would be dying soon, they asked Samuel for a king.  So, it was when the Tabernacle of God was at Shiloh that the people asked for a king.  God assured Samuel that the people weren’t rejecting him, they were rejecting HIM.  They didn’t want God to rule over them (1 Samuel 8:7).  They wanted to be cool kids, like all the other nations who had earthly kings.  

The “house of the LORD” at Shiloh was, for all intents and purposes, Jesus living among the people (that’s who Jesus is – Immanuel, God with us).  According to the Abarim website the name Shiloh means He Whose It is – and also His deep and abiding Shalom. 

Remember the house that Jesus is building?  Jesus is building us up a spiritual house for He Himself to dwell in on this earth, for which He is the chief Cornerstone.  The Father in Jesus, and Jesus in us. “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”  Luke 17:21. The stones that He is using to build His house are you and I.  Before Jesus left to go and prepare a place for us in heaven He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

In God’s seeming absence it is easy to become fearful.  It was that same fearfulness that made the ancient Israelite people ask for a king.  They were afraid that without Samuel they would be swallowed up by the nations around them.  Fear is the opposite of faith.  The people forgot that their God went before them, and fought their battles (1 Samuel 8:20). Their eyes were on man, as our eyes often are.  They forgot that their King was the Word (John 1:1-14) by which everything had been created; that He was the Breath that parted the Red Sea; and the Angel who escorted their ancestors through the wilderness.  He was the Shekinah Glory of the Mercy Seat, and the glory Cloud that covered by day.  He was the glowing Pillar of fire by night, the Manna that appeared every morning, and the Rock from whence the water flowed (1 Corinthians 10:4); He was the Commander of the Lord’s army on the other side of Jericho, who brought down the walls when the priests blew their trumpets and the men shouted.  He was the One who held the sun in place in the sky for a whole day, and defeated Israel’s enemies with hailstones. He was the Angel who visited Gideon and gave victory to his 300.  He was the Angel who visited Manoah, and He was the strength of Samson in the Nazarite vow.  He was all of that and so much more, but the Israelite people had laid down their shield of faith.

I wonder if David’s (earthly) throne was finally taken back up from the earth as part of Jeconiah’s (aka: Coniah’s/Jehoiachin’s) curse (Jeremiah 22:24; 22:30).  I also wonder if the Garden of Eden was also likewise taken up when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:22-24) since that’s where the Tree of Life is, and angels guard the way.  God allows Satan to mess with some of His things, when it serves a purpose, but not all things.  He won’t let His precious things go to extinction.  That’s why He saved Noah.  Noah was the only non-corrupted, righteous man on earth (Genesis 6:9, 12). And He saved Lot.  Lot was the only non-corrupted, righteous man in Sodom & Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33).  The garden and the throne (I believe) were taken to heaven for safe-keeping (Garden: Luke 16:22, 23, 26; Revelation 22:2)-(Throne: Revelation 4 & 5; 21:10, 24; 22:1-3), to be revealed again later, perhaps during the millennial reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:4-6).

And when this world becomes almost totally corrupted and evil (2 Thessalonians 2:3), I believe with all of my heart that God will put us, those who are His true church, written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, in a safe place (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Isaiah 26:19-21,29; Zeph.2:3; Psa.27:5) until evil is destroyed forever.

The last king of Judah was Zedekiah.  The curse of Jeconiah was fulfilled.  The last prophet to speak was Malachi.  And then there were 400 years of silence … until Shiloh came, and HE retrieved the Key of David.  He took the yoke, the burden of leadership upon His shoulders as a sacrificial lamb, and reestablished His Kingdom through servant leadership!!!!!!!

When Jesus gave up His spirit on the cross, Matthew says “the ground quaked and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52-53).

This tells me that while Jesus’ body was in the tomb, His spirit went exactly where He had promised the thief on the cross they would go … PARADISE (aka: Abraham’s Bosom, the good side of Hades)

Whoever it was that continued living there “in torments,” we know they could see into Paradise, because of the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:20-25). Perhaps Jesus held up the Key of David for them to see, as they gazed across the great chasm, as a symbol of His victory over their multiple attempts at corrupting not only the seed of the Messiah, but the kingdom authority of the lineage of David. Perhaps the message He preached was that of Isaiah 14:12-21:

“But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north…Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” 

The Restrainer [Jesus] was then risen from the dead and made alive again.  Death and the grave were forever defeated. He had the keys of death and Hades, and also the Key of David.  Praise Yeshua!!!!!  Glory to God in the highest!!!!

I believe Jesus escorted the saints of Old out of their graves (Matthew 27:52-53), where angels took them on to heaven (Matt. 28:2)?  Because when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdelene He asked her not to hold onto Him for He had not yet ascended to the Father (John 20:17).  For 40 days Jesus stayed and appeared to people on earth in His glorified body (Luke 24:13-53; John 20 & 21; Acts 1:1-11).  This accounts for the gap between Revelation 1 where Jesus has the keys of Hades and Death, and Revelation 5 where no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll, and then the Lamb appeared.  Jesus ascended into heaven, and a cloud received Him, and once He was seated at God’s right hand (Mark 16:19) as our King (the scepter of Shiloh in it’s rightful place) then a scroll with seals was handed to Him.  Jesus first sprinkled His own blood on the Mercy Seat in heaven (Hebrews 10:4, see Hebrews 9 & 10) as our High Priest (the lawgiver from Judah in His rightful place), and then He sat down as our King.

If you have never read the book of Hebrews or the book of Revelation, this would be a great time to do that, and make a note of all the thrones that come up, and who is sitting on them.  And if you want to chase down a rabbit hole of your own, look up the “throne of David” and see how many addresses you can find.

So, the next key that I found while following this breadcrumb trail was in Luke 11:52: 

“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Notice the woe in this verse?  There are six of them all total in Luke 11:37-54, all aimed at the lawgivers, the Pharisees, and Scribes. Jesus spoke eight woes to the same group in Matthew 23. Here are some of the names given for the Scribes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees: Blind Guides, Fools, Whitewashed Tombs, Brood of Vipers, Hypocrites, etc.  Pretty harsh words!!! So what had they done?  They had taken away the key of knowledge, the Bible, preventing themselves from entering (into true fellowship with God) and hindering those who were entering (into that true fellowship).  They had set aside the word of God and shrouded it behind dogma, tenants, and religious doctrines of men, making faith a very heavy burden that few could measure up to.

Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress (withhold, hold down, hide away) the truth in unrighteousness…”

In those days the word of God was meticulously hand copied letter by letter by letter on scrolls by the scribes, and studied extensively and taught by the Pharisees.  The scrolls were kept in the synagogue.  The only word of God that existed in the homes in those days was oral, or perhaps a small book of prayer.  The word was taught in the home through traditions and stories handed down from generation to generation.  Men went to Synagogue on the Sabbath to listen to the Pharisees present a word from the Torah scrolls, and some would spend time lingering there to discuss it, in much the same way as the Greek philosophers philosophized (Luke 2:46-47; 4:16-30 & 31-37, 44; 6:6-7; 13:10).

And, in much the same way as the Greek Philosophers were honored and respected for their great knowledge and wisdom, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes esteemed themselves as the spiritual superiors of society, better than everyone else, and they wanted to keep it that way.  It made them important. They made lots of rules for people to follow, which were impossible for most people to keep. Though righteousness is to be pursued, the Bible is our standard, not the doctrines of man. And without the Holy Spirit creating that clean heart in us, it is impossible to please God, for all our righteousness, apart from Him, is as filthy rags.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16

Paul knew full well, as he himself was a Pharisaical apprentice until his radical encounter with Christ (Acts 22:3-21; 26:4-5; Philippians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 11:22).  He understood the grievousness of withholding the key of knowledge and articulated such in his letter to the Corinthians.  He said that he and his companions had to “…endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.” And said, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Corinthians 9:12,16.

Jesus said the Pharisees were of their father the Devil, who was a liar and the Father of lies.  The book of Jude shows us what the spirit of the Pharisees has been from the beginning.  Jude [Judah] speaks a woe to “them” (those who hinder the gospel of Christ): (vs 6-19) and these are those who are responsible: fallen angels, Sodom & Gomorrah, dreamers, followers of the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, the rebellion of Korah. Such ones are like clouds without water, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, raging waves of the sea reserved for darkness, wandering stars, grumblers, complainers, flatterers, mockers, sexually crazed, and those who cause division.  (My gosh, Jude could be talking about the world today; would you agree?)

Ezekiel 34:2, 8 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says, ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? (vs8) As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because my shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead…'”

Jude 12 and 2 Peter 2:13 says “Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain…Balaam… and the rebellion of Korah. They sit down with us at our love feasts, but they they do not have pure hearts; they have no fear of God or due reverence for Him. They are like hidden reefs in the sea. They entice unstable souls and end up shipwrecking them.

Proverbs 25:14 says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.”

I wonder, if Jesus hadn’t come when He did, if there would have been faith on the earth for very much longer.  The people were without hope, and like sheep without a shepherd.  The Jews hated the Samaritans and left them with no place to worship.  And the religious leaders had turned faith into a cult with political power, having only head knowledge of the Torah and an abundance of rules. They possessed a self-righteous form of godliness, but denied the power thereof. The Sadducees had taken the Torah and snipped out all the parts they didn’t like.

Before Jesus left this earth He opened the scriptures to His disciples (Luke 24:45) and told them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come (Luke 24:49), which the Spirit did in Acts 2:1-4.  Before He ascended to heaven’s throne He took His disciples to the mountain which He had appointed for them (Matthew 26:32; Mark 14:28; Matthew 28:7,10; Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:16-18, and 10-20; 2 Peter 1:17-18) – I believe Mount Hermon is a good candidate, and there gave them a Great Commission – (Mark 16:15,19; John 21:1,14); He made Breakfast by the sea – Tiberias/Galilee – and reinstated Peter. Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all people. 

Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, and to set people free from the law of sin and death.  He made a way for the Holy Spirit to live inside of us, so that we would not be dependent upon corruptible men (pastors, teachers, priests, rabbis, etc., ever again) to teach us (John 14:16-17), or to be dependent upon anyone or anything (the church included) on this earth in order to have fellowship with God.

God wants us to have fellowship with each other as well as with Himself, as disciples and as mentors to one another, to encourage one another, to love and serve and be a friend to one another. God made the church and He made each of us to have Spiritual Gifts as the body of the church and members individually. But there will be seasons in our life when we don’t have a church, when we don’t have friends, like when Abraham left his home and family to go to a land that God would show him, like when Noah landed on the slopes of Ararat, like Adam who had a garden and animals and God, but was alone, and in those times Jesus is that friend that sticks closer than a brother. The Holy Spirit gives us fellowship with Jesus and Jesus gives us fellowship with the Father.

He is the one who laid down His life for us. In those solitary times God’s word is vital to our spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Aren’t we blessed to live in a day and age when there is a radio station, TV channel, internet app, or website with Bible preaching and teaching happening 24-7 almost anywhere on the planet? The gospel is being preached in all the world so we are without excuse, but we must be Bereans and test everything.

The Torah scriptures- the first 5 books of the Old Testament, referred to as “the Law,” plus the historical books, the Psalms, and the Prophets which all together comprise our Old Testament, remained on scrolls until the Gutenberg printing press was invented, and then they, together with the New Testament letters, which were collected into bound books just a hundred years after Jesus walked this earth (the Marcion Bible of 144 AD is one example, which was comprised of the writings of Paul and said to have been presented to the Apostle John while living).  The Council of Nicaea in 325AD collected all the writings of “the Christians” and assembled the Old and New Testaments that we know today. The monastaries kept all these writings in protected storage through the Dark Ages and then during the Renaissance these writings were made into book form for mass distribution.

The oldest surviving OT texts were the Septuagint and the Masoretic, there may also be some Aramaic manuscripts, and then the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls surfaced and outdated them both They were found between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves. The Bible is probably the first book ever to be printed, and (still is being) translated into multitudes of languages. It has been dispersed all over the world.  It is today the number one bestselling book of all time. It is being preached over the airwaves to every corner of the earth.

The Bible warns that nothing shall be added to or taken away from it, and that not one jot or tittle shall pass away from it until all are fulfilled. Therefore, I believe the LORD has protected His word up to this generation, and that what we hold in our hands today is the inspired word of God (and all the various translations help to clarify what the original texts said). Perhaps the Gentiles, who have been responsible for spreading the word to the world, perhaps that is what our purpose has been until “the times of the Gentiles to be fulfilled.” Because now there are finally Hebrew translations of the whole Old and New Testaments, and English translations with the Hebrew nuances preserved and unveiled. And Messianic Rabbis are being raised up, so we can have fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit can open the scriptures to us and remind us of the things which are written in it (John 14:26). 

And if we ever come to a place in the scriptures that seems to contradict other passages, or be in error, it is almost certainly the cultural prejudices of well-meaning translators of the day and not the Word of God. The original Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek is inerrant and must be studied in order to understand what the translators possibly failed to fully understand or convey.

Something neat I heard a Rabbi teach just the other day is that there were 70 languages that came out of the scattering from the tower of Babel, and when the Bible is translated into any language from Hebrew, it sanctifies that language.

Some, yea many, will come to faith through the “foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21), but once the Holy Spirit takes residence in us, “we have no need that anyone teach us” (1 John 2:27; Jeremiah 31:34; John 6:45).  The Holy Spirit can be trusted with our spiritual wellbeing where the hirelings cannot (John 10:12). We are told to test what we hear and search the scriptures to make sure that what our preachers and teachers say (including me and this blog) is true to the word of God. Satan and his spawn (false teachers) will and have worked overtime to twist God’s words from the very beginning – the serpent in the garden. Therefore we must be vigilant to seek the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit in the original Holy Scriptures.

We in turn have the responsibility to shine the light of Jesus to this dark world of lost people and preach the gospel to them. That’s what it means to “make disciples,” through the careful handling and sharing of the word, to be as watchmen on the wall, watching the signs of the times and sounding a warning that others might be saved, and to help each other pursue righteousness and flee from worldliness and the lusts of the flesh.  Jesus has laid the key of knowledge on our shoulders, just as He did the Apostles.  It is our responsibility to take His gospel to the world. 

Baby Christians need spiritual milk (the foundational knowledge of salvation, holiness, overcoming evil) until they reach the age of weaning, when they are able to study and rightly divide the word for themselves on a deeper level, through the Holy Spirit who is in them.  Every time we search the word of God with a hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment, the Holy Spirit living inside of us opens more of it to us. The living word is filled with mystery and depth, but the Holy Spirit only reveals these pearls to His followers who deeply desire to have that honest fellowship with Him and dig for it. He will not cast His pearls before swine. That is the beauty of the word of God, and the essence of making disciples of all men.  Like Paul, we need to be faithful to our responsibility to help people rightly divide the word and to use it to make them holy as He is holy, and not be like the Pharisees, who had enormous head knowledge but didn’t rend their hearts – only their garments, seeing themselves as better than everyone else, more spiritual, and who turned the gospel into an unattainable, secret hierarchy, man’s club, that they really didn’t want the average person to belong to. 

With Christ there is no Jew or Greek, Barbarian, slave or free.  We are all one in Christ.  We are to all be servants, to wash one-another’s feet, to carry one-another’s burdens, to pray for one-another, to lay hands on one-another, to learn, to love, to study, to know. Not to try to outdo one another, trample one another, compete, or make ourselves as gods. We are all fellow sojourners.

I feel like it is my spiritual job to share the things God shows me.  It is terrifying, because I know that teachers will receive a harsher judgment than others, which is sobering (Ezekiel 33:1-11). I don’t know that I have much of an audience to warn, but if there is even one person out there who heeds the message and is compelled to seek after Christ because of what they’ve read here, praise the LORD. God’s word is sent from heaven as rain to water our hearts and will not return to Him void.  Unless the Holy Spirit draws us, none of us would be saved.  So if God has led you here, that is confirmation to me that His Spirit lives in me and has shown me these things to share with you. One person plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. It’s not my job to make notches or keep records.  It’s just my job to speak when God says speak, and to give an answer for the hope that is within me. And given my foolhardy younger days, running headlong after the world and all its pleasures, I am living proof that God can save and use ANYONE!!!!

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog today and Jesus has wooed you to want to know Him, I want to encourage you, don’t delay in accepting His invitation. The devil is possessive and will try hard to keep you bound and lost. Hurry, while Jesus has His hand outstretched to you. 

I gave my life to Jesus after meeting a woman who asked me if I were to die today, did I know where I was going. I had cold feet and put her off for a few weeks, but the Holy Spirit would not let her words fall to the ground. I wrestled over the thought of becoming a “Jesus Freak,” and wasn’t sure I was done sowing my wild oats yet, convinced that becoming a Christian was the end of fun and laughter. Satan had totally brainwashed me into thinking fun and laughter was equivalent to JOY, and that a prison cell of my own making was somehow superior to the kingdom of heaven, but the fact is all that Satan offers is only a counterfeit of true joy, and is all ultimately a trap. Everything the devil presents as “fun” always ends up as a snare and a portal into a dark world. It all ends up as shackles without a key. Jesus is the one who made us and the only one who has the true compassion to give us LIFE. He laid down HIS life in order to set us free from the law of sin and death. He holds all the keys that will set us free. And I’m telling you, when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. I feel like the luckiest person on earth that God would forgive such a wretch as me, a vile sinner who has broken every one of His Ten Commandments. This is true joy, and I want so much for you to experience it.

I encourage you to please have that talk with Jesus. Tell Him all about your sins, and ask Him to forgive you, to come live inside of you and be LORD of your life. Get a Bible and begin reading it.  There are free Bible apps for your phone (Bible Gateway, and YouVersion). Talk to God.  Talk to Him a lot.  When He convicts you of sin, that’s the doorway out of bondage. That’s the way of escape! Confess your sins and ask forgiveness.  Turn from all your wicked ways and renew your mind daily with the word of God, as often as you possibly can.  If you are sick, go to the elders of the church; find someone who has been healed by God from sickness and ask them to lay hands on you and pray for you.  Find someone who loves the Lord and who is wise with His word and ask them to mentor you, for accountability. Ask God for wisdom and guidance in everything you do.  Know also that the devil masquerades as an angel of light, but is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  You need to know how to defend yourself (Ephesians 6) because he will do everything in his power to trip you up. The Lord is our refuge!!!!

Look for a good, godly group of Bible-believing Christians who read and study the word of God together, and join with them in seeking after the things of Christ.  If you are timid at first to look in your town, look online.  But be VERY careful to stay away from the cults that are out there.  Ask God to give you discernment and to guide you to the right people to disciple you.  If they are asking for money constantly, they are probably a cult. If they are constantly bashing all other churches, they are probably a cult. If they have leaders who are given to the lusts of the flesh and aren’t concerned with fostering holiness through Jesus and studying the word, they are certainly a cult. If they have lots of rules and secret levels, they are most definitely a cult. RUN!!!!

As far as TV preachers go, I would suggest maybe starting with someone like Les Feldick (lesfeldick .org/), who may seem kind of square and old fashioned, but who actually reads and teaches the word, and isn’t just a preacher with clever sounding sermons and a fancy pulpit, as so many are.  Find old broadcasts of J. Vernon McGee (ThruTheBible), who is again, a bit old school, but teaches the Bible.  Verse-by-Verse ministries (download the app to your phone for access to all their teachings on the books of the Bible), and Chuck Missler (many of his teachings are available on You Tube and blueletterbible.), and my most recent favorite TV preacher is Jack Hibbs (RealLife). These are teachers whom I trust. Listen with your Bible open and with highlighters and colored pencils in hand.  Pray about everything you hear. Make notes. Kay Arthur (PreceptMinistries) is another good one whom I recommend.  Look for her podcasts.  If you have questions go to GotQuestions.org. Let yourself be discipled with the spiritual milk of the word until you are able to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading into the meatier morsels, like prophecy, and the deeper mysteries hidden in the layers of the word, for which you might want to seek out a Messianic Rabbi, like Jason Sobel, Rabbi Schneider, or Jonathan Cahn. 

When you are ready to look for a local church, start by going to the Sunday night and the Wednesday night services first. Some churches have Saturday night worship services or worship services in public parks. These are more laid back and less intimidating. See if a church offers a women’s or men’s Bible Study class and give that a whirl. Some larger churches have home groups that are maybe more or less intimidating, depending on your personality. Volunteer to do the things that God puts on your heart. Volunteer for everything that comes up until you find what your Spiritual Gifts are, and then fan those specific gifts into flame by using them in specific ministry.  You’ll know your gifts when it brings you joy to do it, when it energizes you. Don’t let people exploit your eagerness. Many will try to put their ministries on you when they see your ambition. If what you find yourself involved in does not bring you joy, only obligation, get rid of it. That’s not your gift. We don’t earn our salvation by doing good works (and being a martyr about it), don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, but if we are truly saved we will want to do things out of genuine love which will help others find Jesus and the freedom and joy that we ourselves have found.  If you are doing anything not out of love, it is a waste of your time and talent. It is worthless in God’s eyes. Perfect love even casts out fear. Listen to the Holy Spirit and follow where He leads. God bless you, my friend.

I touched on this key earlier, but now will do so in depth.  The next key that emerged from my studies was in Revelation 1:18,

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen.  And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

I don’t know if the keys were being held in ransom by someone (Lucifer?) in Hades and Jesus retrieved them, or if He left them in heaven as a reward for Himself, but one thing is for sure…JESUS HAS THE KEYS! The One who has the keys is the One who is able to open doors that no one else can open, and shut doors that no one else can shut. He is the ONE who binds up and the one who sets captives (prisoners) free!!!!!!

The following is interesting to note. 

The words Hades and Death are capitalized in my Bible in the above verse, which means they are names for places or persons.  Hades (Strong’s #86 Hades, which means Unseen) is used 4 times in the Gospels and always by the Lord (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; and 16:23), and it is used in Acts 2:27, 31 with reference to the soul of Christ.  The actual Greek name for Hades is used, but the Greek word that has been translated Death is Strong’s # 2288: Thanatos.  This is also the one riding on the Pale Horse in Revelation 6:8, and Hades followed with him, and power was given them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger (Limos #3042), with death, and by the beasts of the earth in that passage.

Hades and Thanatos were gods in Greek Mythology.  Thanatos was the personification of death. His brother is Hypnos, from where we get the word hypnosis. Hades was the god of the underworld, the place where human souls go to after death. His name became synonymous with his realm. His name means “unseen one.” In Greek mythology he is the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, who were Titans. Hades and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated their father’s generation (the Titans) and claimed rulership over the cosmos (the Olympians). Hades received the underworld, Zeus the sky, and Poseidon the sea. Each one holds an object in their hands. Poseidon has a trident, Zeus has a scepter, and Hades (aka Pluto) has keys. So…is this where Jesus took possession of the keys? Did Hades (Pluto) get the keys from Adam? Did Jesus go and get them back?

Hades was portrayed as a soft ruler, but did not want anyone to ever leave his realm, and became quite enraged if anyone ever tried, or cheated death, or if anyone ever tried to steal souls from his realm. Imagine then, if the myths are true. If these gods are really the fallen angels. Imagine Hades’ dismay at Jesus’s arrival and Him having the power and authority to release the souls being held there. Is it Hades’ rage that sweeps a third of the angels from heaven to fight Michael and his angels (Revelation 12:1-10)? Is it also Hades’ rage that is precipitating the Armageddon showdown on earth between Jesus and Satan in Revelation 19:19? Or Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:7-10)? I need much more study on this subject so I’ll leave that here for now.

According to mythology, Hades’ reluctant queen was Persephone. He has a 3-headed dog named Cerberus. Why would Hades need a three-headed dog? Perhaps because there are 3 levels to the otherworld: Abraham’s Bossom/Paradise….. Hades (realm)/Sheol….. Gehenna/Tartarus?

Since finding Sharon and Derek Gilbert on SkywatchTV (their programs: Unraveling Revelation, Sci-Friday, and The Bible’s Greatest Mysteries, which are available at GilbertHouse.org), I don’t believe the Greek gods were myths after all, although the fantastical tales written about them are very likely fake news. 

Remember how Jesus said, “Upon this rock (which is likely Mount Hermon – the mountain of the gods) I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail”?  The gates appear to have a defensive quality, as if they’ve been put up to keep Jesus out.  But, alas, King Jesus holds the key, so there is no keeping Him out.  What he opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open, that includes things in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

And, if we have given our lives to Jesus, no one can snatch us out of His hand. 

If we refuse to make Jesus Lord of our life, and He banishes us to Hell, there is no one who can break us out.  For the occupants of hell, be it man or angel or demon, the only release from there will be resurrection to the Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:7-15), and then to eternity in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

The next key in scripture is in Revelation 9:1,

“The fifth angel sounded. And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth.  To him was given the key to the bottomless pit (literally shaft of the abyss).”

“And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace.  So, the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit” Revelation 9:2.

Remember the woes mentioned in the Key of Knowledge, to those who withheld the gospel? Well, I think it is interesting that the verse immediately proceeding this Revelation 9 passage states, “Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.” The first woe is pronounced upon “only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (9:4).“ So, the sheep and the goats have been separated, it appears, and marked, and it is interesting to me the punishment that is handed out. Locusts that had the shape of horses prepared for battle and their torment was like that of a scorpion, with stings in their tails, when it strikes a man. Men will seek death, but will not find it. In 1 Kings 12:11 and 14 it says, “And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” The word “scorpions” in that passage has been translated “scourges,” exactly the thing Jesus was chastised with for us (Matthew 27:26, 30-31; Isaiah 53:3-5). The weapon which made those being punished want to die shall be visited back upon the ungodly. If mankind refuses to let Jesus be the substitutionary punishment for their sin, they shall suffer their own consequences.

Now, going back to verse one, there’s an “angel” and a “star” in that verse, which means there is a distinction being made between the two.  The star is a male and he is given a key to the bottomless pit.  The word STAR in this verse is the exact same word used for the STARS in Jesus’s right hand in Revelation chapter 1, which is explained in verse 20 as the angels of the seven churches.  Scholars say that the word star can be translated as messenger (some translations say divine messenger instead of angel), and some believe the stars are the leaders or pastors of those churches. 

Now, let’s look at the word “fallen.”  Strongs #4098 the word is Pipto, according to references at blueletterbible.com it means to alight, descend, come down and gently land, also, to shine brightly.  It is not to be thought of as one being cast out of heaven and crashing to earth. As soon as the star lands unharmed he opens the bottomless pit with a key. 

I wonder.  Could this “star” be Peter?  I mean… could it?  This is honestly the carrot that led me to the rabbit hole blog post that you are reading right now.

We know that Peter is certainly an eternal being, who passed on to heaven before John was taken to Patmos. When Peter died, he was absent from his body but present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8) at least in spirit, if not in body.  He is alive today and living in heaven with Jesus, and possibly waiting for his body to be resurrected – which is why he might appear as a shining star instead of a man???

Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.“

So, here’s’ the thing… Jesus, promised Peter, AND ONLY PETER, the keys to the kingdom, as they stood facing one of the many gates of Hades that existed on this earth at that time.  Jesus said that Peter would bind on earth what had been bound in heaven, and would loose on earth what had been loosed in heaven.

Perhaps the spirits that dwelled in the bottomless pit had already been given permission (Revelation 9:5) in heaven to do their deeds, and the “star” was simply sent to unlock the door and let them out to go do it at the appointed time.

Who did the “star” release? An army who had as king over them, Abaddon/Apollyon. According to Derek Gilbert, in his book, The Second Coming of Saturn, this Abaddon is also known as Saturn, and this release from the pit is Saturn’s reign on the earth. Saturn is also known by another name, Lucifer – the Lucifer of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Are Lucifer and Satan the same person? The name Abaddon/Apollyon means destruction/destroyer. But, does that mean he is an evil angel?

Isaiah 54:16 says “I [God] have created the waster to destroy.” I looked up the word “destroyer” (destruction, destroy, destroying, etc.) in a concordance. There are several Hebrew words that came up. Abaddon was one.

The Satan, the serpent, the dragon, was created by God, even though God knew he would rebel, in order to give man, whom He created later, free will; but this adversary, became enamored with the power he was given and it caused him to rebel, as God knew he would. But God already had a plan to redeem men when they sinned – Jesus, the Lamb who was chosen to be slain before Creation (1 Peter 1:18-20).

As David chose one stone from his shepherd’s pouch to take out Goliath, Perhaps Jesus chose Peter as a stone with a special purpose, a key holder whose ministry it is to let out, and to lock up.

The key that perhaps Jesus gave to Peter wasn’t just authority to preach the gospel, for He gave that authority to all of the disciples, and to you and I.  Peter was promised a whole set of keys, not just one key.

Remember the woes Jesus spoke in Luke 11 to three groups of people – the lawyers, Pharisees, and Scribes who took away the key of knowledge? The three woes spoken in Revelation are to the inhabitants of the earth. The first woe is the releasing of the locust army out of the bottomless pit to torment the ungodly of the earth for 5 months, the exact same amount of time that God released the flood waters to destroy the ungodly of the earth (Genesis 7:24).  The second woe involves the four angels who have been bound at the Euphrates, and an army of two hundred million, who are released to kill a third of mankind. There are two witnesses who are sent to testify and prophesy to the unrepentant but who are killed by the beast (note that it does say ‘the king,” mentioned in 9:11) that ascends out of the bottomless pit, then the witnesses are brought back to life by the breath of God and taken to heaven in a cloud.  The third woe involves Mystery Babylon, those who destroy the earth, and Satan and his angels who are thrown out of heaven, and the beasts which rise out of the sea and the earth having great wrath (Revelation 12:12).

Know this, my friend.  When you see evil prevailing on the earth, it is the last dying breaths of our adversary/adversaries, with his angel cohorts and his corrupted seed, but he does not win.  Our King is seated on the throne in God’s heaven, and our enemy will be defeated.  He may take some of us out in the process, but always remember that “if we live, we live to the LORD; and if we die, we die to the LORD.  Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the LORD’s” Romans 14:8.  We are bought by the blood of Jesus and no one can snatch us out of His hand.  We will overcome evil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Make sure you keep your Spiritual Armor on you, having an especially tight grip on that shield of faith, and make sure your Robe of Righteousness stays clean and white.  Keep your lamp (or body) full of the Holy Spirit.

Our adversary wants our birthright, but he cannot have it.  He has a puffed-up heart, but he will be brought down to Sheol…

The final key in scripture is in Revelation 20,

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.  But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them … and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” 

Could this angel be Michael? Or is it Peter?

Perhaps as David killed Goliath with one smooth stone, Jesus used Peter to lock Satan away for 1000 years.  I have no doubt that Peter could put chains on Satan, as Jesus’ little rock. All it takes is one little rock in the hands of a warrior. Daniel 2 tells of a little stone that tumbles a great statue. Peter was the bold one, the gutsy one who made that confession in front of the grotto of Pan, and who wacked off the ear of the soldier who had come to take Jesus away in the Garden of Gethsemane.  And who stood up and preached at Pentecost.

What would be the point of us knowing this is Peter? 

I’ve been praying for wisdom and asking God this question, and this is the thought that occurred to me, that our lives don’t end when we die. Peter’s life didn’t end when he died.  He has an eternal life, and maybe that is what God is showing us by this little revelation? (If indeed this is a revelation.)

In heaven there are creatures that praise God, day and night (Revelation 4:8).  There is scripture that says there is a great cloud of witnesses that surround the living on earth (Hebrews 12:1).  Perhaps one of the things Jesus has given to Peter to do is to lock and unlock doors and gates. Why is it always a joke that Peter is standing by the Pearly Gates admitting or turning people away? Where did Peter being the gatekeeper come from? Where did the “pearly” gates idea come from? Revelation 21:21.

On that note though, I wonder what job Jesus has for me in heaven?  And for you?  I know I have always loved food and serving.  Perhaps I’ll get to be a Sous Chef in His kitchen?  Perhaps I’ll get to serve at the great wedding feast?  I’ve also always appreciated the beauty of nature.  Perhaps I’ll get to be a tour guide to show others all of God’s magnificent creation; of course, He’ll have to show it all to me first!  LOL. 

BTW: There is one other key in the Bible, and it was literally used to lock a dead king in his chambers (Judges 3:12-30).  Perhaps even that one has a prophetic connection.  Perhaps it is the key that locks the fat rebellious dragon in his firey bed chamber forever?

“Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” 

Colossians 3:1-2