‘And Have The Keys of Hell and of Death’

‘And Have the Keys of Hell and of Death’

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

Revelation 1:18

As we continue our meditation upon this post-resurrection statement which Christ makes to John, we come to consider the last line, ‘and I have the keys of Hell and of Death.’  From speaking of His Vitality and His Mortality, Christ now moves to proclaim His Authority. We may have informed discussions about whether the word, ‘hades’ means simply the grave, or whether it includes ‘Hell,’ as the final destination of the unrepentant, but in either case, what we must inevitably conclude is that Christ has authority over all things, temporal and eternal. This includes ‘Hell and Death,’ which are, in our minds terminal. This is a source of comfort for us who rest by faith in Christ. We can happily sing, ‘my times are in thy Hands, my God, I wish them there.’ We may find life full of hardships and difficulties; we may be sick, and afflicted; our life may, in human terms, hang in doubt before us, but we can say with much-afflicted Job, ‘He performs the thing that is appointed for me, and many such things are with Him.’ What of you who know not Christ as Savior? What will your end be? This Christ Whom you despise and reject is the Very Judge of all the earth. It is He, Who has the ‘keys of Hell and of Death.’ For your own sake, and for the good of Your own soul, do not continue to stand afar off. If you come to Him, He will ‘in no wise case you out.’

Our Gracious Sovereign God,
We rejoice today that You rule over all.
We rejoice that Your Counsel shall stand,
and that You will do all Your Pleasure. 
Everyone and everything is subject to Your Divine Will.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning