Keys to the Grave
Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, the living one. I am he who was dead, and now you see me alive for timeless ages! I hold in my hand the keys of death and the grave. Rev. 1:17, 18, Phillips
Do not be afraid." Those words are remarkably similar to Jesus' "Let not your heart be troubled" on the night before His crucifixion (John 14:1-3). In the earlier passage Jesus tied the reason not to fear to His second advent. He was going to prepare a place for them and would return so that they could be with Him. John 14:1-3 does not mention His resurrection, but it is obviously implied.
Here in Revelation 1:17 and 18 mention the Second Coming is not in the verses. But we do find it in verse 7, in which John declares that Jesus will come in the clouds and that "every eye will see him" (RSV). He can return because He is "the living one" who "was dead" but is "now...alive."
That is good news, but in the last part of verse 18 it gets even better. "I hold in my hand," declares the living One, "the keys of death and the grave." In ancient palaces the one who held the keys was an important person. That individual could admit or shut out people from the king's presence. The keys were a symbol of authority.
It is in the light of that fact that we can evaluate Jesus' statement on having the keys of death and the grave. All kinds of people could put individuals to death. There is no secret to that. Just pull a trigger and you can send someone on a one-way trip to the cemetery.
But the reverse is not so easy. It is impossible to bring people back to life, no matter how much money or power you have.
That is where Jesus' victory over death comes in. His resurrection demonstrated for all time that He alone has the keys of death and the grave.
As a result, His resurrection is a guarantee of that of His followers. Thus Christians have no need to fear. We serve a risen Lord! Nothing can happen to us that He cannot reverse--even death itself.
He not only arose, but He is "alive for evermore" (verse 18, RSV). Jesus did not rise to die again, but is the "living one,...alive for timeless ages." And with His keys He offers that same eternal life to each of His followers.
The final word: Fear not; we serve a risen Lord who will come again to provide His followers with life throughout the ages of eternity.
Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, the living one. I am he who was dead, and now you see me alive for timeless ages! I hold in my hand the keys of death and the grave. Rev. 1:17, 18, Phillips
Do not be afraid." Those words are remarkably similar to Jesus' "Let not your heart be troubled" on the night before His crucifixion (John 14:1-3). In the earlier passage Jesus tied the reason not to fear to His second advent. He was going to prepare a place for them and would return so that they could be with Him. John 14:1-3 does not mention His resurrection, but it is obviously implied.
Here in Revelation 1:17 and 18 mention the Second Coming is not in the verses. But we do find it in verse 7, in which John declares that Jesus will come in the clouds and that "every eye will see him" (RSV). He can return because He is "the living one" who "was dead" but is "now...alive."
That is good news, but in the last part of verse 18 it gets even better. "I hold in my hand," declares the living One, "the keys of death and the grave." In ancient palaces the one who held the keys was an important person. That individual could admit or shut out people from the king's presence. The keys were a symbol of authority.
It is in the light of that fact that we can evaluate Jesus' statement on having the keys of death and the grave. All kinds of people could put individuals to death. There is no secret to that. Just pull a trigger and you can send someone on a one-way trip to the cemetery.
But the reverse is not so easy. It is impossible to bring people back to life, no matter how much money or power you have.
That is where Jesus' victory over death comes in. His resurrection demonstrated for all time that He alone has the keys of death and the grave.
As a result, His resurrection is a guarantee of that of His followers. Thus Christians have no need to fear. We serve a risen Lord! Nothing can happen to us that He cannot reverse--even death itself.
He not only arose, but He is "alive for evermore" (verse 18, RSV). Jesus did not rise to die again, but is the "living one,...alive for timeless ages." And with His keys He offers that same eternal life to each of His followers.
The final word: Fear not; we serve a risen Lord who will come again to provide His followers with life throughout the ages of eternity.
RSS Feed
