«　WEEK 8　DAY 3　»

　　Rev. 3:7 And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.

　　Isa. 22:22 And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder—when he opens, no one will shut; when he shuts, no one will open.

　　When God created man, He gave him dominion over all creatures [Gen. 1:26]. This indicates that in God’s intention man is to be the power representing God on earth. Due to the fall, however, man lost this power and has never fully recovered it…. We do not see this power until God’s chosen people, the children of Israel, entered into the good land and built the temple…. The temple is related to God’s image because, being God’s house, it is His expression. The temple was built in the city. The temple signifies God’s expression, and the city signifies God’s dominion. The image and dominion revealed in Genesis 1 are, at least to some extent, fulfilled in the temple and the city. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4199-4200)

　　The key held by David is the key of God’s entire dominion. God’s dominion includes the whole universe, particularly mankind. This dominion has a key, which is possessed by the person who fought the battle for the kingdom and who made preparations for the temple. The name of this person is David. David represents God in establishing God’s kingdom on earth. Hence, he has the key of God’s dominion in the universe. David, however, is just a type, not the reality. The real David is Christ, the greater David (Matt. 12:1-8). He is the One who built God’s temple, the church, and established God’s kingdom (16:18-19). Therefore, in the church today, which is both a house and a kingdom, we have God’s expression and representation. As the greater David, Christ has built up the house of God, the real temple, and He has set up the kingdom of God, the dominion in which He exercises full authority to represent God. Thus, He holds the key of David, that which represents God and opens the whole universe for God. It signifies that Christ is the center of God’s economy. He is the One who expresses and represents God, holding the key to open everything in God’s dominion.

　　Revelation 3:7 also says that Christ is the One who “opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.” He opens and shuts because the universal key, the key of God’s economy, is in His hand. The Lord uses this key to deal with the church.

　　Isaiah 22:22-24 is a prophecy concerning Christ as the One who holds the key of David. The crucial subject in Isaiah 22 is the house of God…. If we consider the context of Isaiah 22 and read the context of the word regarding Christ as the One holding the key of David in Revelation 3, we will realize that Christ’s holding the key of David is for God’s house, God’s building.

　　The overcomers in Philadelphia will be pillars in the temple of God, and the temple of God will ultimately be enlarged into the New Jerusalem. According to Revelation 21:22, there is no temple in the New Jerusalem, for in eternity the temple will be enlarged into a city, which, having three equal dimensions (v. 16), will be the enlargement of the Holy of Holies. This is the ultimate consummation of God’s house. Christ’s holding the key of David, fighting the battle for God, building the temple, and establishing the kingdom of God are all for God’s building.

　　Christ, holding the key of David, opens and shuts, not that we might be holy or spiritual but that we might be built up. Both holiness and spirituality are to enable us to be pillars in the temple of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4200-4201)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Dispensing, Transformation, and Building of the Processed Divine Trinity in the Believers,” chs. 1, 4