Ⅴ
In Revelation 1:18b the Lord Jesus says, "I have the keys of death and of Hades":
A
Due to the fall and the sin of man, death has come in and is now operating on earth to collect all sinful people and to bring them to Hades, the place where the dead are kept.
B
In the church life, however, we are no longer subject to death and Hades—Phil. 3:10-11.
C
Christ abolished death on the cross, and He overcame Hades in His resurrection:
１
Although death tried its best to hold Christ, it was powerless to do so—Acts 2:24.
２
Christ is both God and resurrection (John 1:1; 11:25), possessing the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16).
３
Because He is such an ever-living One, death is not able to hold Him.
４
Christ delivered Himself to death, but death had no way to detain Him; instead, death was defeated by Him, and He rose up from it.
５
With Christ, therefore, death has no sting, and Hades has no power.
D
Because Christ is the One in the church who is the Holder of the keys of death and Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us.
E
In the church life the keys of death and Hades are in the Lord's hand.
F
It is impossible for us to deal with death:
１
We simply do not have the ability to handle it.
２
Whenever death enters, many will be overcome by it.
G
If we give the Lord Jesus the ground, the opportunity, and the free way to move and act among us, both death and Hades will be under His control— Matt. 16:18; Rev. 20:14:
１
When the Lord Jesus does not have the ground in the church, death immediately becomes prevailing, and Hades becomes powerful to hold the dead ones.
２
It is crucial for us to see that Christ has the keys, the authority, of death and Hades—John 5:27; 17:2; Rev. 12:10.
３
Death is subject to Him, and Hades is under His control.
H
We should praise the Lord that Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—1:18; Heb. 13:15; 1 Pet. 1:7; Rev. 19:5-6.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 16:18 …Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.Rev. 20:14 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
In Matthew 16:18 …gates of Hades refers to Satan’s authority or power of darkness (Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18), which cannot prevail against the genuine church built by Christ upon this revelation concerning Him as the rock, with stones such as Peter, a transformed human being. This word of the Lord’s indicates also that Satan’s power of darkness will attack the church. Hence, there is spiritual warfare between Satan’s power, which is his kingdom, and the church, which is God’s kingdom.
On the dome [of Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Rome] there [are] written some words from Matthew 16:18: “I will build My church upon this rock.” However, the last part of this verse — “and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”—[is] not written there…The church in the Lord’s recovery, however, is truly built upon the revelation concerning Christ, and against this church the gates of Hades cannot prevail. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 541-542)
Today’s Reading
[In] Revelation 20:14…the lake of fire is the trash can for the entire universe, into which all negative things, including death and Hades, will be cast. Death will be the last enemy destroyed by the Lord (1 Cor. 15:26).In the first death, the soul and spirit are separated from the body and, in the case of the unbelievers, are kept in the suffering section of Hades (Luke 16:22-24). In the second death, the soul and spirit of the unbelievers, after being rejoined to their body in resurrection, are cast with their body intothe lake of fire. This means that the unbelievers' whole being—spirit, soul, and body—will perish in eternal torment in the lake of fire. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 646-647)
In the four Gospels Christ was mild, gentle, and kind. When He looked at people, they felt loved. In the Gospel of John, Jesus looked at people and wept; He truly captured people by His loving look (11:35; Luke 22:61). This same Christ, however, appears differently in the book of Revelation. He has seven eyes, which are like a flame of fire (1:14; 5:6), burning and shining. In the Gospels His most intimate disciple could even recline on His bosom (John 13:23)…However, when John saw Him again in Revelation, he was frightened and fell at His feet as dead (1:17)…Luke 4:22 says that words of grace proceeded out of His mouth, but Revelation tells us that a sharp two-edged sword proceeds out of His mouth (1:16; 19:15). Moreover, in John 1:29 He is introduced as the Lamb of God, but in Revelation 5:5 He is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The book of Revelation unveils Christ to us not in a common way but in an extraordinary way…Revelation continues the Gospels and the Epistles, but it does not reveal Christ according to the Gospels and the Epistles. In Revelation He is not a small, gentle, kind, patient, silent, and suffering Christ; He is a bold, fierce, rich, burning, and living Christ. If we experience the Christ unveiled in Revelation, we will be in life, enjoy His victory, praise Him, and shout for joy.
If we consider the picture of Christ in Revelation 1, we will see that this chapter presents a fierce Christ. His eyes are as a flame of fire; His feet are like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace; His voice is as the sound of many waters; and out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword. We must have a new impression of Christ. Christ, the Son of Man, who is walking in the midst of the local churches, is living, burning, and fierce. He is gracious, yet He is terrifying…Because the days are so dark, evil, and dead, we need a fierce Christ. If we contact the Christ in Revelation, we will not be cold but burning, and we will not be silent but will shout to praise Him. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4156-4157)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 407