The Keys Give Dominion
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. —Matthew 16: 19
Keys represent ownership, which translates to authority and power. When Jesus said, “I will give you the keys,” He meant, in effect, “I will give you authority and power to allow or disallow whatever happens on earth.” Jesus used the term “kingdom of heaven” to refer to God’s sovereign rule over the world. Many people mistakenly assume that this term refers to heaven itself—the spiritual realm we enter into after physical death. Yet this is not the same as the “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus often used parables to describe the kingdom of heaven, and none of His parables suggested that this kingdom was the place where believers go after death.
The kingdom of heaven is simply the everlasting realm of God’s power and authority. “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4: 20). God’s kingdom is His power. This means that Jesus was giving us God’s heavenly authority and power to bring about God’s will on earth.
The three keys: the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. You need all three keys to exercise dominion over the devil. You cannot employ just one key and think that everything is going to be all right. You need all three keys. The keys represent the three branches of God’s government. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.… Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
