06.04 The Keys of Death and Hell

6 - Hell; Section 4 THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HELL

"Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living One: I was even dead, but behold, I am living for the ages of the ages: and I have the KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES" (Revelation 1:17-18, Diaglott). To John on the isle of Patmos there came One who announced Himself as "the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last." At His girdle hung "the keys of Hades and of death." Ah, the enemy has usurped control over mankind, ruling with fear, and bringing creation into bondage to the whole dreadful realm of death. Death was the adversary’s "trump card," his final victory. He beguiled man into sin, and "sin when it is finished, brings forth death" (James 1:15). After all the beguilement, which the enemy has exercised with ruthless working and deception, causing man to become perverted and corrupt, sinking into the quagmire of fear, sorrow, and hopelessness, the final result was death with its habitation in Hades. When Jesus came into the world in the humiliation of the Incarnation, He started on a route of conquest that took Him through the lonely years prior to His introduction at the muddy waters of Jordan, when the bony prophetic finger of John the Baptist was pointed at Him and those significant words were uttered: "Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). For some thirty-three and a half years He overcame and lived an impeccable life so that it was said of Him that "He was tempted in all points like as we, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus’ flawless life was followed by a decisive death. He went to Calvary to endure inexplicable and incomparable suffering: suffering of which we can only have a hint; suffering we can only look at curiously with a sob in our throats; suffering veiled in the mystery of the bearing of sin; suffering surrounded by torn rocks and a sun that refused to shine and an earth that writhed in agony. As He hung there alone, God reached down His giant fist and gathered the accumulated sins of men and placed them upon Him. In the awful agony of Calvary, Christ made His soul an offering for sin. The sin of the world was imputed unto Him, and the waves of God’s judgment were released upon Him. When He had become an offering for sin, He gave up the Ghost and came down from the mystery of His sufferings, having finished that work. What men saw was a man hanging limp - every bone out of joint, a swollen tongue protruding from burning lips that cried out, "It is finished!" For centuries now Christians have supposed that when Jesus cried, "It is finished," that meant that His work of redemption was completed. Many refer to this as "the finished work of Calvary." But there is too much stopping at the cross. If we stop at the cross we end with a dead Christ, and a dead Christ can save no one! Paul wrote, "If Christ be not RAISED, your faith is vain; YOU ARE YET IN YOUR SINS" (1 Corinthians 15:17). We must get our thoughts broadened about the redemptive work of Christ. He died for our sins, but He was also raised again for our justification! There is no "finished work" at the cross. There is not even a "finished work" at the resurrection! The redemptive work of Christ was not finished until He had ASCENDED UP ON HIGH bearing the precious blood of His atonement into the Holiest Place of the heavenlies, as it is written, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into HEAVEN ITSELF, NOW TO APPEAR IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR US" (Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 9:24). When the Christ cried, "It is finished," it was the cup of suffering - the excruciating agony of the cross - that was finished, not the plan of redemption. When He died He then entered the darkest night of death, and was ushered through the somber gates and behind the fearful bars of Hades. "You will not leave My soul in Hades" (Acts 2:31). The Christ not only died He went to hell!

One day, in Satan’s realm - the dark domain, Where souls of dead in chains of death remain, The Prince of darkness, boastful, spoke aloud To his abject, imprisoned, awestruck crowd: "Hearken, you spirits. Lo, I bring this day Another victim bound beneath my sway, Jesus, the Nazarene, the Master Fraud - Who proudly claims Himself the Son of God! I laid the snare, which the Imposter caught, And to the tree of shame the Boaster brought’, And now, between two thieves He helpless hangs, In Death’s dissolving and resistless pangs. You shall behold Him pass through Hades’ door, To walk among the living - nevermore! My power shall hush the Archpretender’s breath, And bind Him hopeless in the realm of death."

Then Hell itself in fear began to quake, And, in alarm, thus to the Devil spoke, "Jesus! Do you not fear that mighty Name? And is this Jesus - Nazarene - the same Who once cried, ’Lazarus! Come forth!’ and swift the bands of death were loosed, his fetters rift, And through your gates impassable he broke, So soon as that almighty word was spoke? Let but that Jesus once invade these halls, And in that hour your boasted empire falls! What if the victim you do proudly claim Shall as the Victor bring your pride to shame? And then He arose the conquering Christ! What a marvelous turn of events! He took control of the situation as with one exultant shout He grasped the keys of death and hell from him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, stripped away the power of death, burst asunder the bars of hell, stalked boldly out in eternal triumph over all the dread powers of that unseen realm, entered back into His body in the garden tomb, passed through the walls of rock as water passes through a filter, ascended up far above all heavens, stepped up to the Father’s throne, and presented the tokens of His redemption. The Father said, "Sit down, Son, at My right hand until your enemies are made your footstool!"

One hundred seventy-five years ago, the world was in chaos because "The Scourge of the Earth" (we know him as Napoleon Bonaparte) almost conquered the world. Everything fell before him. The British feared that soon their homeland would be invaded by the troops of France. In one last effort to stop the tremendous on-rush of Napoleon’s army, they sent their greatest general. General Wellington invaded the heartland of Europe. The people waited as the forces were joined at Waterloo. Eagerly they followed the watchman on the tower of Winchester Cathedral as he looked out over the English Channel in the fog waiting for some sign of a ship to bring them news of the outcome. The hope of England rested on that report. Finally, as the fog lifted just a little bit, the watchman saw a ship blinking the signal of what had happened. The letters were taken down. W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D. The fog sank and with it all the hope of England. The people quivered at the thought that soon they would hear the tramp of French troops upon their land. However, an hour or so later, the fog lifted and again the message was sent forth: W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D E-N-E-M-Y! A wild shout of glee went out all over England; that feared invasion never came.

There is a great hero whose name is Jesus. On a hill outside the city wall of Jerusalem, He went forth to take on the combined forces of death, hell, and Satan. He did this with His hands and feet secured to a cross, and a lion out of the pit leaped forth in rage and threw itself upon Jesus. The world waited to see what the outcome of that life and death struggle would be. Hour after hour His life oozed forth drop by drop. The people waited, hoping that soon He would respond to their taunts, "Come down if You be the Son of God and we will believe on You." Jesus never moved. Finally the great cry - He bowed His head and gave up the Ghost. Word went out in the midst of that midday blackness, JESUS DEFEATED. A pallor hung over the world. Life went out of the hearts of His disciples, joy was gone from the earth, all was black, hopeless and meaningless. But then, on the third day, as the sun began to break over that lonely sepulchre, a new light came with a dazzling radiance. The huge stone that blocked the door began to move back as if by some unseen hand. Those Roman troops were startled by the appearance of the messengers resplendent in white. Then, out of the darkness of that tomb, out of the very pit of hell itself, there stepped forth One who was dead and could now say, "I am He that was dead and, behold, I am alive forevermore and have the keys of death and of hell!" Word went out through all of Jerusalem. At first, just a whisper - then a voice - then a cry - then a shout - a chime - and a chant sublime:

JESUS DEFEATED DEATH! JESUS DEFEATED HELL! JESUS DEFEATED SATAN!

Jesus has the keys; He proved that He has the keys of both death and hell; for He unlocked both and arose Victor. Death could not hold its prey! Hell could not hold its prey! Oh Christ! You Son of the living God! You are the resurrection and the life. You were alive; You were dead; and, behold, You are alive forevermore and in Your nail-pierced hand does hold in triumph the keys of hell and death. Oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory? Oh gates of hell, you shall not prevail, for the Redeemer of Israel and the Saviour of the world holds in His triumphant hand the key. Who NOW has the key of death? OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Who NOW has the key to hell? OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Praise God, no one passes through the gates of either of those two, hell or death, except the Lord open or close those gates. And now He proclaims, "FEAR NOT; I have the keys of death and of hell." And what reason do we have to not fear? Those reasons are found in the statement of the Christ. He is THE FIRST. He is THE LAST. He is the LIVING ONE. At one time He was dead, but behold, LOOK! He is living for the ages of the ages. And this ever living One HAS THE KEYS. We commonly think of keys being used to lock or unlock doors, but there is another sense in which the word key is used. Many times when we say we have the key to a thing, we mean that we have the solution to a problem. Jesus was saying to John and to us all that HE HAS THE SOLUTION TO THE UNSEEN WORLD. He has all the problems connected with it unraveled and solved. He had worked out the problem for Himself, overcame in it, and now stands to proclaim to all men everywhere the GREAT EMANCIPATION. Through His death and resurrection Christ took away from the enemy his power of death, and from hell its power of containment; no longer can negation claim the final victory over any man - CHRIST HAS THE KEY, and shall ultimately bring every man into the fullness of HIS LIFE. Christ has the power to redeem, and He has the keys of death and hell.

Praise God! Not only does the firstborn among many brethren possess the keys of death and hell, but He shares them with His OVERCOMING ONES in whom is inwrought the triumph of HIS LIFE. Jesus said to Peter, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT" (Matthew 16:18). The gates of hell HAVE NOT prevailed against our Lord Jesus Christ, and they SHALL NOT prevail against His Church. What are the "gates" of hell? Gates are used either to bar entrance or prevent exit. What does it mean that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Christ’s Church? I used to erroneously imagine the conflict between the Church and Satan as a game of "Cat and Mouse." Satan was the cat and the Church was the mouse. Satan was big and powerful - the Church was small and weak, always on the defensive. But that’s not what the verse about the gates of hell means. Far from it! The picture instead is of a VICTORIOUS CHURCH laying siege to hell and breaking down its gates to release its prisoners! The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the example and prototype.