We are now clear that Jesus said that He is building His legislative ruling assembly, namely, His Ekklesia, and that the target of His Ekklesia is the gates of Hades. But what is needed to invade these gates and destroy the works of darkness?

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus gives us two things we must do to advance the Ekklesia through the gates of Hades.

Matthew 16:19: "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."

In this post, I will address the first of the two things Jesus lays out: the keys of the kingdom.

The Keys of the Kingdom

The first thing Jesus tells His Ekklesia to do is to receive from Him the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.

Because of Christ's finished work on the Cross and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus legally satisfied all requirements, securing once again the keys (authority) that we lost in the garden. This authority is rightfully His now, and he makes it available to His Ekklesia.

Revelation 1:18: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

What Do Keys Do?

Keys create access. They are manifestations of ownership and authority. They are used to lock and unlock things. Moreover, specific keys fit specific locks. In addition, some keys are more valuable than others.

Things are easy to open once you have the right key because keys are customized to fit a particular lock. Have you ever used the wrong key for a specific door? It doesn’t work. Having the right key for the right door creates quick, and easy access.

Jesus tells us that in order to access the Gates of Hades, we must have heavenly keys. Earthly, man-made keys will not cut it. The keys that get us through the Gates of Hades are in heaven waiting for the ekklesia to take hold of and appropriate on earth.

Understanding the Keys of the Kingdom

We have to understand that the devil is defeated, and all he has left are gates for which he no longer has keys. Jesus has all of the keys.

The ekklesia must prayerfully ascend into the unseen realm and access the keys of the kingdom to gain wisdom and revelation and open the locked gates.

“Doing church" puts Kingdom keys out of reach. We don’t think to reach for them, given that we are so busy using inferior keys. Although we might achieve greater attendance in our churches, we will continue to have little influence in our cities.

Appropriating the Keys of the Kingdom

The Kingdom key for the crisis Noah faced was to build an ark. The Kingdom key for the crisis Joshua faced at Jericho was to march around the city and shout. The Kingdom key for the crisis Gideon faced was to secure 300 men and use pots, torches, and trumpets. The Kingdom key Jehosophat used against Ammon/Moab was to place singers in front of the army and give praise.

Noah’s key would not work for Joshua; nor would Joshua’s key work for Gideon.

What’s the point? Specific breakthroughs require specific keys.

What we are prone to do is copy what others are doing. We want to use their keys. Though I realize we can learn and borrow from others, I believe we need to access Kingdom keys unique to the challenges we are facing in our own personal lives, churches, cities, and regions. These keys come to us by the Spirit, through prayer, the Word, visions, dreams, wisdom, and prophetic insight.

The Ekklesia Must Challenge the Gates of Hades

The gates of Hades in our nation, namely, pornography, abortion, violence, corruption, racism, and more, need the kingdom keys accessed by Christ's Ekklesia to bring about Heaven's solution.

Ephesians 3:10: “His intent was that now, through the church (Ekklesia), the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rules and authorities in the heavenly realms."

Our assignment is to disciple and baptize nations. The keys are available to get the job done. Let us joyfully enter into God’s presence and gain access to these keys so that we can save, heal, and deliver people, cities, and nations.

Heaven holds the keys. Let's access them and change the world!