By Francis Frangipane
Heaven has keys that can unlock hell.
Recall Christ's word to His followers:
I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. —Matthew16:18–19
When we read these words of Christ's, many of us picture a determined, aggressive church charging boldly toward the gates of hell. Such images of spiritual warfare are typical today and certainly a vast improvement over the passive, selfish attitudes that infiltrated the church in previous years.
Yet, there is more in this text than the bold confrontation of the strongholds of hell. Between the lines, there is the mention of strategies: the "keys" of the kingdom of God. Let us isolate two words in Jesus' teaching that will broaden our understanding of spiritual warfare. Those two words are "keys" and "gates." Simply put, keys unlock gates. Reversing the sequence of the Lord's thoughts, Jesus promised to grant us the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . and the gates of hell will not prevail against us. Note that He did not say He was giving us keys to the kingdom, but the keys of heaven. The goal is not to unlock heaven, for Jesus has already done that. Jesus is saying that heaven has keys that can unlock hell.
Setting the Captives Free
When Jesus came, he plainly demonstrated that He had spiritual keys that unlocked hell's gates. In fact, in His first public teaching He declared that this confrontation with hell was His main mission. He said:
The Father specifically anointed Jesus to go to four main people groups: the economically and morally "poor"; those who had spiritually become "captives" of demons; those who were "blind" but desired vision; and those who were emotionally wounded—the "downtrodden." The goal of Christ's ministry was to find these people and set them free.
Before we dash off "binding and loosing" every evil thing we can imagine, we should also remember that Jesus said of Himself, "I have the keys of death and of Hades" (Rev. 1:18).
If we will be successful in spiritual warfare, we must go beyond trying to apply spiritual principles against the devil; we need the anointing of Jesus to set captives free, which only comes from the heart of Jesus.
In every spiritual confrontation, in each strategic assault against the strongholds of hell over our soul, churches, and cities, we must first recognize that Jesus alone is God's antidote for all our world's ills. As we dwell in the shelter of Christ's presence, Jesus has the particular keys that can unlock the gates of hell and release captives.
The most important key we can find is Christ's compassion, for a number of those who are involved in the occult were once disillusioned children in Christian homes. Others are yet children who, in dabbling in the occult, became ensnared; still others have been lifelong victims of satanic abuse. Jesus wants these people back.
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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Power of Covenant Prayer, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.