The Son of Man with the keys of hell and death

Good evening, beloved brethren and friends present, and listeners in the city of Mendoza, Argentina. It is a great privilege and blessing for me to be with you on this occasion, to share with you the Divine Program relevant to our time, and thus see in which part of the Divine Program we are in this end time.

For which I want to read in the book of Revelation, chapter 1, verses 12 and on, where it says:

“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

May God bless our souls with His Word and allow us to understand It.

Our subject is: “THE SON OF MAN WITH THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”

“THE SON OF MAN WITH THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”

In order to understand our subject for this occasion, which we have read about in this apocalyptic page, where it shows us that Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is the one who has the keys of death and Hades (that is, of hell); in order to understand our subject, we need to know that a key always gives entrance to the person who possesses that key, when he uses it by opening the door or lock that is in front of him. In other words, possessing a key gives passage or entrance —to the person who possesses it— to that for which that key was made and given.

For example, if it is the key to a house, the person who possesses that key has access to that house; he can enter that house because he has the key to that house. If it is a key to a car, that person has access to that car and can enter that car and can drive that car. If it is the key to a kingdom, with that key that kingdom opens; if it is the key to an age, with that key that age opens; if it is the key to a dispensation, that dispensation opens with that key.

It is also very important to see, through the Scripture, that Christ, speaking to Saint Peter on one occasion when Saint Peter made known to Christ the revelation that he had… In Matthew, chapter 16, verses 13 and on, it says:

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell (in other words, ‘the doors of hell’) shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.”

Now, notice, after Saint Peter had that revelation from Heaven, and made it known to Jesus and the other disciples who were there, then Jesus says to His disciples: “Don’t say that I am the Messiah (in other words, ‘that I am the Christ’), don’t go around saying that I am the Christ.”

Jesus Christ being the Messiah, the King of Israel, now tells His disciples not to tell other people, but to keep that to themselves and not to make it known to others; for example, not to make it known to the priests, to the Pharisees and Sadducees, to the Sanhedrin Council and the high pontiff. “Let this revelation be for you.”

Why? Because it was granted to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens, which were being fulfilled and were being revealed to the children, that is, to those simple people who were obtaining that revelation from Heaven. As Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 11, verses 25 to 27, on one occasion; it says:

“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”

Now see how this revelation, of who was the Father veiled and revealed at that time through Jesus, this revelation was only for a group of people to whom Jesus Christ wanted to make known this mystery that was being fulfilled in the midst of the Hebrew people; to the others, Jesus spoke in parables. He says: “That seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear and understand, and be converted, and I may save them. But to you it is granted (what?) to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens.”¹

He also says: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For many of the prophets and of the righteous desired to see what you see, and did not see them; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear them” (Matthew, chapter 13, verses 16 to 17).

And now, notice how this revelation of the First Coming of Christ was fulfilled in the midst of the Hebrew people; and the Hebrew religion, with the Council of the Hebrew religion, the Sanhedrin Council, and the high priest and all those priests, hadn’t realized that the Coming of the Messiah was already fulfilled in the midst of the Hebrew people and it had already been fulfilled for thirty years in their midst.

And now the Messiah had begun His ministry in the midst of the Hebrew people, and they couldn’t understand that great mystery of the First Coming of Christ; although God had said through the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Micah, about the Coming of the Messiah, that He would come through birth through a virgin and that He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Through the prophet Micah, He said that He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea, He would come from Bethlehem of Judea²; and through the prophet Isaiah He said that it would be through a virgin3 and that it would also be through the offspring of Jesse: It would be a shoot, a branch, that would be born from that stem of Jesse; that is, it would be a great-great-… or great-great-great-grandson according to the flesh, because the virgin Mary was a descendant of King David and —consequently— a descendant of Jesse.4</sup>

Now, this mystery of the First Coming of Christ, although it is the greatest mystery that was fulfilled at that time of Jesus and the apostles…: that mystery and of that mystery had been spoken of through the prophets in the Old Testament, and it had been said that it would be through a virgin woman, and it had also been said that it would be through the descendants of Jesse; therefore, that virgin woman had to come from the descendants of Jesse and had to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. In other words, they had enough prophetic information given in relation to the Coming of the Messiah; and yet they didn’t realize the fulfillment of the Coming of the Messiah.

For the Second Coming of Christ we have less prophetic information regarding the place and descendants, and all these things; but it doesn’t matter, because all that is in the types and figures; and the fulfillment of that promise will be identified with all the types and figures that speak of the Second Coming of Christ.

Now, regarding the Coming of the Messiah, in order to understand, believe and receive the Coming of the Messiah, people had to have the revelation of the heavenly Father, the revelation from Heaven; because no person by human wisdom can discover the mysteries of God, let alone a mystery as great as the First Coming of Christ; it has to be by revelation from Heaven.

And now, Peter, of whom we have read, who, when Christ asked: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?”, Peter said: “Thou, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”⁵ Where did Peter obtain this revelation from? From Heaven.

Peter was a man of no letter, a man who hadn’t studied, much less theology, much less had he studied in a seminary or in a university; but he had received the revelation from Heaven to know that Jesus was the fulfillment of the First Coming of the Messiah, was the fulfillment of the Coming of the King of Israel. And see how Peter recognized that in that veil of flesh called Jesus was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Angel of the Lord, the Angel of the Covenant, manifested in human flesh.

The Word, who was with God and was God, had become flesh and was in the midst of the Hebrew people, and was called Jesus; for to the veil of flesh was given the name Jesus. And thus was called the Angel of the Lord, the Angel of the Covenant, made man in the midst of the Hebrew people to carry out His Work of Redemption on Calvary’s Cross; Work that the Hebrew people didn’t understand, but that was in the types and figures that the same Hebrew people carried out every year.

For example, in the Passover lamb that the Hebrew people sacrificed every year: On the 14th day, which was the eve of the Passover, each family sacrificed a lamb and ate it roasted; but its blood was the sign, which in Egypt they placed on the doors (the lintel of the doors and also the doorposts), so that death wouldn’t enter and so the firstborn wouldn’t die that night of the Passover, which would begin from sunset onwards.⁶

Now, notice how with that sacrifice of the Passover lamb all the firstborn of the Hebrew people were delivered; and that is why God says: “All the firstborn are mine.”⁷

And now, the firstborn written in Heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life, are of whom? Of God; and they are redeemed with the Blood of the Lamb of God.

That Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary’s Cross, which was represented in the Passover lamb that was offered there in Egypt on the eve of the Passover…; you see, that sacrifice back then represents the Sacrifice of Christ for the firstborn written in Heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life; just as that sacrifice in Egypt, made by the Hebrew people, by divine order through the prophet Moses, was the sacrifice for the firstborn of the Hebrew people, of the earthly Israel.

But now the Sacrifice of the Passover Lamb for the firstborn, for the heavenly Israel, notice, is a superior sacrifice: It is a Sacrifice that doesn’t cover sin, but takes away sin. It is the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, of which John said, speaking and seeing Jesus, he said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”⁸ That is the Sacrifice for all the firstborn of Heaven, of the heavenly Israel; the firstborn written in Heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And now, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Savior, was present there in the midst of the Hebrew people, and preaching the Gospel. And He already had a few disciples with Him: He had the twelve apostles and others following Him; and now He asks: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” And Peter had the revelation of who Jesus was: he knew that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel; a revelation that the high priest didn’t have, although he had studied so much and had so many degrees in theology, as well as the members of the Sanhedrin Council.

Now, see how Christ says to Peter [Matthew 16:18]:

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell (hell) shall not prevail against it.”

And He goes on to tell Peter something very important for Peter, and He says:

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…”

To whom would Christ give the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens on that occasion? To Saint Peter. Christ is the one who has all the keys.

We have the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens, we have the key of David, we have the keys of hell and death; and so on and so forth, we have countless keys with which to open that of which that key is; whatever that key belongs to, using that key, that is opened.

Now see how no one else could open the Kingdom of the Heavens, except Peter, who received from Christ the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens: the revelation.

And that is why, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preaching opened, using the key: The revelation of the First Coming of Christ as the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world: he opened, with that revelation, he opened the doors or the Door of the Kingdom of the Heavens.⁹ And the Door is Christ. He said: “I am the Door, and by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.”¹⁰

And now, Peter opens the Door, which is Christ, so that they may enter through Christ into the Kingdom of the Heavens. He opened the Door in the midst of the Hebrews (that is, to the Hebrew people), and then in the house of Cornelius he opened the Door for the gentiles.¹¹

And that Door has been open —the Door to and of the Kingdom of the Heavens— to enter through that Door: Through Christ, the Lamb of God, who came and died on Calvary’s Cross, and cleansed us from all sin with His precious Blood.

But that Door will be closed someday, and no one else will be able to enter through that Door; and that will be when Christ finishes His Work of Redemption in Heaven, when He finishes His Work of Intercession there in Heaven; for He is in Heaven, in the Throne of God, in the Place of Intercession, just as the high priest, once a year (that is, one day in the year), entered with the goat’s blood into the most holy place and placed the blood upon the mercy seat (he sprinkled it seven times with his finger); and the high priest made intercession in the most holy place of the tabernacle which Moses had built and of the temple which Solomon had also built; and then, when he went out, the Hebrew people were reconciled.¹²

All the Hebrew people were reconciled; but, notice, all those people who were reconciled that day, had to have been afflicted: To have been afflicted repentant for their sins and to have been afflicted for having sinned before God. And whoever didn’t do so would be cut off from the people: the divine judgment would come upon the person; for the wages of sin is death.¹³

Therefore, those people who didn’t afflict themselves before God would be cut off from the people; why? Because their sins wouldn’t be forgiven: Their sins wouldn’t be covered with the blood of that atonement (with the blood of that goat, which is the blood of the atonement, which was placed in the most holy place upon the mercy seat); and therefore the divine judgment came upon the person and he was cut off from the people; and also that person lost the right to belong to the Hebrew people, to the people of God.

Now, look at what happened on the 10th day of the seventh month of each year: in Leviticus, chapter 23, verse 26 and on, tells us:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.”

And now, see how that day of atonement was carried out in the midst of the Hebrew people.

And that is the same thing that has been happening in the midst of the heavenly Israel, in the midst of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, where we find Jesus Christ, the High Priest, in the Temple, in the Most Holy Place; but not in the earthly temple (neither in the earthly temple of Solomon, nor in the earthly temple of Moses; those temples were destroyed, they are gone)… But now, where is the High Priest, Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchizedek? Christ is that High Priest Melchizedek, Priest of the Almighty God, and He is in the Temple of God which is in Heaven.

He with His own Blood, when He died, resurrected and ascended to Heaven, placed His own Blood there in Heaven, upon the Mercy Seat of the Temple which is in Heaven; and He has been making intercession for all the members of the heavenly Israel: For all the people who have their names written in Heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life, who would come to Earth from stage to stage, from generation to generation, and would hear the preaching of the Gospel, and would receive Christ as their Savior; and the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary’s Cross would be made effective in those people, and their sins would be cleansed, and the person would be justified, in other words, as if he had never sinned.

This is what Christ has been doing from age to age: Making intercession in Heaven for each person who has his name written in Heaven, who comes to live on this Earth through the different stages and generations, until the last of the sons and daughters of God, of God’s elect, enters.

And the last one will enter in the final Day, which is the Last Day or seventh millennium, in which we are already living. Therefore, from one moment to the next, through the preaching of the Gospel…

The elect of the Last Day, notice, are hearing and are receiving the Gospel, and are entering into the Mystical Body of Christ; and when the last of the elect enters, then each one that is to enter first will have already entered; and with the last one then the number of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ is completed. And then Christ will make His claim: He will come out of the Throne of Intercession in Heaven, He will make His claim; and there will be no more Blood there, in the Temple which is in Heaven.

And just as the priest, when he stepped out: The Hebrew people were reconciled to God. And so, when Christ leaves the Place of Intercession, every son and daughter of God who has believed in Christ as his Savior, and has washed his sins in the Blood of Christ, and has received His Spirit: he already has his spiritual reconciliation. And for the Last Day, if he departed, if his physical body died: he will be resurrected in an eternal body; and we who are alive will be changed. And then we will have the adoption, that is, the redemption of our physical body,¹⁴ where we will obtain an eternal and glorified body, like that of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

And then we will have the full redemption, that is, we will have the full reconciliation with God, even physically as well; and then we will have a body in the image and likeness of the body of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, and we will live for all eternity with our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, see how that Dispensation of Grace was opened: It was opened by Saint Peter on the Day of Pentecost for the Jews, and in the house of Cornelius for the gentiles.

Peter had the keys to the Kingdom of the Heavens, he had the revelation. And having the revelation of the First Coming of Christ and His Work of Redemption on Calvary’s Cross, he had the knowledge of the Divine Program pertaining to the First Coming of Christ; and he made it known on the Day of Pentecost; and the Door of the Kingdom of the Heavens was opened, and millions of human beings have been entering the Kingdom of the Heavens and have been receiving eternal life.

Now, we can see that a key contains all the power that is required to open the door of which that key is; and when that door is opened, then one can enter through that door and receive all that is behind that door.

Now, we can see that Christ is the one who has all the keys; but, notice, He gave the key to the Kingdom of the Heavens to Peter, and Saint Peter used it very well: And opened the Door —which is Christ— with that key, that revelation: the revelation of the First Coming of Christ as the Lamb of God taking away sin on Calvary’s Cross.

And now, with that Door opened, the new birth of all believers in our beloved Lord Jesus Christ is made possible, and the entire Program pertaining to the Dispensation of Grace is made possible.

See how important a key is. It is very important, because although the key is small, it opens a big door; and depending on what the key is for, it is the door that will be opened.

Now, we also have that Jesus tells us in the book of Revelation, chapter 3 and verse 7, as follows; He says:

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth…”

Now, we have here, spoken by Jesus Christ himself, another key: The key of David.

With the key of David the Kingdom of David is opened, the Door to the glorious Kingdom of David is opened; because the promise to David has been that his Kingdom will be forever and that one of his descendants will not fail to sit on his throne (on the Throne of David). And that is why the Messiah had to come as a descendant of King David; that is why Jesus came as a descendant of King David, through a virgin (the virgin Mary) a descendant of King David, and therefore a descendant of Jesse, David’s father.

The Archangel Gabriel, speaking about Jesus, told the virgin Mary in Luke, chapter 1, verses 30 and on, as follows:

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Here we have Jesus as the heir to the Throne of David.

And Christ tells us in Revelation, chapter 3, verse 7, that He has the key of David. Therefore, only Jesus Christ is the one who can open the Door of the Kingdom of David, for the Kingdom of David to be restored on this Earth, in the midst of the Hebrew people, and reign over the Hebrew people and over all nations.

The forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ said, Reverend William Branham, in the book of The Church Ages, preached in North America; he says on page 329:¹⁵

“And when that last elected member to the body of Christ comes in, then will our Lord appear.

The key of David. Was not David the king of Israel – all Israel? And is not Jesus the Son of David according to the fact that He will sit upon the throne of David in the millennium and reign and rule over His heritage? Surely. So the key of David signifies that it is Jesus Who will bring in the millennium. He Who has the keys to death and hell will raise up His own that they may share in His reign of righteousness upon the earth.”

Now, he who has the key of David also has the keys of hell and death. And if He has the keys of death and the grave, then He can carry out the resurrection of all the dead in Christ, for He has the keys; and if He has the keys, then He can open and He can bring forth all those who have physically died: bring them forth in an eternal and glorified body, just like the body of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that He will resurrect all the departed believers in Him. Christ said that in John, chapter 6, verses 39 to 40; and in that same chapter 6, in other places, He also says it. It says:

“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

When has Christ promised that He will resurrect the departed believers in Him? He says it will be on the Last Day.

Why, how is He going to resurrect the dead in Christ? Because He has (what?) the keys of hell and death, He has the keys of the grave and death; therefore, He can resurrect all the departed believers in Him. And He can transform us who are alive; and He will transform us and give us a new body when He has resurrected the dead in Christ.

And for Christ to place the type and figure of the resurrection of the dead in Christ for the Last Day, we find that Christ resurrected Lazarus, after Lazarus had already been dead for four days, and he already smelled, his body had already begun to decompose.¹⁶

And it doesn’t matter that the physical body of God’s elect has been decomposed, it doesn’t matter that it is already turned into ashes; because some have been dead for about 2000 years, others for 1000 years, others for 500 years, others for 100 years, others for 50 years, others for 25 years, and some of our own departed ones; but it doesn’t matter how long the departed children of God have been dead physically, it doesn’t matter: Christ has the power to resurrect them in eternal bodies, because He has the key of death and of the grave.

Now, it is He who will carry out that resurrection. And that is why He resurrected Lazarus, as a type and figure of what He will do with the believers in Him who have departed and whom He will resurrect in the Last Day, that is, in the seventh millennium.

Lazarus had to be resurrected to belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Lazarus was a believer in Jesus Christ, since none of the believers in Jesus Christ had been born again, the new birth was required for the person to belong to the Kingdom of the Heavens. In order for a person to enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, that is, the Church of Jesus Christ, and to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, the new birth was required, as Christ told Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was interested in the Kingdom of God, and says to Him: “How can this be done, can a man, being old, enter into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus says to him: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God (or in the Kingdom of God). That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”¹⁷

It is necessary to be born again to belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And before the death and resurrection of Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost upon 120 people; before that, no person (although they were believers in Christ), none of them had been born again; and therefore, they didn’t belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ: They had not been born in the Kingdom of the Heavens, they hadn’t been born in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Lazarus and Mary and Martha, although they were believers in Jesus Christ, they were not yet born, therefore, they didn’t yet belong to the Kingdom of the Heavens, they didn’t yet belong to the Church of Jesus Christ; because one enters the Church of Jesus Christ through the new birth: Believing in Christ as our Savior, washing our sins in the Blood of Christ and receiving His Holy Spirit.

See how simple this entire Divine Program is to enter the Kingdom of God.

And if Lazarus was not resurrected by Jesus Christ at that time, what would happen to Lazarus? Well, Lazarus wouldn’t be resurrected on the Last Day: He would be resurrected then in those days with all the saints of the Old Testament who were resurrected with Christ when Christ was resurrected¹⁸; but Lazarus wouldn’t belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.</sup>

Because the dead who will be resurrected and belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, we find that they are those who from the Day of Pentecost until now have believed in Christ, have washed their sins in the Blood of Christ and have received His Holy Spirit; and if their physical bodies have died, they will be resurrected at the Last Day, in other words, in the seventh millennium; and they will be resurrected in an eternal body.

And Lazarus, you see, to resurrect in the Last Day, in the seventh millennium, in this time in which we live, Christ had to resurrect him there; then Lazarus would live an additional period of time and enter into the Program of Redemption: believing in Christ as his Savior, washing his sins in the Blood of Christ, and receiving the Spirit of Christ, and thus obtaining the new birth; which hadn’t been affected in Lazarus until after the Day of Pentecost.

From the Day of Pentecost onwards he could have been one of those who were there on the Day of Pentecost, along with Martha and Mary, and also with Mary (the virgin Mary), and the other apostles, and other people who believed in Jesus; a group of 120 people were there at that time; in other words, they were early risers, they were the people who were in that morning activity. And Peter is already preaching, from 8 to 9 in the morning, his first Message, inaugurating the Dispensation of Grace, opening the Door of Grace with the key that Christ gave him: The key of the revelation of the First Coming of Christ as the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world.

Now, we can see this mystery of the key.

You see, the key, although it may seem like a small thing, can open a door so big that anyone can be amazed. Notice, you can see a very big door and you can have a small key, something small, and you can say: “I have something to open that door so that we can all go through.”

Anyone who doesn’t understand what a key is might think: “To open such a big thing you need a very big piece of equipment.” But no: what is needed is to have the right key for that door.

And God has a key for every door.

For the Door of the Kingdom of the Heavens, which is Christ, He has a key; and He gave it to Peter; and He opened that Door on the Day of Pentecost for the Hebrews, and then He opened it in the house of Cornelius for the gentiles. And millions of human beings, from among the Hebrews and from among the gentiles, have been entering the House of God; because Christ is the Door to the House of God.

See the door that was opened: The Door of the House of God was opened, to be filled with sons and daughters of God; and the key was required.

And now, the key to open that glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ, in the restoration of the Kingdom of David, Christ says that He has that key. He has that key, and that means that He will open that Millennial Kingdom with that key, and that is for the seventh millennium.

He will open that Door; and that Door is the Door of the Second Coming of Christ, as Lion of the tribe of Judah, as King of kings and Lord of lords, in His Reclaiming Work; as Son of Man and Son of David; for that Door to be opened for the Hebrews and for the gentiles who are to enter through that Door to the glorious Millennial Kingdom of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice that Christ is the one who has all the keys.

Peter was given the key to enter the Kingdom of the Heavens during the Dispensation of Grace, which is the entrance to the Kingdom of the Heavens. But now, to enter the glorious Kingdom of God that will be established on Earth, the Kingdom of David, the key of David is required.

And just as the Gospel was brought from the Hebrews to the gentiles through Peter, who had the key, and Paul, who was the apostle to the gentiles; the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ says that the gentiles will bring the Gospel to the Hebrews.¹⁹

Now, the Gospel that they will take to the Hebrews —the gentiles— is the Gospel of the Kingdom: The Gospel of the Kingdom with the Door of the Kingdom of God, to be established on Earth. That Door has to be opened, the Door of the Kingdom of God, for that glorious Millennial Kingdom; and that Door is the Second Coming of Christ; and there is a key.

And now, just as Peter had the key to the Door of the Kingdom of the Heavens to enter the House of God, the Kingdom of the Heavens (and opened that Door, the Door of the First Coming of Christ); just as the Hebrews brought the Gospel to the gentiles (Peter and Paul), the gentiles will take it to the Hebrews (in other words, the Two Olive Trees: Moses and Elijah). And under those ministries the key of David will be being used and opening that Door of the Kingdom of God, that Door of the Kingdom of David, for Christ to sit on the Throne of David, and reign over the Hebrew people and over all nations.

“Him that overcometh…”

Just as Peter overcame by obtaining that revelation of Christ, of who Christ was in His First Coming: The Son of the living God…; and his name was changed and he was given the name of Peter: He was Simon and he was – he received the name of Peter.²⁰

And now, we find that the key to open that glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ is the key (of whom?) of David; that is the key that Christ has. And He will use it through His manifestation of the Last Day, where He will be manifesting the ministries of Moses and Elijah; and where the ministry of Jesus will also be manifested, in the Last Day.

And now, it says in Revelation, chapter 22, verse 16:

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David.”

Notice how He identifies Himself there, in Revelation, chapter 22.

And now, the Sent One from the root of David (from the offspring and root of David, which is Jesus Christ) is the one that comes with the revelation of the offspring and root of David, for Christ to reign as the Son of David over the Millennial Kingdom and upon the Throne of David, which will be restored in the midst of the Hebrew people; as the Angel Gabriel said to the virgin Mary, where he says that His Father will give Him the Throne of David, and He will reign forever upon the Throne of David.

That Throne will be restored in the midst of the Hebrew people; that is why Christ for the Last Day comes as Son of Man and Son of David.

In His First Coming He came as Son of Man, that is, as a prophet (when we say “Son of Man,” we say “prophet”; the title of prophet is Son of Man). Son of Man and Son of God in His First Coming.

And for His Second Coming the titles are: Son of Man and Son of David, to sit upon the Throne of David and to rule over the Hebrew people and over all nations.

As Son of David, He is the heir to the Throne of David, and therefore to the Kingdom of David over the Hebrew people; as Son of Abraham, He is the heir to the whole territory of Israel with all the people of Israel; and as Son of Man, He is the heir to planet Earth with all its inhabitants and with all that planet Earth has.

And now, there must be a key for Christ to open that Kingdom and start that Kingdom. That is the key of David.

That key is the one that is used in this end time, and the revelation of the Second Coming of Christ as the Son of Man and Son of David is opened, and the glorious Kingdom of Christ is introduced: The people are prepared for that glorious Millennial Kingdom of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

And that is why under the Seventh Seal, at the end of the Seventh Seal, comes the end of the kingdoms of this world; the end of the vials, of the plagues, also comes; the end of the same Seventh Seal also comes and also of the introduction to the Millennium; because there is a period of time of introduction and then we enter fully into the glorious Millennial Kingdom, after the great tribulation.

But before the great tribulation we have the introduction to the Millennium, where all the corresponding work is carried out for the restoration of the Kingdom of David in the midst of the Hebrew people and over the whole world; because the Kingdom of David, over which Christ will be as King, will rule not only over the Hebrew people, but over all nations; for the kingdoms of this world will become of our Lord, says Revelation, chapter 11, verse 15 and onwards. It says:

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord…”

Of whom have the kingdoms of the world come to be, it says here? This is at the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet; and the Seventh Trumpet is sounded by the Two Olive Trees: The ministries of Moses and Elijah.

And the Seventh Trumpet for the Hebrew people is the same as the Seventh Seal for the gentile Church. And what is the Seventh Seal for the gentile Church? The Second Coming of Christ. And that same thing is the Seventh Trumpet for the Hebrew people. The same revelation for the gentiles and for the Hebrews: The revelation of the Second Coming of Christ.

And for that the key of David is required: To open that Door. Christ is the Door. To open that Door: Christ, the Second Coming of Christ. For the Door to be opened for the glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ, that Kingdom of David promised to be restored here on Earth; and that is also the Kingdom of God on this planet Earth.

As Christ said when He taught His disciples to pray at their request: One of the things He taught them was to ask for the Coming of the Kingdom of God, saying: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.”²¹ And under the glorious Kingdom of Jesus Christ as the Son of David, seated on the Throne of David, the will of God will be done here on Earth.

It will be a Kingdom that will teach the human race the knowledge of the Almighty God, Creator of the Heavens and Earth. That is why Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 14, says: “And the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

In other words, the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Second Coming of Christ as Lion of the tribe of Judah, as King of kings and Lord of lords, in His Reclaiming Work; as Son of Man and Son of David, to sit on the Throne of David.

Just as the Earth has been filled with the knowledge of the First Coming of Christ through the preaching of the Gospel of Grace.

And through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Second Coming of Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as King of kings and Lord of lords, to sit on the Throne of David to rule over the Hebrew people and over all nations.

Now we can see that this will be the Kingdom of God established on Earth under the Rule of the Messiah, of Christ.

And Christ in Revelation, chapter 3, verse 21, says: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His Throne.”

He has sat down with His Father on His Throne in Heaven. And now, for the glorious Millennial Kingdom, where Christ will sit on the Throne of David, now He has promised for the Overcomer, for the messenger who will be in the Last Day with the key opening the Door…; for Christ will be in him manifested, and Christ has the key.

And in the manifestation of Christ through him, Christ will use that key through that messenger and will open that Door: The Door of the Second Coming of Christ as Son of Man and Son of David, as King of kings and Lord of lords, to enter into that glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

One has to enter through a door; and to open that door, a key must be used; and that is the key of David. That is why it is Christ in His final manifestation who will open that Door; He will open that Door, and He is the one who will begin that Millennial Kingdom.

The kingdoms of this world will come to belong to our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because when a person buys a property, pays the price of that property, the deed is made in the name of that person who bought it, and then it is registered, and that deed is registered in the name of the one who bought it.

Christ already paid the price of redemption, the price of all Creation; therefore, the Title Deed belongs (to whom?) to Christ, the Title Deed of all Creation.

And since the Title Deed of all the Creation belongs to Christ…; just as when a person buys a property, and signs the deed, and pays the price: He receives the key.

And now Christ has the key to all that Property: To all the Creation, for which He paid the price of redemption; therefore, He is the owner of all the Creation. And He is the one who in this end time will take the entire Creation and rule on this planet Earth, over the entire planet Earth with all its inhabitants, with all its animals, with all its trees and with everything that will be during the Millennial Kingdom.

And whatever He has to take away, He will take away. Like when a person buys a property and then says: “But I don’t like this here.” He takes it away because he owns that property.

And Christ has said that the tares will be bound into bundles and will be cast into the fire. And Christ has said: “Every tree which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be cut down, it shall be rooted up”; that is in Matthew, chapter 15, verse 13. And in Matthew, chapter 13, verses 30 and on, He also speaks of the parable of the wheat and the tares.

Christ paid the price for the redemption of planet Earth with all the Creation; and then He will remove what He doesn’t want to be on planet Earth, because everything belongs to Him.

And it is for this end time where in Heaven the fully registered Title Deed comes out; because that Title Deed —the entire Creation— has been in litigation, because the devil has been claiming that it belongs to him, because he deceived Adam and Eve back in the beginning and stole the blessing; but the Title Deed has remained in God’s hand. That is the Book sealed with Seven Seals. And that is why Christ takes it and makes the claim in the Last Day.

Now, we can see all that a key entails.

Now, we can see that Christ is the one who has not only the key of hell and death: Not only the key of the tomb, of the sepulcher, and of death and hell; but He also has the key of David.

Notice how in Isaiah, chapter 22, it also tells us about that key: Chapter 22, verse 22, tells us as follows:

“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

And then, in Revelation, chapter 3, verse 7, Christ referring to that prophecy presents Himself as the one who has the key of David; because He is Christ Himself, which was reflected here in this passage of the Old Testament.

And when it is said that He has the key of the House of David, it is because He is the Prince who will rule over the House of David (as Prince), and will reign over all the Hebrew people and over the entire planet Earth and over all human beings; and that is our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. And thank God that He is the one who has that key!

“These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth…”

And He has it on His shoulder, which represents that He is the one who opens and no one closes it, and that He is the one who will rule during the Millennial Kingdom.

That is why also the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 9 tells us, verse 6:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder…”

“The government upon His shoulder,” that is the key of David on His shoulder. The government, well, is the Prince to rule over the Hebrew people and upon the Throne of David.

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Now notice it says it will be upon the Throne (of whom?) of David; for He is the One who has the principality upon His shoulder: He has the key of David upon His shoulder.

Now, we have seen who it is that has the key of David, who it is that also has the key of hell and death.

Now, look, in Revelation… See, let’s see… For that cause Christ calls us, and takes us out of the clutches of the enemy, and places us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: For He has the keys of hell, and takes us out of the power of the wicked one.

And now, in Revelation, chapter 20, it says:

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Now notice how that Angel, who has the key of the abyss, opens, throws the devil into the abyss, and then we have the Millennial Kingdom without the devil bothering the Earth; because the devil during the Millennial Kingdom will not have any power over the people, because neither the beast nor the image of the beast nor those he had deceived will be living on Earth, because the atomic fire will have burned them; and the devil will have no one to deceive. And the Earth, because it will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, the glory of the Lord, the people will be people who know the Program of God, and the devil will not be able to deceive them.

Now see how Christ uses well both the key of hell, as the key of death, as the key of David; and also as the key of the Kingdom of the Heavens, which He placed in the hands of Peter, and anointed Peter with the Holy Spirit; and through Peter the Holy Spirit opened the Door of the Kingdom of the Heavens for the Dispensation of Grace, so that millions of human beings from age to age would enter the Kingdom of the Heavens and become part of the Church of Jesus Christ.

And so He also has the key of David, to open that Kingdom of David and to open that Dispensation of the Kingdom, for millions of human beings to enter into that glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

We have seen this mystery of “THE SON OF MAN WITH THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.” That is why He will be able to resurrect the dead in Christ: Because He has the keys of death; He can raise from the dead all those who have departed, and give them an eternal body.

We have a Savior: Jesus Christ our Lord, who has all the keys that are required for Him to open the door of the blessings of Heaven for all of you and for me also.

It has been a great privilege for me to be with you on this occasion, giving you testimony of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, “THE SON OF MAN WITH THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”

May the blessings of Jesus Christ our Savior be upon you all and upon me as well; and may He soon resurrect the dead in Christ, and complete the number of God’s elect, and transform us all, and take us to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, to Heaven, to the House of our heavenly Father. In the Eternal Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and amen.

May God bless you and may you all have a good evening.

“THE SON OF MAN WITH THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”