keys to the kingdom of Heaven

keys to the kingdom of Heaven

Matt 16:19(And I will give to you keys of the kingdom of heaven )

Jesus gave the keys to Peter as the leader of the twelve apostles.

He was chosen for the special task of opening the kingdom of others.

We see his use of these keys in his ministry to Jews (Acts 2:14-41)

Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 

Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48) these were the only three groups of people that existed.

Let learn the following: the doors to the God's kingdom are now wide open, and any one who will may enter.

Once, a door is opened keys are no longer needed to open it.

The keys were given to Peter, not to his successors.

Peter alone could do what he did.

God used Peter His instrument to open the door of His kingdom to all.

And he did it for all time..

Now if there is any closing or opening of doors to do, the Lord Jesus Himself will do it (Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty)

(Rev 3:7 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).

Peter had more to do than opening the gate of God's kingdom.

There were things to "bind" and "loose". That is, the affairs of the kingdom had to be made concerning things to be allowed or forbidden.

It is important to see that in this work the other disciples had the same authority as Peter (Matt 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained).

"whatever you bind on earth will (already) have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven." 

This would mean that Peter and other disciples and now believers would be agents to carry out decisions already made in heaven