The Keys of Death and Hades

This morning, let us meditate upon the two things; John’s encounter with the resurrected and glorified Jesus and the commission that he received from Jesus. 

It was on the island of Patmos that John met Jesus again.  It was a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea.  Its current population is about 2,600.  He was exiled here because he was preaching the word of God and his testimony about Jesus. 

Look at verse 10.  John was in the Holy Spirit on the Lord’s day.  What is the Lord’s day?  Many people believe that it is Sunday.  Domingo, the Spanish name for Sunday, comes from Dominica, which is the Latin word for Lord’s day.  Dimanche, the French name, is also derived from Dominica, the Lord’s day.  So for many years millions of Christians have come to believe that the Lord’s day is Sunday. 

But that doesn’t have any biblical foundation.  Instead, if you go to the Bible, you will find that the Lord’s day is the Sabbath.  The fourth of the Ten Commandments says that “the seventh-day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”  In Isaiah58:13 the Lord called the Sabbath “My holy day” and “The holy day of the Lord.”  In Mark2:28 Jesus says that “the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”  The Sabbath belongs to the Lord and the Lord has chosen the day for Himself. 

Furthermore, historically Sunday was not called the Lord’s day until the second century.  The book of Revelation was written in AD95 about a century before that. So it’s much better to say that he called the Sabbath the Lord’s day. 

Now John was in the Holy Spirit in the Lord’s day.  He heard behind him a loud voice like a trumpet blast.  “Write in a book everything that you see and send it to the seven churches.”  It sounded very familiar.  When he turned around, he saw Jesus standing in the midst of seven golden lamp stands.  Let’s look at from verse 12 to verse 16. 

Revelation1:12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands,

1:13 and in the midst of the seven lamp stands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.

1:14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;

1:15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;

1:16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Jesus looked completely different from the Jesus whom John had seen in Galilee and in Judea.  His hair was white like wool and snow.  His voice sounded solemn and like the  mighty ocean waves.  His attire manifested power, dignity, and authority.  His eyes were like flames of fire.  His feet were shining like polished bronze.  His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.  His whole body was shining with God’s glory.

This Jesus was standing in the midst of seven lamp stands.  The place where you would see lamp stands is in the sanctuary.  Why was He in the sanctuary?  Because He was in the ministry of the High Priest.  He was making intercession for us.

Jesus was also holding seven stars in his right hand.  The seven stars represent the angels of the seven churches according to verse 20.  The number seven refers to totality and perfection.  And the angels here represent the leaders of the churches.  So Jesus was firmly holding the churches in history and controlling their destiny.

That is not all.  He is also working as a Judge.  Interestingly a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth.  Usually the sword is held in the hand, but this time it was in His mouth.  This means that the end of time battle is verbal in nature, rather than physical. 

Thus Jesus was shining brightly with the Lord’s glory and was ministering as both the High Priest and the Judge.  As John looked at the figure of Jesus, he became so scared that he lost his consciousness.  And he fell at His feet as if he were dead.  Then Jesus laid His right hand on him and said the following. 

Revelation1:17b "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.

1:18 "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

1:19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.

Jesus ordered John to write everything that he had seen in his vision.  He ordered him to write about both the heavenly ministry of the High Priest, and His judgment without hiding anything.  He ordered him to write of things which are as well as the things which will take place after this. 

If you received this order from Jesus, how would you feel?  If you saw all the things that would take place in the future, how would you feel?  Would it feel as if you were watching TV or a movie?  Interesting?  If you were shown on the screen, the faces of the congregation after 10 or 20 years, it would be rather entertaining.  But if you were shown famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, fighting between tribes, persecution against churches, seeing many people dying and suffering, you would feel something; something such as fear for what is going to happen to you, or a heavy responsibility for writing it down. 

I wonder if Jesus sympathised with John’s mind.  He said, “I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”  The “Hades” symbolises the demonic power.  So Jesus is able to break the power of death and demonic power.  He experienced death, yet He resurrected, and is now living eternally in heaven.  He is in the beginning and the end, and controlling death and life in His hand.  If you trust in Him and obey Him, do you fear anything.  That is why Jesus said to John, “Stop being afraid, and believe me.  Write down what you have seen, both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. 

John accepted the command of Jesus and faithfully wrote the book of Revelation.  In Revelation22:18, 19 you can see how serious he was. 

Revelation22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

He said, “Woe to those who add some words to the book of Revelation and those who take away some words of the book.”  This is a very serious warning.  You cannot find these serious words in any other part of the Bible.  You cannot find them in the Old Testament as we as Paul’s epistles. 

Let us take this chance to read well the book of Revelation again. And let us make a good preparation for the coming of Christ. 

When Eisenhower was president of the United States, he once visited Denver. His attention was called to a letter in the local newspaper saying that a six-year-old boy dying with cancer expressed his wish to see the president.

 

One Sunday morning a black limousine pulled up in front of the boy's house. The president stepped out of his car and knocked on the front door. The father, Donald Haley, opened the door.  He was wearing faded jeans, an old shirt, and a day's old beard.  Standing behind him was the boy.

The president said, "Paul, I understand you want to see me. Glad to see you."  Then he took the boy to the limousine to show it to him, shook hands, and left.  The family and neighbors talked about the President's sudden visit for a long time before the father always remembered it with regret because of the way he was dressed.  

We should prepare our hearts and always be ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We should keep ourselves spiritually dressed for encountering Him, so that we may not be ashamed.  This spiritual dressing up refers to baptism.  Some of the congregations here have not yet been baptized.  I want to encourage them to be baptized by water and the Holy Spirit and be ready for the coming of the Lord.  And addressing to the members who have been baptized, I also want you to receive sanctification from the Lord daily. 

Jesus told a parable of Christ’s coming before the crucifixion (Matthew25:1-13).  It was the story of the ten sleepy bridesmaids.  One night the bridesmaids were waiting outside the brides home to welcome the groom and to share in his joy.  But he did not come quickly.  Then the girls napped.  At midnight a loud voice came and the girls woke up.  Their lights were nearly burned out.  Five of them quickly refueled their lamps.  But the other girls did not have extra oil.  Then they begged their friends to share with them, but they said no.  So these unwise girls had to dash off to buy oil.  When they returned, the groom and the bride and the wise girls had all gone to the marriage feast and the door was locked.  The unwise girls could not go inside. 

The point of this story is that we must individually be ready for the second coming of Christ.  It is not enough if only our husband is ready.  It is not enough if only our wife is ready.  It is not enough if only our parents are ready.  Each individual should accept Christ, be baptized, and prepare for the second coming.  

The book of Revelation teaches the importance of Christ.  Every chapter talks about Christ working on every stage of end-time events for man’s salvation. 

Let us remember how earnestly John wrote about Christ in the book of Revelation and reconfirm how earnestly we trust and obey Him.  And let us be ready for His coming.  Amen.