Revelation 1:17-18; Having the Keys of Hell and Death
Revelation 1:17-18 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.
Death and judgment in hellfire is the ultimate plight of sinful, fallen men. Sickness, diseases and the body’s gradual degeneration are a premonition of that undesirable end. These often make a man sit up and consider the reality of death and the prospect of the judgment to come. God allowed the fall of man, I believe, for him to see the miseries of sin and shame. Human history attests to war and crime, to the brokenness of the family, to the reality of the disease of sin in the lives of men throughout the generations since Adam.
Is there no way out? There is a way out. Jesus Christ is the way out. Our text tells us He has the keys of hell and death. He has the key to unlock the deadlock of death and hell that confront every man. And He is not making an empty promise. He had been there, that is, He has tasted death on our behalf. After Jesus died, He rose again from the dead the third day. He testifies to His disciple John, “I am alive for evermore”. This is the good news for every sad and distressed soul in the hospital bed or the face of death.