Who has the keys in the heavens and on this earth? The answer is Christians. Christians have the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. But what does this mean?
The kingdoms of this universe
Katika ulimwengu wa kiroho, there are two kingdoms:
- The Kingdom of God
- The kingdom of the devil (kingdom of darkness)
There are no more kingdoms, than these two. You belong to the Kingdom of God or you belong to the kingdom of the devil.
Between these kingdoms is a war raging. This war will continue until the day comes that one of these kingdoms will be completely destroyed by the other Kingdom.
You might say: "yes, but wait a minute, Jesus has already conquered the devil, He has taken the keys and has all authority in heaven and on earth, so the devil is already defeated. We can rest in Jesus, and sit at His feet in His presence. We mustn’t pay too much attention to the devil, yak, that gives me bad vibes. and by the way you mustn’t scare people”
Vizuri, yes, you are right… Jesus has defeated the devil and Jesus has legally taken the keys of authority, lakini… the war is not over.
The devil still has the ability to fight and attack Christians, because the devil has not been cast into the eternal lake of fire, yet (Ufunuo 20:7-10).
Until the devil is cast into the lake of fire, the devil still has the ability to attack Christians and destroy them.
Where do the attacks of the devil take place?
The attacks of the devil take mainly place in the flesh (mwili na roho (the mind); Ugonjwa, (mental) illness, hofu, anxieties, weakness, destructive and negative thoughts that don’t line up with the Word of God, na kadhalika.
The devil tries to tempt believers in the flesh, so that they will step into his trap and cause them to sin. This is the way the devil captivates Christians.
The devil knows his time is short. Therefore the devil goes around like a roaring lion, kutafuta ni nani anaweza kula. His mission is to bring as many people as possible with him to hell (1 Peter 5:8).
The devil is a murderer, a slaughtered, and he lies and deceives people, and tempts the people to sin, because sin leads to death.
Whosoever walks in sin, walks in the death. The Word of God says that sin leads to death and not to eternal life and the devil knows this as well.
God gave the keys to mankind
Let us go back to the garden of Eden. The devil tempted Eve, she began to doubt God’s words, became disobedient to His words, and she and Adam sinned.
When Eve began to doubt, she hadn’t sinned yet. But Eve let that doubt enter her mind and began to reason.
She could have stayed obedient to the words of God and could have said to the serpent: "No, I will not eat of these fruits, because God has commanded us, to not eat from this tree. I will obey God, because I believe in what He says, and not what you say.” Lakini badala yake, Eve believed the words of the serpent, and therefore she took the forbidden fruit and ate from the forbidden fruit.
Adam didn’t stop Eve, while he was with her, but Adam also took the forbidden fruit and ate from the forbidden fruit.
When Adam and Eve took the fruit and ate the fruit, they became disobedient to God and obeyed the devil instead.
The devil took the keys
When they obeyed the devil, they handed over their keys of authority to the devil. And so the devil had taken the keys of authority on earth, which God originally had given to mankind and became the ruler of the world.
From the moment man sinned, the spirit of man died and came under the authority of death, and the law of sin and death entered and man fell from his appointed position.
Adam and Eve were no longer spiritual but became carnal and as a result the flesh became visible to them and saw that they were naked.
God wasn’t walking with a spiritual man, but with a carnal man. Through the fall the law of sin and death came into being and reigned in the flesh.
Kila mtu, who would be born on from the seed of man, would be born as a sinner and live under the authority of the devil and death.
After the fall, God walked with several people and eventually God chose a people and made a covenant with Abraham and his Seed. Mungu alikuwa pamoja na Abrahamu., Isaac and Jacob (Uyahudi). ANd everyone, who would be born of the seed of Jacob (Israël) belonged to God’s covenant people.
The law of sin and death
God made this invisible law that reigned in the flesh and His will known to His people by giving the law of Moses. Through the law God made His will and the works of the devil known to the people and warned the people.
As long as the people kept God’s commandments, they had nothing to worry about. God was with them and they were protected and blessed. But as soon as they deviated from the commandments of God and His precepts, they would be cursed and live in bondage.
God gave them a choice, to chose life through obedience to the law or to chose death, through disobedience to the law (Soma pia: Do the mountains of blessing and curse still exist in the New Covenant?).
Kutii amri za Mungu
The only way for the people of Israel to stay free from bondage of the devil was by keeping the law of Moses. By keeping God’s commandments, precepts, matambiko, Sheria ya chakula, sacrificial laws. na sikukuu, they would be walk in His will and be blessed and not cursed. Because God would be with them and go before them, fight for them and protect them.
When the blood of animals was brought to the altar, and once every year to the mercy seat, the sins and iniquities of His people would be covered and forgiven and (ya muda) reconciliation took place between God and His people, so that God could have communion with His people.
The coming of Jesus; Mwana wa Mungu
Then Jesus came into the flesh, born of the Spirit of God. Because of that Jesus was not born as a sinner; His seed was not affected by evil. Jesus was fully Human and could have sinned, but Jesus loved His Father and lived a life of obedience without sin. Jesus walked according to the mapenzi ya Baba yake.
Even in the wilderness, when the devil tried to tempt Jesus with the words of God. Jesus corrected him and defeated him with the true words of God.
Jesus knew His Father and kept His commandments. When the devil tried to tempt Him, by proving Himself that He was the Son of God and by giving Him all the kingdoms of the earth, Jesus didn’t fall into his trap (Soma pia: ‘Nitakupa utajiri wa ulimwengu‘).
Jesus knew that the devil was a liar and He had come to the earth for a greater purpose.
The earthly riches and kingdoms were only temporary, but Jesus came to free humanity from the captivity of the devil. Jesus came to free mankind from the power of the devil. He came to deliver them from the darkness and transfer them to the Kingdom of God and reconcile them with God and give them eternal life.
Jesus didn’t give into the desires and lusts of the flesh (Uchoyo, love of money, ukahaba, ibada ya sanamu, ubinafsi, na kadhalika) LA! The Spirit ruled in Jesus’ life and therefore Jesus walked after the Spirit and not after His flesh.
Did Jesus have the ability to take what the devil offered Him in the wilderness? Absolutely, lakini Yesu hakufanya hivyo. His priority was to do the will of His Father.
Jesus legally took the keys back
Yesu aliposulubishwa, He died, entered Hades, and stayed there for three days. During these three days, Jesus preached the Gospel and conquered hell and death and legally took back the keys, which the devil had taken from Adam.
Siku ya tatu, the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus came back with the keys. And so Jesus had legally taken the keys of authority back from the devil.
Kuanzia wakati huo na kuendelea, the devil had no right anymore to possess and captivate man. But the devil still had the ability.
The devil still works according to the law of sin and death. But anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, and becomes kiumbe kipya, is seated in Him.
When uumbaji mpya walks after the Spirit and not after the flesh, (s)he is redeemed from the law of the sin of death and the curse.
Kwa hiyo sasa hakuna hukumu kwa wale walio katika Kristo Yesu., ambao hawatembei baada ya nyama, Lakini baada ya Roho. Kwa maana sheria ya Roho wa uzima katika Kristo Yesu imeniweka huru kutoka kwa sheria ya dhambi na mauti.. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the fles, Lakini baada ya Roho.Kwa maana wale walio baada ya mwili huyafikiria mambo ya mwili.; Lakini wale walio na Roho mambo ya Roho. Kwa maana kuwa na nia ya kimwili ni kifo; Lakini kuwa na nia ya kiroho ni maisha na amani (Warumi 8:1-6).
What happens, if you don’t speak the Word of God?
But… if Christians don’t take the Word of God in their mouth and don’t begin to speak the Word of God, and remain carnal and are led by the flesh; hisia zao, mawazo, hisia, hisia, mapenzi, tamaa, tamaa, na kadhalika., then it won’t be long, before the enemy leads them back into captivity (Soma pia: ‘Sababu kwa nini haupati ushindi katika maisha yako?)
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Wagalatia 4:1-5)
Christians have the keys
Christians are thewana wa Mungu and they must realize, that in Jesus Christ, they have zote authority in heaven and on earth.
Jesus has the keys to set people free from every oppression of the devil. If you are born again in Christ and are seated in Christ, you have in Him all that He has. Hivyo, Kwa maneno mengine, you have the keys; the authority to set people free from the oppression of the devil.
Na faith in the name of Jesus, you have the keys. You have the keys; the authority to free people from bondage, to forgive their sins and iniquities, and give them eternal life (Oh. Yohana 20:23).
The devil still operates in the flesh; mwili na roho. He still works according to the law of sin and death.
But as a born again Christian, kama mwana wa Mungu (hii inatumika kwa wanaume na wanawake), you operate in the law of the Spirit of life and not in the law of sin and death (Warumi 8:2).
You are crucified with Christ, which means that you no longer live, but that Christ lives in you.
You’ve laid down your carnality, which led you to sin and death. Therefore the law of sin and death has no hold on you.
You will not look at the cause and effect. But you will look at one thing: the blood of Jesus, and faith in His name, that brings freedom to everyone.
The devil hates God and knows how much God loves people. Therefore the devil wants to destroy people, in order to hurt God. The devil knows his destination, which is the eternal lake of fire. He wants to take as many people as possible, with him. This is his revenge on God.
Let Christians arise!
Therefore arise! Read and study the Word of God. Take the Word in your mouth, so that you no longer be a slave of sin, but become spiritually mature. Know the Word and speak the words of God and live after His will.
Walk in Him and bring life and freedom to people. Free people from their prison of depression, wasiwasi, Ugonjwa, illness, matatizo ya akili, hofu, kifo, mamlaka, na kadhalika.
You are seated in Him and He has the keys; He has all authority. If you are seated in Him, you also have the keys; you have all authority in Him.
Sasa, your job is not to relax, stay carnal and live after the flesh. But your job is to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth and walk after the Spirit. You ought to be doing God’s will and not your will.
Put on the spiritual armour of God
Jesus has set the example and showed us how to walk as a son of God. Therefore begin to walk after the Spirit, put on the spiritual armor and walk in the Word of God.
Finally, ndugu zangu, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, dhidi ya uovu wa kiroho katika maeneo ya juu. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Simama kwa hiyo, mkiwa mmejifunga kweli viunoni, na kuvaa dirii ya haki kifuani; na kufungiwa miguu utayari tupatao kwa Injili ya amani;
Juu ya yote, wakichukua ngao ya imani, ambayo kwa hiyo mtaweza kuizima mishale yote yenye moto ya yule mwovu.
Na kuchukua chapeo ya wokovu, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Kuomba daima kwa maombi yote na dua katika Roho, na kutazama kwa uvumilivu wote na dua kwa watakatifu wote; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (Waefeso 6:10-20)
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia’
