COMING OF HEAVEN
In Matthew 16, we have the incident where the disciple Simon was named Petros by Jesus, a Greek word for Rock. Then, to His disciples He "gave" the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, saying that what they bind or loose on earth will be the situation carried over into the coming kingdom. This passage offers us some interesting insights into our future. Here is the text of the passage which we will discuss.
Jesus was asking his disciples whom the people were saying the Son of Man is. Some said He must be Elijah, or perhaps Jeremia. (Belief in reincarnation was common) The following is a literal translation from the Greek. Jesus is speaking: "He says to them, But who do you consider me to be? Simon Peter answered, saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living One.’ And, having answered, Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father, the One in the heavens. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build the church of Me, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give to you the keys (κλειδας: bar, bolt, catch, hook, clasp) of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you may have bound (δησης: 2pers. sing. aorist. active subjunctive of δεω – def. to bind, tie, impede, hinder, prohibit, make unlawful) upon the earth it will have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you may have loosed (λυσης: 2pers. sing. aorist. active subjunctive of λυω – def. loosen, unbind, untie, set free) upon the earth it will have been loosed in the heavens.
The twelve disciples correspond to the twelve Tribes of Israel and to the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Refer to the sine wave diagram which shows the locations of the twelve tribes and the twelve disciples. Peter coincides with the zodiac age of Leo and with the tribe of Juda, being the first age of the Kingdom of World, from 10,000BC until 8,000BC. Here is the age of the Lion, one of the four Living Beings of Revelation 4, which represents God’s Physical Nature. Here is the tribe of Royalty and Mastery. It is to the representative of World Royalty that Jesus speaks when He gives the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is upon the foundation of World that Jesus will build the church of Me, namely the membership of the Body of Christ who are the Israelite Elect and all others of Israel who seek Him in Truth. It is during the World ages that we members of the Christ are being prepared to inherit the future Kingdom. During World we were told His will, given His laws, shown His power and His glory, suffered punishment and discipline, witnessed His providence and love, and were called to follow the Head of this Body to release this material World and follow Him to Golgotha. During World the weak were culled (branches not bearing fruit were pruned), the faithful were nourished and guided and protected, and the Holy Spirit led many away from the Temple (church religion) to find Truth as individuals and walk with our Lord. During World Jesus built His Church Body (εκκλησια/ecclesia) Heaven is what follows the kingdom of World, so Jesus is here that we have the keys to pass through the door into the coming kingdom. With such keys goes the power to influence the next kingdom by selecting what shall be bound and what shall be free in Heaven, in other words, what World baggage will we carry into the future.
The words, "I will give to you," do not exist in the most ancient Greek manuscripts. So, it is likely that Jesus is NOT speaking directly to Peter, but to the disciples in general when announcing the powers to bind and to loose. Perhaps He is simply saying that it will be upon the Physical Nature of the World that Heaven will be founded, that now is the preparation time. I think that Jesus, the Head of the Body of Christ, is telling His members that they will help to define the coming age by their "binding and loosing."
So, how does this passage apply to us members? When the very end of this World age arrives, and we transition into the Heaven kingdom, what will we have bound and what will we have loosed? Consider the model that we already have, namely the Israelites leaving Egypt to enter the Promised Land. None of that generation was permitted entry because they retained too much of their bondage/victimness baggage. They had to die, literally, to their old negative attitudes because such isn't permitted in the Land of the Free. So, it was during their forty year wilderness sojourn that the old died off, and only those born in the wilderness were permitted to cross the Jordan. For us, there will also be a wilderness period after we are liberated from this World's bondage by the cataclysmic geophysical event of magnetic field reversal. During our wilderness period, we will have to suffer the consequences of whatever baggage we carry into it. It will be after a cleansing wilderness period that Jesus will then lead us across the "Jordan" into the Heaven prepared for us. It behooves us to think about what kinds of baggage we want to retain and what to release.
And, what does "bind" mean? Bondage? Is Jesus speaking of things to which we have bound ourselves? Like worldly things? And what will we have released? Will we have released our lustful desires, sensual hungers, greed, angers, and hatreds, fears, and our guilts? Or what other things might we consider? Have we bound the forces of Satan which are presently attempting to destroy us? Or how about racial enemies who want to flood into our land and take over? Rather than binding them, our leaders are loosing them upon us like Satan’s ravening wolves. If we look at the things we have actually accomplished for our God, woe betide us, for we have not stood strong against Jesus’ enemies, but have submitted ourselves to their government, and welcomed them into our flock as friends.
If we begin the Kingdom of Heaven with the same false values we now have, that is a sad thought. Sure, we will have many advantages there that we now lack: the Holy Spirit of God will work more efficiently within us; we will be receptive to Truth; we will have some new powers for we will be at home in a positive energy field instead of the present negative one; we will know Jesus as our Lord in a more real sense than now, so hopefully His followers will be more willing to accept His words as Truth. But, looking ahead at the future from our present situation right now, what have we bound and what have we loosed? This is a question you might ponder.
I don't claim to be a teacher, nor do I want any followers. I write whatever I feel inspired to write, and offer it for any seeker's consideration. I've no attachment to anyone's response, whether you value it or reject it; that is up to you. Your path is your own, and you shouldn't accept any guide except God. The New Covenant says there are to be no more teachers (Hebrews 8), and I agree that the Holy Spirit is the ONLY valid teacher. But, for us prodigals, as we journey the path back home toward our Father, let us chat along the way. Even without teachers, we can benefit greatly from the ponderings of one another. And, instead of just bemoaning the present plight of the World, let's look ahead to the coming Kingdom and speculate about it. Let's imagine our new home, and then leave the old one burning behind us when we leave (dies irae!). And what should we carry on our journey? You have the keys to your new home already. How will you design it to be?
Roger Hathaway.