“I am the First and the Last. 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.”
Revelation 1:17b-18
The author of Revelation received a message from God that he had to convey to the Church. The messenger is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God:
- He is the First and the Last. He has no beginning and no end—He who speaks to us knows everything that has happened since the creation;
- He was dead — He who speaks to us knows what suffering and dying means. He knows the realm of the dead;
- He lives — He conquered death and works tirelessly for our salvation;
- He holds the keys — He has all power, here on earth and in the beyond.
The message is for the living and the dead—the gospel is valid here on earth and in the yonder world. It is for all of us.
Jesus Christ has the keys: when He opens, no one can shut, when He shuts, no one can open (Rev 3:7). This image refers to God’s judgment, from which no one can escape.
In biblical language, death has three meanings:
- Physical death, the moment when the soul and spirit of a person leave the physical body;
- Spiritual death, the separation of humankind from God, the consequence of the fall into sin;
- The second death, the final separation from God, will strike all those who, not having followed Christ, will not have access to the new creation.
The keys to physical death
God judges each person at the time they leave this earth. The departed are led into a realm corresponding to their conduct in relation to God’s will, as revealed through Jesus Christ (Jn 12:48). God’s judgment is just because He knows everything. He does not only consider what is said, but also what is done. He looks at actions, but also at what motivated them. He
distinguishes between sin and guilt. The door to these realms is closed: by themselves, humankind cannot get out. But Jesus Christ has the key to open them. In His grace, He offers the departed the opportunity to pass from spiritual death to life, from remoteness from God to fellowship with Him.
The keys to spiritual death
To pass from spiritual death to life, from separation from God to fellowship with Him, humankind, here on earth and in the yonder world, must:
- Believe in Jesus Christ—no one can come to God except through Christ (Jn 14:6);
- Receive godly life through the baptism of water and the Spirit;
- Nourish this godly life through the word and Holy Communion;
- Give up everything in their thoughts and being that is contrary to God’s will;
- Become like Christ.
When He returns, Jesus Christ will judge those reborn out of water and the Spirit. Those who worked to the end to become like Him will have access to eternal life, and perfect fellowship with God in His glory.
The keys to eternal death
During the thousand-year kingdom, God will open the door of salvation for all. Every human being will have the opportunity to follow Christ. Then comes the Last Judgement. Those who have followed God’s will enter eternal fellowship with God in the new creation. The others will be condemned to eternal death, the final separation from God.
Today, Christ’s message is for everyone, here on earth and in the yonder world: “Come! And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17). There is no good reason not to answer this invitation…