Authority and Power

Hi  Friends,

I am writing today about the kingdom of God and how we can have authority and power.  If our prayers are to be effective and the Lord’s power to be made manifest, we have to be submitted to the Lord’s authority and do things his way.  Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

So this vision is about understanding how we access the Lord’s authority, and exert power over the forces of darkness to do the work of the Lord.

The Vision

I saw two objects.  One was a silver key and the other was a blue twist tie.  The twist tie was bent in half like an old fashioned hair pin.  The rounded end was then inserted into the opening of the key.  Then the vision ended.

When the vision ended, I was disappointed that the twist tie was merely inserted into the opening on the key, rather than completing the action by forming a lanyard hitch.  But then I also thought,  “What would the purpose be, of such a short twist tie attached to a key?”  Did it act as an identifier for the key?  Were the ends of the twist tie to be attached to another object, joining the key to something else?  Why was a twist tie used rather than a thin cord, or perhaps a key chain, something more attractive or more useful?

The Key

The key is silver colored, which is created by a nickel plating over brass.  The key looks like an ordinary house key with a hole in the top where it can be attached to a key chain.  A key is used with a lock to give one authority to open what would otherwise be locked.  The key (with a lock) also gives one the ability to keep others out, or to keep something or someone in.

Jesus said, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed heaven.”  Matthew 16:19   When Jesus gives us keys, he is saying, “I give you authority.”  

Jesus is our authority, the Lord over all.  The Bible shows in the books of Isaiah and Revelation  that The Lord holds the Key of the House of David.   "Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.”  Isaiah 22:22

Also:

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens…”  Revelations 3:7

The Lord has authority over life and death; he holds the keys to death and Hades:  “I am the First and the Last.  I am the living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore!  And I hold the keys of death and of Hades.”  Revelations 1:18

The Lord gives keys to those he wishes to have authority. In the book of Revelation, a key to the abyss was given to an angel to use his authority to lock the devil in for 1000 years: “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.”  Revelations 9:1

Later in chapter 20, the action takes place:  “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”  Revelations 20:1-3

Jesus gives us, as believers, authority.  I believe that the key in my vision, represents the authority and the power to bind and to loosen.  Jesus gave this authority to the disciples and to the church, at the time that Peter made his confession as to the Lord’s identity.

Jesus asked his disciples,”Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  Matthew 16:13:14

Matthew records Just two chapters before, that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, so Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. “And he said to his attendants,’This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!  That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’”  Matthew 14:2

Jesus asked his disciples again. “‘But what about you?’ he asked, ‘Who do you say I am?’

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’  Matthew 16:17-18  

(“Peter” Gk petros, meaning a small stone)

(“rock” Gk petra, meaning a massive rock or rocky cliff)

The rock or petra that Jesus was to use to build his church was the belief that Jesus was the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of the living God.  

Then Jesus follows up with this important message regarding the operation of the kingdom of God under the authority of the believer:  “I give you the keys to the kingdom, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 16:19

These keys were not keys given to Peter only, as some have misinterpreted it to mean, giving him authority to decide who was going to enter heaven.  This is just another false belief that came by perverting scripture. The devil, our enemy, would love for this bit of scripture to be misrepresented to Christians.  He does not want us to know that the Lord has given all believers authority:  “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”  Luke 10:19

“And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  Luke 22:29-30

“All authority has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”   Matthew 28:18-20  

So the power to bind and loosen, is for all believers to exert their God-given authority over the powers of darkness.  Jesus promises in Revelations, speaking to the churches:  “To him who overcomes, and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’-- Just as I have received authority from my Father, I will also give him the morning star.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelations 2:26-29

Now we have authority, based on our relationship with the Lord.  If we submit to him, then the authority will be honored.  If we lack commitment, or a genuine belief and trust in him, then the authority will be questioned.  For example:

“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed.  They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’  Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.”  

“One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’  Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.  He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”  Acts 19:13-16

Now to return to the vision:

The key I saw was an ordinary house key.  There was nothing about the key that was unusual.  But why was a twist tie, selected?  What purpose did it perform?

The Twist Tie

The twist tie was made of blue plastic with an embedded wire filament.  The color blue, in the Bible, refers to God, service to God, godly living, riches and royalty.  (www.biblestudy.org)

The twist tie was bent in two to make a hairpin-like shape, and inserted into the hole on the key.  This is an incomplete action.  No knot is formed.  Could it be that we are given authority - the key, but to use this authority effectively, our hearts must be connected and devoted to God.  “Apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

And as the former example of the seven sons of Sceva, we know that to act as having  authority, without submission to the one who gives authority is to act foolishly, and to cause ourselves and others harm.

If the blue twist tie in the vision, was meant to identify the key, as a key of authority over the kingdom of darkness, then we should ask ourselves, “Why then was the tie not tied?  Is something missing - an incomplete understanding about binding sickness, disease, and the demonic forces, and loosening people from demonic oppression? 

Perhaps the blue tie representing service to God, remains untied to the key, to show that the authority to bind and loosen (to be exclusively used in service to God) has not been honored.  Simon the sorcerer desired the power and authority the disciples carried because he wanted to gain personal notoriety or glory, as he had done before using the power of the devil.  This selfish desire dishonors God, and perhaps for this reason the knot remained incomplete. 

As we look at scriptures, it seems that Jesus is more that ready to give authority to believers. God wants us to live a victorious life, and an abundant life. But we need to know God’s will and we need to be obedient to him.  When we step away from an abiding faith and devotion to God, or compromise with the world, we will have little, if any, power or authority, and will not accomplish much for the kingdom of God.

God wants to build his church.  He wants us to use the authority he makes available.  The Lord wants us to do, what he came to do:  “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is one me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”  Isaiah 61:1  

If we are his disciples, then we need to be obedient to his call:  “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.”  Matthew 10:8

If we love him, we will do as he commands: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of  all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Matthew 28: 18-20.

As I contemplated further, and asked the Lord for insight into the meaning of the twist tie, I made note of a few things:

First, I noted that a twist tie was a rather unattractive way of sealing up a plastic bag, or managing cables.  And that a twist tie on a key is not an attractive means of identifying the key.  There are many other more suitable alternatives.

Also, I remembered my desire to see a lanyard hitch.  A lanyard is a cord that generally goes around the neck and holds an object like a whistle, a key, or a pair of glasses.  I would have preferred a nice cord, to tie to the key rather than a twist tie, which just had ends that stick out, and are rather unruly.  Carrying keys on a lanyard  makes them more accessible and easy to locate.

When we think of Biblical figures that were raised up and given authority, we see that each one was immediately given several articles to wear that were signs of power and position.  When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and gave him a plan to save his nation from an impending famine, he earned Pharaoh’s respect as a man who was known by God.  “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger.  He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.”  Genesis 41:41-42

The twist tie is not a gold chain, it is not an attractive cord, it is not even a key chain.  A twist tie does not  indicate position or authority.  It could never become a lanyard, for it is just too short. 

A synonym for the word to twist is to pervert.  Could it be that the twist tie was intended to be attached to the key, in order to twist or pervert authority. 

We know that the devil, our enemy wants to keep us from using our God-given authority over what he deems “rightfully his.”   When we sin, we give ground to the devil.  We open a door, giving him access to our lives and our families lives.  We need to ask the Lord to forgive our sins, and then use our authority which comes from a right standing with God, to close these doors.   

So perhaps the blue twist tie, does not really represent God, or service to God, just because it is blue.  It may be actually something the devil creates to appear as if coming from God.  The tie could be the devil’s attempt to pervert, or rendered ineffective the power of the believer to bind the enemy and his plans against us.  He prefers the believer to be unaware of the authority he has over the kingdom of darkness.

The devil does not want anyone to carry the authority of God, for the devil himself, thinks he is ruler of this earth.  But, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”  Psalm 24:1-2

Jesus said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  John 8:44

We remember that when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, he used scriptures in a perverted manner to tempt the Lord to sin.  The devil’s plan is to keep people from using their God-given authority to bind what he is doing, and to loose what he has kept in captivity.

So that is what we must recognize.  To have authority, we need to know the Lord, and to be obedient to his word.  We need to be walking in right standing with God, fully submitted to him.   And we need to be aware that the devil intends to keep us from using our authority to set the captives free, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.  

So we encourage ourselves with these scriptures:  “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.”  1 Corinthians 16:13-14  

And….”Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  Ephesians 6:11

And do not allow the devil to get a foothold in your life - “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16

I wish you all of God’s best!  Keep the faith!  And share this with others, so they to can walk in the authority of God.

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