He Holds the Keys

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV)

Arise and shine, dear one! God is with you!

Our next in-person Bible study will be on the book of Revelation, so I recently started reading through the first few chapters to become more familiar with what we’ll be studying. While there’s lots of imagery and things can seem confusing, one thing that has been clear to me is Jesus’ authority, power, and eternal nature.

I keep coming back to these verses where John describes his vision and encounter with the Son of Man. We see Jesus’ tenderness in placing His right hand on John and telling him not to be afraid. Then Jesus describes who He is – eternal, alive, and holding the keys of death and Hades. That’s powerful!

We know our time is limited on this earth, our bodies will die and it’s heartbreaking to lose the ones we love. Even when we are comforted that we will one day see our fellow believers in heaven, that grief on earth still stings. We can be assured, however, that Jesus holds the keys. We can trust Him with the number of our days and the days of those that we love. He’s in control, sovereign, and reigning on His throne! Death can’t steal the keys back out of His hand!

If you struggle with the fear of death or losing a loved one, lay your fears down before the throne of Christ. You don’t have to be afraid, dear one. Jesus is alive and He holds the keys!