Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Revelation knowledge. Peter had it. Peter knew that Jesus was the Son of the living God. Peter knew that there was a realm of existence that transcended that which is physical and he knew that Jesus had come from that realm and he knew that Jesus was the King of that realm.
Jesus acknowledged Peter’s understanding as being a revelation and not something he had learned from any human being.
Jesus continues by telling Peter that it is upon the rock of revelation that He is going to build his church. His new kingdom has a foundation and it is going to be built and not even hell is going to be able to stop His kingdom from becoming a reality.
Jesus then gives the keys to the kingdom to Peter and the other disciples. What are the keys that will open and lock the doors of heaven? The message of Jesus Christ.
So why did Jesus tell them not to spread the news of Him being the Messiah? It wasn’t yet time. The message was not complete. The work had not been finished. Paradise was not yet opened and ready to receive citizens because the blood of redemption had not yet flowed.
The King cannot rule the kingdom until He has ascended to the throne of power. Once Jesus took His place on the throne the Kingdom was ready. This all took place during the lives of those who heard Jesus say, “And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see me, the Son of Man, coming in my Kingdom.”
So to answer the question, “What is the Kingdom?” , we can see that it is a kingdom with a King who is Jesus Christ. It is a kingdom that is not of this world. It is a kingdom that can only be visible to those to whom it has been revealed. It is also a kingdom that is locked to those who do not know or acknowledge the King. The Kingdom is unlocked to those who know that the key that opens the way is Jesus and His work at the cross.
If you know Christ by way of God’s revealed knowledge, you also hold the key to heaven. Are you unlocking the door for those around you?