Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven

[ByGraceThruFaith]

Matthew 16:15 Jesus said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 Jesus say's; I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

(NOTE: Peter is the first to openly confess that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus promises him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had also told Peter He'd make him a fisher of men, Matt 4:19).

Rom 1:16, 2:9 & 10. Salvation is: 1st to the Jew then to the gentile.

Pentecost 1 of 3 mandatory Jewish pilgrimage Feasts (Deut 16:16). Every male Jew had to travel to the Temple Mt yearly. Acts 2:1 The Temple Mt is crowded, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) hauls in 3000 souls (Acts 2:41). Here Peter, becomes a fisher of men. First unlocking the spiritual door to the Kingdom of Heaven to Jews.

Acts 10 the keys Jesus promised Peter (Matt 16:19) are used again by Peter, unlocking the door (spiritual) to the Kingdom of Heaven to the gentile. Approximately 7 years after the 1st post resurrection Pentecost. After a vision & some resistants, the Lord sends Peter to witness to a gentile. A Roman Centurion named Cornelius.

While Peter is speaking the Holy Spirit falls on all the gentiles listening to Peter (Acts 10:44). As Peter spoke, these believing gentiles received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had not been circumcised, they had not kept Mosaic laws, they had not brought a sacrifice to the Temple, they had not been water baptized nor had they repented of anything. As Peter spoke, they believed, thru faith & faith alone, these gentiles received God's spiritual seal (2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30) via the Holy Spirit.

 

[for_his_glory]

The keys to the kingdom of heaven are that of God's power and authority given to us by His Holy Spirit who not only indwells us, but also empowers us to become fishers of man. It all started in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.

 

[Mungo]

Matthew 16:15 Jesus said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 Jesus say's; I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

(NOTE: Peter is the first to openly confess that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus promises him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had also told Peter He'd make him a fisher of men, Matt 4:19).

Rom 1:16, 2:9 & 10. Salvation is: 1st to the Jew then to the gentile.

Pentecost 1 of 3 mandatory Jewish pilgrimage Feasts (Deut 16:16). Every male Jew had to travel to the Temple Mt yearly. Acts 2:1 The Temple Mt is crowded, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) hauls in 3000 souls (Acts 2:41). Here Peter, becomes a fisher of men. First unlocking the spiritual door to the Kingdom of Heaven to Jews.

Acts 10 the keys Jesus promised Peter (Matt 16:19) are used again by Peter, unlocking the door (spiritual) to the Kingdom of Heaven to the gentile. Approximately 7 years after the 1st post resurrection Pentecost. After a vision & some resistants, the Lord sends Peter to witness to a gentile. A Roman Centurion named Cornelius.

While Peter is speaking the Holy Spirit falls on all the gentiles listening to Peter (Acts 10:44). As Peter spoke, these believing gentiles received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had not been circumcised, they had not kept Mosaic laws, they had not brought a sacrifice to the Temple, they had not been water baptized nor had they repented of anything. As Peter spoke, they believed, thru faith & faith alone, these gentiles received God's spiritual seal (2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30) via the Holy Spirit.

The idea the the keys represent "unlocking" of heaven to gentiles seem fanciful rather than scripture based.

 

[JohnDB]

Ummm...
This happens to be a very very important and pivotal story in the New Testament.

I can explain why.

But give me a second to gear up.

 

[Walpole]

Matthew 16:15 Jesus said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 Jesus say's; I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

(NOTE: Peter is the first to openly confess that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus promises him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had also told Peter He'd make him a fisher of men, Matt 4:19).

Rom 1:16, 2:9 & 10. Salvation is: 1st to the Jew then to the gentile.

Pentecost 1 of 3 mandatory Jewish pilgrimage Feasts (Deut 16:16). Every male Jew had to travel to the Temple Mt yearly. Acts 2:1 The Temple Mt is crowded, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) hauls in 3000 souls (Acts 2:41). Here Peter, becomes a fisher of men. First unlocking the spiritual door to the Kingdom of Heaven to Jews.

Acts 10 the keys Jesus promised Peter (Matt 16:19) are used again by Peter, unlocking the door (spiritual) to the Kingdom of Heaven to the gentile. Approximately 7 years after the 1st post resurrection Pentecost. After a vision & some resistants, the Lord sends Peter to witness to a gentile. A Roman Centurion named Cornelius.

While Peter is speaking the Holy Spirit falls on all the gentiles listening to Peter (Acts 10:44). As Peter spoke, these believing gentiles received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had not been circumcised, they had not kept Mosaic laws, they had not brought a sacrifice to the Temple, they had not been water baptized nor had they repented of anything. As Peter spoke, they believed, thru faith & faith alone, these gentiles received God's spiritual seal (2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30) via the Holy Spirit.

Peter was NOT the first to openly confess that Jesus was the promised Messiah. That was Peter's brother, Andrew, as well as Nathaniel...

"... Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He, first of all, found his own brother Simon, and told him, 'We have discovered the Messias, which means, the Christ'". (John 1:40-41)

"Then Nathaniel answered him, 'Thou, Master, art the Son of God.'" (John 1:49)

 

[JohnDB]

OK...
This actually takes place about 3+ years into Jesus' ministry tour.
this story takes place in a city called Cesarea Philippi.
It had another name but it's unimportant at the moment. What is important is that the Tetriarch Phillip renovated the city and renamed it Caesar...and since he was the second guy to do so the people gave the town a slightly different name so people would know where they were talking about.
The Town sits at the base of Mount Hermon where one of the three springs that feeds the Jordan River before it goes into the Sea of Galilee and then becomes a river again feeding the Dead Sea.
At every spring the Romans would build a temple to one of their gods. This location was no different. It was to a "Baal" type god until Phillip redid the town and then turned it into a Pan Temple. This of course infuriated the Jews. It spiritually defiled the river in their estimation.

Another key point about this passage is the mention of the Gate.
City gates were indeed access points into a city. Every city visitor and person coming to the city to sell their wares had to come through the gate. Marauding armies however would not come to a city's gate. A city Gate could swallow (destroy) an entire army and not make a bit of difference. Any other location would be a better alternative for a siege ramp or battering ram to break down the walls than a city's gate. (despite all the movies showing otherwise)

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[JohnDB]

When the 12 were assembled at Cesarea Phillipi they were three years into their tours of being disciples of Jesus. They started out as ordinary guys who never thought that they would ever have a chance at being involved as a religious leader. They weren't rabbi material to begin with...but they took on these roles when Jesus asked.
Consequently they ramped up to the task.
They "got holy" in the process. They likely started taking better care of their clothes. Started to watch their language a lot more. (no profanity) Just like normal people would do. Paid more attention to theological discussions than ever before. Probably took some more time to read scriptures and commentaries than they had in times past when they had time to do so.
Of course they looked down on sinful behavior with much more distaste than ever before. They were beginning to be "holy enough" for the job that Jesus asked them to do.

Now...this Pan Temple.
the spring that fed the Jordan river at this spot used to gush out from the mountain with such force that it was thought that this spring was fed by the River Styx itself.
Pan worship was a type of Ashera style or Fertility God type worship. Meaning that first they would bring out the goats and get them to begin mating. Then the dancing girls would come out and do seductive dancing. Then it was "Audience Participation Time". Where the audience would get to practice sex with the dancing girls and designated prostitutes. It had the reputation of being the World's Largest Outdoor Orgy.

Of course the 12 Apostles were rather uncomfortable being there. Something akin to a cross between Nervousness and Disgust all at the same time. But this is where Jesus begins his lesson.

Who do others say that I am?

And the answer Peter gives is telling insight into the character of Jesus. The answer Peter gives describes the most zealous and passionate prophets of Old. IOW Jesus would "Jesus Juke" you at every turn. Just part of his nature and considering the short period of time that He had to Change the World...very appropriate.

then Jesus asks Peter, "Who do YOU say that I am?"

And all this time when Peter is talking...notice what he isn't talking about.
The orgy going on in the backdrop.

IOW when Peter says that Jesus is the Christ...the Messiah...the promised Savior he is actually saying more than that. He is saying that Jesus is a person and personable. He is talking about the huge Kindness that exemplifies Jesus. He is talking about how Jesus doesn't tolerate sin whatsoever...but that Jesus really understands each and every one of us on an individual basis.

The Apostles by this point of course believed that Jesus was the Messiah. They had personally performed miracles in Jesus' name. They had seen the dead come to life, the lame walk, the blind see, and demons cast out. Who else but the Messiah could do that...nevermind the whole "walking on water" routine.

And that this "TELLING OF HOW GOOD GOD REALLY IS" is what Jesus is going to build his church (called out ones) on...and because they (all of them) understand this message and behave in the appropriate fashion of having faith in this key principle that they all will have the access (keys to the storerooms) to ALL of Heaven's treasures of Might, Power, Money, and resources.

 

[for_his_glory]

The idea the the keys represent "unlocking" of heaven to gentiles seem fanciful rather than scripture based.

Hi Mungo and welcome to CF.

Everything was to the Jews first and then the Gentiles. It was God that revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The rock that Jesus spoke of is the corner stone that is Christ being our foundation which His church is built upon. The keys of the kingdom of heaven is God's power and authority God gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Peter, plus all in the upper room that day received this power and authority, but only after Jesus ascended up to heaven and God sent down His Holy Spirit to indwell all who by faith believe in Christ as Lord and Savior.

To the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

 

[JohnDB]

Hi Mungo and welcome to CF.

Everything was to the Jews first and then the Gentiles. It was God that revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The rock that Jesus spoke of is the corner stone that is Christ being our foundation which His church is built upon. The keys of the kingdom of heaven is God's power and authority God gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Peter, plus all in the upper room that day received this power and authority, but only after Jesus ascended up to heaven and God sent down His Holy Spirit to indwell all who by faith believe in Christ as Lord and Savior.

To the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

You know that this translation (KJV) of this section is highly contested.
They didn't follow the standard rules of Greek with the neuter verbs which can mean a plural "you" in this section. Where the reading in English seems to be seen that Jesus is talking solely to Peter it actually is all of the 12 at the moment.

 

[Mungo]

When the 12 were assembled at Cesarea Phillipi they were three years into their tours of being disciples of Jesus. They started out as ordinary guys who never thought that they would ever have a chance at being involved as a religious leader. They weren't rabbi material to begin with...but they took on these roles when Jesus asked.
Consequently they ramped up to the task.
They "got holy" in the process. They likely started taking better care of their clothes. Started to watch their language a lot more. (no profanity) Just like normal people would do. Paid more attention to theological discussions than ever before. Probably took some more time to read scriptures and commentaries than they had in times past when they had time to do so.
Of course they looked down on sinful behavior with much more distaste than ever before. They were beginning to be "holy enough" for the job that Jesus asked them to do.

Now...this Pan Temple.
the spring that fed the Jordan river at this spot used to gush out from the mountain with such force that it was thought that this spring was fed by the River Styx itself.
Pan worship was a type of Ashera style or Fertility God type worship. Meaning that first they would bring out the goats and get them to begin mating. Then the dancing girls would come out and do seductive dancing. Then it was "Audience Participation Time". Where the audience would get to practice sex with the dancing girls and designated prostitutes. It had the reputation of being the World's Largest Outdoor Orgy.

Of course the 12 Apostles were rather uncomfortable being there. Something akin to a cross between Nervousness and Disgust all at the same time. But this is where Jesus begins his lesson.

Who do others say that I am?

And the answer Peter gives is telling insight into the character of Jesus. The answer Peter gives describes the most zealous and passionate prophets of Old. IOW Jesus would "Jesus Juke" you at every turn. Just part of his nature and considering the short period of time that He had to Change the World...very appropriate.

then Jesus asks Peter, "Who do YOU say that I am?"

And all this time when Peter is talking...notice what he isn't talking about.
The orgy going on in the backdrop.

IOW when Peter says that Jesus is the Christ...the Messiah...the promised Savior he is actually saying more than that. He is saying that Jesus is a person and personable. He is talking about the huge Kindness that exemplifies Jesus. He is talking about how Jesus doesn't tolerate sin whatsoever...but that Jesus really understands each and every one of us on an individual basis.

The Apostles by this point of course believed that Jesus was the Messiah. They had personally performed miracles in Jesus' name. They had seen the dead come to life, the lame walk, the blind see, and demons cast out. Who else but the Messiah could do that...nevermind the whole "walking on water" routine.

And that this "TELLING OF HOW GOOD GOD REALLY IS" is what Jesus is going to build his church (called out ones) on...and because they (all of them) understand this message and behave in the appropriate fashion of having faith in this key principle that they all will have the access (keys to the storerooms) to ALL of Heaven's treasures of Might, Power, Money, and resources.

Interesting but still fanciful. I mean the goats and the orgy going on in the background.

Again I don't see the scriptural basis for that.

Moreover the keys are given specifically to Peter and not to anyone else.
Apart from giving the keys to Peter (singly) Jesus also gives him (singly) the power to bind and loose. Later - in the same gospel - all the apostles (jointly) are given the power to bind and loose (Mt 18:18). Surely if Jesus intended all the apostles to have keys then he would have said so at that point. But he doesn't.

Again the idea that the keys refer to store rooms is fanciful and I can't see any support for that in scripture.

 

[Mungo]

Hi Mungo and welcome to CF.

Everything was to the Jews first and then the Gentiles. It was God that revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The rock that Jesus spoke of is the corner stone that is Christ being our foundation which His church is built upon. The keys of the kingdom of heaven is God's power and authority God gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Peter, plus all in the upper room that day received this power and authority, but only after Jesus ascended up to heaven and God sent down His Holy Spirit to indwell all who by faith believe in Christ as Lord and Savior.

To the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again I see no scriptural support for your claim that "The keys of the kingdom of heaven is God's power and authority God gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit."

 

[JohnDB]

Interesting but still fanciful. I mean the goats and the orgy going on in the background.

Again I don't see the scriptural basis for that.

Moreover the keys are given specifically to Peter and not to anyone else.
Apart from giving the keys to Peter (singly) Jesus also gives him (singly) the power to bind and loose. Later - in the same gospel - all the apostles (jointly) are given the power to bind and loose (Mt 18:18). Surely if Jesus intended all the apostles to have keys then he would have said so at that point. But he doesn't.

Again the idea that the keys refer to store rooms is fanciful and I can't see any support for that in scripture.

Well part of this information is from today's world.
In Israel right now there are archeological digs occurring. Recently (about 3-4 years ago) they just discovered a nice Pan mask made of solid copper...At this location!
Then there are the many ancient written records, still existing, that talk about Cesarea Phillipi holding the world's largest outdoor orgy. The fact that Phillip renovated the city and changed it from the location where the babies of prostitutes were sacrificed to Pan worshipped was also discussed.

Just like the Temple's destruction in 70 AD isn't in scripture doesn't mean that it wasn't. It isn't there.

Keys were unique things that few really had. The keys like you or I might envision from Civil War era times for strong boxes were used at that time for doors. A person's home might be locked but it would require a key bigger than a large rolling pin and usually it was made of wood.

"Keys of the Kingdom" is a customary reference to the treasure rooms that the king would use to pay for projects and military.

 

[Mungo]

Well part of this information is from today's world.
In Israel right now there are archeological digs occurring. Recently (about 3-4 years ago) they just discovered a nice Pan mask made of solid copper...At this location!
Then there are the many ancient written records, still existing, that talk about Cesarea Phillipi holding the world's largest outdoor orgy. The fact that Phillip renovated the city and changed it from the location where the babies of prostitutes were sacrificed to Pan worshipped was also discussed.

Just like the Temple's destruction in 70 AD isn't in scripture doesn't mean that it wasn't. It isn't there.

Keys were unique things that few really had. The keys like you or I might envision from Civil War era times for strong boxes were used at that time for doors. A person's home might be locked but it would require a key bigger than a large rolling pin and usually it was made of wood.

"Keys of the Kingdom" is a customary reference to the treasure rooms that the king would use to pay for projects and military.

I know about the temples at Caesarea Philippi. I've been there.
Interesting article here:
http://www.bible-history.com/biblestudy/caesarea-philippi.html

But the idea that Jesus just happened to turn up at orgy time is fanciful and I see no justification for it. Do you think Jesus had a timetable of when they occurred?

And the idea that keys opened storeroom of power etc it somthing you made up.

I'll give my thoughts later and you can knock them down, but they will be more biblically based.

 

[JohnDB]

I know about the temples at Caesarea Philippi. I've been there.
Interesting article here:
http://www.bible-history.com/biblestudy/caesarea-philippi.html

But the idea that Jesus just happened to turn up at orgy time is fanciful and I see no justification for it. Do you think Jesus had a timetable of when they occurred?

And the idea that keys opened storeroom of power etc it somthing you made up.

I'll give my thoughts later and you can knock them down, but they will be more biblically based.

Ummmm
We don't actually denigrate each other on this website. Sure, I'll share my opinion on scriptures and you can share your thoughts. And possibly neither one of us will be correct and we will find out when we get to Heaven.
Until that time we both do our best to study and understand the scriptures. I'll read and ponder what you write...I'll expect the same from you. I don't expect you to change your thoughts nor should you expect me to change mine...but we are still brothers in Christ.

 

[for_his_glory]

Again I see no scriptural support for your claim that "The keys of the kingdom of heaven is God's power and authority God gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit."

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Power and authority is given to us by the grace of God to carry on the commission of God to take his word out into the world for the hope of others as Gods Spirit draws them into his salvation. This power gives us victory over the wicked forces of Satan and his dominions that are in the world trying to defeat us in our quest for the Lord if we take authority over him in the name of Jesus. There is no reason we have to fight Satan for God has already given us the victory over him in our life and if we fight him in the flesh he will mock us and destroy us. Authority is what gives us the power to teach the doctrines of Christ no matter what other teachings comes against his word as we are Gods influence in the world as his Spirit works in us and through us to let that light of Christ shine out to the world. Ephesians 6:11-13; Romans 12:2

Greek definition of authority: (exousia, ex-oo-see'-ah) freedom, influence, delegate, jurisdiction, ability, control, force, privilege, strength, liberty, mastery, competency, power and right

This all comes by the keys to the kingdom of heaven through God's grace as we are His ambassadors here on earth indwelled with the Holy Spirit that empowers us to carry on the works of the Lord, Acts 1:8; Luke 10:19, 20.

 

[Mungo]

Ummmm
We don't actually denigrate each other on this website. Sure, I'll share my opinion on scriptures and you can share your thoughts. And possibly neither one of us will be correct and we will find out when we get to Heaven.
Until that time we both do our best to study and understand the scriptures. I'll read and ponder what you write...I'll expect the same from you. I don't expect you to change your thoughts nor should you expect me to change mine...but we are still brothers in Christ.

Point taken.

 

[Mungo]

Peter and the Keys

A couple of points
1. Matthew is a Jew, writing to Jews. His gospel is full of references to the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfils prophecies. Some are explicit and some are not. But they would have been noticed by his Jewish audience

2. The theme of kingdom runs through Matthew’s gospel. Jesus is not just the Messiah but the promised Davidic king. He starts his gospel “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (RSV)

After telling Peter that he (Jesus) was going to build his church on Peter, and thereby making him the leader and Jesus’ representative on earth (Mt 16:17-18) he continues in the next verse to declare Peter’s authority.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19 - RSV)

To understand the significance of the keys we need to start in Revelation.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
“The words of the holy one, the true one,
who has the key of David,
who opens and no one shall shut,
who shuts and no one opens.”
(Rev 3:7 - RSV)

This Jesus who holds the key of David, who opens and closes is the same Jesus who says to Peter:
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19 - RSV)

This passage was addressed to Peter and the passage needs to be interpreted with an understanding of a 1st century Jew.

Prior to this Jesus has asked the apostles who he is. Peter has replied that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He would understand that Jesus was the promised one who would sit on the throne of David (see Lk 1:32), the promised Davidic King who would rule for ever. All through Matthew’s gospel Jesus is referring to the kingdom. And Peter with his new revelation from the Father would understand this.

Therefore when Jesus gives Peter the keys we have to look at the symbolism of that in terms of Davidic kings.

The passage refers back to Isaiah 22: 20-23 when God deposes Shebna as the master of the palace and installs Heliakim instead:
In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him,
and will commit your authority to his hand;
and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David;
he shall open, and none shall shut;
and he shall shut, and none shall open.
And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place,
and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. (RSV)

Note the three lines I have emboldened which parallel Mt 16:9 and Rev 3:7. Peter is being installed as the master of the palace, the chief official in the kingdom under the king (Jesus). The master of the Palace was the highest official in the land.

 

[Mungo]

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Power and authority is given to us by the grace of God to carry on the commission of God to take his word out into the world for the hope of others as Gods Spirit draws them into his salvation. This power gives us victory over the wicked forces of Satan and his dominions that are in the world trying to defeat us in our quest for the Lord if we take authority over him in the name of Jesus. There is no reason we have to fight Satan for God has already given us the victory over him in our life and if we fight him in the flesh he will mock us and destroy us. Authority is what gives us the power to teach the doctrines of Christ no matter what other teachings comes against his word as we are Gods influence in the world as his Spirit works in us and through us to let that light of Christ shine out to the world. Ephesians 6:11-13; Romans 12:2

Greek definition of authority: (exousia, ex-oo-see'-ah) freedom, influence, delegate, jurisdiction, ability, control, force, privilege, strength, liberty, mastery, competency, power and right

This all comes by the keys to the kingdom of heaven through God's grace as we are His ambassadors here on earth indwelled with the Holy Spirit that empowers us to carry on the works of the Lord, Acts 1:8; Luke 10:19, 20.

A problem with this as I see it, is that scripture only says that the keys are given to Peter.

 

[for_his_glory]

Interesting but still fanciful. I mean the goats and the orgy going on in the background.

Again I don't see the scriptural basis for that.

Moreover the keys are given specifically to Peter and not to anyone else.
Apart from giving the keys to Peter (singly) Jesus also gives him (singly) the power to bind and loose. Later - in the same gospel - all the apostles (jointly) are given the power to bind and loose (Mt 18:18). Surely if Jesus intended all the apostles to have keys then he would have said so at that point. But he doesn't.

Again the idea that the keys refer to store rooms is fanciful and I can't see any support for that in scripture.

Matthew 16:15-19 The keys to the kingdom of heaven was not yet given to Peter, but given to him on the day of Pentecost in the upper room. The Church was not yet established at that time and all the disciples where not yet indwelled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the 12 not to tell anyone He was Jesus the Christ as he had much more to teach them.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Church was not established until the day of Pentecost when they were all indwelled with the Holy Spirit. Then was Peter given the keys (power and authority) to the kingdom of heaven as he stood up to preach as one having great authority and 3000 were added to the Church that day.

 

[for_his_glory]

Peter and the Keys

A couple of points
1. Matthew is a Jew, writing to Jews. His gospel is full of references to the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfils prophecies. Some are explicit and some are not. But they would have been noticed by his Jewish audience

2. The theme of kingdom runs through Matthew’s gospel. Jesus is not just the Messiah but the promised Davidic king. He starts his gospel “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (RSV)

After telling Peter that he (Jesus) was going to build his church on Peter, and thereby making him the leader and Jesus’ representative on earth (Mt 16:17-18) he continues in the next verse to declare Peter’s authority.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19 - RSV)

To understand the significance of the keys we need to start in Revelation.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
“The words of the holy one, the true one,
who has the key of David,
who opens and no one shall shut,
who shuts and no one opens.”
(Rev 3:7 - RSV)

This Jesus who holds the key of David, who opens and closes is the same Jesus who says to Peter:
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19 - RSV)

This passage was addressed to Peter and the passage needs to be interpreted with an understanding of a 1st century Jew.

Prior to this Jesus has asked the apostles who he is. Peter has replied that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He would understand that Jesus was the promised one who would sit on the throne of David (see Lk 1:32), the promised Davidic King who would rule for ever. All through Matthew’s gospel Jesus is referring to the kingdom. And Peter with his new revelation from the Father would understand this.

Therefore when Jesus gives Peter the keys we have to look at the symbolism of that in terms of Davidic kings.

The passage refers back to Isaiah 22: 20-23 when God deposes Shebna as the master of the palace and installs Heliakim instead:
In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him,
and will commit your authority to his hand;
and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David;
he shall open, and none shall shut;
and he shall shut, and none shall open.
And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place,
and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. (RSV)

Note the three lines I have emboldened which parallel Mt 16:9 and Rev 3:7. Peter is being installed as the master of the palace, the chief official in the kingdom under the king (Jesus). The master of the Palace was the highest official in the land.

In my post #8 I pretty much said all of what you say here as what the keys represented as being power and authority given to Peter that only comes from God, but you shot me down.