Keys

Welcome to Unseen this week. Those of us who live unseen deal with a lot of fear and often feel powerless. Read on to see the power that is available.
Keys

I am the first and the last and I hold the keys to death and hell.

 Remember when you got the keys to yor first car?  There was a sense of pride and freedom.  Yo cod operate your car whenever yo wanted, no longer required to depend on someone else. You could also limit other people's access to your car  You could decide who rode with you and who didn't. You could lock your car to protect your valuables and your vehicle. ( I know people in my hometown were just dying to get their hands on my avacado green car.) You soon realized that your freedom came with responsibility. You were responsible for maintenance, gas, insurance and following the traffic laws. Later keys brought similar joys and trials, such as the keys to your first place to live You paid the price and were given the keys and with them the privilege and responsibility of caring for your place.

On Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, classical Christian belief tells us that something vital happened. Jesus “descended into Hell and led forth captives in his train.” He told John in Revelation, “I am the first and the last and I hold the keys to death and hell.(    )  How did He get those keys? I admit that when I thought about it, I pictured a cosmic version of Friday Night Smackdown.  Probably a more accurate view is that He paid for them.  He didn't pay for them with cash or gold or silver, but with the priceless blood of a perfect sacrifice.  Picture a huge debt and all the animal sacrifices throughout the centuries making tiny payments on the interest. Jesus perfect sacrifice paid the debt in full.

Now, like your car or house, He has the right to do what he chooses with his property, or His victory in this case. When we accept Him as Lord and Savior, He chooses to share his victory over sin and death with us. The single word of advice-REJOICE!