©August 23, 2013 Revive Israel Ministries

Rock and Key

With Sonia Waters

In Matthew 16, Peter (Shimon Kefa) received a significant revelation of Yeshua. There were 4 parts to this historic breakthrough:

1. Messiahship of Yeshua
2. New Covenant Community of Faith
3. Delegated Spiritual Authority
4. Protection against Satanic Forces

Matthew 16:16-19
Shimon Kefa answered, "You are Messiah, the Son of the living God." Yeshua said to him, "Blessed are you, Shimon son of Yonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father in heaven…   On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

When a person receives a revelation of Yeshua, he becomes a member of the Ecclesia, the universal New Covenant community of faith. That membership should be expressed by active participation in a local congregation of like-minded believers.

As we receive revelation from heaven about Yeshua, we also receive authority from heaven through Yeshua.   The revelation and the authority together are called symbolically here "the keys."  As we submit to Yeshua's authority, we receive authority under him (Luke 7:7).

Spiritual authority comes in two ways: directly through the name of Yeshua, and indirectly through the leadership of the local congregation. In both ways, whether direct or delegated, all spiritual authority comes through submission.  Being under the cover of authority is a place of protection. It is safe, secure and stable. It is a "rock."

In that position, we are protected from the forces of evil and we are able to release the will of God into this earth. We are so protected from evil that even the "gates" of hell could not defeat us.  We have so much ability to release God's will, that what we "bind" or "loose" on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven.
The opposite is also true: if we do not have a personal revelation of Yeshua and\or we are not members in a local congregation, we have little authority to influence the world for good by the kingdom of God, and we are left exposed to demonic attack.

The "key" is a revelation of Yeshua together with an understanding of spiritual authority.  The "rock" is a revelation of Yeshua together with active membership in a local congregation.  When we are on the Rock, we have the Keys. If we're not on the Rock, we don't have the Keys. Our feet should be on the Rock, and the Keys in our hands.

President Erdogan of Turkey accused Israel this week of having caused the military takeover in Egypt. One Israeli comedian wrote that Erdogan will likely accuse Israel as well for the hole in the ozone, the extinction of the panda bears, and the death of Princess Diana.

Much of the Western world and media has lost its respect for the position and function of the armed forces. The purpose of an army is to protect a nation from foreign invasion, just as the police are to protect a people from internal crime.  In some nations the army and police are joined together in a "militia."

Armed forces must be submitted to legitimate government that is seeking to protect the rights and safety of its citizens.  In many of the Middle Eastern nations, the army had been a force of stability, both for protecting the people and for maintaining democratic values.

The proper function of the armed forces becomes perverted when the government is taken over by tyrants, whether secular or religious.  Radical Islamist governments destroy the rights of its citizens and deny all freedom of religious expression. The international community has been deceived by the façade of Islamic "democracy."

Morsi was elected democratically in Egypt and then proceeded to cancel every form of democratic institution in the country.  The army's recent ousting of Morsi was not a "coup" but a response by a majority coalition of secularist, moderate Muslims, and Coptic Christians to restore basic democratic values and rescue the nation from radical Islamic takeover.  This week alone over 50 Coptic churches were set on fire by the Muslim Brotherhood!

Moral values precede political form. The election of radical Islamists is the equivalent in our generation to the election of the Nazis in Germany.  Democracy is not a one-time vote, but a representative government based on defined boundaries of authority set by a constitution, which ensures judicial process, freedom of religious and intellectual expression, and protection from crime, tyranny, and oppression.

The international community must not be deceived by the farce of Islamic democracy. What good is an election, if all basic democratic moral values are destroyed? The problem in the Middle East is not the army, but the takeover by radical Islam in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Turkey. The solution is not a democratic vote, but the restoration of democratic values.