THE SOVEREIGN CONTROL OF THE KING OF TERRORS

The Sovereign Control of the King of Terrors is Affirmed

"And have the keys of hell and of death."

Keys Mark Control Over Some Area or Some Realm

In the very literal sense, a key would mark control or authority to open a material door to a house, yard, or such like. But the word is used of authority to open up entrance to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19). This is used of the authority of the king in exercising ruler ship over a people (Isa. 22:22). "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."
"And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."

In this place it has to do with two things:

The Control Over the Place of Departed Spirits
"Hell" A.V.; "Hades" R.V.

This is the unseen region where both the souls of the righteous and the wicked went at death. There were two compartments (Luke 16:19-31). The righteous were taken out when Christ rose from the dead and they were trans­ferred to paradise above (Eph. 4:8-10). So that now no righteous person ever goes to this place. The gates of Hades never close again over a righteous soul.

(Matt. 16:18; Acts 7:55-58; Phil. 1:22-23; 2 Cor. 5:1-9)

"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."

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God," "And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." "Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord," "And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul."

"But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not." "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better."
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:" "If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked." "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:" "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." "Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."
 

The opposite is also true. The wicked are kept in this place until the time for the white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
11 "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."
12  "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."
13  "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."
14  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
15  "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

And The Control Over the Experience of Death

Death is an experience which means separation. Physically it is the separation of the body from the soul and the spirit. Spiritually it is the separation of the soul from God. Christ has absolute control over this. He permits his own to suffer physical death until he comes at the rapture (1 Cor. 15:51). But he does not permit his own to suffer spiritual death, nor the second physical death.
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,"