I had a vision of Jesus presenting me with a key ring with three keys on it: one gold, one silver and one bronze (or dark/ancient-looking). He said, “Use these to go unlock the ‘more.'” As I waited, I heard Him say, “I want to unlock more in you so I can unlock more FOR you, then unlock more through you!”
I knew these were keys that the Ekklesia would need to unlock things for the new season: to unlock authority, unlock the heavens, the earth, resources, favor, etc. Each key had a specific purpose, which we will discuss in just a moment. This means that certain things, which have been locked up and inaccessible, are being made accessible when the Ekklesia rightly uses their keys. It means closed gates are being opened so the King of glory can come in.
The Keeper of the Keys
Jesus gave us one of the most significant passages of Scripture regarding our kingdom authority as the Ekklesia and the keys we would use to perform the duties of our office. In Matthew 16:18-19 (MEV), He said, “…You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church (Ekklesia), and the gates of Hades shall 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.”
Many messages have been preached on the keys of the kingdom. However, I believe we need to understand the significance of keys in the eastern cultures to fully grasp this season. Once we grasp this, we will know how to use this ring of keys being presented to us.
Kingdom Reformation: Resistance That Leads to Victory
In Isaiah 22 (yes, this is significant for 2022), we find a story of reformation in the kingdom during the reign of Hezekiah, a righteous reformer who ruled Jerusalem. Hezekiah was a good king committed to reformation in his nation, turning the people back to God — to God’s law and proper worship — after the wicked, idolatrous reign of his father Ahaz.
Second Kings 18:5 (NIV) tells us, “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.” He is an example to us of a righteous leader who was wholeheartedly committed to restoring the land to God but who faced the fight of his life, first by being undermined by political turmoil within his own kingdom, and then by being besieged by the Assyrians. In both instances, God fought for Hezekiah and defended Jerusalem.
Hezekiah’s name means “Jehovah is my strength”! His name comes from the Hebrew root word “chazak,” which means: to seize hold of, to be courageous, to be strong, to cure, to heal, to mend, to be obstinate, to conquer, to fortify, to encourage, to prevail!
Lord, allow us to walk in the same strength, courage and commitment as Hezekiah, to rise above every challenge and to prevail in every battle! God is releasing strength and a stubborn persistence to His people to hold the line and not give up, no matter what we face. We must resist the resistance of the enemy in this season to see victory.
In these times of spiritual reformation of the church, God is looking for leaders who are unafraid to take a stand, to contend and to turn nations back to God. Political turmoil and unrighteous agendas have tried to resist the revival, awakening and reformation God has intended for this time. We must rise up and resist this rising resistance.
Watch for both spiritual and political reformers to arise who will bring God back to the public square, back into the conversation and push back on those trying to push Him out. Persecution and hatred against believers is going to increase (yes, even in America), so we must be strong in our stance for righteousness and true, biblical justice in the days ahead. We must not get caught up in petty arguments, but bless those who curse us and do good to those who despitefully use us. We must stay focused on awakening and reformation. Nations are at stake.
Shebna Is Coming Down!
In Isaiah 22:15-19, Isaiah rebukes Shebna, the steward or treasurer (or the keeper of the keys) of King Hezekiah’s house, who occupied one of the highest positions of authority in the land. He was using his office to promote himself, hiring chariots for his glory and building a rich sepulcher in a high place. He was the steward of the house, not the king; yet as the keeper of the keys, he exercised supreme control over the palace, over access to the treasury and the throne room, and had complete authority over the affairs of the kingdom.
Yet, God judged him to be unrighteous, full of pride and illegitimate as an official. He was undermining Hezekiah’s vision for reformation. Hebraic scholars even surmise he was secretly in league with the Assyrians.
In several translations of Isaiah 22:17, he is called a “mighty man,” but the Amplified Classic translates this as “strong man.” I believe the spirit of Shebna is a spiritual strongman over nations, confident in his power and positioning, full of pride, undermining God’s agenda of freedom, hope and life and ruling through fear and tyranny. This spirit (and those affected by it [under it]) is wielding power through the political and religious spirits by controlling the narrative through media and by shutting down contrary voices.
The battle is over nations and generations and will be marked by four battlegrounds currently controlled by Shebna:
- Who is being worshiped (central focus of the land)?
- Who controls the supply lines (finances, resources)?
- Who is setting policy (political power)?
- Who controls the narrative (media)?
Hezekiah was a righteous ruler, yet the one representing him was not. God declared through Isaiah, enough is enough! He was then stripped of his royal robes, his keys were taken from him and all his authority and responsibility was given to another named Eliakim. Eliakim means “one whom God will raise up” or “set up.” His father was Hilkiah, which means “my portion is Jehovah.” Lord, be our portion in this day!
As much as we are praying and contending for revival and awakening, we must also pray and decree God’s kingdom reformation so that revival may be sustained. While God is prophesying against the spiritual strongman of Shebna over nations, He is also preparing to strip away authority from those with ungodly agendas, full of pride and self, who are positioned both naturally and governmentally, as well as those misusing spiritual positions of authority to merely promote self. The day has come in which God will deal with “Shebna” leaders, unseating them from their places of authority and giving positions instead to the ones He is raising and setting up to be the keepers of the keys.
For the rest of this article, visit elijahlist.com.
Tom and Jane Hamon are the senior pastors of Vision Church @ Christian International in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
..culled from Charisma Magazine
