Key of David- key of knowledge, faith

 

1. It is the key ‘of David’

God named this transcendent message after a man—a human being just like you and me. King David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) and is an important personality in this. But God wants us to realize that David is a type of all mankind.

The truth of the Bible is that God’s grand strategy is to save, and to build a relationship with, all mankind! Jesus Christ died for the world, not just a few people. He died so everyone’s sins could be forgiven. The fact that He named this key truth after a human is a clue that He wants each and every human being who has ever lived to understand this message.

This is God’s most highly exalted goal: He is recreating Himself in man! David understood that. He repented and obeyed God. He passionately submitted to God. That is why David’s name is here in Revelation 3. God’s plan is to teach every person who has ever lived to submit and repent like David—so they can be born into His Family! This is a universe-size goal God has given us. It’s hard to even imagine. You really have to study to understand the beauty and the glory of this goal.

2. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith HE that is holy, HE that is true, HE that hath the key of David, HE that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (verse 7). Four times Jesus Christ is mentioned here. He is the focus. He is the Head of the Church! He is the living God, and He wants everybody to know He’s alive. Hegives that key of David message, and then He opens a door to deliver that message. He directly leads His Church.

Notice that this is Christ’s message to the church in Philadelphia. That is the sixth of seven Church eras described in these chapters. The seventh era, the one we are in now, is Laodicea (verses 14-22), an era when about 95 percent of Christ’s own Church turned away from Him—and lost their Head(Colossians 2:19). Only a remnant of Philadelphia remains.

If you find and hold this key of David, you will know that Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church. He gave us that wonderful key of David message. Wherever you find that message, you will also find the “HE that hath the key of David.”

3. Christ has the key of David

Christ personally has the key of David; it is His. He gives it to us if we desire it and are willing to deliver it. We must deliver that message as a witness to the whole world. (Because of their sins, most won’t understand it today. But at least Christ’s message will be a witness against them. The Bible also prophesies of a future resurrection in which the vast majority—at that time living under God’s government—willlisten to and understand Christ’s key of David message. In time, this truth will capture the imagination of the world.)

In Isaiah 40, God discusses “the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness” of religious confusion. It is God’s voice, speaking through a man, and it is crying out with the key of David message! This world has uncountable different religions and a bewildering myriad of Christian denominations. Which one is right? Can they all be right? God says no. Only one can be right, and it has the voice and declares the key of David. This is the specific message and the specific voice.

The key of David is not really that complex, although it is incredibly profound. You do have to study it, because it’s right out of the mind of God. It is the most exalted message from God in this end time. It is the royal gospel of Jesus Christ—a message about mere human beings who will become kings sitting on a throne with Christ. If people heed God’s calling and Christ’s message today, they will be the bride of Christ and sit on a throne with Him as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6). What could be more inspiring? What could be more rewarding than to give yourself to God today and receive the monumental reward awaiting His very elect?

4. Christ sets before us an open door

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it …” (Revelation 3:8). Christ has opened a door for His Church to deliver the key of David. It is all God’sdoing—not man’s. God gives many special miracles to enable His Church to proclaim this to the world through television, booklets, magazines and other means. This is not a hidden message; it is being broadcast and published through a miraculous open door.

Christ gives the unimaginably wonderful key of David message to His people today so they will deliver it to the world. Most people only have a surface knowledge of this wonderful truth. They can’t fathom what God is talking about here. God wants everyone to wake up to the incredible depth of what He wants to give us!

5. No man can shut it

Once Christ opens a door, “no man can shut it.” Even if that man led a trillion-man army, he could not shut the door God opened! God is challenging the skeptics here. That challenge shows that God is alive! He is a living God! When He sets out to do a work, no man is going to stop Him! He uses His almighty power to make sure nobodyinterferes. How encouraging! God proves to us daily that He is alive.

People act like God has nothing to do with this world; but He has a lot to do with it, and with all people. He always warns when people are heading toward catastrophe—and right now, this world is heading for the worst disaster it has ever experienced! That is the time when you need God, even if you don’t know it.

The phrase “no man can shut it” implies that Satan the devil will always try to shut that door, using men to stop God’s message. There’s always an ongoing war with Satan. Our book Raising the Ruins talks about that open door, and how the work can be stopped if God’s people don’t carry out their responsibility. Satan can do a lot of damage, as he has done in this end time.

But even though he is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), Satan can’t shut God’s open door. He doesn’t have any power at all compared to God. We have to stay close to God so He will empower us to deliver His message. Without God’s power, we would neverbe able to deliver His message in Satan’s world.

Our free booklet Habakkuk will show you how we had to fight in court to even get this message out through that open door. God performed miracle after miracle—and this wonderful little booklet will prove that to you. It proves God’s existence and how He empowers His very elect.

6. We have kept His Word

Revelation 3:8 continues: “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word ….”God opens this giant door for His very elect if they keep His Word. He gives them His power only if they keep His Word!

Thankfully, the very elect have kept God’s Word. Though most of God’s people have turned away from obeying God’s Word in this end time, these Philadelphians never turn away. They kept God’s Word even as others were “casting the truth to the ground” (Daniel 8:11-12; this prophetic book was written for our time today—Daniel 12:4, 9).

If you understand this wonderful message, it will change everything in your life. You will have a future that inspires and moves you! If you keep God’s Word, He says, you’ll be delivering His message through that open door, and no man, not even a trillion men, can ever stop it.

7. We have not denied His name

Revelation 3:8 concludes, “thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” The Greek word for name includes everything that name stands for. In this case it particularly refers to Christ’s authority, His rule over His Church. Denying God’s name means denying His government.

Christ praises the Philadelphians for not denying Christ’s name—as most of God’s people have in this Laodicean era! Tragically, the great majority of God’s own Church have rejected their Head. The Laodiceans denied God’s government—they refused to let Christ rule them. They wanted to go their own way, the way of Satan’s world. As a result, Christ couldn’t give them His power, and couldn’t open a door for them. He won’t do those things unless we submit ourselves to Him! And a church without Christ as its Head can accomplish no more than a man can without his head! God can’t use such people.

But there is a remnant of faithful saints who will not deny Christ’s name! As a result, they have the power of God, and an open door that no man can shut! God makes some of the most powerful promises in the Bible here in this passage.

Spiritual Jews

“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” (Revelation 3:9).

King David was a Jew, as was Jesus Christ. Romans 2:29, Deuteronomy 30:6 and other scriptures explain that when someone is converted, he becomes a spiritual Jew. God’s grand strategy is to make all of us into spiritual Jews. It’s not about the physical at all. We are all spiritual Jews if we follow the Jew, Jesus Christ.

Some of God’s own people say they are Jews when they are not—God says they are lying! We have to know what is a lie and what is not. This requires that we get to know what the key of David is. We must let Christ show us so that we’ll know who the spiritual Jews are and who are the liars, because there are a lot of liars claiming to be Jews today. This is part of our war with Satan the devil. He is a liar and the truth is not in him (John 8:44).

The “synagogue of Satan” mentioned in Revelation 3:9 was a foothold Satan had inside God’s Church that becamethe Laodicean era (verses 14-22). The people have become blind (verses 18-19). Now God is knocking on their door, trying to get in so He can turn them back to Him (verse 20). He keeps pleading with all of His people to turn back to Him so that they can understand and achieve their wonderful key of David future!

But there is a little remnant that isclinging to Jesus Christ’s key of David message. They walk through His open door and deliver the most wonderful message imaginable. This is leading to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when Christ will personally rule this Earth! That is the most wonderful news you could ever hear!

HE that hath the key of David. He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (Rev. 3:7).

“The Key of David.” The key represents power, authority, office.

A person who has the key can unlock the door, and thus reveal what is in the room. Christ has power to show what sin has done. Sin is like Ehud slaying Eglon, king of Moab; after Ehud had slain the king, he shut the door and escaped (Judges 3:23); sin has slain us, and naturally we are dead in trespasses and sins.

Christ is the Revealer of the Father.He had to say to the lawyers when here on earth, “Ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in, ye hindered.” But it was not, and is not so with Christ. He was faithful in speaking out the Father’s words, and instead of hindering, He has laid down His life for us, and opened up a new and living way into the Father’s presence.

A person who has the key has the power to admit into the house or to let out. Christ says, “I have the keys of hell (hades) and the grave” (Rev. 1:18). Satan seems to have had the keys before Christ died. We have a picture given to us of the state of things in Luke 11:21-22. Satan had the keys-the authority over the unseen world-before Christ came, but Christ was manifest to destroy the works of the devil.

A person who has the key of the house has authority over the house, and hence a right to enter into all the rooms. Christ has authority over His Church, for we are all His house.

There are two words rendered “power” in the New Testament, one meaning strength, and the other authority.

In reference to the past. “I have power (authority) to lay it (life) down, and I have power (authority) to take it again. This commandment have I received from My Father.” Christ was sent by the Father to die. He had His authority from His Father for all that He did; hence when Pilate boasted of the authority he had, and said to Him, “Knowest thou not that I have power (authority) to crucify Thee, and have power (authority) to release Thee?” Christ replied, “Thou couldest have no power (authority) at all against Me except it were given thee from above” (John 19:10-11).

In reference to the present. Christ is the Head of all principality and authority (Col. 2:10), and because He is such, He has authority to make those who believe in Him children of God, for “As many as received Him, to them gave He power (authority) to become the children of God” (John 1:12). Yea, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, as He says, “All power (authority) is given unto Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18), and that was the reason He gave His disciples for sending them forth to preach the Gospel and make disciples.

In reference to the future. Christ having the key of David, has reference to the fact: that He is yet to reign over the House of David (see Psalm 132:11; Acts 2:30; Isaiah 9:6-7; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Luke 1:32-33). Christ shall literally stand upon the Mount of Olives, overcome the enemies of Israel, gather out everything that offends, and reign over this earth one thousand years.

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A SEVENFOLD view given to us of Christ as the Son of Man.

1. As the Son of Man He is seen in His suffering (Matthew 17:12, 22; 20:18-19; 26:2, 24, 45).
2. In His poverty (Matt. 8:20).
3. In His authority (Matt. 9:6; 12:8; Matt. 13:41; Matt. 16:13).
4. In His work (Matt. 13:37; Matt. 18:11).
5. In His death (Matt. 12:40).
6. In His resurrection (Matt. 17:9).
7. In His coming glory (Matt. 16:27-28; Matt. 19:28; Matt. 24:27, 30, 37, 44; Matt. 25:13, 31; Matt. 26:64).

When Christ is spoken of as the “Son of Man” it is always in relation to the earth. He is never once said to be such in the epistles in relation to the Church, for the Church has to do with heaven, and not earth. Not once in the epistles is He said to be the Son of Man. Once He is said to be the Son of Man in the Acts (Acts 7:56), and twice in the Revelation (Rev. 1:13; 14:14).

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1. As the Object of faith. “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).
2. As the Light, to direct. “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12).
3. As the Lord, to obey. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14)·
4. As the Shepherd, to follow. “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
5. As the Master, to serve. “Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am” (John 13:13).
6. As the Prize, to win. “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things,…that I may win Christ” (Phil. 3:8-14).
7. As the Goal, to reach. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain” (1 Cor. 9:24).

The term “key of David” is only mentioned once in the New Testament, in Revelation 3:7, and a deviation of the term, i.e., “key of the house of David,” is only mentioned once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 22:22.

Before analyzing the meaning of the phrase, “key of David,” or, “key of the house of David,” let us review Scriptures first which use the term, “key.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “key” (in the phrase, “key of the house of David”), is “maphteach” It is defined by Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible, as, “key, opener” or “opening.” In addition to Isaiah 22:22, the word is only used two more times, in Judges 3:25, and in 1 Chronicles 9:27. In both cases, the word describes a literal key that opens a literal door to a literal building or room.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “key,” as used in Revelation 3:7, is “kleis.” It is a female word and defined by Young’s as, “a key.” It is used 6 times in the New Testament. In addition to Revelation 3:7, we find it three more times in the book of Revelation, i.e., in Revelation 1:18; 9:1; and 20:1. We also find it used in Matthew 16:19 and in Luke 11:52.

Revelation 9:1 and Revelation 20:1 speak about “the key of the bottomless pit.” The “bottomless pit” is the location where Satan and his demons will be bound for a thousand years, after Christ’s return (compare, too, Luke 8:31, where the word is translated as, “abyss.”). The bottomless pit or abyss describes a (spiritual) future prison for fallen angels, and the “key” to the bottomless pit describes a (spiritual) key to open and shut this prison. The concept of “key” is used in a similar fashion here, as it is used in Judges 3:25 and 1 Chronicles 9:27.

In addition, we read in Matthew 16:19 that Christ gave Peter “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.” The context shows that He was revealing to Peter and the other disciples the KNOWLEDGE as to how to enter the Kingdom of God. (For more information, please study our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”) In Luke 11:52, Christ clarifies this, by saying: “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of KNOWLEDGE. You did not enter in, and those who were entering in you hindered.” (The parallel scripture in Matthew 23:13 shows that Christ was talking about entering the Kingdom of God). 

Turning to the book of Revelation, Christ said in Revelation 1:18 that He has the “keys of Hades and Death.” In other words, He has the KNOWLEDGE to bestow on us, of how to escape death. Psalm 68:20 tells us: “Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the LORD belong escapes from death.” Further, Christ decides, of course, who will be found worthy to enter into eternal life. 

We have seen so far that a key opens and shuts a literal building or room, and that it unlocks or opens to our understanding the knowledge of how to escape death and how to enter the kingdom of God.

Turning to Revelation 3:7-8, we find that the word, “key” is used in exactly the same way, when it talks about the “key of David.” The passage reads, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: ‘I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.'”

Christ reveals that it is He who has the key of David, and that it is He who opens and shuts. We also read that Christ gave “the church in Philadelphia” (Revelation 3:7) “an open door.”

Our Update # 107 discusses in detail the concept of the “open door.” One of the meanings is the ongoing obligation and ability of God’s Church to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. In the process of preaching the gospel message, some will be called and obtain the knowledge of how to enter the Kingdom. The key of David, then, has to have some kind of nexus with the preaching of the gospel message and the response by some to the message. 

As we explain on pages 39-42 of our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound,” God made a covenant with David and his descendants. According to that covenant, there would always sit a descendant of David on the throne of David. This throne exists today on earth, and Jesus Christ will return to an existing throne, and He, as a descendant of David, will then sit on that throne and rule from it. Therefore, the “key of David” is associated with the knowledge of where the throne of David is today, and who are today the modern nations of the houses of Israel and Judah (as the throne of David would always rule over “Israel.”). The booklet also explains that God made His covenant with David because David kept God’s Law. In Isaiah 55:3, the new or “everlasting” covenant is described as “the sure mercies of David.” 

We are told in Scripture that we will rule on this earth, with and under Christ, sitting on thrones (compare Matthew 19:28). The rule of the saints on this earth is clearly part of the gospel message. In fact, only when we have entered the Kingdom of God as Spirit beings, will we be able to rule with Christ on this earth. We will then be part of the Kingdom or Family of God, ruling – as God beings – over man. King David will be in the Kingdom of God. He, too, will be a member of the God Family at that time. Jeremiah 30:9 prophesies: “But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will RAISE UP for them.” (Compare, too, Hosea 3:5).

God’s covenant with David makes it possible that Christians, when they are born again as Spirit beings, can rule, with and under Christ, in the Kingdom of God. Christ came as a human being to qualify so that God the Father would “give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). We will share in Christ’s rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 7:27; Isaiah 2:1-4), which will be established first over the modern houses of Israel and Judah. We understand, of course, that God’s government and rule “upon the throne of David and over His kingdom” (Isaiah 9:7) will increase and finally include all nations (compare Isaiah 66:18-20).

Turning to Isaiah 22, we find a description of the judgment on Shebna, a scribe and steward over the king’s house. Although Shebna was a historical figure (Isaiah 36:3; 2 Kings 18:37), this judgment could very well also be directed at an end-time personality, as the context of the prophecy is the Day of the Lord (verses 8, 12 and 20 speak of “that day,” a prophetic reference to the Day of the Lord). This end-time “Shebna” could be an unworthy political leader over the modern house of Israel or Judah, or it could perhaps refer to a religious figure in the spiritual house of God – the Church. Isaiah 22 prophesies that “the LORD will throw you [Shebna] away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you. He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; there you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master’s house. So I will drive you out of your office And from your position he will pull you down” (verses 17-19). 

This remarkable prophecy continues in verses 20-25: “Then it shall be IN THAT DAY That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut, And he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house. They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. IN THAT DAY, says the LORD of hosts, the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the LORD has spoken.”

Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was a historical figure who became the steward or prefect over the palace, as had been foretold by Isaiah (compare 2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 36:3, 22; 37:2). Since the prophecy in Isaiah 22:20 talks about the Day of the Lord, it seems to refer to an additional “Eliakim” who is still to appear. The context of the passage deals with the rulership of the house of David over Israel. Originally, Shebna had been in a trustworthy position in the king’s rule. The Nelson Study Bible explains that “the steward had the key that gave him an audience with the king.” Scripture foretold that Shebna would be replaced by Eliakim, and that Eliakim was to become “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” Eliakim would receive the key of the house of David, so “he shall open, and no one shall shut, And he shall shut, and no one shall open.” We know from Revelation 3:7 that Jesus Christ is in possession of that very key. It is therefore obvious that the “end-time” Eliakim is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, points out: 

“‘key’ — emblem of his office over the house; to ‘open’ or ‘shut’; access rested with him. Upon… shoulder – So keys are sometimes carried in the East, hanging from the kerchief on the shoulder. But the phrase is rather figurative for sustaining the government on one’s shoulders. Eliakim, as his name implies, is here plainly a type of… Christ, the Son of ‘David,’ of whom Isaiah (9:6) uses the same language as the former clause of this verse. In Revelation 3:7, the same language as the latter clause is found.” 

In reference to Revelation 3:7, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states:

“…he that hath the key of David – the antitype of Eliakim, to whom the ‘key,’ the emblem of authority ‘over the house of David’ was transferred from Shebna, who was removed from the office of chamberlain or treasurer, as unworthy of it. Christ, the Heir of the throne of David, shall supplant all the less worthy stewards [or one particular steward, perhaps a political or religious figure, see discussion above] who have abused their trust in God’s spiritual house, and ‘shall reign over the house of Jacob,’ literal and spiritual (Luke 1:32, 33), ‘for ever,’ ‘as a Son over His own house’ (Heb. 3:2-6). It rests with Christ to open or shut the heavenly palace [the heavenly Jerusalem, verse 12, which will come down to this earth; Revelation 21:9-10], deciding who is, and who is not, to be admitted: as He also opens, or shuts… ‘having the keys of hell (the grave) and death (ch. 1:18).”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised, adds the following:

“Jesus is true in the sense of ‘true to His word’, i.e. faithful. This is spoken in connection with His possessing the key of David, a phrase that recalls 1:18 but actually quotes Is. 22:22; it claims for Christ the power of admitting individuals or shutting them out from the city of David, the new Jerusalem, the Messianic kingdom.”

The Nelson Study Bible agrees: “The key of David represents authority as the One who opens and shuts the door in the Davidic kingdom (see Is. 22:22), a prerogative that is Christ’s as the rightful ‘Son of David’ (see Matt. 1:1).”

The Broadman Bible Commentary concurs: “To say that Christ is the one who has the key of David is to affirm his messianic authority to admit or exclude from the messianic kingdom. The Old Testament passage to which this refers (Isa. 22:22) indicated that Eliakim held the keys to David’s house… The figure of keys was used elsewhere ([Revelation]1:18) and reference to David is at the close of the book ([Revelation] 22:16).”

In conclusion, Isaiah 22 and Revelation 3 confirm, in light of all the Scriptures quoted herein, that the “key of David” has to do with the knowledge that Christ, the “Son of David,” will rule over the nations of Israel and Judah, as well as over the entire earth. It includes the understanding as to who the modern houses of Israel and Judah are, where they are located today, and where the throne of David can be found. It includes the knowledge that only Christ has the power to give us access to, or reject us from entering God’s Kingdom (compare Acts 4:12). It reveals to us how we can avoid paying the death penalty for our sins (compare Romans 6:23; John 8:24); how we can inherit eternal life by entering and becoming members of the Kingdom of God; and how we can qualify to rule, with and under Christ, over the houses of Israel and Judah, and the entire earth.

The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven

At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus mentioned another set of keys – the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. After Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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.” (Matthew 16:18-19).

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Similar to the key of David, the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are symbolic of spiritual authority and divine power… We wield these keys through prayer and proclamation.
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The keys of the Kingdom of heaven are the keys to bind and loose. This is the set of keys to bind demonic powers and loose captives from spiritual strongholds. 

Similar to the key of David, the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are symbolic of spiritual authority and divine power.

While worded differently, both the keys of the Kingdom of heaven and the key of David carry the same meaning generally. They speak of divine power and spiritual authority. We wield these keys through prayer and proclamation.

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God delegates His authority and power to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus delegates His authority and power to His church. Every believer who walks in faith, obedience, and faithfulness can confidently exercise this authority and wield the power to bind and loose and to open and shut doors.
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The keys of the Kingdom of heaven were promised to Peter. But in its context, it is also a promise to the church. That is, to all believers. The same is true for the key of David.

God delegates His authority and power to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus delegates His authority and power to His church. Every believer who walks in faith, obedience, and faithfulness can confidently exercise this authority and wield the power to bind and loose and to open and shut doors. 

We are talking about tremendous spiritual power and high-level authority here. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Whatever we open no one can shut, and whatever we shut, no one can open. 

Pause and consider the implications. 


Is the Key of David Given to Believers?

While the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are promised to the church, the key of David is not specifically promised. So, is it biblically correct to say that we can pray to receive the key of David?

The answer is yes. Let me explain.

Take Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the coming Messiah and how He would judge in Isaiah 11:2-4 - And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth…

This is a specific prophecy of how the seven-fold Spirit of God would rest on the Messiah. It is not a promise given to the church. But can we pray to receive the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, and so on?

Absolutely! There is no reason why we cannot do so. Unless these are promises that are exclusively meant for Christ Jesus. For example, the promise to sit at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44). That is not for us to ask. It will be preposterous to even entertain the idea. 

As I explained earlier, the key of David is similar to the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Both symbolise and simply mean divine authority and power, which Jesus has delegated to the church. The problem is few believers consciously wield these God-given authority and power to advance the Kingdom of heaven. 

I believe that Jesus would like all believers to have the key of David and steward this anointing of spiritual power and authority obediently, faithfully, and responsibly. For that, we have to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, listen to His voice, and pray according to His will. 


Different Measures of Anointing

While we can have the key of David, our level of authority and power is different from Jesus’.

In His human form, Jesus had the full measure of the Holy Spirit - … for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand (John 3:34-35 - NASB). 

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God gives to every believer different spiritual gifts and different measures of power for each gift.
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Whereas for believers, each of us has only a measure of the Holy Spirit and His anointing. After listing the twelve power gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul said - All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11 - ESV). God gives to every believer different spiritual gifts and different measures of power for each gift. For example, two believers have the same gift of healing. One experiences more success than the other. 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus moved in the full power of all these twelve spiritual gifts. That is the reason for His one hundred per cent success rate in ministry. When Jesus prayed, ten out of ten got healed. Ten out of ten got delivered.

In Revelation, when Christ said he had the Key of David, he alluded to the fact that he is the son of David who has the authority and power to gain the kingdom back from the Gentiles. Christ’s domain will be over the entire world, just as the previous Gentile rule had been over the entire world from the time of Daniel circa 600 B.C. to the Second Coming of Christ.  The context is basically saying that the time has come for Christ to bring an end to the time of the Gentiles and establish his divine rule on the earth and fulfill the promise made to David.  

“Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 1:4-6none

The Context in Isaiah

The first mention of the Key of David is recorded during the reign of King Hezekiah in Judah.  The original hearers of John’s letter would have been familiar with the context in Isaiah which mentioned the Key of David.

“I will place on his [Eliakim’s] shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”

Isaiah 22:22none

In the Isaiah passage, the Lord was angry with the actions of the people of Judah who were unwilling to repent of their sinful ways.  God’s discipline was closing in on them in the form of an Assyrian army about to take over their city.  Instead of repenting, they tore down houses to fortify the wall and took other measures to withstand the attack.  As the attack intensified, the people still refused to trust in the Lord and began feasting and drinking it up with the mindset of  “tomorrow we will die”.  Shebna, the palace administrator, had a magnificent tomb built for himself thinking that his importance would be remembered in future generations because of the extravagant tomb he would be buried in.  The Lord said through Isaiah that he was going to depose Shebna,  and install Eliakim in his place.   Shebna was a foreigner to Israel and used his power and authority selfishly and not in the way God would have intended.  Instead of being buried in his tomb, the Lord would see that he was sent away to a foreign nation to die in shame.  Eliakim, on the other hand, was given all his authority and ruled in an honorable manner and served the people well and the people honored him for his faithful service.  God blessed his faithful service by saying he would give him the Key of David which afforded him greater status, power and authority than Shebna had ever experienced.  The role of Eliakim was second only to the King and was perhaps equivalent to Joseph’s role in Egypt as he served under Pharoah (Genesis 41:40).  

“In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your [Shebna’s] robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.  I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.”

Isaiah 22:20-24none

The Context in Revelation

Christ commended the church in Philadelphia.  They kept their faith in Christ in the midst of persecution from the Jews who refused to believe in Christ.  Just as Shebna was humiliated as he was deposed and deported, so also will the persecutors of the church of Philadelphia suffer humiliation and banishment from Christ’s kingdom.  In fact, the Glorified Christ which John had described holds the key (power and authority) to admit or deny them.  Christ encourages the true believers in Philadelphia  to hold on to what they have and he will grant them a new, intimate relationship with God signified in the new information to be given to them:  1. New name of God; 2. New name of the City of God; 3. Christ’s new name.  He said they would be pillars in the temple which would have been especially meaningful to these believers because they often had to leave the city because of earthquakes and aftershocks.  Upon their return, they would sometimes only see pillars where the buildings used to stand.  Christ stated that they would be the pillars.  Combined with the new names they were given, this message assured them they would be an integral part of God’s temple and never have to leave in fear.  They would go from having little strength to being made into a strong foundation of an eternal temple.  What a great word of encouragement!

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Revelation 3:7-13none

Christ said he had the Key of David, the Keys of death and hades (Revelation 1:18) and the Keys to the Kingdom (Matthew 16:19).  Also, an angel is said to be given the Key to the shaft of the Abyss (Revelation 9:1).  In each case, the keys represent control and authority to use them.  The Key of David must represent control and authority over the kingdom which God promised to David.  Christ is the son of David and Christ will conquer the world in his Second Coming. The subsequent revelation details Christ’s victory as the tribulation period unfolds with the breaking of the seals (Revelation 6-19).  We discover that Christ reigns on earth for 1000 years which is followed by the destruction of the present heavens and earth.  He then consigns Satan and all unbelievers to the Lake of Fire, and declares that he is making everything new – new heaven, new earth, New Jerusalem.  At that time he will hand over the kingdom to his Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-38) and we will enter the Eternal state where the Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled.  Christ has the Key of David and honors God the Father while being honored by all the redeemed just as Eliakim had the Key of David and brought honor to King Hezekiah and was honored by all in Judah (Isaiah 22:24).  Unlike all previous reigns, Christ’s reign will be forever.  The fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant has been prophesied in many places throughout scripture:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”

Jeremiah 23:5none

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:7none

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

Isaiah 11:1none

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:31-33none

“God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’”

Acts 13:34none

“We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’

“God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

“So it is also stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.”

Acts 13:32-37none

“When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.”

Psalm 2 and 22 have been readily recognized as messianic, not only by the New Testament writers, but also by Christian theologians throughout the past two millennia.  But the messianic and prophetic nature of the Psalms goes much deeper and points much farther forward in time than just to the first coming of Christ.  It points to His second coming, as well.

Unpacking every detail in the first 22 Psalms and all 22 chapters of Revelation is not the aim here, but merely to demonstrate a few of the key connections.

Psalm 1 and Revelation 1

We start with Psalm 1, which has an interesting connection to Revelation 1, but also serves as a simple synopsis of the whole Book of Revelation.

Psalm 1 opens with “Blessed is the one...”  The context is the righteous man who delights in and meditates on God's teaching day and night (v. 2).

Revelation 1 opens with “Blessed is the one...” (v. 3).  The context is the one who reads, hears, and keeps the words and teaching contained within the scroll.

Psalm 1 also forms a structure to encapsulate the Psalm 1–22/Revelation 1–22 parallel.  The basic premise of Psalm 1 is twofold: 1. The righteous man does righteously and meditates on God's word, and 2. The wicked will be lost in the judgment, but the righteous will rise and prosper.

Compare to Revelation 1: the faithful servant will read and keep God's word (v. 3).  Furthermore, Revelation ends the same way (e.g., “Blessed is the one...” in Rev. 22:7; cf. Rev. 22:18–19).  And Psalm 1 outlines the message of Revelation: 1. The righteous man (King Jesus) does righteously, and 2. The wicked will be destroyed (Rev. 20), but the righteous will rise and prosper (Rev. 20–22).

The connection is directly reinforced in Psalm 1:3, because it mentions a tree planted by streams of water and its leaves.  Revelation 22 has the Tree of Life replanted by the river of the water of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations:

And he showed me [the] river of [the] water of life, radiant as crystal, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of its street, and of the river on this side and on that—[the] Tree of Life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit according to each month, and the leaves of the tree [are] for the healing of the nations. . . (Rev. 22:1–2, LSV)

Compare to Psalm 1:3:

And he has been as a tree, || Planted by streams of water, || That gives its fruit in its season, || And its leaf does not wither, || And all that he does he causes to prosper.

Psalm 2 and Revelation 2

Psalm 2 is overtly messianic and is directly quoted by the New Testament authors (e.g., Acts 4:25–26; Heb. 1:5).  It is confirmation that the future King of all the earth is the Son of God (v. 7), the Messiah (v. 2, 12).  The connection between Psalm 2 and Revelation 2 is undeniable for Revelation 2 quotes directly from this Psalm:

. . . and he who is overcoming, and who is keeping My works to the end, I will give to him authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron—they will be broken as the vessels of the potter—as I have also received from My Father. . . (Rev. 2:26–27, LSV)

Here Jesus says that the authority given to Him by His Father in Psalm 2 will be extended to the Church (you and me!).  For comparison:

“And I have anointed My King, || On Zion—My holy hill.”  I declare concerning a statute: YHWH said to me, “You [are] My Son, today I have brought You forth.  Ask of Me and I give nations [as] Your inheritance, || And the ends of the earth [for] Your possession.  You rule them with a scepter of iron, || You crush them as a vessel of a potter.” (Ps. 2:6–9,)

 Psalm 3 and Revelation 3

In Psalm 3 David cries to God for deliverance as enemies surround him (v. 6–7).  His adversaries claim God will not deliver him (v. 2).  God answers from His [heavenly] holy mountain.  David proclaims in faith that God will lift him up (v. 3).

In Revelation 3 God promises the faithful Church deliverance/escape from the looming worldwide Tribulation because Jesus has given them an open door and He has the key of David.  Remember that David wrote Psalm 3!  As we learn in the following chapter, the promised open door is set in Heaven.  The Church will be quite literally lifted up through it (see Rev. 4:1–2; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16–18).

In Psalm 3:1 David laments his increasing distresses.  Many translations have here “enemies” or “adversaries,” but the word can just as easily mean distress, tightness, narrowness, or even tribulation.  In Revelation 3:8 God shows his awareness that the Church has little strength or power, but in verse 10, He promises to deliver the Church from the coming Tribulation.

Lastly, note that Christ tells the church in Philadelphia that their enemies in “the synagogue of Satan” will be submitted to them and forced to acknowledge that God does indeed love His Church (Rev. 3:9; cf. Ps. 3:2, 6–7).

Psalm 4 and Revelation 4

The prayer of David in Psalm 4 is that God would favor him (v. 1) and let the light of His face shine upon him and the righteous (v. 6).  Whereas Psalm 3 was a prayer for deliverance from enemies and distresses, in Psalm 4 David proclaims that God has delivered him from distress (v. 1) and has separated the saints to Himself (v. 3).  Likewise, Revelation 3 was the promise of deliverance and Revelation 4 is a picture of the promise fulfilled as the Church enters through the open door and surrounds the throne of God.  John and the elders literally behold the light of God's face.

Psalm 4:5 reads:

Sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness, || And trust in YHWH.

And in Revelation 4:10–11 we witness the elders offering righteous sacrifices to God:

. . . the twenty-four elders will fall down before the [One] sitting on the throne, and worship the [One] living through the ages of the ages, and they will cast their garlands before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power, because You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.”

In the following chapter we behold the true righteous sacrifice—the Lamb slain to redeem the Church out of every “tribe, tongue, people, and nation” (v. 9).

Psalm 4 ends with the declaration that God has caused David to dwell in safety, just as Revelation 4 is a picture of the glorified Church dwelling safely in Heaven.

Psalm 5 and Revelation 5

Psalm 5 opens with a lament and cry (vv. 1–2).  Revelation 5 opens with John weeping because no one is found worthy to open the seals of the scroll (vv. 1–4).  The righteous have entered God's house because of His love since no one is worthy (Ps. 5:7; cf. Rev. 4:1–2; 5:4, 9).

In Psalm 5:7 the psalmist enters God's house and bows before His holy temple.  In Revelation 5:8 the heavenly inhabitants—elders and living creatures—bow before the Lamb.  The Lamb is called the temple in Revelation 21:22.  The elders bow to the Lamb again in v. 14.

In Psalm 5:11 all who trust in the Lord and take refuge in Him sing and rejoice.  In Revelation 5:9–14 the elders, who trust in the Lord and have taken refuge in Him, sing and rejoice.

Psalm 6 and Revelation 6

Psalm 6 is about the time of God's anger and wrath (Ps. 6:1).  Revelation 6is the opening chapter of the Tribulation—the time of God's anger and wrath (Rev. 6:16–17).  Revelation 6shows the first six judgments of the Tribulation being unleashed by the Lamb.  It is a time of great judgment and suffering on the earth.  The souls of the Tribulation Saints, who had been martyred for their faith, are gathered under the heavenly altar.  They cry out to God in Revelation 6:10: “How long, O Lord?”  The psalmist David cries out from the depth of his soul in Psalm 6:3: “How long, O Lord, how long?”

The psalm ends with God's enemies overwhelmed with anguish (Ps. 6:10).  They turn back in shame.  Revelation 6ends with God's enemies overwhelmed with anguish and fear as they behold the Lamb on His throne.  They turn back and hide in the caves and rocks of the mountains (Rev. 6:15–17).

Psalm 7 and Revelation 7

Psalm 7 opens with a renewed cry from David for deliverance and protection from his enemy pursuing him.  The first half of the Tribulation is marked by the enemy pursuing the remnant of Israel.  In Revelation 7 God seals 12,000 Israelites from each of the 12 tribes.  They will be protected.

Then in Psalm 7:7 we see:

Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

    while you sit enthroned over them on high. (NIV)

A similar picture appears in Revelation 7:9 of an assembled multitude surrounding the throne and the Lamb:

After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no one was able to number, out of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, having been clothed [in] white robes, and palms in their hands. . .

God is David's shield (Ps. 7:10) and sits enthroned over the multitude (Ps. 7:7).  God dwells over the innumerable multitude of Revelation 7 to shield and protect them (Rev. 7:15–16).

The last verse of Psalm 7 is David's declaration that he will thank and praise God.  We see in Revelation 7:

. . . [they were] crying with a great voice, saying, “Salvation to our God, the [One] sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  And all the messengers stood around the throne, and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “Amen!  The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power, and the strength, [are] to our God through the ages of the ages!  Amen!” (Rev. 7:10–12, LSV)

Psalm 8 and Revelation 8

In Psalm 8:1 God's glory is set in the heavens and in the following verse the foes are silenced.  In Revelation 8:1there is silence in Heaven for half an hour.

In Psalm 8:2 David considers God's heavenly works—the moon and stars.  In Revelation 8:12 the fourth trumpet judgment strikes the sun, moon, and stars.  In Psalm 8:6–9 David recounts God's other works—land animals, birds, and the fish of the sea—as submitted to the rulership of mankind.  In Revelation 8:9 a third of the creatures in the sea are killed by the second trumpet judgment.  The rightful rulership of righteous men (the Church) over the earth is beginning in earnest as the Lamb and His glorified, mystical body in Heaven continue to unleash the judgments.

Psalm 8 opens and closes with “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!”  The trumpet judgments are all directed at the earth in Revelation 8.  God's majestic power is revealed in the earth.

Psalm 9 and Revelation 9

In Revelation 9 a fallen star is given a key to open a spiritual pit: the abyss.  Out of this pit come a demonic army and an angel called The Destroyer.  Perhaps this pit is the Tartarus mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4, a dungeon housing the angels that formerly sinned against God.  It should be noted that stars typically represent angels in the Book of Revelation.  This fallen star given the key may be an allusion to the fallen dragon-angel, Satan, mentioned in Revelation 12, who gives his power and authority to the beast in Revelation 13.  Revelation 17:8 seems to confirm that the angel called Destroyer is one and the same as the beast of Revelation 13—a terrible enemy distinct from, but in league with, the fallen cherub Satan.

Revelation 9 is about the revealing of the beast, the destroyer, who, in league with Satan, will oppress and persecute the people of God.  Psalm 9includes a Davidic prayer for deliverance from his enemies (v. 13).  He calls on God to lift him up from the gates of death.  The gates of death are opened in Revelation 9.  God preserves the righteous, but destroys the wicked and rebukes the nations (Ps. 9:3–5).

How many of the watchmen have speculated that mankind is playing with fire in its quest to unlock the deepest mysteries of the universe?  Science and physics are probing the depths of dimensionality.  Many have even pointed to the Large Hadron Collider as a possible explanation for Revelation 9's abyss.  Note that it doesn't say who gives the fallen star the key:

And the fifth messenger sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star having fallen to the earth out of Heaven, and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss, and [he] opened the pit of the abyss, and there came up a smoke out of the pit as smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the pit. (Rev. 9:1–2, LSV)

Compare this to Psalm 9:15–17:

Nations have sunk in a pit they made, || Their foot has been captured in a net that they hid. YHWH has been known, || He has done judgment; By a work of his hands || The wicked has been snared.  Meditation.  Selah.  The wicked turn back to Sheol, || All nations forgetting God.

Psalm 10 and Revelation 10

Revelation 10 is one of the last great mysteries of the Bible.  Although the rest of prophetic knowledge has been unsealed and revealed to the Church (Jn. 16:13; Rev. 1:1; 22:6, 10; cf. Dan. 12:4), the meaning of the seven thunders is still sealed up (Rev. 10:4).  We know all about the seals, trumpets, and bowls, but the meaning of the thunders is hidden, just as the identity of the Antichrist is still hidden (2 Thess. 2:3, 7–12).  It is then perhaps fitting that Psalm 10 opens with:

Why, YHWH, do You stand at a distance?  Do You hide in times of adversity?

The ultimate time of adversity is the Tribulation, otherwise known as Daniel's 70th Week, The Time of Jacob's Trouble, and The Day of the Lord.  To believers both now and in the Tribulation, our perpetual longing is to be with the Lord and to know all of His mysteries.  Why does He seemingly hide?  Why does He seemingly stand at a distance?

In Revelation 10, the God who seemingly—though not actually—stands at a distance, sends a mighty angel to stand on the earth (vv. 1–2).  The angel lifts his hand toward Heaven (v. 5).  The psalmist writes:

Arise, O YHWH!  O God, lift up Your hand!  Do not forget the humble. (Ps. 10:12, LSV)

Psalm 11 and Revelation 11

In Revelation 11 we get a glimpse of what many view as the first half of the Tribulation—the 1,260-day ministry of the two witnesses (thought to be any combination of Moses, Elijah, Enoch, and John).  During the first half of the Tribulation the Satanically-empowered Antichrist is pursuing after Israel to destroy her (Rev. 12:6, 13–16).  Though she ultimately escapes for the extent of the Great Tribulation (the final three and a half years), the beast/Antichrist/destroyer/man of lawlessness is able to overcome and slay the Tribulation Saints (Rev. 12:17; 13:7; 20:4) and at the end of the two witnesses' ministry, the beast kills them, too (Rev. 11:7).  The first picture of the Antichrist in the Book of Revelation is found in the sixth chapter with the first seal judgment:

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as it were a voice of thunder, “Come and behold!”  And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he who is sitting on it is having a bow, and there was given to him a garland, and he went forth overcoming, and that he may overcome. (Rev. 6:1–2, LSV)

The lesser rider on a white horse with a single crown—not to be confused with the many-crowned conquering King of Revelation 19 who rides a white horse making Bucephalus seem like My Little Pony—is revealed after the removal of the Church from the earth (Rev. 4–5; Rev. 12:5, 12; cf. 2 Thess. 2:3, 7–12).  This wicked rider rides out against Israel and the remnant of her seed with bow bent.  We read in Psalm 11:

For behold, the wicked bend a bow, || They have prepared their arrow on the string, || To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. (v. 2)

The proverbial arrow does pierce the two witnesses and they lay dead in the street of figurative Sodom (Jerusalem), but after three and a half days, the Spirit revives them and they are taken up into Heaven as if birds fleeing for refuge (Rev. 11:11–12).

In YHWH I trusted, how do you say to my soul, “They moved to your mountain [as] the bird?” (Ps. 11:1, LSV)

Revelation 11 ends with a glimpse of God on His throne (v. 16) and the temple in Heaven opened (v. 19).  The glimpse of God in the open heavenly temple is accompanied by thunder and a great hailstorm.

YHWH [is] in His holy temple: YHWH—His throne [is] in the heavens.  His eyes see—His eyelids try the sons of men.  YHWH tries the righteous.  And the wicked and the lover of violence, || His soul has hated, || He pours on the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone, || And a horrible wind[is] the portion of their cup. (Ps. 11:4–6, LSV)

Psalm 12 and Revelation 12

Revelation 12 is the focal point of the book and the center of the Revelation chiasm.  It provides us with a broad overview of the whole Tribulation, including Satan's pre-tribulational positioning to devour the Church (v. 4).  The Church escapes (v. 5), so he goes after the woman.  He can't get the woman (vv. 6, 14), so he finally goes after the remnant of her seed (v. 17) while the woman remains perfectly protected for the full extent of the final half (the Great Tribulation).

David, an Israelite, writes in Psalm 12:1:

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;

    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. (NIV)

Indeed, those righteous because of the blood of the Lamb have vanished (Rev. 12:5) and now dwell in Heaven rejoicing (Rev. 12:12).  Israel is left behind and Satan is in hot pursuit.  Only the wicked are left.  It is the worst time in human history while the beast and his government cover the earth in sin (Ps. 12:2, 8).  But God will have the final word.

Because of the spoiling of the poor, || Because of the groaning of the needy, || Now I arise, says YHWH, || I set in safety [him who] breathes for it. . . . You, O YHWH, preserve them, || You keep usfrom this generation for all time. (Ps. 12:5, 7, LSV)

The Lord protects, preserves, and keeps the Israelites in safety for the final half of the Tribulation (Rev. 12:6, 14).  The language of arising immediately brings to mind the prophecy in Daniel that God would cause the Archangel Michael to defend Israel.  This passage directly parallels both Michael's combat with Satan in Revelation 12, as well as Israel's escape:

And at that time Michael stands up, the great head, who is standing up for the sons of your people, and there has been a time of distress, such as has not been since there has been a nation until that time, and at that time your people escape, everyone who is found written in the scroll. (Dan. 12:1, LSV)

Compare to Revelation 12:7–9:

And there came war in Heaven: Michael and his messengers warred against the dragon, and the dragon and his messengers warred, and they did not prevail, nor was their place found anymore in Heaven; and the great dragon was cast forth—the old serpent, who is called “Devil,” and “Satan,” who is leading the whole world astray—he was cast forth to the earth, and his messengers were cast forth with him.

Psalm 13 and Revelation 13

Revelation 13 is the third picture of the rise of the Antichrist given in the book.  In Revelation 13:1 we see his post-rapture rise and kingdom.  In the following verse we see Satan, having fallen to earth, giving his power and authority to the beast.  The most infamous part of this frightening passage is the prophecy that at the peak of his power the beast will force his mark on the right hand or forehead of everyone on earth, and if they refuse to worship him they will be killed.  It will be the darkest time in human history (cf. Mt. 24:21).

It should come as no surprise then that the parallel psalm opens with the cry of an Israelite (David) seemingly overcome by the enemy.  The language again reminds us of the Tribulation Saints crying out in Revelation 6:10, “How long, O Lord?” (cf. Ps. 6:3).  The Tribulation is marked first by Satan's pursuit of the woman (Israel) during the first half, and then by Satan's pursuit of “the remnant of her seed,” the Tribulation Saints, during the second half.  It is a time when Satan and the enemies of God will seem to have won as they are exalted over the earth.

How long, Lord?  Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

    How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Ps. 13:1–2, NIV)

Scripture gives the answer: seven years(Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:1–3; 12:6, 14).  The enemy will triumph for seven years, but his time is short (Rev. 12:12).  The context and language in Psalm 13 and Revelation 13 is eerily similar:

Look attentively; Answer me, O YHWH, my God, || Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death, || Lest my enemy say, “I overcame him,” || My adversaries rejoice when I am moved. (Ps. 13:3–4, LSV)

And:

. . . and there was given to it [the beast] to make war with the holy ones, and to overcome them, and there was given to it authority over every tribe, and tongue, and nation. (Rev. 13:7, LSV; cf. Dan. 12:7)

As Jeff has discussed at great length, there is an important prophecy given in Deuteronomy 32 that pertains to the latter-day generation of Israelites alive at the time of the end.  In verse 21 we learn that God will make Israel jealous in the latter days via the Gentiles.  Paul recalls this prophecy in Romans 10:19.  This truth is echoed in Acts 15:14–16:

Simeon expounded how at first God looked on [us] to take a people out of [the] nations for His Name, and to this the words of the Prophets agree, as it has been written: After these things I will return, || And I will rebuild the dwelling place of David that has fallen down, || And I will rebuild its ruins, || And will set it upright. . .

God has been spiritually gathering a people out of the nations for the past two millennia, but this is about to be actualized when God physically removes the Gentile-predominant Church from the earth.  Backslidden, unbelieving Israel will be brought back into the fold of faith when their jealousy is kindled and they long for the God of their ancestors.  How fitting then that David asks God in Psalm 13, “How long will you hide your face from me?”  This is exactly what God warns will happen in the prophecy of Deuteronomy 32:

And He says: I hide My face from them, || I see what their latter end[is]; For they [are] a contrary generation, || Sons in whom is no steadfastness. (v. 20)

Notice also God's mention of the contrary generation at the latter end.  It is this generation that Jesus was likely referring to in The Parable of the Fig Tree.  He was bringing to His disciples' attention the prophecy of Deuteronomy 32 they would have all been thoroughly aware of—a prophecy many of them had even memorized word for word when they learned Torah.

Psalm 14–15 and Revelation 14–15

Nearing the end of the Great Tribulation, sides will have been chosen.  Israel will be in hiding.  Most of the Tribulation Saints will have been martyred.  Aside from the remnant in hiding, those left on earth will be marked, thoroughly corrupted, unrepentant, and blaspheming God.  A frequent remark in Revelation is, “and still they did not repent.”  Even as the Lamb pours out wrath upon the earth in the most visible ways imaginable, fallen humanity will still refuse God.  We read in Psalm 14:1–3:

A fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”; They have done corruptly, || They have done abominable actions, || There is not a doer of good.  YHWH has looked from the heavens on the sons of men, || To see if there is a wise one—seeking God.  The whole have turned aside, || Together they have been filthy: There is not a doer of good, not even one.

The following verse, Psalm 14:4, is quite interesting, and very fitting:

Have all working iniquity not known?  Those consuming my people have eaten bread, || They have not called YHWH.

The wicked have chosen to eat bread rather than refuse the mark that will condemn them to ultimate destruction.

And a third messenger followed them, saying in a great voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God that has been mingled unmixed in the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy messengers, and before the Lamb. . .” (Rev. 14:9–10, LSV)

As it says in verse 4, the wicked have not called on God.  They have not given him glory.

They have not called YHWH.  They have feared a fear there, || For God [is] in the generation of the righteous. (Ps. 14:4b–5, LSV)

God, gracious and patient to the uttermost, sends an angel to warn the rebels that their rebellion will only end in destruction:

Fear God, and give to Him glory, because the hour of His judgment came, and worship Him who made the sky, and the land, and sea, and fountains of waters. (Rev. 14:7, LSV)

Psalm 14 ends with a plea for salvation to issue forth from Zion when God restores Israel:

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

    When the Lord restores his people,

    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (v. 7, NIV)

In the midst of the Great Tribulation Israel is still in hiding, awaiting the Deliverer and crying out for God's final victory.  Revelation 14 opens with a picture of the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the first crop of restored Israelites—the 144,000.

And I saw, and behold, a Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred forty-four thousand, having the Name of His Father written on their foreheads. . . (Rev. 14:1, LSV)

These newly restored Israelites rejoice in a song only they can know (Rev. 14:2–3).  And now in Psalm 15 we read:

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

    Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless,

    who does what is righteous,

    who speaks the truth from their heart;

whose tongue utters no slander,

    who does no wrong to a neighbor,

    and casts no slur on others. . . (vv. 1–3, NIV)

So who can dwell on God's holy mountain?  Those who are blameless.  Those who speak the truth and utter no slander, according to the psalmist.  In Revelation 14:4–5 it is said of the 144,000:

. . . these are they who were not defiled with women, for they are virgin; these are they who are following the Lamb wherever He may go; these were bought from among men—a first-fruit to God and to the Lamb—and in their mouth there was not found guile, for they are unblemished before the throne of God.

The imputed righteousness of the Lamb as a gift given to those of faith on earth will yield perfect practical righteousness among the glorified in Heaven.  And as Revelation 15:4attests, God alone is inherently holy.

In Psalm 15 David asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?  Who may live on your holy mountain?”  In Revelation 15:5 the sacred heavenly tent is opened and in Revelation 14:1the heavenly mountain is seen.  Throughout chapters 14 and 15 David's question is answered.  Yet again we get a glimpse into the throne room, seeing the elders (Rev. 14:3), the 144,000 and those who refused the mark (Rev. 14:1; 15:2), the angels (Rev. 15:6), and the living creatures (Rev. 14:3; 15:7).  Revelation 4–5 is the pre-tribulational throne room scene and Revelation 14–15 is the intra-tribulational throne room scene.

Psalm 16 and Revelation 16

Psalm 16 is a mighty prayer and praise of faith, with David asking God to preserve him (v. 1), but then being assured in faith that He most certainly will.  A famous prophecy of Christ's first coming is found in verse 10:

For You do not leave my soul to Sheol, || Nor give your Holy One to see corruption.

The disciples recall this verse as prophetic confirmation of the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:27; 13:35).  Psalm 16 is thematically connected to Revelation 16 by both God's care for His holy ones, as well as the pouring out of blood and wrath.  The bowl judgments commence in Revelation 16.

And the third messenger poured out his bowl into the rivers, and into the fountains of the waters, and there came blood, and I heard the messenger of the waters, saying, “Righteous, O LORD, are You, who is, and who was, [[and who will be,]] the Holy [One], because You judged these things, because they poured out [the] blood of holy ones and prophets, and You gave to them blood to drink, for they are worthy”; and I heard another out of the altar, saying, “Yes, LORD God, the Almighty, true and righteous [are] Your judgments.” (Rev. 16:4–7, LSV)

We read in Psalm 16:3–5:

For the holy ones who [are] in the land, || And the honorable, all my delight [is] in them.  Their griefs are multiplied, [who] have hurried backward; I do not pour out their drink-offerings of blood, || Nor do I take up their names on my lips.  YHWH [is] the portion of my share, and of my cup, || You uphold my lot.

The theme of the pouring out of blood even connects at the same verse number: in Psalm 16:4 David refuses to pour out the blood libations of the wicked.  In Revelation 16:4 the third bowl of wrath is poured out on the rivers and fountains, turning them to blood.

Psalm 17 and Revelation 17

Revelation 17 begins the description and judgment of Mystery Babylon, the spiritual whore, which I believe is Jerusalem proper from a scriptural perspective (not to dismiss the powerful types and shadows found in the United States, New York, Rome, Constantinople, Mecca, Brussels, and so forth, that other watchmen have duly noted).

I see several interesting connections between Psalm 17 and Revelation 17.

David juxtaposes his pursuit of righteousness with the wickedness of the wicked (Ps. 17:1–5) and in Revelation 17:1–6 we are a given a very graphic description of the wickedness of Mystery Babylon, including her violence (v. 17:6; cf. Ps. 17:4).

Then, recalling that David is an Israelite and perhaps a representation of corporate Israel at times, he writes:

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

    hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

    from my mortal enemies who surround me. (Ps. 17:8–9, NIV)

In Revelation 17 we see the beast, the ten horns, and the whore united in their effort to destroy God's people (v. 6, 14).  Remember the picture given in Revelation 12?  Satan, having fallen to earth, first sets out to destroy the woman Israel, but she is given “the two wings of a great eagle” in order to escape.  God shelters her under the shadow of His wings.  And then Satan turns his attention to the remnant of her seed (the Tribulation Saints) who are mortally unprotected.

With the establishment of a one-world economy (via the mark) and a one-world harlot religion, the whore Jerusalem becomes the center of the Antichrist's global empire, and it's in Jerusalem that he declares himself to be god.  But there is a catch for the whore who rides the beast—the beast is only using her for his own ends.  He intends to destroy her.

. . . and the ten horns that you saw on the beast, these will hate the whore, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her in fire, for God gave into their hearts to do His purpose, and to make one purpose, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the sayings of God may be fulfilled, and the woman that you saw is the great city that is having reign over the kings of the earth. (Rev. 17:16–18, LSV)

Now compare this to Psalm 17:14:

By your hand save me from such people, Lord,

    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

    may their children gorge themselves on it,

    and may there be leftovers for their little ones. (NIV)

And don't forget leftovers for their little ones!  The ten horns get to partake of this abominable feast, too.

Psalm 18–19 and Revelation 18–19

The former psalms have been filled with cries for help, desperate pleas, faith in the midst of adversity, and prayers for protection while the wicked reign.  But now the tide has turned.  Psalm 18 is a song of total victory.

TO THE OVERSEER.  BY A SERVANT OF YHWH, BY DAVID, WHO HAS SPOKEN TO YHWH THE WORDS OF THIS SONG IN THE DAY YHWH DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HAND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL, AND HE SAYS: I love You, O YHWH, my strength.  YHWH [is] my rock, and my bulwark, || And my deliverer, || My God [is] my rock, || I trust in Him: My shield, and the horn of my salvation, || My high tower.  I call on YHWH, the Praised One, || And I am saved from my enemies.  Cords of death have surrounded me, || And streams of the worthless make me afraid.  Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, || Snares of death have been before me.  In my adversity I call YHWH, || And I cry to my God.  He hears my voice from His temple, || And My cry comes into His ears before Him.  And the earth shakes and trembles, || And foundations of hills are troubled, || And they shake—because He has wrath.  Smoke has gone up from His nostrils, || And fire from His mouth consumes, || Coals have been kindled by it. (Ps. 18:1–8, LSV)

Revelation 18 opens with destruction pronounced on the whore.  Between the whore, the beast, and Satan, she is the first to suffer defeat in the losing battle against the Lamb.

And after these things I saw another messenger coming down out of Heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened from his glory, and he cried in might [with] a great voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (Rev. 18:1–2b, LSV)

Note that her destruction coincides with the destruction of the cities of the nations, indicating that this is an event at or near the end of the Tribulation (Rev. 16:19).  Then Revelation 19 opens:

And after these things I heard a great voice of a great multitude in Heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! The salvation, and the glory, and the power [belong] to the LORD our God; because true and righteous [are] His judgments, because He judged the great whore who corrupted the earth in her whoredom, and He avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. . .” (vv. 1–2, LSV)

And now for the most explicit connection: the victory song of Psalm 18 culminates with the descent of the Lord out of Heaven, which is inferred again in Psalm 19 (v. 5).  Revelation 18and 19 depict the defeat of the whore, and then the beast and his kingdom at the hands of the returning Christ and His Church.

First take a look at Psalm 18:9–17:

And He inclines the heavens, and comes down, || And thick darkness [is] under His feet.  And He rides on a cherub, and flies, || And He flies on wings of wind.  He makes darkness His secret place, || Around Him His dwelling place, || Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.  From the brightness before Him His thick clouds have passed on, || Hail and coals of fire.  And YHWH thunders in the heavens, || And the Most High gives forth His voice, || Hail and coals of fire.  And He sends His arrows and scatters them, || And much lightning, and crushes them.  And the streams of waters are seen, || And foundations of the earth are revealed, || From Your rebuke, O YHWH, || From the breath of the wind of Your anger.  He sends from above—He takes me, || He draws me out of many waters.  He delivers me from my strong enemy, || And from those hating me, || For they have been stronger than I. (LSV)

And then Psalm 19:4b–5:

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. [note the English homophone of son]

    It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

    like a champion rejoicing to run his course. (NIV)

Now compare Psalm 18–19 with Revelation 19:11–16:

And I saw Heaven having been opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who is sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war, and His eyes [are] as a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many crowns—having a Name written that no one has known, except Himself, and He is clothed with a garment covered with blood, and His Name is called, The Word of God.  And the armies in Heaven were following Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen—white and pure; and out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He may strike the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron, and He treads the press of the wine of the wrath and the anger of God the Almighty, and He has on the garment and on His thigh the name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (LSV)

I think we have a match.  And in Revelation 19:20 we see the beast and false prophet captured, and in verse 21 their armies destroyed.  In Revelation 19 “The Word of God”—Christ Jesus—is revealed from Heaven, and in Psalm 19David proclaims that “the heavens declare the glory of God” while he meditates deeply on God's word—His law, testimonies, precepts, and commands (Ps. 19:7–8).  Christ is the glory of God (Jn. 1:14; 2:11; Heb. 1:3).  Psalm 19 is the first psalm in which the wicked are never mentioned.  In Revelation 19 we learn why: because they are completely defeated.

Take a look at some of the specific connections:

1. Christ appears from Heaven like a mighty champion, mounted for battle: Rev. 19:11; Ps. 18:9–10; 19:4b–5

2. His armies are following Him: Rev. 19:14; Ps. 18:12, 39–40

3. He is the Word and His voice resounds: Rev. 19:13, 15; Ps. 18:13, 30; 19:4

4. He treads His enemies down under His feet: Rev. 19:15; Ps. 18:38, 42

5. He defeats every enemy arrayed against the righteous: Rev. 19:19–21; Ps. 18:1, 37–42

6. He and His people then rule the nations with total power: Rev. 19:15; Ps. 18:43–49 (cf. Ps. 2:6–9; Rev. 2:26–27)

7. He is the victorious King, typified by David: Rev. 19:16; Ps. 18:50

Psalm 20 and Revelation 20

With the whore defeated (Rev. 18), and the beast defeated (Rev. 19), now Satan is defeated (Rev. 20:1–3).  Revelation 20 shows events that occur immediately after the Tribulation, as well as the final post-millennium events before a new heaven and a new earth.  It is the last glimpse of evil and rebellion in the Bible.  Even death itself is defeated after the final judgment (v. 14).  The final resurrections are described in this passage, as well.

You could summarize the Bible as follows: the whole of creation fell into corruption because of sin.  Mankind was severed from God because of the Fall.  But from the beginning there have been those of faith calling on the Name of the Lord for salvation (Gen. 4:26).  He provided this salvation in and through His Son, who is the seed promised to Eve (Gen. 3:15).  And finally, at last, God will answer every prayer of those of faith.

YHWH answers you, || In a day of adversity, || The Name of the God of Jacob sets you on high, || He sends your help from the sanctuary, || And supports you from Zion, || He remembers all your presents, || And reduces your burnt-offering to ashes.  Selah.  He gives to you according to your heart, || And fulfills all your counsel.  We sing of Your salvation, || And in the Name of our God set up a banner.  YHWH fulfills all your requests.  Now I have known || That YHWH has saved His anointed, || He answers him from His holy heavens, || With the saving might of His right hand. (Ps. 20:1–6, LSV)

We cried to God in a day of adversity and He saved us.  He set us on high.  He anointed us along with the Christ and fulfilled all of our requests.  We now sing of His salvation from everlasting to everlasting.

Revelation 20 shows the final resurrection of the righteous (vv. 4–6), as well as the final judgment of the damned (vv. 11–15).

They have bowed and have fallen, || And we have risen and station ourselves upright. (Ps. 20:8)

Psalm 21 and Revelation 21

Revelation 21 is a description of the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem.  It is a window into the everlasting age to come.  Psalm 21:1–7is a song of praise from King David to God for granting him everything he longed for—every desire and request (v. 2), rich blessings and treasure (v. 3), everlasting life (v. 4), splendor and majesty (v. 5), and unending blessings, gladness, and joy in God's very presence (v. 6).  In Revelation 21 we finally behold all of these rewards granted to the true King and Son of David.  And those of faith are invited to share fully in these blessings with Him, as little kings and queens at His side.

1. The psalmist receives a crown of pure gold (Ps. 21:3); Christ and His saints receive a heavenly city of pure gold (Rev. 21:18).

2. The psalmist receives unending life (Ps. 21:4); Christ extends unending life to His saints (Rev. 21:4).

3. The psalmist receives glory, splendor, and majesty (Ps. 21:5); the majestic heavenly city shines with the glory of God (Rev. 21:11, 23), and the kings of the earth bring their splendor into it (Rev. 21:24), as the nations bring their glory alongside (Rev. 21:26).

4. The psalmist receives unending blessings, gladness, and joy in the very presence of God (Ps. 21:6); the children of God now dwell in His very presence (Rev. 21:3), full of gladness and joy because death, crying, and pain are no more (Rev. 21:4).  Blessings abound forever as the saints are surrounded by beautiful things.

Psalm 22 and Revelation 22

Revelation 22 is the last chapter in the Bible.  The Tree of Life is seen once again for the first time since Genesis 3.  The biblical chiasm is complete.  Recall from Psalm 1 that the description of the tree, its fruit, and its leaves are so similar to what we read here in Revelation 22.

And now we come to Psalm 22, often cited as the most messianic of all the Psalms.  Within this psalm we get the unforgettable picture of Christ on the Cross:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?  Far from My salvation, || The words of My roaring?  My God, I call by day, and You do not answer, || And by night, and am not silent. (Ps. 22:1–2, LSV; cf. Mt. 27:46)

And:

Do not be far from Me, || For adversity is near, for there is no helper.  Many bulls have surrounded Me, || Mighty ones of Bashan have surrounded Me, || They have opened their mouth against Me, || A lion tearing and roaring.  I have been poured out as waters, || And all my bones have separated themselves, || My heart has been like wax, || It is melted in the midst of My bowels.  My power is dried up as an earthen vessel, || And My tongue is cleaving to My jaws.  And You appoint Me to the dust of death, || For dogs have surrounded Me, || A company of evildoers has surrounded Me, || Piercing My hands and My feet.  I count all My bones—they look expectingly, || They look on Me, || They apportion My garments to themselves, || And they cause a lot to fall for My clothing. (Ps. 22:11–18, LSV)

It is because Christ died that we can live.  He was obedient in life and obedient unto death.  We were disobedient from the very moment we drew breath.  By His stripes we are healed.  Through Him we receive His righteousness, His obedience, and His unending life in glory, surrounded by beautiful things and pleasures at God's right hand forevermore.

Revelation 22 is the final invitation—the ultimate boarding call—to come and receive all of this and more.  We enter His presence by washing our robes in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14; 22:14).  We come by simply receiving the free gift of the water of life (Rev. 22:17).  Anyone who wishes can come (v. 17) for the grace of the Lord Jesus is with you if you believe (Rev. 22:21).

Although the first half of Psalm 22points to the Cross on which Christ paid for our salvation with His own blood, the second half of the psalm shows God with His people, and His people praising Him for His goodness.  Herein we glimpse the eternal state.  

I declare Your Name to My brothers [cf. Rev. 22:4], || In the midst of the assembly I praise You [cf. Rev. 22:3].  You who fear YHWH, praise Him, || All the seed of Jacob, honor Him, || And be afraid of Him, all you seed of Israel.  For He has not despised, nor detested, || The affliction of the afflicted, || Nor has He hidden His face from Him, || And in His crying to Him He hears.  Of You My praise [is] in the great assembly [cf. Rev. 22:16].  I complete My vows before His fearers.  The humble eat and are satisfied [cf. Rev. 22:2, 17], || Those seeking Him praise YHWH, || Your heart lives forever.  Remember and return to YHWH, || Do all the ends of the earth, || And bow themselves before You, || Do all families of the nations [cf. Rev. 21:24–26; 22:2], || For to YHWH [is] the kingdom, || And He is ruling among nations [cf. Rev. 22:3–5].  And the fat ones of earth have eaten, || And they bow themselves, || All going down to dust bow before Him, || And he [who] has not revived his soul.  A seed serves Him [cf. Rev. 22:3], || It is declared of the Lord to the generation.  They come and declare His righteousness, || To a people that is born, that He has made! (vv. 22–31, LSV)

Jesus has always been the key to unlocking the mystery of David.  He is the substance of prophecy (Rev. 19:10) and the sweetness of the songs of Israel (2 Sm. 23:1).