The Key of David as the Cross of Christ - The Messianic Meaning of Isaiah 22:22-24

By Helena Lehman of the

Pillar of Enoch Ministry (POEM)

http://pillar-of-enoch.com

In the Book of Isaiah and Book of Revelation, there are some curious passages about something called the Key of David that are rarely discussed, but are important to understand. This is what the Prophet Isaiah cryptically had to say about this key:

Isaiah 22:22-24 - “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. 23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house. 24 ‘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. 25 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.’”

Though these passages were originally applied to a servant of God called Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was chosen by God to replace the wicked man named Shebna as the Governor of the Palace in Jerusalem (See Isaiah 22:15-21), it is a veiled reference to the Ministry and Cross of Christ. Let me explain how this can be deduced. Interestingly, the number 22 is connected to the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is the Tav or T. 

The letter Tav signifies the Cross of Christ and His finished work upon it as the Key to Salvation and Resurrection. Only Yahshua can open and shut the doorway to Heaven and everlasting life, and the need for His Cross is the Key that we need to believe in to enter Heaven. Since this is so, the peg being referred to in Isaiah Ch. 22, verses 23 through 25 is the Cross of Christ, while the cups and pitchers hanging from the peg signify all those who are to be saved by Yahshua's blood sacrifice on the Cross. 

Yahshua was fastened securely to the Cross until His death, after which it was removed, as was its burden, which consists of all of the sins of those who accept Yahshua's blood sacrifice on that Cross. In addition, Yahshua's Cross is symbolic of the Throne mentioned in Isaiah 22:23, which is both a heavenly and an earthly seat of power. This is the Throne that our Father Yahweh will give to Yahshua during His Millennial Reign on the Earth.

To support this idea, Isaiah 22:22 is quoted in Revelation Chapter 3, verse 7, with the verse number seven signifying completion, just as the number 22 does. In Revelation, the Key of David is applied exclusively to Yahshua as the Opener of the Way of Yahweh, or Path to Salvation:

Revelation 3:6-8 - “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 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”:[a] 8 “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.”

Footnotes: [a] Revelation 3:7 - Isaiah 22:22

Fascinatingly, the only other place outside of Isaiah where the Key of David is mentioned is in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3, in reference to the Church of Philadelphia or Brotherly Love. This church is identified as the poor, beleaguered, but faithful Church full of all of the believers that will collectively become Yahshua’s Bride at the Wedding of the Lamb in Heaven after the Rapture:

Revelation 3:10-12 - “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.”

Since these believers remain faithful to Christ to the end of their mortal lives, they are the only church group of the Seven Churches listed in the Book of Revelation that are to be kept “from the hour of trial”, which is a reference to the Great Tribulation. This passage is also a clear allusion to the First Rapture. Interestingly, the Church of Philadelphia is the only church of the seven that is given the honor of being associated with the New Jerusalem, which is to come down from Heaven to Earth “as a bride adorned for her husband”:

Revelation 21:2, 9-12 - “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”...  “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” 

These two passages from the Book of Revelation conclusively show that only the Church of Philadelphia is to be identified with the Bride of Christ, and only Yahshua is to be identified with the Key of David, which is a reference to Christ as the Word of God and Path to Salvation. In a veiled way, it may also be referring to the End Time prophetic nature of the Book of Psalms, which King David of Israel and his son Solomon collectively wrote. The Key of David is also likely tied to the “keys of the kingdom” mentioned by Yahshua in the following verse:

Matthew 16:19 ~ “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.”

Although Yahshua said this to the Apostle Peter after a play on his name “Peter”, which means, “stone”, it is a reference to the stones or rocks that form the Temple of Yahweh that is the True Church formed by the most faithful among the Two Houses of Israel, Judah and Ephraim. This means that the “keys of the kingdom” belong to those who are born again members of the True Church, which is the Bride of Christ. Since the Bride of Christ is in possession of the “keys of the kingdom” - a phrase which likely refers to Yahshua and the Holy Spirit as keys - only the True Church will be able to perform God’s Will on the Earth with the aid of God’s holy angels until Yahshua comes. 

The rest of those who are to be saved from the other six churches described in the Book of Revelation can be associated with the Five Wise Virgin Attendants of the Bride of Christ, as mentioned in the the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins found in Matthew, Chapter 25. To understand this amazing prophetic End Time parable better, please read my article about it, which is described and linked to below:

POEM Blog Article: Deciphering the Parable of the Ten Virgins - Excerpt: The Parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13 is deceptively simple in its subject matter, but surprisingly hard for many to understand because it must be viewed both literally and allegorically to derive the full meaning of the text. Yet, in regard to making correct deductions in the study of End Times Bible Prophecy or Eschatology, it is crucial to understand this Parable from both points of view. 

POEM Blog Article: Deciphering the Parable of the Ten Virgins

http://pillarofenoch.blogspot.com/2012/04/deciphering-parable-of-ten-virgins.html

God bless you! Love you all in Yahshua! Maranatha! 

Yahshua is coming very soon!