Jesus said, “I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” not “the keys to the kingdom.” (Matthew 16:19)
Sometimes people think they have the keys to the kingdom. No, we have the keys of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is within us; we are in it now. Now there is a great difference in the keys TO the kingdom and the keys OF the kingdom.
If someone gave you the keys to a large hotel, it would get you into the main hall, but you probably couldn’t get into one room in that hotel. If you have the keys of the hotel you can get into every room.
Jesus said, “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God: and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:31-32) The literal Greek says the Father took great delight in giving you the kingdom. So we are in the kingdom of God today and the kingdom of God is within us. “… The kingdom of God cometh not with observation…the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
God Has Given Us the Kingdom
We have the keys. We are capable of operating in that kingdom. A key in that day represented knowledge. The people that were highly educated in that day, instead of getting a diploma from a school, wore big keys that hung on their belt. You could look at a person and see how educated they were. The keys stood for knowledge, and a key is something that unlocks. Jesus said, “I give you the keys of the kingdom,” then immediately revealed some knowledge of those keys. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Too many people are waiting for God to move, and praying for God to do something about their finances. They’ve been praying for God to do many things that the Bible tells us to do.
In Joshua 1:8 God told Joshua,“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success.” You notice that it was Joshua that was going to cause good success to come his way, if he did what God told him to do. Joshua couldn’t expect to receive the things God said he could have if he didn’t do what God told him to do. Neither can we expect to walk in victory if we don’t use the keys of the kingdom that God has given us on earth.
One translation reads: “whatever thou has authority to bind on earth is what is already bound in heaven, whatsoever thou has authority to loose on earth is what is already loosed in heaven.” Well, that adds some light to it.
There is no sickness, no disease, no poverty there. We have the authority to bind that on the earth, and stop it from operating on the part we’re walking on. Then what is loosed in heaven? There is health up there, there is happiness, there is prosperity. There is no lack there. Thank God we have the authority to loose those things on the earth. It must be the will of God for it to be on the earth as it is in heaven. Jesus even taught the disciples to pray this way. “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) If Jesus said to pray this way, then it has to be God’s will. We know Jesus would not ask His disciples to pray something against the will of God.
Some people believe God intended for the earth to fall under satan’s rule. They believe that God intended for the earth to be a lower order, but I believe God designed it to operate in the laws of the Spirit world and to be a duplication of the planet that spawned it, and of the spirit world that brought it into existence.
Through the fall of man the earth was brought down to a lower order. When Adam bowed his knee to satan, and satan became the god of the world system, then all men came under that system. But Jesus came to destroy, to loosen, dissolve and undo the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8b) Jesus took back that authority and delivered it back to man. Jesus said I will give you the keys of the kingdom. You can see that is future, but he brought it into the present.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he was heard to proclaim, “… All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) He had it all – all power. Then He turned to the believers and said you go. The 16th chapter of Mark records it, “Now you go in my name, you cast out demons, you speak with new tongues, you lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” So Jesus returned that authority to the believer. Some think He carried it on to heaven with Him, and when we get to heaven we’ll have this power and this authority. Well, what will we do with it then? We don’t need it then; we need it now. There will be no enemy in heaven. There will be no sickness there, no disease there, no poverty there. We need it now, here in this earth, in this life. Jesus said I give you the keys of the kingdom, and one of the keys of the kingdom is “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” All heaven will stand behind what you bind in Jesus’ name.
How Do You Bind?
You can bind satan with your words, and you can render him harmless and ineffective against you by using the Word of God, by speaking in agreement with what God says.
Paul says, “neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians) Evidently we can give place to the devil, especially with our words. “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth…” (Proverbs 6:2)
Many are binding their finances by the words of their mouth. They are loosing the ability of satan against their home by saying “satan is destroying my home”, or “satan is stealing my finances.” Jesus gave you the power of binding and loosing, and you are loosing the wrong thing.
As He stood on the mountain and said, “all power is given unto me in heaven and earth,” He turned immediately to the disciples and gave all who believe in His name, the keys of the kingdom. He gave the authority of this earth to man, and man became the agent which God uses to bring about His work in the earth. Too many people are still waiting for God to move in the earth. They want God to do something about the devil, sickness, and poverty, when God has already done all He is going to do about the devil until the end time. He has done it all through Jesus. We must act on His words and do the things He said to do.
Charles Capps is a retired farmer, land developer, and Bible teacher who has traveled extensively throughout the United States and several foreign countries sharing the truths of God's Word. He has taught Bible seminars for over 35 years, emphasizing the authority of the believer, faith and the power of words.
Charles and Peggy both have their roots in the rich farmland of Lonoke County, Arkansas. Having been raised by parents who were farmers, Charles began farming cotton, soybeans, and rice immediately after graduating from high school and marrying in 1951.
Peggy, being 3 1/2 months older than Charles had to sign as the adult on his behalf when he wanted to begin flying lessons at the age of 17. They joined an organization known as the Flying Farmers and gained experience going to "fly-ins" and national meetings across the United States. Neither knew that this skill of flying would be such an asset later when Charles began teaching personal evangelism in the 1960's. He spoke on the subject of soulwinning in churches not only in the US, but flew his twin engine Piper Comanche to the Bahamas to teach students of Youth With a Mission how to share Christ with others.
After reading a book by Kenneth E. Hagin entitled, "Authority of the Believer", Charles and Peggy's life took on a new dimension of travel and ministry as Charles became known for his teaching gift and insight on the subjects of faith and confession. Invitations to minister to the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) began to pour in, eventually leading to the publication of his teachings in book form. "The Tongue a Creative Force" and "God's Creative Power(r) Will Work for You" became bestsellers after Buddy Harrison, Kenneth Hagin's son in law, launched his publishing company with these two classics. These two books have sold millions (the God's Creative Power(r) series has sold over 5 million copies) and are still much in demand today.
We celebrated Charles' promotion to heaven at 5:15 pm Sunday, February 23, 2014. He informed the family and close friends on Friday that he would be going home to heaven in 3 days. After having some final words with family and friends on Saturday, he went to bed, went to sleep and never awoke. (He kept saying, "I want to go in my sleep.") His wife and daughters had the privilege of being with him as he finally got that glorified body he always talked about. Charles Capps was a man of integrity, a man of his word and he got what he said. He called those things that be not as though they were.
Charles Capps broadcast called, "Concepts of Faith", continues a daily national radio broadcast and a weekly television broadcast aired over several networks, satellite, and the internet. Click on the Radio or TV link to find the broadcast in your area.
Peggy continues to reside in Arkansas. Both Charles' and Peggy's daughters, Annette and Beverly are involved in the ministry.
