What exactly were the keys of the kingdom of Heaven?
There is no metal, or physical object involved here. It was the message of the gospel, of Peter unlocking the door of the gospel for the Jews (Acts 2) and later for the Gentiles in Acts 10, as The NIV Study Bible p.1466 says. Jesus also said the scribes had Pharisees shut the kingdom of Heaven in men s faces in Matthew 23:13. In Luke 11:52, the experts in the law took away the key to knowledge. The keeper of the keys was one of the most important roles a household servant could hold (cf. Mk 13:32 34); a high official held the keys in a royal kingdom (Is 22:20 22) and in God s house, the temple. Keys here refer to the authority to admit into the kingdom (Mt 23:13), based on the knowledge of the truth about Jesus (16:16). The Qumran community also had officials deciding whether to admit members; the decision was made based on the prospective member s acceptance of the community s rule of life. Many Jews felt that the Jewish high court acted on the authority of God s tribunal in heaven, i
