tRev 1:17-20   "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead."  When a child of God sees the Lord in his glory and his holiness, he sees himself as a sinner condemned by the righteous laws and judgments of God.

Isaiah spoke of his condition in Isaiah Chapter 6 as follows:  Is. 6:5 "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."  Thankfully the Lord doesn't leave us in this condition as he says unto us, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen."  If it weren't for the Lord telling us to fear not we would be left in a state of torment.  It is he who lives and was dead. 

Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross to deliver us from our sins.  Now he has arisen from the grave is alive for evermore, whereby he ever liveth and maketh intercession for us according to the will of God.  As the 8^th chapter of Romans says, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge to God's elect?"  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.

Christ has the keys of hell and of death.  He hasn't given these keys to any man.  Therefore, those who think the keys of hell and death reside in the hands of preachers is sadly mistaken.  They cannot send anyone to hell or eternal death, nor deliver anyone from hell or eternal death.  These keys reside alone in the hands of the Lord and he has chosen a people to be his before the foundation of the world and he has died to redeem them from their sins and therefore exempts them from hell and eternal death.

"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter."  There are things which have happened in the past such as God's election of a people by grace and his covenant of redemption that he made with himself before the world began and Jesus coming to redeem his people from their sins.  There are things which are and have happened in the present such as the new or spiritual birth by God's sovereign will and the church kingdom he has set up and all the things pertaining thereto.  There are things which shall be hereafter based on things that have happened in the past and present: the resurrection of the dead and eternal glory.  These are the things that John had seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.  These were the things that John was commanded to write and he did write according to that commandment.           

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."  As we have stated earlier in our studies this verse is given to us as the key as to how we can know what the signs in the book of Revelation mean.  The Lord himself gives us the meaning of the signs in his word.  We need not look anywhere else for the meaning of the signs, but rather search the scriptures for their meaning and this we will do through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.