Death has lost its dominion!

From Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey through the Book of Revelation (p. 47-8):

"He laid his right hand on me, saying 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the Living One; and I was dead, and look! I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys to death and Hades'"(Rev. 1:17-18). Literally Jesus says, "Stop being afraid." Why? Because Jesus Christ has walked into the gaping jaws of the greatest enemy there is. On the cross he let all the powers that threaten to undo us have their unrestrained way with him. He let death take him captive. And then he burst out of the prison and carried away the prison keys!

... Jesus Christ has stolen the weapon of fear. Fear is a powerful force. Fear can keep us from doing what is right; and it can make us do what we know is wrong. All fear is firmly rooted in the fear of death. The fear of criticism, the fear of rejection, the fear of financial loss, the fear of pain--they are all, at rock bottom, the fear of death.

Let the imagery grab you! "I have the keys of death!" No one else has them. "I am alive . . . and I have the keys!"