<p>1:18 <i>The living one; and I was dead, but behold, I am alive for always, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades</i>- As John lay 'dead' before the Lord (:17), so the Lord reminds John that He too has passed through death and is now alive.</p><p>Baptism commits us to a life of sharing His death and resurrection. When John fell at the Lord&rsquo;s feet &ldquo;as dead&rdquo;, the Lord responded by saying: &lsquo;I too was dead , but no more; I&rsquo;m alive for evermore, and as I died with you and for you, so I live with you and for you, and you do the same for me&rsquo; (Rev. 1:17,18). The idea is 'I am living'. His ongoing living is manifest to us in the gift of the Spirit, the Comforter, which would replace His physical presence with the disciples on earth, making His presence and life just as real to us as if He were literally present. And that promised gift of the Spirit was to be with us &quot;always&quot; (Jn 14:16). In this sense He is &quot;the living one&quot; right now and always. He is not passive, divided from us by space and spirituality; He is alive and living through us.</p><p>The theme is of persecution, of living locked up in life situations we feel trapped in. But the Lord has the keys to death itself. The fact we are guaranteed to overcome even death, which is completely in His power, means that no human system or situation can ultimately trap us. And this has encouragement for those who may not be politically persecuted, but feel locked up in domestic and social situations.</p>