Jesus was saying to Peter, "I will give you and the other apostles the keys of the kingdom. I'm going to reveal to you the mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of heaven, so that you can unlock the blessings, the authority and power of the kingdom and release My righteous judgemens in the earth. And as a result of My giving you these keys and your faithful stewardship of them, I am also giving you the authority necessary to open and close the doors of My kingdom. Therefore, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The keys themselves speak of the apostles' revelation. The giving or entrusting of the keys speaks of the apostles' stewardship of that revelation and the resultant spiritual authority over God's kingdom and His Church. The basis of true apostolic authority is the possession of the keys -the revelation of the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdom. "If a so-called apostle doesn't even understand, let alone faithfully preach the mysteries of Christ's Kingdom, whatever else he may be, he is not an apostle The only way to identify true apostolic ministry and government from the false, is the true apostles possess and faithfully steward the Keys of the Kingdom