Lord of All!

The Book of Revelation applies messianic promises of the Old Testament to the present reign and exalted status of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has governed the Cosmos since his death and resurrection. He is seated at the right hand of God, where he rules as the prince of the kings of the earth. “The woman produced a son who is the shepherd of the nations… And her child was caught up to God and his throne.”

Because of his sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus reigns over all things. “All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” His sovereignty is without limits, and his reign is a present reality – (Matthew 11:27, 28:18).

Not only is Jesus the King and Lord of the Cosmos, but he also reigns as the Son of Man, the High Priest of his people, the Shepherd of the Nations, and above all as the Lamb who redeemed us by his shed blood.

The very first verse of the Book of Revelation points to the centrality of Jesus. The Book is the “revelation of Jesus Christ.” The genitive construction of the Greek clause and the literary context indicate it is both a revelation about Christ and his possession. The revelation belongs to him (“which God gave to him” – Revelation 1:1).

[Photo by Rafael Barquero (Spain) on Unsplash]

The greeting to the churches of Asia describes a messiah who holds the highest position imaginable, and he is the same anointed king who will one day return to gather his people. John’s description incorporates verbal allusions to messianic prophecies from the Psalms and the Prophets:

• “Jesus Christ, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, and THE PRINCE OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. Unto him who loves us and loosed us from our sins through his blood, and made us A KINGDOM, PRIESTS for his God and Father. To him be the glory and THE DOMINION FOREVER AND EVER. Amen. Behold, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see him, and THEY WHO PIERCED HIM. And ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WLL MOURN OVER HIM” - (Revelation 1:5-7. Note the verbal allusions to Exodus 19:5-6, Daniel 7:14 and Zechariah 12:10, as well as the eighty-ninth Psalm).

• “And I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. <…> His seed will endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me; and as the moon that is established forever, and as the faithful witness in heaven” - (Psalm 89:27, 37. From the Septuagint version).

Jesus gave faithful testimony in his sacrificial death. He became the firstborn of the dead when God raised him from the dead. Consequently, the Creator of All Things seated Christ on the messianic throne, as promised in Scripture:

• “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” - (Psalm 110:1).

• “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and made him TO SIT AT HIS RIGHT HAND in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. AND HE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET” - (Ephesians 1:20-22).

• “And the seventh angel sounded. And there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. AND HE WILL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER” - (Revelation 11:15. Note the verbal allusion to Daniel 7:14).

The declarations that Jesus received the everlasting dominion, and that he is coming “on the clouds,” echo the promises found in the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). This same passage is applied to Christ several times in Revelation:

• “I continued looking in the visions of the night, when, behold, one like a Son of Man was coming on the clouds of the heavens, and to the Ancient of Days he approached, and before him, they brought him near; and to him were given dominion and dignity and kingship, that all peoples, races, and tongues should serve him. His dominion was an everlasting dominion. <…> I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most-High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. <…> His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him” – (Daniel 7:13-14, 21-22, 27. Compare Revelation 11:4-7, 11:15, 12:17, 13:7).

This passage from Daniel is the source of the label ‘Son of Man’ found on the lips of Jesus in the four gospel accounts, once in the Book of Acts, and now in Revelation. But what was the promise of an everlasting kingdom and sovereignty in Daniel has become a present reality in the Book of Revelation – (Compare Matthew 26:64, Acts 7:56, Revelation 1:13, 14:14).

When John saw the glorified Son of Man in his first vision (Revelation 1:9-20), in fear, he prostrated himself at the feet of this glorious figure. Jesus reassured the Apostle by declaring:

• “Fear not! I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST, and the Living One! And I became dead; and behold, I am living unto the ages of ages, and I HAVE THE KEYS of Death and of Hades” - (Revelation 1:17-18. Compare Psalm 16:10, 89:48, Revelation 2:8, 3:7 [“He who has the key of David, he who opens, and no one shuts; and who shuts, and no one opens”]. Note also the allusions to Isaiah 22:22, 44:6, 48:12).

And so, even the realm of the dead and Hades is not beyond the authority of the risen and exalted Son of Man, who reigns over all things from the throne of God:

• “David foresaw this, and he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was NEITHER LEFT IN HADES, NOR DID HIS FLESH SEE CORRUPTION. This Jesus did God raise up, of whom we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted by THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this, which you see and hear. For David ascended not into the heavens. But he said himself, THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD, SIT ON MY RIGHT HAND UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL” - (Acts 2:31-35. Note the allusions to Psalm 16:10, 110:1. Compare Matthew 26:64, Acts 7:55-56, Hebrews 1:3).

• “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. <…> And DEATH WILL BE NO MORE” - (Revelation 20:14, 21:4. Compare Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:26, 15:55, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14).

John describes his vision of the Son of Man in Revelation 1:12-20. He is the high priest of his people (“He was clothed with a robe down to the foot and girded at the breasts with a golden girdle”), but he is also the messiah who possesses all power and reigns over the earth, a description echoing several Old Testament passages:

• “And his voice as THE VOICE OF MANY WATERS. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth PROCEEDED A SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD. And his countenance was as THE SUN SHINING IN HIS STRENGTH” – (Revelation 1:16. Compare Daniel 7:9, 10:5-6, 12:3, Revelation 2:1, 3:1, 19:15).

• “But he will judge the cause of the lowly, and he will reprove the lowly of the earth. And he will smite the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will destroy the ungodly” – (Isaiah 11:4).

• “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. And the earth was illuminated with his glory” – (Ezekiel 43:2).

• “And the city has NO NEED OF THE SUN, NEITHER OF THE MOON, to illuminate it. For the glory of God illuminated it, and the city’s lamp is the Lamb” - (Revelation 21:23. Compare Isaiah 60:19).

Jesus is our high priest who redeemed us (“He freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom of priests”). But he is also the glorious Son of Man who rules over the nations. The seven stars in his right hand represent the seven churches of Asia, for he is the messiah who holds his people tightly in his hand, especially when they suffer for his name. He is the king unlike any other.

SHEPHERD AND LAMB

At the end of the letters to the seven churches, Jesus promises that Christians who overcome will reign with him:

• “He who overcomes, I will give him to sit with me on my throne, even as I overcame and sat with my Father on his throne” - (Revelation 3:21. Compare Revelation 11:15, Psalm 110:1, Daniel 2:44, 7:13).

Thus, Jesus confirms his present status as the king who reigns over all things. However, he defines the nature of his rule in a way that sets it apart from the political systems of the world order.

Christians qualify to reign with Jesus by overcoming the Devil in the same manner that he did. God appointed Christ as ruler because he conquered his enemies through his sacrificial death, and not by military might or violence. The only life sacrificed was his own. We are called to overcome in the same manner:

• “And they overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their life even unto death” – (Revelation 12:11).

In Chapter 5, the sacrificial Lamb is declared worthy to open the scroll and receive all power and authority, not the predatory lion. The Lamb is the messiah who breaks the seven seals, revealing and implementing their contents:

• “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, for you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and made them A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS for our God. And they are reigning upon the earth. <…> Worthy is the Lamb who has been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and glory, and blessing” – (Revelation 5:9-10, 12. Compare Exodus 19:5-6, Revelation 1:4-7, 20:4-6).

Jesus is first called ‘the Lamb’ in Revelation 5:6, and this becomes his primary name for the remainder of the Book, a total of twenty-eight times (“And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain”). In contrast, he is called ‘Jesus’ fourteen times, and ‘Christ’ only seven times.

In Chapter 12, the woman clothed with the sun gives birth to the messianic son who will be the shepherd of the nations. This child was immediately taken to the throne of God. John alludes to the Second Psalm in this passage to make his point:

• “And SHE GAVE BIRTH to a son, A MALE, WHO IS TO SHEPHERD THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON. And her child was taken to God and to his throne” – (Revelation 12:5. Note the allusions to Psalm 2:6-9 and Isaiah 66:7. Compare Revelation 2:26-27, 7:15-17, 19:15).

When John declares that Jesus is the ‘King of kings’, he specifically calls him the Lamb. It is the Slain Lamb who is the ruler over all other authorities, including the kings of the earth:

• “These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS. And they that are with him, called and chosen and faithful” – (Revelation 17:14. Compare Revelation 19:16. Note the verbal allusion to Daniel 2:47 [“The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly, your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings…”]).

At the end of the Book, it is “the Lamb” who is found reigning in the Holy City, New Jerusalem. The Lamb is the lamp that illuminates the city. The book of life that determines who will inherit everlasting life is “the book of life of the Lamb.” It is the Lamb who sits on the throne with God, and the victorious saints have the name of the Lamb on their foreheads – (Revelation 14:1, 21:22-27, 22:1-4).

• “Behold, I COME QUICKLY, and MY REWARD IS WITH ME, TO RECOMPENSE EACH MAN according to his works. I am the Alpha and the Omega, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to THE TREE OF LIFE, and may enter in by the gates into the city” – (Revelation 22:12-14. Compare Genesis 2:9, Isaiah 40:10, 48:12, Zephaniah 1:14).

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• Our Shepherd and King - (The reign of Christ began after his death and resurrection, and since then, he has been guiding the nations to the New Jerusalem)

• The Great Day - (The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present world order, accomplish the resurrection of the dead, and inaugurate the New Creation)

• New Jerusalem Inhabited - (New Jerusalem is populated fully in fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham to bless all the nations – Revelation 21:24-22:5)

• Seigneur de Tous! - (Le Livre de l'Apocalypse applique les promesses messianiques de l'Ancien Testament au règne actuel et au statut exalté de Jésus-Christ)