The True Emperor

Jesus of Nazareth is the King of Kings and the True Emperor who reigns supreme over the Cosmos.

Jesus has reigned over the nations since his death, resurrection, and exaltation. Even now, the slain Lamb sits firmly on the messianic throne. Because of his obedience and submission to an unjust death, God made him the ruler of the kings of the Earth. But it is the sacrificial Lamb that reigns.

Thus, Jesus of Nazareth is the only true emperor, and global dominion belongs to him. All other political powers are subordinate to Christ, and they retain power only as long as he permits. Jesus shares the throne with his Father and no one else.

Jesus declared that His Father has bestowed all authority on him, “in Heaven and on Earth” (Matthew 28:18-20). His present authority is limitless, just as promised in the scriptures and confirmed by the Apostles of Christ:

• “But I have been made king by him on Zion, his holy mountain, declaring the ordinance of the Lord. The Lord said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You will shepherd them with a rod of iron. You will shatter them as a potter's vessel” – (Psalm 2:6-9, the Septuagint version).

• “And we bring you good tidings of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled the same for our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, YOU ARE MY SON. THIS DAY, I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU” – (Acts 13:32-34. Compare Hebrews 1:5-6, 5:5, Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5, 19:15).

[Cross photo by Anna Scarfiello on Unsplash]

In the end, the Kingdom of God is the only political reality that will endure. All other kingdoms and empires will vanish from the Earth, sooner or later. Jesus is the true emperor who reigns over all things:

• “Jesus Christ, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, the FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, and the RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. Unto him who loves us and CLEANSED US FROM OUR SINS through his blood, and MADE US A KINGDOM, PRIESTS for his God and Father” - (Revelation 1:5-6. Note the allusions to Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 16:30, Psalm 89:27, 37. Regarding the priestly kingdom, compare 1 Peter 2:5-10, Revelation 5:9-10, 20:4).

The present authority of Jesus is anchored firmly in his past death and resurrection. His self-sacrificial death is his “faithful testimony,” and because of his faithfulness, God raised him from the dead, making Christ “the firstborn of the dead” (“I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades” – Revelation 1:18. Compare Revelation 2:8, 3:14 [“The faithful and true witness”]).

Thus, Christ’s exalted position is the result of his death and resurrection. The slain Lamb is the messianic king who possesses “seven horns and seven eyes,” representing his unlimited authority and knowledge - (Revelation 5:6).

The idea of Jesus being exalted because of his sacrificial death is presented in several ways. For example, the slain Lamb is declared “worthy” to receive all authority, and the Lamb “conquered” his enemies through his own death, thus qualifying to exercise the full authority of God from the divine throne - (Revelation 5:5-12. Compare Revelation 5:5-12, 12:11).

The slain Lamb took his seat on the divine throne and began to reign over the Cosmos, and he received sovereignty because he redeemed men from every nation through his death - (Revelation 5:9-10. See also Revelation 13:8, 14:4).

The Lamb is called “the king of kings and lord of lords.” He is the supreme sovereign over all things, and his authority extends even over the realm of the dead – (Revelation 1:17-18, 3:7, 17:14, 19:16, 20:14).

As promised in the Second Psalm, Jesus is also the “shepherd of the nations.” Unlike the counterfeit world emperor, he leads his redeemed people to life - (Revelation 12:5, 19:15. [“He will shepherd them with a rod of iron,” Psalm 2:9, Septuagint]):

• “For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to FOUNTAINS OF LIVING WATERS, and God WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES”- (Revelation 7:17. Note the allusions to Isaiah 25:8, 49:10).

By his sacrificial death, the True Emperor has cleansed us from our sins, purchased us for God, and defeated our accuser, the Dragon. He is shepherding us to everlasting life in New Jerusalem, where we will eat of the “Tree of Life” and the curse will cease to exist. The Lamb has inscribed his name and the name of his God on our foreheads, and therefore we will stand with him on Mount Zion and reign with him on his throne.

The Lamb has written our names in the book of life, and so, we will never know the second death. Jesus will declare our names before his Father, and he will make us pillars in his sanctuary. Because he is the ruler of the kings of the earth and the shepherd of the nations, kings and nations will inhabit the city of New Jerusalem – (Revelation 21:24).

In addition to ‘king’, ‘ruler’, and ‘lamb’, Jesus is also called the “one like a son of man,” “he who has the keys of David,” “the first and the last,” “the Amen,” “the beginning of the creation of God,” “the Son of God,” “the faithful and true witness,” “the word of God,” and “the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.”

THE IMPERIAL BEAST

The Beast is the embodiment of the World Empire that periodically confronts the Lamb and attempts to destroy the people of God – (Revelation 17:9, “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings. The five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come”).

Unlike Jesus, the Beast has no analogue from the animal kingdom. It is a grotesque creature that resembles a leopard with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion, and it has “ten horns and seven heads.” The seven heads have the “names of blasphemy” – (Revelation 13:1-2. Compare Daniel 7:1-8).

The imperial creature is called “the Beast,” “the Beast from the Abyss,” “the Beast from the Sea,” and “the Scarlet Beast.” The “seven heads and ten horns” of the Beast link it with the Dragon, “the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole habitable earth.” In contrast to the Lamb, the Beast operates with the authority of Satan. Thus, the Beast sits on the “throne of Satan” and persecutes the saints – (Revelation 2:13, 12:3, 12:9).

The Beast does not sacrifice himself to redeem men and women. Instead, he persecutes and kills his opponents, especially those who have “the testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 2:13, 6:9, 11:7, 12:17, 13:10 [“And it was given to the Beast to make war on the saints and to overcome them”]).

As for the rest of humanity, “the inhabitants of the earth,” the Beast and its agents use economic control, religious deception, and political ideology to deceive and coerce men to give their allegiance to the Beast and worship the Dragon– (Revelation 13:11-18).

Instead of guiding his followers to life in the New Creation, the Beast leads them into further sin, hardening their hearts to the Word of God, and ultimately to the second death, judgment and destruction – (Revelation 9:20-21, “And the rest of mankind repented not of the works of their hands”).

Rather than inscribing the name of the Lamb on the foreheads of men, the Beast tattoos his name and the number of his name on his subjects. The inhabitants of the earth who take the mark of the Beast are destined for everlasting destruction. They will never enter the Holy City or partake of the Tree of Life. Unlike the men who “follow the Lamb wherever he goes,” the names of these men are not written in the book of life – (Revelation 13:16-18, 14:8-11, 20:15).

The Beast from the Sea is a counterfeit, a pale imitation of the Lamb. The False Prophet, for example, has two horns like a lamb. But he only pretends to be a lamb, and he speaks with the voice of the Dragon. The Lamb, on the other hand, has seven horns, representing the fullness of his authority from God – (Revelation 5:5, 13:11).

Moreover, the Beast imitates the death and resurrection of Jesus to further deceive the inhabitants of the earth. He is a false messiah:

• “And I saw one of his heads as though it had been slain unto death. And his death-stroke was healed, and the inhabitants of the earth wondered after the beast” - (Revelation 13:3).

• “The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is going to ascend out of the abyss, and to go unto destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth will wonder, those whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and will come” - (Revelation 17:8).

Jesus is the first and the last, the messiah who died and lived again. He now has the keys of death and Hades, and he will live forevermore. The “resurrection” of the Beast is a trick and a temporary reprieve. He remains destined for destruction, and he only receives authority to operate for a limited time, forty-two months. At the end of this period, he and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire - (Revelation 19:20).

The Book of Revelation thus presents two options. We must choose either to follow the sacrificial Lamb, the one true emperor, or to submit ourselves to the satanic counterfeit, the Beast from the Abyss.

We are not only called to participate in the kingdom and testimony of Jesus, but also “in the endurance.” It is vital that we remain steadfast in our commitment to the Lamb. Our names are written in his book of life, but they can be erased from the book if we fail to persevere and remain faithful to Jesus – (Revelation 1:9):

• “He that overcomes will be arrayed in white garments; and I will certainly not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father and his angels. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” – (Revelation 3:5).

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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:

• The Lamb and the Dragon - (Every man and woman must choose whether to follow the Lamb or submit to the Dragon and his antichrist agenda)

• The Choice - (Disciples of Jesus and others who give their allegiance and devotion to the State are at risk of taking the Mark of the Beast)

• Swearing Allegiance - (In the Book of Revelation, every man and woman must choose between loyalty to the Beast from the Sea or the Sacrificial Lamb)

• Le Véritable Empereur - (Jésus de Nazareth est le Roi des Rois et le Véritable Empereur qui règne en maître sur le Cosmos)