The True King

Jesus, the Slain Lamb, is the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth, the King of Kings, who reigns over all the nations.

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Already, he is seated on the Throne of David. Because of his obedient death, God resurrected Christ and appointed him as “the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” He is the only true emperor, the foremost prince, who reigns over the nations. All other political powers are subordinate to him, whether they know it or not.

Just before he ascended to God’s right hand, the Nazarene declared that His Father had bestowed all authority on him: “In Heaven and on Earth.” His authority is limitless and a present reality.

[Denali - Photo by Bryan Goff (California) on Unsplash]

Only the Kingdom of God will endure forever. All other realms and regimes will vanish from the Earth, sooner or later. None of them will survive beyond the moment of Christ’s return – (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 1:5).

• “Then comes the end, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he will abolish all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. <…> And when all things have been subjected to him, then the Son also will be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all” – (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

Not only is Jesus the present ruler of God’s kingdom, but every man, woman, and child redeemed by his blood becomes a member of his priestly kingdom and reigns with him, except his disciples overcome and reign in the same manner that he did:

• “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 loosed us from our sins through his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father <…> He that overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my Throne, just as I overcame and sat with my Father on his throne. <…> The Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful”  - (Revelation 1:5-6, 3:21, 17:14).

The Greek noun translated as “ruler” in Revelation 1:5 is ‘archôn’ (αρχων), meaning “the first, primary, foremost, chief prince.” Jesus is not just another king or even a king among kings, but rather a ruler of a much higher rank to whom the kings, tyrants, and presidents of this age must answer.

THE ROYAL LAMB

Similarly, the Book of Revelation also calls Jesus “the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.” Even the Beast from the Sea is unable to attack the Church until it is authorized to do so by the Lamb (“And it was given to it to wage war on the saints…” - Revelation 13:7, 17:14, 19:16).

It is the sacrificial Lamb who sits on the Divine Throne. In Chapter 5 of Revelation, John hears one of the twenty-four elders announce the victory of the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah,” but when he turns to look, he sees instead the Slain Lamb. What John saw interprets what he first heard.

In other words, Jesus is the Messiah of Israel destined to rule the nations, but he does so as the sacrificial Lamb rather than the predatory lion – (Revelation 5:5-6).

This understanding is confirmed when the twenty-four elders prostrate themselves before the Lamb:

• “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals, for you were slain, and you purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God. And they are reigning on the earth. <…> Worthy is the Lamb that has been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and glory, and blessing. <…>  Unto him who is sitting on the throne, and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever” – (Revelation 5:9-14).

It is the Lamb who is worthy to open the Sealed Scroll, not the Lion, and it is the Lamb who immediately takes the scroll from the right hand of God and begins to open its seals.

From this point until the end of the Book, it is the Lamb who sits with God on the Throne, even in the Holy City, New Jerusalem, at the conclusion of Revelation. Jesus never ceases to be the Lamb after Chapter 5. He is the Messiah destined by God to rule the nations forever, as promised in the Hebrew Scriptures:

• “And she brought forth a son, a male, who is going to shepherd all the nations with a scepter of iron” – (Revelation 12:5).

• “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and as your possession, the ends of the earth. You will rule them with a scepter of iron” – (Psalm 2:8-9).

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign until the ages of ages” – (Revelation 11:15).

HIS PRIESTLY KINGDOM

Because he possesses absolute authority, Jesus sends his disciples as his envoys to proclaim his message and his sovereignty “to the ends of the Earth.” That is how we, as his disciples, participate in his reign and priestly kingdom. Because of his “obedience unto death,” God made Jesus “both Messiah and Lord,” as well as the royal son of David and King who now reigns from Zion – (Acts 2:36, Ephesians 1:20-22, Revelation 14:1-4).

We proclaim his lordship to the nations of the Earth. All men are called to submit to his sovereignty and receive his salvation while time remains before the final judgment. All those who receive the forgiveness of sins and submit to Christ as Lord become citizens of his “Kingdom of Priests” - (Exodus 19:5, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 1:5-6).

The man from Nazareth has become the only King who reigns over the nations, the Earth, and the Cosmos. This distinction does not belong to Caesar or any other world ruler of this age, whether king, dictator, prime minister, or president. Only Jesus, the Lamb slain to redeem humanity, has received “all power and authority.”

• “Fear not! I am the first and the last, and the Living one. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” - (Revelation 1:17-18).

There is nothing that is beyond his reach, including the realm of the dead. Each of us will be held to account for every deed we have done, and every word we have spoken, when “the King of kings” appears on “the clouds of heaven” to gather his elect and judge the nations.

If we have rejected Jesus as Savior and King, we will “be cast into outer darkness” and suffer “everlasting destruction.” However, if we remain faithful to him even when doing so brings suffering and death, then we will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of his Father.”

• “And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony; and because they loved not their life even unto death” – (Revelation 12:10-11).

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SEE ALSO:

• The Ruler of Kings - (Jesus, the Faithful Witness, now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations to the Holy City of New Jerusalem)

• Our Only Hope! - (Only Jesus is the Light of the World, the expression of God, and the source of truth, life, and salvation, and he alone reigns supreme)

• Allegiance - (Only God’s Kingdom will prevail and endure forever. All other political powers are transitory. Already they are passing away)

• Le Vrai Roi - (Jésus, l'Agneau immolé, est le Souverain des Rois de la Terre, le Roi des Rois, qui règne sur toutes les nations)