The True Emperor

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

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the nations since his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Even now, he is seated on the Throne of David at the right hand of God. Because of his “obedience unto death,” God appointed him as “the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” He is the only true emperor, and global hegemony belongs to him alone. All other political powers are subordinate to him.

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 present authority is without limits, just as promised in the Scriptures – (Matthew 28:18-20).

• “Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me, You are my son! This day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You will shepherd them with a rod of iron. You will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel” – (Psalm 2:6-9).

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

• “For David ascended not into the heavens. But he said himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, therefore, that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” – (Acts 2:34-36).

[Iceland - Photo by Frugal Flyer (Canada) on Unsplash]

Only the Kingdom of God will endure. All other realms and regimes will vanish from the Earth, sooner or later. None 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 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. However, his disciples reign in the same manner as him:

• “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, dictators, emperors, and presidents of this age owe their submission, and to whom they must answer one day soon.

Similarly, the Book of Revelation also designates Jesus to be “the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.” Even the Beast from the Sea cannot attack the Church until authorized 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 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.” When John turns to look, however, he sees the Slain Lamb, not the lion. What John sees interprets what he first hears.

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

This understanding is confirmed when the twenty-four elders prostrate themselves before the Lamb who was slain. By his death, Jesus purchased men from every nation for his kingdom:

• “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 gave his life to redeem humanity who alone is worthy to open the Sealed Scroll, not the Lion, and it is the Lamb who then takes the scroll from the right hand of God and begins to break open its Seven Seals.

From this point forward in the Book of Revelation, the Lamb sits with God on the Throne, even in New Jerusalem at the conclusion of the Book. Jesus never ceases to be the Lamb after Chapter 5 – (Revelation 7:17, 22:3 – “And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city”).

HIS PRIESTLY KINGDOM

Christ now sends his disciples as his envoys to proclaim his message and 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, God made him Lord and Messiah, and Jesus is the royal son of David and King who is reigning 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 coming judgment. Every man and woman who submits will receive the forgiveness of sins and join his “Kingdom of Priests” - (Exodus 19:5, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 1:5-6).

Jesus has become the only true emperor who reigns over the nations, the Earth, and the Cosmos, and his empire will never end. This distinction does not belong to Caesar or any other world ruler of this age.

• “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 the authority of the Lamb, including the realm of the dead. Putting our hope and faith in any other political power is most unwise. We each will be held accountable for every deed we have done, and every word we have spoken, when “the King of kings” appears on “the clouds of heaven,” gathers his elect, and judges the nations. If we have rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord, we will suffer accordingly:

• “The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity. And he will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” – (Matthew 13:41-43).

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

{Published on the CHRIST OR CAESAR blog}