Kingdom Disciples

Humanity is divided into two and only two groups – The followers of the Lamb or subjects of the Beast . In the Book of Revelation , every human being is either “ Tabernacling in Heaven ” or included among the “ Inhabitants of the Earth .” These descriptions are not geographical or spatial. They reflect the allegiance of either group. A man or woman either belongs to “ Heaven ” or to the “ Earth .” Those who “ Tabernacle in Heaven ” elect to “ follow the Lamb wherever he goes ” no matter the cost, but the “ Inhabitants of the Earth ” are enslaved by the “ Dragon ” and await a grim fate.

Jesus admonished his disciples: If anyone wishes to come after him, “ Let him deny himself daily, take up his cross, and follow after me .” This is more than metaphorical or hyperbolic language. It was said at the very time the Nazarene was on his final journey to Jerusalem where he would demonstrate to one and all just what it meant to “ deny yourself and take up the cross .” To borrow a phrase from the older Holiness Movement,  Death to Self .

When certain “ super-apostles ” began undermining his authority, the Apostle Paul warned the Assembly in Corinth not to heed anyone who “ proclaimed another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or a different spirit, or a different Gospel .” He pointed to the same Jesus that he first proclaimed, the “ Crucified Messiah ,” the Jesus who is the measuring rod against which all other messianic claimants must be evaluated.

In the  Book of Revelation , Jesus is called the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth ,” a declaration made in the  PRESENT TENSE . His present sovereignty over the Earth and its nations is based on his past death and resurrection,  NOT  on any hereditary rights, economic power, or military might. He sits on God’s Throne as the slain “ Lamb ” where he reigns over all things as the result of his submission to an unjust death.