NAMES OF CHRIST IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION (APOCALYPSE)

What’s in a name? Names have been important from the beginning of civilization. God gave Adam a name. He even had Adam name the animals.

Names accomplish many purposes. The American Indians believe that names can have great power, and the power of naming is still a greater power. If this is true, then the names which God attributes to Himself must be of great importance.

This study examines the many names of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. Revelation is a book which presents “the great revealing.” It discloses the full character and identity of Jesus of Nazareth by lifting the veil.

Christ’s identity and work are outlined by His various names in this great book. I provided links to the verse and chapter in the Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse) where these names can be found.  I strongly recommend that you frequently read the entire Book of Revelation so you can experience the broader context of these verses.  The Bible promises blessing to those who do!  That blessing is Christ Himself.

1:1 Jesus

“…Ἰησοῦς…”

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What Christian does not thrill to that name? The only exception is when he hears it muttered as a curse word.

 Jesus has been given a Name above all other names, at which every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9,10). We are to esteem and honor the name of Jesus just as we revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain. Jesus Himself said, “… that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment…” (Matthew 12:36). The Third Commandment forbids taking or using the Lord’s name in an irreverent manner. A person who misuses God’s name will not be held “guiltless” by the Lord (Exodus 20:7). Bringing dishonor on God’s name indicates his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of holy retribution. It is essentially the same as denying God’s existence and the majesty of Jesus, the Son of God.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved – Act 4:12.

The Jesus is the Latin form (Iesus) of the Greek form (Ἰησοῦς) of the Hebrew name Joshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) – a contraction of Jehoshua, meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” Sometimes the name is spelled Hoshea (הוֹשֵׁעַ – Numbers 13:8, 16).

Jesus is the hu­man name of our Lord. It emphasizes His actual and genuine humanity, but it also emphasizes the purpose of His com­ing. The angel instructed Joseph in Matthew 1:21: “… and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Since only God can truly redeem sinners, and the work of salvation is not accomplished in heaven; therefore, “… God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“This is a faithful saying, . . . that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). The Man Jesus had to come into the world to accomplish this work, for it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away the sins of men. (Hebrews 10:4). Nothing less than the blood of the human Jesus was necessary to accomplish the redemption of sinners (Hebrews 9:22; 10:8-10). When He came into the world, He told the Father, “… a body you have prepared for Me…” (10:5); therefore, “… I have come to do thy will …” (10:9), and “…By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (10:10).

1:1 Christ

“…Χριστοῦ …”

Christ is more of a title than a name; but since it is so often used as a name, this list includes it. It is an anglicized version of the Greek (Χριστός) for the Hebrew Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ) which means “anointed one.”

The Anointed One. What does this title mean? To study this word would require many pages of commentary.  For the sake of time and space I will strain to provide as concise an overview as possible.

Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ) means in its simplest form the oiling of the body. In ancient times it was used two ways: 1) to restore physical well-being. It was an act associated with the purpose of cleansing. The aim was to give the anointed one power and strength; and, 2) it was a legal action. It was a ceremony carried out at a king’s enthronement. The act of anointing confers upon the anointed one the ability to rule.

In Jewish eschatology Messiah became a technical term for the long-awaited, divinely chosen King of the Davidic line who would rule over the golden age. The prophets and the Psalms teach that the messianic king would not be simply another in a series of “anointed” rulers, but He was The Anointed One.  He is “anointed” par excellence, a King of kings who would destroy the enemies of Israel and install a reign of peace and prosperity.

The New Testament writers bring their messianic expectations with them from their Jewish history and employ it in the Gospels and Epistles. We read in the Gospels that the messianic expectation was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus called Himself the Messiah.

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1:5 The Faithful Witness

“… Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς, ὁ πιστός…”

Most English texts translate the phrase as the faithful witness.  Few would argue against this interpretation, for it is a good one. That is exactly what it means. The word-for-word, literal translation and word order is “Jesus Christ the witness the faithful.”

Jesus is faithful.  He is worthy of belief, trust, and confidence.

Jesus is The Witness. He alone is qualified to give a genuine account of the things of God. He alone is legally and historically qualified to perceive the facts, and then to come forward with them in a competent way to present them accurately to others. He alone has the direct personal knowledge of God (for He is God) to proclaim the past, present, and future the way they really are.

Jesus is faithful in the sense that He is the one on whose testimony there may be absolute reliance.

Hence, Jesus is the faithful witness concerning Himself and His mission as Prophet, Great High Priest, and King Savior. He was the faithful witness because all things He heard from His Father in heaven made known to His followers: “…the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. …” (John 1:18). He taught the way to God in truth: “…the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. …” (John 1:17). The truth He taught was confirmed by many miracles: “…Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know…”(Act 2:22). Isaiah (ca. 750 B.C.) foretold of Jesus, “…Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander…” (55:4).

By His personal conduct, constitution, declarations, ordinances, death and resurrection, infallibly bears faithful testimony of God’s mind and will, and that He Himself is the Son of God and the promised Messiah.

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1:5 The First Begotten from Among the Dead

“…ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν…”

The Greek actually states “the first-born of the dead.”  πρωτότοκος is a rare word and (as far as we know) has never occurred in literature prior to 300 B.C. It represents “bearing for the first time.”  It can also mean “first in rank.”

The Septuagint uses πρωτότοκος roughly 130 times, the overwhelming majority used in place of בְּכוֹר. The can used as the first born or eldest in a family; however, it is commonly employed as a metaphor to describe anything that is chief (in order of importance) or head among its kind.  Such is the case in Exodus 4:22 God instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh that “…Israel is My son, My firstborn …” Here it is obvious that Israel is not the first nation ever born, but rather it held preeminence in the unfolding plan of God. In Psalm 89:27, the word is used to describe David as the first-born among kings; be aware he was not first-born in regard to age among his siblings. In the minds of the LXX translators πρωτότοκος can therefore denote “chief or head,” and by no means is limited to birth order. Likewise, in Hebrews 11:17 regarding Isaac, who was Abraham’s “son of promise,” or “first-born” but having been born after Ismael was not literally his first son born.

The Lord Jesus is the first-born from the dead; that is to say He is the one who conquered death by rising in a glorified body, which type of body Christians will someday possess. Jesus’s new birth is the pattern and cause of the new birth of His people. Christ was the first who was born to eternal life after the death which ends this life.  “…He [Jesus] is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything…” (Colossians 1:18).

First-begotten from the dead is well explained by Acts 26:23: “…Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles…” Note to the critic: It is true that certain individuals both in the New and Old Testament period rose from the dead; but all of these had been raised by divine power, that is not by their own authority as Jesus did.  Moreover, they died again.

Jesus first rose from the dead to immortal life, and did so by His own power, to become the head of His Church. Jesus is the first-born of all who have been or will be raised from the dead.

Jesus is the first-begotten or first-born from (of) the dead ones.  He is the head (chief) of the resurrection; in fact, He is the resurrection. Jesus is the only one who raised Himself by His own power, and who will by this same power raise up His people from their graves to everlasting life.

Jesus is the preeminent and privileged One, the rightful ruler of heaven and earth to whom glory and dominion will be His forever and ever!

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1:5 The Prince of the Kings of the Earth

“…ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς…”

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Jesus is the Prince of the kings of the earth.  It is from Him that worldly rulers have their authority – and by Him their power is limited and restrained. Their decrees are overruled by Jesus. He also uses their decrees toward achieving a greater end. For example, in Acts 2:23 we read that Jesus was “…delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you [Jews] nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men [Romans] and put Him to death…but God raised Him up again…” Even the actions of evil men are overruled by the sovereign plan of God! The rulers de jure will one day give an account to the Ruler de facto.

Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin – John 19:11.

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God – Romans 13:1.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth – Matthew 28:18.

Christ is higher than any president, monarch, or despot from eternity past, now living, or ever will be. The kingdoms of the world belong to Jesus.

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1:8 Alpha and Omega

“… ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ …”

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If written originally in English the sentence would read, “I am A and Z.” Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Language is made up of sounds which make words. To record them, man has developed writing; and, in most languages, writing is expressed in letters of an alphabet. In so doing man has created an ingenious way storing the accumulated wisdom of the world. All literature is composed of letters of the alphabet arranged in such a way to store knowledge. So Christ transcends all knowledge. “…you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus claims to be what letters and the alphabet are meant to be, namely an expression of truth. He is The Word.  He is the First Word.  He is the Last Word. He is the embodiment of all reality from first to last.

Jesus is saying that He is the beginning and the end of all things. He is the First because all things took their beginning from Him. He is the Last because in Him shall all things have their consummation. Christ is the One who was there when anything or anyone had a beginning, and He will be there when any­thing that has an ending.

Thus He is the eternal One, who had no beginning and who has no ending. Indeed, He created all things, visible and invisible, and by Him all things cohere (Colossians 1:16-17). In Him are hid “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” as Colossians expresses it (2:3).

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1:8 Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come

“…ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος …”

This phrase is used to describe the Eternal Father; but it belongs equally to the Son. He is the great I Am God announced in Exodus 3:12-14.  Jesus is Yahweh (YHWH = יהוה).

Jesus is the same through all reckonings of time. As the Father exists in all the past, present, and future, eternal and unchangeable so Christ, who is the express image of the Father, is “the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever.”

He was with the Father before the world was. He is now at the right hand of the Father. And He is to come in the name and the glory of the Father.

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1:8 The Lord

“…Κύριος …”

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This word Κύριος had a technical meaning in the first century Roman Empire, when the book of Revelation was penned. It does not merely signify “Master,” as Adonai (Lord) meant in the Old Testament.

Ignorant and unbelieving Jehovah’s Witnesses and some Muslims point out that Κύριος simply means “Sir” or “Mister” in the New Testament.  While it is true that Κύριος can be used as a term for respect and honor for a person of high rank, here the meaning carries greater significance.  Do they seriously believe the passage should be translated “…I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says Mister God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”?

When used religiously, it meant that the person so titled was worthy of divine honors. Deified Roman emperors were wrongly called Κύριος. Polycarp, the early Christian martyr, died rather than say Κύριος (Lord) Caesar. He would only say Lord Jesus! Many have failed to recog­nize that the apostles and those to whom they preached knew very well what they meant when they declared Jesus was Κύριος!

1:8 The Almighty

“…ὁ παντοκράτωρ…”

There is no higher name. It declares the com­plete and unqualified subjection of all created things to our Lord Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, if this were the Old Testament, this would be El Shaddai (שַׁדַּי-אֵל). Jesus is El Shaddai, God Most Powerful! He is the supreme, all-powerful Lord!.

“Almighty God” occurs eight times in Revelation, underscoring God’s power as supreme ruler over all creation: He is worshipped by the creatures of heaven (4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7); devils and creatures are mocked for their attempt to overthrow Him (16:14); the armies of heaven follow Him into battle against the forces of evil (19:15); He Himself becomes the glorious dwelling place in which His people exist throughout eternity (21:22).

How rousing it is to Christians’ hearts to read these Old Testament names for God assigned in such a way to show New Testament readers the majesty of the person of Christ, as one with the Father and Spirit. Jesus is the Lord God, the Almighty!

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1:13 Son of Man

“ … υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου…”

This is a noteworthy title throughout the Bible. A survey of the Gospels will reveal that this is the designation Christ used most often of Himself during His earthly ministry. The term refers to the humanity of Jesus.  He is 100% God and 100% Man – at the same time!

In John 5:27 the Father has committed all judgment to Jesus Christ, “because he is the Son of man.” God wishes to assure men of a fair trial. In other words, He says, “My Son who was down there with you is the One to whom I have committed judgment. He can understand you because He became human, like you are. So I have committed your judg­ment to Him.” 

In Daniel 7:13, 14 we read that “… with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. To Him [Christ] was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.…”

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1:17 The First and The Last

“…Ὃ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος …”

The Qur'an calls God the "First and the Last," the identical name that Jesus calls Himself in the Book of Revelation

This is similar to “the beginning and the ending” (1:8), but it carries further emphasis of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. He holds primacy as well as preeminence. And all things will be gathered up into Him; He is the goal of all of God’s purposes in the universe.

In Isaiah’s prophesies the Creator God calls Himself the “First and the Last” to sum up His supremacy over idols:

“Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'” (41:4) and “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. “Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together” (48:12).

Jesus is the great sovereign Lord over both ends of history and everything in between.

 

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1:18 The Living

“… ὁ ζῶν …”

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In a world where we hear the fatuous cry “God is dead,” this is an uplifting and powerful designation.

Christ is the Ultimate Living One, who has life in Himself: “…For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself…” (John 5:26).  Does Muhammad have life in himself?  How about Joe Smith?  Moses?  Religious teachers come and go, but Jesus lived before them.  He lives now.  And He will live forevermore.

Christ is the bearer of life. Jesus is the Life (John 14:6). This life, which is His essence, is in sharp contrast to the idols of paganism or the false prophets of our time. They are all dead, but Jesus is alive, a life He shares with His people. His people will live because He lives.

John 1:4: In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

John 3:16: …. whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 6:48: I am the bread of life.

John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 10:10: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 11:25: I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies …

John 11:26: everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.

Christians serve a living God, a living Christ. He is the self-existent one. Jesus cannot possibly cease to be, or be other than he is, or less than he is. What reason would Christians  have to fear anything at all?   He has an endless life: Alive Jesus is to the ages of the ages! (…ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων…”).  

What need to do we have of Muhammad, Joseph Smith, or Bahá’u’lláh?  How can they help others, for they are all dead!

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2:18 Son of God

“… υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ …”

This is a familiar name for Christ, but its occurrence in this passage is significant. The title comes from Psalm 2:7, 9: “…I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You … You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware …”

The humanity of the Lord and His relation to the human race are conveyed in the title “Son of Man.” His relation to God is expressed in the title “Son of God.”

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3:12 My New Name

“…τὸ ὄνομά μου τὸ καινόν …”

Whatever title or name Christians have ever called or understood the Lord Jesus, will pale when we meet Him in person. He will give us a new, eternal name by which we will know Him.

This is an unrevealed name; yet it is a glorious privilege to be so loved by Christ to the extent that He would honor His people with a very special name of His choosing, allowing them to be called by it. As a wife shares her husband’s name, so the Church, His bride, shall share in the new name that the Father gives Him.

Christ’s name written on the Christian denotes he shall wholly belong to Him. The name is beyond description, inexpressible, and only known to God; it is to be revealed at a future time.

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3:14 The Beginning of the Creation of God

“…ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ …”

The title is not saying that God created Him first, but as in Colossians 1:15-18 He is the Beginner of all creation. His preeminence over all created things is what is meant.

In this instance ἀρχὴ does not denote the first of a series but priority; rather, He was before all created things, and therefore He is first place and its Head. In Ephesians 1:21 we read that “[Christ is]  far above all principality (ἀρχὴ), and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” In Colossians 2:10 it says “… in Him [Christ] you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule (ἀρχὴ) and authority.”

By Christ everything begins to be. He is the origin, the active cause –  He is the originating mechanism from which all things stem. He is the First Causer, the Creator, and the Governor of it.  When there was a beginning, Christ was there.

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4:8 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty

“…ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ…”

 

This passage is often designated as the trisagion (thrice holy). Many commentators believe this verse is an reference to the Trinity, an attribution to the holiness of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

In Isaiah 6:3 we read “And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Again in Psalm 99:3,5,9: “Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He …Exalt the Yahweh our God And worship at His footstool; Holy is He … Exalt the Yahweh our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the Yahweh our God.”

We should praise Jesus on account of His holy majesty and His holy justice and His holy mercy

Holy, is He who was. Holy, is He who is. Holy, is He who is to come.

He showed Himself an object of holy worship in the past: the creation of all things. More fully He shows Himself holy in governing all things. He will, in the highest degree, show Himself holy in the consummation of all things. “From Him, through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Listen to Holy, Holy, Holy performed by H. Vincent Mitzfelt Orchestra:

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5:5 The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

“…ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα …”

The Lion of Judah is the municipal emblem of Jerusalem

Observe that Jesus is expressly called The Lion. Jesus It is a reference to Genesis 49:8, 9: “… Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? …” In the prophecy concerning his sons, Jacob had called his son Judah “a lion’s whelp.” The founder of the tribe was called a lion, and now the name is applied to the greatest of all the members of Judah’s tribe, Jesus. 

The figure of a lion presents Jesus as the Great One of the tribe, for the lion is the king of beasts. When a lion roars the entire forest is terrified. When he seizes his prey, none can escape.  Jesus is compared to a lion because of His fierceness and strength.

Fierce Majesty!

Every culture in every land esteems the lion: the crest of British monarchy depicts a lion (England’s most famous king was Richard the Lionheart; Kings and potentates, sultans and viziers, Khans and maharajahs have pursued the lion. So majestic is the mighty lion that Amos 3:8 says “The lion has roared – who will not fear?”

Christ is a lion, clothed with power and majesty. In His lion-like character Jesus crushes every opposing force and establishes His universal kingdom.  He devastates all opposition.

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5:5 The Root of David  22:16 The Son of David

“…ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ …”

David, King of Israel by Nicolas Cordier

By this designation Jesus’s right to rule is grounded in history. The verse connects Him directly to David, the great and glorious monarch of Israel.  Jesus has the legal right to occupy David’s throne.

Jesus is described as the Root of David, as He is in Romans 15:12 as the Root of Jesse (quoting Isaiah 11:10): “There shall come the Root of Jesse, and He who arises to rule the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles hope.” This verse declares Him a descendent of the David – the royal king – who with devastating force will compel the wicked of the earth to succumb to His authority. Jesse was David’s father, through whose line the messianic king would come.  The Root of David will also attract non-Jews who will inhabit the future kingdom.

Jesus Christ is the foundation on which the Davidic hopes rest. God made a covenant with David involving a dy­nasty and throne rights which are fulfilled by the Lord Jesus. They have not been and cannot be abrogated, for God has given His Word, which ascribes this royal title to Jesus!

5:6   A Lamb 6:16 The Lamb

“…ἀρνίον…”

The Conquering Lamb is a recurring theme in Christian art

The name, often used for Christ in this book, is seen in amazing contrast in these verses. Here we see His love for His people by the self-sacrifice of His precious blood as payment for our redemption.

Note that the writer of Revelation, John, does not use the ordinary word for lamb (ἀμνός) but instead calls Him ἀρνίον – a pet “little” lamb – in sharp contrast with the wild herd. God required the Jews to bring the Passover lamb into their houses four days, essentially making it a pet, before it was to be violently slain (Exodus 12:3,6). This brings out His particular mildness and familiar identification with His people. Hence, it is utterly inexcusable for rejecting, persecuting and warring against the Lamb of God. The guilt of those who spurn the Lamb of God is thus compounded and enlarged.

It is by His sacrifice as a Lamb slain that He comes to us to assert and enforce the qualifications necessary for the office of a roaring Lion.

A lamb is typically associated with meekness and vulnerability. He who had been described as a fierce Lion is now appears as a Lamb. The two titles seem incompatible. What more opposite picture than the monarch of the forest, in strength and majesty and terror is there to be found? Unlike other defenseless lambs, Jesus has complete, sovereign power.

Christ presents Himself before the throne as The One most worthy of judging men. He is the innocent sacrificial Lamb who suffered on behalf of His people, bearing our sins in His own body; He therefore vanquished all legal debts owed by the sinner through His atoning blood.

Observe that the Lamb is standing in the midst of God’s throne. Having despised the Lamb, men will indeed fear the Lamb when He sends judgment upon them. They call for the mountains to fall on them to hide them “[and] Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16).

Are you fearful of little, pet lambs?  You ought to dread this One should you not be a Christian. He who was the compassionate Savior to the worst of sinners now appears in retributive judgment against those who reject Him.

Listen to Worthy is the Lamb by George Frideric Handel:

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15:3 The King of the Nations

“…ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν…”

This verse is a song of praise in which both Christ and God are worshipped. The unbelieving people among the nations are about to come under judgment. At the same time Christians of all nations, the redeemed of all time, will come to worship Him. The vast international church will grow and flourish, eventually gathering as a great multitude before the throne of God where there will be “every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).

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17:14 Lord of lords is He and King of kings  19:16 King of kings and Lord of lords

“…κύριος κυρίων ἐστὶν καὶ βασιλεὺς βασιλέων…” and “…Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων …”

Is Muhammad the King of kings?  Is Joseph Smith the Lord of lords?  No, they are not kings or lords, for their graves are with us to this day. What need do we have for these other religious teachers, now dead in their tombs?

This title summarizes many of those already mentioned, picturing the Jesus Christ in His great role as supreme conqueror and ruler. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul uses this title also, further describing Him as “… [the One] who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” (6:15, 16).

Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. This title is His coat of arms – written on His thigh and military vestments – asserting His authority and rule. The thigh is where we would expect to find the sword of a king; instead we read His title. Jesus is the supreme Monarch of all lesser royalties. He has, both by nature and by office, supreme dominion and power over all things. Earth and hell are subject to His restraint and command.

Jesus is the High King of Heaven. His throne is where God is, and from it He rules all things. For ages the temporal government of the world had been in other hands. They have abused their power against Him and His people. The Lion of the tribe of Judah now comes to judge them all.

22:16 The Bright Morning Star

It is fitting that this title should be given at the end of the book. Jesus is “… the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man…” (John 1:9). He is the Star whose orbit encircles both the physical and spiritual universe, whose revolutions are without suspension or end, and whose rays no cloud can eclipse, no time can reduce.

Balaam prophesied centuries before Christ “… the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. ‘I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel…’” (Numbers 24:17-19).

When Jesus returns He will be the brightest star who will shatter the darkness and herald the dawn of God’s glorious kingdom! The Lord of lords is the fountain of all light. The King of kings will usher in an everlasting day of glory that will vanquish all evil, sickness, and death.

The Bright and Morning Star invites people to come! Those who are thirsty for eternal life should come to Jesus!    The time is near. When He comes He will come quickly.  Do not delay in being wise.