The Finished Word

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.

The Sovereignty of Jesus is based on his Death and Resurrection, the immovable foundation of his present reign and the Gospel . The death and exaltation of Jesus are inextricably linked in the Book of Revelation . Its visions unveil the plan to redeem humanity, and God implements it through Christ’s sacrificial death, resurrection, and enthronement.  However, this Jesus is no tyrant. He does not subjugate his enemies through force.

The “ Son ” portrayed in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation is the Messianic figure of the Second Psalm destined by God to “ Shepherd the Nations .” Following his enthronement, Heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Messiah .” His reign began following his “ faithful testimony ” in death and his victory through resurrection, the “ firstborn of the dead .”

In the  Book of Revelation , Jesus is called the “ Faithful Witness ” and the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth ,” and the two designations are inextricably linked. The first title establishes  HOW  he obtained the second and established his sovereignty over the Earth. It was by his sacrificial death that he made the saints into a “ Kingdom of Priests ,” and because of his redemptive act for them, God exalted him to reign over all things as the “ Lamb .”

The Lamb’s reign commenced following his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has been shepherding the nations toward New Jerusalem . The Book of Revelation  assures the beleaguered congregations of Asia that Jesus reigns and has events firmly in hand despite appearances. His sovereignty is based on his past Death and Resurrection. It is absolute, extending even over “ Death and Hades .” His Resurrection from the dead marked the start of his reign from the Messianic Throne.