The Only True King

The Lamb’s reign began following his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has been shepherding the nations to New Jerusalem. Jesus of Nazareth is “the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth,” but his reign is of a radically different nature than Caesar and the political powers of this evil age. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain to redeem men from every nation, and he is now “the shepherd of the nations.” The Holy City, New Jerusalem, will be fully inhabited!

In the Book of Revelation, the reign of Jesus is contrasted with that of the Beast. Unlike the Beast and his overlord, the Dragon, the Lamb does not use tyranny, violence, deception, and the threat of death to impose his sovereignty over men and nations. Instead, the Son of God provides men, kings and nations with redemption, life, and deliverance from the curse of death.

• “And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street, and on this side of the river and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there will be no curse any longer” – (Revelation 22:1-3. Allusions to Genesis 2:9, 3:17, 3:29, Ezekiel 47:1, 47:12).

• “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To him who overcomes, I give to eat of the tree of life in the Paradise of God” – (Revelation 2:7).

• “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city” – (Revelation 22:14).

[Photo by POOYAN ESHTIAGHI (Iran) on Unsplash]

Men and women who give their allegiance to the Lamb and “follow him wherever he goes,” will receive everlasting life in New Jerusalem. They may experience poverty in this life, but they will never partake of the Second Death. In contrast, the Inhabitants of the Earth who swear fealty to the Beast will enjoy economic prosperity as long as they acknowledge the Beast as overlord, but in the end, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire – (Revelation 2:11, 14:4, 14:9-11, 20:15, 21:8).

The Book of Revelation reassures the churches of Asia that Jesus has events firmly under his control. His present authority is based on his past death and resurrection from the dead, and his Kingdom is advancing across the planet as his servants proclaim his message. The Son of Man possesses full sovereignty over history, nations, life, and death.

• “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. <…> And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, 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 1:5, 17-18. Citations of Psalm 2:2, 89:37, 89:27, Isaiah 41:4, Daniel 10:9).

• “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things is saying the one who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and that who shuts and no one opens” – (Revelation 3:7. Citations of Isaiah 22:22).

The nature of Christ’s kingdom is inherently different from the political ideologies and governments of this world. The Messiah of Israel is a shepherd, not a tyrant or murderer. The Beast uses threats of economic sanctions and death to coerce men and women to submit to his dictates, unlike the Lamb, who sheds his blood to purchase men from every nation for his Kingdom – (Revelation 5:9-10, 13:15-18).

The Second Psalm is applied to Jesus several times in Revelation, especially its promise that the Son of God will be the shepherd of the nations of the earth. For example:

• “And she was delivered of a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron” – (Revelation 12:5).

• “And out of his mouth is proceeding a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. And he will shepherd them with a rod of iron” – (Revelation 19:15).

• “These are they who are coming out of the great tribulation! And they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; therefore, they are before the throne of God; and they render divine service to him day and night in his sanctuary. And he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. They will hunger no more, neither thirst any longer, neither will the sun strike upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” – (Revelation 7:14-17).

• “Yet I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain. I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me, You are my son. I, this day, have 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).

Jesus of Nazareth gave “faithful testimony” in his sacrificial death, and he became “the firstborn of the dead” via his resurrection. Because of his redeeming act, the followers of Christ become a “kingdom of priests,” and they participate in his reign by performing priestly functions and reflecting his light to the nations – (Revelation 1:4-6, 5:9-12, 14:1-5).

Because the saints “overcame,” they sit with Jesus on his throne. However, they qualify to participate in his reign the same way that he did, by bearing faithful witness to Christ and his Gospel, and by sacrificing their lives if necessary:

• “He that overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat with my Father on his throne” - (Revelation 3:21).

• “And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony that they had” - (Revelation 6:9).

• “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and because they loved not their life even unto death” - (Revelation 12:11).

Jesus of Nazareth reigns from the Divine Throne, not as the “Lion from the Tribe of Judah,” but as the Lamb who was slain. He fulfils his messianic calling as the sacrificial victim, and not as a predatory beast – (Revelation 5:5-6).

THE CITY POPULATED

The Son was “caught up to God and his Throne” before the Dragon could devour him. This same reality is portrayed when the Lamb appears before the Divine Throne in Chapter 5, following his sacrificial death. Satan failed to stop Christ’s enthronement; therefore, he was expelled from the heavenly court, and a great voice declared:

• “Now has come the salvation, the power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down” – (Revelation 12:9-12).

The Dragon was defeated by the Death and Resurrection of the Lamb, and therefore, there are no limits to Christ’s authority. For example, the Beast is not allowed to launch his war against the saints until he is authorized to do so - (“It was given to the Beast to wage war on the saints” - Revelation 13:7).

In the final vision of Revelation, John sees the city of New Jerusalem descending to Earth, and the Kings of the Earth and the nations are residing in it. This raises the question:  How did they gain entrance to the city? All too often in the Book, the nations and kings are hostile to the Lamb.

The inclusion of the nations and kings in New Jerusalem is the result of the Lamb shepherding them and using his “sharp sword,” the Word of God, to bring them to repentance and salvation – (“And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God” – Revelation 19:13).

Christ is the ruler who shepherds and guides the nations from his throne, and his only offensive weapon is the word of God, the “testimony of Jesus,” which is given to the world by his overcoming saints - (Revelation 1:2, 1:9, 6:9, 11:7, 12:11, 12:17).

With this “sword,” Jesus defeats his enemies and redeems men, women, kings, and nations. The sword represents the proclamation of the Gospel by his royal priests who reign with him. This is how the Lamb of God is the Shepherd of the Nations and the Only True King.

[NOTE: Text printed in small capital letters represents quotations and allusions of Old Testament passages]

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SEE ALSO:

• Messiah and King - (The New Testament applies messianic and royal promises from the Psalms to Christ’s present reign. He alone is, present tense, Lord and Messiah!)

• 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)

• His Unique Kingdom - (Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, which is ruled by the Servant of Yahweh, the one who gave his life “to ransom many”)

• Le Seul Vrai Roi - (Le règne de l'Agneau a commencé après sa Mort et sa Résurrection. Depuis lors, il conduit les nations vers la Nouvelle Jérusalem)