They
will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of
lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and
faithful.” (Revelation
17:14 ESV).
News of war in foreign lands appears on our television screens every night. Online, we are informed of the latest political scandal and the opposition’s jockeying to take advantage of it. In the newspapers, the headlines warn of impending economic doom or the spread of some deadly disease. Our fallen world can be a scary place, and there seems to be no end to the bad news headed our way. Our current climate of events prompts us to hope for one who can address the root causes of these issues, defeat our enemies, and protect us from every danger. The Bible tells us of such a king—Jesus the Messiah… Behold the Lamb!
In revealing to us the person and work
of Christ, Scripture tells us that Jesus is not only our Prophet and High
Priest but also our King. As we see in today’s passage, Christ is “Lord of
lords and King of kings,” and He will defeat all His foes. This is such an
important truth for us to remember as we live in this fallen world. So often,
we experience seeming defeat in our battle against the world, the flesh, and
the devil. But the good news of the gospel tells us that these defeats are only
temporary, for Christ has ascended to the right hand of God the Father and has
been given the name above all names (cf. Acts 2:33; Phil. 2:5–11). He is the
omnipotent ruler of His people, and He cannot fail to bring us the final
victory. Hope for the Christian is never lost, for we serve One who “must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25), and He will
not fail to conquer them all.
Christ, indeed, is King of His people.
But His authority is not only over His servants in the church. Because He is
“King of kings”, He also sits enthroned over all rulers, which means that their
subjects must ultimately bow to Him. As those who have been commissioned to
preach the gospel of the kingdom (cf. Matthew 24:14), our job is to announce
the reality of Christ’s present reign and to call people to bow down to Jesus
as the sovereign over all. And all people will bow down—some willingly, because
He has given them new hearts, and some by force as He compels them to bend the
knee before sending them to eternal judgment (cf. Psalm 2).
This is the Lamb that was slain for all
who have been called to the be the children of God. This is the eternal nature
of our future. This is the truth that provides the foundation of hope
regardless of our circumstances. We are blessed forever in Him!
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