Who is Jesus?

July 2, 2020 (Thursday)

 

One way God has revealed Himself is through names. It is not uncommon in scripture for names to describe character. God changed Abram name to Abraham, inserting the “breath” (English letter “h”) which represents the Holy Spirit. So let’s take a look at the names of Jesus in Revelation 19.

 

“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war justly.” [Revelation 19:11 CEB] Jesus is faithful and true. This is in the context to judgement and war. One claim Jesus made to his identity is found in John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except through me.'” [NIV]

 

“He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.” [Revelation 19:12b NIV] If a name describes a person, this name is beyond our ability to understand. In theological terms, we are talking about the “otherness” of God. We use human words and ideas but the reality is God is “other” than those images.

 

“And the name by which he is called is The Word of God.” [Revelation 19b ESV] The “word” was the extension of an individual and it is how an individual was known. Jesus said the words of a person’s mouth came from the heart. (See Mathew 15:18) Think about it, one of the best ways to get to know someone is to talk to them. We can only know God (the Father) to the extent we know Jesus (God the Son).

 

“He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of kings and Lord of lords.” [Revelation 19:16 CEB] Jesus is the highest of authorities. Jesus’ law is the only one that matters because it is the one every soul will be judged by. What Jesus said, settled, and set in place is not for us to question, ignore, or disobey.

 

Jesus is on a mission. “The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.” [Revelation 19:14 NLT] So begins the final chapter of human history. This is not about punishment or justice. This war is about Jesus claiming what is rightfully His.

 

So starts the final war. “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.” [Revelation 19:19 NLT] There it is. The beast, the prophet, and the kings of the world KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt who they are fighting. Yet they still resist. They always have, are now, and always will be in rebellion.

 

Here is humanity’s epitaph: “And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.” [Revelation 19:21b NLT] The fate of the beast and the prophet? “Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” [Revelation 19:20c NLT] Keep your eye on the “lake of fire.” I will circle back to it in another study.