End-Time Insights

Jesus is the promised King from the Line of David who guides the Nations of the Earth to the Holy City, New Jerusalem – Revelation 12:5. The “ Son ” pictured in the twelfth chapter of the  Book of Revelation  is the Messianic figure of the  Second Psalm  who is destined to “ Shepherd the Nations .” Following his Enthronement, Heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Messiah .” His reign commenced following his “ Faithful Testimony ” given in his Death, and his victory through his Resurrection. He is also, therefore, the “ Firstborn of the Dead .”

Jesus, the Faithful Witness, now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations to the Holy City of New Jerusalem . Jesus is called the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth ” in the Prologue of  Revelation . This declaration is made in the  present tense  since his sovereignty is based on his Death and Resurrection. He does not rule by hereditary right, economic power, or military might, but because of his redeeming death. The slain “ Lamb ” is the one who sits on the Throne, and his authority extends even over “ Death and Hades .”

The kings and nations of the Earth are found in New Jerusalem because of the Lamb’s redemptive work . The Apostle Paul describes the proclamation of “ Christ crucified ” as “ God’s wisdom and power .” The proposition that God overthrew Sin, Satan, and Death through the execution of a lowly man from the small village of Nazareth is “ foolishness ” to men and contrary to this world’s “wisdom” and ideologies. Even the spiritual “ powers and principalities ” did not understand what God was doing and sealed their fate by crucifying the “ Lord of Glory .”

The reign of Jesus Christ from the Messianic Throne began following his Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation . The New Testament is clear. God made Jesus of Nazareth Lord and Messiah, and there is no other. His reign began when God exalted Christ following his resurrection. “ God has made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah! ” – (Acts 2:36).

The sacrifice and exaltation of Jesus are prominent themes in the Book of Revelation . The plan of God to redeem humanity and His creation is unveiled in its visions and images. It is his death and resurrection, and his consequent enthronement t hat have put this plan into action. His sovereignty over the Cosmos is the result of his faithful testimony given in his sacrificial death. Jesus of Nazareth is the “ Lamb who is worthy ”!

The Lamb’s reign commenced with his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has been shepherding the nations to the Holy City, 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.

The “ Son ” in the twelfth chapter of  Revelation  represents the Messianic figure in the  Second Psalm  who “ shepherds the nations .” Following the enthronement of the “ Lamb ,” heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ .” His “ faithful testimony ” in death and his victory through resurrection marked the start of his reign. However, he rules by “ shepherding the nations ,” not destroying them.

In Chapter 12, John saw a new “ sign ” in the heavens, the Woman “ clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet .” She was wearing a “ crown of twelve stars .” She was pregnant and about to give birth to one identified as “ son .” He appeared in fulfillment of the Messianic promise in the  Second Psalm , the King and Son of God who was destined to “ Shepherd the Nations .”

The reign of Jesus on the Divine Throne is based on his sacrificial death and resurrection, the unshakable basis of his universal authority . The Death, Resurrection, and the Exaltation of Jesus are all linked in the  Book of Revelation . Christ reigns supreme over the Earth because of his obedient death and subsequent resurrection, and he therefore is authorized to reveal and put the contents of the “ Sealed Scroll ” into action. He does not tyrannize his subjects; instead, he is “ the Shepherd of the nations ” who redeems men and women from every nation.