BY GREG CRUM

“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD of LORDS.” Revelation 19:16

Another year has come and gone, and here we are in the last week of January, still on this planet. That being said, one day soon the events foretold in Revelation Chapter 19 will unfold before our very eyes and we will enjoy that famed marriage supper and stand in awe of the one and only King of kings—our Jesus! Friends, our best days are yet to come.

If you’re a regular reader of this column you know that for quite some time now we’ve thought about who Jesus really is. We’ve noted that the world has their opinion of Jesus, and religion has historically painted a certain picture of him, but we’ve openly wondered if that’s who he really is. We’ve purposely questioned if that’s the way he is described in the Scriptures.

In past articles we’ve discovered that, in fact, Jesus is much more than most have been led to believe. He’s much more than the world will ever understand and much different than religion makes him out to be, and that’s why we need to personally get into the pages of the Bible and read the testimonies of those who walked with Jesus in the flesh and find out what they believed about him. Most importantly, while we are there, we need to pay special attention to who he said he was. If he’s the truth teller we believe him to be, then his self-description will never lead us astray. These are the only ways to definitively determine the true nature of our Savior.

With that said, let’s think for a few moments about the declaration of Revelation 19:16—that Jesus is the King of Kings. This is a significant revelation of the power and authority of Jesus, but how so? What is so meaningful about the fact that Jesus is called the “King”?

Well, as you know, the people of America have recently made a huge decision for our country in regards to leadership. As always, the leadership we choose will have a tremendous impact on the direction of our country moving forward, which will eventually affect all of us, great or small. What many people don’t realize is that God responds to the hearts and actions of a country’s leadership. He sees them as our representatives, and there are things He can and will do for a country if their leaders will listen to His counsel.

That’s one reason why the devil is so heavily involved in politics. He wants to keep the righteous from influencing the course of countries. Now, in the United States there have been 47 presidents, and throughout the world thousands of leaders of countries and kingdoms since the beginning of the world, but only one is the true King, and that’s our Jesus! He is, and forever will be, the rightful leader and representative of his people to God for all those that de-“vote” their lives to him.

So, we declare that Jesus is the King of all kings, but is that really the case? Is that what he said of himself? Absolutely! In John 18:37 we read of Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus. Pilate point-blank asked Jesus if he was a king. Jesus’ answer? “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” Point-blank question and a straight answer!

All right then, Jesus himself stated that he came into the world to become our King. Why is that spiritually significant? What does that mean for us? Well, to answer those questions we need to think about the typical duties of a king. What have been the traditional roles that kings have played in their systems of government? If you look back into history, several hundreds of years ago during the Middle Ages (that golden age of kings and kingdoms), you’ll note that kings had three major functions.

First, they were tasked with maintaining the kingdom’s order. Secondly, they took the lead in diplomatic relations with other kingdoms. Finally, they managed the kingdom’s resources. In summation, the king was the “ruler” of that group of people. He both set the rules for all to follow and was the standard, the measuring stick, that typified the ideal example of a citizen of that kingdom.

Friends, isn’t that our Jesus? The perfect standard bearer, our perfect example!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.