God Became Man

Grace and peace to you…from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Note that John describes Jesus in three ways: He is (1) the faithful witness, (2) the firstborn from the dead, and (3) the ruler of the kings of the earth.

1. Jesus, the faithful witness. Let us look at the expression “the faithful witness.” A witness is one who testifies to what he or she has seen. Have you acknowledged Jesus? If so, He has seen you do this for He is in heaven watching you; He knows everything about you, and He promised that if you acknowledged Him before others, He would confess you before His Father (Matt. 10:32). What does it mean, then, that He is a faithful witness? It means that when you stand before God at the judgment, you have nothing to fear. Jesus is the faithful witness and will keep the promise He made. He will say, “Father, this person is mine.” Paul reminds us in Romans 10:11 that “anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Jesus is the faithful witness. He will not forget you or abandon you on the final day. Jesus promised, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).

2. Jesus, the firstborn from the dead. Jesus has already experienced death and has risen from the grave in triumph. As the head of the family of God He went before us, and He has promised us that when the time comes for us to die, He will go with us (Ps. 23:4; Rom. 8:38–39). Not only that, but you can face death confident that you will live with Him forever.

3. Jesus, the ruler of the kings of the earth. Peter helps us to see the meaning of this phrase. In his first letter to the church he wrote, “[Jesus] has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” (1 Pet. 3:22). So Jesus rules nations from a throne; He is indeed the “ruler of the kings of the earth.” Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings (Rev. 17:14). Someday He will come again, and on that day Paul tells us that everyone will worship Him:

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

—Philippians 2:10–11