Who Is Jesus?

Who Jesus Is

“…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”  Revelation 1:5a

The verse above is part of a greeting at the beginning of the book of Revelation and it attributes three important titles to Jesus.

First, it calls him “the faithful witness.” This is most likely a reference to the earthly ministry of Jesus and indicates that he bore a perfectly accurate representation of the purposes and character of God. As the writer of Hebrews states, “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3a). If you want to see God, just look at the life and works of Jesus!

Second, it calls him “the firstborn from the dead.” This title does not mean that Jesus was the first person to die and then be brought back to life. In fact, there are three people mentioned in the New Testament who were brought back to life by Jesus: a widow’s son (Luke 7), the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8), and Lazarus (John 11). But these each came back to life in their same mortal body and each of them eventually died again. Jesus, by contrast, rose from the dead of his own accord with an immortal body that will never die again. He is the first manifestation of a new kind of life that all believers will one day share.

Third, it calls Jesus “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” While Jesus certainly has sovereign authority over the nations now, the complete fulfillment of this title will come when Jesus returns to earth as the victorious conqueror and the one who fully establishes the eternal kingdom of God, of which all believers will be a part. Now, that is something to look forward to.

Reflect on these three titles of Jesus and ask yourself, “Is knowing Jesus more fully a priority in my life?”