Revelation 1:5-6 Jesus Christ, the Prince of the Kings of the Earth

[brook Keymaster]

Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

John informs us his letter is from “Jesus Christ.”

Three more appellations enforce the authority of the letter: As a faithful witness, he not only speaks the truth, but will cast the first stone in judgement (Deuteronomy 17:7);

“first begotten from the dead” means that He represents a new humanity of resurrected souls in a harvest to come; and,

“prince of the kings of the earth” describe his authority over civil magistrates, parliaments, and heads of state.

“As begotten of the dead,” refers to Christ’s triumph over the grave by virtue of His death, burial, and resurrection. As victor over death, he is able to solve our fundamental problem of death. He is the first in a whole harvest to come.

As wonderful as these truths are to the soul, we want to concentrate on what the title “prince of the kings of earth” implies. America’s problems are not economic; they are spiritual; that is, they are rooted in a deficient understanding of Christ as King, and the apotheosis of the State as some kind of god that has no accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ.

When problems arise politicians do not seek to align themselves under the authority of King Jesus, rather they seeks solutions through more programs, more taxation, and more regulations. The American politician thinks that if there a problem, throw $$ at it.

AS PRINCE

John states that Jesus Christ is “the prince of the kings of the earth.” The use of the definite article points out the identity of Christ in regard to the kings of the earth: He is their “prince.” He is not a prince among other princes, but the One and Only Prince.

The Greek word translated “prince” (archon) refers to one who is a ruler, lord, commander, or a chief governor. He is the Archon by virtue of his resurrection from the dead. The word indicates one who has authority to govern others. The root arch of the family of Greek words, of which archon is a part, refers to that which has primacy, priority, whether in time or rank. The word “prince” or “ruler” is, therefore, an excellent translation.

The English word prince comes from the Latin term princeps which means first or chief, and the primary sense of “prince” is that of a monarch or king or governor. Jesus Christ is the princeps of the kings and rulers of the earth.

AS KING

John uses the term “prince” (archon) which can be translated “chief,” “ruler,” “king,” or “Supreme Ruler.” The term “prince” in Latin is princepts  which can be translated chief, leader, head, main, sovereign, greatest authority, inspirer, director, head,  emperor, king, foremost, main. 

He is not one among many . . . for there is only one Lawgiver (Jam. 4:12) and one Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jesus is the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the Potentate, the Chief Justice of Heaven’s Supreme Court, the Chief Legislator, the Commander and Chief of Heaven’s armies: For the LORD (Jesus) is our judge; the LORD (Jesus) is our lawgiver; the LORD (Jesus) is our king; he will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).

The critical message of Revelation is the Sovereignty of Jesus! His reign is not something in the future, but a present reality to believe and enjoy now. Neither Satan, nor men, nor chance govern the affairs of men.

Jesus is the Referee over all the events of history. If we miss this truth, we miss the main message of the book. And, it is our duty to proclaim the sovereignty of Christ and challenge civil rulers to acknowledge His authority and surrender to His law-order.

(Note: There is Satanic resistance to this truth. In America, the doctrines of “separation of church and state,” and “religion and politics don’t mix” are enough to silence most Christians in political debate. The way to overcome this is to confront their hypocrisy. They say one thing and practice another. Every man is religious, and every law represents someone’s religious values. The secularists use the doctrine of separation of church state to bar Christians from asserting the authority of Christ so they can force their religious values (like same-sex marriage) down the throats of Americans. We must challenge their hypocrisy and not permit them to hide behind the doctrine of separation of church and state while they force their secular religious values upon the minds of men.)

OF KINGS OF THE EARTH

The genitival phrase, “of the kings of the earth,” defines His jurisdiction, the kind of power and authority He has. He is the Ruler of rulers; the Princes of princes; the Governor of governors! And, in the language of Revelation 19:16, He is the “King of kings!”

“of the kings” of the earth is translated “regum” in Latin which is a plural for rex (king).

The term “king” signifies those who stand first in governing authority within a country, those who are the highest ranking magistrate in their particular nation. The words “of the earth” informs us the rulers of the world have a duty to acknowledge His authority and seek to align their administration under His authority. The kings under His rule are each and every chief magistrate in the world! And, if every chief magistrate is under His authority, then all lesser magistrates are also under His authority. He claims absolute, global, universal jurisdiction over every civil ruler (Psalm 97:1). And, He is more unyielding than an anvil.

He is not announcing Jesus’ authority over the church here, though he has authority over the church. John is not stating that Jesus is “his King,” or “my king,” or the “king” of the church, though He is.

The persons responsible to subject themselves to Prince Jesus, are kings, civil rulers, subordinates, and officers of the State, whether in the legislative, judicial, or executive branches of government. Of such, Jesus Christ is Prince — archon, ruler, lord, chief, the first in power, authority, and dominion.

Therefore, the statement that Jesus Christ is “the prince of the kings of the earth” is a powerful political title. It defines the authority of Christ in reference to political rulers and the sphere of civil government. It designates Christ as the supreme ruler of all magistrates and of all the nations of the earth.

The Scripture gives to Jesus Christ the title of “head” in reference to His absolute authority over the church (Ephesians 1:19-21). But, this is not the declaration in this text. The church is not subject to the kings of the earth nor do the kings have jurisdiction over the church. The church has its ministry (subject matter jurisdiction) of gospel proclamation under Christ as Head of the Church; and, the government has its ministry (subject matter jurisdiction) of justice under Christ as Prince of the kings of the earth.

Jesus is over all civil rulers, and all civil rulers, even those in China and the Congo, are expected to order their affairs as accountable to Him. The church can admonish kings, but it cannot command kings. Jesus commands kings. Other texts in Holy Writ utilize the title of “Lord” in other texts to communicate that He reigns over all men and aspects of life (individuals, family, church). But, this is not what John intended to communicate here. He wants the original readers to understand that Jesus has authority over the State; that He is the Ruler over all civil institutions and the persons who govern them; that officers of the State must surrender to His authority and conduct their administrations of justice under His command.

The issue, of course, is not whether Jesus is the King of kings, but will the heads of state acknowledge Him as such . . . and, herein lies the problem. Statesmen see themselves as sovereign . . . as institutions with a secular purpose rather than under a religious duty to submit to King Jesus. As the church accepts Christ as Head of the church, all civil rulers are expected so honor the Lord Jesus Christ as Head of State in their civil administrations And, here is the rub. Churches acknowledge the Headship of Christ, but civil magistrates do not and will not acknowledge Christ as Prince of the ruler of the kings of the earth. They are in rebellion against the LORD and His anointed as Psalm 2 so accurately describes.

The New Testament title of “prince” for Jesus Christ is announced in the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. They state that Christ will be a King who will rule the kings of the earth and govern the nations: Psalm 2:1-12; Psalm 22:28; Psalm 89:27; Psalm 110:1-7; Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 9:6-7; 33:22; Jeremiah 10:7; Daniel 7:13-14.

The New Testament also makes it clear that Jesus was installed as King of the nations at His ascension to the right hand of God: Matthew 2:2; Matthew 21:5; Matthew 27:11; John 17:2; John 19:18-20; John 19:15; Acts 2:30-36; Acts 4:12; Acts 17: 1-7; 1 Timothy 6:15.

John’s words do not suggest that at some future time Jesus will become the “prince of the kings of the earth,” but that He is to be recognized as such NOW!

From the beginning the church has preached “that there is another king (Rex), one Jesus” (Acts 17:7); that is, there is a King who is greater than Caesar. This is the gospel that turned the world upside down, and if the church wants to do so again, it must preach Christ as King now and call civil rulers to repent and submit to Him (Acts 17:6-7).

The goal of history is the defeat of His enemies (1 Corinthians 15:24-26); that is, that all men would acknowledge Christ as Lord of the family, Lord of the churches, and King of all nations. It is the duty of all nations to confess Christ as their Ruler and King.

But, the issue is not whether He is King of kings, but will men accept and confess Him as such.

The gospel that turned the world upside down and conquered Western Civilization did not proclaim government as god, or Caesar as king, or the Roman City State as the hope of the world.

There is no law without a king, and King Jesus has His law. The West seeks to practice the rule of law v. the king is law; however, there is no law without a rex (See Exodus 20:1-3).

Because there’s only one King and one the law, we must work toward is the law that comes from King Jesus. In this sense, Christians believe in THE KING IS LAW or Rex Lex!! Once man recognizes One King, then we can work toward Lex Rex. Selah.

DUX LUX REX LEX Cross. The rough English translation is “my King, my Leader (Commander), my Light, and my Law” in reference, of course, to Jesus Christ. Word order makes little difference in Latin.

Rex, Lex, Lux, Dux is Latin Christian meaning ”My King, My Law, My Light, and my Commander:  Jesus is Rex (King), Lex (Law) Lux (light), Dux (Leader or Commander).

The gospel that turned the world upside down taught “another Rex, King Jesus.”

The Apostolic Declaration that launched the gospel from Jerusalem into the Mediterranean world acted on a commission sealed by Lord’s signet ring procured by His ascension to heaven’s throne:

“We ought to obey God rather than men” – Acts 5:29

HE MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS

The blessing of being a saint is mentioned. Saints are chosen, cherished, cleansed, and crowned.

• As loved ones, saints are the objects of Divine affection and favor. Christians are loved not because they are lovable, but because it is God’s nature to love.
• As cleansed ones, saints are washed and purified from sin by virtue of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
• As crowned ones, saints are citizens of His kingdom (a kingdom: basileian, singular) by virtue of their association with Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father. The term “basilean” is translated “kings” in some versions, but the better translation is “a kingdom” with the idea of rule contained therein—not ruled, but reigning triumphant over all enemies (Barnes, 1975); not slaves, but sovereigns sharing in the reign of the Sovereign (1 Corinthians 7:23).
• As chosen ones, saints are anointed as priests, to represent men to God. In Israel’s temple there were four courts: The court of the Gentile, the court of women, the court of the Jew, and the court of the priests. The Israelites were not allowed to go into the court of priests. Due to the gospel, however, all Christians are appointed to perform the duties of a priest excelling in their influence upon history for good. The church does not have a priesthood, the church is a priesthood: As a holy priesthood Christians offer up praises to God; as a royal priesthood they proclaim His glories to men (1 Peter 2:5-11).

He “made us kings and priests” is a reference from Exodus 19:6. This is the first of many references whereby John applies images of Israel to the church:

“The regal and sacerdotal dignities are the two highest that can possibly exist among men; and these two are here mentioned to show the glorious prerogatives and of the children of God” (Clarke, 1831).

The church is a kingdom of royal priests. Thus, the church is the people belonging to Christ, the true Israel of God. John perceives the church as sharing regal authority over the nations—not under the authority of governments, but under authority of Him who has authority over the kings of the earth (2:26; 3:21; 5:10; 20:6).

John attributes glory to Christ for his accomplishments. Glory is fitting for Him who stooped so low, even to the death of the cross, to raise us so high as to be called priests of God. John’s benediction includes increased “dominion” (kratos = strength) or political power. Only an all wise, all loving, all powerful, humble Savior is worthy of increased dominion.

Enough of this nonsense that Christians must always obey the government, Christians ought to be calling their government to always obey Christ!

Brooky Stockton, BA, MSL, PHD

(Primary Source: Stockton, Standing Firm in Tough Times, A Commentary on Revelation)

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