This chapter contains a most magnificent chain of glories which are connected with our adorable Lord and Savior.
As in the gospel of John, so here;—all that we read has Jesus the Christ for its center; but the glories in the gospel were more connected with Him looked at as the Life-giver; here He is presented rather as the bearer of responsibility before God as to the light possessed by those who are subjected to Him, and pre-eminently so for those that know they have in Him eternal life.
The word of His grace—committed unto man—not only communicates eternal life to those that receive it, but also places man in present responsibility. The Word of God—He in whom the eternal life is—is the great responsibility-bearer, both as to the light and the life which are connected with the word of His grace. The glories of Him in that position are the subjects of consideration for us now, as they form the substance of the chapter before us.
1St. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (ver. 1).
There are two things to be noticed here, viz., 1St. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ according to things to come, and not, as in John 1, a present salvation. The subject is the glory of Jesus; not as the only Begotten of the Father, etc.—though that He Himself, necessarily, always is—but, according to His title of “the Christ," anointed Son of Man, and the things to come which connect themselves with that name.
Jesus the Christ is now hid in God. But there is the revelation of Him; and this, with the object of making known unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. This is the bright gem which first meets us in the chapter.
2nd. The second is, that it is given unto Him by God.
The Lord and all things that concern Him—must ever be dear to His people, and so, therefore, necessarily, any revelation of Him; but this one has a peculiar mark upon it, one which gives it a peculiar place, too it is the revelation which God gave unto Him.
3rdly. The next thing which I would notice is the full, and fully recognized, association of this Jesus Christ with that which is essentially divine; in ver. 4, Grace and peace from [God described as] the One that is, and that was, and that is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ. Yes, Jehovah-a-saving, the anointed Man—from whom, and through whom, divine and eternal gifts, as of grace and peace, can and do flow-is God, and is fully owned as such.
4thly. Then we get the cluster of titles under which He is here more definitely presented as being those which connect Him with the work in hand. Each of them is a glory in Him, and, therefore, the subject of admiration for His worshippers.
The Faithful Witness.-The scope and range of the testimony of this, the Faithful Witness, is according to the person and position of Him who is the Faithful Witness. Everything that He said and did when He was on the earth was as the Faithful Witness; everything that He does or says, now that He is in heaven, is as the Faithful Witness; and so everything that He will hereafter do or say, in the heavenlies or in the earthlies, will be so too. That is, His course, run as Son of Man, has been, is, and will be as the Faithful Witness. In all the positions in which the Son of Man is found He is the Faithful Witness. But, far more than this is true; for not only is He the Faithful Witness in word and deed, but Himself in His person is the Faithful and True Witness. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; yes, there is nothing that “the fullness of the Godhead “supposes, but is in Him the Son of Man: it dwelt in this Jesus Christ, and shined out of this Jesus Christ, truly presenting in Him a man, and as a man, and in every position and office held by Him at any time, that same fullness. I say not, that those to whom He is presented can understand or receive all that He is; but I say, that ‘wheresoever He is, there is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and none but God can be a perfect representation of God.* The testimony which we receive is one thing, the fullness of that which He testifies-whether by word, deed, or in His own person-is another thing. The next title is—
5th. The First Begotten of the dead.-The Holy Ghost settles in a very simple way what the pre-eminence is which belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:15,1615Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:15‑16)). He is necessarily before and above all creation, for the very simple reason, that all things were created by Him; “all things that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible: all things were created by Him, and for Him."
The Creator is certainly above, as He was necessarily also before, His works. The truth is, that in all things He has the pre-eminence. Whose sorrows were like unto His? Who was the Man of sorrows? "Whose joys shall be equal to His? Who shall be anointed with the oil of joy and gladness above His fellows? As perfect in patience as in power. And, if we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of the Son, it is, that He may be the Firstborn among many brethren. He alone is the resurrection and the life, though that glory in Him may need and require us also, as those in and by whom its power will be expressed,
"Thy name encircles every grace
That God, as man, could show;
There only could He fully trace
A life divine below."
And when we stand around Him on that day, right fully shall we know and own that the Father chose us in Him before the foundation of the world; and that He is the One who, having made ready the Father’s house, will then be come back to receive us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be also. But the preeminence is altogether His declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.
Creation, Providence, Redemption, all pay their tribute to Him; and it is due to Him alone.
6th. The Prince of the Kings of the Earth.-The term Prince (archon) is one that implies relationship. Chief of the kings of the earth. This is more than His Lordship. Now, indeed, and in truth, inasmuch as He is the Center and End of all the divine counsels and plans, the kings of this disordered world cannot get away from the effect which His glory has over everything. Hereafter, too, He will, as King, put down and lift up those whom He will. But there is a royal priesthood, in direct relationship to which, as its Head or Prince, He will in that day be displayed; and I judge that it is this which is here referred to. He will be the Chief and supporter of the royal priesthood, whose residence is to be in heaven, as also their priestly service, though they are to be associated with Him in His rule over the earth.
This comes out more fully in detail in the two verses which follow, in which, seventhly, His grace in having made associates for Himself, and the considerateness of His love in so doing, is opened up. For that which opens up the song of praise, "Unto Him that loved... Amen" (ver. 5 and 6), is the mention of Him as the Prince of the Kings of the earth.
How should John write to the churches, of grace and peace being to them from Him, as the Prince of the Kings of the earth, without the grace in Him, which had displayed itself in giving to John and us a special place in connection with that title, moving his heart, and drawing forth a burst of praise from him.
He is not only, as we have seen, 6thly, Prince (archon), but this has, 7thly, a tale of its own as to the kings of the earth.
The Firstborn from among the dead has a place of universal Lordship pertaining to Him (Acts 2:3636Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36), Phil. 2:1111And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)). Title over all is His; title, also, to all, as the appointed Heir of all things, is His. He has also a place of peculiar honor and glory belonging to Him, as Head before God, for the direction of worship and government among men. This headship is His alone; but, in grace, He shares the honors of it with one peculiar class. His will is, according to divine counsel, to have a royal priesthood with Himself, when He, in one aspect of His glory, shall be "The priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:1313Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:13)).
When His eye lighted, so to speak, upon the children whom God had committed to Him, sin was in them, and on them; and nothing but sin in nature. To meet their need in this respect, that they might be able to stand before God, He washes in that blood which Himself has provided. By nature, we had nothing but sin. God claimed us, and the sin would have excluded us from His presence; but He loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. But His love, who had taken us up as at the hand of God, stopped not there; sin set aside was set aside in order that His heart might have its joy in associating us with Himself, as the Priest upon His throne- Head in government and worship in a world yet to come before God. Surely the rays of a glory burst forth here-the glory of His own unselfish, divine love; the light descends in fullness enough to return an answer of praise and thanksgiving from John.
8thly. The glory of His return, as to man on earth, is spoken of-Ver. 7. "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."
If man now shuts out His light, and denies His faith, the Lord’s coming will be the irresistible answer to this when He rises up; and, if a present faith can rejoice in the glory to come, unbelief may well be alarmed at the thought of that coming, and its effects upon the heart found then in unbelief. Faith has, already, its praise because of Him. Unbelief knows Him not now, but will wail when He comes. The expression, "Even so, Amen," is the expression of the servant of the Lord’s faith. Faith can, and does enter into the righteousness of God in sending forth His Son a second time; faith’s one great interest is the Christ of God—the triumph of this seed of the woman; and while its own side of the truth is in joy and peace, in believing, and in the tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, yet can the believer be so subdued to his own right place in Christ-be so enlarged in his own soul as to the place which Christ has in the counsels and plans of God as to take his place with God and with Christ in every glory that pertains to Christ, and say, as to every detail of His counsels, "Even so, Amen!"