They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings … Revelation 17:14 NIV
The definitions of a king in earthly terms (specifically in biblical days) wherever you find them say that “a king is chief or sovereign of a nation; a man invested with supreme authority over a nation, tribe, or country; a monarch.” Historically, kings were absolute monarchs, possessing the powers of government and rule without control. Kings were hereditary sovereigns, holding the powers of government by right of birth or inheritance. Kings were intended to rule with justice, compassion, and integrity. A good king loved his subjects, kept their best interest at the heart of all his leadership, provided for them, and protected them, serving them to the highest standards possible. This then provoked a willingness in his subjects to likewise serve their King. This partnership of grace-filled leadership from the king, and willing submission from the people, provided stability and power to the entire kingdom as king and subjects lived up to their roles.
Understanding the role and position of an earthly king enables us to have complete clarity on who Jesus is and what our response to Him must be if we truly accept His Kingship in our lives. Jesus cannot simply have an advisory role. He is not King if we consider ourselves to have veto power over His directives in our lives. He is not our King unless we willingly submit in trust to His leadership, even when we don’t understand it. Our answer is always a preemptive “yes,” regardless.
God declares through revealed Scripture that Jesus is not only Lord (someone with power, influence, and authority over others) and King, but He is “the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” In common verbiage today it means He is the GOAT – the Greatest Of All Time, and God also adds that Jesus is the greatest from the beginning and for all eternity. Jesus is greater than any “lord” who ever lived and supreme over any king.
We don’t typically think of “kings” and rulers in our lives, but we all are pulled in directions by other people, goals, ideas, purposes that can all too easily replace Jesus as the supreme King, the absolute Ruler in our lives. We can let loyalty to people, desire for our own goals and plans, or dependence on our own wisdom lead us to take His directives and guidance lightly. He is not our true King if that is the case. There are some things that belong only to the King – our ultimate loyalty, our identity, our conscience, our value. Only He has the right to label us, the ability to save and lead us. He is the only worthy example and leader. But He is not a King who will take us by force. We become subjects in His Kingdom only by willing choice.
- Jesus IS King. That has been forever settled. The only question is, “Is Jesus MY King? Do others recognize that He is my King by my life, choices, and likeness to Him?