Revelation 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

In these six verses there are four different names mentioned for the triumphant Messiah, and two of them are compound, which makes at least six. (Verse 12 mentions a name that only He knows, so that might be compound or singular.) The point is that in many societies names are seen as indicative of the nature and character of the one named. That has been lost to a great extent in most modern industrialized societies, but we need to keep it in mind when reading the Bible. For the past several months the readings have all been based on “The Name of the Lord,” and here, almost at the end of the Bible, we have a cluster of His Names. This one, climactic in this series, is of special significance. To me, “King of kings” indicates supreme political authority, that is, over the organizations and structures of mankind. However, “Lord of lords” is more personal, showing that His authority is over each individual. In Japan even today, the term for a husband in relation to his wife is “lord.” (There is a separate term that means simply “husband.”) In English we relegate it to “nobility,” apart from religious usage, and I think we fail to have a full grasp of what it means Biblically. That makes it hard to understand why saying, “Jesus is Lord,” would be integral to salvation itself. (Romans 10:9) Back then, slavery was a fact of society, and at the same time, the Roman emperor required that his subjects confess, Caesar is Lord. That made this Name for the Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords, absolutely treasonous from the emperor’s viewpoint. We don’t have such a fixation on titles today, but we must not forget that Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18) That was no idle boast, and we forget it to our peril.

I have given lip service to the absolute authority of Christ for most of my life, but how much I have lived in genuine submission to that authority is a different matter! These days I pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done,” frequently and from my heart, but that hasn’t always been the case. I deal constantly with people who have essentially no grasp at all of the Lordship of Christ, and the challenge is to help them see it and choose to submit to it. Both parts of that are essential, because they won’t choose to submit to Christ if they don’t know He is Lord, but just knowing He is Lord without choosing to submit doesn’t do them much good either. After all, as James points out (James 2:19) even demons believe Jesus is Lord! I am to be an example and a guide, because acknowledging Jesus as your Lord is the first step in discipleship, and I am commanded to make disciples for Christ. (Matthew 29:19)

Father, thank You for this clear Word, and for clarifying what I am supposed to say Sunday. Help me be a disciple indeed, fully submitted to the Lordship of Christ, so that I may lead as many as possible into that same blessed relationship with You, with Him, with the Holy Spirit, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!