John described God as “him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4, 4:8). This phrase echoes Exodus 3:14-15, where God spoke of himself as “I am” as he revealed his name to Moses. Jesus also referred to himself as “I AM” in John 8:58, declaring himself to be God. John declares that not only is God who he says he is now, but he is also the same God he was throughout history, and he will continue to be the same God in the future. So let’s look at the names for Jesus revealed in Revelations.
Jesus is the Christ (Rev. 1:1; 20:4). He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5); the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8-13); the son of man (Rev. 1:13) who holds the sharp double-edged sword (Rev. 1:16); the First and Last (Rev. 1:17); the Living One who lives and was dead (Rev. 1:18; 2:8); the one who holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18); the one who holds the seven stars and who walks among the seven golden lampstands (2:1). As I was looking at the names and titles of Jesus in Revelations, I thought it could be a little overwhelming for one Faithbuilder because there are many names to describe the totality of who Jesus is. For it presents Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one who died and rose again to defeat death. Yet He came for you and I. His love is unconditional and will never run dry. He is the Almighty God! As the Psalmist says, “There is no god like our God.” This week I had to fly to a conference and I always love to fly the busy skies from really busy airports – not! They say to be a couple of hours early to your flight so you can be sure and make it through all the checkpoints. I drove and made it there right at two hours before my flight. The problem came when I got confused in the construction and parked at the wrong terminal. I didn’t know I was in the wrong place until I walked 15 minutes to get to the ticket counter. I had to go all the way back to my car and drive clear around to the other side of the airport, find a parking spot, and go through all the hoops to make it to my flight. Needless to say, I was in a mad rush to make it to my flight before they took to the sky without me. I did finally make it and had about 20 minutes to spare before the flight boarded. I was praying as I was walking. Ok, maybe I was running. But all I know is that I got through the lines in record time without cutting or being short with people. Even with a travel problem, God is faithful in keeping me in perfect peace. I know that may not compare to the problems of this world, but my God is faithful with everything I release to Him. Next week I want to continue to look at the names of Jesus in the book of Revelation. He is more than we can even fathom. My prayer is that you will be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is for you today. His love surpasses all knowledge, even the knowledge of who He is. He is so many things to everyone in the universe and yet he cares for all of our coming and going. Praise the Lord for his continued watch care for all of his children. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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