“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth...”
(Revelation 1:5)
John's greeting comes from (Jesus Christ), who is described as (the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.) John is quoting Ps. 89:27,37, where all three phrases are used. The Psalm speaks of the king who will rule over his enemies and who seed will sit on his throne forever (vv. 19-29) "Firstborn" from the Psalm is defined clearly as (firstborn from the dead). Christ has gained a sovereign position over the cosmos. This is not to be understood in the sense that He is recognized as the first created being of all creation nor even as the origin of creation, but rather that He is the inaugurator of the new creation by means of His resurrection (Rev. 3:14). John thinks of Jesus as the seed of David, whose resurrection has resulted in the establishment of His eternal kingdom.
The (kings of the earth) are not the loyal subjects of the kingdom but those earthly kings who oppose Christ's rule. This includes not only the kingdoms and peoples represented by them but also the satanic forces behind these kingdoms. That Christ now rules over these kings shows again that the events unfolded in the visions refer to present realities throughout the church age, not just to events of the future immediately preceding the Lord's return.
(G.K. Beale)
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