Luke 21:8

Christian, Be Not Deceived!

CHAPTER FOUR

JESUS IS JEHOVAH, "THE ALMIGHTY" 
—THE SUBLIME DECLARATION OF THE APOCALYPSE. 

The book of Revelation is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ", and this book contains the explicit teaching that our Lord is, in the fullest degree possible, the Possessor of all the attributes of Deity; that He is in very truth "The Almighty". As we have already seen, Jesus is Jehovah of the Old Testament. The name Jehovah bears the significance of God as the self-existent One, the One in Whom life is "original, unborrowed, underived", and Who could say in the past or the present or the future, ”I AM”. And in Rev. 1:8 the wonderful truth is conveyed to us that the Lord Jesus is “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, (the Almighty".' This is a definite reference to the meaning of the name Jehovah, and as we have already seen, the names Jehovah and the Almighty were mentioned together particularly in connection with the Lord's covenant-keeping assurances that He would deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage. Later, the name Jehovah was also employed in connection with His assurances to His people that He would deliver them from their Babylonian captivity. Thus by His reference to the name Jehovah in the opening verses of the Apocalypse, the Lord obviously intends that His people will take comfort from the knowledge that their covenant-keeping Lord, the great Jehovah, remembers His covenant, and with His Almighty power will certainly deliver them from all the forces of Egypt or of Babylon. 

As Jehovah and the Almighty are linked together at the commencement of the Apocalypse, it is obviously intended that throughout the Revelation where the Almighty is mentioned it will be understood as referring to the Almighty power of the great Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God, being employed on behalf of His blood-bought people. In Rev. 11:17. we have the association again of the Lord God Almighty with the meaning of Jehovah as the "I AM" in the three tenses: "which art, and wast, and art to come", and thanks are given by representatives of the church "because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned", which is a reference to the fact that when the church is threatened with death at the hand of the Babylonian king of the north, Michael stands up (or commences to reign) "for the children of thy people" (Dan. 12:1). 

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From the foregoing it will be readily seen that "Armageddon" "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" cannot be understood aright except as a conflict in which Jesus the Almighty Jehovah employs His infinite power on behalf of His people. Those who love the Lord will rejoice to know that by His references to "Armageddon" "the battle ... of God Almighty", when Jesus "treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" '(Rev. 19:15), the Lord is thus giving His people assurances that He will keep His covenant with them and deliver them from their Babylonian enemies. 

Sometimes Rev. 1:8 has been applied exclusively to the Father, but this interpretation contradicts the plain teachings of the Apocalypse. He Who speaks in verse 8 is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." The same speaker says in v. 11: "I AM Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches ... and I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw ... one like unto the Son of man.... And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I AM the first and the last: I AM He that liveth [present], and was [past] dead; and, behold, I AM alive for evermore [future], Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Observe the use of "I AM" with "the first and the last" in Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12.) 

That our Saviour is the One portrayed in the Revelation as "the Almighty", "the first and the last", is also declared in Rev. 2:8 where again we read: "These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive." And if further evidence were required, we read in Rev. 22:12-16: "Behold, I come quickly.... I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last... I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things in the churches." That these verses refer to the Lord Jesus is beyond dispute. 

The book of Revelation reveals the important truth, yes, the positively necessary truth that our Lord is "the Almighty". How could anyone inferior to Deity be the Saviour, when all the attributes and power of the Godhead are imperative to man's salvation? In Rev. 5:6 the Redeemer is symbolized as "a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes"; that is, that He has All power and is All seeing. Let this mighty truth be shouted from the housetop so that all saints may hear it: "The Saviour is Almighty, Omnipotent, and He is Omniscient." It should be noted that this infinite power and wisdom are symbolized

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in connection with His redemptive work, for the seven horns and the seven eyes are represented as being upon the "Lamb as it had been slain". 

Is not this same truth declared by the apostle Paul in Heb. 4:13-16? Paul, in referring to the power and the discernment employed in the plan of salvation, says: "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. . . . Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Paul commenced the book of Hebrews, which he wrote to explain concerning the heavenly ministry of our Saviour, by informing us that the Lord was the Creator of all the worlds and that He is also the Sustainer of those worlds; therefore "He is able to succour them that are tempted" (Heb. 1:1-3; 2:18). 

The apostle John also commenced his gospel with the grand teaching concerning the Deity and 

Creatorship of Jesus. Later in his book, he records the prayer our Lord offered to His Father on behalf of His church. In this we see illustrated the work of Jesus in His heavenly ministry, for at that time He stood at the threshold of that heavenly mediation. 

As every Seventh-day Adventist knows, the heart of the book of Daniel concerns the sanctuary and its services: it commences with the destruction of Solomon's temple by the Babylonians, and, later, refers to the vessels of the sanctuary being employed blasphemously by the king of Babylon in his praise of the gods of Babylon. Later  chapters-.cannot be understood unless they portray the conflict between the forces of Babylon and those of Israel concerning the sanctuary teachings: they show that subsequent to the cessation of the sanctuary services on earth they have been transferred to the heavenly realms, while a blasphemous counterfeit system of mediation would be practised upon the earth. In this book in which the true Priesthood of our Lord is portrayed, we find that Jesus is pictured in all His almighty power and regal glory (Dan. 10:5, 6). In "The King of the North at Jerusalem", p. 103, the writer stated: "The importance of Daniel's last prophecy and its relationship to the book of Revelation will be recognized by noting that both commence with a `revelation of Jesus Christ' (compare Dan. 10:6 and Rev. 1:14-17). In both, the glory of His person fills Daniel and John with awe and fear. In both, Jesus comforts His faithful servants 

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with the knowledge that while He possesses Almighty power, His power is used to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. How fitting that both Daniel's last prophecy and the Revelation, which is the enlargement of that prophecy, should commence with a description of Jesus in His purity and power, and also in the capacity of the High Priest interceding on behalf of His people. If the display of His power filled His loyal subjects with fear, how will His adversaries fare when that Almighty power is used on behalf of His persecuted people!" 

Daniel points to the time when Michael stands up to avenge His people, and to frustrate the purpose of the king of the north as he goes "forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many", even all the people of God. The Revelator also points to that same time: "And the seventh angel sounded . . the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord" (Rev. 11:15 R.V.). Then, the sovereignty over the world will be our Lord's. Then, "He shall show Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." (1 Tim. 6:15). The Revelator says that at that time the representatives of the human family who have associated with their Lord in His heavenly ministry, express the gratitude in the hearts of His people on earth who have just faced death for His name: "We give thanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned" (Rev. 11:17). Thus the fact that the Lord Jesus is God and as such possesses Almighty power which He employs on behalf of His people against their enemies, is ever kept before us in the book of Revelation. 

That our Lord desires this important truth to be recognized by His people especially in view of the coming days of bitter persecution against His people, is obvious when we observe that in Rev. 17:12-17, where the Revelator presents the formidable combination of the powers of earth to be amassed against the people of God, we are informed that that mighty combination of the forces of Babylon will be overthrown by "the Lamb". Notice how the Scripture reads: " . . . And the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings". Remember that Paul in I Tim. 6:15 declares that it is the explicit intention of the Lord Jesus to "shew Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of king's, and Lord of lords". Now when Rev. 17:14 employs the same phrase when referring to the events of the same time, we know that the use of that majestic phrase at the time the forces of Babylon are overcome as they fail in their endeavour to slay the people of God, is intended to convey to the 

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remnant church before the final conflict reaches its fury, a sense of security in the knowledge that their Almighty King will bring to nought the evil machinations of the combined forces which, will be arrayed in formidable strength against them. 

The term "King of kings, and Lord of lords" is employed three times only in the Scriptures and each time refers to the overthrow of His enemies at the end of time. The last time it occurs is in Rev. 19:16. The setting of this verse is as follows: The first part of the chapter describes the judgments of God that have fallen upon "the great whore" which is brought into the prophecy in Rev. 17 –thus we see the connection between the events of Rev. 17 and those of Rev. 19. The vast multitudes of the saved of all ages have gathered to "the marriage supper of the Lamb", "and as the voice of mighty thunderings" they say "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth". A comparison of this verse and its context with that of Rev. 11:15-17 suggests that this acclamation of praise as recorded in the Revelation is intended to exalt Jesus as the One to Whom that praise is offered by the redeemed hosts. This is also suggested by the pen of the servant of the Lord, for in the chapter in "Christ's Object Lessons" entitled, "To Meet the Bridegroom", which exalts the glory of the Lord Jesus, this passage is quoted with reference to the Lord. And immediately after having quoted this passage, the Lord's servant quotes Rev. 17:14 which noone will doubt applies definitely to Jesus at the time of His overthrow of the forces of Babylon. These same passages are also quoted together in PK. 721. 

In giving a fuller picture of "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14), which, in Rev. 17:14, is said to be fought by "the Lamb", the Revelator, in Rev. 19:11-21, describes the glory of the Lord Jesus as He destroys His enemies in this “Armageddon" slaughter.  He says:  “He doth judge and make war ... and out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron [i.e. destroy them, see Rev. 2:26, 27]: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel ... he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls ... Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God." 

Thus by comparing Rev. 16:14 with Rev. 17:14 we learn that the battle ... of God Almighty" is fought by "the Lamb", and then when compared with Rev. 19:11-21, where a fuller picture of the same battle is presented, we learn that it is the Lord Jesus, "called the Word of God", Who smites "the nations" and rules them "with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the 

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fierceness and wrath of God Almighty"; the birds are invited "to the supper of the great God"—the supper pictured as being provided by the Lord Jesus, Who is definitely declared to be the destroyer of the Babylonian forces that have sought to slay His people. Thus we see that throughout the Apocalypse, our blessed Lord Jesus is declared to be "the Almighty", and His Almighty power He employs as Jehovah in keeping His covenant to protect and deliver His people and to destroy their enemies.