¹ Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

² As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

⁴ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

⁵ Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

⁶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

⁷ And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

⁹ Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

Isaiah 64:1-9 (KJV)

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We see here the prophet wishing that God would use His power against His enemies, who oppress the people of God, Israel, and also to save His people. Isaiah recognizes that God’s people are merely clay in the hands of a potter, formed to His liking. The context of this part of the book is the Servant of the Lord (which is introduced in Isaiah 42) who is the Messiah. Isaiah 60-62 says the promised Messiah, Servant of the Lord, will not only save Israel but bring peace and security to Jerusalem forever (compare Isaiah 60:19-20 to Zechariah 14:6-7 and Revelation 21:2-4, 21:23-24, 22:5). Our Lord Jesus Christ read from Isaiah 61 and said this was talking of Himself:

¹⁷ And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁰ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹ And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Luke 4:17-21 (KJV)

Isaiah 63 then talks about a coming judgment on Edom. This was literally fulfilled of course, but we see a foreshadowing to the judgment in Revelation 14:14-20, 19:15 with the treading of the winepress in the Great Tribulation (a judgment on the nations and idolatrous Israel). Then Isaiah 63 recalls the mercy of the Lord throughout the history of Israel, specifically the redemption from Egypt. The chapter ends with a prayer for mercy because the enemies have destroyed the Temple and driven them from the land because of their hearts were hardened (this is looking prophetically to the first Temple being destroyed).

Finally arriving at our passage in the beginning of this article, Isaiah 64 begins with a prayer for God to show Himself mighty like in the days of old. That God would make Himself known to the nations. Notice that Isaiah recognizes that God acts in the real world for those who wait on Him. But as a people, we have sinned, therefore all our righteous deeds are like dirty rags, because God delights in a heart repentant than one who only is outwardly obedient (Joel 2:12-13). For those who have read the Scriptures, this should sound familiar to us, because indeed, we have all sinned and that is why we need a Savior.

God is the potter, all of us are the clay. He molds those of us in Jesus Christ into vessels of honor, as we read in Romans 9:21. If we read carefully, Isaiah 63:17 and 64:8-9 cover the same line of thinking as Romans 9:20-24:

¹⁷ O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Isaiah 63:17 (KJV)

…

⁸ But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

⁹ Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

Isaiah 64:8-9 (KJV)

²⁰ Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

²¹ Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

²⁴ Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Romans 9:20-24 (KJV)

Isaiah asks God for mercy in this passage remembering God is in control of absolutely everything, the forces of nature, the enemies outside, the enemies inside and Israel.

This should be a great comfort to us in Christ, because although things look dire inside the Church and in our society as a whole, the Lord who is Sovereign over all creation, saved His people in the days of old, even in the days before Christ. And now that we are in Christ, the substance of the shadows have come and we can still trust that His righteousness and justice will reach the entirety of creation. Nothing is outside of His control and His promises to His Anointed (Messiah) stand forever.

If we were to continue reading on to Isaiah 65 we see what happens next, God answers the prophet. God will treat the vessels of dishonor with utter destruction, and His vessels of honor, His chosen (His Servant and those in Him) inherit the New Heavens and New Earth. Those who only worship outwardly (but inwardly reject God) have their sacrifices rejected and are worse than gentiles. But for those in Christ, a New Covenant age begins, where God will be worshipped by His people in the New Jerusalem forever (see Isaiah 66, compare Isaiah 65 to Revelation 21-22).

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¹ But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

³ For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

⁴ Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

⁵ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

⁷ Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

⁸ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.

¹² I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

¹³ Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

Isaiah 43:1-13 (KJV)

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The context in this passage is the Servant of the Lord, who is introduced in Isaiah 42, will save Israel (Jacob). This Servant of the Lord will bring justice and righteousness to the earth, including the gentiles (those not ethnically Israel):

¹ Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

² He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

³ A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

⁴ He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

Isaiah 42:1-4 (KJV)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 12:16-21, we are told this is indeed talking about Jesus of Nazareth. So this Servant of the Lord, the promised Messiah, is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. That same passage elaborates:

⁶ I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

⁷ To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Isaiah 42:6-7 (KJV)

The people of Israel were to be a light to the nations (gentiles), and were to bring the knowledge of the Lord to them as a nation of priests, holy for the Lord (Exodus 19:6). This is also repeated in Isaiah 49:6, 52:10 and 60:3. Of course, as we read the Biblical narrative, Israel fails at this purpose because of their breaking of the covenant with God. Israel is exiled from the land with the Temple of God destroyed in a fiery judgment. Yet the Servant of the Lord will picks up that mantle of Israel and fulfills this role. So we see this purpose of Israel fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see Luke 2:32, John 8:12, Acts 13:47, 26:23). As the mystery is revealed in the coming of Christ, those in Christ’s (under His covenant headship) are a royal priesthood, fulfilling the purpose of the nation of Israel (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6).

The Messiah, Jesus Christ takes the identity of Israel, even taking their sins on Himself, to save them. And by the grace of God, Messiah Jesus also saves the nations:

¹ Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

² And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

³ And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

⁴ Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

⁵ And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

⁶ And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Isaiah 49:1-6 (KJV)

Of course, Matthew, the Gospel writer, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, confirms this when He quoted Hosea speaking of Jesus Christ:

¹⁵ And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Matthew 2:15 (KJV)

…

¹ When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 (KJV)

Rabbinical interpretation (interpretation from the Judaism that was created after the second Temple was destroyed to respond to Christianity) will insist these Messianic passages in Isaiah only speak of Israel as a nation, especially Isaiah 53, speaking of the suffering of Israel. This, despite the fact that the context clearly identifies the Servant of the Lord with the Messiah. The Servant of the Lord is the King of Israel who takes on their identity, redeems them of their sins, and even redeems the gentiles, and rules over them, bringing righteousness and justice to the whole world through His reign.

Going back to Isaiah 43 we see that Israel, the nation, is God’s Chosen Servant. In the first verse we read that God tells His Chosen Servant Israel that He formed Him. This of course is paralleled by the Messiah in Isaiah 49. But his idea is found in the previous and next chapter, God tells Jacob to not be afraid because He has been called and redeemed Him. This talking about one Servant of the Lord and the nation as the same can be understood, as previously mentioned, that the nation is saved by the Lord through His Messiah who takes on their burdens on Himself. This Messiah who takes on the name of Israel, even their sins and suffering, and fulfills the promises of God. This is despite the fact that the people broke the everlasting covenant and are judged (in the future of Isaiah, see Isaiah 24, and mentioned in Isaiah 43:14).

So the Lord gives the nations to His Servant, Israel, and the Lord will gather His descendants from the far lands:

⁴ Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

⁵ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Isaiah 43:4-6 (KJV)

Then the Lord clarifies who are Israel’s descendants. These are those who call on the name of the Lord and who the Lord made for Himself and for His glory:

⁷ Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

⁸ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

Isaiah 43:7-6 (KJV)

Notice that the Lord tells Israel He loves Him and He is precious to Him. And then Isaiah tells the people to bring the blind and the deaf, and that the nations come to the Lord. Then the Lord declares there is no salvation outside of Him, no other god besides Him! This is all very Messianic.

Looking at the context again, Isaiah 40 talks about John the Baptist heralding the coming of Christ (as confirmed by the Gospels). In Isaiah 41 we are introduced to the Servant of the Lord, God’s Chosen, the Seed of Abraham, He is called Israel. Paul the Apostle confirms that the Seed of Abraham is Christ and in Him are all the promises fulfilled (Galatians 3:16).

In all these chapters, Isaiah 41-43, we are told of the miracles of giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. And we know this was physically true. But the people of Israel needed a Savior, Christ became the Savior, as we see in Isaiah 53, which is still referring to the Servant of the Lord. And so the nations. We were all blind and deaf and did not see or hear God. Yet Israel and those who were outside in the nations, who partake in Christ, they belong to Him so they partake in this salvation, they are healed of their deafness and blindness.

Isaiah looked forward to the Savior sent by God. But now we look back at what He has done to save us, those in Christ, and like Peter the Apostle said in His epistle to Jewish and Gentile Christians:

⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

¹⁰ Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (KJV)

If you, dear reader, have not called upon the Lord, you need to, for Jesus Christ has Ascended and is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus Christ is Lord and King, He will judge the living and the dead and His reign will never end. You too may obtain mercy and saved from eternal perdition and be part of the people of God.

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With that in mind, as stated before, the vision starts at the throne of God. We then see a scroll that is sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel then asks everyone in creation who can open that scroll and nobody in heaven, earth and under the earth (Hades, or Sheol, the place of the dead) is able to open that scroll. Nobody has the authority to do so is what we understand. I believe this vision is indeed connected to the prophecy sealed in Daniel 12:9:

⁹ And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel 12:9 (KJV)

Daniel is told to seal what will happen at the end of the age and so the book ends. Here in Revelation when the seals are opened in the next chapter the events of the end of the age are set in motion (see Revelation 6). But going back to the throne room and the unopened scroll, we all want to open the seal and know what is inside, John the Apostle writes that he is distressed at the fact nobody can open the scroll, but then he is told that the Lamb of God is worthy to open the seals and look inside the scroll!

Then we see in the throne room the 24 elders and the four living creatures and all the saints worship the Lamb of God. The 24 elders are two groups of 12 (described in Revelation 4:10-11). These are representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. Two are witnesses according to the Law of God, this is why there are two groups, and they represent God’s elect from all dispensations. The four living creatures are throne room guardians, cherubs (these are first mentioned in Isaiah 6 and in Ezekiel 1 and 10). These cherubs have the faces of a lion, ox, man and eagle and they each have six wings and many eyes (described in Revelation 4:6-9). Suffice it to say, when we see them in Ezekiel, they precede God who is riding a battle chariot (wheel in wheels with many eyes), the creatures they represent the cosmic order and they are directed by God who is not bound to the land of Israel but is in command even in the lands of the gentiles, the lands of chaos. Finally, the saints are all of us in Christ, who worship Christ.

Let us consider this Lamb of God. It says that the Lamb of God conquered, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David.” These are references to prophesies about Christ. In Genesis 49:9 Judah is called a young lion and Christ is the ultimate fulfillment as a son of Judah. And Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10 Christ is the root of Jesse. Paul the Apostle quotes Isaiah 11:10:

¹² And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Romans 15:12 (KJV)

And although Christ is so described, He is still our Lamb who suffered for us, He was slain yet He stands in throne room of God. As it says in Isaiah 53:7:

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Isaiah 53:7 (KJV)

John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world in the Gospel of John:

²⁹ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 1:29 (KJV)

He suffered to free us from our sins as both the priest and the holocaust (burnt offering):

²⁷ Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Hebrews 7:27 (KJV)

So Jesus Christ is described as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes. Seven represent perfection and completeness. His horns represent power. The seven eyes we are told represent the seven spirits of God (mentioned in Revelation 1:4-6). This is calling back to Zechariah 3:9 and 4:10. Again, not that God has seven spirits or seven eyes, God is a spirit, not multiple (John 4:24), but it is talking about His perfect omniscient Spirit and His work of salvation. In Zechariah 3:8-9 we clearly see the promise of the Messiah taking away the sins of the people of God:

⁸ Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.

⁹ For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

Zechariah 3:8-9 (KJV)

So the elders, the four living creatures and the saints all worship Jesus Christ:

⁹ And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

¹⁰ And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:9-10 (KJV)

Christ is worthy to open the seals because in His death and Resurrection He has redeemed the people of God, and not just those who are ethnically from Israel, but people of every nation from the whole world. Notice, Christ has made us, who are in Christ, a kingdom of kings and priests and we reign with Him as it says in the beginning of Revelation:

⁴ John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

⁵ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

⁶ And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:4-6 (KJV)

So let us all kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12), because those who honor the Son honor the Father also (1 John 2:23). And then those in Christ are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If we join with Him who was slain but now lives forever and ever we will join those around the throne room of God:

¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

¹⁴ And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 5:11-14 (KJV)

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In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

— Matthew 26:55-56 (KJV)

So let us look at some of these events that were fulfilled.

First we see Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver:

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

— Matthew 27:3-4 (KJV)

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

— Zechariah 11:12 (KJV)

And after Judas threw the silver pieces back at the chief priests and then went and hung himself, the chief priests bought the potter’s field:

And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.

— Matthew 27:6-7 (KJV)

And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

— Zechariah 11:13 (KJV)

In rejecting Christ, the people that did brought eternal judgment on themselves, but they also brought on themselves the covenantal curses in Deuteronomy:

Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

— Matthew 27:25 (KJV)

The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

— Deuteronomy 28:49-50 (KJV)

As Jesus hangs on the cross, those who came to watch Him die mocked Him, as the Psalm 22 says:

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

— Matthew 27:43 (KJV)

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

— Psalm 22:7-8 (KJV)

And Jesus cried out to God, as David wrote in his Psalm:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

— Matthew 27:46 (KJV)

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

— Psalm 22:1 (KJV)

And finally, when Jesus died, the veil in the Holy Place in the Temple that led into the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant would have been, was torn. This signified that the sacrifices that had to be repeated never took away sins, but the sacrifice of Christ cleansed our hearts and instituted the New Covenant:

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

— Matthew 27:51 (KJV)

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us:

for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

— Hebrews 10:11-18 (KJV)

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

— Jeremiah 31:33-34 (KJV)

These are only a few examples of how Christ in His sacrificial death fulfilled the Scriptures. This is why the way to God is open to all who come to Christ:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

— Hebrews 10:19-22 (KJV)

May all who read this come to Christ to repent and believe in Him so they may be saved and produce good works keeping with their repentance.

In Deuteronomy chapter 4, Moses warns the people of Israel that they are not to worship other gods as the other nations because God brought them out of Egypt and they are His inheritance:

¹⁹ And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. ²⁰ But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.

Deuteronomy 4:19-20 (ESV)

This is an idea we find throughout Scripture, the nations were disinherited at Babel (Deuteronomy 32:8), they pursue the false gods. But Israel is the inheritance of the Lord, they were brought out of Egypt by the Lord for Himself (Hosea 11:1). All this is related in the backdrop of Moses being forbidden from entering the promised land (Deuteronomy 3:23-29). This was after striking the rock twice (Numbers 20:10-13). The penalty was so severe because the Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). So Moses is now warning the people of the price of disobedience. But specifically in this passage, of breaking the covenant with God and going after strange gods because God is a jealous God:

²³ Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. ²⁴ For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 (ESV)

Moses makes predictions of what will happen if they do break the covenant with God. Take particular note of the people of Israel being driven from the land and being utterly destroyed:

²⁵ “When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, and you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, ²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 4:25-26 (ESV)

We read in 1 Kings that Judah and Israel were as many as the sand on the seashore as they possessed the land (1 Kings 4:20-21). But in that time of prosperity in we read Solomon disobeyed what Moses commanded and married women who did not know God and he built high places for Moloch and Ashtoreth, among others, and worshipped these false gods. All this after building a Temple for the true God:

⁴ For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. ⁸ And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

1 Kings 11:4-8 (ESV)

As we know from history, what Moses said happened. The people of Israel were driven out from the northern kingdom of Israel and from the southern kingdom of Judah. Isaiah prophesied:

²² For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.

Isaiah 10:22 (ESV)

As we read in the book of Nehemiah, even after God destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, a remnant did return to the Lord God. They rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple. As for God not forgetting His Covenant with His people, saving His remnant while and being a consuming fire for the covenant-breakers, take time to read Isaiah 65 through 66.

As we think of the consuming fire, we might be discouraged with this very real judgment of God against evil. We all have sinned and therefore need a Savior (Romans 3:21-25). In the Advent of Christ, we see that the fire consumes evil, it destroys the wicked, yes, but it refines the righteous:

¹ “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Malachi 3:1-4 (ESV)

We should not be discouraged, because those in Christ are refined to be like Him. The sin that brought utter destruction to Israel was putting their faith in God, but also the false gods. Remember, God is a jealous God, He will not share His bride with another, as no husband would. So put your faith in Christ and in no other! Only Jesus Christ can make you righteous.

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On November 4, 2025 A.D., the Vatican released a statement regarding the term “Co-Redemptrix” and the application of this term to the Blessed Mary. This statement can be read here. This caused a stir in a seminary run by the Society of Saint Pious X (SSPX) and they released a very impassioned statement that can be read here. For those that do not know what SSPX is, it is a fraternal order of priests outside full communion. SSPX celebrates the Tridentine Mass (Latin Mass) in opposition to the second Vatican council, which changed the Mass (Roman Catholic liturgy). Many in SSPX see the Vatican as opposing God’s will, even heretical. They believe the traditions of the Church continue in them. What is interesting about this is that they are following the footsteps of those in the Reformation who believed that there was error in the Roman Catholic and so disobeyed, to the point that they are driven out of communion. Although only their founder has remained excommunicated.

I was sent a sermon by Bishop Fellay (from that SSPX seminary) titled, “Our Lady Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix.” The video of this can be found here. I will be addressing this sermon specifically. Although this is an intermural conflict and I am not Roman Catholic, I believe it is important to highlight the differences between the Roman Catholic understanding after the Council of Trent of salvation and a Biblical soteriology. To my Roman Catholic friends reading, consider what Scripture says, you get in these situations by looking at the past through the lens of modern dogmas, consider the Scriptures and Church fathers as they presented themselves at the time they were written. To my Protestant friends, do not be dismissive about all this, it is good to dialogue and understand to better share the truth in Scripture and make good persuasive arguments when defending your position.

Listening to the sermon I was glad to hear Bishop Fellay recognizes that only Christ provides salvation, in this all Christians agree. If only that was the end of the discussion. Bishop Fellay said that only God provides the necessary elements of Faith and Grace. Again, we agree. But then Bishop Felley says that only God can infuse Faith and Grace and then says that we ask the Church for that Faith (as a mediator). This is the main point of disagreement, and I think we would all agree with that. To summarize his sermon, Bishop Fellay argues that although God is the source of salvation, and the ultimate source of Faith and Grace, God requires the cooperation of the individuals, starting with Mary saying “yes” to God, without that there is no salvation. Then the Church cooperating down to the individual believer. This is typified in Mary cooperating with God when she was asked to bear the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary represents the Church, who cooperates with God to present the Lord Jesus Christ to every individual. If I have misrepresented Bishop Fellay’s argument, please let me know and I will be glad to correct any misrepresentations.

Points of Agreement

After carefully listening to Bishop Fellay’s sermon, I will agree with him in more ways than he and those at SSPX probably think I would. Many from the Reformation and I would agree that the mission assigned to Mary is a type of the mission assigned to the Church (see Revelation 12). I would even concede that in the Gospel of John (who wrote Revelation), the disciple who Jesus loved (himself) is a type for the believer and Mary is a type of the Church (one of the reasons she is called “woman” by her Son). But just as the New Jerusalem is the Bride of God (Revelation 21:2-3) and at the same time the New Jerusalem is our Mother (Galatians 4:26-27). Especially if the New Jerusalem is to be typified by Mary, we have a problem when she is both the bride and mother of Christ. We can take these analogies and types too far if we take them out of context and apply them woodenly. We would also agree that sanctification is a struggle, this is something that happens after Faith is given.

Faith Objection

But the first objection I must address is that although Faith indeed is a gift from God, it is only for the elect, it is not for everyone. By this I mean faith that leads to salvation. Here indeed is the key difference, as Bishop Fellay noted, between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Specifically the need of the individual to cooperate with Grace to reach salvation. From Luther, Calvin and Zwingli to the Westminster Divines, Protestants argued that Saving Faith is only granted to those God has foreordained to salvation (Romans 9:1-29, Acts 13:48, Ephesians 1:3-14). The free will of the creature is not violated as God created them with free will, but God has foreordained their salvation as God is completely in control over His whole creation. Scripture says nobody can come to God, enter the Kingdom of Heaven and Resurrect into eternal life unless the Father draws them in first (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit raises that individual into spiritual life (born again or regenerated, John 1:13, 3:5-8). And the Son make the way open through Faith (John 3:13-16). This whole package is called Grace. Faith is therefore given to the individual drawn by the Father, regenerated by the Spirt and then believes in Christ which manifests in faith, repentance, and baptism.

The elect are called by God, they come, we all agree on that. Indeed God uses the ordinary means of the Church and the individual believers to spread the Faith. But there is a problem when we start taking glory away from God when we attribute our salvation to anyone else except God. Bishop Fellay even said “the instrument can do nothing without the source,” and I agree, which is why the instrument had nothing to do with its own operation. That is why as Protestants (traditionally) we say it is not the will of man, but the will of God, that determines who is saved in the end.

God does not need cooperation

Bishop Fellay asks, “what if Mary said no?” He then asserts that then there would be no salvation. But based on the Word of God, she could not say “no.” Not because Mary had no free will, she freely chose, but in the act of creation God had foreordained the Blessed Mother of His Son.

There are three examples of this phenomenon that I would like to present from Scripture. These examples show that God does not need our cooperation:

In the book of Jonah, God gives faith to the sailors who threw Jonah overboard and to the people of Nineveh. This happened because Jonah did not cooperate with the command of God to go to Nineveh directly and tell them God was going to judge them. Did God intend to give faith to those sailors? What if Jonah was obedient and went to Nineveh directly? Would the people of Nineveh repented? If Jonah did not get swallowed by the fish, would Christ be missing the sign of the Prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:39–40)? These are questions we must seriously ask ourselves. In multiple places God tells us in His word that He is in control of all “random” events (Proverbs 16:33) and even of our hearts and intentions (Proverbs 21:1). Therefore, God not only commanded Jonah and Jonah refused to cooperate, but God foreordained the disobedience of Jonah and saved the souls of the sailors and the people of Nineveh. Not only that, but God made it so Jonah would be in the belly of the fish just as Jesus would be in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40).

In Genesis, we read that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers through their wicked plot to kill him. In the end Joseph is freed and saves the known world from a famine because God made him second in command after Pharaoh. Joseph tells his brothers:

²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

Did God violate the free will of Joseph’s brothers when they sold him? Did God cause Joseph to suffer so he could save the world? Again, serious questions we must ask. But it was clear that God wanted the children of Jacob to leave Egypt, which means they needed to be slaves there and then be called out and be a type of Christ (Matthew 2:15). The wickedness of Joseph’s brothers were their own sin, but God foreordained it to eventually lead to Christ, who would save the world.

The last example is in Isaiah where we are told of the Assyrian was used as a rod against the apostate Israel (Isaiah 10:5-19). Yet in this passage, God said that the Assyrian in his heart intends to kill and loot from his own desire. Notice, God attributes their own malice to them, they did their wicked deeds from their own free will. How is it then that God can say they are His instrument? And then curiously, the Assyrian boasts, so God asks:

¹⁵ Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!

Isaiah 10:15 (ESV)

And so God judges the Assyrian for their pride and for not fearing Him. Is it not sinful pride for the creature then to take credit for something God has foreordained?

Mary and the Church

I recognize that the crushing the head of Satan was Christ’s doing, although a sword did pierce the heart of Mary (Luke 4:35). Indeed, the Blessed Mary suffered at the foot of the cross. This is a callback to the protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15). Again, this might be why Jesus calls Mary, “woman,” in the Gospel of John and why we see that the woman flees persecution after giving birth to the Son of God in Revelation 12. Indeed I agree that Jael is a type of Mary, as she was called blessed among women first (Judges 5:24). But to say Mary in any way is a redeemer with Christ is just wrong (Romans 16:20). Even for Roman Catholics it is problematic, as the Vatican says. Again, I like the analogy Bishop Fellay uses, a woman gives, or transmits life. The Seed of the woman crushes the head of the serpent. But even in his analogy, she did not create the person that came to be and she had no control over that, God did that completely. In like manner, when the Church ministers Word and Sacrament (Ordinance) and proclaims the Gospel, it is God that produces the fruit to eternal life.

Bishop Fellay recognizes that the Roman Catholic Church is running on protestant mentality (even if it is a form that both Protestants and Roman Catholics find distasteful). But denying the title of Co-Redemptrix to Mary is a step in the right direction (towards repentance). I know it must be a trying time to be a Roman Catholic, especially when you are told the Holy See has control over your eternal destiny based on your belief in their dogmas. Fortunately, I believe in the universal Church (Catholic), so I am catholic (although Baptist). There is the visible church (the institution) and the invisible Church (the elect, the saints that will persevere). I recognize there are saints in all the branches of Christendom. I also believe the promise that the gates of hades will not prevail against the Church. In a way, I am more catholic than a Roman Catholic.

One last example of God acting on the instruments is related in the Jerusalem council where the Apostle Peter said:

7 Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:7b-9 (ESV)

Who gave the Holy Spirit to Cornelius and those in his house? Because it was not Peter. Peter said God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. Notice, this was before they were baptized by Peter (Acts 10:47-48). They were given the gift of Faith in Jesus Christ by God and God alone, it was not the Church (although God used the Apostle and the Church). And when it pleases God to use an instrument, the ordinary means, such as an Apostle, the Blessed Mary, a Bishop, a Deacon or a normal believer, the glory should always go to God and God alone.

Conclusion

The terms Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix, should not be applied to Mary. Even as a Roman Catholic they are problematic and as I hope I have convinced you. As even the Vatican says, the definition for these terms vary. But I insist they are both unbiblical and I wish that the people so passionate over these terms would defend Christ with such zeal. If we take our soteriology from Scripture these terms become irrelevant because Christ is the only mediator and redeemer. God takes all the glory as I hope we all can agree.

Our Lord Jesus Christ says from His throne in the vision in Revelation as written by the Apostle John:

⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

Revelation 21:5-6

We know all those in Christ are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this will be revealed in the final Parousia of Christ when He finally ends death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-26). In no way does this deny the fact that the saints have to work, struggle, cooperate (or fail to), but ultimately their fate is in the hands of the creator because the saints persevere:

7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:7-8

Notice, Christ is the beginning and the end. Christ created the circumstances of our salvation, our walk and our sanctification. The Bride (New Jerusalem) is in this and the previous chapter, but notice she takes no credit in the new creation, this is because she is the new creation! (Revelation 21:1-4)

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If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

— Colossians 3:1-3 (ESV)

Notice, if we are in Christ we share in the reign of Christ. Christ sitting at the right hand of God is a reference to Psalm 110:1, the most quoted verse in the New Testament from the Old Testament:

The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

— Psalm 110:1 (ESV)

Therefore, while here on earth we should think and act accordingly. Let me help you visualize this with a parable. We are peasants in the village under a hill, and on top of the hill is a castle where the King lives. For a while, we had a usurper and his noblemen reigning and oppressing. This is Satan and the other sons of God who rebelled. But then our Hero went into the castle and there was a battle and our Hero has imprisoned the usurper (Matthew 12:28-29) and now He is sitting on the throne. This is Christ, who in His Ascension took all authority in Heaven and Earth from them (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 12:5-11). We who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven are now heralds, we tell the peasants that there is a new King, they must submit to Him (Matthew 28:19-20). Notice, Paul the Apostle preached the Gospel this way when he told the Greeks that because of the Resurrection they must repent:

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

— Acts 17:30-31 (ESV)

Of course, many of the peasants say “not my king!” And some are even loyal to the usurper and his conspirators. But that doesn’t change the fact that the King reigns and will judge them for their rebellion.

Therefore, we should live worthy of the King because when He appears We will Resurrect and be like Him:

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

— Colossians 3:4-10 (ESV)

Notice, we should not walk as we once walked. Absolutely no sexual immorality, or evil desires, even covetousness, because covetousness is idolatry. These things God will judge and we should believe Him when He said that if we really believe Christ is our King. And so the Apostle Paul adds to the list, which includes anger, slander and obscene talk. Yes, as a Christian you should not speak like a heathen with limited vocabulary. Do not lie. All this because our old sinful self, the one subject to the usurper has died, if indeed we are with Christ. Therefore we need to mortify these sins we once practiced and the Holy Spirit will give us victory over them as the saints persevere (this is a promise). In this way we will be conformed to the image of our King.

Fight the good fight brothers in Christ because Christ is King!

Jesus told the Pharisees of His time:

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

-Mark 7:8-9 (KJV)

Modern Judaism (Rabbinical Judaism), is the Pharisees’ religion continued after 70 A.D., when the Second Temple was destroyed and Second Temple Judaism ended. Of course, there were many evolutions and development, but the tradition of men that Jesus refers to is what is known as the Oral Torah. This was written down in the Mishna. The Babylonian Talmud is a collection of commentaries on the Oral Torah written around the 6th century. Granted, there is exegetical benefit for study, just like 1 and 2 Maccabees, Enoch, Josephus and other writings from before and after the first century. But Christians should be aware that Rabbinical Judaism differs in very acute ways from Biblical Judaism. Here are some examples:

• Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), which has been changed with the extra-biblical practice of Kapparot, where sins are confessed on a chicken or bread, instead of a lamb.

• Restrictions on the Sabbath day (they vary and are not found in the Law of Moses)

• The Feast of Dedication (John 10:22–23) was not instituted by Moses but in 1 Maccabees 4:56–61. Today that celebration is known as the Feast of Lights with a mythical story about the lights not found in the books of Maccabees because the Temple is gone

• Circumcision on the 8th day (Leviticus 12), which has been changed to include other extra-biblical practices (I won’t detail them here)

What gives them the authority to change the Law of God? The Rabbis have power over the Law of God, according to the tradition laid out in the Mishna (which is promulgated and expounded by the Talmud).

The power of the Rabbis is a threefold one:

(1) to amplify the Law either by prohibitory statutes for the prevention of transgressions (”gezerot”) or by mandatory statutes for the improvement of the moral or religious life of the people (”taḳḳanot”), and by the introduction of new rites and customs (”minhagim”);

(2) to expound the Law according to certain rules of hermeneutics, and thereby evolve new statutes as implied in the letter of the Law; and, finally,

(3) to impart additional instruction based upon tradition. But the Rabbis were also empowered on critical occasions to abrogate or modify the Law (see Abrogation of Laws and Accommodation of the Law). In many instances where greater transgressions were to be prevented, or for the sake of the glory of God, or the honor of man, certain Mosaic laws were abrogated or temporarily dispensed with by the Rabbis (Mishnah Ber. ix. 5, 54a, 63a; Yoma 69a; compare also Yeb. 90b).

-(Jewish Encyclopedia: Authority, Rabbinical)

So yes, Judaism teaches that the traditions of men can override the Law of God (just as Jesus accused them). Because this tradition is so prevalent, it affects Jews that aren’t even practicing and even Messianic Jews (as extra-biblical traditions tend to be a burden to them). As Christians, we believe that Christ took that power over the Law from them:

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Matthew 23:1-3 (KJV)

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

-Matthew 21:43-45 (KJV)

Indeed, the Rabbis after Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, worried that Jews would see that, read the Scriptures and convert to Christ because it is evident that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. So they built a system of traditions to override the Scriptures. Indeed, you will find in the Babylonian Talmud that Jesus is a criminal that is boiling in excrement in hell (Gittin 57a:4). Of course, they must condemn the one who they rejected because Jesus drove them out of the Kingdom of Heaven.

To summarize, whether the Orthodox Jews, Reformed Jews or even Atheist Jews follow the Talmud or not, is immaterial. The whole of Judaism after Christ is antichrist:

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

1 John 2:22-23 (KJV)

This includes all the traditions that are based on the assumption that Jesus of Nazareth was a false prophet and an enemy, which of course, is the whole religion. These people must be loved and they must be told the Gospel because their Messiah, the one who saves their nation, has come. This Jesus of Nazareth has His nail-pierced hands open to them even if their traditions of men teach that He was a product of rape and is burning in hell.

Paul tells us:

For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth⁠—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”⁠— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

— 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (ESV)

And indeed, we read through the Gospels that people call Jesus, Lord (κύριος). So if we properly understand this we should not be surprised when we read in Revelation:

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

— Revelation 19:16 (ESV)

Jesus is not only the King of kings forever (greater than the gentile kings), but also the Lord (κύριος) of Lords. We can understand Jesus is the God of gods, as Paul said, over all in heaven and earth. We are told all power is given to Christ in His Ascension:

The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

— Psalm 110:1 (ESV)

If we know this and grasp the implications, we will find the courage to live for our King and Lord who is ruling over us now just as the Apostles and early Christians who lived and died because of this reality.

I was talking to a good Christian couple this morning, and they were lamenting that the young people (including some of their children), do not live for the Lord. I told them, I believe part of it really is not living as if Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords now. This is not real to them. They believe all they need is a profession of faith and then wait for some reign of Christ in the future, the Gospel has no practical use for them now. This is a fatal mistake. This is why the Christians today are impotent.

Consider that the poorest in America today are better off than kings of antiquity, yet we as a purely have lost the will to live. Of course this is so, the Puritans who came over to America to evangelize this continent were blessed by God. The American today acts as if Christ doesn’t reign, so they serve no purpose and they know it especially as it is all vanity. Our purpose is to serve Christ the King and expand His Kingdom now, today and then pass it on to our children.