Jesus, the Faithful Witness
“…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;” and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:5-8).
In John’s vision, he was given details regarding some of the characteristics, roles, and the future return of Jesus. At the time of his vision, the church was under heavy persecution by Roman authorities due to various allegations of treason, illegal assembly, and opposition to Rome’s polytheistic beliefs, amongst other things.[1] While this cannot be confirmed and is not mentioned in the Bible, Christian theologian Quintus Tertullianus wrote in his book The Prescription Against Heretics that the Romans attempted to boil the Apostle John in hot oil, but he survived. However, the Bible does confirm that John had been banished to the Isle of Patmos but does not detail what persecution he may have endured prior.
["Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority (of apostles themselves). How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood; where Peter endures a passion like his Lord's; where Paul wins his crown in a death like John [the Baptist]'s; where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile."][2]
In the apostle’s vision he details what he had been shown and wrote it down for the seven churches in Asia, which we will name shortly. For now, let’s dive into Jesus’ characteristics as detailed by the Apostle John, thus giving all believers hope for the Great Day of the Lord’s return.
Jesus is described as being:
1. Faithful Witness – What comes to mind when you think about someone being faithful? The act of being committed to something or someone may come to mind, such as a spouse being committed or faithful in their marriage, an engagement with the promise to attend, or reliability regarding timeliness. The Greek word for "faithful" is πιστός (pistos). It is an adjective that means trustworthy, reliable, and believing.[3] The Greek word for "witness" is μάρτυρας (martus). It is a noun that means testify, testimony, and martyr. Therefore, the Father trusted the Son, for He stood as a trustworthy and reliable testament as to who God is, while being in His very image. The Bible says: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:16).
2. Firstborn from the dead – When one thinks of the term firstborn, the eldest child of two parents may come to mind. The firstborn, especially males, have often been seen as a sign of strength, given greater responsibilities than their younger siblings, upheld the family’s honor in the absence of the parent(s), and received a larger inheritance. We know that Jesus is the Father’s first and only begotten Son as we can refer to the previous verse in Colossians 1:15 and John 3:16. He was before God created anything in the universe because He was and is the very image of God, which makes Him the first of everything. He was not created but existed before all that was created. The Bible says: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (Romans 1:5-6). The Word lets us know that no one is equal to the Son, but He is distinguished above all that and who were created.
3. Ruler of earthly kings – Many people put their faith, hope, and trust in earthly leaders, such as presidents, governors, senators, judges, and more. Unfortunately, these are only mere mortals who cannot save anyone; they can only render earthly verdicts and leadership that are sometimes corrupted. Nevertheless, Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords whose kingdom will never fail or be destroyed. The Bible says: “ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). There is not one earthly king who can establish peace on earth but the Lord. Therefore, while many make peace treaties and broken promises, there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns to reign on David’s throne during the millennium reign.
4. Alpha and Omega – Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Parallel to these alphabets, Jesus has declared Himself as the first and last, the beginning and end. He is eternal, for there was no one before Him, and none will be after Him. The Bible says: “This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). How many gods can say that they were since the beginning of time? None! Yet, Jesus has and always will be, so He was God, is God, and is God to come. The Bible says: “ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). Therefore, Jesus takes no backseat to anyone or anything because His supremacy reigns above all.
5. The Almighty – This word in Greek is παντοκράτωρ (pantokratór) which tells of Jesus having all authority and power over all creation. In the Greco-Roman era, they were familiar with their gods being powerful in certain areas of influence, such as Athena was considered the goddess of wisdom and war. However, in Christianity, there was and is only one God who had power over every creature, for He is our El Shaddai, God Almighty.[4] The Bible says: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4). Therefore, even the Name of Jesus is Almighty and is superior to any other name in Heaven above or on earth below.
Jesus is described as having done these things for His people:
1. Loved us – We would not know what love was if it had not been for the Father showing us love through Jesus Christ his Son to die for us. The Bible says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The world has an idea of love, but Jesus is love. He loved us so much that He sacrificed His own life to pay a debt we could never repay. The Bible says: “ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:17-18). How wonderful it is to know that Jesus was not forced or coherced into giving up His life, but He willingly gave up His life so that we could have eternal life through Him.
2. Freed us – Without the work Jesus did on the cross, we would have been eternally condemned and enslaved to sin. Thankfully, we are no longer bound by sin or the law, but are freed and renewed in Christ. The Bible says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4). This verse is not to say that we have a license to sin and live anyway that we choose, for then, we would be enslaving ourselves to sin. On the contrary, we are to reverence the freedom we have in Christ because of the sacrifice He made on our behalf.
Jesus made us a kingdom of priests fit for service.
1. Priests fit for service – The priests and Levites during Moses’ day and beyond were set apart to do the work of the Lord. They did not live as the other people did and their inheritance was the Lord. Their lives were to always be one of righteous and sacrificial living as the priests offered daily sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of their sins and those of the people. Similarly, we are to honor the Lord with our lives, as we have been made priests fit for service, thus being set apart from the world while living in it. The Bible says: “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). The church must carefully operate as a people set apart for the Kingdom of God and not be compromised by the kingdom of darkness.
Therefore, because of the sacrifice Jesus made for all mankind, He was given all power and glory by God the Father.
So as a recap, Jesus is described in Revelation as being a faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of kings. Jesus was sent down to earth in the form of a baby and witnessed all the things that man goes through here on earth. Not only was he rejected and abused, He suffered even unto death for the salvation of mankind. Nevertheless, he was buried but rose again on the third day. Therefore, He is our Priest, King, Lord, and Savior with all power given from the Father in His hands. The Bible says: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
We have been chosen and handpicked by God to be part of His royal family. We have been made worthy by the Blood of the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world. We are no longer our own but are servants of the Most High God, and we are to be a light for others to see. The Bible says: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Jesus is coming again! Every eye is going to see Him. The Bible says that even those who pierced Him will see Him coming in the clouds with Glory. Some will mourn because they will not be able to stand the sight of His appearance, while those who have been found worthy will cry out for joy at the Coming of the Lord. The Bible says: “Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ (Luke 23:30). Only those who are not in right standing with the Lord will try to flee from His presence. Sin cannot stand in the presence of the Lord.
Give homework assignment…write down what has impacted you the most from what you have learned in Revelation so far, and what can you use to apply to your daily life in Christ.
[1] Camilla Klein, "Uncovering the Reasons for Early Christian Persecution by the Romans," Temporary, last modified June 13, 2024, https://christianeducatorsacademy.com/uncovering-the-reasons-for-early-christian-persecution-by-the-romans/.
[2] Tertullian, Prescription Against Heretics (Pickerington: Beloved Publishing LLC, 2015), 2236.
[3] Bible Hub Editorial Staff, "Strong's Greek: 4103. πιστός (pistos) -- Faithful, Trustworthy, Reliable, Believing," Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages, last modified 2025, https://biblehub.com/greek/4103.htm.
[4] Bible Hub Editorial Staff, "Strong's Greek: 3841. παντοκράτωρ (pantokratór) -- Almighty, All-Powerful," Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages, last modified 2025, https://biblehub.com/greek/3841.htm.
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