“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17
One of the great keys to the life of faith of the Apostle Paul, and that which was communicated through his writings to the believers of his day, and until now, was the accurate vision that he had of Christ. His knowledge of God in Christ was clear, convincing, convicting, and complete in the measure that he could grasp it. One specific aspect of the revelation of Christ to the heart of Paul was the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, though speaking on this earth as being a king not of this world, is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Christ is King by His own declaration. When standing before Pilate, He was asked by the same, “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witenss unto the truth.” (Jn 18:37) It was very hard for Pilate to grasp the meaning of Christ’s words, for the Lord Jesus was the prisoner, the one facing judgement. His appearance was the total opposite of what one would consider that of a King to be. However, the Lord was very clear to Pilate that, “…My kingdom is not of this world.” (18:36) What is He declaring by these phrases concerning kingship, and his kingdom? First of all, He speaks of that which is of eternal, and lasting value, in declaring that His kingdom is from heaven. It is by implication eternal, absolute, perfect, and entire. He is the only glorious King of that kingdom, though before Pilate he appears to the be opposite.
In the book of Revelation, at the end of the tribulation period when the glorified and risen Christ comes again, John speaks of Him as being, “Faithful and true, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” (19:11) He then goes on to write that He is the “Word of God,” that very same description of Christ mentioned at the beginning of the Gospel of John. His appearance here in Revelation is that of a conqueror, a Captain, leading the host of heaven to the great conflict and battle with Satan. That which is so clearly revealed about this Captain is that He is also, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” He is thus being declared to be above all creation, possesssing all authority of creation. This picture of the coming Christ is the great revelation of the Lord’s words when He said to his disciples: “All power (authority) is given unto Me IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH.” (Matt. 28:18) Here we see the King on earth, in His limitations as the man Christ Jesus, then later ascended to the Father’s right hand. This “Lion of the tribe of Juda” will one day arise, and as the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, and be worshipped by the host of heaven as the Redeemer and Savior, worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. (Rev. 5:12) This is the One who Is coming also as King, this King Eternal of which Paul wrote. He is forever absolute in His power and authority to give life, specifically eternal life. This is the vision that Paul had of the never changing, ever present, totally committed and equipped Christ, to reign in a heart, and to set up His kingdom on earth, “…as it is in heaven.” Why is it so very important for the believer to have a great and glorious, elevated and completely honorable vision of Christ as the King Eternal? If faith is to be able to rise above the onslaughts of hell, then one must see that Christ possesses all authority in heaven and in earth, and he will come to the aid of those that trust Him, for He is faithful, never failing nor forsaking the believer who truly cries out to Him.
Dear Father, Lead on O King Eternal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.