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Jesus holds many names and titles, each one giving us revelation into who He is. The book of Revelation describes a few of the names that Jesus holds. These names are described in chapter 19 where we get a glimpse of the glorified, resurrected Jesus sitting on His white Horse. All of these identifiers should encourage and excite us for the wonderful things that are to come with knowing the Lord Jesus and spending eternity with Him.

Here is a summary of Jesus’ many names and their meaning from studying the Greek.

The Lord God Almighty ( Revelation 19:6 )

Supreme in authority. All ruling, absolute and universally sovereign. Omnipotent. The supreme deity. Exceedingly God. The One true God. Unoriginated in form, immutable, eternal, self-sustaining, infinite in knowledge and creative power. Holy, righteous, faithful, true. Full of love and mercy.

Lamb ( Revelation 19:7, Revelation 19:9 )

In the Old Testament, the sacrificial lamb is a foreshadow of Jesus. In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as the Lamb of God's appointment for the payment of sins. But in the Apocalypse an entirely different word is used than the in other passages in the Old and New, it is 'arnion'. We translate both words as lamb in our language. Arnion also presents Jesus on the ground of His sacrifice but, perhaps more importantly; it shows him with His acquired majesty, dignity, honor, authority and power as the resurrected Lamb of God. It is a wonderful picture of Jesus and the best thought of all is that through God's grace our names can be written in the Lamb’s book of Life, never to be erased because Jesus is the Lamb keeping account.

Faithful and True ( Revelation 19:11 )

Jesus is called faithful. This means he is trustworthy, sure and true. We can believe the words He spoke to us as it is impossible for Him to lie ( Hebrews 6:18 ). Jesus is also called true, which means he is the real deal, the genuine article and faithful to His Word. What wonderful names to have as they demonstrated Christ's eternal character. Our faith can rest in this as it is part of the glorious name and title he inherited with His resurrection.

A name written on Him that no one knows ( Revelation 19:12 )

What is this name? The arrangement of the Greek signifies that absolutely no one knows this but God himself. Or as the Amplified points out "He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand" ( Revelation 19:12b AMP ). I wonder if this name is too awesome for our mortal minds to comprehend. I believe the more we know Christ, the more the Holy Spirit will reveal to our spirit this name and its meaning. I also look forward to the day when I am before Jesus and the revelation of this name that no one knows or can understand is revealed to me in its fullness. What a glorious day that will be!

Word of God ( Revelation 19:13 )

Perhaps this one is my favorite! Jesus is called the Word of God. This is important to grasp because the word used here is the word 'logos' which means 'expression or thought'. Jesus was the manifestation of God in the flesh. Full deity in human form. He was the expression of God to mankind. He was the radiance and glory of God in the flesh. Christ came in the fullness of God to show us God in a way that was not understood previously. He was everything that God is, His exact representation, nature and likeness. By knowing Jesus we know God.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords ( Revelation 19:16 )

On Jesus' robe and inscribed on His thigh is the title, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords". He is the first and the Last, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Jesus will rule eternally as King and Lord. Everything in heaven, earth and under the earth will one day confess this before Him ( Philippians 2:11 ). All of this because Jesus is the Savior of the world. Who reconciled everything that sin destroyed with the fall of mankind back to God ( II Corinthians 5:18-19, Colossians 1:20 ). Jesus holds the title of King and Lord forever because His work was so complete and perfect and God the Father bestowed this honor on Him.

Believing in His Name

Taking all of these things into account we can see why Jesus is far superior to angels. Understanding His current position helps us comprehend the completeness of the redemption He provided for us. Now Jesus is in heaven guaranteeing the offer of eternal life that he made to us. This is the promise, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" ( John 1:12-13 ).

Tomorrow we look at Hebrews 1:5-6; Jesus Came with the Full Blessing and Authority of God

When we think of Jesus, most of the time we think of him as He walked and talked on this earth. While this is a true and wonderful picture of our Savior, now we can look at Jesus in an entirely different way. With His resurrection, His redemptive work was complete as he sat down at the right hand of the Father. Now Jesus is both resurrected and glorified in heaven and this position has changed everything including the name which he now owns. God was so pleased with what Jesus did that He has given Him a name far above any other name in existence.

The Name, The Title, The Rank

"So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs" ( Hebrews 1:4 )

A name is an important identifier. A name means something. When Jesus was born into this world the angel instructed Joseph to give him the name of Jesus, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" ( Matthew 1:21 ). The name Jesus is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for Joshua, "Jehovah is salvation', or 'is the savior'. This name was given to the incarnate Son of God as his personal name to show us what He would be and what He would do.

After Jesus reconciled the entire world back to God with his death on the cross ( II Corinthians 5:8-9 ) His name took on a whole new dimension. Look how this passage talks about the power and superiority of this wonderful name: "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" ( Philippians 2:8-11 ). God was so pleased with Jesus, that His name was exalted far above every other name. This wonderful exalted name secured forever His eternal position, far superior than any other created thing, including angels.

With the resurrection Jesus also took on the title of Lord. He had always been identified with this title while on the earth, after all it was a customary title of respect and many naturally used it when addressing Him. But its association in the Old Testament signified 'Jehovah, Lord God Almighty'. Jesus also accepted the nuance of the title while on earth tying it back to the Old Testament definition. What is interesting is the fact that after His resurrection His followers, realizing His deity, never again use this word in the common way. Jesus changed forever the meaning of this word, so that whenever it is used in the rest of the New Testament, early Christian writers only used it to refer to, or address Jesus. The title Lord means 'having power or authority, supreme in power'. It is a fitting title for our savior and Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection and position of authority in heaven is the proof that he now holds the title of Lord eternally.

How does one understand the awesomeness of Christ? Even His name is supreme over every other thing in existence. Paul understood this when he wrote, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ( Romans 10:9-11 ). Our faith and salvation rests in Jesus and His position as Savior of the world. Confessing your faith in both His name and title and what those hinge on is the only thing you need to do to have eternal life.

Tomorrow we look at Part 2: Glorified Names that Jesus Holds