50 Days of Wisdom

We know that the gospel focus is on Jesus' first coming in lowliness and in humility to serve and to give His life as a ransom for sin. At His first coming, Jesus lived as a man whose glory was hidden and veiled. But when He returns, at His second coming, His humanity will be hidden, and His glory will be fully manifest. And to see the unveiled Christ, we need to look at the Book of Revelation. Therefore, let's look at the final triumphant declaration of the Spirit of God in the visions given to John that unveil who this child, who was born in a manger, really is. This book gives the full picture of Christ. Now, in chapter one, He is identified in verses 1, 2, and 5 as "Jesus Christ." Therefore, there can be no mistake that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And the first title that is given to Him is in verse 5: "The faithful witness." That is, one who always speaks accurately and truthfully and gives the facts. That's what a faithful witness does. A faithful witness provides a perfect and absolutely accurate testimony. And the testimony that Jesus gives to God, to man, to sin, to righteousness, to judgment, to salvation, to heaven, to hell, to life, and to death—testimony that He gives to anything and everything on which He speaks—is absolutely faithful. In other words, if He says it, then that's how it is. In John 18:37, He said, "For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth." In a world of lies, under the control of the arch-liar, Satan, you can trust everything that Christ says. He cannot lie. He is God. He is holy, and God cannot lie. He speaks flawlessly about everything. All His claims, promises, and assessments are true. All His decisions, actions, and judgments are in perfect harmony with the truth. Thereby, at the very beginning of this book of judgment and reward, we can be sure that every judgment and reward is based on faithful testimony to the facts because He is the faithful witness. Secondly, in that same verse, He is the "firstborn from the dead"—or of the dead. Either way. It doesn't mean that He's the first person to ever be raised from the dead. There were some before Him. Resurrections occurred in 1 Kings chapter 17, 2 Kings 4, and again in chapter 13. Therefore, we have three occasions in the Old Testament where a prophet of God, by the power of God, raised someone from the dead. But this isn't talking about that. The word here is "prototokos" in the Greek, and it means the primary one, the preeminent one. It's not the first, chronology-wise. It's the first in terms of preeminence, the most important one. Rank is the issue here. Of all those who have ever been raised or will be raised in the future, He ranks first. So the firstborn is the supreme one, the premier one, the preeminent one, the highest-ranking one, higher than the kings of the earth. It is the right of the firstborn to possess the full estate of the Father. And therefore, as the preeminent one, He is the Son of God who will inherit the entire possession of God. Furthermore, in verse 5, a third title is given to Him. He is referred to as the "ruler of the kings of the earth," and that goes with the firstborn from the dead. What does it mean? Just that. He is the supreme ruler. And since He is God's preeminent Son, God will make Him the ruler over all other rulers and all the affairs of the entire world. As the veil lifts, we see Jesus as the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.Repent and believe! GTY.org (80-418) – Christmas Future

Today's Wisdom

Day: 988

August 2, 2026

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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, "I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen!