Shepherding the Nations

The “Son” in the twelfth chapter of Revelation represents the Messianic figure in the Second Psalm who “shepherds the nations.” Following the enthronement of the “Lamb,” heaven declared, “Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ.” His “faithful testimony” in death and his victory through resurrection marked the start of his reign. However, he rules by “shepherding the nations,” not destroying them.

He is described as “a son, a male” - (eteken huion arsen). The Greek clause echoes the prophecy in Isaiah using the Greek Septuagint version where “Zion” becomes a female figure who “brought forth a male” - (eteken arsen - Isaiah 66:5-8).

[Photo by Mohamad Babayan on Unsplash]

The term “Son” is added to the clause, clarifying his identity. He is the Messianic “Son” who was “caught up to the Throne of God” and destined to “shepherd all the nations with a scepter of iron,” an allusion to the Second Psalm- (Revelation 12:5):

• (Psalm 2:6-9) - “Yet I have installed my king on Zion my holy mountain. Let me tell of a decree; Yahweh said to me, You are My son; I, today, have begotten you. Ask of me and let me give nations as your inheritance and possession of the ends of the earth. YOU WILL shepherd them with a sceptER of iron, as a potter’s vessel you will dash them in pieces.”

Revelation continues to follow the Greek text of the Septuagint in which the Hebrew verb for “break” or “crush” is replaced by the Greek verb for “shepherding.”

The mission of the “Son” is to “shepherd” the nations, not to grind them into dust. Judgment and destruction may come, but not before he completes his task of populating the city of “New Jerusalem” with multitudes of redeemed men and women from every nation - (Revelation 21:24-26, 22:1-3).

The same Psalm was employed at the start of the Book where Jesus was identified as the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” Because of his Death and Resurrection, he reigns supreme over the Earth and its nations - (Revelation 1:5, 5:6-14).

• “The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Yahweh and against his Christ…I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me: You are my son; This day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.” - (Psalm 2:2-8).

THE LAMB IS KING

When did his enthronement occur? Following his arrival at the Throne in Chapter 12, Satan was expelled from heaven and a voice declared, “NOW is come…the authority of His Christ!” The term “now” is emphatic in the Greek clause and pinpoints the moment when his reign began – His resurrection and exaltation to the Throne of God.

The same event was portrayed in Chapter 5 when the “slain Lamb” approached the Throne, and all creation declared him “worthy” since by his death he redeemed men from every tribe, nation, people, and linguistic group - (Revelation 5:7-12, 12:5-11).

His enthronement took place following his Death and Resurrection. As stated in the opening salutation, he is, present tense, the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.”

This is Good News since he uses his power and royal authority to “shepherd the nations” until they reach the “Holy City, New Jerusalem.”

• “The city does not need the sun or the moon, that they should shine therein; for the glory of God illuminated it, and the lamp thereof was the Lamb. And the NATIONS will walk through her light, and the KINGS OF THE EARTH do bring their glory into it” – (Revelation 21:23-24).

The marginalized seven “congregations of Asia” described in chapters 2 and 3 are the starting point of this process. With Jesus reigning on the Throne, the trickle of converts to the new faith became a flood.

At the end of Revelation, the vast “innumerable multitude” of men from every nation, including the “Kings of the Earth” is found standing and worshipping before the “Lamb” and the Throne in the “city of New Jerusalem.”

Jesus, the “slain Lamb” and the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth” will accomplish all this by “shepherding the nations,” not by hammering them into the ground with his great “iron scepter.” He is a Shepherd King who gathers and redeems his people.

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RELATED POSTS:

• The Shepherd King - (The Lamb’s reign commenced with his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has shepherded the nations toward New Jerusalem)

• The Exalted Lamb - (The sovereignty of Jesus is based on his death and resurrection, the immovable foundation of his present reign in the Book of Revelation)

• Jesus Reigns - (Jesus triumphed over his enemies through his Death and Resurrection, therefore, he now reigns from the Messianic Throne)