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#10.
The Glory and Dominion.
The first Amen (1: 6).
pp. 97 - 99
With this ascription of glory and strength we reach the first of a series of eight
Amen's which run through this book.
The glory of redemption is His; He is the "stronger than the strong man armed";
He it is that has the keys of Hades and of death. The glory also of the kingdom is His.
The first time we read of glory in the N.T. is in Matt. 4: 8, where the tempter showed
the Saviour the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. We know how futile the
temptation was, and here in Rev. 1: we rejoice to see Him acknowledged as the One
rightly to receive the glory as a sequel to His redeeming love.
The word translated "dominion" is kratos, and means "strength." 5: 13 renders it
"power," and these are the only occurrences in the Revelation. The word is used in
Eph. 1: 19:--
"And what the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe according to
the inworking of the strength of His might which He wrought in Christ when He raised
Him out from dead ones."
This great strength seems to have reference to "him who has the strength of death, that
is, the devil" (Heb. 2: 14).
Peter links glory and strength together in I Pet. 4: 11, "To Whom be praise and
dominion" (glory and strength), and 5: 11 also. Col. 1: 11 links glory and strength for
our practical walk now in the phrase, "according to His glorious power," literally "the
strength of the glory." One thing at least is clear, we have here no empty glory, but a
glory resting upon a solid foundation. He who had the strength of death has been
vanquished, the glory long usurped is to be his no longer. It will be remembered that in
Psa. 8: 2 we read, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained
strength." The LXX and Matt. 21: 16 give "perfected praise." This shows that the
word "strength" must be the Figure of Metonymy, where the ascription of praise is called
forth by the great strength of the overcomer.
Most of our readers will know that the title, "to the chief musician upon
Muth-labben," which stands over Ps. 9: is really the conclusion of Ps. 8: This
expression is taken to mean "the death of the champion," indicating in the first place the
destruction of Goliath, and prophetically the overthrow of antichrist and satan, "the
enemy and the avenger." A further and fuller light shines on Ps. 8: when we realize
that "through death, and it is quite possible that the "champion" may refer more to Christ