A note to the reader from the poet

Dear friend,

I have sat with this truth for a long time now, turning it over in my hands like a smooth stone: the hope we have in Jesus Christ is inexhaustible. It does not dwindle with the years. It does not thin when the night grows long. It simply keeps giving. Look at Him. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. The powers of this world will gather and rage. They will wage war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will triumph over them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers. That includes you. That includes me. In His own time — not ours —God will bring about the day when the blessed and only Ruler appears: God Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So I keep returning to this praise, as if I have just discovered it for the first time: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This is not a fragile wish. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It has already entered the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where nothing can touch it, nothing can steal it, nothing can wear it out. And still the mystery deepens: To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you. Not beside you. Not merely for you. In you —the hope of glory that can never be exhausted. So rest here a while, friend. Let this hope hold you. It has no end.

— the poet

Revelation 19:16

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 17:14

They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.

1 Timothy 6:15

which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Hebrews 6:19

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

Everything about

Colossians 1:27

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Everything about Jesus Christ,

King of Kings and Lord of Lords,

Gives us majestic, ceaseless hope

That never fails, but ever soars.

His holy birth in humble stall,

The Word made flesh among the low,

Foretold by prophets long ago—

Isaiah’s Child, Emmanuel’s call—

Now shines where darkest shadows fall.

With every word of truth He spoke,

And miracles of healing power,

He stilled the storm and raised the dead,

And walked with grace through every hour.

Upon the cross His love was shown,

The Lamb who bore the weight of sin;

In dying, death itself He broke,

Disarmed the powers, triumphed then

(Colossians’ cry of victory won).

Then from the tomb He rose in light,

The grave could not contain His might;

Ascended high to reign above,

Yet present still in boundless love.

This hope, unlike the fleeting kind

That earthly treasures may bestow,

Is rooted in the eternal King

Whose promises forever flow.

When storms of sorrow crash and break,

And shadows lengthen through the night,

This ceaseless hope still holds its ground—

A fixed and ever-burning light.

No time can dim its radiant flame,

No trial quench its steady fire;

For Jesus lives, the risen Lord,

And lifts our longing ever higher.

Behold the Rider on the white horse,

Faithful and True, with eyes of flame;

A sharp sword issues from His mouth,

He judges, conquers in His name.

On His robe and on His thigh

The title written, clear and bold:

“King of Kings and Lord of Lords”—

The Alpha, Omega, from of old.

He tramples out the winepress fierce

Of wrath against the rebel throng;

Yet for His own, the blood-bought flock,

He sings the everlasting song.

Through every age and every land,

Where faith has fixed its trusting gaze,

This hope has sung its deathless song

Of mercy, power, and endless praise.

It whispers peace in deepest pain,

It strengthens hands that tremble weak;

It points beyond the fleeting hour

To joys no mortal tongue can speak—

The New Jerusalem descending,

Where God Himself shall wipe all tears,

And death shall die, and night shall flee

Before the Lamb through endless years.

Ceaseless it flows, a river pure,

From throne of grace that never ends;

In Christ our Anchor, sure and strong,

This hope through every trial transcends.

Victorious, majestic, sovereign King,

Whose complex plan from ages past

Unites the cross, the empty tomb,

The final triumph that shall last.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords,

His reign shall never know an end;

Thus hope in Him remains unceasing,

Our constant joy, our faithful Friend.