Called, Chosen, and Faithful

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” -Revelation 17:14

When I was a kid, I remember getting mad at my older brother from time to time (okay, almost daily). He always had the advantage though, for while I was kicking and hitting, he would simply hold out his hand against my forehead and I would flail away to no avail. As a matter of fact, my brother would usually just laugh at me. That’s the picture I have in my head of all the nations of the world following Satan and the antichrist to war against Jesus Christ at Armageddon.

He is King of kings, and Lord of lords, so He will win with no contest. He will have the last laugh. The precious part of this verse to us is that we are included in the picture. When Jesus comes again to establish His Kingdom visibly on earth, the saints of God will be right behind Him. We come to fight the war with Him but obviously our presence is a mere token. He wins with the Word of His mouth. He simply speaks a word of truth and judgment, and all men fall.

I love what John says about those of us who will follow Him. We are “called, chosen, and faithful.” None of these attributes are explainable apart from the grace of God. He has chosen us in His ultimate wisdom. We who are saved have been foreknown by God Almighty. This choosing describes the aspect of our salvation that takes place in eternity past. He has called us in His time. Every saint has a moment of salvation. None of us simply grow into it, we are saved in an instant when we finally repent and turn to Christ. And we who will follow Him in His train will be counted faithful, not because of any goodness inherent to us, but because of our willingness to participate in an eternal partnership of growth with God.

Our salvation is all of God and the privilege is unspeakable. We shall serve as His accompanying dignitaries some day. My how we should long for that time, for the establishment of His reign on earth and for the putting down of all rebellion and wickedness. That day shall come and the Lamb shall be triumphant!