In the Apocalypse the A{X)stle is given a vision of Christ in His inettable glory, and a panoramic view of His march to acknowledged pre-eminence. All the main features already sketched reappear heie in most striking fashion. He is the Lamb slain, the Kedeemer who in His blood loosed from their sins (P) and purchased unto God men out of every nation (o*'); the Living One who holds the keys of death and Hades (l^*) and gives life (22^"} ; the Ruler of the kings of the earth (P), the King of kings and Lord of lords (17") ; the Son of God ^018 i6j ^vorshipped as God is (5*-" cf. with 4*-") and as no other should be (22*^). Between Him and God other parallels are drawn that find explanation and warrant only in His Deitj-, e.g. each is the Temple and Light of the >sew Jerusalem (21— *) ; thej- have a common throne (22^), and the title Kipios is applied to l>oth.
It is clear that all the XT writers regard Jesus Christ as pre-eminent by virtue of His Person, His work, and the place which the universe of created intelligences shall yet accord Him. For, though some of them have written briefly, all that they do say fits in with this genenil conception. And it must be remembered that these early leaders formed a compact body, consciously bound together by the holiest ties, breathing the same atmosphere, recei%ing the same body of historic facts, professing the same %ital religious experience, and drawn the closer together by the very opposition they en- countered ; and that, however they may have ditlered in minor matters, there is no symptom of ditierence or dispute among them as to the un- approachable greatness of their Lord and Sa%-iour Jesus Christ, or as to the fact that He is the coming Universal King. See also artt. DiVEN'ITV OF Christ, Incarnation.
LrrERATrRE.— This is verj- extensive. Material may be found in the leading Commentaries, Lives of Christ, and works on Biblical and Systematic Theolog:>-. esp. those that deal wholly with the Person and work of Christ. Valuable lists mav \x found in Cave's Introd. to Theol. and its Literature. Two Very valuable books there named misht easily be overlooked, namelv. Alexander Maclaren's ' Colossi'ans ' (Erpos. Bibk). and R. W. Dale's Ephe~iian.9. With them may be named Guthrie's ex- position of the Colossian passag-e, entitled Christ and the In- heritance of the Saints. The followin? mav also be consulted with advantage: M'Whorter. .J ah >ceh Chri-yt ; Stalker. Christolonu of Jestis; Someriille, 5?. Paurs Conception of Chri-^ ; Forrest, The Christ of Bistcrv and of Experience ; R. J. Drummond. Apostolic Teaching and Christ's Teaching! ; P.roadus, Jesus of Sazareth ; A. T. Robertson, Kej/irords in the Teaching ofJestts; A. H. Strong^, The Greatness and the Claims of Christ (in First Baptist World Congress) ; D. Fairweather, Bound in the Spirit, p. 265 ; G. A. J. Ross, The UniversaMy of Jesus.
J. H. Farmer. PRE-EXISTENCE.—
The OT conception of the Messiah was, for the most part, limited by the horizon of this present world. The prominent thoug-ht is that of a king of the line of Da^^d, bom of the human stock (Jer 3021), though sui>fcrnatTirally endowed and blessed. There are, however, traces of another "and higher con- ception, in which the Messianic king tends to be fdentified or closely associated with the personal self - revelation of
Jehovah. The most remarkable of these are the titles ' Mighty God ' and ' Father of Eternity ' in Is 9* : the statement of Mic 5^', that the Ruler who is to coiue forth from Bethlehem will be one ' whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days." To these may perhaps be added Bar 3^'. Such passages as these, whether they are understood as impljing definitely the personal pre-existence of the Messiah, or only his existence "in the eternal counsels of God. fended undoubtedly to raise the Messianic conception to a higher level, and to prepare for the claims of Christ Himself, and the devtloped teaching of the pre-existence of Christ which is found in NT and the Christian writers gener- ally.
In the more ' ix)pular " teacliing of Jesus Christ which is recorded in the Sjiioptic Gosi>els, though His continued existence, even to the end of time, is clearly stated, there are but few hints of His pre- existence before His human birth. His question to the Pharisees concerning Ps 110 (Mt 22"-^, Mk 1235-37^ Lk 20"-**) would seem to imply, in the back- ground of the S]>eaker's mind, His pre-existence before His birth of the line of Da\-id. A similar conclusion might be draA\"n from the language of the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (see esp. Mk 12*). And possibly the lament over Jerusalem (Mt 23^, Lk 13^, taken in connexion with Dt 32") implies that the attempt to • gather together' the children of Jerusalem had extended over a much longer past than the three years' ministry.
There can be no question that St. Jolm was pro- foundly convinced of the eternal pre-existence of Jesus "Christ as the personal Logos. This is most clearly stated in the Prologue to the Go?i>el (Jn l^-^*). Similarly John the Baptist is quoted as bearing witness of Jesus in this respect (v.**). And in the discourses of Jesus Christ which are con- tained in this Gospel, addressed apparently to a dill'erent typte of audience from that of the Syn- optics, ancT conveying a fuller self-revelation, there are most startling claims to pre-existence. To Xicodemus (3^*), Christ claims to know the heavenly things as haWng Himself descended from heaven. The same claim was made in the synagogue at Capernaum (G-*"'^), and produced strife andaston- i-shment. A little later the Jews of Jerusalem attempt to stone Christ for blasphemy. He claimed not only priority to Abraham, but apparently an eternal pre-existence (S**). And in the climax of self -revealing at the Last Supper, Jesus in His communing with the Father twice refers to His own personal relations with the Father before the world began (17^ -*).