καὶ ἔχει ἐπὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν αὐτοῦ ὄνομα γεγραμμένον βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. Revelation 19:16.
The highlighted words have the same meaning in Greek and English. What do you think?
The Bible is broken down in six parts which are Law, History, Wisdom, Gospel, Letters, and Prophetic. The book of Revelation is a Prophetic book. When reading prophecy, understanding the history and time of the writer is important. The writing was after the Jesus’ death. Scholars agree the book was written around 95AD in Patmos by John. John was one of the twelve with Jesus. The question that is looked into further is what did it mean to John and his readers when it was stated written on his thigh. Does this mean with removeable ink or permanent ink?
In the Old Testament there are references to not making marking on your body. The references can be found in Leviticus. The reference to Leviticus leads me to believe John understood a tattoo in the same terms as the current reader. The method has changed from soot to ink as well as the application process has changed from one needle to tattoo gun.
The Greek word for written is γεγραμμένον. The stem word is γράφω. Variations of this form can be found 208 times in 38 forms. To write is a verb and can be found seventeen times in the form above. From the forms in the Bible, the word means to write, draw letters, and write in means of recording.
The scripture describes a vision that John saw flashing before his eyes. There are visions that he saw that he was told not to write. Interpreting a book as Revelation is difficult. The places described are based on the existing knowledge of the writer.
The research agrees Jesus arrived on a white horse. On his robe and thigh was written: king of kings and lord of lords. The word written indicates that words were long term. It appears that Jesus returned to fight the final battle with his name and authority written in a manner that all would see. No one can ask by whose power he brings about the destructions.
