Revelation 19:12

…and on his head were many crowns… and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

John sees Jesus wearing many crowns. Not one crown only, but many. He is not the King of one tribe, one stream, one label, or one little corner of the church world. He is Lord over all who truly belong to Him.

That speaks to me, because down here we sort ourselves into camps so easily. One group dresses one way. Another group worships another way. One church is formal. Another is plain. Another is polished. Another is simple. One preacher wears robes. Another wears a suit. Another stands up in boots and a work shirt. And before long, people start acting as though Jesus belongs more to their circle than to somebody else’s.

But when John sees Him, he sees many crowns.

It may well be that this points to the Lordship of Jesus over every true believer He has gathered to Himself through all those different expressions. The walls men build do not limit Him. He has His people in places we might not expect. He walks through barriers we keep reinforcing. He knows how to reveal Himself in congregations that do not look alike, sound alike, or carry the same customs. The crowns remind us that He is bigger than our little camps.

That does not mean doctrine does not matter. It does. Truth matters deeply. But it does mean Jesus is not confined to our preferences. He is not a mascot for one branch of the family. He is King.

Then John says something else that is just as wonderful. He had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

In Scripture, name speaks of nature. So this tells us there is something about Jesus that even now remains beyond our grasp. We know Him truly, but we do not yet know Him fully. We love Him, but we have only begun to see the depths of who He is. There are glories in His nature we have not yet touched. There are beauties in Him still hidden from our present understanding.

That is part of what makes heaven so full of wonder. Eternity will not be boring repetition. It will be unending discovery. We will spend forever learning the riches of Christ, and never come to the end of Him. We will not arrive at a point where we say, I have seen it all now. No, we will keep seeing more. More beauty. More holiness. More wisdom. More love. More of the glory that we only glimpse now through a glass darkly.

I love that thought. The Jesus I know today is truly my Lord, truly my Savior, truly my Bridegroom. But even after all the mercy He has already shown me, there is still more in Him than I can presently comprehend. That means the best thoughts I have ever had of Christ are still too small. The sweetest worship I have ever offered is still only a beginning. The clearest moment of nearness I have ever known is still just the edge of a far greater unveiling yet to come.

Saints, that ought to humble us and steady us. Humble us, because none of us has mastered Him. Steady us, because the One we follow is greater than all our confusion, all our traditions, and all our limitations. He wears many crowns, and He bears a name whose fullness no man yet knows.

So let men boast in their systems if they want. Let them argue over their camps. I want to stay near Jesus. One day we will see Him as He is, and when we do, we will be amazed that the One we loved by faith was even more glorious than we imagined.