Apocalypse | 002 | What is the Testimony of Jesus?

In our Christian experience, many of us have testified of God's working in our lives and the lives of others. It is interesting to note that Jesus Christ also has a testimony to tell. It is called: the Testimony of Jesus Christ.

John bore record of "... the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all the things that he saw." (Revelation 1:2) The Scriptures testify of Jesus Christ. (John 5:39) Within the pages of the Bible, Jesus, who is the Word of God (John 1:1-4, 14), gives the testimony of how He saves the world through Divine mercy and justice.

In Revelation 19:10, John's guiding angel tells John, "... I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The angel repeats this a similar statement in Revelation 21:9, "I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."

Let's do a comparative analysis of the two verses above:

1. John's brethren were the prophets who, along with his guiding angel, were servants of God. "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
2. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Bible says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:19-21)

To put it all in a few sentences, the Testimony of Jesus is God-inspired words spoken and written by men of God who are his servants, the prophets. As a light in the darkness, prophecy lets you see what's before you, making you aware of surrounding signs and obstacles so that you prepare yourself accordingly.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:12-15) These were the words of Jesus, recorded by his disciple, John. The Spirit of Prophecy is a gift manifested when the Holy Spirit takes control of God's servant.

According to Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary, prophecy is a foretelling; prediction; a declaration of something to come. As God only knows future events with certainty, no being but God or a person informed by him can utter a true prophecy. The prophecies recorded in Scripture, when fulfilled, afford the most convincing evidence of its divine origin, as those who uttered the prophecies could not have foreknown the events predicted without supernatural instruction.

However, the Bible warns us that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light and his servants also can hide under a guise of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) How do we put these false prophets to the test? 

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20) In the Hebrew language, the Law refers to the first five books written by Moses and the Testimony refers to the writings of the prophets. (See Matthew 5:17, Luke 16:16, John 1:45, Acts 28:23, Romans 3:21) 

Basically, what we call the Bible/Scriptures today were called "The Law and The Prophets" by the Jews in the Bible stories. New teachings by new teachers must be tested and proved by the existing literature of the Bible. Only then can we determine whether or not we're dealing with a minister of Satan.

Throughout the ages, the Dragon (Satan) has waged war against the servants of God. During the last stages of his losing battle against God, he was "...wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 12:17) Before the second coming of the Lord Jesus, God will have an elite group of prophets called the remnant of her (Woman) seed. They will be identified by two indicators:

• They keep the commandments of God (I will have a separate post about this).
• They have the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, the ability to discern the future through the writings and the teachings of God.

As spoken of by the prophet Amos, God reveals future events to his servants so they can prepare themselves, having hope through the fulfilment of those events that God will bring them through it. The book of Revelation is part of the Testimony of Jesus. It contains a most startling series of prophecies that were designed to equip the reader through the events outlined in it.

I hope and pray, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will take time to read and study the book of Revelation. Until the next post, God bless you.