What Does the Testimony of Christ Mean in Revelation?

As I have mentioned before, reading through the Scriptures for so many years, and there's still verses that leave me perplexed. They're like little rabbit holes that you can go in and never been there before.

Maybe this is a verse that has gotten your attention as it has mine. It's in Revelation chapter 19 in verse 10. This is the last part of that verse, and it says something that sounds very puzzling.

It says, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

So how is the testimony of Jesus the spirit of prophecy?

Unfortunately, some churches have taken this scripture to justify how they have a particular gift of prophecy. So they apply it to a certain human being.

For instance, in the Mormon Church, they use Revelation 19.10, and they say that that testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, applies to their modern prophets in the Church that have that type of testimony of Jesus.

So they have no proof for that, but that's what they claim, that their modern prophets can add to the scriptures, take away from the scriptures, and they say, well, that's the spirit of prophecy, of the prophets, because they have these twelve prophets that live there in Salt Lake City, and they all have the spirit of prophecy.

Well, the Bible says that you shouldn't add or take away from the scriptures. They use it to back the Book of Mormon, which is plagiarizing the Bible. It's got a lot of things that the Bible says, and it just goes ahead and interprets it in their manner. Another church is the Seventh-Day Adventist Church that uses this verse to say that their prophetess in the 18th century, Ellen White, had the spirit of prophecy. And so they use that and say, well, she had that spirit of prophecy. And so she wrote a whole bunch of books, and they say, well, she was what Revelation was talking about, that she has the spirit of prophecy. Well, that's not what the Bible is talking about, because it says it's the testimony of Jesus. It's not talking about some other person. But let's look a little deeper into this verse. We're going to take a deep dive into the Scriptures to find out exactly what it's talking about. And as you will see, it's not rocket science. You have to let the Bible interpret itself.

Now, the apostle Paul uses this phrase, the testimony of Jesus, four times in the book of Revelation. And let's go to the first one, Revelation chapter one, because we cannot let ourselves be deceived with false teachings about this. And it does reveal something very important for our salvation, for our understanding of what God has called us to do. So John starts in verse one of Revelation one. He says, the revelation of Jesus Christ. So this is something that is being revealed by Jesus Christ, which God, talking about God the Father, gave him. So God the Father is the original source, but then he gave it to Jesus so that it could be revealed to the church and through an angel that Christ used, which God gave him to show his servants things which much shortly take place. And he sent and signified it, which means certified it, by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw. So here we have actually two words. We're going to focus today on what does the testimony of Christ mean in this book of Revelation, because it is a key word. And in this verse two, we have two words that have to do with testimony. So that's the first thing we have to realize. It's actually one word. One is used as a verb, the other one's used as a noun, but it all comes from the same Greek word. So he says here, who bore witness, talking about the Apostle John, and the word witness is martureo. Martureo. That's where we get the word martyr, which means somebody that dies for the faith.

Left a witness of his faithfulness and died in the faith. Here, it just means that John is giving a witness, a testimony of what he received, and it was Christ, the one that reveals this to him. And then the second word is testimony, which is marturea, which also has to do with witnessing. But in this case, it is talking about the witness.

Christ is the witness, the testimony that Christ is giving.

So this is a very important word, which frankly I had never put that much emphasis, but this has to do with the entire Bible, the testimony of God, of Jesus Christ, and our testimony. Because here, okay, John is giving this testimony. Look, what I'm saying here is not this dream that I have. Oh, I am certifying. I'm a witness. This came from God the Father through Jesus Christ and an angel that brought it to John.

He says, to all the things that he saw in the visions that Christ was revealing to him.

So again, it's a witness and a testimony. And so we have to do a little bit of a deep dive, because now from this verse, we're going to just go to all the Bible from the beginning about this word testimony or witness.

The witness gives the testimony. What he says is accurate. It's what he is putting his name on the line that it is truthful.

So in the Baker's evangelical dictionary, it has the definition of testimony.

It says, the biblical concept of testimony or witness is closely connected with the Old Testament legal sense of testimony given in a court of law.

So this isn't just somebody that's saying, well, I've affirmed this. No, this is serious. When you go to a court of law, if you're caught lying, it's perjury. And the crime of perjury, you can end up in jail. It's very serious.

So here, when it's talking about giving a testimony, it means in a judicial sense, very serious. Even God says, I am testifying and I cannot lie. He says its value consists in certifiable objective facts.

Let me repeat it. This validity or value consists in certifiable objective facts. That's why the Bible is not a book of myths that somebody dreamed up.

Now, these are witnesses. Now, Moses was the one that wrote the first five books. He was a witness that God was in charge. He was revealing these things. It wasn't something that Moses made up. And so, in the Scriptures, it should be taken in a legal sense.

All of these people that God used, they were witnesses that this came from God and no one else.

It goes on to say, and by the way, certifiable objective facts is something that you can research and find out it's true. Certified.

In the court of law, you have to make sure that what a witness says is not his opinion. You have backing for what the person says. They were there. They can relate the history behind it, and they put their name in honor of what they're saying.

It says, in both of the Testaments, the Old and the New, it appears as a primary standard for establishing and testing the claims of truth.

So, the Bible doesn't say, well, just believe. No, it says, check it out. You're going to see that there's historical backing to it.

There are witnesses to it, and then it says, uncertifiable subjective, which means it's more of your opinion than a stated fact.

Claims, opinions, and beliefs, on the contrary, appear in Scripture as inadmissible testimony. This doesn't meet the grade. It's not acceptable. Even the testimony of one witness is insufficient to establish a fact. For testimony to be acceptable, it must be established by two or three witnesses.

Deuteronomy 19.15. Thus, within Scripture, an inseparable bond exists between the message and its historical reliability on the basis of sound testimony. Witnesses, they were there, and they have other witnesses that can vouch for it. So, the Bible, again, is a book that has all of this backing because it is treated as a legal book that you have a judge, which is God.

He certifies it. Jesus Christ certifies it. And the witnesses certify it. That's why, in the past 200 years of archaeology, they have found more and more reliable evidence.

I make it my business to study all of these archaeological journals. And it's just incredible. It seems like every week they just found there in Jerusalem that the tunnel that was built by Hezekiah was actually longer than the tunnels that were in Rome.

It was that long and that work of art that carried it out.

So, the Bible starts out saying, check it out. That's why it says in 1 Thessalonians 5, 21, test all things.

Hold on to that which is true, which is good and true.

Let's look at one testimony that God gives about creation. Notice in Psalm 19, Psalm 19, verses 1-3, It says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.

So, if you study the skies, everything up there, the laws of astronomy and physics, it shows the glory of God. This was intelligently designed.

I have an article I'm working on which is called the Web of the Cosmos, the Cosmic Web.

Because now they've found the galaxies are all tied together by a cosmic web, just like it would be a spider's web. Everything is in its place. It's not some planets going here or there. No, everything is tied to this cosmic web that they have discussed.

That's just a side line for a moment.

It goes on to say, Day unto day, utter speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.

So here, what it's talking about is that the sun and the moon and the day and night cycles are eternally established as faithful witnesses, affirming that God is a promise-keeping God.

He says, just look at the day and the night, the cycles. Everything faithfully is carried out.

And so these are witnesses that we have.

How carefully everything is designed. Every time you see that rising of the sun, it's like God saying, you see, I keep my promises.

You're not going to one day say, oh, all of a sudden it's all going to be dark. No more light.

Everybody would die, but no, God provides the daylight, the nighttime, and goes on to say, there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. This is a witness that God is the great maker of all things, and He is a watchmaker. He puts everything in order, in time.

Now, we also have another witness in the Old Testament that's very important.

Did you know that particular two tables that God created are called the testimony, the witness that God exists? He did it.

Let's go to Exodus 31, 18. So actually in the scriptures, sometimes the testimonies have to do with the established Word of God.

It has His seal and certification. Exodus 31, verse 18.

It says, and when He had made, talking about God, when He had made an end of speaking with Him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the testimony. This is God's witness. He didn't just say, well, Moses tried to remember what I said. No, He wrote it down. This is my witness. This is written testimony of my laws, my way of life.

The testimony, tablets of stone written with the finger of God, was written by a finger of man.

So the Greeks always lauded and were so proud of their philosophy, Greek philosophy.

The Romans were so proud of their way of governance and all their buildings.

But you see, God's Word is not built on what humans did. It was written with the very finger of God.

He put His stamp of approval, His testimony. And so you look at Deuteronomy chapter 9.

Deuteronomy chapter 9 and verse 9. Moses is talking here. He said, When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. God spiritually, miraculously maintained them, fed.

Then the Lord delivered to me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God.

And on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. So you see again, it's a witness. When we become baptized, we're writing a part of our covenant with God. He is there as a witness and a judge. And we're there as a witness as well. We're committing ourselves.

So in Revelation, going back to chapter 1 verse 2, what John is talking about is simply that Christ is the revelator and witness.

Of what John saw in the visions.

This is not some personal dream that John had. The message had the testimony of Jesus Christ Himself. See, he's using it as the authority.

This is the witness. He is there. He gave this to me to relay to you.

Now let's go to the second verse in Revelation, which also talks about the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter 1. Now we're going to verse 9.

It says, I, John, both your brother and companion, in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Cady and I had the chance last October to visit the island of Patmos. We were there. It's a small island. It used to be used as a penal colony for the Romans. When they exiled people, they would take them. He was there.

And so here he said that the reason that he was exiled was for preaching the word of God and having the testimony of Jesus Christ in this sense. It is witnessing, giving the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In the Good News Bible, it says, I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus, I am your partner, impatiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his kingdom.

I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed.

The testimony, the witness that God gave and that he was in prison because of that. And this is what the church does today. It preaches the word of God and also about the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ never kept one Sunday in all his life, but he kept the Sabbath every week of his life that we know of.

He never broke the Sabbath day.

And so here the testimony of Christ has to do with giving the testimony. Again, it's equivalent to witness. I was witnessing for Christ and what he has done.

Let's go to the third place in Revelation.

Revelation 12, verse 17.

This is very important to see the definition of what testimony means.

Revelation 12, verse 17.

This is going to happen in the future. It hasn't happened yet. Talk about the dragon who was Satan the devil. He was enraged with a woman who is the church, the true church. And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, because part of that church is going to be taken to that place of protection, which is called her place. So he can't do anything. But then there will be other brethren that will still live around the world, and he will go after them. And who are they who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ?

And so here again we see the testimony. They have the witness of Jesus Christ.

And does Christ witness to these people?

Does he give a testimony about these people who keep the commandments of God? Yes, he does.

Notice in Revelation 3, talking about the different churches in Revelation, Revelation 3, verse 8, talking about the Philadelphia church.

Revelation 3, verse 8, it says, I know your works. The church always had to have works. The works in doing God's will. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it. For you have a little strength, especially in the end times. People's spiritual strength are not that strong. We're so distracted by so many things.

You have kept my word. You have been faithful to scriptural teaching, and have not denied my name. So we use the name, Christ is our Lord and Master, our High Priest and coming King.

And then he goes on to say, Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not. In other words, these are false Christian teachers. They say they're part of the God's people, but they're not actually synagogue of Satan. They're a false church.

He says, but they lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet. And we cannot be worshipped until we're part of that kingdom, where we're going to be part of the family of God.

And, says here, Before your feet and to know that I have loved you. Christ gives that testimony. These are the ones that are keeping my commandments. These are the ones that are faithful.

And so the testimony of Christ, he's giving a witness. He's saying these are the ones that are following. They're keeping the commandments of God. They're keeping my teachings. They have me as their Savior. They're going to be part of that future bride when Christ comes back. It's very important about this testimony.

Let's go to Revelation 6, verse 9.

Here's another confirmation of this testimony about Christ, the truths of God and Christ's teachings. Revelation 6, verse 9, says about the fifth seal, When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls, which means those who had died, who had been slain for the word of God, in other words, following God's word, and for the testimony which they held. Yeah, they're not going to give up the Sabbath day. They're not going to give up the feast days. Doesn't matter what threats, what persecution.

We are going to put God first in our lives.

And they cried out with a loud voice, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? It's like he says of them. Their martyrdom is still before God, and a white robe was given to them. This is when they're resurrected. And it was said, well, this is all kind of symbolic, the souls under the altar, which is a symbol of being slain, and said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. So they gave their testimony. Christ gave his testimony about them. Notice in Revelation 11, in verses 3 and 7, also talks about now the two witnesses that are going to arise in the end time. Revelation 11, verse 3, it says, And I will give power to my two witnesses. This is the same word that we've used before, the martyrs, the witness. The witnesses, it's in plural. They give the testimony of God's truths to the world, and they will prophesy, which means not only foretelling, but also they will be inspired speaking. They're going to give that inspired speaking to the world of God's truths. It says 1,260 days, that's three and a half years, clothed in sackcloth, because they are going to be heartbroken by all the evil that is there, that is a sign of anguish. And then it says in verse 7, it says, And when they finished their testimony, so this is the way their work is summarized, they gave a witness with what they said, with what they did. They gave a testimony to the world. The world didn't pay attention, but they did their job. It says, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, talking about Satan-inspired human beings, will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. So they are faithful witnesses. Revelation 12, 11, talking about the saints, It says, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, that's how we are forgiven, and by the word of their testimony, they were faithful to the end, and they did not love their lives to the death. And so, yeah, we are all witnesses. We're all giving a testimony of what we believe to the world. Notice Revelation 19, 9-11. This is the fourth time that the testimony of Jesus Christ is mentioned. Revelation 19, verses 9-11.

As Christ is now about to come to the earth, an angel is talking to John, and he says in verse 9, Therefore, then he said to me, Write, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. So, John was so impressed with what the angel said is that he fell at his feet. He bowed down to worship him. But this angel said to me, See that you do not do that. You're not supposed to worship angels. He says, I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus.

See, we're all part of the same group, the same team. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. So here he means the teachings and truths that Christ reveals are the true source of prophecy. That's the true revelator. You don't have to look up human beings that are supposedly going to use the spirit of prophecy. No, it comes from Jesus Christ and he is the faithful witness. So again, it's dealing with the teachings and truths that Christ reveals as the true source of prophecy.

We should always focus on that. Some people are going to come, Oh, I received this and follow me. No, no, because the true source of prophecy is Jesus Christ and we have to know. That's going to be the case. So how do we apply this in our lives? We have three points to consider, three steps. First, we are also witnesses of God's truths and live by them. It is our testimony, just as it was John's. So we are giving a testimony by our words, by our deeds.

And we're supposed to be faithful. Nobody's perfect because God did not call perfect people. But they are sincere and dedicated and they do follow Christ and have the testimony of Christ. These are part of my flock. Secondly, we have to be faithful witnesses to the end because there are people that start out okay. Yes, gung ho, let's go for the faith. Yes, here. Now I'm going to change my whole life over and it's going to just be fantastic.

But what happens? Ten years down the road. Twenty years down the road. Thirty, forty, fifty years down the road. Are we still faithful witnesses? Yes, this is the path that we took one day and we're still following it. And we're giving a testimony about Christ living in us and following His way of life. Notice in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 12. Paul simply says this. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. He's always going to be that faithful witness. But we can fall away. We can leave the faith. So it's very important. In Revelation chapter 1, talking about one of Christ's titles, Revelation chapter 1, it talks about in verse 4, says John to the seven churches which are in Asia.

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits, these are angelic beings who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. See, one of His titles is the faithful witness.

And the third and last lesson, realize the privilege of having the faithful witness of God's word with the testimony of the Ten Commandments as the basis for it, with Jesus Christ's teachings alongside.

Realize the privilege of having the faithful witness of God's word with the testimony of the Ten Commandments as the basis with Jesus Christ's teachings at its side. Never be deceived. This is a simple, it's very concrete, very easy to grasp what God requires of us. And so, as we end, let's go to Isaiah chapter 8. Isaiah chapter 8, verse 19 and 20. Remember that the testimony is also God's written word. It's not just what He spoke, but it is God's written word, which He is a witness to its faithfulness. In Isaiah chapter 8 verse 12, verse 19 rather, it says, And when they say to you, seek those who are mediums and wizards.

As you know, they've been around, you can probably walk a couple blocks, you'll see some psychic office there. People that supposedly read palms or whatever. Seems like there are more of them than ever before. So it says, people say these are mediums using demonic spirits. And by the way, demonic spirits, they have a network here on earth. So they can find out whatever is going on, because they're just like a bunch of spies.

They say, well, let me call this angel, this fallen angel over in this place. I can tell you what's going to happen and some of this. So it says, those who say you consult mediums and wizards who whisper and mutter. Should not a people seek their God? Not Satan. Should they seek the dead? Which are all of these people that are spirits, talking to spirits on behalf of the living? No, this is the answer. To the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

In the New Living Translation, it says, look to God's instructions and teachings. People who contradict His word are completely in the dark. It's false. Don't ever get involved with Ouija boards. I've had people that have had demonic possessions because of those Ouija boards and other things. People playing around with spiritual stuff that's in the dark sources. And then demons start bothering them. Even somebody like Brian Wilson, he just died recently from the Beach Boys.

I didn't know about it, but he took LSD when he was in his twenties. And after that supposedly acid trip, he had demons enter his mind that never left him. And they pursued him until his dying day. He had to take all kinds of drugs just to try to keep him off.

So don't invite those types of spirits. So, brethren, we have a wonderful truth about God guiding us through His word, His testimony. And also, let's be faithful to Christ so that He can testify for us and give us a new name.