My Witnesses

Men and women purchased by Jesus from every nation become priestly witnesses of what God has accomplished in His Son.

In the Book of Revelation, the men and women redeemed by Christ’s sacrificial death become a priestly company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries. They are called to persevere in their testimony before the world regardless of suffering and persecution.

From the start of the Book, the stress is on the mission of the Church to bear witness to what God has done through His Son, Jesus of Nazareth:

• “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must come to pass soon. And he sent and signified by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it; for the season is at hand” – (Revelation 1:1-3. Compare Daniel 2:28, 12:4, Septuagint version).

[Torch - Photo by Venrick Azcueta (Toronto) on Unsplash]

What distinguishes the Church of Jesus from other groups is that it consists of men and women from every nation who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. As members of Christ’s holy community, they summon men and nations to join this same company. This priestly kingdom reflects the light of the Gospel on the Earth.

• “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood; and he made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen!” - (Revelation 1:4-6. Compare Psalm 2:6-9, 89:27, 37).

• “And now, if you will indeed hear my voice and keep my covenant, you will be to me a peculiar people above all nations, for the whole earth is mine. And you will be to me a royal priesthood and a holy nation” - (Exodus 19:5-6, Septuagint version).

The death and resurrection of Christ form the basis of his present reign. As the Ruler of the kings of the Earth, Jesus sends the Church as his envoy to proclaim his lordship and salvation to the nations. The task of being a light to the nations that was assigned to Israel at Mount Sinai has now been given to the men and women who follow the Lamb, the Church.

The Book of Revelation is addressed to the servants of God, namely, the seven assemblies of Asia. John of Patmos identifies himself not as an apostle, but as a man who participates with his churches in their sufferings and witness:

• “I, John, your brother and fellow participant with you in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus. I was on the isle of Patmos for the word of God and the witness of Jesus” - (Revelation 1:9).

• “All the nations are gathered together, and princes will be gathered out of them. Who will declare these things? Or who will declare to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified. And let them hear and declare the truth. You are my witnesses!...” - (Isaiah 43:9-10, Septuagint).

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth” - (Acts 1:8).

The mission that Jesus gave to his Church is to bear witness to all nations about what the Son of God has done for humanity. This task must continue until the very hour when Christ returns to complete all things, and Jesus will not appear “on the clouds of heaven” until this mission has been completed – (Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20, Revelation 1:7).

The Book of Revelation summons the marginalized churches of Asia, as well as us, to remain faithful in their testimony. Those believers who persevere will inherit everlasting life and glory in the City of God.

In Chapter 5 of Revelation, John sees a glorious figure seated on the Divine Throne, holding a scroll sealed with seven seals. After searching the whole of creation, only one man is found who is worthy to break the seals of the scroll and disclose its contents, the sacrificial Lamb:

• “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God. And they are reigning on the earth” - (Revelation 5:9-10. See Exodus 19:5-6).

• “Sing a new hymn to the Lord, you who are his dominion! Glorify his name from the end of the earth!” – (Isaiah 42:10, LXX).

• “And the saints of the Most High will take the kingdom, and possess it forever and ever” – (Daniel 7:18, LXX).

The Book of Revelation affirms the calling of the Church to become a priestly kingdom, and the Book emphasizes that the basis of the Lamb’s exalted position and the priestly mission of the saints is his sacrificial death.

Consequently, redeemed men and women now reign with the Lamb as they execute their priestly function of bearing testimony. The seven churches of Asia are not simply congregations of marginalized believers, but representatives of the Kingdom of God and witnesses of Jesus Christ.

MARTYRDOM

When the fifth seal is opened, John sees the witnesses who had been slain because of their testimony. Like the blood of the animals sacrificed in the ancient Tabernacle, their lives have been poured out at the base of the altar. They have suffered death because of their faith and witness:

• “I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God, and for the witness that they held” – (Revelation 6:9).

• “And the priest will place the blood of the calf on the horns of the altar of the compound incense, which is before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. And all the blood of the calf he shall pour out by the foot of the altar of whole-burnt-offerings, which is by the doors of the tabernacle of witness” – (Leviticus 4:7. LXX).

In Chapter 11, the Beast from the Abyss slays the Two Witnesses. The witnesses are identified as “lampstands,” and in Revelation, lampstands represent churches – (Revelation 1:20, 2:1):

• “And when they have finished their witness, the Beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” – (Revelation 11:7-8).

• “I beheld, and that horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” – (Daniel 7:21, LXX).

• “And his power will be great, and he will destroy wonderfully, and prosper, and practice. And he will destroy mighty men, and the holy people” – (Daniel 8:24, LXX).

In Chapter 12, Satan is expelled from heaven. Enraged, he gathers his forces to wage war against the woman who gave birth to the messianic son. Prevented from destroying her, the Dragon turns instead to wage war with the woman’s seed:

• “And the dragon became enraged with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God, and have the witness of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:17. Note the allusion to Daniel 7:21).

Regardless of appearances and human expectations, perseverance in testimony is how we overcome the Devil. As Chapter 12 also informs us:

• “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God has come, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their witness, and because they loved not their life even unto death” - (Revelation 12:10-11. Note the allusion to Daniel 7:14).

In the Book of Revelation, humanity is divided into two groups:  Those who have been redeemed by Jesus and the Inhabitants of the Earth. Members of the latter group bear the mark of the Beast. Rather than hear and obey the testimony of Jesus, they stand in awe of the Beast and his image: “Who is like the Beast, and who can make war with it?”

The Inhabitants of the Earth are conquered by the lies and economic promises of the Beast, and therefore, their names are expunged from the Lamb’s Book of Life - (Revelation 13:15-18, 14:1-5, 20:15).

• “And all the inhabitants of the earth will pay homage to the Beast, whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that has been slain. If any man has an ear, let him hear” - (Revelation 13:8-9).

In contrast to the Inhabitants of the Earth, the saints conquer Satan by persevering through everything that he inflicts on them, all while maintaining their witness for Jesus. Because of their faithfulness, they are found standing before God and in the Holy City, New Jerusalem – (Revelation 7:15-17, 14:12, 21:3-4).

The Book of Revelation calls the churches of Christ to become witnesses and lampstands, to reflect the light of Jesus in a dark world. To overcome the Dragon and his earthly agents, the saints must persevere through persecution while maintaining their testimony, even if doing so means suffering and death.

[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint. Text printed in small capital letters represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• His Priestly Kingdom - (The disciples of Jesus reign with him as priestly kings who mediate His light and proclaim His Good News to the world)

• People of the Last Days - (The Assembly of God is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, the Devil)

• The Assembly of God - (The term “assembly” or ‘ekklésia’ in the New Testament is derived from the Assembly of Yahweh gathered for worship recorded in the Hebrew Bible)

• Mis Testigos - (Hombres y mujeres comprados de todas las naciones por Jesús se convierten en testigos sacerdotales de lo que Dios ha logrado en Su Hijo)