Revelation Pt2

Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)



Eternity-Inspiration for Friday 17th October 1997


Revelation Pt2

(Revelation 1:1-6 NKJV) The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants; things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, {2} who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. {3} Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. {4} 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 who are before His throne, {5} and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, {6} and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
What a wonderful introduction to a book! It should have a trumpet blast and drum roll with it. So much glory in so few verses. This is the panoramic view, the grand sweep of theology. Six verses that take us from the revelation of Jesus Christ to Amen.! They encompass our entire redemption, the Spirit, the sovereignty of God, and God's purposes for the church and the status amd ministry of believers. I could take the whole two week series just on these verses...maybe I will! We will see how the Lord leads. Read them again now with drama, flair and passion. Pretend you are a Shakespearian actor and these are your lines. Announce the grand words and hear their tremendous force. This is truth at its best and writing at its grandest.

"{2} who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw". Here are the three things a faithful servant bears witness to - the word of God, the testimony of Jesus Christ and "to all things that he saw". Bearing witness to the word of God has a double meaning for John for whom Jesus was "the Word". When we bear witness of the word of God we bear witness to the truthfulness of Scripture by living lives that only work beacuse we are grounded in God's Word. People then can look at us and say "That person lives out what the Bible says and his/her life is commendable".

Bearing witness to "the testimony of Jesus Christ" means telling others what we know of Jesus and what he has done for us. Derek Prince says that it is "bearing witness to what the word says the blood does." That is a fairly good and easy to remember definition. However it is broader than that. It is testifying to our fellowship with Jesus and who He is and what He is like. It is giving people confidence that if they come to Jesus they will meet someone who is good, who loves them and who is strong enough to solve their problems.

Bearing witness to "all the things that he saw" refers to the vision that is at the heart of the book of Revelation. What God revealed to John and allowed him to write down John faithfully witnessed to. Some revelations from God are strictly private. Others are to be told to the church and yet others to the world at large. God may, from time to time, reveal some truth to you in a very vivid way. At such times it is quite obvious that this is a message He has given you to impart to others. I feel that my article on "How To Release The Spirit Into Your Life" and another one called "The Big Picture" are specially anointed messages God has given me to proclaim. There is a sense that God is doing something powerful with these two teachings. Jesus addresses his disciples saying: "(Matthew 10:27 NKJV) "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." If God reveals something to you then share it!

Prayer:
Father in Heaven give us wisdom, boldness and power to witness to your word, the tesimony of Jesus Christ, and all that we see of what You reveal to us. Amen

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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternitymag.com/
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