Priests and Martyrs

The call to persevere in testimony of Jesus before the nations and courts of this world is a key theme of the Book of Revelation.

Men and women redeemed by Jesus become a priestly company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries, a “kingdom of priests” called and sent to bear witness to what God has accomplished through the death and resurrection of His Son - (Revelation 1:6, 5:9-11, 20:6).

The Risen Christ summons the seven marginalized congregations of Asia to remain faithful in their testimony despite persecution and other obstacles. They must walk the same path that Jesus did, the Messiah who is “the Faithful Witness” and the forerunner of his people. If the churches remain firm in their testimony, they will inherit everlasting life and rejoice in glory in the Holy City, New Jerusalem – (For example, Revelation 2:7, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21).

This article is an overview of key passages in Revelation that portray Christians as priests and witnesses of Jesus. Israel failed to fulfill the mission entrusted to her at Mount Sinai to become a priestly nation that brings the light of the Lord to the nations. And so, Jesus and his Church are fulfilling that task, for salvation must come to the nations and peoples of the Earth – (Exodus 19:5-6, Revelation 1:5-6, 5:9-11, 20:6).

[Photo by Jonathan Cooper (Newfoundland) on Unsplash]

The language and imagery of priesthood and sanctuary in the Book of Revelation are based on the Tabernacle of ancient Israel and its officiating priests, not on the later temple complex built in Jerusalem.

The Greek term used elsewhere in Scripture for the temple complex in Jerusalem is ‘hieron’ (ιερον), which never occurs in Revelation. Instead, the Book refers to the ‘naos’ (ναος) or “sanctuary” and the ‘skéné’ (σκηνη) or “tabernacle” – (for example, Revelation 3:12, 7:15, 13:6, 15:5, “the sanctuary of the tabernacle”).

The Book of Revelation highlights the mission of the Church to testify before a hostile world of what God has achieved for humanity, and to continue proclaiming the testimony of Jesus to the nations:

• “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 testified 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. Note the verbal allusions to Daniel 2:28 [“God made known to king Nebuchadnezzar the things that must come to pass in later days”] and 12:4 [“Seal the book to the time of the end”]).

The Book is a “revelation of Jesus,” an unveiling of information about Christ and his reign as our King and High Priest. It also portrays the function of the Church in the Kingdom of God, especially how we participate in Christ’s present reign:

• “He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne” – (Revelation 3:21).

• “And you made them A KINGDOM AND PRIESTS for our God. And they are reigning upon the earth” – (Revelation 5:10. Note the allusion to Exodus 19:5. Compare 1 Peter 2:5-10).

John bore witness to “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” These two terms are essentially the same, and the Greek conjunction translated as “and” or ‘kai’ can be translated as “even”; hence, “the word of God, even the testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 1:2. Compare Revelation 12:17).

Three related Greek words are used regarding ‘testimony’ throughout the Book. The verb form ‘martureô’ (μαρτυρεω), “to witness, testify” (Revelation 1:2, 22:16, 22:20). The noun ‘marturia’ (μαρτυρια) or "testimony” (1:2, 1:9, 6:9, 11:7, 12:11, 12:17, 19:10, 20:4). And the noun ‘martus’ (μαρτυς) or “witness” (1:5, 2:13, 3:14, 11:3, 17:6). The last term is the Greek word from which the English term ‘martyr’ is derived. For example:

• “I sent my angel to testify [‘martureô’] to you these things for the churches” – (Revelation 22:16).

• “They overcame the Dragon by the word of their testimony [‘marturia’]” – (Revelation 12:11).

• “The woman was drunk with the blood of the witnesses [‘martus’] of Jesus” - (Revelation 17:6).

And so, John found himself on the isle of Patmos because of his testimony for Christ. John’s references to the ‘tribulation’ and the ‘kingdom’ in Revelation 1:9 echo a passage from the Book of Daniel. This is not coincidental. Words and statements from Daniel 12:1-4 are alluded to more than once in the Book of Revelation:

• “I, John, your brother and partner with you in THE TRIBULATION and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 1:9. Compare Daniel 2:44).

• “And at that time Michael the great prince will stand up, he who stands over the children of your people. And there will be a time of tribulation, such tribulation as has not been from the time that there was a nation on the earth until that time. At that time, your people will be delivered, even everyone written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting shame. And the wise will shine as the brightness of the firmament, and some of the many righteous as the stars forever. And you, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book until the season of the conclusion; until many are taught, and knowledge is increased” – (Daniel 12:1-4, Septuagint. See Revelation 1:3, 2:10, 7:14, 12:7, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-15, 21:27, 22:10).

Several themes from Daniel 12:1-4 are applied in Revelation. For example, the promise that the names of the saints are “written in the book” (Compare Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 21:27 [“But only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life”]).

Of immediate interest in Daniel 12:1-4 is the picture of the “wise” who convert other men to the ways of righteousness during the time of tribulation, a key theme of Revelation also (“Those who turn many to righteousness… Until many are taught, and knowledge is increased”). This idea occurs elsewhere in Daniel; for example, Daniel 11:33 (“They that are wise among the people will instruct many”).

HIS PRIESTLY KINGDOM

The Church is composed of men and women who were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. As a priestly kingdom, the Church summons men, kings, and nations to submit to Jesus and join this company. Christians reflect the light of the Gospel and the testimony of Jesus wherever they are located:

• “And from Jesus Christ, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, and THE PRINCE OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. Unto him who loves us and LOOSED US FROM OUR SINS by his blood. And he made us a KINGDOM, PRIESTS for his God and Father” - (Revelation 1:4-6. Note the allusions to Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 16:30, Psalm 89:27 and 89:37).

Christ’s present reign is based on his past death, resurrection and exaltation. He is the only true sovereign over the political powers and nations of the Earth; therefore, Jesus sends his ‘priests’ to proclaim his lordship and to mediate his salvation and light to men and women.

The description of Jesus as the man who “loosed us from our sins by his blood” alludes to the Day of Atonement when the High Priest applied sacrificial blood to remove the stain of the sins of Israel from the Sanctuary and its furnishings. This brief phrase anticipates the opening vision of Revelation in which Christ is seen as the High Priest who ministers for his people in the Tabernacle – (Leviticus 16:1-30, Revelation 1:12-20).

John saw the Son of Man walking among “seven golden lampstands,” a picture of the ‘menorah’, the lampstand with seven branches that stood in the ancient sanctuary. Only now, John sees seven individual lampstands rather than one lampstand divided into seven branches – (Exodus 25:31, Hebrews 9:1-7, Revelation 1:12).

The priestly figure who walks among the lampstands is “clothed with a garment down to the foot and girded about the breasts with a golden belt,” a description based on the linen garments worn by the High Priest on the annual Day of Atonement when he entered the Sanctuary to apply sacrificial blood – (Leviticus 16:4, Revelation 1:13).

Because Jesus overcame sin and death and received sovereignty over the Cosmos, he now commands John to write down the vision he has received and to send this document to the churches of Asia. The Book summons the churches to persevere in his testimony despite their situations:

• “Fear not! I AM THE LIVING ONE! And I WAS DEAD, and behold, I AM ALIVE forevermore, and I HAVE THE KEYS of Death and of Hades. Therefore, write the things that you saw, and the things that are, and THE THINGS THAT WILL COME TO PASS AFTERWARDS. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are seven churches” - (Revelation 1:18-20. Compare Revelation 1:1, 2:1, 2:5, 11:4. Note the allusions to Psalm 89:48, Isaiah 22:22, Daniel 2:28).

The churches are lampstands because they bear light in a dark world. While this is not a direct literary link to Daniel 12:1-4, the concept is parallel to the representation of “the wise men” who turn others away from sin and “shine as the brightness of the firmament.”

In the letter to the church of Ephesus, Jesus describes himself as “he that walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands,” that is, among the churches of Asia. The priestly Son of Man chastises the church for losing its first love. “Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works.” If the congregation does not resume its primary mission, Jesus will remove its lampstand. The church would lose its place in the Sanctuary and the ability to testify to the city of Ephesus – (Revelation 2:1-7).

The passage does not explicitly identify the object of the church’s first love, but the larger context suggests it refers to the loss of zeal for proclaiming the Gospel. In this regard, we should consider the description of the two witnesses in Chapter 11, where they are identified as “lampstands” that bear witness before their persecutors and are slain by the Beast because of their testimony for Jesus - (Revelation 11:4-7).

This understanding of the lost “first love” of Ephesus is confirmed when the church is exhorted to repent and resume doing “the first works.”

In his letter to the church of Pergamos, Jesus is the High Priest who has “the sharp two-edged sword.” This refers, in the first place, to the first vision of the Son of Man from whose mouth “proceeded a sharp two-edged sword.” In the second place, it anticipates the vision of the priestly figure who rides a white horse, and “out of his mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword.” This sword is the word of God, and with it, Jesus is “shepherding the nations” - (Revelation 1:16, 2:12-17, 19:11-15).

The “throne of Satan” resides in the city of Pergamos. It is the place where “Antipas, my faithful witness” was slain. This is the same label given to Jesus in the prologue of Revelation. The death of Antipas provides an excellent illustration of what faithfulness in testimony looks like - (“The faithful witness.” Revelation 1:5, 2:12-17).

In Chapter 5, John sees a glorious figure holding a scroll sealed with seven seals. Only one person is found worthy to break the seals of the scroll and disclose its contents, namely, the sacrificial Lamb. Because he gave his life to redeem humanity, he is declared worthy to receive all glory and sovereignty. Men purchased by his shed blood become members of his priestly kingdom:

• “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, Daniel 7:13-18, Revelation 1:6, 20:6).

Christians reign with Jesus by performing priestly functions, which include giving faithful testimony and reflecting the light of God before the nations. The churches constitute the Kingdom of the Lamb, and men redeemed by Christ become his witnesses.

MARTYRS

When the fifth seal is opened, John sees the witnesses who have been slain “on account of their testimony.” Like the blood of the sacrificial animals in the ancient Tabernacle, their lives are poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings:

• “I saw UNDERNEATH THE ALTAR the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony that they held” – (Revelation 6:9. Note the allusion to Leviticus 4:7 [“And all the blood of the calf he will pour out by the foot of the altar of whole-burnt-offerings”]).

The martyrs are told to rest until “their number should be completed of their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, who were going to be slain.” The martyrs are the first fruits of the greater harvest yet to come. Because of the faithful testimony of this earlier group, New Jerusalem will be inhabited by a multitude of men so large that no man will be able to count them - (Revelation 6:9-11, 14:4 [“These were redeemed from humanity as a first fruit for God and the Lamb”]):

• “After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER, out of every NATION AND OF ALL TRIBES AND NATIONS AND PEOPLES AND TONGUES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes and palms in their hands” – (Revelation 7:8. Compare Genesis 15:5, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 21:1-4, 21:23-26).

The description of an innumerable multitude echoes the promise of God to give Abraham descendants more numerous than the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. The white robes worn by the members of this multitude identify them as priests who serve in the Sanctuary – (Genesis 15:5, Exodus 28:2, Leviticus 6:10, 16:4).

In Chapter 11, the Beast from the Abyss killed the two witnesses. They are identified as “lampstands,” and in Revelation, lampstands represent churches. We should note the allusion to Daniel 7:21, a passage used several times in Revelation in reference to saints that suffer martyrdom because of their testimony:

• “And when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that ascends out of the abyss WILL MAKE WAR WITH THEM, AND OVERCOME THEM, and kill them” – (Revelation 11:7).

• “I beheld, and that horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and he gave judgment for the saints of the Most-High. And the time came on, and the saints possessed the kingdom” – (Daniel 7:21. From the Septuagint version. Compare Daniel 7:25, 8:24 [“And he will destroy the mighty ones and the saints”]).

The description of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:1-7 interprets the image of the Sanctuary in which the priests perform their duties described in verses 1 and 2. The two passages are linked by the period of “forty-two months” (verse 2) and “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” during which the two witnesses give their testimony (verse 3).

The trampling of the Sanctuary’s outer court by the nations described in verse 2 corresponds to the slaying of the two witnesses. Verses 3-7 interpret verses 1-2. The two witnesses - “the two lampstands” - symbolize churches engaged in priestly functions, which, above all in Revelation, means testifying to the nations about what God has done in and through Jesus Christ – (Revelation 11:1-7).

In Chapter 12, Satan is expelled from heaven. Enraged, he gathers his forces to wage war against the woman who gave birth to the Shepherd-King. Prevented from destroying her, the Dragon wages war on the woman’s “seed,” identified as the saints who remain faithful in testimony:

• “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 testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:17. Note the allusion again to Daniel 7:21).

Once again, the sentence from Daniel 7:21 is used to portray the persecution of the Church. But perseverance in testimony is how the saints overcome the Devil. As Chapter 12 also declares:

• “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 testimony, and because they loved not their life even unto death” - (Revelation 12:10-11. Note the allusion to Daniel 7:14).

After Satan departed to make war on those who have the “testimony of Jesus,” John saw the Dragon standing on the seashore, summoning his “seed” to carry out his attack: “the Beast from the Sea” and the “Beast from the Earth” or the “False Prophet” - (Revelation 12:17-13:11).

The Beast slanders God and His tabernacle, that is, “those men who are tabernacling in heaven,” and the Beast does so over the period of “forty-two months,” the same period during which the outer sanctuary is trampled by the nations and the two witnesses testify until they are killed, and this connects all three events – (Revelation 11:2, 11:4-7, 13:5).

The slandering activity of the Beast is explained in verses 7 through 10. The Beast “makes war with the saints and overcomes them,” once again using Daniel 7:21, the same sentence that described the slaying of the two witnesses and the Dragon’s war on the saints who have “the testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 13:10).

Verse 7 identifies “those who tabernacle in heaven” as “the saints,” for suffering persecution by the Beast “is the endurance [‘hupomoné’] and the faith of the saints” – (Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7-10. Recall John’s words in Revelation 1:9. “I am a fellow participant in the tribulation and the endurance [‘hupomoné’] and the kingdom.” John was on Patmos because of “the testimony of Jesus”).

The False Prophet is the instrument who executes the policies of the first beast, and his primary weapon against the saints is economic control, though he also uses religious deception (idolatry):

• “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the breast, that the image both speak and cause as many as DO NOT PAY HOMAGE TO THE IMAGE of the beast TO BE KILLED. And he causes all, THE SMALL AND THE GREAT, AND THE RICH AND THE POOR, AND THE FREE AND THE SLAVE, that there be given them a mark on their right hand or upon their forehead; and that no man could buy or sell, except he who has the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that has understanding, let him count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And his number is SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY AND SIX” – (Revelation 13:15-18. Note the several allusions to Daniel 3:1-7).

In the next paragraph, the Church is contrasted with the “inhabitants of the Earth” who render homage to the Beast and take its mark. Rather than the number or mark of the Beast, the saints have the name of the Lamb and of the Father “written on their foreheads.” The 144,000 saints “sing a new song before the throne,” identifying them with the kingdom of priests in Revelation 5:9-11 (“And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals…”). Like that priestly company, they have been “purchased from the Earth” – (Revelation 14:1-5).

This same group is seen in Revelation 15:1-8 standing on the sea of glass before the throne in the “sanctuary of the Tabernacle,” where they sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. They have “escaped victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name,” meaning they have remained faithful and refused to pay homage to the Beast, and therefore they have paid the ultimate price of martyrdom.

In Revelation 17:1-6, John sees the Great Whore, the Great City Babylon. She is “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses [‘martus’] of Jesus.” Babylon is the satanic counterpart of the “Holy City, New Jerusalem,” and she is full of every kind of uncleanness.

Babylon is identical with “the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified,” and where the two witnesses were slain because of their testimony. Like the False Prophet, Babylon dominates the nations and kings of the Earth through economic control - (Revelation 11:8, 14:8, 16:19, 18:2, 18:9-13).

In Chapter 20, Satan is bound for a thousand years, and judgment is given for those who were killed because of their “testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God,” and because they refused to swear fealty to the Beast. They are the witnesses or “martyrs” of Jesus. Because of their faithfulness, “they reigned with Christ a thousand years.” This identifies them with the priestly kingdom that reigns with the Lamb. The language used is derived from the Book of Daniel – (Revelation 3:21, 5:9-11, 20:4):

• “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and overcame them, until the ancient of days came and judgment was given for the saints of the Most-High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom” – (Daniel 7:21-22).

The Book concludes with an exhortation to the churches of Asia. Every saint who perseveres in his or her witness for Jesus, even if it means martyrdom, will inherit everlasting life in the City of God:

• “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to partake of the tree of life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city” – (Revelation 22:14).

Jesus is the Faithful Witness who calls his churches to be his witnesses and carry the light of his gospel where all nations and peoples may see it. We are his priests who proclaim his message of salvation to the world. To overcome the Dragon and his beastly agents, we must persevere through persecution and other obstacles while maintaining our witness, even when it means an unjust and violent death.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL 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:

• Our Shepherd and King - (The reign of Christ began after his death and resurrection, and since then, he has been guiding the nations to the New Jerusalem)

• The Great Day - (The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present world order, accomplish the resurrection of the dead, and inaugurate the New Creation)

• New Jerusalem Inhabited - (New Jerusalem is populated fully in fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham to bless all the nations – Revelation 21:24-22:5)

• Prêtres et Martyrs - (L'appel à persévérer dans le témoignage de Jésus devant les nations et les tribunaux de ce monde est un thème clé du Livre de l'Apocalypse)