The Testimony of the Church

The men redeemed by Jesus become a kingdom of priests that takes the light of the gospel to the nations and peoples of the earth.

After his resurrection, Jesus commissioned his church to announce his lordship and the gospel to the “ends of the Earth.” Before the Son of Man arrives “on the clouds of heaven,” his life-giving message must be proclaimed to all men and every nation – (Daniel 7:13, Revelation 1:7, 14:14).

The seven churches of Asia are represented by lampstands. They bear the light of Christ into a dark world. In the Book of Revelation, the mission of preaching the gospel to all nations is paramount, for the city of New Jerusalem will be fully populated. Therefore, the church must declare the testimony of Jesus to every “tribe, tongue, people, and nation” – (Revelation 1:20, 5:9, 7:9, 21:24-26, 22:2).

And in Revelation, the church of Jesus Christ is a “priestly” company composed of men and women who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, even if doing so means martyrdom – (Revelation 14:1-4).

[Photo by Pascal Debrunner (SWITZERLAND) on Unsplash]

God exalted Jesus to the messianic throne and gave him sovereignty over the nations of the earth, indeed, of the Cosmos, and this is according to Scripture:

• “I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession” - (Psalm 2:8).

• “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and tongues should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” - (Daniel 7:14. Compare Daniel 2:44, 7:27).

• “The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. And he will reign forever and ever” - (Revelation 11:15).

God gave His Messiah all power, “in heaven and on earth.” Not even the realm of the dead is beyond the reach of the exalted Son of Man. Therefore, he sends his priestly emissaries to announce his reign and salvation to the nations – (Matthew 28:18-20).

• “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 CLEANSED US FROM OUR SINS by his blood; and he made us A KINGDOM, PRIESTS for his God and Father” – (Revelation 1:5. Note the verbal allusions to Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 16:30, Psalm 89:27, 89:37).

• “Fear not! I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST, and the Living one. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I HAVE THE KEYS of death and of Hades” – (Revelation 1:17-18. Note the verbal allusions to Isaiah 22:22, 48:12. Compare Revelation 2:8, 22:13).

Jesus bestowed the gift of the Spirit on his people to equip them to preach the good news, “beginning in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and UNTO THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE EARTH” – (Note the allusion to Isaiah 49:6. See also, Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:8).

Christ offers this salvation to men and women of every nation, without exception. Salvation is found only in Jesus, and only those whose names are inscribed in his book of life will live in the Holy City, New Jerusalem. And so, it is imperative for the church to share the gospel wherever possible:

• “And in no other is there salvation, for neither is there any other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved” – (Acts 4:12).

• “And the nations will walk amidst the light of the city. And the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And the gates will certainly not be shut by day, for there will be no night in it. And they will bring the glory and the honour of the nations into the city. And anything unclean will certainly not enter it, or anyone who commits an abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life” – (Revelation 21:24-27. Compare Revelation 3:5, 20:15).

Salvation has arrived in Jesus Christ. And not only is he the King of Kings and the Lord of the Cosmos, but he is also the Shepherd of the Nations. Therefore, he is guiding men, nations and kings to everlasting life in New Jerusalem:

• “And she brought forth a son, a male child, who was going TO SHEPHERD THE NATIONS WITH A SCEPTER OF IRON” – (Revelation 12:5. Note the verbal allusion to Psalm 2:9. Compare Revelation 2:26-27, 19:15).

• “These are they that are coming out of THE GREAT TRIBULATION. And they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his sanctuary. And he who is sitting on the throne WILL SPREAD HIS TABERNACLE OVER THEM. THEY WILL HUNGER NO MORE, NEITHER THIRST ANY LONGER, NEITHER WILL THE SUN STRIKE UPON THEM, nor any heat, for the Lamb that is on the throne, he will be their shepherd, and HE WILL GUIDE THEM TO FOUNTAINS OF LIVING WATERS. And GOD WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR OUT OF THEIR EYES” – (Revelation 7:14-17. Note well the verbal allusions to Isaiah 4:5-6, 49:10, Daniel 12:1. And compare Revelation 21:4-6, 22:1-4).

This redeemed company is comprised of men “out of every nation and tribe and people and tongue.” It is a multitude so vast that no man can number it, fulfilling God’s promises to give Abraham innumerable descendants and to bless all nations in the Patriarch - (Genesis 12:3, 13:16, Revelation 7:9).

The fourfold formula, ‘nation, tribe, people, tongue’, stresses the universal nature of redemption, as in the “four corners of the earth.” The gospel is for every man, woman, and child. The message transcends all barriers of race, nationality, and so forth. Our unbelief and disobedience may exclude us from the Holy City, but not our ethnicity. How we respond to the Lamb determines whether our name is inscribed in his book – (Compare Galatians 3:28-29 [“If you are of Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise”]).

The sacrificial death of Christ voided the legal claim of Satan over humanity, and his resurrection from the dead broke the iron grip of death that held us all. This is a radical message of liberation for all humanity, and every man and woman must hear the message of salvation and victory over the Devil – (Revelation 1:17-18, Hebrews 2:14-18 [“That through death, he might disarm him that held the tyranny of death, that is, the devil”]).

• “Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the accuser of our brothers is expelled, he who accuses them before our God day and night!” – (Revelation 12:10).

THE WITNESSES OF JESUS

Sin is the great equalizer that condemns every man to death. Neither ethnicity, political power, nor economic status makes any difference. Death awaits us all. However, we may receive the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life from Jesus, whether we are Jewish or Gentile, male or female, poor or rich. Death may continue to occur, but the grave will not have the last word.

Jesus is forming a new community composed of men and women from every nation. Every person who repents and submits to his lordship becomes a member of this holy community. And there is only one church, one Body of Christ, and one kingdom of priests purchased by his blood – (Revelation 5:9-10).

Preaching the gospel is central to the Book of Revelation. The Book is described as “the word of God, even the testimony of Jesus.” The Greek term translated as “testimony” is ‘marturia,’ which is related to the term rendered “witness” or ‘martur,’ the Greek noun from which the English term ‘martyr’ is derived. The saints of Revelation suffer persecution and death for the “testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 1:1-2).

Thus, John was on the isle of Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” In Pergamum, Jesus calls Antipas “my faithful witness (‘martur’)” because he remained faithful to his testimony even when doing so caused his execution. When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls underneath the altar of those who had been killed for the word of God “and their testimony” - (Revelation 1:9, 2:13, 6:9).

Dying an unjust death because of Jesus is the ultimate testimony to what God has accomplished in His Messiah, just as Christ bore witness on the cross, when he became “the faithful witness.”

In Chapter 11, the two “witnesses” or “martyrs” (‘martusi’, μαρτυσι) are slain by the beast after they complete their testimony. Similarly, Babylon is drunk with “the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus” - (Revelation 11:7, 17:6).

In Chapter 12, the Dragon attacks the seed of the woman, those who have “the testimony of Jesus.” The saints overcome the Dragon “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” When Satan is imprisoned, the saints reign with Jesus, “those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God.” Neither martyrdom nor death itself can separate the followers of the Lamb from the love of Christ - (Revelation 11:7, 12:11, 12:17, 20:4).

These believers were killed by the Dragon and the Beast because they belonged to the Lamb. Like the Son of God, “the faithful witness,” they remained steadfast in their testimony.

The testimony of Jesus borne by the church is why the innumerable multitude of men and women from every corner of the earth is found inhabiting the city of New Jerusalem. For Jesus and his kingdom of priests, gospel proclamation is not optional. The salvation of men, kings, and nations depends on our faithfulness to proclaim the gospel – (Revelation 7:9, 21:24).

• “And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” – (Revelation 22:7).

• “Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to each man according to his works” – (Revelation 22:7).

• “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And he that hears, let him say, Come! And he that is athirst, let him come! He that will, let him take the water of life freely” – (Revelation 22:16-17).

• “John 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 they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the season is at hand” – (Revelation 1:2-3).

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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:

• The Revelation of Jesus - (The Book of Revelation unveils information about Jesus, who he is, what he accomplished, and why and how)

• The Lord of the Cosmos - (Jesus was exalted to reign from the divine throne because of his obedient death and following his resurrection from the dead)

• 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)

• Le témoignage de l'Église - (Les hommes rachetés par Jésus deviennent un royaume de prêtres qui apportent la lumière de l'Évangile aux nations et aux peuples de la terre)