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Revelation 1:2
“Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.” Revelation 1:2
The message to John is signified by the angel of Jesus. Isn't it like God to verify the reality of all His revelations with a sign? The sign to many prophets is the physical presence of a Heavenly messenger, both as comforter, and as evidence of the origin of the word. But God especially signifies His presence by His authority: His authority over Egypt in the plagues, His authority over nature in Elijah’s works, His authority over sickness in the miracles of Jesus, and His authority over the devil in the obedient life of our Savior. When we demand signs as proof of God’s sovereignty, Jesus warns us that it is an “evil generation that seeks signs.” Particularly are His words true because Jesus had manifest so much evidence before their eyes. And now He gives John a letter for our very own keeping to comfort us in His absence.
As the prophet of recipience, John refers to himself in terms familiar to NT thinking: His servant, from the Greek word for slave. We are bought with a price and owe our indebtedness to Jesus Christ, Who alone entitles us to any inheritance.
John bares record of the these truths, even as he bares record in his gospel of the signs Jesus truly did in the presence of His disciples. John stating that his own testimony is true since he was a witness to those events, written that you might believe in Jesus. The signs of Jesus are those miracles and good works noted throughout the words of John that signify that He is from the Father of us all.
John also bears record of Jesus' testimony. Peter refers to this in the following way (1 Peter 1: 10-12): The salvation of our souls is a salvation that the prophets had inquired about and searched for with great efforts; and they prophesied about God's grace that came through Jesus. These prophets searched for signs of the time and manner in which their words would come true as revealed by the Spirit of Christ that was in them. As John says later in his book (Rev 19: 10), this testimony that Jesus gives, is the life of all prophecy. He is indeed the Word made flesh, for all inspiration through the prophets, who have given us the Bible, is from Jesus and about Jesus.
How much more significant, then, is this direct testimony of Jesus? It is the first place we have noted, by any NT writer, of personal instruction by Jesus to write anything down. The warnings and directives of this book are too important to be ignored, even as the next devotion shall indicate. Home | About Us | Bible Study | Billerica Blog | Bible Commentary | Devotional | Online Giving | Ministries | Prayer | Media | Bookstore | News | Calendar | Contact Us | Sermons
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