After Babylon’s full demise (Revelation 17 and 18) – the first “Hallelujahs” (i.e., “Alleluias”) uttered in the New Testament are recorded (Revelation 19:1-6). Few know that the New Testament doesn’t have one “Hallelujah” in it until Babylon is destroyed! Interesting? I think so–so the next time you shout out a “Hallelujah” think about Babylon’s destruction! But that’s not what I’m about to expound upon . . . it’s the “testimony of Jesus” that concerns.
Revelation 19:10 – “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony* (this “*” points to John 19:35 in the Spirit Filled Life Bible and references a “word study” of the Greek word for “testimony”) of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The “Kingdom Dynamic” notes in the Spirit Filled Life Bible (Editor: Jack W. Hayford of Church on the Way in Los Angeles) has an excellent footnote here:
“(Revelation) 19:10: The Holy Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy, PROPHECY. The entire Bible is a product of the Holy Spirit, who is, not only ‘the Spirit of truth’ (John 16:13), but ‘the spirit of prophesy’ (derived from Greek preposition pro and verb phemi) means ‘to speak forth before.’ The preposition ‘before’ in this use may mean 1) ‘in advance’ and/or 2) ‘in front of.’ Thus, ‘to prophesy’ is a proper term to describe the proclamation of God’s Word as it forecasts events. It may also describe the declaration of God’s Word forthrightly, boldly, or confrontingly before a group or individual–telling forth God’s truth and will. So, in both respects, the Bible is prophetic: a Book that reveals God’s will through His Word and His works, as well as a Book that reveals God’s plans and predictions . . . this text defines the witness or testimony of Jesus Himself as being synonymous with, or at the heart of, the spirit of prophecy. These words not only define Scripture; they also confine all utterances that claim to be true prophecy: Jesus Christ will be at the center of it all, as He is in the whole Bible. 1) The OT exists to reveal Christ (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; I Pet. 1:10-12); and 2) the NT is inspired by the Holy Spirit for the same purpose (John 14:26; 16:13-15).” (The Spirit Filled Life Bible, pp. 1987-88).
So from these notes by Jack Hayford, we are persuaded of the very essence of prophecy: Jesus Christ will be the center of it all!
Now–let’s examine Jack’s word study of the essence of the “testimony” given of Jesus Christ:
John 19:35: “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.” (Note: This is the New King James Version, the original King James Version of the Bible translates the word as “record” instead of “testified” and translates the word “testimony” as “record” as well; to wit: “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true . . . . “)
The Spirit Filled Life Bible’s WORD WEALTH goes into the word “testimony” which John uses both in the Revelation as well as here in John 19:35:
“(Revelation) 19:35 testimony, marturia (mar-too-ree-ah): Strong’s #3141: Compare ‘martyr’ Witness, historical attestation, evidence, judicial or general certification. The word describes a testimony based on what one has seen, heard, or knows. The English word ‘martyr’ comes from the Greek root, with the implication that a witness is willing to die for his belief” (p. 1612).
Now, for the “record”–I hasten to add–that the use of the intense word “martyr” or “record” is used by John in the Gospel as follows: John 1:19, 32, 34; 8:13 (twice); 8:14 (twice); 12:17; 19:35 (twice) – he uses it again in his First Epistle: I John 5:7, 10, 11 and in his Third Epistle: III John 12 (twice) and again in Revelation 1:2 (in all cases the KJV translate these two Greek words by taking the “stem” from the word “martyr” as “record.”
The word is translated in the KJV as “testified,” “testifieth,” “testify,” and “testimony” in the follow: John 4:39; 4:44; 13:21; I John 5:9; III John 3; John 3:32; John 21:24; Revelation 22:20; John 2:25; 3:11; 5:39; 7:7; 15:26; I John 4:14; Revelation 22:16; and 22:18; and finally, the word “testimony” is used in John 3:32, 33, 34; 8:17; 21:24; Revelation 1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11; 12:17; and 19:10 (twice).
I go into detail here, and although Paul and others use this Greek word, its use by John is most extensive. Now, what I’m leading up to is the “general thrust” of why the Holy Spirit uses this word throughout John’s Revelation. The commencement of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:2 KJV) states: “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.” Immediately, we are alerted to the intensity of the “testimony of Jesus Christ” and what this Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about.
Again, John declares in Revelation 1:9: “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (KJV).
Here, the association of “tribulation” and “testimony” is clearly made. John had suffered, was in “tribulation” because of the “testimony of Jesus Christ.” Now, the association of such “tribulation” and “testimony” becomes much clearer as we read through the Revelation:
Revelation 6:9: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” Who are these “souls?” As one reads the remainder of Revelation 6 it is altogether apparent that they are the initial martyrs who have preceded the “tribulation saints” – to wit: “And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:11).
Again, the stress upon this “to die for” testimony is directly associated with such martyrdom and suffering of God’s people–i.e., “fellow servants” and “their brethren, that should be killed as they were.” It is utterly inescapable that the “testimony of Jesus” can be separated from such an utter sacrifice and witness given by God’s people during the Seventieth Week of Daniel and, for that matter, the entire history of the Church–THAT’S THE KIND OF TESTIMONY to which John alludes.
THE RAPTURE!
Sometime in 1992, I had the most marvelous yet frightening dream. And until I woke up, I didn’t know it was a dream.
In my sleep that night, I saw myself in the ‘realms of eternity’. I was conscious of self in eternity but I was at the same time able to view events as if I was an onlooker.
Why I call it ‘eternity’ is that time stopped ticking in that realm for me. I’m assuming with God’s enablement: You can view the history of the whole world in eternity and yet never be conscious of time. And that was what happened to me. My life now appeared to me and I began to review and preview it as I wished. Where I was in the realms of eternity, there was no hurry for anything.
However, I realized that life for me in eternity started the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ … to God that was what counts. So the vision of my life started from that day onward.
I saw the day God visited me and I didn’t know He was visiting me at that time. It was a dark night in 1989, and I wept and asked God: “If truly Hell exists and Heaven exists, let me not be thrown to such a wicked place like Hell. I can’t control the rate I am sinning, and if there is any way I can make it to Heaven … since You are my creator … please make the way for me.”
And a still small voice spoke to me thrice: “Your prayers have been heard”, after which I had perfect peace and the turbulence of guilt left my soul.
Any other thing that happened afterward was just mere formality, because God was there with me that night and I saw that it was the event that triggered my salvation. I saw when I gave my life to Christ; when I got filled with the Holy Ghost in 1991, and many other things which I won’t go into details here.
I noticed in the vision that unfolded before me in my dream that my life seemed to be divided into three stages:
1: I was a very serious and a devoted Christian during the first stage — roughly a timeframe of up to ten years or even more.
2: After that I became spiritually lukewarm and cold during the second stage; my life became entangled with worldly, selfish and sinful things.
3: Then during the third stage, I suddenly made a resolve to serve God faithfully and even though it wasn’t easy for me, due to the magnitude of negative things happening in the world then, I continued being faithful.
Then the very unexpected happened suddenly! One day, the rapture occurred. The people left behind in the rapture heard noises; some heard the earth quaking; some didn’t hear anything; but the magnitude of the event was too awesome to me who saw it in eternity.
The second and first heavens were filled with the brightness of God; all the host of heaven, without any warning of any sort, suddenly galloped down to the earth; there was pandemonium amongst the demons even in the kingdom of Satan. Hell shook; all the devils on earth fell down like dead men, until the event was over as quickly as it had started.
Firstly, graves of dead saints in Christ were opened and they flew up into the sky like rockets; Jesus stood there in the sky, hovering over the earth with outstretched arms. And then the saying was fulfilled which says: “Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles shall be gathered together”. (See: Matthew 24:28 KJV).
Then we who were alive and in Christ were caught up together with those who rose from the grave. This was done with no human or angelic intervention, but by the power of God … which was so awesome that day!
In the dream, in a twinkle of an eye, I saw myself changed and put on a glorified body, while I flew up and was joined together with the rest of the saints around Jesus Christ in the sky, just above the earth. Jesus looked around Himself as if He was able to take stock of all the millions upon millions of people that stood around Him in white clothing. Being satisfied that all the saints that God the Father gave Him were complete … He began to smile.
At that stage, as we stood in the sky around Jesus, not being in a hurry to move away from there, I couldn’t help but admire those around me, and to marvel at what was happening. The thought that was going on within me was: “So I made the rapture? So this is the rapture spoken about? How easy I could have missed it like others who were left behind! Did I really do anything to merit this? My God – I am changed forever! Had I known that this would be like this, I would’ve served Jesus with all my being every second of my life on earth.”
Then the unthinkable happened. I saw many people I would have assumed to be sinners while on earth – they made the rapture. In fact they even appeared to outnumber those who I knew as “Christians” while on earth; because so many of the so-called Christians I had known weren’t serving God with their hearts at all, but just mere half-hearted lip service! Just mere show and pretense – man made religious activities of sorts. They had various stages of knowledge of God, but had no real, personal one-on-one intimate relationship with Jesus Christ the Judge. Obeying His clear commands in scripture to obey Him had been lukewarm at best, if at all. So many were spiritually deceived and in their deception, deceiving others … “practicing lawlessness” as Jesus referred to them as in Matthew 7:21-23. These were all left behind to suffer.
This all instantly unfolded before me as I stood there in the sky: Those who made the Rapture (particularly those whom I once thought were sinners) had given their lives to Christ at a certain juncture in life, and even became faithful to God to various degrees; yet in time they chose to live completely without compromise by the absolute standards of God’s Word: Righteousness, Holiness and Truth. These were the ones who were taken instead of the so-called Christians, who were left behind to face the mighty wrath of the devil, an emissary of no little kindness that helps to convey the Father’s sore displeasure to sinners.
Then in eternity, I suddenly looked at Hell and my heart stood still. Many of my friends, including my neighbors and even my relatives and those long dead and forgotten … were in Hell!
Generations upon generations of people were in Hell. Even if one had thrown a thermonuclear bomb to wipe out all the people that are currently alive on planet Earth out of existence, it wouldn’t have measured up to the magnitude of horrors which I saw the generations of people experiencing in the eternal damnation of Hell’s fire.
It is a shocker of the worst kind for you — a saved soul — to know that even one of the souls that you had known on earth is in Hell. Same thing for those in Hell: It brings possibly the best consolatory knowledge to those in Hell to know that one of the souls they knew while on earth made it to Heaven. Nobody in Hell wishes anybody on earth to join them in Hell — that was how bad a knowledge the vision of my dream revealed to me.
Surprisingly, there in the rapture I was like God and could view and get answers instantly to all my questions and even about those people in Hell! THEREFORE I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO YOU JESUS FOR REDEEMING MY SOUL — OUR SOULS!
Then I woke up to find out that it was just a mere dream! And a dream indeed!
Dear Glen,
“Job 33:14 God speaks in different ways, and we don’t always recognize his voice.
Job 33:15 Sometimes in the night, he uses terrifying dreams
Job 33:16 to give us warnings.
Job 33:17 God does this to make us turn from sin and pride
Job 33:18 and to protect us from being swept away to the world of the dead.CEV VERSION
I am so blessed by your dream. The Lord Jesus loves you so much to show you exactly the things that are about to take place. Everything in your dream is in line with scripture : 1Th 4:13 But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you be not grieved, even as others who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
1Th 4:15 For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before those who are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first.
1Th 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
I am so blessed by your dream, it is the voice of the Lord to those who love Him.
May the Lord Jesus bless you.
reGina