Introduction

Having begun this series with the impression of the glorious vision of Jesus in Revelation chapter 1, we moved on from there to the central focus of our studies, the Lamb “standing as slain” (5:6). As the only one worthy to rule over the world, Jesus unites us to his own suffering but victorious life as kings and priests. Tonight we conclude this focus on ministry by concentrating on the prophetic ministry of Christ and his church.

While people long for security about their future there will always be a fascination with mystical knowledge. The Roman emperor Augustus banned the preoccupation with astrology as too dangerous for good government. The sixteenth century seer Nostradamus still excites interest. In India today astrology is taught in public universities and political parties (e.g. BJP) consult star charts for decision making. Every major Western newspaper has an astrological column, and the New Age fairs held regularly in Perth are crowded with fortune tellers.

Some Christians teach that all prophecy has ceased, others elevate prophetic ministries in an unhealthy manner. The truth is that prophetic agents are indispensable to divine government because the prophets communicate the plan of God and so the meaning of this universe. Prophecy therefore is directly related to the trigger for this series, “Why is it that so many Christians are suffering from depression?” Someone once said that human beings can bear anything, any suffering[1], as long as the struggle has a purpose[2].

I was speaking with a non- Christian the other day who said, “I am seriously considering becoming a Buddhist.” Something like Buddhism is the natural religion of many Australians, live and let live, don’t hurt anyone, I am the ultimate moral authority for my life. I said to this man, “Buddhism is a religion without hope.” Buddha expressly denied we could talk sensibly about where the universe came from, where it was going or about life’s final purpose.

The craziness in so much of Australian life – addictions, materialism, suicide, extreme sports, fast driving, hard drinking…reveals that most people, whether they say they “believe in God”[3] or not, lack a substantial sense of a future destiny. The mythology of spiritual, economic, marital and familial bliss in the present that much of the modern Western church promotes likewise reveals a deep failure to receive the words of the prophets.

Prophets and Prophecy

Prophets are one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity, because they tell us where creation is going, and about the powers of evil which stand in the way of us getting there. Prophets are particularly hated because they speak of a future that people don’t particularly want to hear about, a future that can only be reached through judgement. All of us naturally recoil at the message of the prophets, because in our own opinion, we are not “bad people”.

Revelation begins and ends by describing itself as a continuous prophetic book (1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). It is the climax of biblical prophecy presenting an all pervasive vision of the world as a court room in which the issue of the true God is decided. In its very first verse the book combines a potent combination of two inescapable realities, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” (1:1). In Revelation the sovereign God tells us “what must take place” (1:1; 4:1; 22:6), his plan is decided, and this plan must take place “soon” (1:1; 22:6)[4]. God will act over all our affairs, and he will do this imminently. As we sense the Spirit speaking these things to the church today (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22) the atmosphere is charge with an anticipation of unavoidable eternal realities. These realities can be very real to us because, unlike astrological and occult predictions about events, they are truths about a person who dwells in our midst today.

Revelation the Climax of Prophecy

Revelation is the climax of prophecy because it describes itself as “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). Of all inspired scripture it gives us the most in-depth picture of Jesus’ glorified state in heaven. God in his wisdom knows we need a vision of the majesty of the perfected humanity of Christ to help us in our daily struggles. Jesus present glory is our future hope. It is in this book that the post-resurrection Jesus talks most personally, in particular he calls himself, “‘the faithful and true witness’” (3:14 cf. 1:5; 19:11).

A particular focus on the personal name “Jesus” is found in Revelation[5], it is concentrated in a unique expression, “the testimony of Jesus” (1:2, 9, 12:17; 19:10; 20:4 cf. 17:6)[6]. In relation to tonight’s study, we are told in Revelation 19:10, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Whatever speaks of, points to and witnesses to Jesus is prophetic. Prophecy comes forth from an intimate relationship with the humanity of the Son of God.

Our key scripture for this series is Revelation 5:6, “I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” “Standing as slain” symbolises resurrection from the cross, and the “seven eyes” symbolises Jesus’ perfect discernment. In their union with Christ and through their access to the throne of God and of the Lamb (22:1, 3) the prophets carry supernatural discernment into human affairs[7]. They are given heavenly insight into the things Jesus and the Father are sharing about God’s plans for the world below.

The “seven spirits of God” sent by the Lamb into the earth refers to the universal presence of the Spirit of God[8]. It is the role of the church in its prophetic witness to Christ[9] to bring the presence of the Spirit into a world full of idolatry and injustice.

False Prophecy

The title of this series is “The Lamb’s War”, and the struggle between God and Satan is most intense in the realm of true versus false prophecy. To distinguish the one true God and his righteousness from idolatry and its evils is the theme of true prophecy.

The Letters to the Seven Churches in chapters 2-3 use typical prophetic language of repentance or judgement (2:5, 16; 3:3, 19) because the same evil spirit that is at work in the world can be at work in the church. Idolatry and fornication are in both church (2:14, 20) and world (9:20-21cf. 21:8; 22:15), the church can glory in riches and prosperity (3:17) in the same way as does Babylon (18:7), the same sword that issues from Jesus mouth to “strike down the nations” (19:15) can also be used to “war against” the church (2:16).

The church can be as deceived by false prophecy as the world (12:9; 13:14; 18:23; 19:20; 20:3, 8, 10). To the church in Pergamum Jesus says, “you have some …who hold the teaching of Balaam, who … put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” (2:14), to Thyatira Christ warns, “you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” (2:20). He castigates two congregations for holding to the teaching of the Nicolaitans (2:6, 15), a group that taught sexual and spiritual fornication was permissible to Christians because they were living under grace. (There are too many examples of this sort of behaviour from the church in Perth than for me to mention.)

When the “false prophet” appears later in the book, his purpose is to promote the worship of “the image of the beast” (13:11-13; 16:13; 19:20)[10] on a world scale. Another of John’s writings calls this “the spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3) and warns that this evil power has attacked the church on the inside (1 John 2:18- 19; 4:1-3; 2 John 7)[11].

The activity of the spirit of the false prophet always inspires superhuman confidence, because the beast is arrogant[12], it focuses on present success, prosperity and power, because the power of evil is limited to this world. It denies the impact of the return of Jesus – either by negating its reality or by treating it as an escape from trial[13]. Anywhere an image of humanity is exalted other than the image of Christ, the crucified and resurrected Lamb, there we have the spirit of the false prophet. You only have to turn to the host shows of day time TV, listen to motivational speakers, or to the “new atheists” such a Richard Dawkins, to discern this spirit at work.

I remember being at a Christian conference featuring a very godly speaker. On the last night however “the worship band” had space to choose their own songs. After a few minutes people were really getting into things, there were certain physical manifestations (shaking and the like). I turned to the brother next to me and said, “We need to get down on our knees and pray, because the spirit of the antichrist has come into this meeting.” I said this because the name of Jesus was not used ONCE in twenty minutes of singing –it was all about US. The “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” and I can tell you it was another spirit at work that night[14].

When the church entertains false prophets, and there was one international fraudster exposed in our city just last year, it does so for one essential reason. The root of the seduction of false prophecy is the exaltation of self love above love for the Lamb of God[15]. When Jesus says to the Ephesian church, “you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first…. (Rev 2:4-5), he is not saying to the Christians in Ephesus that they had lost warm feelings about him[16]. In Revelation, those who love Jesus are the ones who hold “the testimony of Jesus”, witnessing to the truth of the Lamb standing as slain, no matter what the cost (12:11). No human being will naturally embrace a truly prophetic life, prophecy is such an all consuming affair and dangerous affair that it requires a call from heaven.

The Prophetic Commission

All prophets are called to a task, and reluctantly[17] or otherwise, know this infallibly! Since all Christians hold “the testimony of Jesus” (12:17 cf. 6:9; 12:11; 17:6; 20:4), all are called to a prophetic life. The prophetic commission comes out most clearly in Revelation 10.

Up to this point John has been a spectator recording the messages he has been shown and heard; now he is more immediately taken into the drama of the divine purpose. The mighty angel[18] he beholds “called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring” (10:3), this takes his mind back to God’s words to the prophet Amos, “The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?””(3:8), and to his earlier vision of Jesus “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5:5). John is filled with a divine constraint[19] to speak about what he is hearing.

The atmosphere becomes even more compelling when the angel pronounces “there would be no more delay” (10:6). The final dramatic period of human history is to be ushered in bringing all things to a close, the entire prophetic time line was coming to a crescendo. This is good news, God’s own vision for humanity is soon to come to pass, the anguished cry of the saints in heaven (6:10) and on earth[20] “how long” is about to be answered. The way in which all things are brought to a climax is declared, “the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” (10:7).

This is the “mystery” spoken to Amos, ““For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret counsel to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7), this is the culmination revealed to the prophet Daniel, “when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished” (12:7)[21], it is the gospel revealed to Paul “the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God” (Rom 16:25). The content of this mystery is that the End will come through the suffering of the saints and their apparent defeat at the hands of evil. This is their share in the mystery of Christ crucified and risen (Col 2:2), the “Lamb, standing as slain” (5:6).

John is commanded to “Take and eat” the “little scroll” fromthe hand of the angel. As the Lamb in chapter 5 took the scroll of God moving all things to their completion, so each Christian has their scroll, their part to play in bringing things to an End[22]. The result of this eating, of John taking the reality of the scroll into himself[23], is that “it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” (10:9). The sweetness refers to the fact of universal judgement[24], for it is by judgement that evil will be destroyed, and the bitterness[25] refers to the tragedy that most people will not repent even under the pain of judgement. John’s commission is this, ““You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”” (Rev 10:11). Such prophesying is the content of Revelation 11.

The Two Witnesses

This is the only section in Revelation not introduced by “and I saw” or “and I heard.” John’s participation is more direct because John is a part of the body that forms the two witnesses[26].

In line with our study last week[27], the temple and altar of God described at the start of this chapter is the church. The church is also “the holy city”, later in the book identified with “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (22:9-10). The outer court where the trampling of the holy city occurs refers to the persecution the church undergoes in the world[28].

In the symbolic world of Revelation, “the two witnesses” represent the presence and power of the Spirit that worked in the two outstanding prophets of God’s glory in the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah. These two figures appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the signs the two witnesses perform recapitulate the miracles of these ministries on a global scale[29]. The witnesses are clothed in sackcloth as a sign of mourning[30] over the sins of the people, and they prophesy for 1,260 days, which in apocalyptic literature means three and a half years[31], half of seven, a limited time.

Their witness culminates in “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit” making “war”[32] upon them and conquering i.e. killing them[33]. The spirit that has stood behind every earthly attack on the church manifests itself openly in what appears to be the final destruction of the faithful witnesses of Jesus. Their “dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city”, an expression used repeatedly in Revelation for Babylon, that is, the power of Rome[34]. The world’s idolaters erupt into a frenzied party (v.10) because it now seems that the judgement that the prophets predicted will never occur.

As the Egyptian magicians opposed Moses, the prophets of Baal stood against Elijah and the cult of Caesar threatened the church’s existence, so it is today. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, with more than 300 million Christians living in countries where they are persecuted simply because of their faith.

Last Saturday’s Australian newspaper carried an article about a massacre in Nigeria. Mobs of armed Moslems invaded a Christian district setting fire to the homes and slaughtering with machetes those who ran out, about 500 people, mainly women and children[35].

The “testimony of Jesus” is not simply words, it includes “keeping the commandments of God” (12:17; 14:12). You may recall an incident about a year ago where a bus driver on the Armadale line was blinded in one eye after being attacked with a brick by a group of passengers. The newspapers carried the story that he had forgiven his persecutors, they didn’t mention however that the reason he forgave is that he is a follow of Jesus. There is a doctor in this city that is well known for his service to drug addicts. What is less well known is that these acts of mercy are motivated by his Christian faith, have cost him vast amounts of money, he meets sustained criticism from powerful political and medical lobbies, and has been subject to death threats and physical violence in his own home.

Back in Revelation 11, the happy crowds move from rejoicing over the apparent destruction of the church to instant trauma, “after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet… And they went up to heaven in a cloud” (11:11-12)[36]. The apparently defunct church has risen again from death many times in history. The reference to the resurrection of the church makes it unmistakably obvious that the prophesying, suffering, death, resurrection and exaltation to heaven of the witnesses are a share in the testimony of Jesus himself.

Revelation makes it clear that judgements alone don’t lead to repentance and the worship of true God (9:1-21). Only here in the book, when the witnesses experience death and a deliverance which verifies their testimony, does terror and fear fall on their persecutors so they “gave glory to the God of heaven.” (11:13). Such deep repentance still happens in our day. North Korean refugee Soon-Ok Lee testified before the US Congress of the unspeakable horrors of the concentration camps. What led her to Jesus was that the Christians in the camps, of which there were hundreds, never despaired like other prisoners in the face of death.[37]

Satan always controls human life through the fear of death (Gen 3:4; Heb 2:14-15), so that the power of evil can only be dispelled by a testimony which does not shrink back from death (12:11 cf. 6:9-11; 7:9-14). The witness of the lives of the prophets in overcoming the fear of death (cf. 14:6-7) images the final defeat of all evil[38]. Death comes in many forms, material deprivation, loss of employment and educational opportunities, relational isolation, physical mortality, to witness to Jesus in the face of death (2:13; 11:7; 12:17) is the victory of the saints. This is how Christians from every realm (5:9) bear prophetic witness to all the nations (11:3-13) of the final forgiving power of the blood of the Lamb. This is the mystery of how nations are converted and come to worship God[39]. The goal of all prophecy is that men and women might want to worship the one true God forever.

Conclusion

God never says to us “worship me”[40], instead, he offers us a vision of the Lamb in heaven “standing as slain” (Rev 5:6), crucified, raised and exalted FOR US sinners. In Christ, God has reckoned us to be worthy of his suffering and so reveals himself as holy, true, worthy and righteous (6:10; 15:3; 16:7; 19:11). The life of the Lamb is made manifest in this world by the ministry of the prophets, and the prophets understand that the only true way to worship God is by their life as a witness. The world can only believe the message of Christ’s gospel when we live as Jesus lived, for others[41].

All of us have had times in our lives when we knew that we should communicate something of Jesus, by word or deed, to someone else, and we have resisted the urging of the Spirit of God. The witness of the Lamb in Revelation convicts us that that our failure to testify for him means we do not believe that God is worthy of our suffering[42].

The structure of my life is rather different from that of most people, I am not employed by anyone so I have no non Christian work colleagues and I have no hobbies and other activities that would bring me into contact with unbelievers in a natural way. I did learn however many years ago a principle that has always proven true, wherever you are going and whatever you are doing, if you ask God for opportunities to speak to people about Jesus he will supernaturally create them again and again. I was walking the dog the other day and I saw two young men enter the park dressed in sports gear to play basketball, somehow I knew they were Mormons. The rest you can predict. After speaking to them about Jesus I had this tremendous sense of well being –a share in the joy of the kingdom of God and in the delight the Father has in Jesus’ obedience and victory (Heb 12:2). This is the Overcoming Joy of the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy. It is through testifying to Jesus that the heavy spirit of depression over both our nation and the church will be broken.

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