Worthy to Witness to the World
Introduction
This message is for those who believe that in Christ “Judgement has been taken Away”[1], who anguish over the inner state of the church and long to see it break forth into the world in powerful mission. It is a hard message to bring because it comes out of personal struggle.
Recently, I was internally troubled by a vague but persistent sense of talking about God too much whilst lacking the power of his presence. It was as if I had the words but lacked the substance[2]. It took me quite some time of prayer and reflection to receive illumination on this matter. About 4 a.m. one morning I sensed the Lord saying that what I had been feeling was a sense of unworthiness and this condition is blocking the powerful testimony of Christ through the church .
An Experience of the Mystery of God
In 1995 I attended the Harvest Evangelism International Institute on Nation Transformation in Argentina. At the end of the conference I was able to visit the spectacular Iguasu Falls[3]. The atmosphere there was spiritually compelling –God’s closeness was remarkable and every question received a clear answer. One night I sensed I needed to pray about “the mystery/secret of God”[4]. I was very uncertain of what to expect as an answer.
The next morning, before dawn, I was able to find my way up to the roof of the hotel. The whole area was covered in fine mist condensed from the falls, and as the sun began to rise I noticed an intense halo effect between me and the ground below. This halo was in the shape of concentric circles, each circle being a colour of the rainbow[5], the more the sun arose the more brilliant this image became[6]. As I moved across the roof – top the direction of the glow moved with me.
This was a physical sign of the coming spiritual glory of Christ[7]. Its relationship with the taking away of judgement has become clearer to me in the last few days as the Holy Spirit has begun to open up the theme “Christ of the nations”.[8]
Despite 2000 years of Christian witness the task of discipling the nations is far from completion[9] is unlikely to be reached under present conditions[10]. The Holy Spirit is seeking to involve the church in WA in mission to the world at a new level and is speaking about foundational issues to bring about this release. If we “follow the rainbow” through scripture, especially in Revelation, we will be provided with a powerful key in releasing the testimony of Jesus to the world.
Thou art Worthy[11]
Immediately after his rapture to heaven the apostle John enters God’s royal court, “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.” (Rev 4:2- 3). The image of the rainbow takes us back to God’s promise to Noah that he will never destroy all flesh on earth[12]. This means that the throne of judgement is also a throne of grace[13].
The heavenly scene climaxes with an ascription of worth to God, ““Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”” (Rev 4:11). The preservation of all things by the sovereign will of God is a cause for praise, not as a display of brute power, but because the next scene will unveil that the ultimate purpose of God’s preserving will is Christ[14].
The key theme of chapter 5 is worthiness to rule. John’s heart is broken when he thinks no one is “found worthy” (v.5) to open the seven sealed scroll in the hand of God.[15]
Ecstasy breaks out in heaven as we are permitted to see an image of “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Rev 5:6)[16]. It is because God has provided the sacrificial Lamb that he is reckoned worthy. Of even more immediate significance is that the Lamb, a creature, is accorded the same level of veneration as the Father, ““Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”” (Rev 5:12).
The Lamb is placed on the same level of honour as God because ““you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they [shall] reign on the earth.””(5:9- 10)[17]. If this theme is consistently followed through, we have a vision of the whole godly universe praising God and the Lamb[18] as worthy because ability to reign through the saints.[19]
The Church is made Worthy to Witness to the World[20]
In moving to Revelation 10- 11 we are given insights into the role of the church in the overall economy of God. Remarkable parallels between Revelation 4- 5 and 10- 11 include,
(1) the presence of a rainbow over the agent of power and judgement (4:3; 10:1)[21]
(2) terrifying physical manifestations of the presence of God, such as thunders, (4:5; 10:3- 4)
(3) a scroll that must be taken from the hand of a divine being, whose contents are then to be disclosed (5:1- 9; 10:2,8)[22]
(4) the word of God for all the nations (5:7; 10:11)[23]
John has been taken up into the divine council[24] in such a way that he does not merely observe the decrees of God but is positively involved in their enactment. The prophet has been reckoned worthy, not only to know the worthiness of God and the Lamb in their great plan for the reconciliation of all things, but by being an agent within it. Without the witness of the prophet, salvation history could not move forward[25].
What is true of John in particular is true of the whole church in general, as long as it is faithful. John writes to those who are partners “in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance” (1:9). In this book in particular, Christians are those who are identified by their “testimony”[26]. This is outlined in detail in chapter 11.
This chapter describes the ministry of “my two[27] witnesses” (v.3) among the nations (vv.2, 9). Their identity is signaled by calling them “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” (v.4). The background is Zechariah 4:4 where the “the two anointed ones” are Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor of Judah. Within Revelation “lampstands are churches”[28], so this is another picture of the whole church witnessing for Christ in the mode of a priestly and kingly ministry.
Of central importance in this passage is that the career of the witnesses (= faithful suffering church), follows the pattern of the ministry of Jesus. A time of proclamation and signs (vv. 5- 7), issuing in Satanic opposition and violent death “their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that …where their Lord was crucified” (v.8), followed by resurrection (“they stood up on their feet” v.11) and ascension “up to heaven in a cloud” (v.12).
The suffering, defeat and consequent triumphof the witness church is God’s means whereby his people are reckoned worthy to suffer as a witness in exactly the same way as the Lamb. This is a major scriptural theme, Jesus said, ““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:11- 12). Peter and John “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”(Acts 5:41). Paul desires the “fellowship of his (Christ’s) sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10). This is not something for apostles and prophets only, the “persecutions and afflictions” of the whole church in Thessalonica “is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” (2 Thess 1:4- 5).
There is a deep mystery in all this, but in a climactic statement made from heaven concerning the persecution of believers we read, ““Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (12:10- 11). This informs us that heavenly power breaks lose on earth through the faithfulness of Christians to the point of death. The highest possible calling is to suffer with Christ so that the victory of the slain and resurrected Lamb might be established on the earth[29]. This is the age long mystery of how God accomplishes the world’s redemption[30].
As he did in Jesus, God redeems the world through the saints willingly acceptance of persecution and rejection for the sake of the kingdom of Christ and the salvation of those who oppose them. This is a stupendous reality.
The Impact of Worthy Witness
The witness – church in Revelation is characteristically rejected[31]. The situation in Revelation 11 however seems different. After the martyrdom, resurrection and ascension of the witness church, “there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” (Rev 11:13). This is the one place in Revelation where spectacular divine judgement is accompanied by repentance[32].
What is important to notice is that the ascension of the witnesses into the heavenly sphere provokes a recognition of the glory of God in heaven by the inhabitants of the earth. This is the same exclamation of glory that is described in Revelation 4 -5 and ascribed to God and the Lamb throughout Revelation by holy beings[33]. It does not matter how many crises strike the earth, or how much pain lost humanity endures, it is the triumphant suffering witness of the people of God that determines whether the lost turn to Christ[34]. It is the perseverance of the saints that creates a spiritual atmosphere[35] in a region that softens the hearts of the people and leads them to repentance before God.
The power that is at work in the witnesses to bring redemption to all nations is a participation in the blood of the Lamb. This is what glorifies Jesus and his Father in heaven. It was this understanding that empowered the apostle to the Gentiles[36]. Every major missions movement has been created and sustained by these realities[37].
Application
I began this article with an assertion that this message was for suffering believers. If you are still reading this I assume that you are part of the anguished people of God in the West that longs for a transformation of church and culture.
Someone once said, “Suffering is not the cost of glory, but the means of glory.” (G.C. Bingham). God knows this, Jesus knows this, the saints and angels in heaven know this – but do you? Has it been revealed to you that your suffering for the kingdom of God means that God has reckoned you worthy to be identified with the Lamb and so able to share in the expression of his heavenly glory on the earth which leads to repentance, restoration and holiness [38]?
I already know the answer to these questions – and it is, at least at the corporate level[39], negative. For if we knew that we were worthy to witness to the world the church in Western Australia, backed by the huge financial resources God is releasing into this state, would already be making a global impact. Nothing can hold back Christian witness but a sense of unworthiness[40]. Behind this is a terrible deception that our struggles disqualify us from bold testimony to Jesus[41]. The truth is just the opposite.
This is a hard message to bring, but surely, for the sake of the slaughtered Lamb, we need to ask for a mighty revelation of our role in the present time as priests and kings upon the earth to the glory of God. Not to enter into this is to imply that the sacrifice of Christ has not made all believers worthy to witness to his name.[42]
[1] This was the title of my last two teachings, which received the most positive response in memory.
[2] Rather like, “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim 3:5).
[3] Older readers may remember scenes from the 1970’s film “The Mission” with Robert de Niro.
[4] In the New Testament, this means something previously hidden but now revealed e.g. Rom 16:25; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 6, 9; Col 1:26- 27.
[5] That is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
[6] “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” (Mal 3:2)
[7] More technically, it was sacramental.
[8] Most Christians would associate this expression with the Great Commission, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matt 28:18- 20).
[9] The number of people who have never heard the gospel is variously estimated at between 1.6 and 3 billion.
[10] This is particularly so in relation to the condition of the Western church where the percentage of church goers is in decline and long term career missionaries are increasingly difficult to find.
[11] The song by this title is sometimes considered the most popular hymn of all time, I will argue in this paper this insight is grounded in the very nature of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
[12] Genesis 9:8 – 17
[13] “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16)
[14] This is a major theme in the New Testament, perhaps most clearly in Ephesians 1:10- 11, “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” See also John 1:3;Col1:16 -17; Heb 1:2- 3.
[15] Seven symbolises fullness and the scroll represents God’s end time plan of judgement and redemption for all peoples.
[16] Arguably, this symbol of Jesus’ death (“slain”) and resurrection (“standing”) is the centrepiece of the whole cosmic drama portrayed in Revelation.
[17] There is an important textual question here, many manuscripts have the future tense “they will reign” whilst others have the present, “they reign on the earth”. The present tense is preferable because of the multiple connections with the present kingly and priestly function of the saints in chapter 1:5- 6, “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us [now] a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever”
[18] “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (5:13)
[19] Whilst the future reign of the saints is an emphasis in scripture (e.g. Matt19:28; 1 Cor 6:2; 2 Tim1:12) there are undisputed present references e.g. Rom 5:17, 21 “much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ…as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”.
[20] I am following a line of interpretation of Revelation that may not be shared with all readers, for those interested, mine is a “redemptive – historical form of modified idealism” (G.K.Beale, Revelation, p.48).
[21] “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.” (Rev 10:1)
[22] “He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land….Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”” (Rev 10:2, 8)
[23] And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Rev 10:11)
[24] A major theme in the Old Testament, participation in God’s heavenly assembly is what distinguishes true from false prophets, “But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words” (Jer23:22). It is through entry into the council that God reveals to his people his plan, “the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret [= council] to his servants the prophets” (Am 3:7).
[25] This is sometimes called the “performative word”, events occur in history because the prophet is given the word of God to speak, e.g. ““Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”” (Jer 1:9 – 10).
[26]“ John…bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:1- 2cf. v.9); “And they have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (12:11); “I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (19:10)
[27] There are two because this is the minimum number for evidence in the Old Testament e.g. Num 35:30; Deut 17:6;19:15
[28] In Revelation “the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (1:20). See also1:12, 13; 2:1, 5.
[29] I am not suggesting that the tribulations of Christians are redemptive in themselves, but that the power of Jesus death is poured out through them e.g. Eph3:13; Phil3:10;Col1:24.
[30] Note the parallels between the word to the martyrs in heaven “yet a little time (eti chronon) until their sufferings should be fulfilled (plerothosan)” 6:11 and 10:6b- 7, “there would be no more delay (hoti chronos) , 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled (etelesthe)”
[31] John is imprisoned because of his “witness” (1:9), Jesus is the crucified “faithful witness” (1:5; 3:14); the faithful witness of the Pergamum church leads to martyrdom (2:13); “the souls under the altar” have been slain for their testimony to Jesus (6:9) and the harlot is “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the witnesses to Jesus” (17:6).
[32] Usually, the unbelievers “did not repent” when exposed to various God sent plagues (9:20- 21; 169- 11).
[33] See 4:9 – 11;5:12- 13; 7:12; 14:7; 15:8; 19:7.
[34] There is great growth in the church in various places in theThird World, not because of poverty as such, but because of the costly witness of believers who triumph through suffering for the sake of the lost.
[35] By this I mean the sort of openness and softness to the things of the gospel that one finds in some parts of the world but not in others.
[36] “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (1:26- 27).
[37] At the birth of the modern missions movement from Europe, two young Moravians sold themselves into slavery in order to reach a closed island in the West Indies, the cry of one became a motto for this missional community, “May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!”
[38] Such a revelation is not more information, but a testimony to the conscience that to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings is the highest of all good things.
[39] I do not want to imply certain individuals and sub – communities are not engaged powerfully in mission.
[40] Usually registered as clumsiness, embarrassment or shame to speak openly and boldly about Christ.
[41] Consider the profile of the most “successful” church leaders inAustralia, few of them manifest fragility and struggle. Combined with the image conscious forces of popular culture, this has cast a pall of deception over much of the church. It seems that only the “complete/whole/prosperous” are worthy witnesses.
[42] Whilst preparing this text I read the story of Naboth’s vineyard. The corrupt elders of Jezreel follow the instructions of Jezebel in putting the righteous man to death through the false testimony of two “worthless” men (1 Ki 21:1- 14). Worth is always expressed in true witness.