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Commentary on "The Gift of Prophecy and
God's Remnant Church"
Day 4 and 5: Tuesday/Wednesday, January 20-21, 2009
The Testimony of Jesus and the Spirit of Prophecy
We have joined these two topics as they build on each other and are intertwined.
The word "testimony" comes from a root word which in its various forms in Greek means testifying, testimony, witness and martyr. The underlying meaning is the proclamation of truth regardless of consequences. The "of Jesus" part of this phrase can be understood in two ways. It can mean the testimony from Jesus, or it can mean the testimony concerning Jesus. The first meaning stresses the fact that this testimony has Jesus as its source. The second meaning stresses the idea that this testimony has Jesus as the subject matter. Either interpretation is valid as far as the Greek syntax is concerned.
In other words, the phrase "testimony of Jesus" means proclaiming the truth of (either from or about) Jesus. When we stop to think about it, this is not a bad definition of the gospel. It is a proclamation of the truth both from and about Jesus. From a linguistic definition we would say the "testimony of Jesus" is a term which stands for the gospel as it is fearlessly proclaimed.
Let us now look at the passages in the book of Revelation which use the terms "testimony of Jesus" or just "testimony" and seek to discover the meaning of this term.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John; who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw (Rev. 1:1, 2).
I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:9).
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained (Rev. 6:9).
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4).
In these verses the "testimony of Jesus" or just "the testimony" is used as a term for the gospel. John bears witness to the gospel, the truth about (or from) Jesus (Rev. 1:1, 2). The souls under the altar had been slain because they maintained the truth about (or from) Jesus.
With this background let us now return to the two texts in question and see if our definition of "testimony of Jesus" fits within their context.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17).
Who are these people with whom the dragon is angry? They are the people who keep the new covenant commandments of God (to believe in Christ and love one another) and hold to the truth about (or from) Jesus! Notice the close parallel verse in Revelation 14:12:
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
These two verses seem to say the same thing. In one the saints are described as those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. In the other they keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Therefore, the term "testimony of Jesus" and keeping their "faith in Jesus" are parallel in meaning.
It is quite evident that the term "testimony of Jesus" has reference to the gospel. It is the truth about (or from) Jesus. If this is true, then what does the Revelator mean when he says "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"?
And I [John] fell at his feet to worship him [the angel] and he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow-servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10).
Here the angel says he also holds the "testimony of Jesus." In other words, the angel also believes the truth about (or from) Jesus. Focusing on the last phrase, we read, "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." To paraphrase, "The truth about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Notice how this verse is variously translated or paraphrased.
Those who bear testimony to Jesus are inspired like the prophets (The New English Bible).
For the truth revealed by Jesus is the inspiration of all prophecy (Weymouth).
For the testimony of Jesus is what inspires prophecy (Goodspeed).
It is the truth concerning Jesus which inspires all prophecy (Knox).
The purpose of all prophecy and of all I have shown you is to tell about Jesus (Living Bible).
These translators have captured the essence of what John is seeking to communicate. All prophecy, when rightly interpreted, in some way points to the truth concerning Jesus.
You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me (Jn. 5:39).
"O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures (Lk. 24:2527).
There is one instance in Revelation where the Ark of the Covenant (or testimony) is mentioned.
And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm Rev. 11:19.
However, the context of this is totally different from that of Revelation 19:10. It must also be pointed out that Revelation is a book that is saturated with Old Testament imagery. This imagery, however, does not have a one to one correspondence. Rather, it is presented as symbolic of ideas that must be transformed into new covenant truth.
As we mentioned before, Good theology does not have its foundation in apocalyptic prophecy. The book of Revelation has been interpreted in many, many ways throughout the history of the Christian church and even today most honest scholars will tell you that much of it is still remains somewhat of a mystery.
Our conclusion is that Revelation 19:10 and 12:17 have nothing whatever to do with the writings of Ellen White, even if these writings are known by Seventh-day Adventists as "the Spirit of Prophecy" or "Testimonies to the Church." John was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos not because he had the writings of Ellen White or because he was a prophet, but because he held to the truth concerning Jesus. The church derives its "trueness" as it submits to the head of the church, Jesus Christ.
By using this text as "proof" that the SDA church is the "remnant church of Bible prophecy", the Adventist church has, in essence, substituted the writings of Ellen G. White in the place of the gospel of Christ!
Summary
- The reasoning used by Seventh-day Adventists to prove they are the true, remnant church of the last days is faulty on every count. Not only is this claim of Adventism faulty on every count, it is heretical at its very core.
- The Adventists’ claim of being "the remnant church" has removed the gospel of Christ and in its place substituted the writings of their dead "prophet", Ellen White.
Copyright 2009 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised January 17, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 4
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 4
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Week 4
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