“Who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw“
This verse attests to the prophecy of this book. God put the content of this book in symbols to testify to the Word of God in general and the testimony of Jesus Christ in particular.
John witnesses to three things in this verse.
who bore witness to the word of God
First, John witnesses to the Word of God (Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12; Matthew 4:4; 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23,25). Witness to the Word of God is primary and indispensable. That is foundational. We cannot know anything for sure without its foundation in the Word of God.
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ
Secondly, John witnesses to “the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This is the testimony that Jesus bore when He was upon earth and who He is as presented in this book.
to all things that he saw
Thirdly, John witnesses to “all things that he saw.” John repeats the phrase “all things that he saw” 54 times in the book. “I saw” occurs 37 times. The content of this book came by visions.
John’s gospel is the gospel of the eye witness. This was not true of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Most of the things we read in John we do not find in the synoptic gospels. The same man who wrote the Gospel of John wrote the book of Revelation. No one saw as much as John. John was an eyewitness to truth. Nothing in Revelation is an invention of John.
Principle:
The Book of Revelation demands our attention.
Application:
Revelation demands our attention, for it is the Word of God, the testimony of Jesus, and a testimony to future things. This book carries great authority in God’s values.
Nothing in the Book of Revelation is the brainchild of John. Everything came by revelation.
