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Read Introduction to Revelation

 

“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 of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy“

 

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 of Jesus. Worship God!

Now we see John’s response to the announcement of the marriage supper of the Lamb. After observing the four worshipping groups, John makes a serious blunder by falling at the angel’s feet to worship him. The angel rebukes him for this. He urged John to worship God alone.

An angel is simply a “fellow servant” with John (cf. Revelation 22:8). Worshipping an angel confuses the message and the messenger. There is a tendency among many people to worship the communicator rather than the content of the communication. The purpose of the Bible is to focus our attention on God, not the person who communicates the Bible. Some Christians idolize certain Christian leaders. This is exceedingly dangerous. On the other hand, God wants us to honor the communicator.

“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:12).

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The angel makes the point that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The very essence of the life of prophecy is to glorify Jesus (Re 1:2, 9; 12:17; Luke 24:25-27). Jesus is the object of praise.

Principle:

Jesus is the heart and soul of prophecy.

Application:

The Old Testament prophesies the first coming of Christ as well as His Second Coming. We can place the many pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of the prophecy of the Old Testament together to identify the Messiah clearly.

We must give credit where credit is due. The purpose of prophecy is to testify to the greatness of Jesus throughout the Bible. The purpose of prophecy then is to glorify Jesus. Prophecy is not primarily concerned with giving us God’s program for the last days. It is more concerned with a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the central celebrity in God’s economy.

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