JOHN'S TESTIMONY - BY ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

Martha · JOHN'S TESTIMONY - BY ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

The Book of Revelation begins by clearly stating its theme. "The revelation of Jesus Christ..."

The theme of Revelation is not primarily prophecy, or future events, as many suppose, it is Jesus!

It means the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

God not only unveiled Jesus Christ through Prophecy in the past, but through the book of Revelation. He uniquely unveils Jesus as our hope for the future! This revelation of Jesus Christ was recorded by the prophet John, but as Peter explained, "No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Revelation is not only a prediction of what is to come; it is the Prophet John's eyewitness account of the future! John says he personally testifies to everything he saw! For you and me, the book of Revelation describes the future. For John, it was history! Nearly 50 times, John says "I saw". Almost 30 times he says "I heard". What a personal testimony the apostle John had! If he had the opportunity to share a condensed version of it, perhaps he would express it something like this:

I was a disciple of John the Baptist for some time. One day I was standing beside the River Jordan with John when he pointed out a rather ordinary-looking man, and said “Look, There goes Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world. He is the Messiah, the Christ, the unique Son of God. There is God, walking the earth in a human body!"

So I left John the Baptist and followed Jesus. I was His disciple for 3 years. During that time I saw and heard Him in every conceivable circumstance. I saw Him create sight in a man born blind. I saw Him cleanse lepers, walk on water, feed over 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead, and I heard the Sermon on the Mount. I saw all this with my own eyes!

But I will never forget that Thursday night when Jesus, the other disciples, and I had eaten a meal together in an upper room in Jerusalem. Afterward, He took us to a secluded spot on the Mount of Olives for prayer. But instead of praying, I went to sleep. He awakened me and asked if I would pray with Him. But--oh, how ashamed I am to admit it now --I went to back to sleep. Again He awakened me, asking for prayer, and again I went back to sleep. The third time He came, needing me to watch and pray with Him. But since I was still sleeping, He left me undisturbed. When I finally woke up, I saw Roman soldiers placing Him under arrest, taking Him off for trial before the religious leaders.

I followed at a distance, and because I am a relative to the high priest, I was able to slip into the courtyard and watch the proceedings from there. With my own ears I hear Him accused of various false charges. In the end, I heard Him convicted of blasphemy, of claiming to be the unique Son of God.

Then I watched as they took Him to the Roman courts for trial. I saw Him slapped, spat upon, and scourged until the flesh was ripped from His bones and His body glistened with blood. In fact, His appearance was so marred; I could hardly recognize Him as a Man, much less my Master and Friend.

I heard the crowd that had gathered at the judgment hall begin to riot as they shouted in unison, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Then I heard, with my own ears, as 7 different times the Roman courts said: "This Man is innocent. But in the end, I watched as the Roman governor, Pilate washed his hands of responsibility and concluded: "This Man is innocent, but...you can crucify Him"!

I followed at a distance as He was led out of Jerusalem to the place of execution known as Golgotha. There with my own eyes, I saw Jesus of Nazareth crucified on a Roman cross.

I stood at the foot of the cross and watched for 6 long, agonizing hours as He hung on it. At one point He even noticed me and asked if I would take care of His mother, who was standing nearby. At the end of those 6 horrifying hours, I heard, with my own ears, as He shouted with a loud voice, "It is finished"! And I saw with my own eyes, as He bowed His head and deliberately refused to take the next breath.

I SAW JESUS OF NAZARETH DIE ON A ROMAN CROSS. THERE WAS NO MISTAKE. HE WAS DEAD!

At that point, my life fell apart! I was devasted! Everything I had hoped, all of my dreams for the future, my whole reason for living, had crumbled at that cross! Because I had thought Jesus was the Messiah. I had thought He was the Redeemer of Israel! I had thought He was the unique Son of God - god walking the earth in a Man's body. And He had died on a Roman cross as a common criminal! My whole world was shattered!

I went back to the upper room in Jerusalem with the other disciples. We locked the door and barred the windows, scared that the Romans would seek us out.

In my confusion, anger and grief the hours ran together. Before I knew it, it was early Sunday morning and someone was pounding on the door.

I was terrified! I thought the Romans had come to get us! Then I heard a woman's voice and I opened the door and it was Mary. She was hysterical, saying something about grave robbers and the tomb being empty where Jesus had been buried.

I looked at Peter and he looked at me. We must have had the same thought because we both ran through that open door, through the early-morning streets of Jerusalem until we came to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. And sure enough! The stone was rolled away, just as Mary had said.

I ran into the tomb, and I will never forget - never - what I saw with my own eyes. NOTHING! The tomb was empty!

Except for one thing. The grave clothes were still there! And there was something about them....

I stood there looking at those grave clothes and suddenly I KNEW that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead! He was alive!

Now I was more confused! I went back to the upper room and again locked the doors and barred the windows and all of us talked about what we had seen.

Sunday afternoon, inside that locked room I suddenly heard, with my own ears, a very familiar voice. The Master's voice. My heart seemed to stop. But He said, "Peace. It is I. be not afraid".

I turned, and with my own eyes, I saw Jesus of Nazareth standing before me. I saw the wound on His brown where the crown of thorns had been embedded. I saw the wounds in His hands and feet where the nails had been. I saw the wound in His side where the soldiers had thrust in the spear. I SAW JESUS OF NAZARETH RAISED FROM THE DEAD!

HE IS ALIVE!

And for 40 days following His resurrection, I walked with Him and talked with Him and listened as He spoke. Then one day, as the other disciples and I were standing with Jesus on the Mount of Olives, near Bethany, I listened to Him with my own ears as He taught us. Then with my own eyes, as He lifted His hands in blessing. I watched as His body slowly lifted up from the ground. I saw His physical body rise up through the air and disappear into the clouds. I SAW, with my own eyes, JESUS OF NAZARETH ascend into heaven!

While I was staring up into the sky where I had seen Him disappear, 2 men in white suddenly appeared and said, “Why are you standing around, staring off into space? This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven."

And now I want to tell you that the same eyes and ears that saw and heard Jesus of Nazareth while He was on earth have seen Him come back!

Let me tell you something of what I have seen!

With my own eyes, I have seen worldwide pestilence, pollution, persecution, and famine so severe that they wiped out a third of the earth's population. I have seen wars fought that were so destructive the blood of those massacred rose to the height of a horse's bridle. I have seen stars falling from the sky and mountains falling into the sea. I have seen a beast rise up out of the sea who rules the world, and a false prophet who does miracles in his name. I have seen demons swarming over the earth, and I have seen angels. I have seen hell, and I have seen Heaven! I have seen the sky unfold, and a white horse appear whose Rider is called Faithful and True, followed by the armies of heaven. I have seen Satan bound, and Satan loosed, and Satan thrown into the lake of fire forever and forever! I have seen the old earth pass away and a new heaven and a new earth come down.

And over it all, under it all, around it all, through it all, at the beginning of it all, and at the end of it all, I HAVE SEEN JESUS CHRIST, ABSOLUTELY SUPREME AS THE VICTORIOUS HOPE OF THE AGES!

John's personal testimony is the book of Revelation.