p. 1 | Untitled article by John Nevins Andrews

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, March 3, 1868

FromReview and Herald, Vol. XXXI, No. 12

The Sermon.

By John Nevins Andrews

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom:

PREACH THE WORD. 2 Tim. iv, 2.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS.

BY ELD. J. N. ANDREWS.

TEXT.— “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” Rev. xix, 10.

“And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book; worship God.” Rev. xxii, 8, 9.

I. Who is the personage that addressed these words to John?

It was the angel which showed him these things. Rev. xxii, 8. He was the angel that Jesus sent to give the book of Revelation to John. Rev. i, 1. He was the angel sent by the Lord God of the holy prophets. Rev. xxii, 6. He is Christ’s angel to testify these things in the churches. Verse 16.

But does he not call himself one of the holy prophets? And is not this proof that the ancient prophets who had been long dead were still in conscious existence and capable of communicating instruction to the people of God?

If it were true that this angel was one of the ancient prophets, it would not follow that the prophets are conscious in death. For two of them had been translated. Gen. v, 24; 2 Kings ii; Heb. xi, 5; Jude 14, 15. Also at the resurrection of Christ many saints were raised from the dead, and at his ascension went up with him. Matt. xxvii, 50–53; Ps. lxviii, 18; Eph. iv, 9, margin. The Lord employed his prophets while they were alive, and when they had served their generation, they fell asleep. When the Lord shall again employ them in his service, he will do it by awaking them to immortal life.

But the angel does not call himself one of the prophets. He designates himself thus:

I am thy fellow-servant.
And of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Rev. xix, 10.
And of thy brethren the prophets.
And of them which keep the sayings of this book. Rev. xxii, 9.

If the angel is one of the ancient prophets, he is also one of those who keep the sayings of the book of Revelation. But the sleeping prophets are not doing this. They are not now overcoming; not now laboring; not now keeping the word of Christ’s patience; not now enduring tribulation; not now being faithful unto death; not now holding fast lest any take their crown; not now watching and keeping their garments; not now keeping any of these words of this book; for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.

If the angel means to affirm that he is one of the prophets, he must also be understood as affirming that he is one of those that keep the sayings of the book of Revelation quoted above. This would be equivalent to asserting that the prophets are still upon probation, and still warring with the world, the flesh, and the Devil.

But this is manifestly false. And the careful reader will observe that such is not the statement of the angel. He indeed as much affirms that he is one that keeps the sayings of the book of Revelation, as that he is one of the prophets. But he does not affirm either of these things. He does not say, I am one of the prophets; I am one of those who keep the sayings of this book. Even those who contend that this angel was one of the old prophets must admit that the language here used is elliptical, i. e., it leaves the reader to supply from the connection certain omitted words. Now the question arises, What words did the angel omit in this statement which the connection will enable us to supply? Should it read thus in order to give the language without any ellipsis: “I am thy fellow-servant, and [I am one] of thy brethren the prophets, and [I am one] of them that keep the sayings of this book?” The insertion of the word “one” is not required by the context nor even justified by it; and if it be inserted it will prove that the angel who gave John the book of Revelation was actually at that time struggling against the various infirmities, weaknesses, and temptations that the servants of God are warned against in that book. Then it will not do to claim that this angel is one of the old prophets, or to insert the word “one,” in order to supply the ellipsis in his language.

But it is not difficult to supply that ellipsis from the context, and with that act to remove all appearance of difficulty from the text. The angel forbade John to worship him, because he was his “fellow-servant.” The important word then in this designation of the angel’s rank, is the word fellow-servant. So he makes it prominent in the first sentence, each time he forbids John to worship him; and in the sentences that follow, which really imply the repetition of the word each time, he omits it to avoid tautology. Let us supply this ellipsis or omission:

“See thou do it not, I am thy fellow-servant, and [the fellow-servant] of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God.” Rev. xix, 10. “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and [the fellow-servant] of thy brethren the prophets, and [the fellow-servant] of them which keep the sayings of this book; worship God.” Rev. xxii, 9.

Thus the sense is perfectly plain; the angel must not be worshiped, for he is the fellow-servant of John, and of the prophets, and of those that obey the book of Revelation.

The personage who showed John these things was an exalted angel from the heavenly Jerusalem. If it is proper to express a conjecture relative to him, we may not be far from the truth in concluding from the wonderful similarity between the books of Daniel and Revelation, that Gabriel who gave that book to Daniel, is the angel who gave this book to John. It was Gabriel and Michael, i. e., Christ, who gave Daniel his wonderful book; it is Christ and his angel (shall we not say Gabriel?) who gives the Revelation to John. Compare Dan. x, 21; Rev. i, 1. See Thoughts on Revelation.

II. What is the testimony of Jesus?

An explicit answer to this question is given by the angel: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev. xix, 10. But what is the spirit of prophecy? We shall best obtain light on this subject by comparing the two admonitions of the angel directed against the same act of John. “I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.” Rev. xix, 10. “I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets.” Rev. xxii, 9.

We are justified, then, in understanding the term “spirit of prophecy” as denoting the gift of prophecy; for those who have the spirit of prophecy in the one case are termed prophets in the other. When the testimony of Jesus, or spirit of prophecy, is found in the church of Christ, there must be therefore the gift of prophecy manifested in that church. It is true that all are not prophets, but this gift is placed in the church by its great Author, to remain there till the end of human probation. Eph. iv; 1 Cor. xii.

The book of Acts shows what the church of Christ was in this respect in apostolic times, and what it ever should have been. But the great apostasy has done its awful work, not only against the law of God, but against the gifts placed in the church by its great Head. 2 Thess. ii; Dan. vii, 25.

The final war of Satan against the remnant church

is because they keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. xii, 17. We know by what agency the commandments of God are restored to the church in the last days. It is the third angel who accomplishes this work of restoration. Rev. xiv, 12.

And now is it not worthy of special notice that we live in the conclusion of all the great prophetic chains both in Daniel and Revelation? That we live at the termination of the great prophetic periods? That this generation has witnessed the promised signs of Christ’s second advent? That those now on the stage of action have heard the startling announcements of the first and second angels, and that the third angel is now proclaiming his message of awful solemnity? Rev. xiv. Thousands have heard this warning message and have turned their feet into the testimonies of the Lord to keep all his commandments. But with this work of restoring the commandments has been connected what has purported to be the gift of prophecy. Nay, it has ever had a controlling influence in this work from the beginning.

From the facts above referred to, it is evident that the present is the time for the genuine proclamation of the third angel. The commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus belong together. Shall we acknowledge the commandments of God to be all right, but attribute the spirit of prophecy to the Devil? The genuine are as intimately connected as the ark of God and pillar of cloud and of fire. It was not Satan that appeared in the pillar of cloud; for that was too closely connected with the ark of God. Can we not decide whether this work in these days is genuine or spurious? Our Lord tells us that we can know false prophets by their fruits. Matt. vii. Has their testimony borne grapes, or thorns, figs, or thistles? Has it been torn from the commandments of God like the spiritual gifts of the Mormons, or has it led them to keep all the commandments just as the genuine should? Has it led them to love or slight the Bible? Has it made men worldly-minded and covetous, or self-sacrificing and devoted in life and in substance to the cause of Christ? Has it led them to pride or to humility? to idleness, negligence, sloth and untidiness, or to industry, economy, frugality and neatness? Has it led either to formality or to fanaticism? Has it not with unsparing faithfulness rebuked wrongs wherever they have existed? Has it ever borne one evil fruit? Has it not borne the excellent fruits of righteousness all the way from the beginning of this work? Shall we say that Satan is its author? Shall we not rather say that it is the testimony of Jesus, the genuine spirit of prophecy?

If the testimony of Christ is confirmed in us as God would have it, we shall come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are prepared for translation, we must have an interest in the truths which distinguish the remnant church; and these are the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. Reader, will you have a part with this people in this precious truth, or shall it be with the host of the dragon when he makes war upon them?