#BECOMING (ARE YOU IN GOD'S REMNANT? part two)

 

#BECOMING (ARE YOU PART OF GOD’S REMNANT? part two)

Transformation! This sums up the purpose of the journey of our lives.

§ Changing.

§ Improving.

§ Becoming.

Our destination? Becoming a member of God’s remnant. Our road map? Keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Christ.

In part one of this article, we examined the first requirement for belonging to God’s remnant- i.e. keeping God’s Ten Commandments. In part two, we are going to consider the second requirement. What does it mean to ‘have the testimony of Jesus Christ’?

Remember the words of Revelation 12:17 (KJV, underline emphasis mine):

        And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her            seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

THE MEANING OF THE WORD- TESTIMONY
If you have ever watched a legal drama on television, then you should already understand what ‘testimony’ means! The word ‘testimony’ can be used in one of three ways. However, only the first two definitions are useful to our discussion today. The third definition is what we do when we explain to others how we became believers- eg. ‘I gave my testimony in church today’.

In the first definition, the word ‘testimony’ may refer to a formal oral or written statement. When we testify in court, we are giving a formal oral statement. When we sign an Affidavit, we are giving a formal written statement. In both instances- oral and written, we are providing a statement of the truth.

So as regards the Revelation 12:17 verse, this formal written statement of truth refers to the Apostolic Scriptures. The Apostolic Scriptures are the ten Books of the New Testament that were written by Christ’s Apostles, as per His instructions (John 15:27 and 17:6-8). The Apostolic Scriptures are Jesus Christ’s testimony. Those who ‘have the testimony of Jesus Christ’ treasure these particular scriptures above ALL other New Testament writings.

In the second definition, the word ‘testimony’ may refer to physical evidence or proof of a fact. For example, in a criminal trial, a defense lawyer may enter into evidence ballistic testimony that they believe exonerates their client. What did Jesus tell us about the physical evidence and proof of who He is? Christ said that His works prove who He is and why His testimony should be believed (John 10:25-38).

So the testimony of Jesus Christ refers to the written record of what He said- i.e. the Apostolic Scriptures, and the record of what He did- i.e. His works (which are also recorded in the Apostolic Scriptures).

But this is not all that we need to understand from this verse! The wording of Revelation 12:17 is really interesting! We must recognise that God wants us to embrace, choose, select Jesus Christ’s testimony instead of others!

This is a very important distinction that most people overlook when they read this verse. When we read this verse carefully, the existence of other testimonies is implied. And unfortunately, some people choose to believe in testimonies that contradict the testimony of Jesus Christ!

UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘HAVING THE TESTIMONY OF...’
When you read the 27 book New Testament, can you think of any other person or people, besides Jesus and His Disciples, who ensured that there was a record of what they said and what they did?

Have you ever asked yourself why Paul is the author of 13 books? After all, in the Bible, the number 13 symbolises apostasy and rebellion. And who were Mark and Luke? They certainly were not among Christ’s chosen Apostles (Matthew 10:1-4)! And who really wrote the book of Hebrews? Watch this video for more information on this topic.

It is important to understand the phrase ‘having the testimony of...’. Remember, Christ warned us on several occasions about the dangers of believing in the wrong messengers and messages. We should not believe in:

§ false prophets (Matthew 7:15-27)

§ false apostles (Revelation 2:2)

§ or people who come in their own name (John 5:43)

In fact, even after Christ had ascended, His chosen Apostles (Matthew 10:1-4) continued to warn believers about the dangers of believing in false teachers and false prophets.

Their emphasis on this warning tells us that this problem is real and significant- it affects our eternal salvation. The testimony that we must believe in is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

WHY IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE SO IMPORTANT?
There is a famous expression that says:

        Whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve.

Therefore, it follows that whatever you believe, you will become. If you embrace the testimony of people other than Jesus Christ, then how can you seriously expect to enter into God’s remnant? 

The TWO requirements of Revelation 12:17 are clear- we must adhere to God’s Ten Commandments AND we must embrace the testimony of JESUS CHRIST!

The problem with believing in non-Jesuit non-Christine testimonies is that THEY ALWAYS CONTRADICT Jesus Christ!

And when you do this, it is exactly like using a road map with bad directions but still expecting to get to your preferred destination. It will never happen!

THE SECOND REQUIREMENT
So to be clear, what is the second requirement to become a member of God’s remnant? You must choose the correct testimony to believe in.

What are the two testimonies presented in our New Testament?

The Gospels of Matthew and John and the other eight Books of the APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES provide an accurate testimony of Jesus Christ.

Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews and Paul’s 13 epistles provide an accurate testimony of Paul (Saul of Tarsus).

In fact, if you want to summarise the differences between Christ and Paul, and there are MANY, just take a look at their conflicting gospel messages. 

Christ taught us ‘the gospel of the kingdom’ and Paul taught us ‘the gospel of Christ’. Completely DIFFERENT messages!

So, if becoming a ‘person of God’ is your chosen destination, then believing Christ’s testimony is the roadmap that you MUST embrace.

However, if you prefer to embrace Paul’s false gospel of easy grace, then this list describes the type of person you will definitely become.

§ A Christ idolater

§ A misogynist

§ An anti-semite

§ Anti-LGBT

§ A person who believes that they will never be held personally accountable for their transgressions (i.e. Paul’s false doctrine of ‘once saved, always saved’)

§ A person who doesn’t believe in social justice

§ A person who seeks status (eg. a deacon or bishop in church hierarchy or anywhere else) and not service (i.e. a washer of feet)

The choice is yours. Who are you becoming?



‘HARVEST TIME Prophecies’ is the blog post site of TNG Academy. Our blog post site gets its name from Matthew 13:30- i.e. the separation of wheat and tares that will occur at harvest time (i.e. the endtimes). Remember, the ‘wheat’ symbolises Godly things and the ‘tares’ symbolise things of the devil.

The purpose of these blog posts is twofold. Firstly, they are written to encourage more focus on Christ’s core message: the ‘gospel of the kingdom’. And second, they are written to increase our understanding of God’s expectations of us. Some blog posts are long while others are short. But we always strive to ensure that our once weekly blog posts are educational and inspirational.

Visit our website- WWW.TNGACADEMY.ORG, to get copies of our Bible study books. Which of my books would I recommend for you to read first? Start with these three-

§ THE KINGDOM OF GOD

§ MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN

§ THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES


If you enjoy these posts, please share! Help others get prepared for harvest time!


#theapostolicscriptures

#gospelofthekingdom

#Remnant