I have a question for you. When Revelation 19:10 tells us that “the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus”, what do you think that means? Have you ever really thought about this statement, I mean really thought about it?
Today, I’d like to give you another way to look at this statement that just might make some pieces of the Bible’s prophetic puzzle fall into place for you.
As many of you know, the name Jesus comes from the Hebrew Yeshua or Yehowshuwa. Now there is something thrilling about the name of Yeshua that really brings the statement of Revelation 19:10 into focus.
The name Yeshua is a combination of two Hebrew words. The first word is a shortened form of the proper name of the living God of the Bible, pronounced by some Yahweh or Jehovah. The second part of Yeshua’s name comes from the Hebrew word yasha which means to save, be saved, or be delivered.
The name Jesus or Yeshua then means: Yahweh Saves or the Salvation of Yahweh.
With this in mind let’s look at Revelation 19:10 once more.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:
worship God: for the testimony of [Yahweh’s Salvation] Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. – Revelation 19:10
Thrilling isn’t it. Now that you understand that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Yahweh’s salvation, see if you can find that spirit of prophecy in the following prophetic passage:
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,… – Luke 1:67-73
If you didn’t find the spirit of prophecy in this passage, consider this. The covenant and mercy promised to Abraham as mentioned by Zacharias above was the very first oath that YHWH swore with any man in the Bible. This oath, promised in part, that through Abraham’s seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. The apostle Paul explained the Abrahamic covenant this way:
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel [Yeshua] unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed…
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. – Galatians 3:8,14-17
The Salvation of Yahweh indeed!
As you read the Bible’s prophetic texts in 2017 I hope you’ll keep the Spirit of Prophecy in mind.
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On a personal note, for those in the Albuquerque New Mexico area, I’ll be speaking at New Life Church on the 14th of January. The topic of my talk will be the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible’s Redemptive Message as it relates to the Bible’s messianic symbolism and the prophecy of Daniel 9. You can get more information at New Life’s website here: nlnm.org
I look forward to meeting any of you who can attend.
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