The Martyrs Had The Testimony Of Jesus

“I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God. . . . And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 (R. V.)GoPH 185.1

The King James Version has “witness of Jesus.” But the Revised Version, the American Standard and many others, have “testimony of Jesus.” The Greek is the same, letter for letter, as “the testimony of Jesus” in Revelation 12:17.GoPH 185.2

Not long ago I called the attention of one of the pioneers of the denomination, to this fact, although he had written tracts and hooks published by S. D. A.’s, he did not know that the “witness of Jesus” was the same as “testimony of Jesus.” He was not satisfied until he had examined the Greek text.GoPH 185.3

Great mistakes are made by reaching a conclusion on a certain subject before one has all the Bible testimony before him, bearing on that subject. If the brethren had known that the martyrs during all the 1260 years of papal persecution had “the testimony of Jesus,” as well as the remnant, it would have saved them from the blunder of teaching that the remnant had “the testimony of Jesus” which was something especially confined to them, and which was manifest only through the work of Sister White.GoPH 185.4

The “beheaded ones” are the “martyrs of Jesus,” Revelation 17:6, who suffered through the long centuries of papal persecution. But it says they “were beheaded for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus.” According to this all the martyrs of Jesus during the dark ages had “the testimony of Jesus.”GoPH 185.5

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God. and for the testimony which they held.” (Greek, “had”.) Revelation 6:9.GoPH 185.6

These martyrs are, by common agreement, held to be the same ones as brought to view in Revelation 20:4. Therefore it is again proved that the martyrs of the dark ages had “the testimony of Jesus.” Therefore, the remnant, which the dragon persecutes because they “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” are persecuted for the same “testimony of Jesus” for which the martyrs of Jesus suffered during the dark ages.GoPH 186.1

But the martyrs of the 1260 years of papal persecution who had “the testimony of Jesus,” and died for it, did not die for “the testimony of Jesus” which some one individual man or woman among them had, and from whom they received it second hand.GoPH 186.2