Q1. Revelation is written to encourage and strengthen a church facing intense persecution. Why is the theme of testimony and witness so important to that purpose? How is Jesus as the "faithful witness" (1:5) supposed to encourage us? Why are we afraid to be clear witnesses in a culture where we aren't persecuted?
1. The themes of testimony and witness speak of personal, firsthand actions and knowledge on the part of a Christian. And our faith - to be genuine - must be personal and firsthand. Genuine Christian witness can allow a person to see, in me, a faint glimpse of the image of God and be strengthened, as no earthly agent could do.
2. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, fully and faithfully revealed God to us. "If you've seen me, you've seen the father." We can be sure that we're experiencing the "real deal" when we experience Jesus Christ in our lives. I'm encouraged knowing that this Jesus, fully God, the first fruit of the new creation, is what I'm destined to become like. That's the substance of the Power unseen in me - the power to change lives.
3. Seems like the key word here is "clear". We can all witness to a degree. Having never been persecuted for my faith, I can only speculate that persecution somehow purifies the witness so that the result is a clearer image of the Lord. I'm often afraid to be a clear witness because my witness is impure containing elements of my own making (sin).