Ranko Stefanovic
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.
What does John the Revelator mean by the term “spirit of prophecy” which appears only once in Scripture? Does the expression “spirit of prophecy” refer to the Holy Spirit with whom all Christians should be filled, or does it refer to a specific gift of the Holy Spirit? Furthermore, why is “the testimony of Jesus” in Revelation 19:10 called “the spirit of prophecy?”
The meaning of “the spirit of prophecy” – The expression “the spirit of prophecy,” which occurs only in Revelation 19:10, is nowhere explained in the book. The obvious reason for this lack of explanation is that the first-century Christians to whom Revelation was originally written were very much familiar with the expression. They understood this expression as a reference to the Holy Spirit, who imparts the prophetic gift. Rabbinic Judaism equated the OT expressions “Holy Spirit,” “Spirit of God,” or “Spirit of Yahweh” with “the Spirit of prophecy.” This equation can be seen in the frequent occurrence of this phrase in the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament. For example, Genesis 41:38 in the Aramaic translation says, “Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this in whom there is the spirit of prophecy from before the Lord?’“ (Gen 41:38), referring to Joseph. And, in Numbers 27, the Aramaic translation has the Lord saying to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has within himself the spirit of prophecy, and lay your hand on him” (Num 27:18).
Thus, for first-century readers of Revelation the expression “the spirit of prophecy” meant the Holy Spirit who speaks through specific persons, called prophets, to declare the message revealed and entrusted to them by God. In other words, “the spirit of prophecy” refers to the Holy Spirit who inspires and empowers the prophets to proclaim God’s messages to the people (2 Pet 1:21).
The meaning of “the testimony of Jesus” – The text equates “the spirit of prophecy” with “the testimony of Jesus.” The expression “the testimony of Jesus” in the original Greek can have the meaning of bearing witness about Jesus, thus the New American Bible translates the phrase as “bear witness to Jesus” (Rev 12:17); or it can refer to the testimony that Jesus Himself bore during His life and ministry and after His ascension through His prophets, who had the spirit of prophecy, much as the prophets in ancient times had (cf. 1 Pet 1:11, 12). The context of Revelation suggests the latter. Most translations, therefore, read, “have the testimony of Jesus” (ESV, KJV, NASB, NIV, etc.).
In Revelation 1:2, 9; 12:17 and 20:4 the expression “testimony of Jesus” is each time balanced symmetrically with the expression “the word of God” or the phrase “the commandments of God.” “The Word of God” is what God has said; “the commandments of God” are God’s commandments and the “testimony of Jesus” is what Jesus said. “The Word of God” in John’s time referred to the Old Testament, and the “testimony of Jesus” to what Jesus had taught in the Gospels and through His prophets, such as Peter and Paul. Revelation 19:10, therefore, says, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” i.e., the Holy Spirit who bestows the prophetic gift on human beings.
Thus, the context of the phrase is the key for unlocking the meaning of the statement that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The phrase “the testimony of Jesus” indicates that the message the true prophet brings to God’s people is not his or her idea. It is rather “the word of God” sent by Christ as His own testimony to the church by means of “the spirit of prophecy.” It is referred to as “the spirit of prophecy” because it is the Holy Spirit who inspires and empowers the prophet to speak the words of Christ and to communicate “the testimony of Jesus” to God’s people on earth (cf. 2 Pet 1:20, 21).
“‘For the testimony or witness of (i.e., borne by) Jesus is (i.e., constitutes) the spirit of prophecy.’ This prose marginal comment specifically defines the brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus as possessors of prophetic inspiration. The testimony of Jesus is practically equivalent to Jesus testifying (xxii. 20). It is the self-revelation of Jesus which moves the Christian prophets” (James Moffatt, “The Revelation of St. John the Divine,” The Expositor’s Greek Testament, ed., W. R. Nicoll, 5 vols. [Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1980], 5:465).
The prophetic gift in the church – Revelation 19:10 is thus in line with the clear teaching of the rest of the New Testament that the prophets in the church are distinguished as a special group within the church. “The spirit of prophecy” does not refer to all believers in the church but only to those called by God to the prophetic ministry. This fact is especially emphasized in Revelation 22:9: “But he said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book.” In Revelation 19:10, John’s “brethren” are those who have the testimony of Jesus through the Spirit of prophecy. This notion is further affirmed in Revelation 22:6: “The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show to his servants the things which must soon take place.” John the revelator claims in this text to be one of the prophets (as Paul prior to him); he has received a special revelation– “the Word of God”–from God. And he bears witness to “the testimony of Jesus” that was communicated to him through an angel in vision (Rev 1:2).
However, John the revelator obviously does not consider himself to be the last of the prophets; he indicates clearly that the prophetic ministry will continue in the church after the first century. While God may have revealed Himself to individuals throughout the Christian age, Revelation 12:17 makes it clear that God’s end-time remnant is characterized by keeping the commandments of God and having “the testimony of Jesus,” i.e., the spirit of prophecy or the prophetic gift. In other words, at the time of the end, the remnant church will again have the prophetic gift operating in its midst, as it was in the time of John.
Conclusion – Revelation 19:10 (together with 22:6, 9) provides God’s people, living in the closing days of this earth’s history, with an assurance of God’s special care and guidance through the Holy Spirit working through those called to the prophetic office, just as it was with God’s people of old. However, it is not the manifestation of the prophetic gift in their midst only, but also their faithfulness to the prophetic message that separates God’s people from the unfaithful at the time of the end.