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Faithful Witness


and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5)
          Has anyone ever told lies about you? Have they told real lies, not just their overblown negative opinions of you? There are stories about men who have spent years in prison because girls cried "rape" rather than be honest with their fathers. When you're dealing with God, that's not the issue. In Heaven's courtroom, there won't be a need for lies. The Accuser won't need to tell lies about us. The truth - even a small part of the truth - will be enough to condemn us. The Accuser won't need to say a word, because God already knows even better than the Accuser does what we have done. The Faithful Witness is just as superfluous in Heaven's courtroom.
          So why is Jesus called "the Faithful Witness"? Could it be that there's another courtroom? Another judge?
          He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
            “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
          The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” (Luke 4:3)
            The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’’”(Luke 4:9-11)
          There are other courtrooms; one in each of our minds. As judges, we weigh the claims of many plaintiffs and defendants. Jesus faithfully testifies about what He saw and did, even if it makes us uncomfortable and angry. There is another who tells outright lies and lies coated with a veneer of truth. That other is the unfaithful witness. He tells us that we can be "like God." He turns our focus from what is true to what is "attractive." He turns our focus from God to ourselves. He makes us feel good about ourselves as he leads us further and further into a web of lies.
        It is not God's courtroom in which Jesus is the Faithful Witness. It is in ours.

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