In a courtroom, the testimony of an eyewitness is "one of the most potent and effective tools available to police and prosecutors." It is abundantly better and more accurate than circumstantial evidence, and very weighty with a jury.
Jesus Christ is the only eyewitness to many things that concern us. He is the only one who has walked in the flesh and seen the events in the garden tomb, the face of God the Father, and the heavenly city in more than just a vision. He has witnessed every happening from the beginning of time, including creation itself:
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
Because it is His home, Jesus can tell us the truth about heaven:
4:3 and he that sat `was' to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and `there was' a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.
4:4 And round about the throne `were' four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones `I saw' four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
4:5 And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And `there was' seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
4:6 and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
4:7 And the first creature `was' like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature `was' like a flying eagle.
4:8 and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, `is' the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
4:9 And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever and ever,
4:10 the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
4:11 Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.
He witnessed to John about the New Jerusalem:
21:11 having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:
21:12 having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are `the names' of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
21:13 on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21:15 And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal.
21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, `according to' the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
21:18 And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass.
21:19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
21:20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.
21:23 And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof `is' the Lamb.
21:24 And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.
21:25 And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there):
21:26 and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it:
21:27 and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life.
22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
22:2 in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve `manner of' fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
22:3 And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him;
22:4 and they shall see his face; and his name `shall be' on their foreheads.
22:5 And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
With His own eyes, Jesus saw everything, so we can trust His eyewitness account. He blesses and condemns according to what He knows; He doesn't have to guess or presume.
7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil.
8:18 I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, `who is' the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;
Very interesting: the word martyr [Greek: martyrs], literally means witness. Although it is used today to describe an individual who sacrifices his life for a cause or belief, in the past it meant a person who witnessed in a trial or legal proceeding, who was often tortured beforehand to force him to tell the truth. Jesus Christ was a martyr in both senses of the word. He was tortured and gave His life, the one and only witness to the truth and all the mysteries of our faith. Who else can we trust?
Blessed Lord Jesus, Faithful and True Witness, reveal to my mind the Truth. YOU CREATED TRUTH. Reveal Your infinite ways to my finite mind, so that my witness will always be potent, effective and true. Amen
1:7 He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.
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