Two Witnesses

. …How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrew 2: 3-4

The Christian message rises and falls on witnesses, it is not based on blind faith but on evidential faith. The evidence is what the New Testament writers ask us to place our faith in. They say they saw Jesus alive and testify to that truth. The Passover when Christ was crucified to Pentecost when the disciples preached the first sermon about the resurrection are only fifty days apart. When Christ died the disciples scattered. They ran away. They were defeated rejected and believed that they had wasted three years of their lives. They thought he was the Messiah, the Son of God, but his death to them meant that they got it wrong. The Kingdom of Israel was not going to be established. They were going to return to their old businesses and pervious way of life. One disciple said it this way. “I go fishing”

Then it all changed. Some intervening event changed their lives and their faith. Their own report on why they became so bold after being so scared was that they saw Jesus alive. Most of the New Testament and, all of the Gospels, are written to confirm this eye witness. The Hebrew passage above talks about hearing. The Apostle John adds “which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it.” It is possible to not believe their testimony, however, they claim to have one and they invite you to challenge it.

There is a second witness in the New Testament that should continue until this day. It is the testimony of signs and wonders. A sign and a wonder is a deed done by God, through the faith of men, that is observable, but not necessary repeatable. A healing is the clearest example, but there are others, words of knowledge, prophetic insight to future events, and sometimes natural phenomena that are associated with pray, rebuking a storm for example.

Understanding the value of the first testimony comes through the study of the Bible. If you read the book you will know that the writers are trying to convince you that Jesus the Messiah has been raised from the dead. That truth is clear and irrefutable. The writers of the New Testament believed Jesus resurrected. You may not believe what they are saying but you cannot reasonably argue that they did not believe it. Most died awful deaths because they believed it.

Understanding the value of the second testimony is not only believing that the disciples could perform signs and wonders but that you can as well through, prayer, fasting and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Many ignore “so great a salvation” because as Christians we are not bold with our belief with either of the two witnesses. We don’t live like we believe the Bible and we do not pray like we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Hebrew 2:1. I would challenge you today to pay more attention to the Bible. It has supplied men with truth for nearly 4,000 years. Maybe it can help you too. Look closely at life, there are signs and wonders happening every day. There are prayers you have prayed that have been answered supernaturally but you have not had eyes to see or ears to hear the spirit. Pray that your eyes would be open. One Bible personality that calls on the Lord to heal his child says words that we may need to imitate. “Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief.”