The word and the witness: The creation of a sacred universe in John’s Apocalypse

Abstract

The book of Revelation/John’s Apocalypse employs two parallel phrases, “the word of God” and “the witness of Jesus” to establish a sacred universe. As Christ Jesus is trustworthy and true to the word of God, Christians must be faithful and true in their witness to Christ Jesus to maintain the link between themselves, on one hand, and God Almighty and Christ, on the other (6:9; 12:11, 17; 19:11; 21:5; 22:6). In this way, Jesus connects the heavenly and earthly realms. This study argues that these phrases, not previously studied as a group, identify those persons who have faithfully followed Jesus and have the right to enter into the sacred cosmos, the New Jerusalem.