The one who believes in the Son of Yah has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe Yah has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that Yah has given concerning His Son. 1 John 5:10
You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. Exodus 25:16
A dozen different times in the Torah, Yah calls the Ark of the Covenant the “Ark of the Testimony.” That is because, at its core, the covenant is a legal construct, as is a testimony. Essentially, the physical testimony that Yah gave to physical Y’isra-el was the physical covenant. It was all a foreshadow of a future revealed spiritual real substance.
In Hebrew, the word for covenant is בְּרִית (ber-eeth), and it denotes the act of two parties coming to an agreement, and then taking from the best of the available livestock a fattened animal, and cutting it into two pieces. The two parties would then walk through the two sections of the animal to signify their agreement. Ultimately, a “covenant” is a legal agreement between two parties.
The Ten Commandments were a physical agreement between Yah and Y’isra-el, making physical Y’isra-el the betrothed physical wife of Yah as a foreshadow of the bride (spiritual) of Messiah. It was a physical representation of a future spiritual real substance that would not be revealed until the redemption price was paid for the spiritual bride. Whenever there is a physical foreshadow and a correlating spiritual real substance, the true meaning is the spiritual, not the physical.
But, again, Yah called the Ark the “Ark of the Testimony.” Now, the word testimony in Hebrew is עֵדוּת (eduth), and it literally means either “witness” or “testimony.” In a legal proceeding, those two words actually describe evidence. A witness is called for no other reason than to provide a testimony, and what is provided is considered evidence. Without evidence, a claim can be an outright lie, or a delusion. It is evidence that substantiates a claim.
Note, the Hebrew “eduth” is a FEMININE noun.
So, we come to 1 John 5:10, and we are told that those whom the Father sees as “believers” have the witness (GREEK: μαρτυρία “marturia”) in them. Now, that Greek word means “evidence given, testimony, or witness.” Again, we see a legal construct. Make no mistake, spiritual justification is a legal process—something that must be decreed by a judge.
Note, the Greek “marturia” is a FEMININE noun.
Both the Hebrew and the Greek describe something that is placed within THE BRIDE.
John is describing Messiah’s bride in that verse, and he says that those who are of the bride (believers) have the legal evidence within themselves—the witness, the TESTIMONY. And, just like what we see in Exodus, there is something into which a legal testimony is placed.
The Ark of the Covenant was a physical foreshadow (picture) of Messiah’s bride. It was made of wood (corruptible, flesh), but it was covered with gold (incorruptible, divine). Inside the Ark were Aaron’s budding rod (Yah’s power), some manna (Yah’s provision), and the Ten Commandments (Yah’s covenant, or “testimony”).
Sitting atop the Ark was the Mercy Seat, which was made of solid gold (divine). Their union represents the Bridegroom and the bride, and is a physical foreshadow of the New Jerusalem—Yahoshua and Y’isra-el indwelt by the glory of Yah. We see that same foreshadow in the matzah tash in the Seder—the three-pouched linen cloth with three loaves of unleavened bread placed in it. Yah, Yahoshua, and Y’isra-el (indwelt by the Holy Spirit) dwelling together in Yah’s house.
1 John 5:10 makes it clear that ONLY those who have the evidence within them are “believers.” That is something different from those who merely assent or agree with something (those who have belief), which is the first step on the path to salvation. It is those whose belief (faith) has been perfected, or completed, by the placing of Yah’s testimony (evidence) within them.
And, as we see in Romans 8:9, those who do not have the evidence within them are not Messiah’s bride.
The question is then—how does one know he has received the evidence? Christianity falsely teaches that the evidence is just an automatic result of a decision man makes, which is ludicrous. What kind of evidence is not actually evidence? Feelings are not legal evidence. Reading about something is not legal evidence.
No, those who receive the evidence (TESTIMONY) are TOLD they are Yah’s children (Romans 8:16). And, how does the Holy Spirit testify to the spirit of man? We see it throughout the scriptures—look at how He testified to the spirit of the prophets. What did Elihu say about how He testifies to man in Job 33:14-18. What did Joseph say in Genesis 40:8?
And, most importantly, what did Peter say in Acts 2:17 on the very day that the Holy Spirit was poured out as the New Covenant of marriage on all mankind (not just the physical Jews)? Many christians think, in a practical sense, that Peter was lying, or that, in some year after that, the Holy Spirit changed. They claim that the Holy Spirit no longer communicates directly with people.
They openly reject the evidence that is given, and that’s because they have never actually received it. According to Romans 8:9, those who have not received it do not belong to Messiah (they are not His bride).
1 John 5:10 goes on to describe those who reject the evidence that is given as “unbelievers.” And, Revelation 21:8 tells us where “unbelievers” will eventually dwell for all eternity. Will you heed this warning, if you have not ever been given the evidence directly and personally, but rather have believed christianity’s lie that your human decision was all that is necessary for eternal life?
For more information: What Are the Old and New Covenants?