and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
— Revelation 1:5

The Gospel of John, in which Jesus is revealed as a flying eagle, begins with an Old Testament prophet who bore witness to the coming Messiah and Light of the world. This Gospel ends with the testimony of a New Testament prophet who stood beside the cross. They even have the same name — John the Baptist and the apostle John. The name John means grace. The law always points to man and what he has to do, but grace, both in the Old Testament and in the New, points to Jesus. The Old Testament prophets often reminded people of their sins, which is why the Jews came to John to confess their sins, whereas the New Testament prophets remind us of the one work of Jesus that He accomplished on the cross, through which we have become righteous.

It is written: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” [Rev.19:10] The first prophecy in Scripture was the Lord God’s testimony about Jesus, the coming Seed of the woman [Gen.3:15] The first prophet was Enoch, who prophesied, saying: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints” [Jud.1:14], and he had the testimony [prophecy] that he pleased God. [Heb.11:5] The testimony about Jesus pleases God, but the most striking character in the Old Testament revealing Jesus as the eagle, the prophet, or the faithful witness, is Elijah. Like Enoch, he did not see death, but was taken up to heaven. Many probably know the story of how Elijah on Mount Carmel called down fire from heaven, which consumed not only the sacrifice but also the wood, the stones, the dust and the water that was in the trench. [1 Kgs.18:38] This was a prophetic testimony of another sacrifice — the Lamb of God. It was to the Lamb of God that John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah, bore witness when he said: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” [Jhn.1:29]

The testimony about Jesus, which turns our gaze to the cross of Christ, enables us to rule over sickness and death. When the children of Israel were dying from the bites of poisonous snakes, the Lord said to Moses: “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” [Num.21:8] The bronze serpent on the pole was a testimony pointing the people to the cross of Christ, for Jesus said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” [Jhn.3:14] It was on the cross that Jesus bore our infirmities and sicknesses, and it was on the cross that He destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, to release us from the fear of death and from bondage. [Heb.2:14-15] And it was there that we received forgiveness of every single one of our sins. Only the cross of Christ — not our confession, our works or our exemplary behaviour — can give peace and rest to our conscience, mind and heart.

Characters who reveal Jesus as the Eagle, or Witness: [Enoch, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist and the other prophets]