I am taking this opportunity to tell a little of the history of what we call the Witness symbols. As far as we know, their origin is in the West Monroe, Louisiana community. These symbols have long been used to describe the life of Christ, tell the gospel and further the Kingdom by many different folks. Over a few decades they’ve been scratched out on chalkboards for teaching, engraved on the cover of Bibles, carved into the wood of furniture and podiums, inked onto the skin, and described in books and literature. Many from that expanding community, such as Bill Smith, Phil Robertson and family, Mac and Mary Owen, and a lot of others, have used and identified with the symbols long before this Bear came along. Within the past few years these symbols have made their way onto bracelets, shirts and all manner of things that have given people a new opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. It may be through just a quick description, a five minute discussion, the beginning of a new relationship, or a series of sermons, but these five simple symbols introduce a story that have changed people for eternity. These symbols, and the message they represent, are now being seen and used in scores of countries around the world. Because they carry no barrier to language, culture, age, or denomination they are becoming one of the most widely used and effective ministry tools across a broad spectrum. The intrigue and simplicity of the symbols will often cause an individual to ask, “Hey, what does that mean?” The symbols open the door for a conversation.
Many who read this may already know, and can recite, the meaning of the symbols: He Came. He Died. He Arose. He Ascended. He’s Coming Back. But, I would like to take a moment and focus on the first and the last symbols. Those two down arrows. We know what they mean, and can certainly fill in the story between the facts that He Came, and He’s Coming Back. The first and last arrows pointing down lead me to consider this: The symbols point to Christ; Christ points to the Father. Jesus and the Father are one. The God of Heaven has always been about coming down. The incarnation was part of the process of God revealing Himself to us, but long before that, He came down and walked with Adam and Eve. He came down to the crowd, both in fire and cloud. He came down with a roar and in a whisper. God came down to just be with the ones He created and loves so much. He came down to wrestle with a man through the night. He came down to warn us, to teach us, to show us. He met us on the mountain and in the valley. God came down. And finally, He came down… and the Word became flesh. The three middle symbols describe the story from there, but even after Jesus ascended, God came down as the Holy Spirit to remain with us.
The last down arrow reminds us that He’s Coming Back! And he’s not coming alone! When Christ returns all of heaven will come down through a new heaven to a new earth and God will dwell with us forever!
(Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)