Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. KJV
The word “witness” comes from a root word meaning:
1) to return, repeat, go about, do again
a) (Piel) to surround, go round and round
b) (Pilel) to restore, relieve
c) (Hithpalel) to be restored
2) to bear witness
a) (Qal) to bear witness, say again and again
b) (Hiphil)
1) to testify, bear witness
2) to cause to testify, take or call as witness, invoke
3) to protest, affirm solemnly, warn, exhort or enjoin solemnly, admonish, charge
c) (Hophal) to protest, give warning
The purpose of a witness is to restore a person or something to the original state prior to an act of lawlessness. The witness bears the responsibility to convey the truth of a matter based on direct observation of a fact or event. The witness must swear to his statements that they are both true and accurate which effectively forces the witness to focus his every word before making any statement.
Being a witness is a solemn responsibility. Judgment and restitution are based on the words of all witnesses to the lawless acts therefore the witnesses must be tested for their credibility. As ninth of the Ten Commandments, we are commanded against bearing false witness against our neighbor. This Commandment requires us to make no false statements or misrepresentations against anyone. Practicing deception is a treacherous act and brings forth judgment on the witness.
Exodus 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. KJV
This command by Our Heavenly Father is tied to the third of the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
When the witness “swears” that he will tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, he is swearing before the GOD of Heaven and accepts the consequences of judgment if he is found to bring forth a false report. This judgment will bring forth death and destruction. Over the course of my life, I have seen this reality occur several times as men bear false witness against Our Heavenly Father’s Sons. Sickness, disease, and death have been included in the judgments due to the person bearing false witness against a child of GOD. The following provides the statute of bearing false witness, the witness will “bear the iniquity” or the judgment of the very sin that the defendant was accused of:
Leviticus 5:1 And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and [is] a witness, whether he hath seen or known [of it]; if he do not utter [it], then he shall bear his iniquity.
Our Heavenly Father operates Heaven based on Truth and is very serious about the truth being presented in court:
Exodus 23: 2-3 "You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute. NASB
In the more severe cases, judgment and restitution require two or three witnesses as stated in Deuteronomy 19:15. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit provide the minimum witness count for the oversight of all of creation. Three witnesses provide a three dimensional view (length, width, depth) for the Judge to issue a righteous verdict. Because the witness has the power to impact the accused for the rest of his life, Our Heavenly Father warns us of the consequences of bearing false witness:
Deuteronomy 19:16-21
"If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
"then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.
"And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,
"then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
"And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.
"Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Why would I spend the time in explaining this aspect of Law? If we are to rule and reign in the coming age, we must not be ignorant of the Law and the ramifications of administering the Law. Our Heavenly Father clearly expects righteous witnesses of HIS WORD going forth. In the Heavenly Court System, we are called to be witnesses and our credibility will be tested. The adversary will attempt to misrepresent our actions and our words (or lack of words) in order to cause us havoc in our lives as we walk out our calling. We must know what our legal rights are when we defend ourselves in Heavenly Court. Pleading the Blood of Jesus Christ is a pre-trial requirement for us as we go before the Court. Since the Heavenly Court is not restricted to the time continuum, the Blood of Christ is retroactive to all historical sin thus all sin is wiped away and our slates are clean. This prevents the adversary from using a previous sin in his attempt to get a Court ruling against us and thereby legally evoking “restitution” or judgments against us. Now you have an idea why bad things can happen to “good” people, they were ignorant of their legal rights in the Heavenly Court system.