Dear Mike,

It was news to me that the Greek word for “witness” is “martus” from which we get the English word, “martyr”. Thank you so much for sharing this!
The positive and negative application of the word witness boils down to be being either a true witness or a false witness.

Pro 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
Pro 14:25 A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.

Positive application: true witness- to bear testimony of life
G3140
martureō

From G3144; to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): – charge, give [ evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness G3144, the beginning of the creation of God;

The willingness to remain a faithful witness unto death is the deepest application of this Greek word:

Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, G3144, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

G3144
martus
Total KJV Occurrences: 34
witnesses, 21
Mat_18:16, Mat_26:65, Mar_14:63, Luk_24:48, Act_1:8, Act_2:32, Act_3:15, Act_5:32, Act_6:13, Act_7:58, Act_10:39, Act_10:41, Act_13:31, 2Co_13:1, 1Th_2:10, 1Ti_5:19, 1Ti_6:12, 2Ti_2:2, Heb_10:28, Heb_12:1, Rev_11:3
witness, 8
Act_1:22, Act_26:15-16 (2), Rom_1:9, 1Th_2:5, 1Pe_5:1, Rev_1:5, Rev_3:14
martyr, 2
Act_22:20, Rev_2:13
Negative application: false witness; to bear testimony of lies
G5576
pseudomartureō

From G5575; to be an untrue testifier, that is, offer falsehood in evidence: – be a false witness.
G5575 pseudomartur From G5571 and a kindred form of G3144; a spurious witness, that is, bearer of untrue testimony: – false witness.

Pro 25:18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Another quality of the true witness is unity and agreement bearing witness to the one Truth.

Deu 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness H5749 against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

Looking at the Hebrew definition of witness one can see the basis of the “one mind” of true Christian witness:

H5749
עו
ood

A primitive root; to duplicate or repeat; by implication to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication): – admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.
In contrast to the disunity and disagreement among false witnesses.

Mar 14:56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

Source: http:// iswasandwillbe. com/Rev_3_14__18_ Laodicea_ Part_1. php

Your sister in Christ,
M____

Thank you M____,

I appreciate how thoroughly you have treated this word. As new as this thought is to you, it will be an equal blessing to any others who are sent by our Lord to read about this word.
I am copying this to Sandi to post.

Thank you so much.
Mike