The Word of God Archives

September 1, 2022May 18, 2023

The Spirit of Prophecy Pt. 2: The Testimony of Jesus

In the Church today, we have an uncomfortable relationship with the Holy Spirit and His gifts, especially prophecy and speaking in tongues. We hold to the belief that the Spirit of God no longer works in the Church today and that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only for a time. One of the verses cited to prove this is Revelation 19:10, which states that the “… testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This now begs the question, what does this mean? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answers in her video, The Spirit of Prophecy Pt. 2: The Testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 19:10
John 1:1-5, 14-18
Genesis 15:1
Jeremiah 1:1
Joel 1:1
Malachi 1:1
Judges 13:2-5
Exodus 3:1-2
Hebrews 1:1-2
1 Samuel 3:1
Acts 2
Joel 2
1 Timothy 2:5
Jeremiah 1:12
Isaiah 55:10-11

The Spirit of Prophecy

The Testimony of Jesus

¹⁹And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:19-21

¹⁰Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19:10

The Gift of Prophecy

The Prophecy of The Spirit/Gift of Prophecy

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; ¹⁸even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; ²⁰the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. ²¹And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Acts 2:14-21

The Importance of The Spirit/Gift of Prophecy

⁴The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. ⁵Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

⁶Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁷If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? ⁸And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? ⁹So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, ¹¹but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. ¹²So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:4-12

Part One?

Back to Nuggets of Truth?

Back to Theology?

The Armor of God Pt. 2: The Sword of the Spirit

The Armor of God is one of the first things we learn about as believers. Your average Christian knows each piece of armor, from the Breastplate of Righteousness to the Sword of the Spirit. The only problem is that many don’t know what these pieces of armor really are, nor do they know how to use them. In fact, many who preach against things such as the Gifts of the Holy Spirit inadvertently also preach against the Sword of the Spirit without ever realizing it. If this is true, then that begs the question, What Exactly is the Sword of the Spirit? And more importantly, how do you use the Sword of the Spirit? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answers to these questions and more in her video, The Armor of God Pt. 2: The Sword of the Spirit.

Acts 2:17-21
Ephesians 6:17-18a
John 1:14
Matthew 16:15-17
Matthew 28:18
Ephesians 6:18
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
Matthew 17:20
Mark 9:29
Romans 10:17
John 4:24
Matthew 26:41

The Sword of the Spirit

What is the Sword of the Spirit?

When we talk about the Sword of the Spirit, we’re referring to the last spiritual weapon given to us by God, through Paul, in the book of Ephesians.

¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Ephesians 6:17-18

How to activate the Sword of the Spirit?

You have to speak in tongues

To activate the Sword of the Spirit, you have to speak in tongues. This is different than the kind of speaking in tongues, which allows those who hear you speak, hear the words in their own language.

⁵Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹²And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Acts 2:5-13

This is also different than the kind of speaking in tongues that needs to be interpreted by you or another because it is a word from God.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15

This kind of speaking in tongues is a personal tongue that is specific to your spirit. See, in order to activate the Sword of the Spirit, you have to build up your spirit. If you don’t build up your spirit, your spirit will be to weak to pick up the Sword of the Spirit, let alone wield it with all of its power.

¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15

Part One?

Part Three?

Back to Nuggets of Truth?

Back to Theology?

The Trinity: The Son

How can Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father all be God, if there is only one God? So is Jesus really God? Wasn’t Jesus born from a human woman? Didn’t He have an Earthly Father? How can we be sure that there is even a Trinity? Does the Bible ever actually say there is such a thing as the Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she explains how Jesus fits into the Trinity through Scripture in this second video, The Son, of our three-part series, The Trinity.

John 10:30
John 1:1-5
John 1:14
Matthew 3:16-17
2 Peter 1:17
Isaiah 42:8
Isaiah 48:11
John 8:54
John 17:1
Isaiah 43:11
Hosea 13:4
Titus 3:4-7
Acts 5:30-31
Isaiah 44:6
Isaiah 48:12
Revelation 1:17-18
Revelation 2:8
Revelation 22:12-13
Exodus 7:14
John 8:58
John 1:1-2
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Hebrews 4:14
Hebrews 5:9-10
Hebrews 7:26-27
John 14:6
John 16:23
John 8:34
1 John 2:1
Romans 5:18-19
1 Corinthians 15:21
Hebrews 10:4-11
Galatians 5:1
Romans 6:6-7
1 Corinthians 10:13
James 4:7
John 15:15
Luke 7:34
Philippians 2:5-7
John 14:14
Hebrews 2:11
Matthew 12:49
Proverbs 17:17

The Trinity: The Son

Jesus’ Role in the Trinity as the Son

We truly didn’t get into Jesus’s role in the video, in fear of it being too long. One of Jesus’s primary roles, as being the Word of God, is fulfilling what The Father says. We see this throughout Scripture from Old Testament to New Testament. In our last video we explained that Yahweh, The Father, makes the plans and leads the Head of the Trinity. So then can we say Yahweh is more powerful or important than Jesus? No, it doesn’t. Because they balance each other.

Each member of the Trinity has a specific role to play. The Father plans, directs, and leads the Trinity. The Son fulfills the plans of the Father. Think of The Trinity as a body. The Father is the head, and the Son is the body. The body does as the head commands. The head is not more important than the body, and the body not more important than the head, for neither can be without the other; instead they complement each other.

For example,

¹⁹So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’
John 5:19

²⁸So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. ²⁹And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’
John 8:28-29

Jesus follows the lead of The Father not because He is weaker, not because He is less of God, but because He humbles Himself.

Paul explains it like this:

⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8

So why would Jesus do this? If we keep reading, Paul tells us.

⁹Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

So Jesus did this to glorify His Father. He took the sin, punishment, debt, and death that we could not bear so that we could have life and life more abundantly. And in doing this the Father glorified the Son, bestowing upon Him the name above all names.

Jesus is also the Righteous Judge. As any good society, there are laws. So if there are laws, there would need to be someone who decides whether the laws have been kept. Once the judge has spoken, someone must either reward or punish those whom the judge has judged.

We see this plainly when Jesus said,

²¹For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. ²²For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:21-23

So the Father has given Jesus the task of being a righteous judge, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The Father did this to make sure that all saw that the Son was honored as God, to ensure we saw that they are equal. Jesus explains when and whom He will judge.

³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:31-33

So at the final judgment, we will all stand before Jesus as He sits on His throne. He will separate us according to how we lived our lives. Jesus tells us that the Father carries out His righteous judgments.

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2

So Jesus judges and then the Father brings forth the judgment itself, whether it be a reward or a punishment.

The Trinity: The Father?

The Trinity: The Spirit?

Back to Nuggets of Truth?

Back to Theology?