The Prophetic Messenger
A Newsletter From Mysteries From The Word Of God Ministries
November/December 2009 - Volume 11/Issue 6
Tradition or Truth -Part I
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Titus 1:14
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger, we will start a message titled "Tradition or Truth." We will look at how Christians believe the traditions of men more than the truth of the Word of God.
In this issue of The Prophetic Messenger, we will start a message titled "Tradition or Truth." We will look at how Christians believe the traditions of men more than the truth of the Word of God.
1. The Return Of Jesus Christ
A. No More Prophecies Need To Be Fulfilled Before Jesus Christ Returns
There are many in the body of Christ who believe that Jesus Christ can return at any moment. However, Jesus spoke about one clear sign that must be fulfilled before He returns, and this sign has not been fulfilled. This shows that Jesus Christ cannot return at any moment. In Matthew 24:29-31 it says "29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
We see the same sign mentioned in Acts 2:17-20 which says "17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:"
Also in Revelation 8:12 (where it is speaking of the Great Tribulation) it says "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."
From these three passages we see that this sign will be fulfilled in the Great Tribulation. For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Can Jesus Christ Return At Any Moment?" (January/February 2006).
B. The First Trumpet
Many in the body of Christ believe that Jesus Christ will return to receive His church when the first trumpet sounds. Not one ministry over the years has ever quoted a single scripture to prove that this is true. The reason for this is that it is not in the Bible, and again, tradition has replaced the word of God. The apostle Paul was shown this mystery in I Corinthians 15. In I Corinthians 15:51-52 it says "51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Notice it is the last trumpet or seventh trumpet.
In the Book of Revelation we see it shows seven trumpets. In Revelation 8:6 it says "And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." Out of seven trumpets the last one would be the seventh trumpet. In Revelation 11:15-18 it says "15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
We showed in section A how the sign that Jesus described in Matthew 24 will be fulfilled in the great tribulation and that the seventh trumpet will sound in the great tribulation also. For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Which Trumpet Is It?" (January/February 1999).
C. Is The Book Of Revelation In Chronological Order?
Many in the body of Christ have said that the book of Revelation is in chronological order, meaning that chapter 1 through 22 are in order, but again this is tradition and not truth. The book of Revelation makes a very strong statement about adding and taking away from this book. In Revelation 22:18-19 it says "18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
We can see from this verse that there is no reference that states plainly that this book is in chronological order. This can be proven very easily by looking at some key events from the book of Revelation. The battle of Armageddon is shown in three different chapters. In Revelation 14:18-20 it says "18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
In Revelation 16:12-16 it says "12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
Also, in Revelation 19:11-21 it says "11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
In Revelation 1:7 it says "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." In section B we quoted several passages showing the last trumpet including Revelation 11:15 which said "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. "
It is clear again that we must be students of the word of God and not be tricked by the traditions of men "that turn from the truth." For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Why The Book Of Revelation Is Not In Chronological Order" (July/August 1999).
There are many in the body of Christ who believe that Jesus Christ can return at any moment. However, Jesus spoke about one clear sign that must be fulfilled before He returns, and this sign has not been fulfilled. This shows that Jesus Christ cannot return at any moment. In Matthew 24:29-31 it says "29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
We see the same sign mentioned in Acts 2:17-20 which says "17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:"
Also in Revelation 8:12 (where it is speaking of the Great Tribulation) it says "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."
From these three passages we see that this sign will be fulfilled in the Great Tribulation. For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Can Jesus Christ Return At Any Moment?" (January/February 2006).
B. The First Trumpet
Many in the body of Christ believe that Jesus Christ will return to receive His church when the first trumpet sounds. Not one ministry over the years has ever quoted a single scripture to prove that this is true. The reason for this is that it is not in the Bible, and again, tradition has replaced the word of God. The apostle Paul was shown this mystery in I Corinthians 15. In I Corinthians 15:51-52 it says "51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Notice it is the last trumpet or seventh trumpet.
In the Book of Revelation we see it shows seven trumpets. In Revelation 8:6 it says "And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." Out of seven trumpets the last one would be the seventh trumpet. In Revelation 11:15-18 it says "15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
We showed in section A how the sign that Jesus described in Matthew 24 will be fulfilled in the great tribulation and that the seventh trumpet will sound in the great tribulation also. For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Which Trumpet Is It?" (January/February 1999).
C. Is The Book Of Revelation In Chronological Order?
Many in the body of Christ have said that the book of Revelation is in chronological order, meaning that chapter 1 through 22 are in order, but again this is tradition and not truth. The book of Revelation makes a very strong statement about adding and taking away from this book. In Revelation 22:18-19 it says "18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
We can see from this verse that there is no reference that states plainly that this book is in chronological order. This can be proven very easily by looking at some key events from the book of Revelation. The battle of Armageddon is shown in three different chapters. In Revelation 14:18-20 it says "18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
In Revelation 16:12-16 it says "12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
Also, in Revelation 19:11-21 it says "11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
In Revelation 1:7 it says "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." In section B we quoted several passages showing the last trumpet including Revelation 11:15 which said "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. "
It is clear again that we must be students of the word of God and not be tricked by the traditions of men "that turn from the truth." For more information on this topic look at The Prophetic Messenger newsletter titled "Why The Book Of Revelation Is Not In Chronological Order" (July/August 1999).
Coming Up In The Next Issue
Tradition or Truth - Part II. Read this article in the next issue of The Prophetic Messenger.
Memory Verses
As Christians if we want to live in victory and if we want to be able to share the Word Of God with others we must know the Word of God ourselves. Let's see what the Bible says about this. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." John 8:31. We encourage you to put the following scriptures in your heart: Zechariah 14:9, Amos 5:19, Malachi 3:11, II Timothy 3:1, Proverbs 22:6, Hebrews 10:25, Jonah 2:8, John 14:6, I Timothy 4:8, Ecclesiastes 9:10. Use only the Old King James version of the Holy Bible. (If you have any questions about this please see the book New Age Bible Versions, by G.A. Riplinger ©1993, ISBN 0-9635845-0-2.)
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