THEOLOGY LESSON 20

LESSON 20 – THE HOLY SPIRIT – PNEUMATOLOGY

Holy Spirit Ministry.

John 14:15-17
Genesis 1:2
Genesis 6:3
2 Samuel 23:1-5
Psalm 51:1-12 Holy Spirit - Deity
Holy Spirit - Old Testament
Symbols of Holy Spirit

John 14:15 17 – In this passage the Lord Jesus Christ calls the Holy Spirit “another comforter”. Here John uses the Greek word "allos" meaning another of the same kind, in contrast to "heteros", which means another of a different kind. The Lord is saying that the Spirit will be the same presence as He has been.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD

The deity of the Spirit is the same as the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and that of the Father. The word comforter is the Greek word "parakletos", which means the one who comes alongside. It means more than comfort, it means the person who communicates, helps, counsels, the one who lifts, the glory and the lifter of my head, as the Song of Songs says, "he is the glory and the lifter of my head".

MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Ever since the day of Pentecost; the Holy Spirit has been sent to abide in every Born Again Christian on a permanent basis. Abide means to stay with you until the end. This is unique to this age as it is only within the believers in the church age that the Holy Spirit indwells forever. This was a big change that was not understood until after Pentecost when it became a reality. Prior to this the Holy Spirit was with believers and could be removed. The Holy Spirit dwells within you when you are saved, but this is not the same thing as being baptized into the Holy Spirit.

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was no longer alongside but inside the believer. He came permanently to live within the believer. This should not be confused with Christians asking for the Holy Spirit to fall on them anew, or fill them up; because they are really asking for more dunamis power to do his will more fully. Jesus said ‘keep on knocking’ ‘keep on asking’ and I will give it. Jesus himself felt the dunamis power go out from him when he was touched by the Woman who had the issue of blood. So we should be praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit as much as possible.

Asking to be filled with the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit is totally different to being indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. Romans 8:9-11. The dunamis power of the Holy Spirit allows us to do things beyond what is normal and possible in our own strength.

In John 14 the Lord Jesus Christ introduces the disciples to this world changing event in verse 17 where He says that the Spirit is with you and shall be [future tense] in you. David could pray; “Lord take not thy Holy Spirit from me”, Psalm 51:11 but we should not pray these words, as the Holy Spirit lives within us.

Rather we should be asking to be filled with dunamis power from the Holy Spirit every day. The fruitage of the Holy Spirit will then be manifest in our lives.

In John 16:7 17 He expands on it. After the Ascension we have the Session of Christ after which He sends the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has a ministry for unbelievers just as he has a ministry amongst us. He is going to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. The sin that the Holy Spirit convicts people of is unbelief.

EVANGLISM

When you are evangelizing remember that ‘the sin’ that is going to put the unbeliever in to Gehenna the Lake of Fire is unbelief and refusing to accept Jesus Christ. Jesus explains in John 16:8-11, that as he will no longer be on the earth, the Holy Spirit will convict the unbeliever of unrighteousness and the need of a Saviour.

The Holy Spirit also convicts of Judgment and giving them the fear of judgment that if they stood before almighty God they would be condemned. When you witness to others claim these verses that they will be convicted of sin, righteousness and judgment. This is the Holy Spirit's job and such a prayer will be honoured.

The Holy Spirit is called the spirit of truth. He is the teacher and revealer of truth. He is the teacher of things that the Lord has said. The Lord said that there were many things that He wanted to tell them that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them. His job is to draw the attention of man to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and not to Himself. He does this through then Word of which He is the author as well as illuminating the Word.

In Church history it will be seen that it was not until the 4th century at the Council of Nicaea that the character of the Holy Spirit was discussed fully and explained. In the early Church they did not stress the Holy Spirit at all. It is important however that you understand His person and His work. The Spirit is what we would call humble and is standing back and ministering to and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

HOLY SPIRIT AND PRAYER

In the ancient world the prayers always started, "Heavenly Father I have sinned"; but since Jesus Christ came and paid the price of sin so we now have him as our only Mediator; therefore we can now ask for anything in HIS name John 14:14. To have a fully functioning relationship with anyone we need to talk to them on a regular basis. Therefore we can talk to the Holy Spirit as we would any ‘comforter’ or ‘helper’ and ask him to support us for that day. We also need to petition and supplicate the Lord Jesus Christ and ask him to send the Holy Spirit to minister to us.

There is equality in the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 13:14. He is the one who puts His arm around you and carries you through. He is the ever present contact with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit which draws us near. Matthew 28:18 gives us the great commission and is again a Tri-unity text.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON

This shows He is therefore a person and not a force. Even believers talk about God the Holy Spirit as an influence and do not recognize Him as a person. Rejection of the Holy Spirit as a person often is replaced with the concept that He is the personification of the power for good whilst Satan is the personification of evil. This denial has occurred throughout Church History. It is false and a dangerous error which Satan is using today with the rebirth of paganism in many places

It is important to realise that He is a person and worthy to receive love and honour and that you are not robbing the Holy Spirit of your love and adoration. He is a person who is infinitely divine, holy, loving and wishes to get hold of us so that He can use us.

Empowering to Minister Life

Jesus said in John 7:38-39, "He who believes in ME, as the Scripture has said, "out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

God wants to give us an inner power that flows out of us and impacts those around us. This power is described as a river of living water. Those that we witness to do not need religious rituals; but release from bondage and darkness. They need the refreshing power and cleansing from the ‘river of life’. The falling upon us of the Holy Spirit fills us with his power. By being filled with the Holy Spirit we allow the ‘river of life’ to flow out of us and bless others.

When we understand Him as a person we will treat Him as a person? We will get to know the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit just as the disciples knew the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ whilst on earth?

We should have a minute by minute walk with the Holy Spirit just as the disciples had a minute by minute walk with the Lord. He came that we might have fellowship with Him. This is the answer to the many problems believers have with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The issue is not seeking after dramatic signs and wonders; the issue is whether you are experiencing a moment by moment communion with the Holy Spirit.

Many extreme Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches focus totally on the ‘outpouring’ and very little else. They have moments of grandeur in which they may be spiritual but the Bible tells us that we are called to be light and therefore have a moment by moment fellowship with the Lord through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The doctrine of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is of great importance in the Church. It is going to set the tone of our daily worship of Him. It is a very important doctrine. Many conservative churches have suffered because of a lack of teaching in this area and many have then gone to Pentecostal/Charismatic churches where they all too often focus totally on the Holy Spirit.

Thus many people in these churches feel empty, because they have spoken in tongues, seen miracles and healing and yet are hungry for the Word of God to be spoken into their lives. They are seeking bible teaching churches where the truth of walking in the Spirit is fully taught along with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Hosea said that Gods people perish, because of a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)

In the Greek the spirit is in the neuter but by being in the neuter it does not mean that the object is an "it". Whenever the Holy Spirit is talked about there is a personal pronoun used. It is of interest that the word for child brephos is also in the neuter but is obviously not a thing. The other words for a young child, teknon and paidion are also in the neuter.

DOCTRINES

HOLY SPIRIT: DEITY

1. The Holy Spirit is directly from God, the third member of the Tri-unity.

2. The Holy Spirit is the expression of intellect and power from the Father and the Son. (Isaiah 6:8, 9, Acts 28:25, Jeremiah 31:31-35, Hebrews 10:15).

3. He has the characteristics of God:
a) Sovereignty 1 Corinthians 12:11
b) All knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11)
c) All powerful (Genesis 1:2)
d) Everywhere, Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7)

HOLY SPIRIT: MINISTRY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not indwell all believers, since Christ was not yet glorified (John 7:39). Instead, He only came upon some Old Testament saints to perform special functions.
a) JOSEPH, a believer who was a prime minister. (Genesis 41:38)
b) Believers who were artisans occupied in the construction of the Tabernacle. (Exodus 28:3, 31:3)

c) Believers involved in administration. (Numbers 11:17, 25)
d) A believer who was both a political and military leader - JOSHUA (Numbers 27:18)
e) Certain Judges: OTHNIEL (Judges 3:9, 10) GIDEON (Judges 6:34) JEPHTHAH (Judges 11:29) SAMSON (Judges 13:24, 25, 14:5-6, 15:14)
f) Kings of Israel (1 Samuel 10:9, 10, 16:13)

g) DANIEL (Daniel 4:8, 5:11, 6:3)
h) Post exilic rulers (Zechariah 4:3, 12-14)

2. Believers in Israel could be disciplined by the removal of the Spirit:
a) SAUL (1 Samuel 16:14)
b) DAVID (Psalm 51:11)
3. A believer could obtain the Holy Spirit by request, but not as an indwelling presence. (2 Kings 2:9, 10, Luke 11:13)

4. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit without request to the disciples just before the ascension. Purpose: To sustain them for the ten day interim before the Church Age would begin. (John 20:22)

HOLY SPIRIT: SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are a number of symbols for the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

1. Dove. (Matthew 3:16)

2. Oil. (Exodus 35:28)

3. Water. (John 7:38-39)

4. Wind. (Acts 2:2)

5. Fire. (Acts 2:3)

6. Seal. (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30)

7. Pledge. (Ephesians 1:14)

THEOLOGY LESSON 19

LESSON 19 – JESUS RETURNS WITH HIS SAINTS

Zechariah 14:1-5
Revelation 19:11-21
Revelation 20:1-15 Christ 1st and 2ndAdvents
Judgment Seat of Christ
Great White Throne

INTRODUCTION

The Second Advent is a term used for the coming for His saints and coming with His saints. In the Old Testament we have a lot of references to the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord commences with the Tribulation period, the coming with His saints and to judge the world. It is important that one gets the vocabulary correct, the Day of the Lord is not a day and it is at least seven years long.

INTERPRETATION

The Lord's coming brings into focus the importance of interpretation. The way you interpret the Bible is going to determine the way that you view prophecy. If you have a literal approach to the Word of God you will have a different approach to that of a person who does not have a literal approach. A statement that is obviously meant to be figurative you take it in the normal grammatical sense, you are not to be silly about it. “When the plain sense, makes common sense, then seek no other sense, lest you create nonsense”. Dr David L Cooper.

If you have a literal view you will end up with a pre Tribulation, pre Millennium view of prophecy. By taking a literal approach you are allowing the Bible to interpret itself, rather than superimposing your own concepts on it. Before you teach any prophetic book you should tell the people that you are taking a literalist view. Many ministers avoid the prophetic area because it causes too many problems. However if a minister teaches the Word of God thoroughly as it should be taught then he will not have any problems that the Holy Spirit cannot resolve.

USE OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE SECOND ADVENT

Every day; every form of media highlights the ‘signs of the times’ that we are living in and it all proves exactly the prophetic words of our Lord. So much so that even unbelievers can see them. So what should you do when you see what is happening? If you are aware of what the Scriptures say about the end times then you are not going to get upset when everything seems to fall apart all around us.

When economically things go astray, if you know what God's program is in advance, you can relax in the middle of the pressure, simply seeking his will for your life. You are not going to be shaken as to what is going to happen. As it gets nearer to the return of the Lord it may be possible that the Nations will use Nuclear weapons on each other. However in the case of a nuclear war you will know that there is not going to be a nuclear winter, or that the whole population of the world is going to be destroyed by this means, for the Bible teaches that the Lord will return and it will not be to a radioactive world.

Whilst there will be massive depopulation at the end of the Tribulation there will still be a third of the population living. This will give you a lot more comfort than the liberals will receive. If you teach it thoroughly in your church you will have a relaxed group of believers who know his Word and policy. When we see the sign of the times ‘we should lift our heads up’ and keep going into the world and preach the gospel. (Luke 21)

The teaching of the Tribulation will be of great importance for those who are in it as it will give them a timetable of events. The correct understanding of prophecy will make you a more active evangelist. If it does not do this, then you do not have it right. Many people will dissuade you from prophecy on the basis that people who become interested in that become unbalanced. About four percent of the New Testament contains verses about Jesus Christ coming with His saints. It is therefore very important. It is also important in regard to the communion service which was instituted, “until he comes”.

When will he come, how will he come? There are a number of questions that can be asked. A lot of Christians go through the rituals but do not think about it. When the Lord laid out the communion service He made it quite clear that He was coming again. When we take communion we are celebrating the death of the Lord, but also the future coming of the King. The liberals remember a dead martyr.

The Great Tribulation is a subject covered in the Old Testament, for it involves the remnant of now believing Israel. The teaching on this time period in the Old Testament is so specific that the people of that time will be able to know the very day that the Lord will return. Matthew 24 lays out a timetable as well. They will have tremendous assurance and will know when things are going to happen. This is essential because of their situation. This is their survival manual and is also something to encourage us. Some people say that the Great Tribulation is not so bad, but they betray by such a comment that they have not studied the Old Testament. It is the day of wrath, the day of Jacob's trouble and the day of the Lord.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

This is a doctrine which has been progressively revealed down the ages particularly through the Minor Prophets, Daniel through to Malachi. The key for these things is the book of Revelation which is basically the chronological account as it is detailed there in sequence.

In the majority of cases this period designated as the “Day of the Lord” covers the period from the Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ. In Zechariah 14 there is mentioned the final battles of the Armageddon Campaign which is quite a long campaign. It begins with an invasion down through Armenia, sweeps down through Israel with one branch going south the other moving towards the west to Libya. They hear of problems from the north and turn round and head back towards Israel where this major conflict takes place.

The Revived Roman Empire has an amphibious landing on the coast at Megiddo, which combines with the vast Eastern Army. The result is absolute devastation and a horrific campaign. In Zechariah 14 we have a sequence of events, but your system of interpretation is going to colour how you look at things.

Here it states that the Lord is going to return on the Mount of Olives which can be tied in with Acts 1 where the angels tell of the Lord's return. Prior to this there is going to be a horrific time in Jerusalem with half the city falling with many people being killed, raped and devastation on a massive scale.

The book of Revelation provides the binocular viewpoint on what is happening. Revelation 19:11 shows the Lord Jesus Christ arriving on a white horse as the Word of God. The language here will tie you back to the day of the Lord. We have here the end of the tribulation period. It is the Lord who is referring to it ending then.

Daniel 2 shows the "rock" destroying the man made empires. It is extremely important to tie the whole thing together. Here we have it in chronological sequence as it is going to happen in the future. It is clear that this ties in with the Zechariah passage. If you do not have a literal view and you are not expecting it to happen then A-millennialist’s will show you that it has happened historically and that Satan is bound now.

People can only believe this falsehood because their interpretation of prophecy is different from their interpretation of the rest of the Word of God. If you adopt a literal view you will find a literal Millennium in Revelation 20. The Great White Throne judgment is followed by an eternal future.

The sequence of events is the Rapture followed by the Tribulation, Second Advent, and Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints and Tribulation martyrs, the Millennium, the Release of Satan, the Last Rebellion, Last Judgment and Eternity Future.

It is important to realise that God's plan is not limited to the earth; it is not the end but the new beginning. This world is not the last of God's creations. If you think about that, the thought will overwhelm you. Peter talks about it as elements melting with overwhelming heat. It is not possible that Satan will win. The plan is given in the Word of God. We should be excited that we are with the Creator and that we are on the wining side. We are going somewhere not because of what we have done but because of what God has revealed to us. The Plan started in eternity past and goes through to eternity future. This phase of the plan began with this heaven and earth, and will restart with a new heavens and a new earth.

The book of Revelation is the key; because if we have a chronological vision, it will help us set the norm for the interpretation of everything else.

DOCTRINES

CHRIST: FIRST AND SECOND ADVENTS

1. Old Testament saints had difficulty in distinguishing between the two advents of Christ. (1 Peter 1:10, 11)

2. Old Testament prophecy has Christ coming as a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. (Isaiah 53:7)

3. Old Testament prophecy has Christ coming as the conquering King and Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Isaiah 11:1-12)

4. Jesus commenced his ministry announcing the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17) This connects the first and second advents.

5. Old Testament Prophecy showed that the Messiah would:-
a) Be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)
b) Be of the tribe of Judah. (Genesis 49:10)
c) Be of the house of David. (Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 33:21)
d) Die as a sacrifice. (Isaiah 53:1-12)
e) Be crucified. (Psalm 22:1-21)
f) Be resurrected from the dead. (Psalm 16:8-11)
g) Return to earth at his second advent. (Zechariah 8:3)
h) Be seated at the right hand of God. (Psalm 110:1)

6. It should be noted that the return of Christ for the Church (the Rapture) as given in (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18) was not revealed in the Old Testament - it is a mystery doctrine of the Church (Colossians 3:4-6)

7. The day of the Second Advent is characterised by supernatural darkness
a) When Christ returns every eye shall see him (Matthew 24:29-30) Christ is the light of the world and he will return to a world covered in darkness (symbolic of sin).
b) The darkness is similar to the darkness of the day of our Lord's crucifixion which hid the Lord Jesus Christ from man's sight whilst he was bearing our sins. (Mark 15:33)
c) The Second Advent delivers the Jewish believers besieged in Jerusalem by the King of the North. (Daniel 11, Zechariah 12:1-3, 14:1-4)
d) Other passages indicating that the day of the Second Advent is a day of total darkness on the earth. (Isaiah 13:9-10, Ezekiel 32:7-8, Joel 2:10-11, Joel 3:14-15, Amos 5:18, Zechariah 14:6, Matthew 24:29-30, Luke 21:25-27, Revelation 6:12-17)

8. Heralds of the Two Advents of Christ
A herald is a person who proceeded' a King in ancient times to announce his arrival. The King that we study is the Lord Jesus Christ.
a) First Advent
i) Human herald - John the Baptist (Matthew 3)
ii) Angelic heralds - Angels (Luke 2:1-15)
b) Second Advent
i) Human heralds - Moses, Elijah (Revelation 11)
ii) Angelic herald - The mighty angel (Revelation 10)

JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

1. There are three types of judgment for believers in the Church Age.

a) Judgment of Sins: - The Lord Jesus Christ on the cross substituted the payment of all man's sins. The penalty of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) There is therefore no judgment for those in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1). The substitutionary death is given in 2 Corinthians 5:19-2 1, Galatians 3:13.

b) Judgment of Self: - We are told that if we judge ourselves we shall not be judged. Failure to do so brings discipline. (1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 11:31, 32, 2 Corinthians 2:5-7, Hebrews 12:7, 1 John 1:9)

c) Judgment Seat of Christ: - This is the evaluation of the production of believers for the purpose of reward (2 Corinthians 5:10)

2. The Judgment Seat of Christ is a time of reward. Our human works (wood, hay, stubble) will be burned; our works in the power of the Spirit (gold, silver, precious stones) will be rewarded. (1 Corinthians 3:11-16).

3. At the Judgment Seat of Christ the believer can be denied reward but can never lose his salvation. (2 Timothy 2:12-13)
4. Backslidden believers have no reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (Hebrews 6:7-12)

5. The Judgment Seat of Christ is illustrated by the famous athletic games in the ancient world. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

6. Rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ are based on grace. (James 2:12, 13)

7. Since we will be judged by Christ, we are not to judge each other (Matthew 7:1-2)

JUDGEMENT: GREAT WHITE THRONE

1. The judgment of the Great White Throne is the last judgment. (Revelation 20:11, 15)

2. Only the unsaved are judged at the last judgment as there is no judgment for Christians. (Romans 8:1)

3. The last judgment occurs at the end of the Millennium. (Revelation 20:7-15)

4. The unsaved are judged according to their works from the Books of Works (Revelation 20:12)

5. The judgment is to show that the Human works of man cannot satisfy the justice of God. Many people believe that their ‘Good Works" will please God and earn them salvation. But the Bible tells us that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore salvation can only be through the death of Christ on the Cross and nothing more.

6. Having shown the unsaved they have failed to satisfy the holiness of God, the condemned are cast into the Lake of Fire (Gehenna). (Revelation 20:15)

THE TRIBULATION OR TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE

General Scripture (Revelation Chapters 4-1 9)

1. Limits
(a) Start - Rapture
(b) Finish - 2nd Advent.

2. Length of Age - 7 years. (Daniel 9:27) This is the final section of the Jewish Age.
3. Means of Salvation - faith in Christ.
4. Scripture - completed Canon.
5. Evangelists - a special race - the Jews who have been scattered throughout the earth and speak almost every tongue - 144,000 evangelists (Revelation 7). It is noted that the tribe of Dan does not appear in this list - it was the tribe that lead in idolatry.
6. Major judgments - the Tribulation is a succession of judgments culminating in the 2nd Advent.
7. At death believers - Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8)
8. At death unbelievers - Torments, Hades.
9. Priesthood - specialised priesthood.
10. The Law - no Law (Matthew 5:17)
11. Holy Spirit - assists believers but does not indwell.
12. Environment - sinful
13. Satan – Was hurled from heaven to the earth and is busy polluting the earth and people with his evil (Revelation 12:9)
14. Rebellion - Armageddon, ‘one world order’ politically and religiously.
15. Spirituality- resting in the promises of God.

16. Three sets of Judgments
(a) Seal Judgments (Revelation 6 and 8)
(b) Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8)
(c) Bowl Judgments (Revelation 15, 16)
17. The last 7 years of the Post Flood Civilisation.
18. Anti Semitism at its maximum.

THE SECOND ADVENT

1. Israel under dispersion no longer represents Christ on this earth.

2. Israel is replaced by the Church, the Body of Christ. (Acts 2:47, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22, 23, 2:16, 4:4, 5, 5:23, 24, 30-32, Colossians 1:18, 24, 2:19)

3. The Body of Christ is being completed by entering every believer of the Church Age into union with Christ. (Colossians 2:10, Hebrews 2:10)

4. When the Body is completed, the Rapture of the Church occurs. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

5. Then the Body becomes the Bride, and is prepared for the Second Advent.
(a) The Bride receives a resurrection body like Christ's (1 Corinthians 15:51-57, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:1, 2)
(b) The Bride's old sin nature is removed. (Philippians 3:21)
(c) The Bride is cleansed from human good. (1 Corinthians 3:12-16)

6. The Bride returns in triumph with Christ at the Second Advent. (1 Thessalonians 3:13, Revelation 19:6-8)

7. Then follows the conquest-
(a) Satan imprisoned (Revelation 20:1-3)
(b) Demons removed from the earth. (Zechariah 13:2, 1 Corinthians 15:24, 25, Colossians 2:15)

8. The removal of the demons changes the environment of the earth and causes perfect conditions during the Millennium.
(a) Religion removed.
(b) False doctrine removed.
(c) Perfect environment restored.