By Jason Wetz

Receive the Holy Spirit

We now investigate the gifts which Paul speaks of in I Corinthians 12, gifts of prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing and others. We must note that when Paul is speaking of gifts, these are what he is referring to. First of all, they are gifts, i.e. attributes of the Holy Spirit. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." As believers we all receive the same Holy Spirit; the six spirits of the LORD, wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear. As he continues he states in vs. 14 "For in fact the body is not one member but many." In essence we are all baptized by one Spirit yet the same Spirit gives different gifts (attributes) to each one of us. This way we are all in the same Spirit but each one of us has special gifts imputed to us for the benefit of all.

For the moment we will refrain from examining the gifts (attributes) so that we may speak about what fuels them. Remember that without pure olive oil (Holy Spirit) we are inoperable. Our light goes dim and we are out of balance. Similarly Paul makes reference to the human body and how it works together as one. What is the one thing that flows one way or another though each body part? Blood. Without blood, that body part dies. So in the church, without the Holy Spirit following through each person, that part will spiritually be non-operable.

We have studied in the last to chapters who the Holy Spirit is, and how to keep the Holy Spirit properly balanced in our lives. This chapter will be dedicated to the way in which God has distributed his Spirit throughout history, and how He will distribute His Spirit in the future.

As we study our Bible we will find four distinct intervals of time and history, the first being what many classify as the patriarchal period. That is the time of the creation of Adam to the time of Jacob and his family entering the land of Egypt (Gen. 46) when Joseph was second in command of all Egypt. The second period is from the time when God sent Moses to take the children of Jacob out of Egypt by great sings and miracles, up to the time of the Messiah's sacrifice on the cross. Some would refer to the 69 weeks of history of which Daniel wrote (Dan. 9:24). The third period is from the time of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2), the birth of the Church, until the time before God starts the 70th week of Daniel (cf. Dan. 9:27).  The fourth period is the 70th week of Daniel, which brings the beginning of the Tribulation upon the earth and extends to the second coming of the Messiah, at which time He will reign upon the earth for a thousand years (cf. Rev. 20:2-3).

Let us explore the first categories, tracing the operation of the Holy Spirit from creation to the Shekinah Glory within the Temple of God on Mt. Moriah. We find our first occurrence in Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Here we have God the Holy Spirit and we can observe Him creating the universe, even though as of yet we really do not know who God the Holy Spirit is. We proceed to the peculiar verse in Genesis 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" So how was it that God made man in His own image? We see in the following verse how He did just that. Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Is God dirt? No, of course not! God made dirt. Is God spirit? Yes indeed. While the word for spirit is not found directly in Genesis 2:7, the act of breathing life into the man is directly related to the spiritual. That word in Hebrew is ru'ach 7306/7. Ru'ach can refer to the ordinary wind, the breath of man, or God in this case, as was seen in Genesis 1:2. With this information, and the knowledge that we have from chapter one, we can now see more clearly who the Holy Spirit is, as well as His attributes: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear. What we find here is God imputing his likeness within man (cf. Gen. 1:26). Or what then did the writer mean in Job 32:8, "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." Or again in Psalm 104:24, "O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom (hokhmah) You have made them all."

Then in Job 38 we see where God breaks His silence (during the previous chapters Job and his companions were babbling) and He specifically mentions counsel, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. We read:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
“Who is this who darkens counsel (ay'tsaw)
By words without knowledge (da'at)?
Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding (binah).
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
“Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.
“Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
“Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
“Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
Who has put wisdom (hokhmah) in the mind?
Or who has given understanding (binah) to the heart?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom (hokhma)?

The questions God asks Job is who and how? The answer is God Himself, and though the workings of God the Holy Spirit these things are done. That is the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear. What we have in the creation of man is God the Holy Spirit using His power to create all things, and when god says, "Let us make man in our own image," these six spirits (attributes) were blown into Adam – a profound thought, no?

Then comes bad news; the first sin of mankind. In Genesis 3, we do not clearly see from scripture context what happened spiritually. Physically Man was forced to leave the garden located within Eden, as it was then their dwelling place. For now let us hold these thoughts and continue with the Patriarchs.

As we read of the lives of the Patriarchs we see how those around them saw God's hand upon their lives. Because of this, those who came in contact with them, recognizing God's blessing upon them, were also being blessed when they showed the Patriarchs kindness. Let us now take a look at a few of the Patriarchs, first of all Isaac in Genesis 26:26-28:

Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them,

“Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you".

Then we read of Jacob in Genesis 30:27:

And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”

Jacob had been the shepherd of Laban's flocks. Then we read of Joseph in Genesis 39:2-3:

The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.

In these examples we see the blessing of God on men who had turned their hearts toward Him and they feared (revered) the Lord, seeking his counsel to make the right decisions (wisdom). God gave these men understanding, knowledge and power. Why? Not just for themselves, but God used them as vessels so that others may learn of Him. This is the plan of God! He wants to use men filled with the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to others, so that all may come to repentance if it were possible.

We now look at the second time period of the four – from Moses to Messiah's Sacrifice on the cross, or as some refer to it, as Daniel's 69 weeks (cf. Dan. 9:24).  Here we find God who has brought an entire nation out of slavery by great deeds. For what purpose? The purpose as one may determine, was the Creator's choice of His people Israel to send forth a message, the message of a loving God waiting patiently for wicked man to turn from his sin.

So, we see God's plan as follows: God instructed Moses to set up a sacrificial system unlike any before. Each article of the tabernacle was carefully hand-crafted in accordance to the vision of God given to Moses. Observe now how God ensured that this plan was properly accomplished, in Exodus 31:1-3:

"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom (hokhmah), in understanding (binah), in knowledge (da'at), and in all manner of workmanship.'"

Why did God do this? For His single purpose of revealing Himself to the world!

Now, referring back briefly to the time that Adam was made a living being by God the Holy Spirit: mention was made that the scripture seems to be silent about what happened to Adam spiritually after the fall. We do note that Adam was driven out of the garden of Eden (i.e. the presence of God). Generations later in Exodus 40:34, in the days of Moses, we find God filling the Tabernacle with His Shekinah Glory (i.e. His presence). We also see the same type of occurrence after Solomon completed the Temple on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Chr. 5:14). These episodes where God manifests His glory are crucial to note because of the separation of God from man that had occurred because of Adam's fall through sin. During the Israel's first kingdom age God used the Temple sacrificial system for His great purpose. Along side of this God also used kings such as Solomon, and gave him wisdom and knowledge (2 Chron. 1:12). In 2 Chronicles 9:5 we are told the reason the queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem: "Then she said to the king [Solomon]: 'It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.'" As in the Patriarchal age, God put His Holy Spirit on God-fearing men to reveal Himself to others, just as He did with Solomon.

We pointed out that since Adam's fall God has separated himself from intimate contact with man, yet we also see God, still pouring the pure olive oil of His Spirit into man that he may be the light to the world. King David spoke some very peculiar works in Psalm 51:11: "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." This also happened to King Saul after he disobeyed the command of God (cf. I Sam. 15:26). In I Samuel 18:12 we read that the Spirit (ru'ach) of the LORD departed from Saul. Let us take note of these events, that from the fall of Adam to Messiah's Sacrifice on the cross, though men were filled with the Spirit of the LORD, yet the Holy Spirit would leave their presence when they chose not to obey the commandments of God. Now we have a glimpse of what happened to Adam spiritually after the fall. God the Holy Spirit was no longer permanently upon those of the Patriarchal period – from Adam's fall to Messiah's Sacrifice on the cross.

This fact, that Adam after the fall was no longer permanently endowed with the Holy Spirit (ru'ach) is significant in light of Messiah Yeshua's achievement. Paul makes an unusual statement in I Corinthians 15:45, "'The first man Adam became a living being.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." In essence, God had been separated from man because of sin, but through Jesus blood man is reconciled back to God.

With the institution of the sacrificial system during the time of Moses no one entered into the inner court of the Temple until sin was dealt with at the altar of sacrifice. Why? Because God's presence was there! As Habakkuk 1:13 declares: "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness." Jesus was proved the Holy One of God when he was filled the Holy Spirit at the Jordan (cf. Jn. 1:32), and following His Sacrifice for Sin, He has now become the One who Baptizes with the Holy Spirit, transforming men from the bondage of sin to the blessing of direct access to God's Shekinah Glory.

While Jesus was still on earth he made notable comments, such as John 14:16, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." And John 16:7, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Then Messiah's words after His resurrection in Luke 24:49, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." This leads us to Acts 2:1-4, "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…" The people waiting in this room had accepted and received Jesus as their Savior, and because of this they were cleansed of their sin, thus allowing God the Holy Spirit to enter their bodies. So the sacrificial system known in the days of the Patriarchs, and formally instituted in the days of Moses, was not abolished, but it was proven to be a type for the greater Sacrifice of Messiah Jesus who could truly purify the heart. Now, following Messiah's work, God the Holy Spirit could enter in to us as He had with the first Adam, thus Jesus is described as the last Adam who became a life-giving spirit (cf. I Cor. 15:45).

Now we can look back and see the progression of God's plan, a plan with one purpose, to draw men back to the Creator. The instruments that God desires to use are you and me, not only a Temple building in which He dwells, but in a Temple of people in whom He dwells. What did Paul mean when he said in I Corinthians 3:16, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" Paul refers to this new reality in many other passages, e.g. I Cor. 6:19 and Eph. 2:21.

We will now examine two ways that a repentant person may receive the Holy Spirit. The first is as we read above in Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit came upon the people simply by the issuing-forth by God. We see a similar occurrence in Acts 10:44-45,

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also."

The second way in which someone receives the Holy Spirit is described in Acts 8:5-17 when Philip went to Samaria preaching, and many believed and were baptized with water. We read in verses 14-17,

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

It does not seem to really matter whether God gives the believers the Holy Spirit in the way the original followers of Jesus in Act 2 received the Spirit, or by using someone filled with the Holy Spirit to pray for believers to receive. One should not feel left out if they have not received the Spirit the way the first believers in Acts 2 received. Indeed, the man God used to write thirteen of the twenty-seven New Testament books also received the Holy Spirit, by being prayed for by another believer, as in Acts 9:17:

"And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'"

So there are at least two ways in which one may receive the Holy Spirit. In either mode, repentance is a must. Then God, as He wills, either will issue forth His Holy Spirit directly from Himself in heaven, or  else will use another of His holy ones who is already filled with the Holy Spirit. Either way results in the same outcome and the same Spirit: of wisdom (hokhmah), understanding (binah), counsel (ay'tsaw), power (geburah), knowledge (da'at), and fear or reverence (yi'rah).

The fourth time period is yet future, and speaks of Daniel's 70th week, or as some call it, the Tribulation period, which is the last seven years before the return of Jesus. The way in which God imputes His Holy Spirit is indicated to use by Peter's brother in faith, John, son of Zebedee. Both John and Peter were of the twelve disciples. John tells us this future occurrence in Revelation 7:1-8:

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

This period of Daniel's 70th week is very much misunderstood at times. When one looks at the great destruction that happens to mankind, and his habitation (planet Earth), many think, "Oh, what terrible punishment God is bringing upon the wicked! The scriptures indicate something much deeper than that is happening during the seven year period. We have a God who is full of loving kindness, and He desires that no man should perish, (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). What the scriptures indicate is that the loving, faithful God is doing whatever it takes to get man to turn towards the Creator instead of the Creation. What does Revelation 9:20 and 16:11 say after great disasters occur? "And they would not repent of their deeds." Now what about those who do repent? Formerly, in Revelation 7 God shows us that Israel, as a nation, will once again function as a direct minister of divine grace who will represent and issue-forth God's salvation.

We recall that in the first two of the four divine time periods God used the Patriarchs, and then Israel the nation, to represent Him in the earth. Currently we are in a period where He has made use of Gentiles to represent Him. During the last week of Daniel's prophecy God will once again use the Jewish people to represent His will. You can see quite easily that when God uses Gentiles or Jews predominantly, that the other party is not left out, they are just not the main instrument of His work. Remember the gentile Caleb, and his nephew Othniel, who was the first judge of Israel, and Rahab the harlot of Jericho, and Ruth the Moabitess. Can we forget Paul or the other disciples? Nor will God leave out the Gentiles during Daniel's 70th week (cf. Rev. 7:9-17).

After the sealing of the Israel's remnant in Revelation 7:1-8 we read in verses 9-17:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

We find in this passage clear reference to God's faithfulness to supernaturally empower those who turn to Him in the times of the end. Wow! What an awesome God from beginning to end! As with the day of Pentecost I am sure that the full understanding of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit probably will not be known until that day comes. That is, the full understanding of how the Holy Spirit will work in those peoples' lives. Nevertheless, the light will shine greatly through them in those tremendous days of darkness ahead.

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