The Disciples and the Day of Pentecost
Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 4—Pentecost
This
chapter is based on Acts 2:1-39.
As the
disciples returned from Olivet to Jerusalem, the people looked on them,
expecting to see on their faces expressions of sorrow, confusion, and defeat; but
they saw there gladness and triumph. The disciples did not now mourn over
disappointed hopes. They had seen the risen Saviour, and the words of His
parting promise echoed constantly in their ears. {AA 35.1}
In
obedience to Christ’s command, they waited in Jerusalem for the promise of the
Father—the outpouring of the Spirit. They did not wait in idleness. The record
says that they were “continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.”
Luke 24:53. They also met together to present their requests to the Father in
the name of Jesus. They knew that they had a
Representative in heaven, an Advocate at the throne of God. In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the
assurance, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your
joy may be full.” John 16:23, 24. Higher and
still higher they extended the hand of faith, with the mighty argument, “It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:34. {AA 35.2}
As the
disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise, they humbled their hearts
in true repentance and confessed their unbelief. As they called to remembrance the words that Christ had spoken to them
before His death they understood more fully their meaning. Truths which had passed from their memory were again
brought to their minds, and these they repeated to one another. They reproached
themselves for their misapprehension of the Saviour. Like a procession, scene after scene of His wonderful
life passed before them. As they
meditated upon His pure, holy life they felt that no toil would be too hard, no
sacrifice too great, if only they could bear witness in their lives to the
loveliness of Christ’s character. Oh, if
they could but have the past three years to live over, they thought, how
differently they would act! If they could
only see the Master again, how earnestly they would strive to show Him how
deeply they loved Him, and how sincerely they sorrowed for having ever grieved
Him by a word or an act of unbelief! But they were comforted by the thought
that they were forgiven. And they determined that, so far as possible, they would
atone for their unbelief by bravely confessing Him before the world. {AA 36.1}
The disciples prayed with intense earnestness for a
fitness to meet men and in their daily intercourse to speak words that would
lead sinners to Christ. Putting away all differences, all desire
for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship. They
drew nearer and nearer to God, and as they did this they realized what a
privilege had been theirs in being permitted to associate so closely with
Christ. Sadness filled their hearts as they thought of how many times they had
grieved Him by their slowness of comprehension, their failure to understand the
lessons that, for their good, He was trying to teach them. {AA 37.1}
These
days of preparation were days of deep heart searching. The disciples felt
their spiritual need and cried to the Lord for the holy unction that was to fit
them for the work of soul saving. They did not ask for a blessing for
themselves merely. They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of
souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they
claimed the power that Christ had promised. {AA
37.2}
During the patriarchal age the influence of the Holy
Spirit had often been revealed in a marked manner, but never in its fullness. Now, in obedience to the word of the Saviour, the
disciples offered their supplications for this gift, and in heaven Christ added
His intercession. He claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it upon
His people. {AA 37.3}
“And when the
Day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting.” {AA
37.4}
The Spirit came upon the waiting, praying disciples with
a fullness that reached every heart. The Infinite
One revealed Himself in power to His church. It was as if for
ages this influence had been held in restraint, and now Heaven rejoiced in
being able to pour out upon the church the riches of the Spirit’s grace. And under the influence of the Spirit, words of
penitence and confession mingled with songs of praise for sins forgiven. Words
of thanksgiving and of prophecy were heard. All heaven bent low to behold and
to adore the wisdom of matchless, incomprehensible love. Lost in wonder, the
apostles exclaimed, “Herein is love.” They grasped the imparted gift. And what
followed? The sword of the Spirit, newly edged with power and bathed in the
lightnings of heaven, cut its way through unbelief. Thousands were converted in
a day. {AA 38.1}
Note by
Ron: What CHURCH was the Holy Spirit poured out upon on the Day of Pentecost?
Was it the organized apostate Jewish church? Nay, it was the true remnant “gathered
out” (DA 232) church of the Disciples of Christ, known as the bride of Christ
in Desire of Ages, 179, and those “guests”
who heeded their message and repented. It was the church of Isaiah 37:31, 32, to
wit:
31 And the
remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward,
and bear fruit upward:
32 For out
of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion:
the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. Isaiah 37:31, 32.
And so it
will be in the final “gathered out” remnant that is separated from sin and
sinners at the apostate SDA “Jerusalem” church:
Ezekiel 9 separation "The angel with the writer's ink horn is to place a mark upon the
foreheads of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel follows this angel (Letter 12, 1886). {4BC
1161.5}
In the
last literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 9, where were the sinners, the dross? In
the midsts of Jerusalem and the apostate Temple there. Ezekiel 22:17-31. That
is where the dross was gathered for burning and melting. No early rain of the Holy Spirit fell upon
that church, nor will any Holy Spirit fall on the counterpart to that church at
the end-time.
24 “Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not
cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of
indignation.” Ezekiel 22:24. Not rained upon means no reception of the Holy
Spirit. And the day of Indignation occurs again, Revelation 14:10-12:
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the
cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest
day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the
mark of his name.
Ezekiel 22:17-31 is an elaboration on Ezekiel 9. Ellen White
says that Ezekiel 9 will be literally fulfilled again. A.D. 70 was the
PREFIGURE TYPE. The ANTITYPE must follow the TYPE for Ezekiel 9 to be literally
fulfilled. On page 25 of The Great
Controversy, Ellen White says that Christ’s words to His disciples on the
Mount of Olives PREFIGURED the destruction of Jerusalem and the terrors of the
last great day, BEGINNING AT HIS SANCTUARY, HIS CHURCH, Testimonies, Vol. 5, 211. End note by Ron.
“It is expedient for you
that I go away,” Christ had said to His disciples; “for If I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.”
“When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for
He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He
speak: and He will show you things to come.” John 16:7, 13. {AA 38.2}
Christ’s
ascension to heaven was the signal that His followers were to receive the
promised blessing. For this they were to wait before they entered upon their
work. When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the
adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy
Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed
glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity.
The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven’s communication that the Redeemer’s
inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy
Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king,
received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over
His people. {AA 38.3}
Note by
Ron: We don’t have to wait (tarry) before we enter our work, because the Holy
Spirit has been available to all since Christ’s ascension, but the Latter Rain
of His Holy Spirit will speed His work to a Grand Finale! End note.
“And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them. And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.” The Holy Spirit, assuming the form of tongues of fire, rested upon
those assembled. This was an emblem of the gift then bestowed on the disciples, which enabled them to speak with fluency languages with
which they had heretofore been unacquainted. The appearance of fire signified the fervent zeal with which the
apostles would labor and the power that would attend their work. {AA 39.1}
Note by Ron:
Again, who did the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, the soul of the life of Christ fall
upon? It fell upon the bride of Christ, which He had “gathered out” of the
apostate Jewish church, to wit:
"The Sanhedrin had rejected
Christ's message and was bent upon His death therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the
religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to
another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all
nations.
As the light and life of men was rejected by
the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected
in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ's
withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word
of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established
church but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that
bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In
our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their
spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in
whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the
Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to
declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are
seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their
fathers, that they may render obedience." E.G. White, Desire of Ages, 232. End
note by Ron.
“There were
dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
During the dispersion the Jews had been scattered to almost every part of the
inhabited world, and in their exile they had learned to speak various
languages. Many of these Jews were on this occasion in Jerusalem, attending the
religious festivals then in progress. Every
known tongue was represented by those assembled. This diversity of
languages would have been a great hindrance to the proclamation of the gospel;
God therefore in a miraculous manner supplied the deficiency of the apostles.
The Holy Spirit did for them that which they could not have accomplished for
themselves in a lifetime. They could now
proclaim the truths of the gospel abroad, speaking with accuracy the languages
of those for whom they were laboring. This
miraculous gift was a strong evidence to the world that their commission bore
the signet of Heaven. From this time forth the language of the disciples was
pure, simple, and accurate, whether they spoke in their native tongue or in a
foreign language. {AA 39.2}
“Now when
this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in
his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to
another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? and how hear we every
man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” {AA 40.1}
The priests and rulers were greatly enraged at this
wonderful manifestation, but they dared not give way to their malice, for fear
of exposing themselves to the violence of the people. They had put the Nazarene to death; but here were His
servants, unlettered men of Galilee, telling in all the languages then spoken,
the story of His life and ministry. The priests, determined to account for the
miraculous power of the disciples in some natural way, declared that they were
drunken from partaking largely of the new wine prepared for the feast. Some of
the most ignorant of the people present seized upon this suggestion as the
truth, but the more intelligent knew it to be false; and those who understood
the different languages testified to the accuracy with which these languages
were used by the disciples. {AA 40.2}
Note by
Ron: The leaders (priests and rulers) at the formally organized apostate
Temple, were greatly ENRAGED at the wonderful manifestation of the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. They thought the disciples were drunk! So it will be again because SDA leaders will not approve of whom the
Holy Spirit is poured out upon. They now loathe the true reformers and refer to
them as wild eyed lunatics and fanatics. Once again, Matthew 22:1-10 will be
fulfilled. The true reformers will be treated spitefully and some of them will
be slain—all but the 144,000. Ellen White reapplies Matthew 22:1-10 to our time in Sermon’s and Talks, Vol. 1, (1SAT) pp.
4-9.
22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and
said,
2
The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3
And sent forth
his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not
come.
4
Again, he sent
forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage.
5
But they made
light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6
And the remnant [those who remained] took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7
But when the
king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed
those murderers, and burned up their city. [Ezekiel 9 slaughter and
destruction].
8
Then saith he
to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy.
9
Go ye
therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding
was furnished with guests. End note by Ron
In answer to the accusation of the priests
Peter showed that this demonstration was in direct fulfillment of the prophecy
of Joel, wherein he foretold that such power would come upon men to fit them
for a special work. “Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem,” he
said, “be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are
not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: 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: and on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those
days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” {AA
41.1}
With
clearness and power Peter bore witness of the death and resurrection of Christ:
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst
of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him ... ye have taken, and by wicked hands
have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of
death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” {AA 41.2}
Peter did
not refer to the teachings of Christ to prove his position, because he knew
that the prejudice of his hearers was so great that his words on this subject
would be of no effect. Instead, he spoke to them of David, who was regarded by
the Jews as one of the patriarchs of their nation. “David speaketh concerning
Him,” he declared: “I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is on My
right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did My heart rejoice, and My
tongue was glad; moreover also My flesh shall rest in hope: because Thou wilt
not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see
corruption.... {AA 41.3}
“Men and
brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.” “He ... spake of
the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His
flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses.” {AA 42.1}
The scene
is one full of interest. Behold the people
coming from all directions to hear the disciples witness to the truth as it is
in Jesus. They press in, crowding the temple. Priests and rulers are there,
the dark scowl of malignity still on their faces, their hearts still filled
with abiding hatred against Christ, their hands uncleansed from the blood shed
when they crucified the world’s Redeemer. They
had thought to find the apostles cowed with fear under the strong hand of
oppression and murder, but they find them lifted above all fear and filled with
the Spirit, proclaiming with power the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. They hear
them declaring with boldness that the One so recently humiliated, derided,
smitten by cruel hands, and crucified, is the Prince of life, now exalted to
the right hand of God. {AA 42.2}
Some of
those who listened to the apostles had taken an active part in the condemnation
and death of Christ. Their voices had mingled with the rabble in calling for
His crucifixion. When Jesus and Barabbas stood before them in the judgment hall
and Pilate asked, “Whom will ye that I release unto you?” they had shouted,
“Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Matthew 27:17; John 18:40. When Pilate delivered
Christ to them, saying, “Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in
Him;” “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person,” they had cried, “His blood be on us, and on our children.”
John 19:6; Matthew 27:24, 25. {AA 42.3}
Now they
heard the disciples declaring that it was the Son of God who had been
crucified. Priests and rulers trembled. Conviction and anguish seized the people. “They were
pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles,
Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Among those who listened to the disciples
were devout Jews, who were sincere in their belief. The power that accompanied
the words of the speaker convinced them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. {AA
43.1}
“Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call.” {AA 43.2}
Peter urged
home upon the convicted people the fact that they had rejected Christ because they had been deceived by
priests and rulers; and that if they continued to look to these men for
counsel, and waited for them to acknowledge Christ before they dared to do so,
they would never accept Him. These
powerful men, though making a profession of godliness, were ambitious for
earthly riches and glory. They were not willing to come to Christ to
receive light. {AA 43.3}
Under the
influence of this heavenly illumination the scriptures that Christ had
explained to the disciples stood out before them with the luster of perfect
truth. The veil that had prevented them from seeing to the end of that which
had been abolished, was now removed, and they comprehended with perfect
clearness the object of Christ’s mission and the nature of His kingdom. They
could speak with power of the Saviour; and as they unfolded to their hearers
the plan of salvation, many were
convicted and convinced. The
traditions and superstitions inculcated by the priests were swept away from
their minds, and the teachings of the Saviour were accepted. {AA 44.1}
“Then they
that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls.” {AA 44.2}
The Jewish
leaders had supposed that the work of Christ would end with His death; but,
instead of this, they witnessed the marvelous scenes of the Day of Pentecost. They heard the disciples, endowed with a power and energy hitherto unknown, preaching Christ,
their words confirmed by signs and wonders. In Jerusalem, the stronghold of
Judaism, thousands openly declared their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the
Messiah. {AA 44.3}
The
disciples were astonished and overjoyed at the greatness of the harvest of
souls. They did not regard this wonderful ingathering as the result of their
own efforts; they realized that they were entering into other men’s labors. Ever since the
fall of Adam, Christ had been committing to chosen servants the seed of His
word, to be sown in human hearts. During His life on this earth He had sown the seed of
truth and had watered it with His blood. The conversions that took place on the
Day of Pentecost were the result of this sowing, the harvest of Christ’s work,
revealing the power of His teaching. {AA 44.4}
The
arguments of the apostles alone, though clear and convincing, would not have
removed the prejudice that had withstood so much evidence. But the Holy Spirit
sent the arguments home to hearts with divine power. The words of the apostles
were as sharp arrows of the Almighty, convicting men of their terrible guilt in
rejecting and crucifying the Lord of glory. {AA 45.1}
Under the
training of Christ the disciples had been led to feel their need of the Spirit.
Under the Spirit’s teaching they received the final qualification, and went
forth to their lifework. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were
they a collection of independent units or discordant, conflicting elements. No longer were their
hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of “one accord,” “of one heart and of
one soul.” Acts 2:46; 4:32. Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of
His kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their
Master, and men “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts
4:13. {AA 45.2}
Note: For a
time the disciples were ignorant, uncultured and a collection of INDEPENDENT
UNITS OR DISCORDANT, CONFLICTING ELEMENTS! End note.
Pentecost
brought them the heavenly illumination. The truths they could not understand
while Christ was with them were now unfolded. With
a faith and assurance that they had never before known, they accepted the
teachings of the Sacred Word. No longer was it a matter of faith with them that
Christ was the Son of God. They knew that, although clothed with humanity, He
was indeed the Messiah, and they told their experience to the world with a
confidence which carried with it the conviction that God was with them. {AA 45.3}
They could
speak the name of Jesus with assurance; for was He not their Friend and Elder
Brother? Brought into close communion with Christ, they sat with Him in
heavenly places. With what burning language they clothed their ideas as they
bore witness for Him! Their hearts were surcharged with a benevolence so full,
so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth,
testifying to the power of Christ. They were filled with an intense longing to
carry forward the work He had begun. They realized the greatness of their debt
to heaven and the responsibility of their work. Strengthened by the endowment
of the Holy Spirit, they went forth filled with zeal to extend the triumphs of
the cross. The Spirit animated them and spoke through them. The peace of Christ
shone from their faces. They had consecrated their lives to Him for service,
and their very features bore evidence to the surrender they had made. {AA 46.1}
Chapter 5—The Gift of the Spirit
When Christ
gave His disciples the promise of the Spirit, He was nearing the close of
His earthly ministry. He was standing in the shadow of the cross, with a full
realization of the load of guilt that was to rest upon Him as the Sin Bearer.
Before offering Himself as the sacrificial victim, He instructed His disciples regarding a most essential and complete
gift which He was to bestow upon His followers—the gift that would bring within
their reach the boundless resources of His grace. “I will pray the Father,” He
said, “and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you
forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.” John 14:16, 17. The Saviour was pointing forward to
the time when the Holy Spirit should come to do a mighty work as His
representative. The evil that had been accumulating for centuries was to
be resisted by the divine power of the Holy Spirit. {AA 47.1}
What was
the result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? The glad
tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited
world. As the disciples proclaimed the
message of redeeming grace, hearts yielded to the power of this message. The
church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. Backsliders were reconverted. Sinners
united with believers in seeking the pearl of great price. Some who had been
the bitterest opponents of the gospel became its champions. The prophecy was
fulfilled, “He that is feeble ... shall be as David; and the house of David ...
as the angel of the Lord.” Zechariah 12:8. Every
Christian saw in his brother a revelation of divine love and benevolence. One
interest prevailed; one subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The
ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character and
to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom. {AA
48.1}
“With great
power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and
great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33. Under their labors were added to the
church chosen men, who, receiving the word of truth, consecrated their lives to
the work of giving to others the hope that filled their hearts with peace and
joy. They could not be restrained or intimidated by threatenings. The Lord
spoke through them, and as they went from place to place, the poor had the
gospel preached to them, and miracles of divine grace were wrought. {AA 48.2}
So mightily can God work when men give themselves up to
the control of His Spirit. {AA 49.1}
The promise
of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared
that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the
end. From the Day of Pentecost to the
present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves
fully to the Lord and to His service. To
all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has come as
a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness. The more closely believers have
walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their
Redeemer’s love and of His saving grace. The men and women who through the long
centuries of persecution and trial enjoyed a large measure of the presence of
the Spirit in their lives, have stood as signs and wonders in the world. Before
angels and men they have revealed the transforming power of redeeming love. {AA
49.2}
Those who
at Pentecost were endued with power from on high, were not thereby freed from
further temptation and trial. As they witnessed for truth and righteousness
they were repeatedly assailed by the enemy of all truth, who sought to rob them
of their Christian experience. They were
compelled to strive with all their God-given powers to reach the measure of the
stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
Daily they prayed for fresh supplies of grace, that they might reach higher and
still higher toward perfection. Under the Holy Spirit’s working even the
weakest, by exercising faith in God, learned to improve their entrusted powers
and to become sanctified, refined, and ennobled. As in humility they
submitted to the molding influence of the Holy Spirit, they received of the
fullness of the Godhead and were fashioned in the likeness of the divine. {AA
49.3}
The lapse
of time has wrought no change in Christ’s parting promise to send the Holy
Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part
of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might
be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing,
all would be filled with the Spirit.
Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is
seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death.
Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is
necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring
all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.
{AA 50.1}
Note by
Ron: Likewise, wherever the promise of the prophetic gift to the church for its
edification and unity till He comes is not appreciated and followed, there is
seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death.
Such an attitude is a rejection of the Holy Ghost, and that spirit, if
continued in, is unpardonable sin. End note.
Since this is the means by which we are to receive power,
why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not
talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing
to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good
gifts to their children. For the daily
baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies
of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly
wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should
they pray that God will baptize His chosen ambassadors in mission fields with a
rich measure of His Spirit. The presence of the Spirit with God’s workers will
give the proclamation of truth a power that not all the honor or glory of the
world could give. {AA 50.2}
With the
consecrated worker for God, in whatever place he may be, the Holy Spirit
abides. The words spoken to the disciples are spoken also to us. The Comforter
is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains
striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amidst the hatred of the world,
and the realization of their own failures and mistakes. In sorrow and
affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel
helpless and alone,—these are the times when, in answer to the prayer of faith,
the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart. {AA
51.1}
It is not a
conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual
ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness
is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our
heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the
light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with
unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. {AA 51.2}
It is not
essential for us to be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ
tells us that the Spirit is the Comforter, “the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father.” It is plainly declared regarding the Holy Spirit
that, in His work of guiding men into all truth, “He shall not speak of
Himself.” John 15:26; 16:13. {AA 51.3}
Note: Ellen
White tells us that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ:
"Christ
declared that after his ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowning gift,
the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the
world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that
takes away sin.
In the
gift of the Spirit [HIS LIFE--THE SOUL OF HIS LIFE], Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....
The
Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and without this the sacrifice of
Christ would have been of no avail....
It is
by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer
becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a
divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and
to impress his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19,
1904, vol. 5, p. 42.
“Christ
had stooped to take upon Himself man’s nature; He was to bear an infinite
weight of woe as He should make His
soul an offering for sin; yet angels desire that even in His humiliation the Son of
the Highest might appear before men with a dignity and glory befitting His
character.” E.G. White, The Great
Controversy, pp. 313, 314.
Ellen
White tells us that the Holy Spirit Himself—the soul of the life of Christ’s
divine nature, is an independent person from the person of His humanity:
"Cumbered
with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally, therefore it was
altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father
and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is
Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He
would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G.
White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.
Before
the Incarnation, there were two persons to the Godhead. But when the Divine
Nature, soul of His life Holy Spirit was divested from the personality of the
Son’s humanity, at His Incarnation, there accrued a THIRD PERSON. The Trinity
Doctrine denies this truth of the Godhead, by saying there was three persons
from eternity. Thus, the death of the Testator—Christ’s death to being DIVINE
ONLY forever at His incarnation and becoming united to humanity forever, is not
factored in by the Trinity Doctrine. Thus the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement is
annulled by the Trinity Doctrine, and the entire Christian economy is swept
away. The Testator, the Son of God, had to die to something FOREVER, in order
to fulfill the Testator’s covenant:
Hebrews
9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the
testator.
Hebrews
9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
If the Testator did not DIE ETERNALLY to
something, there has been no Sanctuary Atonement in the heavenly Sanctuary at
the Incarnation. What the Son gave up forever (died to forever) is being DIVINE
HOLY SPIRIT ONLY. That was His estate before His Incarnation. But the life that
WAS HIS before His Incarnation, He gave to us—His Holy Spirit soul of His life,
indwelling man, as Heaven “highest good, crowning gift” for the purpose of
overcoming (curing) sin and regenerating man back into the image of God.
"He (Christ) suffered the death which was
ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages,
p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.
We don’t receive His humanity. We receive His
DIVINE NATURE Holy Spirit. That is the life that WAS HIS before His
Incarnation. But the Trinity Doctrine says that life existed always—from eternity
and it did. But there was not three persons from eternity, for the humanity
that was divested from the Divine soul of His life Holy Spirit, made another
person to the Godhead, to make A HEAVENLY TRIO.
Death of the Son’s HUMANITY for three days
in a tomb, would not pay the price of the wages of our sin which is ETERNAL
DEATH. But the Son’s FOREVER DEATH to being DIVINE HOLY SPIRIT ONLY, fulfills
the Testators Covenant, and pays the debt for the wages of sin—which is eternal
death. Christ’s humanity was not the Testator. His humanity could not atone for
sin. His perfect humanity redeemed us from sin by His taking of our sins upon
Himself, and His not sinning, but His humanity was not the Testator, and the
Testator must die to something forever to atone for the wages of sin which is
eternal death—not three days in a tomb.
Redemption is different from Atonement: "Christ declared that after his ascension, he would
send to his church, as his crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his
place. This Comforter is the Holy
Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light
and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and
a power that takes away sin.
In the
gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could
bestow....
The
Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and
without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....
It is
by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes
a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power
to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress
his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.
Without
the sacrifice involving the soul of His life Holy Spirit, the highest good,
crowning gift that heaven can bestow, even higher than the cross sacrifice, the
cross sacrifice would have been of no avail. Why? Because there would have been
no cure for sin without the gift of His Holy Spirit that empowers us to stop
sinning.
We
received redemption by the cross act of the Son not sinning and taking our sins
upon Himself, proving that we need not have sinned. But that did not provide
the cure for sin. Only the gift of the Holy Spirit by way of the heavenly
Sanctuary/Atonement sacrifice, provides a cure for sin and regenerates man back
into the image of God.
The Trinity Doctrine obfuscates the entire
above described sacrifice by its teaching that there were three persons to the
Godhead FROM ETERNITY, thus totally wiping out the sacrifice of the soul of the
Son’s life, His preincarnation existence as His Holy Spirit HIMSELF, to become
combined with humanity FOREVER. The Son’s humanity is another person
(personality) separate and distinct from His Divinity which He divested Himself
of—that is being DIVINE ONLY. End note.
The nature
of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has
not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages
of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these
views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too
deep for human understanding, silence is golden. {AA 52.1}
Note by
Ron: Ellen White is referring to the NATURE of the Holy Spirit, not who He is.
All we know about the NATURE of the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit is a
SPIRIT. The Bible says God is a SPIRIT. What His SPIRIT consists of (its
NATURE), is a mystery. We don’t know the nature of His SPIRIT. But we are told
that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ and that He is the
Comforter. Ellen White says clearly that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit which
is the soul of the life of Christ. So they are not separate persons.
In the
Alpha heresy involving John Harvey Kellogg, he did away with the heavenly
Sanctuary/Atonement by saying that the Holy Spirit of God was already in every
living creation. Were that true, the Son of God would not have needed to make
the sacrifice of His soul of His life Holy Spirit as an offering for sin,
because the soul of His life, His Holy Spirit, would already be in man. Thus,
Ellen White told Kellogg that His theory rendered the Sanctuary/Atonement as
GONE.
Sanctuary Gone Atonement Gone
-- "In a representation which passed before me, I saw a certain work being
done by medical missionary workers. Our ministering brethren were looking on,
watching what was being done, but they did not seem to understand. The
foundation of our faith, which was established by so much prayer, such earnest
searching of the Scriptures, was being taken down, pillar by pillar. Our faith
was to have nothing to rest upon--the sanctuary was gone, the
atonement was gone." E.G. White, The Upward Look, 152.
The Trinity
Doctrine, which Rome brags as its central doctrine, renders the
Sanctuary/Atonement as gone by saying there was always three persons to the
Godhead without the Son offering His soul (DIVINE NATURE HOLY SPIRIT) as a
sacrifice for sin. If there were always three persons, there would be FOUR
after the Incarnation, because the humanity of the Son’s Holy Spirit became a
separate distinct person from His Holy Spirit HIMSELF. The Trinity Doctrine
results in the same end as Kellogg’s theory. It does away with the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement
sacrifice of the soul of the life of Christ. How? Why? Because in teaching that
there was always three persons to the Godhead, it eliminates the process (sacrifice)
by which a THIRD PERSON accrued. Another person accrued when the Son of God
divested His Holy Spirit Himself from the personality of His humanity. That was
at the Incarnation. So to say there was three persons BEFORE the Incarnation,
voids the Incarnation act (sacrifice of His Holy Spirit soul of His life) which
gave rise to the THIRD PERSON. Thus, the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement
Incarnation sacrifice is GONE.
"Cumbered
with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was
altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father
and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit
is Himself, divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent
Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit" E.G. White,
(Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.
“Christ had stooped to take upon Himself man’s
nature; He was to bear an infinite weight of woe as He should make His
soul an offering for sin; yet angels desire that even in His
humiliation the Son of the Highest might appear before men with a dignity and
glory befitting His character.” E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pp.
313, 314.
Which soul did Christ make an offering for sin; His
human soul or His Divine soul of His life Holy Spirit? The answers below are
clear and to the point:
The Glory that the Father gave to Christ is given
to us: “Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all his disciples, and give them the
inspiration of his sanctifying spirit, and transfuse the vital influence from
himself to his people . . . Christ is to live in his human agents, and
work through their faculties, and act through their capabilities. Their will
must be submitted to His will, they must act with His Spirit, that it
may be no more they that live, but Christ that liveth in them. Jesus is
seeking to impress upon them the thought that in giving His Holy Spirit He is giving to them the glory
which the Father has given Him, that He and His people may be one in God.” Signs
of the Times, October 3, 1892, par. 4.
“Christ gives
them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own Life.” Desire of Ages, p.
827, par. 3.
“The Holy Spirit is the breath of life in the
soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.
It imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ.” Desire of Ages, p. 805.
It should be clear from the above statement that
the soul of His life He gives to us is His HOLY SPIRIT, not His humanity.
“They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit of
Christ—is to
bring unity into their ranks.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 189.
“They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities,
or they cannot form a Christian character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him,
just as we are—sinful, helpless, dependent.” Faith and Works, p. 38.
“There
must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before man
can be changed from sin to holiness. That
power is Christ. His grace [the Spirit
of Christ] alone can quicken the lifeless
faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” (ST, May 28, 1902,
par. 3).
Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up
his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his
iniquities.
Rom 1:5 by whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name. End note.
The office
of the Holy Spirit is distinctly specified in the words of Christ: “When He is
come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
John 16:8. It is the Holy Spirit that
convicts of sin. If the sinner responds to the quickening influence of the
Spirit, he will be brought to repentance and aroused to the importance of
obeying the divine requirements. {AA 52.2}
To the
repentant sinner, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the Holy Spirit
reveals the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. “He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you,” Christ said. “He shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you.” John 16:14; 14:26. {AA 52.3}
The Spirit is given as a regenerating agency, to make
effectual the salvation wrought by the death of our Redeemer. The Spirit is constantly seeking to draw the attention of
men to the great offering that was made on the cross of Calvary, to unfold to
the world the love of God, and to open to the convicted soul the precious
things of the Scriptures. {AA 52.4}
Having
brought conviction of sin, and presented before the mind the standard of
righteousness, the Holy Spirit withdraws
the affections from the things of this earth and fills the soul with a desire
for holiness. “He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), the Saviour declared. If men are willing to be molded, there will
be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take
the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By His power the way of life will
be made so plain that none need err therein. {AA 52.5}
From the
beginning, God has been working by His Holy Spirit through human
instrumentalities for the accomplishment of His purpose in behalf of the fallen
race. This was manifest in the lives of the patriarchs. To the church in the
wilderness also, in the time of Moses, God gave His “good Spirit to instruct
them.” Nehemiah 9:20. And in the days of the apostles He wrought mightily for
His church through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The same power that sustained the patriarchs, that gave Caleb and
Joshua faith and courage, and that made the work of the apostolic church
effective, has upheld God’s faithful children in every succeeding age. It was
through the power of the Holy Spirit that during the Dark Ages the Waldensian
Christians helped to prepare the way for the Reformation. It was the same power
that made successful the efforts of the noble men and women who pioneered the
way for the establishment of modern missions and for the translation of the
Bible into the languages and dialects of all nations and peoples. {AA 53.1}
Note:
Indeed, from the beginning God has been working by His Holy Spirit through
human instrumentalities for the accomplishment of His purpose in behalf of the
fallen race. The Holy Spirit has always existed. So what is different? There
would have been NO HEAVENLY SANCTUARY ATONEMENT SACRIFICE FOR SIN if the Son as
Testator had not fulfilled the Testator’s Covenant to die to something FOREVER.
Without that heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement, there would be no salvation, no cure
for sin, no eternal sacrifice for the wages of eternal sin which is eternal
death. Also, the Holy Spirit could not indwell men before the sacrifice that
involved giving us the life that WAS His, by taking the death that was ours. End
note.
And today God
is still using His church to make known His purpose in the earth. Today the
heralds of the cross are going from city to city, and from land to land,
preparing the way for the second advent of Christ. The standard of God’s law is
being exalted. The Spirit of the Almighty is moving upon men’s hearts, and
those who respond to its influence become witnesses for God and His truth. In
many places consecrated men and women may be seen communicating to others the
light that has made plain to them the way of salvation through Christ. And as they continue to let their light shine, as did
those who were baptized with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they receive
more and still more of the Spirit’s power. Thus
the earth is to be lightened with the glory of God. {AA 53.2}
On the
other hand, there are some who, instead of wisely improving present opportunities, are
idly waiting for some special season of spiritual refreshing by which their
ability to enlighten others will be greatly increased. They neglect present duties and privileges, and allow
their light to burn dim, while they look forward to a time when, without any
effort on their part, they will be made the recipients of special blessing, by
which they will be transformed and fitted for service. {AA 54.1}
It is true
that in the time of the end, when God’s work in the earth is closing, the
earnest efforts put forth by consecrated believers under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit are to be accompanied by special tokens of divine favor. Under the
figure of the early and the latter rain, that falls in Eastern lands at
seedtime and harvest, the Hebrew prophets foretold the bestowal of spiritual
grace in extraordinary measure upon God’s church. The outpouring of the Spirit
in the days of the apostles was the beginning of the early, or former, rain,
and glorious was the result. To the end of time the presence of the Spirit is to abide
with the true church. {AA 54.2}
Note: "The church is in the Laodicean state. The presence of God is not in her midst."
E.G. White, Notebook Leaflets, p. 99, 1898.
But near
the close of earth’s harvest, a special bestowal of spiritual grace is promised
to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of man. This outpouring of the
Spirit is likened to the falling of the latter rain; and it is for this added
power that Christians are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest
“in the time of the latter rain.” In response, “the Lord shall make bright
clouds, and give them showers of rain.” “He will cause to come down ... the
rain, the former rain, and the latter rain,” Zechariah 10:1; Joel 2:23. {AA
55.1}
But unless
the members of God’s church today have a living connection with the Source of
all spiritual growth, they will not be ready for the time of reaping. Unless
they keep their lamps trimmed and burning, they will fail of receiving added
grace in times of special need. {AA 55.2}
Those only
who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace, will have power
proportionate to their daily need and their ability to use that power. Instead of looking forward to some future time when,
through a special endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a miraculous
fitting up for soul winning, they are yielding themselves daily to God, that He
may make them vessels meet for His use. Daily they are improving the opportunities
for service that lie within their reach. Daily they are witnessing for the
Master wherever they may be, whether in some humble sphere of labor in the
home, or in a public field of usefulness. {AA
55.3}
To the
consecrated worker there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge that even
Christ during His life on earth sought His Father daily for fresh supplies of
needed grace; and from this communion with God He went forth to strengthen and
bless others. Behold the Son of God bowed in prayer to His Father! Though He is the Son of God, He strengthens His faith by
prayer, and by communion with heaven gathers to Himself power to resist evil
and to minister to the needs of men. As the
Elder Brother of our race He knows the necessities of those who, compassed with
infirmity and living in a world of sin and temptation, still desire to serve
Him. He knows that the messengers whom
He sees fit to send are weak, erring men; but to all who give themselves wholly
to His service He promises divine aid. His
own example is an assurance that earnest, persevering supplication to God in
faith—faith that leads to entire dependence upon God, and unreserved
consecration to His work—will avail to bring to men the Holy Spirit’s aid in
the battle against sin. {AA 56.1}
Every
worker who follows the example of Christ will be prepared to receive and use
the power that God has promised to His church for the ripening of earth’s
harvest. Morning by morning, as the heralds
of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to
Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving,
sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the
assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be
“laborers together with God.” {AA 56.2}