The question was asked, is the Holy Spirit still involved in the earth after the rapture.

"Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way."

The question was asked, is the Holy Spirit still involved in the earth after the rapture.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 ESV (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

While many translate this passage with the word “he”, that word improperly conveys the sense that we need to understand.

Dake's commentary tells us: “The only argument used to prove that Holy Spirit is the hinderer of this passage is the pronoun he. It is believed that the church could not be referred to as he because it is the bride of Christ; that the church is spoken of as a virgin, a woman, and that it is referred to by feminine pronouns.

On the Contrary, the Church is:

1. Not referred to by feminine pronouns
2. Never symbolized by a woman
3. Never called the bride of Christ
   Revelation 21:9-10 ESV Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
4. The church is called a man
   Ephesians 2:14-15 ESV For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (15) by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
   Ephesians 4:13 ESV until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
5. The body of Christ
   1 Corinthians 12:12-13 KJV (12) For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (13) For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
   1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV (27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
   Ephesians 1:22-23 KJV And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all.
   Colossians 1:18 KJV And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
   Colossians 1:24 KJV Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Since we are “in Christ”, then it safe to assume that as he is, so are we in this world, and Christ is a man. Yes, I realize that this is a simple answer but to the educated with a Berean attitude, it works.

Dake's conclusion, and mine:

The hinderer of lawlessness must therefore refer to the Church being taken out of the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 Murdock (6) And now, ye know what hinders his being manifested in his time. (7) For the mystery of the evil One already begins to be operative: and only, if that which now hinders shall be taken from the midst;

Now, there is no denying the Holy Spirit plays a role in empowering those who are willing to do battle against a formidable opponent, but it is possible, and you are not alone; there are others like you, with a comparable spirit and they are standing with you against the enemy being unleashed in full force.

The Holy Spirit like a dove

Just because the Church gets removed from the earth does not mean that the Holy Spirit gets removed as well. Allow me to make my point.

Peter stood on the day of Pentecost and quoted from Joel chapter 2. He did not quote the entire chapter, it was not pertinent, but there was certainly a context even to what he quoted, and yet by unction of the Holy Spirit he stated that this prophecy had been fulfilled in the hearing of the Jews and visitors in Jerusalem that day. What did he say?

Joel 2:28-29 ESV "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. (29) Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Is this what we see today, God pouring out his spirit upon all flesh? It does not seem like here in America, but it is happening, as Muslims are coming to Jesus in record numbers.

What then is the context of Joel 2?

Joel 2:1-2 ESV Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, (2) a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations.

Joel 2:10 ESV The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Joel 2:30-31 ESV "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

What the Prophet Joel spoke of is the end of time; the time of judgment upon the earth. Considering the number of volcanoes spewing columns of smoke into the air, and smog so bad that many Chinese cannot even see the sun, where are we in this time-table?

Since the Holy Spirit saw fit to use the Hebrew for the Holy Spirit (ruach) wouldn't it be appropriate to think that the Holy Spirit continues doing its work during the seven-years of wrath as well, and we can see this in Zechariah's prophecy.

Zechariah made an interesting prophecy:

Zechariah 12:10 ESV "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

When the Jews put him on the cross, did they mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, or over a firstborn? No, they mocked and laughed him to scorn. So obviously Zechariah is talking about the end of time, when they shall physically see him once again.

What is it that causes them to mourn? It is a spirit of grace and mercy. Does that come from anything other than the Holy Spirit? No. Isaiah the prophet used the word ruach as well.

Isaiah 59:21 ESV "And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring," says the LORD, "from this time forth and forevermore."

As convincingly as we discovered that it is the Church that hinders the Antichrist from erupting upon the world, we find that the Holy Spirit of God is still a vital aspect of the end times. There are examples to be found showing people being drawn to God, the Father.

John 6:44 ESV No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

I can hear the whining now, “You said the Holy Spirit is an aspect of the end times, and yet you are talking about 'the Father who sent me' drawing them.” Let me ask you, how many names does the Father have? In Genesis 1:1 he is called Elohim.

'ĕlôhı̂ym – el-o-heem' - Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God.

So God, the Father is a plural God, therefore He sent the Holy Spirit, and we know that because people are still drawn to the Father.

We try to attribute the drawing to an act of the Holy Spirit, but search for that combination of words and you will not find it. You will however find things like:

John 12:32 KJV And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Now we have two references of being drawn and they are both from John's gospel. One speaks of Jesus doing the drawing, while the other speaks of God the Father doing the drawing.

Now which is it?

1 John 5:8 BBE There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood: and all three are in agreement.

Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” So this goes for the Spirit as well. They are in complete unity and operation.

Avoid the time of wrath if you can, enlist now. Romans 10:9 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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Papa, are we there yet?

The disciples, in ways they were much like the grand kids on a longer trip saying, "papa, are we there yet?"

But how much do I still sound like this, for sometimes I find myself doing and thinking the same things as the disciples did.

John 16, it seems, should be the epic heroes tale, with Jesus as the hero telling his troops (the boys) about the things of the future, a conquering victor, a life with that victor, and an end of the story that is beyond comprehension and belief, for nothing has ever turned out that good, except for one thing; this life they have lived in his presence.

Now if that is the way they thought then the idea of Jesus leaving them must have been unconscionable. If you are honest as you read chapter 16 you can see what I am talking about.

I did not lead this last Sunday, our co-leader did, but I always go ready; one never knows, besides, didn't Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tell us that we are to be ready all the time.

2 Timothy 4:2 GW  Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.

So when my partner threw out his first question, and you could cut the silence with a knife, I jumped in (I always have something to say.) Many times I refrain from saying things because I want the guys to interact. Interaction tells me that you are either learning, or at least invested in the story. We did not cover the rest of the chapter the way I would have, but we finished.

I am not done yet. Let's pick this up at John 16:13

John 16:13 ASV Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.

John 16:13 MKJV However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.

I am not the great theologian. If I were I would dissect this section where it talks about, “when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come,...”

This seems so impersonal, so vague, and yet we should understand that Jesus interacted with this same spirit when he was in the presence of the Father.

I could be wrong in interpreting this but it seems that Jesus was speaking of himself, not the spirit, when he said this:

John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. 

Loosely I could say he fulfilled this promise after he rose from the dead. He could not make this promise once he departed back to the Father, which was the trigger for the Holy Spirit to come, because none of the disciples would live on forever. Many died within months of this oration; others, like John, lived on for many years. And yet none had a physical visitation from Jesus Christ, (I think). 

Having read the book, “The Shack”, where the Holy Spirit is an ethereal, undefinable entity, that seems to move as though he is responding to the slightest breeze. It becomes difficult to think of it as a he. Why not? Jesus came from the Father, so does the Spirit; Jesus does only what the Father tells him, so does the spirit. So the Spirit and Jesus fully carry the importance, and duty of the Father.

How would you go about trying to define the Holy Spirit, that is going to replace him, to a bunch of guys that apparently are coming apart at the seams?

“when the Spirit of truth comes,”

We already understand that Jesus had laid out what would occur: his death, his resurrection, his ascent to the Father, and his word that they Comforter would come to them. This is all in the near future to them.

Spirit of – pneuma – We find this throughout scripture. This is the Holy Spirit.

Jude 1:20-21 NASB But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, (21) keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

2 Timothy 1:12-14 NASB For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (13) Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. (14) Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

1 John 4:13 NASB By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

Truth – alētheia - what is true in any matter under consideration.

This concept is something I ran across while involved in the faith movement. I had no idea that the Word itself conveyed this meaning. Circumstances may say otherwise but God's word is true regardless of the circumstances around you.

Comes – to be established, find its place, become known, and shows itself.

 “he will lead you into all the truth;”

hodēgeō - to be a guide, lead on one’s way, to guide.

I suppose that all we have to do is to trust him. Having been raised to be negative and not trust, I find it difficult at times to decide whose voice I am hearing. Therefore, We are forced to live by faith and have to learn to trust.

Again, the wide view is to say that with the Holy Spirit to guide me, then I probably do not need a pastor. Somehow I feel like this is inappropriate, and yet how much less appropriate is it to argue against God's word. 

I will be honest. I go to church, and I enjoy my Pastor's messages. My concept of Pastor has had to change as I have a variety of relationships with such. This one has been my pastor for about seven years and we have shaken hands, perhaps twice. Compare this lack of contact with the pastor that I used to ride motorcycles with. I suppose that is the drawback of a large church. Selah.

Sometimes though, like when I have been up since sunrise, and now, hours later, I am sitting in a comfortable chair, I fall asleep, far too often. 

If I were to choose my greatest reason for being at church I would have to say that it is the people, for so many of these people have become family to me. 

Yes, I deeply value worship. It is the time that opens me up spiritually, and I always find myself pouring my heart out in prayer during worship. But having “family” that understands and makes themselves available when I am struggling, and they with me is the most important. Honestly, if each one of us has the Holy Spirit in them, capable of teaching them, and guiding them, then our greatest draw should be the interaction with others.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, then I suggest you come to know this Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will come into you and fill you with the power and presence of the living God. You will be a member of the family and Jesus will come to restore us to the Father once again.

Time is short. Practice loving on people and enjoy this life we have in Christ.

If you do not know this Jesus, nor have a hope of salvation from the onslaught that is coming, I suggest that you give him your life and take his in return. Jesus said he would come into you and abide in you, that is the Holy Spirit of God he is talking about. Along with this relationship comes an assurance that he will come again and take you to be with him and the Father in  a lasting, eternal relationship. A life that is beyond anything  that you can imagine (I, and others, have come up  with some wild scenarios like plants that light up when you touch them or make music as they emit colors).

Enough weirdness. Just know that God  loves you and longs to have you rejoin the family.

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• "How Can I Get More of the Holy Spirit?" (924jeremiah.wordpress.com)
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Jesus was not God.

Jesus was not God.

What some groups teach about Jesus and the Bible's response. Adapted from Rose Publications, Christianity, Cults & Religions, 7^th Edition.

First off, I do not agree with this statement at all.

I will admit some difficulty understanding the assertion that Jesus is God, but I comprehend through scripture that He is God, and therefore have confidence in Jesus being God and accept that as fact.

This brief dive into the cults and their opposing statements was initiated by a co-worker who asked about what the Jehovah's Witnesses believe because he felt that a person at work was trying to convert him. I feel like I did not give him a solid answer.

I have, what many consider, the definitive book, Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin, but I find my self overwhelmed by the amount of information Dr. Martin provides. The Rose chart seems to give me just enough information to satisfy the inquiries of my shallow mind. (My sense of humor)

The Rose chart used John 1:1 as its first definitive answer, so let's examine that.

“IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa. 9:6.] (John 1:1 AMP)

Since the Amplified referenced Isaiah's prophetic word let's dive into that momentarily.

“A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 GW

Notice that it initializes this foray with this statement

“A child will be born for us, A son will be given to us.”

And that happened.

We call Him Jesus but the scripture goes on to tell us, His name is the Mighty God. John 1:1 is a portrayal of not only Jesus as God, but as the Word of the living God.

These statements are concepts that people, primarily non-believers, struggle with.

One really needs to take the whole scene, in context; therefore I suggest that you spend some time thinking about (meditating upon) about what you see there in John 1:1-5. That way you can see the intricacies of the portrait that the Word paints, much like a painting of a sunny day, where the sun dominates the sky. There are so many other subtle details that enhance the composition.

We, without pursuing the truth in the Bible, not merely accepting what some “Pastor” and the translators (as though they were flawless in their translation efforts,) put in that book you call the Bible. The Greek word used here to describe Jesus is Logos. Its meaning is a spoken word, a thought or concept, and an expression of utterance of that thought. With 325 occurrences of Logos, over half are translated as the Word of God. Virtually every other has to do with some method of communication.

One of the major problems that anyone has to deal with is a lack of belief. You can beat people over the head with scripture all day long, with conviction, and still not get them to change their minds. Sort of like that old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink.

Perhaps a big dose of overwhelming evidence is the way, if presented in love.

John 1:1 is understandable to me, but then I chose to understand; and I have come to know that the Holy Spirit is playing a major role in mine or anyone's ability to grasp and pursue the truth. Jesus made a few other statements concerning himself as the Word.

“Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”
Luke 8:20-21 NLT

As a side note. His family thought he was crazy and had come to restrain him. Ignoring or rejecting them had everything to do with what God had told Him to do. Here he had been teaching. Challenged because of the potential scene his mother and brothers (James) were making outside; he responds with this statement.

Did you notice that He attributed the Word coming out of his mouth to being God's words?

If Jesus had not been God then this statement would be blasphemous.

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
John 5:24 NLT

In this verse lies the key that opens just about anything in scripture that the world perceives as a mystery.

• Jesus pointed out that anyone responding to His Word and having a belief, in God, has eternal life and will not be judged.

• This is the same message that Paul preaches in his letter to the Romans.

Paul never stood before Jesus, (that we know of,) listening intently, allowing the Word of faith to blossom in him. So, where did Paul get this from? You would be correct to say directly from Jesus himself.

John 8:31-37 NASB

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

[The caustic response.]

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?"

[How quickly they forgot their time in Egypt.]

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

[We, meaning religion, invite people to Jesus so that they can be free of Sin. The problem with that, and I have experienced it, is that I still struggle to resist sin. Sin, is a part of this body and will, someday, be changed through death. In that way we will finally be free from sin. Our acceptance of Christ eliminated the penalty of death for sin because He paid wholly paid the price that sin demanded.]

35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

[Yep, we are slaves but in the best way possible.]

36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

[Look at John 5:4 once again. “those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.]

37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

[What is the difference between them and us? Jesus/God's Word has NO place in them.]

I chuckle as I read these passages for the Pharisees knew exactly what he was saying. It is possible that the common folk did not grasp it. Keep in mind that not everyone had a bible sitting on a table next to the comfortable chair, as many of us now do.

What is dominate to me in this passage is that they had no room for his Word.

How does that happen?

They were the learned ones. They studied “God's Law” with diligence. One might think that all they had room for was God's word, and yet standing before God he tells them they do not. Reacting purely out human emotion their anger and rage must have boiled to the surface. They did not accept Him as the Messiah, they certainly were not going to accept him God, so to kill him was a prescribed recourse, because that is what you do to blasphemous persons.

What I have listed below is a short collection of passages that speak toward Jesus being God. I pretty much operate out of the NIV, so the verse will be from there unless otherwise stated.

Much like many movies these days where there is some humorous gem that follows along with the credits, I suggest you read to the end.

1Corinthians 1:24 Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.

Colossians 2:3 Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom an knowledge.

Colossians 2:9 In Christ, all the fullness of the deity (God) lives in bodily form,

John 1:3 (GW) Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.

John 1:14 That Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Colossians 1:15-19 NASB 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

Whether I made my point or not is somewhat dependent upon the reader. An argument is constructed in such a manner as to convince the opposition of it correctness.

• Jesus needed no proofs and yet God provided them; perhaps that is because He knew how broken and skeptical we were.

• Jesus was described before He came.

• His name was established in the heavens and foretold.

• He walked this earth as a man, fulfilling every prophecy about him.

• He did precisely what He said He would do. He died and rose again.

• He was witnessed by many after he arose, and He ascended into the heavens, sending us His Holy Spirit, just as He said He would do.

This is what Paul tells Timothy in the passage below.

1 Timothy 3:16 (MSG) This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,

was proved right by the invisible Spirit,

was seen by angels.

He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,

believed in all over the world,

taken up into heavenly glory.

And, He will come back for us (catching us away,) for the time is now upon us. Keep your eyes on the Holy Land, for it is the key.