JRS 76
The Summary of the Spirit
8/31/2025
Selected Scriptures
Jesse Randolph

Alright well we made it.  Tomorrow is Labor Day.  There are just a few hours left in the month of August.  I would say that makes this a fitting night to finish Summer in the Systematics.  Next Sunday night is our Fall Kickoff concert and then the Sunday following September 14th weÕll be resuming our normal programming of Sunday nights in the book of Revelation.  WeÕll pick up that study of Coronation, was the sermons series or the preaching series title to the book of Revelation.  We started that back in the spring, we took a break for the summer, weÕll pick it up in Revelation 4 on September 14th.  But as we wrap up tonight, weÕre wrapping up Summer in the Systematics. 

By way of reminder, over the course of three-plus months now, in our study of Pneumatology the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, weÕve covered a number of different topics. WeÕve covered The Person of the Holy Spirit, The Deity of the Holy Spirit, The Old Testament and the New Testament Ministries of the Holy Spirit, The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in Salvation, The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Christian, The Fruit of the Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, and then last Sunday night we looked at The Abuse of the Spirit as we traced out aspects of the development of American Pentecostalism specifically. 

Tonight, as we close out this study and this series, weÕre going to cover a few different odds and ends related to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.   There really is no rhyme or reason for me lumping these specific topics together this evening other than the fact that we didnÕt get to them earlier this summer.  So, this is sort of a grab bag or an assortment of different topics related to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  TheyÕre kind of disjointed but hopefully it will make some sense.  IÕve titled this eveningÕs message The Summary of the Spirit probably because a ÒGrab Bag of Topics Related to the Holy SpiritÓ is not an appropriate title, so we are going with the THE SUMMARY OF THE SPIRIT.  We have got three blanks on your worksheet there and as we normally do, IÕll give you those now.   

Our first blank is THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN PRAYER.  The second blank is THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN ANOINTING.  Then the third blank is THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN THE FUTURE.

WeÕll start with THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN PRAYER.  I donÕt know if youÕve noticed but even if you are a mature follower of Jesus Christ, we sometimes donÕt always know how to pray as we ought.  Even if we have a degree of experience or years under our belt as Christians.  WeÕve all experienced this, IÕm sure.  Those feelings of uncertainty or doubt or even bewilderment, at times and we ask ourselves, or we find ourselves asking ÒLord, what is it you want me to pray?Ó It can be a struggle at times.  We can fall back into different patterns of prayer if we pray things like ÒCome Lord Jesus be our guest, let these gifts to us be blessed, AmenÓ or ÒMatthew, Mark, Luke, John, bless the bed that I lay on.Ó  Whatever your stock prayer is as you canÕt think of things to pray.  

Well, those struggles that we experience actually put us in good company.  Because we know that JesusÕ own disciples even struggled with prayer.  Luke 11:1, they came to Him and said, ÒLord, teach us to pray.Ó   So, what are we to do when we get into one of these ruts?  When we canÕt think of the words to pray?  Should we just stop praying?  Should we just throw our hands up?  Should we give up?  No definitely not.  ThatÕs not the solution.   Not when the Scriptures tell us in I Thessalonians 5:17 that we are to be praying without ceasing, we know the answer is not to quit.  Rather, when we find ourselves stunted in our prayers or stuck in our prayers when we find ourselves clouded in minds with our prayers or confused about what to say in our prayers.  When we donÕt know what to pray for or how to ask for what it is weÕre praying for.   Remember that as a follower of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit.  We are not only as followers of Christ, those who have been spared the realities of eternal death, what we looked at this morning.  We not only have the present-day confident hope of eternal life, but we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  

One of the Holy SpiritÕs titles as weÕve seen in our study this summer, is HeÕs our ÒHelper.Ó He is the Helper.  HeÕs always there to help.   Consider these words, part of what weÕve read from this evening.  Jesus here says in the upper room, John 14:16-17, ÒAnd I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate [paraclete; Helper], that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him.  You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.Ó  So, the Holy Spirit is our helper. 

One of the ways that the Holy Spirit ÒhelpsÓ Believers is in our prayers; -the Spirit helps us in our prayers in at least two ways.  First, He guides and directs our prayers, so that we bring to God those prayers which are in alignment with His will.  Ephesians 6:18,19, says  we are to be Ò praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, as well as on my behalf, (says Paul) that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.Ó This refers to the SpiritÕs guidance of the believerÕs heart and mind as he prays.  ItÕs the Spirit application time who brings Scripture to mind as we pray.  ItÕs the Spirit who brings people to mind, specific situations to mind as we pray.  ItÕs the Spirit who brings issues going on the world or in other peopleÕs lives as we pray.  It is through the SpiritÕs guidance and assistance that He enables us to pray effectively.  Jude 20-21 ÒBut you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.Ó 

So, one way that the Holy Spirit ministers to Believers through prayer is this way, by guiding us as we pray.  The other way that He ministers to us in the realm of prayer is by praying through us with Ògroanings too deep for words.Ó We see this in Romans 8:26, ÒAnd in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.Ó The need is articulated here and that need is, we need help because we are weak.  He helps us because of our ÒweaknessÓ it says.  That word weakness is singular.  So, the Spirit helps our entire Òweakness.Ó But especially that ÒweaknessÓ that ties into our weakness in prayer and especially as it relates to not knowing what to pray in a specific moment.  So, the Spirit ÒhelpsÓ us.  He ÒhelpsÓ our weakness.  Specifically in prayer.  That word ÒhelpsÓ there at the very top of the verse means He Òputs His hand to the work in cooperation with us.Ó ThatÕs the idea here.  He puts his hand in the mix with us.  He helps us and He helps us in this form here of Ògroanings too deep for words.Ó 

ThatÕs telling us that as we pray the Holy Spirit, our Helper, actually prays with us in some sort of inaudible, unutterable form of expression.  Now some have taken that to mean that He is somehow unscrambling our otherwise indecipherable prayers.  The text actually doesnÕt say that.  All that itÕs saying is that the Spirit intercedes for us, and that He does so with ÒgroaningsÓ it says.  The meaning of which, as humans, weÕre unable to grasp.  How the Holy Spirit does this or what these ÒgroaningsÓ sound like or whether these groanings have any audible sense at all, it doesnÕt say.   

What is said is what the text tells us, which is that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  He prays for us and, of course, His ministry of intercession is always effective because HeÕs God.  He shares the divine essence with God the Father and God the Son.  He always prays as he prays with us and for us according to the perfect divine will of God.  Romans 8:27, Òand He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.Ó His intercession, His prayers always in alignment with the will of God.  Because itÕs an alignment of the will of God, itÕs always effective.  And that ties in with the truth that when we ask anything according to GodÕs will, we know that He hears us, and we know that He has granted the things we ask.  ThatÕs I John 5:14-15, ÒAnd this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.Ó So big picture summary of this first heading here is that the Holy Spirit guides us in our prayers and He Himself intercedes for us.  He guides us, He intercedes for us.   

That takes us now to our second point this evening.  THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN ANOINTING.  Now you see that word as I initially see that word and we might be tempted to freak out.  That word ÒanointedÓ has been a word that historically, especially more recent generations or decades has been linked to the Pentecostal and charismatic groups that we talked about last Sunday night.  So, we see that word anointing and we get a little nervous because thereÕs a lot of wild teaching out there that goes under the banner of so-called Òanointing of the Holy Spirit.Ó 

Well, we donÕt need to stay away from the word ÒanointingÓ just because itÕs folks like the New Apostolic Reformation have hijacked the term or stolen the term.  We donÕt need to run away from the word anointing just because itÕs been abused by those who have little or no regard for the Word of God?  This is a Biblical term and what we need to do is flesh it out Biblically.  We are going to trace out a Biblically theology of anointing.  But these are the two passages that weÕll eventually come back to, and weÕll have to grapple with to understand what it is theyÕre saying.  I John 2:20, ÒBut you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.Ó Then the other one comes seven verses later. I John 2:27, ÒAnd as for you, the anointing whom you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you.Ó 

So again, weÕll get to those two passages in just a moment.  But I do want us to take a little bit of a side trail into what the Bible teaches elsewhere, both in the Old and New Testaments about Òanointing.Ó  WeÕre going to do some slew thing as we look at the Old and New Testament passages in the topic of anointing.  What does the Bible teach about anointing?  

Big picture, the Bible has all sorts of teachings about anointing and there are many different categories of anointing in both the Old and the New Testaments.  The word anointing can have a secular sense or a religious sense.  Sometimes anointing is done by God.  Sometimes anointing is done by man.  Sometimes anointing is done by people.  Sometimes itÕs done to inanimate objects.  But the word ÒanointÓ in the Old Testament has a pretty simple and straightforward meaning.  The word anoint simply means to smear, to grease, to pour on or to rub into.  ThatÕs what it means to anoint.  

Of course, we go right to the fact that Jesus is the anointed One, our Savior is the Messiah, HeÕs the Christos, the Anointed One.  We instinctually almost, when we see that word anoint, we link it to Him.  But that would be in some ways anachronistic, youÕre reading back into the Old Testament what we know from the New like we have to with any form of theology, we have to trace it carefully from the Old and make our way to the New.  Lexically or semantically that word ÒanointÓ again just means to smear, to pour oil onto, to rub oil into, to grease.  

Anointing was a pretty common ancient practice.  Not only among ancient Jews both before and after Christ, but among various different ancient people groups.  There were a bunch of different reasons that one would anoint.  In fact, one of the reasons for anointing was to keep oneÕs skin soft in a very dry arid climate.  

Another reason for anointing, and this is going to probably ruin our conception of anointing forever but anointing in a climate in the time and a culture where they didnÕt have running water and they werenÕt taking baths and showers all that often, anointing could serve as a perfume.  It could mask natural body odors.  And you see that sense of the term in places like Ruth. Ruth 3:3, ÒSo you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and you shall go down to the threshing floor.Ó There is no significant religious meaning here.  She was to go freshen up before she went down to the threshing floor.  

ThatÕs also the sense in II Samuel 12:20, ÒDavid arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of Yahweh and worshiped.Ó The same idea was carried over to the New Testament, where Jesus youÕll recall, instructs His followers not to make a show of the ÒanointingÓ that they participated in like the hypocrites did.  Matthew 6:17-18, ÒBut you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.Ó 

The ones we looked at so far are all people being anointed.  As I mentioned earlier itÕs not only people who are anointed in Scriptures, inanimate objects are as well.  For instance, in the days of the patriarchs, stone pillars were anointed.  Genesis 28:18, ÒSo Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.Ó ThatÕs the anointing idea.  Genesis 35:14, ÒAnd Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.Ó ThatÕs the anointing concept. 

Then the tabernacle.  We go to the Old Testament original house of worship.  The tabernacle and its furnishings were anointed, setting them apart for sacred use.  Exodus 30:23-25, ÒBut as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.  And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.Ó 

Then there were various different people who were engaged in holy work in Israel who also were anointed.  Like Aaron and his sons. Exodus 30:30-32, ÒAnd you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me.  And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ÔThis shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.  It shall not be poured on anyoneÕs body, nor shall you make any like it in the same specifications; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.ÕÓ Later, prophets were anointed.  I Kings 19:15-16, ÒAnd Yahweh said to him, ÒGo, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you will arrive and anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.Ó  So, prophets were anointed. 

Even kings were anointed in Israel by pouring oil on their heads. I Samuel 10:1, ÒThen Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his [SaulÕs] head, kissed him, and said, ÔHas not Yahweh anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?ÕÓ This was a ceremonial act by which kings were formally set apart for their office as a representative of God in the theocratic kingdom.  

Here's another one.  This would be Saul here. I Samuel 12:3, ÒHere I am; bear witness against me before Yahweh and His anointed.Ó I Samuel 12:5, ÒSo he said to them, ÔYahweh is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my handÕ.Ó The point is the kings as well were anointed.  ThatÕs why they would call themselves the LordÕs anointed.  

Then we get over to the New Testament and we see that apostles, the set-apart ones, were also Òanointed.Ó II Corinthians 1:21-22, ÒNow He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us (Paul says of the other apostles) is God, who also sealed us and gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.Ó

Then thereÕs, of course, Jesus, the ÒAnointed One,Ó the Messiah.  It was spoken prophetically of him that hundreds of years before His coming as the Messiah, that He would be anointed by the Spirit for His ministry.  ThatÕs Isaiah 61:1, ÒThe Spirit of Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted.Ó 

Jesus plainly fulfilled this prophecy as we see in these next few passages. Acts 4:27, ÒFor truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.Ó Acts 10:38, ÒYou know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.Ó Hebrews 1:9, ÒYOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU.Ó 

Then, after Jesus ascended to heaven and took His seat at the right hand of God the Father. During the age of the apostles, ÒanointingÓ was still happening and it was happening, specifically, with oil.  Mark 6:13, ÒThey were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.Ó And this one, James 5:14, ÒIs anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.Ó

That backs us all the way into the first two passages I mentioned to you earlier.  I John 2:20 and I John 2:27, which make clear that Believers today, Believers in the Church Age, are anointed.  Now admittedly, neither of these passages says specifically that it is the Holy Spirit who anoints us.  Now verse 20 says that we have an anointing from the Holy One; then we get to verse 27 again and thereÕs this connection thatÕs made between anointing and being anointed by one who teaches us. ÒYou have no need for anyone to teach you.  But as His anointing teaches you about all things.Ó

That link to the teaching ministry of whoever it is thatÕs being referred to here, suggests, I think, that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit.  Why?  Because of what Jesus Himself said would be one of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit when he sent the Spirit after His ascension, remember the words in John 16:13, Òwhen He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.Ó That is a statement, a representation of the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and the Holy Spirit ÒanointsÓ us.  ThatÕs the link that IÕm making this evening between the teaching ministry of the Spirit and the Holy One, the Anointing One being the Spirit here in I John 2.  

So how does the Holy Spirit anoint the believer in the I John 2:20 or I John 2:27 sense.  Are we anointed with oil today in the Church Age.  No thatÕs not whatÕs being referred to here.  This appears to be instead a reference to the truth that weÕve been studying the last few weeks that the Holy Spirit indwells all Christians.  The anointing that we receive from the Holy Spirit in other words is a reference to the fact the spirit indwells us as Believers.  How I get to that conclusion stems from this language here in verse 27.  Where again it says, it speaks of this anointing Òwhom who received from Him.Ó 

Now that expression. ÒThe anointing whom you received from Him.Ó  That is in what youÕve heard me, and others say is the aorist tense in Greek.  The aorist tense specifically refers to something that happens in an instant, at a specific point in time in history.  So, whatever ÒanointingÓ that we have received, as Believers, happened in an instant in a specific point in time, at a fixed point in time.  ThatÕs what the aorist tense here is saying here when it says, the anointing whom you received.   And then, verse 27 reading on says, there is something about the words Òabiding in you.Ó  From Him who abides in you.  Now, those words are in the present tense.  Him who abides in you and thereÕs a distinction between the aorist tense and the present tense.  The present tense in Greek is referring to something that is ongoing.  Something happened at one time in the past, this is saying, and something is still happening in you today, and itÕs all part of one package.  

Meaning, whatever this ÒanointingÓ is here in verse 27, whatever ÒanointingÓ it is, we as Believers have received, is something both that happened to us in our past and itÕs something that continues on in us, meaning that it doesnÕt come and go from us.  It doesnÕt depart us.  It doesnÕt leave us.  We donÕt need more of it.  We donÕt have less of it ever.  It permanently rests with us.

As I put the pieces together and as I think of all weÕve studied all summer long in this study of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit that best fits this description of being anointed with the Spirit is the indwelling of the Spirit.  Think about it.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer happened at a fixed point in time.  It happened in an instant, historically at one moment at the moment that we were converted.  Yet His indwelling presence in us, is ongoing, it continues.  The Holy Spirit doesnÕt come and go.  The Holy Spirit wonÕt depart from us.  Rather, having been anointed by the Spirit, having been baptized with the Spirit, weÕre now permanently indwelt with the Spirit.  ThatÕs, I believe, what this word anointed or anointing means in these two passages I John.  Anointing is something every believer has by virtue of having been saved by God, and by virtue of now having His indwelling Spirit. 

So, weÕve covered the first two headings or points in your worksheet.  WeÕve looked at The Holy SpiritÕs Ministry in Prayer.  Now weÕve just looked at The Holy SpiritÕs Ministry in Anointing.  To close us out weÕre now going to spend some time looking at THE HOLY SPIRITÕS MINISTRY IN THE FUTURE.  A few of you have asked me when we will get to the role of the Holy Spirit in the future. IÕve promised several of you weÕll get there, at the end and here we are.  YouÕve asked great questions like will there be an indwelling of the Spirit in the Tribulation?  Will we be baptized with the Spirit in the millennium?  And other questions like that.  So here we go.   

Now I do want to say before we begin this in depth, relatively speaking, there isnÕt a ton of Biblical data to go from on this.  ThereÕs less than you might think.  So, some of what weÕre going to do here tonight is really piece some conclusions together by way frankly of deduction and inference from what we actually do see on other pages of Scripture. 

To get us going here, I just want to give us some simple reminders to sort of level the playing field about future realities in general.  For instance, letÕs be reminded that between the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 and the coming day of the Rapture when the Lord comes for the church, that period between Acts 2 and the Rapture is the ÒChurch Age.Ó ThatÕs what we are living in today, the Church Age.  And for just about all of the ministries of the Spirit that weÕve been studying this summer, the Scriptures which weÕve gone through in these slides, all have been speaking almost uniformly with a voice toward the time that we live in today, the Church Age.  ItÕs been assumed as weÕve been going through this study up to this point that what we are looking at is what the Spirit does and how the Spirit ministers and how the Spirit functions right now, to Spirit indwelt followers of Christ today, in the Church Age.  ThatÕs been the assumption so far. 

Well, when we look at the overall sweep of history, the church has a unique place in the overall timeline of history.  ItÕs not just the church.  There are more things that will happen in the future.  The church hasnÕt always existed, and the church will reach a terminus, an end point, meaning, a point is coming in the future when the Lord will stop adding to the church.  

LetÕs work through some of that a bit.  Jesus announced of course in Matthew 16:18, and he was speaking in a yet future sense here.  He was saying here that He would build His church. ÒAnd I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.Ó  Christ here was revealing that He was unveiling a new program.  When Jesus said these words, there was no church in existence.  There was no ÒchurchÓ before this.  There was no ÒchurchÓ in Israel.  The idea of the Òchurch,Ó at this point in history, at this point in our LordÕs ministry was entirely future. 

Again, the church era began on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit fell on the Believers there and as they heard and responded to PeterÕs famous sermon.  The church, the Body of Christ, consists of saved Jews and saved Gentiles, made part of one body through the baptism of the Spirit. I Corinthians 12:13, ÒFor also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.Ó

The foundation of the church we know is the death, and resurrection, and ascension of Christ.  Matthew 16:21, ÒFrom that time (this is after He says I will build my church) Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.Ó Now we know that He was crucified, and He was raised, and He did ascend and from his ascended position, He sent His Spirit.  And as weÕve seen through our study this summer, whenever a sinner in the Church Age believes in Jesus Christ for Salvation, he is immediately baptized in the Spirit and placed into the Body of Christ.  ThatÕs what we see today.  ThatÕs whatÕs happening today in the Church Age. 

But again, the Church Age will not last forever.  The Church Age, rather, is a temporary program, an intermediate program.  Cne of the present-day tasks of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age is to complete the formation of the church.  And whatÕs going to happen is when that last sinner whom God has appointed before the foundation of the world, unto Salvation; when that last sinner is converted during the Church Age, when that last seat is filled on the bus, the Body of Christ at that point will be completed.  

That is going to usher in the next event which God has laid out for us in His Word, an event known as of course the Rapture.  ThatÕs when the Lord takes the assembled church to Himself.  Snatches us up to be with Him.  And that event of course is mentioned in I Thessalonians 4:15-17, ÒFor this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.Ó  So that is the Rapture. 

Now before I take us to the next event on the eschatological timeline, I want to talk us through another truth, related to the ministry of the Holy Spirit today, in the Church Age.  The ministry that the Holy Spirit performs today which is going to become relevant when we look at the next event on the timeline, is that the Holy Spirit restrains evil during our age, during this time on the calendar.  

We often talk about, I often talk about, and we often think about how evil and how wicked our times are, and they are.  But what we tend to give less attention to and we tend to give less thought to is that things arenÕt as evil and things arenÕt as wicked as they could be in the Church Age.  Things arenÕt as wicked today and things arenÕt as evil today as they will be in the coming day of Tribulation.  ItÕ will be much worse at that point.  

But for now, focusing solely on our times today.  Right now, in the Church Age, there is a certain restraint on evil and wickedness.  Think about the existence of godly people in this world.  ThatÕs a restraint on evil and wickedness in this world.  That comes out here in Matthew 5:13, ÒYou are the salt of the earth.Ó  Not only that but the existence of human government is a restraint on evil and wickedness in our day.  The fact that we have law enforcement is a restraint on evil and wickedness in our day.  Romans 13:1&4, ÒEvery person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.  But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.Ó 

Even the innate sense of morality that the unbeliever has is a restraint on evil in our age, in the Church Age.  Romans 2:14-15, ÒFor when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.Ó In other words, because people have the Law of God written on their hearts, they donÕt always act, even the unregenerate people, as wicked as they could.  Or as evil as they could.  

Of course, thereÕs the influence of the Scriptures which continue to have an impact on our world.  The Bible is still the best-selling book on planet and the fact that itÕs so readily available, even if itÕs not always read is a restraint on evil, of sorts. John 17:17, ÒSanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.Ó  We know that from the way that the Scriptures even impact and influence the laws of the nation.  

Back to our eschatological timeline.  WeÕve looked at the Church Age.  WeÕve looked at the Rapture.  What comes next?  Well, the Tribulation.  ThatÕs that seven-year period following the Rapture and preceding the Millennium which we see especially laid out for us in Revelation 6-19.  How is the Spirit going to work and function and minister during the Tribulation?  Well, there are a number of things to consider here including not only how the Spirit will minister to unbelievers in the Tribulation, but how the Spirit will minister to Believers who are known as ÒTribulation SaintsÓ during that time period. 

LetÕs start by laying out some basic truths about the Tribulation period itself before we get into how the Spirit will function then.  The Scriptures teach us that after the return of Christ for His church, after He snatches us out of the world, after the Rapture, this unprecedented period of trouble, a seven-year period, will come upon this earth.  The Scriptures teach us that during this seven-year period, thereÕs going to be this unprecedented display of sin and this unprecedented impartation of divine judgment on sin.  Bowls, trumpets, and the like and then at the end of the Tribulation, there will be this final battle, and Christ will return. The Millennium will follow, during which Christ will rule for 1,000 years sitting on DavidÕs throne in Jerusalem, ushering in a period of unprecedented peace and righteousness.  A period that was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets and then on into the eternal state.   WeÕll get to the Millennium in just a moment.  But I donÕt want to get ahead of ourselves. 

Back to the Tribulation.  We want to talk about the SpiritÕs role in the Tribulation.  So, the Rapture has happened.  The church has been taken out of the world.  What happens next?  Well, at that point the unbelievers in that generation, meaning those who were unbelievers at the time of the Rapture, those who are left behind on earth.  They will be left behind, but they also will be left behind with a strong conviction, especially those of Israel, that they got it all wrong and that Jesus indeed is the Savior and the Messiah. 

Now weÕre not going to get into every detail about how thatÕs all going to play out tonight about what happens during the Tribulation.  Remember our focus is on the ministry of the Holy Spirit during this specific period of time.   So, how will the Holy Spirit minister and function during the Tribulation?  Well, for starters we do know that while the Tribulation is going on, this will be a period that is marked by wickedness, a period that is marked by apostasy.  But at the same time, we also know that there will be Salvation during the Tribulation. 

There are passages like this one which point out the fact that Israel will not forever remain in its hardened state.  Romans 11:25 is telling us that there is a day coming where the blindness of Israel in some sense will be removed.  Romans 11:25, ÒFor I do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.Ó So, during the Tribulation some among Israel will finally turn to their long-promised Messiah.  We see that same truth in Zechariah 12:10, ÒAnd I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.Ó  So, there will be a turning of the some in Israel during the period of the Tribulation toward Christ, their long-rejected Messiah.  It wonÕt be only those of Israel who are converted during the Tribulation, there will be Gentile conversion, as well.  With the church having been Raptured out of the world, there will be some who were left behind.  Some who during the Tribulation, eventually put their faith in Christ.  We see that in Revelation 7:9-10, ÒAfter these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ÔSalvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.ÕÓ 

While in the big picture sense, the Tribulation is characterized by wickedness and apostasy and evil.  There will also be Salvation happening during this period.  We know that there will be some who survive the horrors of the Tribulation and make it into the Millennium.  We know that theyÕre such a category of people known as Tribulation martyrs.  Those who are slain for the faith that they have in the Tribulation.  What those data points tell us is that there will be Believers in the Tribulation.  There will be those who become Believers in the Tribulation. 

ThatÕs because there will be Salvation in the Tribulation, and because thereÕs Salvation in the Tribulation that necessarily means that the Holy Spirit will be involved.  That the Holy Spirit will be ministering during the Tribulation.  Why can I say that?  That the Holy Spirit will be ministering?  Well as weÕve seen all summer, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts.   It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates.  It is the Holy Spirit who indwells.  ThatÕs the order He follows in the Church Age and thereÕs no reason to believe He wonÕt follow the same order in the coming Tribulation period.  Unbelievers during that time will still in their flesh be blind spiritually.   TheyÕll still have spiritually darkened hearts.  Unbelievers during that time, the Tribulation, will totally be unable to Òfind their way to GodÓ in their flesh.  They will need the Holy Spirit to convict them and to draw them, just like unbelievers do today.  Walvoord here notes, ÒThe ministry of the Holy Spirit is especially needed in the spiritual darkness which will characterize the Tribulation period.Ó 

In other words, the Holy Spirit will continue to work and convict during the Tribulation, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and even in this dark Tribulation era.  For those who believe, for those who become Believers during the Tribulation, they are what are known as Tribulation Saints.  They will receive eternal life and assuming they arenÕt martyred first, they will enter into the Millennial Kingdom. 

Now I do want to make one brief qualification.  The Holy Spirit will be ministering widely during the Tribulation period, even bringing about Salvation.  One thing I donÕt think the Holy Spirit will be doing during the Tribulation is baptizing people in the Spirit the way He does in the Church Age.  That goes back to what we said earlier that there really would be no purpose for baptism of the Spirit in the Tribulation period because the whole church has already formed as of the time of the Rapture.  There is no church to add to by the time of the Tribulation.   

Now, though there will be Salvation in the Tribulation, and though there will be Believers in the Tribulation, we shouldnÕt mistake those truths for the Tribulation somehow being a walk in the park.  We know thatÕs not the case when we get to Revelation 6 in our study on Sunday evenings.  WeÕll see that Revelation is the opposite of a walk in the park for Believers, unbelievers or in general.   It will be anything but that. 

One of the reasons for the Tribulation, being as wicked and evil as it will be, ties into the subject of our study this evening about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the future.  That reason being the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age where we are today, will in the Tribulation period be taken away.  It will be no more.  

ThatÕs what I think is being described here in II Thessalonians 2:6-7 where it says ÒAnd you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.Ó Now the one who is described here as the ÒrestrainerÓ in that second clause there, in the Church Age, is also going to be the one who is Òtaken out of the wayÓ in the Tribulation.  We know that from the next few verses. II Thessalonians 2:8-10, ÒAnd then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus WILL SLAY WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.Ó 

This is a huge topic.  WeÕll get into this more when we get deeper into Revelation and specifically in the period of the Tribulation.  But some have argued that the ÒrestrainerÓ of II Thessalonians 2:7, the One who is taken out of the way during the Tribulation is the Roman Empire during the time that Paul lived.  Or some have argued that the restrainer thatÕs taken away is human government or itÕs the law, or itÕs the church and some have even argued that itÕs Satan who is taken out of the way.  

I take the view that the restrainer, the one who is restraining during the Church Age but who will be taken out of the way in the Tribulation, is the Holy Spirit.  I arrive at that conclusion for a few reasons.  One reason is that itÕs a Person who is in view in II Thessalonians 2:7, It says, Òonly he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.Ó So, a person is in view and I think that would eliminate the options of human government or law or the church.  

Another reason I think this is a reference in verse 7 to the Holy Spirit is that the Person whoÕs mentioned there would have to be a divine Person, a member of the Godhead, one who is stronger than the Òlawless oneÓ who is mentioned in verse 8, the man of sin, one who is stronger than Satan, who is the one who energizes the Òlawless one.Ó  This I think, would eliminate Satan as being the one who is Òthe restrainer,Ó the one who is taken out of the way.  

Then thereÕs just this dichotomy that weÕve already looked at this evening, how the Holy Spirit is the One who is presently restraining evil in this age.  We see that the Tribulation is going to be marked so profoundly by wickedness and evil in that time, which leads to the conclusion I think naturally that the presence of the Holy Spirit the restrainer in this age, gives us some semblance of peace today.  But it will be the absence of that person, that Holy Spirit as He is taken out of the way which will lead, in part, to the awful conditions of the Tribulation.  Those are some of the reasons why I believe the Holy Spirit best fits the context of the one who is right now the restrainer and the one who will be one day taken away during the Tribulation, as he relaxes his restraint during that time allowing the Òlawless oneÓ to fulfill his prophetic role with Satan behind him bringing things to their  ultimate conclusion. 

Now that being said, the fact that the Holy Spirit is Òtaken out of the wayÓ during the Tribulation, does not mean that He will be removed from the earth entirely during this time. We must think carefully and Biblically and theologically about some of these matters.  It would be impossible to say that the Holy Spirit is entirely taken away because the Holy Spirit as God is omnipresent.  ThereÕs no way that the Holy Spirit can ever not be in one place at one time.  Rather when we say that the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way, weÕre speaking to the fact that He will withdraw the restraint on evil that He places over the world in the current Church Age.  Not that heÕs disappearing from the stage or the scene entirely.  


We have considered some of what we know about the Holy SpiritÕs role in the Tribulation. We know at the conclusion of the Tribulation, Christ will return; thatÕs detailed for us at the end of Revelation chapter 19.  With ChristÕs return will come the ushering in of His Millennial Kingdom.  ThatÕs the next item, next calendar entry in His futuristic program.  

We know that the kingdom, the Millennial Kingdom, be a special time.  ItÕll be during this time that the fullness of the Spirit will rest upon Christ.  We see that in Isaiah 11:2, ÒThe Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.Ó The fact that the Spirit is resting upon Christ during the Millennial Kingdom, is going to be shown by His victorious, righteous rule over all the earth.  He will rule in the millennium over the entire earth in righteousness.  And we know weÕre going to rule and weÕre going to reign with Him.  Every nation will acknowledge Him.  The knowledge of the Lord will be from sea to sea.  Satan will be bound during this time.  There wonÕt be that normal sense of conflict that the spiritual forces of darkness that we have in this age.  It will be a time of peace with the lion lying down next to the lamb and the child playing over the hole of the cobra.  It will be a time of prolonged life with a hundred-year lifespan being considered a ÒshortÓ life at that point.  It will be a time of tremendous blessing. 

Now from what we see in Scripture when the Millennium begins, those who enter into it will be saved.  Those who go from the Tribulation into the Millennium will be saved.  But then, remember itÕs Millennium so itÕs a 1,000-year period, children will be born in the Millennium and just like their parents, just like children in our age, in the Church Age, donÕt ride the coattails of their parentsÕ faith; youÕre not a Christian just because mom and dad are a Christian.  It will be the same in the Millennium.  Children will not be able to ride the coattails of mom or dadÕs faith.  Instead, future generations in the Millennium will need Salvation. 

The testimony of Scripture is that many will receive Salvation in that period.  That will start with Israel.  TheyÕll receive Salvation and fulfillment of the new covenant promises that God made to them, back in places like Jeremiah 31:31-34, ÒBehold, days are coming,Õ declares Yahweh, Ôwhen I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, but I was a husband to them,Õ declares Yahweh.  But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,Ó declares Yahweh: ÒI will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ÔKnow Yahweh,Õ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,Ó declares Yahweh, Òfor I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.ÕÓ  This is the New Covenant promise made back in the days of Jeremiah fulfilled during the time of the Millenium.   

We see these Salvation blessings of the New Covenant coming to fruition for certain people of Israel during this time period in other places too.  Note all of these and the link to the SpiritÕs work in Salvation during this time frame.  Ezekiel 36:25-28, ÒThen I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments.  And you will inhabit the land that I gave to your fathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.Ó Ezekiel 37:14, ÒAnd I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land.  Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and done it, declares Yahweh.Ó Ezekiel 39:29, ÒAnd I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,Õ declares Lord Yahweh.Ó 

Isaiah 32:13-17, ÒFor the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up, indeed, against all the joyful houses and the exultant city.  Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken.  Hill and watchtower have become caves forever, a joy for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks, until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful orchard, and the fruitful orchard is counted as a forest.  Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will live in the fruitful orchard.  And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and security forever.Ó Isaiah 44:3, ÒFor I will pour out water on the thirsty ground and streams on the dry land; I will pour out My Spirit on your seed and My blessing on your offspring.Ó Last one, Isaiah 59:21, ÒAs for Me, this is My covenant with them,Ó says Yahweh ÒMy Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, nor from the mouth of your seedÕs seed,Ó says Yahweh, Ôfrom now and foreverÕ.Ó 

There is ample evidence, in other words, that the Holy Spirit will play a part in Salvation in the Millennium, just as He plays a part in Salvation in the Church Age.  Just as He will play a part in Salvation in the Tribulation.  And we also see that this work of Salvation in this era will extend to all mankind.  So, itÕs Israel yes, but it will go beyond that.  Joel 2:28-29, ÒAnd it will be afterwards that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men will dream dreams; your young men will see visions.  Even on the male slaves and female slaves I will in those days pour out My Spirit.Ó 

So, Christ will be ruling in peace and righteousness in this time frame of the Millennium.  The Spirit of God will be resting upon Him, Isaiah 11.  The Spirit of God will be turning the hearts of children born during this time to the living God.  Now, what role will the Spirit play in BelieversÕ lives.  So once somebody is converted or is already converted during the Millennium, how will the Spirit minister to them?  WeÕre not told.  WeÕre not told specifically but we could reasonably surmise, that with Christ ruling personally and righteously during the Millennium, in His glorified state, this era is going to be marked by Spirit-filled activity and behavior. 

Unlike our age, the Church Age where weÕre looking future to ChristÕs coming kingdom and where we can get in spiritual ruts and we can get spiritually apathetic, and we can get spiritually cold.  During His Millennial reign, thereÕs not going to be apathy in Believers when HeÕs right there.  ThereÕs going to be zeal.  There wonÕt be coldness in Believers.  There, instead, will be spiritual affection and devotion.  There wonÕt be divisions among Believers.  Instead, thereÕs going to be loving joyful fellowship with the King present.  There will be true joy in the Spirit.   

The Spirit will bring about Salvation during the Millennium.  TheyÕll bring about joy and peace and unity during the Millennium.  After that as the Millennium draws to a close, we know as we keep reading Revelation progressively, thereÕll be another outbreak of sin and rebellion.  This is at the end of Revelation chapter 20.  ItÕll be ChristÕs final battle with and defeat of Satan.  Then in Revelation 21 and 22, we are given this look-in to what will follow with the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth and the coming or the ushering in of the eternal state. 

So, weÕve studied how the Holy Spirit will minister in the future during the Tribulation.  WeÕve studied very briefly how the Holy Spirit will minister during the Millennium.  Now we close with the question, how will the Spirit minister during the Eternal State?  I donÕt know that we have any more to go on than this.  ChristÕs words, we have read them many times this summer, but I think that this is fine, because it speaks with great simplicity and great clarity.  HeÕs speaking in the Upper Room here.  But I think this extends to all the way to the eternal state.  John 14:16, ÒI will ask the Father, (He says to His disciples) and He will give you another Advocate, that He may be with you forever.Ó  What does ÒforeverÓ mean there?  I take forever to mean Òforever.Ó  Meaning it goes He is with His followers or Christ followers from this time when these words were given in the Upper Room, to the Church Age, to the Rapture, to the Tribulation, to the Millennium, to the eternal state.  

ThatÕs it.  ThatÕs THE SUMMARY OF THE SPIRIT and that will conclude our ten-week summerlong study of Pneumatology.  Next summer Lord willing, weÕll get into Anthropology, the study of, the BibleÕs teachings on the doctrine of man.  Until then ÒThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.Ó II Corinthians 13:1. LetÕs pray.  

Father, thank you so much for a chance this summer to study Your Holy Spirit.  I know it has been at times like a firehose just pouring forth from this pulpit, but I do pray that we would be encouraged by what we have learned this summer.  That we would be reminded that as followers of Jesus Christ, we have eternal hope, we have eternal joy, we have eternal security, and we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  The One who has indwelt us, the One how has baptized us, the One who has sealed us, the One who progressively fills us, and the One who is molding us into the image of our Savior.  May we as we come away from this study, not lose sight of that truth, that the Holy Spirit continually points to Jesus Christ.  And the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believers continually molds us into the image of Jesus Christ.  May we not divorce the ministry of the Spirit from the ministry of Christ, as one God in three Persons, they operate together in unison.  Thank you for this time this summer.  Thank you for this study.  May it equip us and ready us for our eternal hope with You.  ItÕs in Jesus name we pray, Amen.