05.00. The Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost. His Coming. His Personality. His Activities.

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." John 16:26. By J. T. Mawson.

It is important to see that the coming of the Lord Jesus into this world introduced an entirely new era in the ways of God with men, and that this new era is marked by the presence of the Holy Ghost in a way that was never known before. In Old Testament days the Spirit of God visited the earth and energized men for certain great exploits, or moved them to write the Holy Scriptures, but He never dwelt here as He does now. John 7:39 will be sufficient to prove this.

"But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified."

Mark what is here stated. Believers on Jesus were to receive the Spirit; but for this they had to wait until Jesus was glorified, and He could not be glorified until His death and resurrection were accomplished. The order of events was as follows:

1. The Incarnation of the Eternal Word, the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14; John 1:18), for the declaration of what God is.

2. The death of Jesus, by which the love of God has been fully revealed and sinners redeemed (1 John 4:9-10).

3. The resurrection of Jesus, the signal proof of the completeness of the work of redemption and God’s seal upon that work.

4. His ascension to the right hand of God; the undeniable evidence of God’s perfect delight in Him and in the work that He had finished.

5. The descent of the Holy Ghost; to gather men out of this world and unite them to Christ, so that He may have His church for Himself and reap the full harvest of His travail and death. The two great facts of this present period are that the MAN CHRIST JESUS sits on the throne of God in heaven, and that GOD THE HOLY GHOST dwells in men on the earth.