SPECIAL PENTECOST ISSUE

BIBLE STUDY
PENTECOST
AND THE
HOLY SPIRIT
See page 8

Vol. 1 No. 5 May-June 2008

Pentecost:
Just What IS It?
Where’s
the Power
Pentecost is NOT a “Jewish” feast
day! It doesn’t belong to the Jews,
but DOES belong to God!
Pentecost is a feast day that God
COMMANDS Israel to keep
forever!
And the Biblical nation of Israel is
made up of TWELVE tribes, not
in the
just the tribe of Judah! ALL the
tribes of Israel are COMMANDED
to observe Pentecost!

Leviticus tells us that all the special

Church?
days listed in Leviticus 23 are
GOD’S FEAST DAYS!!! Let us look
at it now. J esus told his first followers, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit

Lev. 23:1 "And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, Concerning
the feasts of the LORD, which ye
shall proclaim to be holy
convocations, even these are MY
feasts.”
Then God's seven feast days
(Sabbaths) are listed and
instructions are given about HOW to
observe them. People CAN'T make
up their own minds about how to
worship God on these days
because He COMMANDS them to
worship Him in certain ways. Of
course, the way God wants us to
keep them also gives us a lot of
(Continued on page 4)
comes to you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NIV). As the original apostles went out into the
world, the manifested power of God was clearly present. The Book of Acts makes it
obvious that Jesus’ witnesses were supernaturally supported. People were healed (Acts
3:1-8), raised from the dead (Acts 10:40-41), delivered of demons (Acts 16:18), visited
by angels (Acts 5:19), and otherwise helped by the power of the Holy Spirit and the
intervention of God’s angels. Luke wrote, “Everyone was filled with awe, and many
wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:43).
Even deacons preached the Gospel and performed miracles (Acts 6:8; 8:26-40).
When people were baptized, they often rose out of the baptismal waters speaking in
languages they had not learned (Acts 10:44-46; 19:6). People were sometimes healed of
diseases and delivered of demons simply by receiving anointed cloths sent out from the
person of Paul (Acts 19:11). For a further discussion of the miracles, supernatural
happenings, healings and deliverances of the Apostolic Church, read the rest of the
Book of Acts. The Church of that day operated in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul was fully aware of the power that was at his disposal as one of
God’s apostles. He wrote to the Corinthians: “My message and my preaching were not
with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that
your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (I Corinthians 2:4-5).
(Continued on page 2)

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Paul did not view himself as a great orator or “speaker” – but
the words that he delivered were empowered by the Spirit of
God. When Paul spoke, spiritual things often happened.
In his second letter to the same congregation, Paul
wrote: “The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonders and
miracles – were done among you with great perseverance” (II
Corinthians 12:12). Paul was comparing the power of his own
ministry with that of the so-called “super-apostles” who were
falsely claiming to represent Christ (verse 11). On the human
level, Paul viewed himself as “nothing.” But he performed his
apostolic duties in the power of God, not merely with human
words and arguments. To those who observed him closely, it
was evident that God was with him – as He was with the other
apostles.
At the same time, the performance of miracles brought
persecution from those who were threatened by them. The
demonic world was stirred up. Those against whose interests
the apostolic “traveling salvation show” worked were aroused
to anger. According to tradition, all of the original apostles,
and Paul, were murdered at the hands of those who opposed
them. Despite the clear, miraculous evidence that God was
with them, the apostles were abused and hated. Paul needed
the supernatural power of God to endure the horrendous
persecutions that he suffered throughout his apostolic journeys
(II Corinthians 11:22-29).
The plight of the apostles is described in Paul’s first
letter to the Corinthians: “For it seems to me that God has put
us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men
condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle
to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools
for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! [A little sarcasm
there] We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we
are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,
we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We
work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless;
when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered,
we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the
scum of the earth, the refuse of the world” (I Corinthians 4:9-
13).
With the power went poverty and persecution. Paul and
the other apostles did not sit atop small mountains of tithe
monies, for they knew they were not entitled to claim them.
Rather, “We work hard with our own hands.” They were
cursed, slandered and persecuted. Yet they performed
miracles. Their own survival was miraculously sustained until
it was God’s time to add them to the long list of his martyrs.
Power often comes with a painful price tag. Simon
Magus sought the power of God, but for the wrong reasons
(Acts 8:18 – 19). He was willing to pay money for it. Peter,
with righteous indignation, responded to Simon, “May your
money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the
gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this
ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of
this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive
you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you
are full of bitterness and captive to sin” (Acts 8:20-23).
Needed: A Right Heart
To be empowered by the Spirit of God as were the original
apostles, we must first acquire a right heart. If it is in our heart
to exalt ourselves, as it was in Simon’s, we will receive
nothing. God is not supportive of cults of personality in which
the focus of attention is on some humanly charismatic leader
who claims to represent God. The purpose of ministry is to
glorify God, not man. Peter understood this: “If anyone speaks
he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If
anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
(I Peter 4:11).
Peter, Paul and the other apostles drew attention to
God, not to themselves. They were Christ-centered (I
Corinthians 2:2; Philippians 1:21).
To be empowered by God, we must demonstrate a
selfless attitude of service, a spirit of humility, and a
willingness to glorify God rather than ourselves. We must also
be willing to live a godly life: “This is how to know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are:
Anyone who does not do right is not a child of God; nor is
anyone who does not love his brother” (I John 3:10). To “do
right,” in this context, is to love one’s brothers and sisters in
the Lord. John went on to say, “Anyone who hates his brother
is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
in him” (I John 3:15).
The most fundamental, foundational commandment
Jesus gave his people is that they should love one another
(John 13:34-35). Our love for each other is a sign to the world
that we are truly Jesus’ disciples. Yet how much such love do
we see in the Church? Sadly, as the Churches of God Pod
continues to fragment, we see more divorces, separations,
alienations, markings and disfellowshippings, and related
nonsense. We note the continuing development of “Us/Them”
scenarios. You can study the whole history of the Church from
apostolic times to the present, and you’ll discover it is a story
of endless fragmentation, dissension, bickering, political
polarization, doctrinal arguments, division, reorganization, and
enmity. We find Christians burning other Christians at the
stake, torturing them, confiscating their property, defaming
them, and driving them from pillar to post. We see bloody
Crusades, demonic Inquisitions, imprisonments, burnings and
lynchings, not to mention forced conversions.
The Churches of God Pod is a minor waterspout on the
periphery of this ecclesiastical Perfect Storm. Yet it illustrates
in microcosm a lot of what is wrong with the larger Church.
The Church is a house divided against itself. It is divided
doctrinally, politically, structurally, philosophically, and in
leadership. Worst of all, it is divided by a lack of love.
Sometimes Christians hate other Christians more than they do
the unconverted that persecute them.
God gives his Spirit to those who are willing to obey
him (Acts 5:32). To obey him is to love – to live rightly in
relationship to one’s brethren. On one occasion, Jesus said to
his disciples: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not
what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
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 If we want to be empowered by the Spirit of God as
were the original apostles, we are going to have to obey our
Lord and learn to love one another as brethren. We will have to
follow Paul’s instruction to the Corinthian congregation when
he wrote, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual
gifts, especially the gift of prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:1).
Embarking on a journey of love is the beginning of
empowerment. Jesus healed out of a motive of compassion and
love. He was moved by the plight of the sick, the demonized
and the disenfranchised. He responded in love and God
empowered his words of healing and deliverance. In every
selfless move Jesus made, God was glorified. Jesus was
humble, yielded, and pliable putty in the hands of his Father.
Because he was empty of self, he could be filled with Spirit.
There was plenty of room!
We don’t have to have perfect knowledge or
understand all doctrine. We may well take to our graves
seemingly insolvable doctrinal issues. But because we know
imperfectly does not mean that God will deny us his Spirit.
Wigglesworth’s Example
From 1859 to 1947, there lived in England a most unusual
Christian man. His name was Smith Wigglesworth.
Wigglesworth was a sturdy, but illiterate, Yorkshireman,
without formal education. He was converted to Christ as a boy,
yet he was unable to read the Scriptures for himself. His
speaking style was almost unintelligible, as was his mother’s.
At a young age, Wigglesworth began working 12 hours
a day to help out his family. Eventually he became a plumber.
In his own awkward way, he tried to win people, including his
mother, to Christ.
In 1882, at the age of 23, he married Polly
Featherstone, a vibrant young woman who loved God and was
both a skilled preacher and a gifted evangelist. Polly taught
Smith how to read – using the Bible. From that time on, Smith
was never without his “Testament” or a full Bible. In fact, he
later offered people five pounds if he was ever caught without
it.
Polly and Smith had great compassion for the sick.
Together, they opened a mission on Boland Street in Bradford
at which Polly preached and Smith prayed for the sick. Many
were miraculously healed when Smith prayed for them.
In 1907, Wigglesworth experienced a new infusion of
the Spirit of God. He was now age 48. He found that he was
suddenly able to preach, clearly and powerfully. His lifelong
inarticulateness had miraculously disappeared – except for a
few ungrammatical expressions in which he persisted. Even
Polly, his lifelong partner, was amazed at Smith’s
transformation. Over time, he became an internationally
known evangelist preaching in the UK, the US, Australia,
South Africa and all over Europe. His campaigns were
characteristically accompanied by powerful, and undeniable,
healings.
On one occasion, it was reported that some 20 people
were raised from the dead after Wigglesworth prayed for them.
He spoke to the devil and his demonic minions with great
authority. Wigglesworth saw the devil as the author of sickness
and disease.
One night, Wigglesworth was preaching in Preston, a
small town in Lancashire. A group from nearby Blackburn
decided to take the train and attend. The group convinced an
invalid lady friend that she should accompany them in order to
seek healing. The lady’s limbs were hideously swollen and she
got around only with great difficulty, using chairs and the
kitchen table to aid her. She was stricken with rheumatism,
rheumatoid arthritis, neuritis and bronchitis. It had been years
since she’d been able to do any housework.
Once the train journey was completed, it took the group
45 minutes to get the crippled lady from the Preston station to
the place of meeting, about half a mile away. (No one could
afford a taxi in those days.)
Once there, they had to climb some 45 steps to an
“upper room” where the meeting was taking place. They made
it just in time for the beginning of Wigglesworth’s sermon.
They had booked passage on the 10:45 train back to
Blackburn. At ten to ten, Wigglesworth was still preaching.
Boldly, pressed for time, the group interrupted Wigglesworth’s
sermon and asked for prayer for their friend.
Wigglesworth knew his priorities. Moved by her
condition, he reached out and laid his hands on her, rebuking
all of her afflictions. Instantly, she was healed! In seconds, the
released woman was running down the stairs with her friends
in hot pursuit. Filled with grateful hearts, the Blackburn group
made the train and the next day the lady did all her own
housework for the first time in years. Word spread throughout
the neighborhood and many people joined the fledgling
Blackburn Church with which she was associated.
And, as they said in those TV ads for kitchen knives,
“that’s not all.” The woman’s husband, a confirmed drunkard
who suffered from the DT’s (delirium tremens), came under
conviction. In the middle of the night, he awakened and
walked the floor crying out to God for mercy. In moments, he
was saved, delivered from his alcoholism, and filled with the
Holy Spirit. He later became the first treasurer of the newly
founded assembly.
Flawed Theology
Now if I were to judge Wigglesworth entirely on his theology,
I would find much with which to disagree. I think he was
“wrong” about many things. His understanding of the Bible
was, seemingly, minimal. But he was filled with the Spirit of
God. He loved as Jesus said we should love. He had
compassion on the unsaved, the poor, the sick and the
demonized. And because he did, God blessed his ministry. The
fruit, the power and the manifestations of the Spirit were all in
evidence throughout his long life and ministry. By the time he
died at age 88 in 1947, tens of thousands had been healed,
delivered and converted to Christ through his unorthodox and
unsophisticated ministry. Much of what he said was not
“theologically correct.” Yet his heart was beautiful to God and
God honored that. Wigglesworth was a man of deep faith.
From the time he was able to read, the only book he ever read
was the King James Version of the Bible. Like Jesus before
him, he had deep compassion on the sick. “Those who heard
him minister from time to time will bear witness that as he
preached and as he ministered to the sick, the tears would be
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trickling down his cheeks. Broken in spirit as he was, the
brokenness would often sweep over the whole congregation”
(Smith Wigglesworth by W. Hacking, p. 40).
Many of Smith Wigglesworth’s sermons and ideas
were edited into a book under his byline called Smith
Wigglesworth on Healing. I reproduce here the last two
paragraphs of that book for your edification:
“Ah, brothers and sisters, we have no idea what God
has for us if we will only begin! But, oh, the grace we need!
We may make a mistake. If you do this work outside of Him, if
you do it for yourself, and you want to be someone, it will be a
failure. We will be able to succeed only as we do the work in
the name of Jesus. Oh, the love that God’s Son can put into us
if we are only humble enough, weak enough, and helpless
enough to know that unless he does it, it will not be done!
‘Whatsoever things you ask when you pray, believe that you
will receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24).
“Live in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. Walk in
communion with the Spirit. Talk with God. All leadings of the
divine order are for you. I pray that if there are any who have
turned to their own way and have made God second, they will
come to repentance. Let go of what is earthly, and take hold of
God’s ideals. God will bring you to an end of yourself. Begin
with God this moment” (pp. 206, 207). /Brian Knowles

Just What is PENTECOST? From
page 1…
information about His plan for the
salvation of man-kind.
I believe the Feast of Pentecost is the
second most important feast day that
God commands us to observe. I think
the first is Passover, of course.
With that in mind ... What does
Pentecost mean? Since the
observance of Pentecost is
commanded in scripture we MUST
keep it, but what does it all mean?
Pentecost is teaching us about the
return of Christ to this earth and the
events which will occur at that time. It
is a commanded observance which
causes us to remember that people
will be resurrected at that time, but
who are these people, and how are
they tied to Pentecost?
In Lev. 23 we see two wave loaves
which are offered at Pentecost along
with some other things that I won't get
into right now.
Lev. 23: 17 "Ye shall bring out of your
habitations two wave loaves of two
tenth deals: ... "
Most have probably heard many
theories about what these two loaves
of bread mean. I have heard many
‘sermons’ from Catholic, Protestant,
and Church of God preachers trying to
explain what these two loaves
represent. They have been called
“types” of the Old and New
Testament, “representations” of the
House of Judah and the House of
Israel and probably a lot of others I’ve
forgotten.
A problem I have come to see is that
people just won’t accept what the
scriptures say about something. They
all want to think there is some special
meaning that only a privileged few can
interpret, and most preachers and
priests continue to teach that
falsehood. Nahhh, let me call that
teaching what it is, A LIE!!
People dig for little “nuggets” of truth
here and there in the Bible not
realizing that it is ALL there if we have
“eyes to see.” Of course, I’m talking
about spiritual eyes here but it is
STILL really SIMPLE when one has
God’s Holy Spirit and when one hasn’t
been deceived into believing that only
a few have been given the “special
gifts” of understanding!
The point I’m trying to make is that
people create huge stumbling blocks
which they then place in their own
way, or let someone else place these
blocks in their way, looking to MEN for
understanding rather than to Jesus
the Christ!
The simple fact is these two wave
loaves which are offered to God
represent, they are symbolic of, those
who are dead in Christ and those who
are alive in Christ at His return.
As the scripture says, they are the
FIRSTFRUITS unto the Lord!! Go
back and read the last part of verse
17.
“ … they shall be of fine flour; they
shall be baken with leaven; they are
the firstfruits unto the LORD.”
How much plainer does God have to
say it to get us to believe it?
The dead in Christ are those who
have been given God’s Holy Spirit and
have died while waiting on that first
resurrection at the second coming of
Jesus the Christ.
Of course, they were human beings
who still had “leaven” in their
character when they died, (there are
times in scripture when leaven
represents Sin), but they also had
God’s Holy Spirit!
Those who are alive in Christ are
those human beings who have
received God’s Holy Spirit and are still
alive while waiting for that first
resurrection. We can see that in:
1 Thes. 4:15-17 “For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent
(precede) them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.”
Yes, the dead in Christ ARE STILL
DEAD at this time, and they will be
resurrected at the coming of Christ to
set up His Kingdom on this earth!
(Rev. 11:15)
This, of course, is the same time that
those who are still living, and who are
IN Christ, will be CHANGED into a
spiritual body that will never die!
This resurrection is NOT the “rapture”
which so many preach about but it is
the First Resurrection, at the return of
Christ, of those who will be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air.
There will be NO “secret rapture”! It is
not shown in scripture, but instead
scripture tells us that “every eye shall
see Him.” (Rev. 1:7)
The book of Zechariah chapter 14
shows us that “in that day” Jesus’ feet
will stand on the Mount of Olives and
majestic things will begin to happen!!

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Rev. 14:1-12 shows us some of those
who will be WITH Jesus when He
stands on that Mount, and verse 12
kind of “nails it down” to those who
“keep the commandments of God,
and the faith of Jesus!
How hard is that to understand?
But I think the question is, or should
be, how do all those people get to that
point?
How do people reach that point of
being resurrected but still have
leavened spirits?
Number one, they get there because
of God’s GRACE and mercy. And,
number two, they get there through
Faith in God!!
They get there because they totally
believe God and that belief has
become a very part of their being!!
I’m afraid that many don’t truly
understand just what that faith really
is?
I recently listened to a sermon given
by a minister who made the statement
that God gives everyone faith at their
birth.
Yes, we receive faith at birth, but that
is HUMAN FAITH. It is a product of
our HUMAN SPIRIT!
The faith necessary to be in that First
Resurrection is Godly Faith, Holy
Faith, given to us when we receive
God’s Holy Spirit.
Eph. 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
The minister stated the gift, mentioned
here, was “grace”, not faith.
However, if he had remembered his
English classes in high school, he
would have realized that the word ‘gift’
was pointing back to the word ‘faith’ in
the previous phrase, not the word
‘grace’.
Notice, that FAITH is NOT of
ourselves. It is NOT human faith! It is
GIVEN to us by God through His
Spirit!
It would have been much plainer if the
translator has put it this way.
“For by grace are you saved through
faith: and that faith is not of your spirit:
but because of His Grace, that faith is
the gift of God through HIS Spirit.”
If we are going to be in that first
resurrection, we will get there
THROUGH GODLY FAITH!! That
FAITH is the product of the Holy
Spirit, and it is what keeps us safe
and causes us to ACTIVELY
BELIEVE God!!
Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.”
Verse 6 “But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that He
is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.”
That kind of faith has substance! It
isn’t wishy-washy human faith but
something that has POWER causing
us to BELIEVE THAT HE IS, and that
HE IS A REWARDER.
It is the power to believe (and ACT
upon) the PROMISES God has made
to us and to all those who have
preceded us in the Spirit! That faith is
a part of the Spirit which makes us a
very PART OF GOD! It is a part of the
Spirit that makes us ONE IN HIM AND
JESUS CHRIST!!!
John 17: 20 “Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us: that the
world may believe that thou hast sent
me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest
me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one; and that
the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom
thou hast given me, be with me where
I am; that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me: for thou
lovedst me before the foundation of
the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath
not known thee: but I have known
thee, and these have known that thou
hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare it: that the love
wherewith thou hast loved me may be
in them, and I in them.”
Yes, that we might be ONE IN THEM!!
And we can only do that THROUGH
THE FAITH that God in his Grace and
Mercy gives us by His Holy Spirit!!
How is YOUR faith?
Is it strong? Are you able to weather
the stormy trials which God will allow
to come on you, trials which God
allows to test you to see “whether you
are in the faith?”
2 Co 13:5 “Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know ye not your own
selves, how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates?”
Certainly I don’t know who the
reprobates are, but God tells us to
PROVE TO OUR OWN SELVES
whether we are in the faith.
He tells us that we KNOW in OUR
OWN SELVES that Jesus Christ is IN
US!!
How can we know in our own selves
that Christ is in us?
Because we have God’s Holy Spirit!
And a major part of that Spirit IS
FAITH!!! It causes the hope that is
within us to be actual SUBSTANCE!!
It IS THERE IN US!
If we are in the faith we will be strong,
and do Godly exploits!! We won’t be
weak, compromising people who
waver to and fro. We won’t be like the
waves of the sea going in and out with
whatever “tide” washes over us!!
We won’t be the way Jude describes
some.
Jude 1:13 “Raging waves of the sea,
foaming out their own shame;
wandering stars, to whom is reserved
the blackness of darkness for ever.”
How can we have the kind of faith that
is so strong that we can weather all
the storms that will come to pass?
First we MUST examine ourselves
whether we are in the faith.
If there is any doubt, then we must set
ourselves a course of study that will
prove to us that we ARE in the faith.
Many of us have gotten to the place
where we are complacent and when
we hear something preached, we
either accept it or reject it based upon
our memory of biblical facts!
Folks, our memories are FAULTY!!!
We are HUMAN!!!
It BEHOOVES us to be IN God’s
Word every day checking to see if
what we hear is true or not, and to
build up a FOUNDATION of TRUTH
upon which we live our lives!
It BEHOOVES us to be in God’s Word
to STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH!!
Rom. 10:17 “So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.”
Let me make that a little clearer for
you if you don’t quite understand it.
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“So then Godly Faith cometh by
Spiritual hearing, and Spiritual hearing
cometh from Jesus, the Word of God!”
And of course, you know that the
Bible you have is the printed Word of
God, don’t you?
So what else should we do?
2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.”
We MUST study God’s Word in order
to rightly UNDERSTAND the Word of
Truth, with the very important help of
God’s Mind, His Holy Spirit!!
Pray, study, meditate and fast! Be in
God’s Word so you can be IN HIM!
And if you do that you will get back to
that “faith once delivered unto the
Saints!!
What IS that faith once delivered?
It was delivered to them by Jesus
while He was WITH those saints.
That faith is, of course, the entire
Bible. However, I can only go over a
very few of the things which are the
foundation of that faith.
I will go over what I think are the most
basic building blocks of that faith.
Mat. 5:1 “And seeing the multitudes,
He went up into a mountain: and
when He was set, his disciples came
unto him:
2 And He opened his mouth, and
taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The word ‘poor’ in verse 3 means
humble, needy. We NEED God to
supply that Spirit and we are looking
for the complete fulfillment of God’s
promise to provide that complete
fulfillment at the first resurrection.
We are humble before Him as we ask
for the blessing of that fulfillment.
And notice, it is the kingdom OF
heaven, NOT IN HEAVEN!!!
That kingdom, of course, will come to
this earth. (Rev. 11)
Mat 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.”
Surveys show that as much as 85 percent of church membership growth is made up of people who church-hop. Other surveys show that
there has been no real growth in church membership in recent years; increase in some denominations is simply offset by decrease in
others.*
There are four main bones in every organization. The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem. The jaw-
bones: Doing all the talking but very little else. The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything. The back-bones: Those who carry the
brunt of the load and do most of the work. Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, pp. 16-17.
We are in mourning because of the
heaviness of sin, and the tests and
trials of this world and it’s society.
But we are comforted by God’s Spirit
and the deep faith and knowledge that
He will fulfill His promises to us!!
Mat 5:5 “Blessed are the meek: for
they shall inherit the earth.”
Yes, the meek shall inherit the earth
at that first resurrection, that fulfillment
of the Feast of Pentecost!
And we’ve all heard the explanation
that the word ‘meek’ does not mean
‘weak’. We MUST be STRONG in the
Spirit! We must be WORKING the
works God has given us to do of
spreading His Good News to others!
Mat 5:6 “Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.”
You ARE hungering and thirsting after
righteousness, aren’t you?
God has begun that filling process
which will be completed at the first
resurrection, that ultimate Pentecost.
I’m going to read a few more without
comments after each one for the sake
of time and article length.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for
they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for
they shall be called the children of
God.
10 Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven
(that Christ brings with Him when He
returns) : for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
He goes on to say that we are the
“salt of the earth,” the “light of the
world” and that we should let our “light
so shine before men that they may
see our good works, and GLORIFY
our Father which is in heaven!!!”
I feel I need to mention here that a
“light” just “shines”. It doesn’t ‘preach.’
That light mentioned here is “good
works.”
Everyone should continue to read and
study this chapter in the book of
Matthew because it contains some
tremendous things that most people
gloss over, I’m afraid.
Pentecost pictures something else
that I wanted to mention in closing.
It is mentioned in Heb. 11 and verse
35.
“Women received their dead raised to
life again: and others were tortured,
not accepting deliverance; that they
might obtain a better resurrection:”
Yes, Pentecost pictures a BETTER
RESURRECTION!
Verse 40 tells us why the First
Resurrection is a better resurrection.
“God having provided some better
thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect.”
God has ordained (it means
appointed) those who have His Holy
Spirit to be in that First Resurrection
with all those wonderful people
mentioned here in Hebrews 11.
They will be in some FANTASTIC
company!
God the Father, Jesus the Christ,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses,
Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jepthae,
David, Samuel and the prophets, and
more.
What a marvelous gathering that will
be when God’s People reach THAT
Pentecost resurrection and can
fellowship with all those who have
gone on before!!
And just remember, if there is a First
Resurrection, is it not logical that there
will be a Second?
May God strengthen you through His
Holy Spirit to have the faith necessary
to be in that BETTER
RESURRECTION!! Ken Browder,
SevenTimesNewsletter
6

What God
Empowers
If there’s one thing Christian
churches and ministers have no
lack of its words. We are burying
the world in words, or so it seems.
Yet how effective are those words in
transforming lives? Do our words
return to us empty, or do they
accomplish something on God’s
behalf? Of what practical use is
teaching, or counseling? Do they
produce any fruit? Do they have a
concrete result or impact in people’s
lives? Are people being healed and
delivered on a daily basis as a
result of what we are saying?
All too often over the years I and
others have had a sense of futility
about the worth of preaching,
teaching or writing Christian words.
Words in our time have become all
too common. That which is common
is often devalued, and that which is
Christian is devalued even more.
Besides, our culture is action, not
thought, oriented. We want to do
something – to act. Our philosophy,
as two researchers have noted, is
"Ready, fire, aim!" We have little
patience with the tedious process of
learning.
Yet the Biblical pattern, as
exemplified by Ezra the Scribe, is to
first learn, then to do, and finally to
teach (Ezra 7:10). If we don’t first
learn, we won’t know what to do. If
we haven’t learned, and we haven’t
done, and yet we have the temerity
to teach, then we can teach only
emptiness and futility. You can’t get
water out of a dry well.
Recently, my wife Lorraine and I
were philosophizing with each other
about the seeming futility of
teaching, preaching and writing. "It
doesn’t appear to have any real
impact on anyone," I said hopelessly. "Why do it?" We prayed together about it. I
believe God gave us the answer.
The Way of Love
The answer seems to lie in one phrase of one sentence in Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians: "Follow the way of love…" (I Corinthians 14:1).
Love here is agape. It means simply, "love." Love is the number one product of the
Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22). It is the firstfruit of the Holy Spirit. In that sense, you
could say it is the pump priming for all that follows.
When Jesus did His mighty works, he was motivated by love, compassion, empathy
and a desire to see people healed, delivered, and made whole. This was the driving
force in His life. Jesus’ heart is revealed in Matthew 9:36: "When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd."
The sorry state of God’s "sheep" motivated Jesus to tell his disciples to pray that the
Lord would send more workers into the harvest (v. 38). Clearly compassion should
drive the Lord’s workers as much as it did Jesus himself.
On another occasion, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had
compassion on them and healed their sick" (Matthew 14:14). It was the Lord’s love -
- his empathetic compassion -- that produced healing for many. From this, we may
learn that love has power.
Conversely, we cannot expect God to bless or empower that which is done out of
an ignoble motive. If, for example, we teach or preach out of a desire to "have the
preeminence" then we cannot expect God to bless our teaching (cf. III John 9).
If we teach or write in order to extract money from the people of God, then we have
merely commercialized piety. God will not bless it (cf. I Timothy 6:3-5).
If we seek the pulpit out of a motive of lording it over God’s heritage, God will not
empower it (Matthew 20:24-28).
If we teach, preach and counsel merely to actualize our gifts, we could end up
casting our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). It will be all sending, no receiving.
No fruit will be born.
If we preach in order to hammer the children of God because we are critical of
them, the Lord will not empower it. God does not take kindly to those who abuse His
children! (Ezekiel 34:1-3).
What kind of preaching, teaching and counseling will the Lord bless? That which is
done for a right reason, out of a pure motive: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
see God" (Matthew 5:8).
If we want God to inhabit our words, and to bless them, we must first acquire a pure
heart. We must teach, preach and write out of a motive of love and genuine concern
for the world and for the people of God -- not criticism, or a need for dominance, nor
out of covetousness. If we are moved with compassion, as was Jesus, then God will
also bless our prayers for healing, deliverance and wholeness. The power of God is
manifested through the love of God.
We are only Jesus’ true disciples if we have love one for another (John 13:35). Paul
wrote to the churches in Galatia, "…serve one another in love. The entire Torah is
7
summed up in a single command:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If
you keep on biting and devouring
each other, watch out or you will be
destroyed by each other. So I say,
live by the Spirit…" (Galatians 5:13b
– 16a).
If those of us who teach, counsel or
preach wish to see God bless our
words, then we must distribute them
under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, and out of a motive of loving
compassion for the children of God.
If we say to one, "Be healed!" and
our motive is to aggrandize our own
person through the healing, we
cannot expect to see healings. If we
declare to another, "Be delivered!"
we will only see that deliverance if
we are moved with compassion and
faith, not a desire to wield spiritual
power to inflate our own image.
Jesus taught his talmidim
(disciples): "…do not rejoice that the
spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke
10:20).
God looks on the heart, not upon outward trappings of self-importance and human
status in hierarchical pecking orders (I Samuel 16:7). God blessed David because
his heart was like God’s heart (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). David’s concerns were
God’s concerns, and vice versa. That which God loved, David loved. That which
God hated, David hated.
When David made his son Solomon king in his stead, David told him, "And you my
son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with
wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart
and understands every motive behind the thoughts" (I Chronicles 28:9).
David knew that to serve God’s people, one had to have a right heart and right
motives. He sought to impress this lesson on his son. David had loved God’s
people. He had fought for them, defended them, protected them, prayed for them,
and sacrificed his own well-being for them. He, like the Messiah of whom he is a
type, was motivated by love. Consequently, God blessed and empowered that godly
heart to make David Israel’s greatest king.
God has not changed. He will again empower his people, along with their words and
their deeds, to the degree that we get our motives in order and our hearts right
before him. Brian Knowles

BIBLE STUDY FEATURE:

PENTECOST AND THE COMING OF THE

HOLY SPIRIT
The festival most Christians know as Pentecost is called
Shavu'ot in Hebrew. Because of the narrative of Acts 2, much
of the Christian church is still somewhat familiar with
Pentecost. Christians recall the story of the mighty wind, the
tongues of fire, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the speaking
in different languages. However, most are unaware of the
background behind the story. Shavu'ot is actually one of
YHVH's designated holy days, filled with a wealth of meaning
and symbolism.
In the Tanakh, Shavu'ot is known by several names. These
include Chag HaQatzir ("Feast of Harvest") in Exodus 23:16,
Yom HaBikurim ("Day of the Firstfruits") in Numbers 28:26,
and the most common name, Chag Shavu’ot ("Feast of
Weeks") in Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10, 16; and II
Chronicles 8:13.
The annual journey to Shavu'ot begins with a countdown. In
Leviticus 23, we find the command to count the days to arrive
at Shavu'ot:
LEVITICUS 23:9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10
Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you
enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its
harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the
priest. 11 He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for
acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the
day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day that you elevate the
sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the LORD a
lamb of the first year without blemish. 13 The meal offering
with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with
oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the
LORD; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a
hin. 14 Until that very day, until you have brought the
offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched
grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the
ages in all your settlements. 15 And from the day on
which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering — the
day after the Sabbath — you shall count off seven
weeks. They must be complete: 16 you must count until
the day after the seventh week — fifty days; then you
shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD. (JPS
Tanakh)
The 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus plainly states that
the countdown to Shavu'ot began on Nisan 16 (Antiquities of
the Jews, 3.10.5), the day after the first high Sabbath of the

8
year (Lev. 23:6-7). Nisan 16 was the day on which the
firstfruits of the barley crop were harvested and offered up in
the Temple. To determine the date for Shavu'ot, we are
commanded to count 49 days starting on Nisan 16; after 49
days are counted, the 50th day is the appointed time of the
Feast of Weeks.
Both the English and Hebrew names for the festival reflect the
counting. The English name Pentecost is a transliteration of the
Greek pentekostes, which literally means "50th." The Hebrew
name for the festival, Shavu'ot, means "weeks," and the feast
is so named because of the seven complete weeks (49 days) of
the counting. The commanded count is a chain that links
Pentecost to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In this sense,
Pentecost concludes the festival season begun with Passover.
The Jews consider Shavu'ot to be the conclusion of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, just as the Eighth Assembly (Heb.
Shemini Atzeret) after the Feast of Tabernacles is considered
to be the conclusion of that festival (Lev. 23:34-36). In this
view, Shavu'ot is a sort of eighth-day festival,
concluding the seven days of Unleavened
Bread. Between the First Day of Unleavened
Bread (Nisan 15, the first annual Sabbath of the
year) and Pentecost (Sivan 6, the third annual
Sabbath of the year), there are exactly 49 days
(7 x 7 days, or 7 complete weeks).
This arrangement shows us a pattern that God
has established which relates to the number
three. The Scriptures tell us several times that
there are three yearly festivals that required the
attendance of all males (Exo. 23:14-17; 34:18-
24; Deu. 16:1-16):
DEUTERONOMY 16:16 "Three times a year all your males
shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which
He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the
Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and
they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed."
(NKJV)
Since Shavu’ot (the Feast of Weeks) is really the conclusion of
the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also known as the Feast of
Passover-Eze. 45:21), we see that the THREE festival seasons
of God are really TWO (Unleavened Bread-Pentecost &
Trumpets-Atonement-Tabernacles-Eighth Assembly). This is a
pattern for the Godhead also, which most of the world
considers to be three (the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit),
but is really two (the Father & the Son).
We are told that the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai on the
first day of the third month (Sivan 1):
EXODUS 19:1 In the third month after their departure from
the land of Egypt, on its first day, the Israelites came to the
desert of Sinai. (NAB)
By counting the days revealed in Exodus 19, the Jewish sages
have determined that Shavu'ot was the day on which the Law
was given to Israel from Mount Sinai. For this reason, the
Torah reading for Shavu'ot is Exodus 19-20, which describes
the Israelites arrival at Mount Sinai and the subsequent giving
of the Law.
In conjunction with this passage, the Haftorah reading for
Shavu'ot is the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Introduced
in the final verse of Ezekiel 1 is an entity called "the glory of
the LORD":
EZEKIEL 1:26 And above the firmament over their heads
was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire
stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with
the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the
appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the
color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within
it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I
saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all
around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow
in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the
appearance of the brightness all around it.
This was the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. So
when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a
voice of One speaking. (NKJV)
Here Ezekiel gives us a vivid description of the
entity known as "the glory of YHVH. This is
the same divine being that gave the Law to
Israel from Mount Sinai (Exo. 24:16-17; Acts
7:38). This entity is VERY important to the
meaning of Pentecost. In the book of Hebrews,
we are told who this divine spirit being is:
HEBREWS 1:3 He [Yeshua] is the reflection of God's
glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he
sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, (NRSV)
The author of Hebrews clearly identifies Yeshua as "the
reflection of God's glory." John provides a second witness
(Deu. 19:15; Matt. 18:16; II Cor. 13:1) to this identity in the
prophetic book of Revelation:
REVELATION 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or
moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its
lamp is the Lamb. (NKJV)
John tells us that in the New Jerusalem, the lamp that lights the
city will be "the Lamb" also known as "the glory of God." The
Lamb of God is symbolic of Yeshua the Messiah numerous
places in Revelation, as well as elsewhere in the New
Testament (John 1:29, 36; I Pet. 1:19).
9
In the Scriptures, a wide variety of names are applied to the
divine being that interacted with Israel on behalf of God the
Father.
We first see the preincarnate Messiah identified as "the glory
of YHVH" in Exodus 16. He appeared to the people of Israel
as they came out of Egypt:
EXODUS 16:7 "And in the morning you shall see the glory
of the LORD [kevod YHVH]; for He hears your complaints
against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain
against us?" 8 Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when
the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the
morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your
complaints which you make against Him. And what are we?
Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD."
9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation
of the children of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for
He has heard your complaints.' " 10 Now it came to pass,
as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of
Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold,
the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared in the
cloud. (NKJV)
As the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were accompanied by
the Messiah. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day
and a pillar of fire by night (Exo. 13:21-22). However, it seems
that he was generally not seen by the entire congregation
unless he chose to manifest himself. This manifestation was
known as "the glory of YHVH."
It was as "the glory of YHVH" that the Messiah visibly rested
on top of Mount Sinai in the appearance of a "consuming fire."
Afterward, he called Moses up to meet with him for 40 days
and 40 nights:
EXODUS 24:16 Now the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]
rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.
And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst
of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD [kevod
YHVH] was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain
in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into
the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And
Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
(NKJV)
Through the Messiah, God led the Israelites by a pillar of
cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. However,
once the Israelites set up the tabernacle Moses had been
instructed to make (Exo. 25-27), "the glory of YHVH" filled
the tabernacle:
EXODUS 40:33 And he raised up the court all around the
tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the
court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud
covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the
LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses
was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because
the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD
[kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. (NKJV)
Afterward, whenever God chose to speak to Moses and others,
He would do so through the Messiah at the tabernacle of
meeting:
NUMBERS 14:10 And all the congregation said to stone
them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD [kevod
YHVH] appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all
the children of Israel. 11 Then the LORD said to Moses:
"How long will these people reject Me? And how long will
they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have
performed among them?" (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:19 And Korah gathered all the congregation
against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared to all
the congregation. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:41 On the next day all the congregation of
the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron,
saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." 42 Now it
happened, when the congregation had gathered against
Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle
of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the
glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 20:2 Now there was no water for the
congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and
Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke,
saying: "If only we had died when our brethren died before
the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the
LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should
die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of
Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain
or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to
drink." 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of
the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting,
and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD
[kevod YHVH] appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke
to Moses, saying, 8 "Take the rod; you and your brother
Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock
before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall
bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the
congregation and their animals." (NKJV)
Later on, after the tabernacle was replaced by the temple
King Solomon built for God in Jerusalem, we see that the
Messiah also appeared in Solomon's temple:
I KINGS 8:1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel
and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the
children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they
might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the
City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of
Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the
month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the
elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4
Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle
of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the
tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5
Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who
10
were assembled with him, were with him before the ark,
sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or
numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the
ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner
sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the
wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two
wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim
overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended
so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy
place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be
seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing
was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses
put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with
the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of
Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of
the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the
LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering
because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod
YHVH] filled the house of the LORD. (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 5:11 And it came to pass when the priests
came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who
were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to
their divisions), 12 and the Levites who were the singers, all
those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons
and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed
in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and
harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests
sounding with trumpets — 13 indeed it came to pass, when
the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one
sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and
when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and
cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD,
saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,"
that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a
cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering
because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod
YHVH] filled the house of God. 6:1 Then Solomon spoke:
"The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 2 I have
surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to
dwell in forever." (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 7:1 When Solomon had finished praying,
fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt
offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD
[kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not
enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the
LORD [kevod YHVH] had filled the LORD's house. 3
When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down,
and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] on the temple,
they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and
worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever." (NKJV)
Like he appeared to the Israelites that left Egypt, we see that
the Messiah also appeared to Israel at the dedication of the
temple of YHVH. We are told that "the glory of YHVH" filled
the temple that God had allowed Solomon to build for Him.
Just as the Father sat on His throne in the Holy of Holies in the
heavenly Temple, His Son sat on the mercy seat in the earthly
temple. The temple became the sanctuary of the Messiah,
God's messenger and mediator to Israel. But as Judah drifted
further and further away from God's ways, Solomon's temple
became polluted by the sins of the people. As Ezekiel shows
us, the transgressions of Israel caused it to become unclean,
eventually forcing "the glory of YHVH" to depart:
EZEKIEL 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the
sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my
house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the
hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked,
and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire — from
the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from
His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness,
like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a
hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted
me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in
visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of
the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy
was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory
of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was there, like
the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 Then He said to me,
"Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north." So I lifted
my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate,
was this image of jealousy in the entrance. 6 Furthermore
He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are
doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel
commits here, to make Me go far away from My
sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater
abominations." (NKJV)
The sins of Israel eventually caused judgment to be poured
out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. In a vision,
Ezekiel sees this judgment being decreed by "the glory of
YHVH" (also called "the glory of the God of Israel"):
EZEKIEL 9:1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud
voice, saying, "Let those who have charge over the city
draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand." 2 And
suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate,
which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One
man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's
inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the
bronze altar. 3 Now the glory of the God of Israel [kevod
'elohey Yisra'el] had gone up from the cherub, where it
had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called
to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn
at his side; 4 and the LORD [YHVH] said to him, "Go
through the midst of the city, through the midst of
Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men
who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done
within it." 5 To the others He said in my hearing, "Go after
him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor
have any pity. 6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens
and little children and women; but do not come near anyone
on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." So they
began with the elders who were before the temple. 7 Then
He said to them, "Defile the temple, and fill the courts with
the slain. Go out!" And they went out and killed in the city. 8
So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone;
and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, "Ah, Lord
GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring
11
out Your fury on Jerusalem?" 9 Then He said to me, "The
iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly
great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of
perversity; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land,
and the LORD does not see!' 10 And as for Me also, My
eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will
recompense their deeds on their own head." 11 Just then,
the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side,
reported back and said, "I have done as You commanded
me." (NKJV)
In this vision, Ezekiel sees "the glory of YHVH" depart from
between the cherubim on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies
(Exo. 25:17-22) and go to the doorway of the temple. While
standing in the doorway, six angelic beings appeared, carrying
axes. The Messiah told one of them to mark the foreheads of
God's people, and then he told the others to slay those who did
not have the mark.
After seeing the visionary slaughter of those in Jerusalem,
Ezekiel then witnesses a vision of the exodus of the Messiah
from the doomed temple:
EZEKIEL 10:1 Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse
that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a
sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne,
appeared above them. 2 And He spoke to the man clothed
in linen and said, "Enter between the whirling wheels under
the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from
between the cherubim and scatter them over the city." And
he entered in my sight. 3 Now the cherubim were standing
on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and
the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the
LORD [kevod YHVH] went up from the cherub to the
threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with
the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of
the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. (NASU)
EZEKIEL 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]
departed from the threshold of the temple and stood
over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings
and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went
out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the
door of the east gate of the LORD's house, and the
glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was
above them. (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 11:14 Again the word of the LORD came to me,
saying, 15 "Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your
countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are
those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said,
'Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to
us as a possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord
GOD: "Although I have cast them far off among the
Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the
countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the
countries where they have gone." ' 17 Therefore say, 'Thus
says the Lord GOD: "I will gather you from the peoples,
assemble you from the countries where you have been
scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel." ' 18 And
they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable
things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will
give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them,
and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a
heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and
keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My
people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose
hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their
abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own
heads," says the Lord GOD. 22 So the cherubim lifted up
their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of
the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was high above
them. 23 And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] went
up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain
[Olivet], which is on the east side of the city. 24 Then the
Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of
God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I
had seen went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in
captivity of all the things the LORD had shown me. (NKJV)
Because of the sins of the people, the preincarnate Messiah left
the temple and settled on the Mount of Olives, which was to
the east of Jerusalem. From there, he ascended back to heaven
(cf. Acts 1:4-12). Solomon's temple was soon thereafter
destroyed by the Babylonians (in 586 BCE).
In 520 BCE, Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, was inspired by
the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to rebuild the temple of
God (Hag. 1:1-11; Zec. 4:6-9). As the Scriptures show, this
second temple did not compare to Solomon's temple (Ezra 3:8-
13; Hag. 2:3). However, Haggai prophesied about the glory of
the second temple :
HAGGAI 2:9 "'The glory [kevod] of this latter temple shall
be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in
this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts."
(NKJV)
"The glory of YHVH" was never seen in the second temple in
the same way it appeared in the tabernacle and in Solomon's
temple. However, the prophet Haggai prophesied that the
second temple's "glory" would be greater than that of
Solomon's temple.
This glory appeared some 500 years later when the Prince of
Peace (Isa. 9:6; Acts 10:36), Yeshua the Messiah, came to this
world in human form. During his earthly ministry, Yeshua
spent a lot of time during God's festivals (Lev. 23) teaching in
the second temple:
JOHN 7:14 Now about the middle of the feast [of
Tabernacles] Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
15 And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this man
know letters, having never studied?" 16 Jesus answered
them and said, "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent
me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know
concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I
speak on my own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself
seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One
who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."
(NKJV)
12
MATTHEW 21:23 Now when he came into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as
he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you
doing these things? And who gave you this authority?"
(NKJV)
MATTHEW 26:55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes,
"Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and
clubs to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the
temple, and you did not seize me." (NKJV)
JOHN 18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus about his
disciples and his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, "I spoke
openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in
the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I
have said nothing. (NKJV)
Yeshua, who taught in the second temple, was greater in his
role as the Messiah than as "the glory of YHVH" that appeared
in Solomon's temple. Yeshua taught the words of God to Israel
(John 7:16; 8:28, 38; 14:24; 15:15), and gave repentance to
them, as well as forgiveness for their sins by his sacrificial
death (Acts 5:31).
By now you may be saying to yourself, "OK, this is all very
interesting, but what does it have to do with Pentecost?" The
relationship between "the glory of YHVH" and the Shavu'ot
will become more evident as we examine the words of
Messiah just before his crucifixion. These words, recorded in
the Gospel of John, have long been misunderstood:
JOHN 14:1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;
believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms
[monai]. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the
way to where I am going." (ESV)
Yeshua speaks of his "Father's house" in verse 2. In this verse,
the plural monai (translated "rooms" or "mansions") comes
from the Greek root word mone. Variations of this word
appear only twice in the New Testament. According to
Friberg's Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testatment
(ALGNT), mone means "dwelling place, abode, home."
Many have just assumed that Yeshua's reference in verse 2 is
to God's heavenly temple, and that he is promising here to
bring his disciples to heaven, that they may dwell there
forever. However, there is another house of the Father spoken
of in the New Testament, and this holy temple is NOT located
in heaven:
EPHESIANS 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God, 20 having been
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the
whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built
together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(NKJV)
Yeshua knew that the temple of God in Jerusalem would be
destroyed soon after his ascension to heaven (Matt. 24:1-2;
Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). But he also knew that God would
replace the temple in Jerusalem with another temple composed
of the assembly of believers. Within this new house of God
would be many dwelling places. The physical bodies of
believers would become individual rooms or abodes within the
Father's temple.
The bodies of these believers would be dwelling places for the
Spirit of God, as the apostle Paul revealed to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS 3:16 Do you not know that you are the
temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy
him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
(NKJV)
I CORINTHIANS 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from
God? You are not your own; (RSV)
II CORINTHIANS 6:16 And what agreement has the temple
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living
God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk
among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My
people." (NKJV)
As we will see, it is this collective temple of the Father that
Yeshua was speaking of in John 14:2. In verse 3, when Yeshua
promised to come again to his disciples, he was speaking of
coming to dwell within them, just as he had earlier dwelt as the
"glory of YHVH" within the tabernacle and Solomon's temple.
This will become more clear as we continue.
JOHN 14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know
where you are going. How can we know the way?" (ESV)
Thomas misunderstood what Yeshua meant. He thought that
the disciples would have to follow Yeshua to a physical place.
Since they did not know where he was going, how could they
know how to get there? But Yeshua was referring to a spiritual
path, not a physical one. "The way" that Yeshua spoke of was
the same "way" he had shown the disciples throughout his time
with them. That "way" was one of complete obedience to God.
They would only be able to come to the Father through faith in
the Messiah's sacrifice and emulation of his obedient life. Not
coincidentally, the teachings of Yeshua, and those who
followed them, later came to be called "the Way" (Acts 9:2;
19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known
my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have
seen Him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father,
and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been
with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?
13
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you
say, 'Show us the Father'?" (ESV)
Yeshua's words here have long been confusing to many, yet his
meaning is understandable when viewed in light of other
related Scriptures. Yeshua is the mediator between God and
His chosen people (I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He is
the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the exact imprint of
His nature (Heb. 1:3). Because he was endowed with the very
character of God, the Son of God was (and always had been)
the visible representation of the invisible Father. This is why
Yeshua was able to truthfully tell Thomas and Philip that those
who knew him also knew God the Father.
JOHN 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I
do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who
dwells in me does the works. 11 Believe me that I am in
the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for
the sake of the works themselves." (NKJV)
The two primary questions arising from this passage are:
(1) How did the Father dwell in Yeshua?
(2) How was Yeshua in the Father?
The answer to the first question is that God was in Yeshua the
same way He is now in us: through the indwelling of His Spirit
(Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; 3:34). But just
what is the Spirit of God?
As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:9-16, the Spirit of God is
actually the Mind of God:
I CORINTHIANS 2:9 But it is as Scripture says: What no
eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man
[kardian anthropou] cannot visualise; all that God has
prepared for those who love Him; (NJB)
In Greek literature, kardia (generally translated as "heart")
frequently refers to the seat of physical, spiritual and mental
life. Therefore, the heart (the place where thought and
understanding were assumed to take place), is synonymous
with the mind. In I Corinthians 2:9, Paul is saying that
"mankind" (Gr. anthropou) does not understand what God has
planned for the human race.
I CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by
His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep
things of God. (NIV)
Here Paul qualifies his statement in verse 9. There are some
people who do comprehend what God has prepared for
mankind, because He has revealed it to those who have His
Spirit.
I CORINTHIANS 2:11 For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in
him? Even so [houtos kai] the thoughts of God no one
knows except the Spirit of God. (NASU)
In verse 11, Paul draws an analogy between the spirit of man
(also known as the "heart" or "mind") and the Spirit of God.
The connecting phrase "even so" (houtos kai) shows that he is
comparing the human spirit or mind in the first part of this
verse with God's Spirit or Mind in the final part. Paul begins
by stating that only the spirit ("mind") within a man knows the
thoughts of that man. He then goes on to say that, in like
manner, only the Spirit ("Mind") of God knows the thoughts of
God. Paul explains this concept more fully in the next few
verses:
I CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit
of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we
may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And
we speak of these things in words not taught by human
wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things
to those who are spiritual. 14 Those who are unspiritual do
not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness
to them, and they are unable to understand them because
they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual
discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no
one else's scrutiny. 16 "For who has known the mind of the
Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of
Christ. (NRSV)
How do we have the mind of Messiah? Through the indwelling
of God's mind, the Holy Spirit.
Our human minds were created with a critical component
missing. That missing piece is God's Spirit. When the Holy
Spirit is not present, people search for other things to fill that
void. This is why the apostle John warned believers to "test the
spirits" to verify the "Spirit of God" (I John 4:1-2). Lying
spirits have led many people astray and have caused the
proliferation of false religions in the world. Because of this
natural mental deficiency, man is susceptible to manipulation
by evil spiritual forces.
But when the Spirit of God combines with our human spirit,
we begin to comprehend the spiritual things of God. The
presence of God's Spirit helps us to start understanding His
plan for mankind. We are then able to consider things from
God's view point, not just our previously limited physical
perspective.
While Yeshua was here on earth, he overcame his human
nature through the power of God's Spirit and remained totally
obedient to the Father's will because he had the mind of God.
JOHN 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge;
and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My
own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (NKJV)
JOHN 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do
my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." (NKJV)
LUKE 22:42 Saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this
cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done." (NASU)
14
In answer to the second question I raised earlier. Yeshua was
"in the Father" because he ALWAYS did God's will, not his
own. He did not succumb to the temptations common to
mankind (Heb. 2:18; 4:15) and therefore remained sinless.
Because of this, Yeshua was one with God in purpose (John
10:30).
JOHN 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes
in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works
than these he will do, because I go to my Father. 13 And
whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in my
name, I will do it." (NKJV)
Yeshua told the disciples that those who believed in him would
do the works that he did. But Yeshua also stated that they
would do greater works than he had done because he was
returning to the heavenly Father. This statement is one of the
keys to understanding Yeshua's words in this chapter. His
return to heaven would be pivotal in allowing his disciples to
do the prophesied mighty works.
We also see that Yeshua promised to do what the disciples
asked "in his name." The important thing to note here is that
Yeshua himself promised to accomplish their requests so that
the Father would be glorified.
JOHN 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments. 16
And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another
Helper [parakleton], that he may abide with you forever [eis
ton aiona, lit. "to the age"] — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor
knows him; but you know him, for he dwells with you and
will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come
to you. 19 A little while longer and the world will see me no
more, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live
also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in my Father,
and you in me, and I in you." (NKJV)
Yeshua's plain words in verse 15 are hard to misinterpret. He
did not come to abolish the Law (Matt. 5:17). Those who love
him will show that love by keeping his commandments (I John
5:2). These commandments did not originate with Yeshua, but
are the heavenly Father's (John 7:16; 14:24). Contrary to what
most teach today, these commandments are not burdensome (I
John 5:3).
In verse 16, we are first introduced to the "Helper" (Gr.
parakletos). ALGNT states that parakletos is a "legal technical
term . . . one who appears in another's behalf advocate,
defender, intercessor."
Our "advocate" is clearly identified in John's first epistle:
I JOHN 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so
that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate [parakleton] with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. (NKJV)
John plainly tells us that Yeshua the Messiah is our
"Advocate" (parakletos). Yeshua stated that the coming
"Helper" could not be received by the world because it didn't
see or know him. But he stated that the disciples did know this
"Spirit of truth" because he dwelt with them and would be in
them. Yeshua had dwelt with them for three and a half years
during the time of his earthly ministry. After his resurrection
and ascension, he would dwell within them, through the
agency of God's Spirit.
In John 14:6, Yeshua clearly stated that he was "the truth." He
knew that after his resurrection, he would once again be a
glorified spirit being, just as he had been before his birth as a
human (John 17:5; Phi. 2:6-8). Since his disciples could not
then comprehend this revelation, he spoke figuratively of his
return to obscure what he was saying (John 16:25). But Yeshua
clearly stated that he would come back to them (John 14:3,
18). The return he spoke of wasn't his coming at the end of the
age to install the Kingdom of God here on earth, but rather his
spiritual appearance in just over 50 days, on Shavu'ot.
Yeshua told the disciples that in a little while, the world would
not see him any longer, but that they would see him. He said
that he was "the life" (John 14:6), and told them that because
he was going to live, they would live also (John 14:19). In that
day, he proclaimed, they would know that he was "in" them (v.
20).
JOHN 14:21 "He who has my commandments and keeps
them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be
loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest
myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord,
how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the
world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone
loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love
him, and we will come to him and make our home [monen]
with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my
words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the
Father's who sent me." (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua plainly states that he would only manifest
himself to those who are obedient and demonstrate their love
by observing the Father's commandments (vv. 21, 24). Judas,
the son of James (Luke 6:16), asked a very pertinent question
at this point: HOW would Yeshua manifest himself to them
and NOT to the world?
Yeshua's answer is enlightening when understood properly. He
stated that those who were obedient would have him and his
Father come and make their home with them. Here we see the
second usage of the Greek root word mone in the New
Testament. This shows concisely that the "rooms" or
"mansions" Yeshua spoke of in John 14:2 are indeed the
physical bodies of believers. Yeshua was saying that the
bodies of obedient servants of God would soon become
dwelling places for the risen Son of God, by means of the Holy
Spirit of the Father. So both the Father and the Son would
spiritually dwell within believers.
15
JOHN 14:25 "These things I have spoken to you while
being present with you. 26 But the Helper [parakletos], the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
things that I said to you." (NKJV)
In verse 26, Yeshua refers to "the Holy Spirit" as the
parakletos, which is the same title that John uses for Yeshua in
1 John 2:1. The explanation for this is that BOTH Yeshua and
God (though His Holy Spirit) are our "Helpers." Yeshua was to
be the "advocate" for believers, and the Holy Spirit would be
the means by which Yeshua would dwell within them and
perform that function.
JOHN 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard me say
to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you
loved me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to
the Father,' for my Father is greater than I. 29 And now I
have told you before it comes, that when it does come to
pass, you may believe." (NKJV)
In verse 28, Yeshua reiterates that the Father would send him
back to them after his death, resurrection, and ascension. The
means by which Yeshua would come back would be God's
Spirit. This is the reason Yeshua told them they should rejoice
that he was returning to the Father, and the reason that he
proclaimed that "my Father is greater than I." It would only be
through the Father's Spirit that Yeshua could return to dwell
within them and do greater works through them than those he
had performed during his ministry.
Now let's go to the next chapter of John's Gospel and examine
the third mention of the "Helper":
JOHN 15:26 "When the Advocate [parakletos] comes
whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
that proceeds [ekporeuetai] from the Father, he will testify
to me." (NAB)
It's very interesting to note that the Holy Spirit is said to
"proceed from the Father." The Greek word translated
"proceed" here comes from the verb ekporeuomai. One
meaning of this Greek word refers to water flowing out or
streaming forth. Just as water flows down from the mountains
eventually to the ocean, God's Spirit would flow through
Yeshua in heaven to believers on earth. In fact, the Holy Spirit
was compared to water by Yeshua himself:
JOHN 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit,
whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet
glorified. (NKJV)
Yeshua the Messiah, our Advocate and Mediator, is the
conduit through which this "living water" flows to us from the
Father. This is why Yeshua told his disciples that it was
necessary that he return to heaven for them to do mightier
works than he had done (John 14:12). Only after his
enthronement at the right hand of the Father would they have
the very mind and power of God dwelling in them.
Now let's go to the fourth mention of the "Helper" by John:
JOHN 16:4 "But these things I have told you, that when the
time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And
these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I
was with you. 5 But now I go away to Him who sent me,
and none of you asks me, 'Where are You going?' 6 But
because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled
your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your
advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the
Helper [parakletos] will not come to you; but if I depart, I
will send him to you." (NKJV)
Here, Yeshua clearly states that he was returning to the Father
in heaven (John 16:5). He goes on to tell his disciples that it
was for their benefit that he was going back to heaven. If he
didn't, the Helper could not come to them. Remember, Yeshua
promised to return to his disciples and manifest himself to
them (John 14:21). The Messiah understood that he could only
return and dwell in them through God's Spirit.
JOHN 16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. 13 However, when he, the Spirit of
truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will
not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he
will speak; and he will tell you things to come. 14 He will
glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to
you. 15 All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I
said that he will take of mine and declare it to you. 16 A little
while, and you will not see me; and again a little while,
and you will see me, because I go to the Father." (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua speaks of what the Spirit of truth will
do for the disciples. In verse 16, Yeshua tells them that in a
little while, they would not see him any longer, but that
after he went to the Father, they would see him again. While
many attribute the fulfillment of this prophecy to the 40-day
period Yeshua appeared to his disciples after his
resurrection, the more complete fulfillment of it took place
in Jerusalem on Shavu'ot:
ACTS 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then
there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one
sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling in
Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under
heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude
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came together, and were confused, because everyone
heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were
all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are
not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we
hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9
Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya
adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and
proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them
speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one
another, "Whatever could this mean?" (NKJV)
Just as the "glory of YHVH" appeared at Mount Sinai on
Shavu'ot and then wrote the commandments of God on tablets
of stone for the Israelites, the glorified Messiah appeared on
Pentecost and wrote God's Law on the hearts of His people
(Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). Just as the "glory of YHVH" dwelt
within the tabernacle, and later Solomon's temple, the glorified
Messiah came to dwell within the many-roomed temple of
God, the church. He is able to do this through the Holy Spirit
of his Father.
Paul had much to say about the indwelling of the Messiah. It
was central to his faith and understanding of God's plan:
ROMANS 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if
Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness. (NKJV)
GALATIANS 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me." (NKJV)
II CORINTHIANS 13:4 For indeed he was crucified out of
weakness, but he lives by the power of God. So also we
are weak in him, but toward you we shall live with him by
the power of God. 5 Examine yourselves to see whether
you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize
that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless, of course, you fail
the test. (NAB)
Yeshua himself told his disciples that they would live because
he lived (John 14:19). Paul confirms the words of the Messiah,
stating that believers have Yeshua dwelling within them
through the Spirit of God. The same power of God that raised
Yeshua to life after his crucifixion also allowed him to live in
them (and us).
In ancient times, the sins of the Jews drove the "glory of
YHVH" from the temple and caused its destruction, as well as
the desolation of all of Judah by the Babylonians (Eze. 9-11).
In like manner, we also can cause the Messiah to remove
himself from within us if we continue to live a life of sin after
receiving the Holy Spirit.
In I Thessalonians 5:19, Paul warns believers not to "quench
the Spirit." Remember, Yeshua clearly stated that obedience
was a prerequisite for having him and the Father continue to
dwell within us after our conversion (John 14:15-16, 21).
Those who sin willfully have the same fate awaiting them that
the lawless inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem experienced:
HEBREWS 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will
devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected
Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or
three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do
you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled
the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and
insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who
said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And
again, "The LORD will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (NKJV)
As the prophets show, a time is soon coming when Yeshua
will once again be manifested to the entire world:
ISAIAH 40:1 "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" says your
God. 2 "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for
she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her
sins." 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare
the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway
for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted and every
mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be
made straight and the rough places smooth; 5 the glory of
the LORD [kevod YHVH] shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has
spoken." (NKJV)
While this prophecy was clearly applied to John the Baptist in
relation to the Messiah’s first appearance (Matt. 3:3; 11:10;
Mark 1:2-3; Luke 3:3-6; 7:27), it ultimately speaks of the
return of Yeshua to establish the Kingdom of God here on
earth. Isaiah tells us that once again, the "glory of YHVH" will
be visible to mortal man. This time, the entire world will see
him as he administers mercy and justice from his headquarters
in the millennial temple in Jerusalem (Eze. 40-42).
The prophet Ezekiel shows us that during the millennium, the
Messiah will once again dwell within a physical temple which
will be built in Jerusalem:
EZEKIEL 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the
gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of
the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] came from the
way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many
waters [cf. Rev. 1:15]; and the earth shone with His glory. 3
It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw — like
the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The
visions were like the vision which I saw by the River
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Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD
[kevod YHVH] came into the temple by way of the gate
which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and
brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of
the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 6 Then I heard
Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood
beside me. 7 And He said to me, "Son of man, this is the
place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet,
where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel
forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy
name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the
carcasses of their kings on their high places." (NKJV)
During the millennium, the glorified Messiah will once again
dwell in God’s temple, much as he did in ancient Israel. This
time he is there to stay (Eze. 43:7). As King Solomon said, that
which has been is what will be once more; that which has been
done is what will be done again (Ecc. 1:9).
The eastern gate of the millenial temple will be sealed because
it is the gate through which the Messiah will enter the temple.
The "glory of YHVH" will light up the whole world from
Jerusalem.
CONCLUSION
Just like the three festival seasons specified in the Tanakh are
actually two, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three that are
really two. The Holy Spirit is the mind of God the Father.
Through His Spirit, the power of the heavenly Father sustains
the entire universe. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Shavu'ot
(Acts 2) signaled the next phase in the plan of God. God's
Spirit became the means by which His Son Yeshua lives
within the elect, just as he had centuries earlier dwelt within
the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple as the "glory of the
LORD."

EZEKIEL 44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate
of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was
shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut;
it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it,
because the LORD God of Israel [YHVH 'elohey Yisra'el]
has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the
prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat
bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the
vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way." 4 Also
He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the
temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD
[kevod YHVH] filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my
face. (NKJV)
The Scriptures show that the day will come, after his second
coming, when the Messiah shall once again also dwell within
the rebuilt physical temple in Jerusalem. In that day, many
people will seek the Messiah in the house of the God. He will
teach them God's ways, and they will walk in His paths. God's
Law will be taught from Zion, and the word of the Eternal
Father will go forth from Jerusalem. Yeshua the Messiah will
then judge between the nations and reprove many people. They
shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks. At that time, nations will not make war against
each other anymore. The house of Jacob will then walk in the
light of YHVH (Isa. 2:3-5). Bryan T. Huie

Commentary

Not Happy With Your Church?

My friend hadn’t been to church for quite some time, so I invited him out for a cup of coffee. “I can get more out of just
staying home and studying my Bible than I can from the sermon.” Sadly, I had to agree. The sermons we had back then
were models of disorganization and pabulum. What passed for fellowship was an exercise in inanities. Conversation was
gossip warmed over, and cliques were formed, dissolved, and reformed almost as if by schedule.

Dysfunctional churches are a part of the national landscape, and more often than not such dysfunction can be traced to
leadership or, better said, the lack thereof. Reading Paul’s letters to the churches reveals that this is not just a 21st Century
phenomenon. The church at Corinth divided themselves by favorite religious guru and by social status. They tolerated
egregious sins among themselves, made themselves gluttons and drunkards at the Lord’s Supper, and seemed to go out of
their way to offend one another.

The Thessalonian church was so certain of Jesus soon return that many quit their jobs and mooched from the rest of the
church for economic support. Most of the churches got themselves into various doctrinal errors, and they all had that sad
human element we commonly call sin.

I could sympathize with my friend, and I could almost agree with him. But in sense he missed the point. Church is not just
what you can get out of it. Perhaps it was legitimate to suspend himself from church because it was a poor product, but that
is not the only reason to be part of a church congregation.
Religion is not a spectator sport. Nor is church a consumer item. It is not just what we get out of it; it is also what we put
into it. He could have kept right on attending with the idea of using his gifts and abilities to help solve some of the very
problems he was complaining about. It is not just being served. It is also being of service.
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A man once told me that he long ago stopped looking for the perfect church, because if he were join it, it wouldn’t be perfect
anymore. It was his way of saying that if you are not a part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

Having said all this, there does come a time to find another church. In my friend’s case, the church structure was such that
there was little he could do to change the church culture. Only the anointed few had any influence, and even that influence
was severely limited. In my opinion, if you are serving and if you are growing, then it makes good sense to stay where you
are. If you can no longer serve and no longer grow, it is time to find another place to hang your hat.

Eventually, as it turned out, both my friend and I left that church affiliation. I do not want to minimize the doctrinal drift that
led to my seeking another fellowship, but after the passage of time I see that the lack of spiritual growth and inability to serve
(i.e., using one’s God-given gifts) were at the root of the separation.
Don’t expect perfection from your church, and don’t lightly separate yourself from a fellowship. If you feel it is time to
separate, do it for the right reasons. Lenny Cacchio

Power to Last

Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance,
can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Datsun in a
controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying
power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3).
Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the
Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power. Source
Unknown.

Spiritual Growth and Human Development

Bill Jacobs

A good friend and I were talking about the need to make our
congregations good, safe places for our children. He
observed that it is the tendency for many to think about help
in a programmatic way: have a need; fill it by creating a
program.
Several interesting thoughts came from that observation.
First, we noticed that Jesus did not start a single program.
He started a movement, but no programs. Second, we
noted that Jesus interacted with people directly to help
them. If people were sick he healed them. If they were
confused he told them a story or asked them illuminating
questions. If children appeared before him, He picked them
up and blessed them. In His thirty-three years of human life,
he helped people primarily through face-to-face interactions.
As we talked we also wondered why so many of us, when
we want to help others, think about programs instead of a
one-to-one approach. Organization and structure are deeply
rooted concepts in our culture. We tend to value efficiency
and want to maximize our efforts. It’s easy to think that
programs are the way to go.
We also noticed that in his relationships with His disciples,
Jesus suffered all the attendant relational issues. Some of
his disciples wanted to misuse their relationship with Jesus
to gain an advantage over others. One of them stole from
him and betrayed him with a kiss. He seemed to be
particularly sensitive to the needs and feelings of women.
He talked from the heart to Mary and Martha. Mary
Magdalene respected him. Even the woman at the well
seems to have experienced a sense of connection in their
brief conversation. When he left, it hurt, confused, and
discouraged his friends for a time.
Could it be that we prefer programs because we are not
willing to engage in the problems that come along with all
personal relationships? Relationships are complex and
often tricky. They take time. Miscommunication is always a
part and can be hurtful. Relationships always leave us
vulnerable. It takes courage to love others and to express it
to them.
And yet, all the evidence points to one inescapable
conclusion: we were created for relationship—with God and
each other. I read a study some time ago in which I learned
that single greatest indicator of success among
undergraduate college students was a caring relationship
with a faculty member. In my private psychotherapeutic
practice, I see that my clients are healed in the therapeutic
relationship. Over the years I’ve seen many young people
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blossom spiritually in the light of a caring relationship with
someone who is older.
When a child feels a sense of closeness with another
person in their congregation, they tend to bond to not only
to the person but also the congregation. The famous Swiss
psychologist, Jean Peaget, noted that eventually the
relationship is transferred to God. Those close relationships
create a field in which faith and commitment are passed
from God through adults to children.
Do programs have any place, then, in a congregation?
Programs are not bad of themselves. If they promote
relationships, then they can be helpful. The Big Brother, Big
Sister program serves as an example of a helpful program,
because it creates helping relationships. So many
programs, however, were not designed with that purpose in
mind. To teach children how to waterski, for example, is
good, but when the instructor sees his instruction as a
vehicle for support and relationship, his efforts suddenly
become so much more valuable. The real benefit always
comes from those close, caring, face-to-face relationships.
If we hope to make our congregations and families the safe
places our children need for their spiritual growth, we need
to do our work of faith in relationships. That shouldn’t
surprise us, for “God is love.” -- Bill Jacobs.
Note: -- LifeResource Ministries offers a series of presentations
that explains how children can develop spiritually in conjunction
with their God-designed human development. This material helps
parents and congregational leaders understand what children can
learn easily and naturally about God at during each developmental
stage.
And yet, all the evidence points to one inescapable conclusion: we
were created for relationship—with God and each other. I read a
study some time ago in which I learned that the single greatest
indicator of success among undergraduate college students was a
caring relationship with a faculty member. In my private
psychotherapeutic practice, I see that my clients are healed in the
therapeutic relationship. Over the years I’ve seen many young
people blossom spiritually in the light of a caring relationship with
someone who is older.
Post Office Box 66540
Albuquerque, NM 87114
505.890.6806
E-Mail: lrm@liferesource.org

Who Are We?

The Mustard Seed Newsletter is published free by The Mustard Seed Evangelistic Association –an affiliated association
committed to the publishing of the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached and as recorded for us in the Holy Scriptures. This goal
is to be within the framework of the Commission set forth to His believers and followers to "go and make disciples of all
nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). It is our hope that the Mustard
Seed and its other publications will become a shared-resource and vehicle for our readers to come to know and understand
the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the Kingdom of God. You are invited to join us in this exciting and marvelous work!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown
it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
Matthew 13:31-32

For your question and/or comment, email us at mseedwork@yahoo.com/ peopletowin@gmail.com/ Raul deAsis Hipe/Editor

I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am reproved. Then the LORD answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:1-
2:1-2

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