Part 2 of 12 –

Historical Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

 

For clarification, the “Holy Spirit” is not to be confused with the human “spirit of man.” The “spirit of man” is that which God breathed into Adam’s clay form (Gen 2:7) on the sixth day of the recreation account. Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. The “spirit of man” received from the breath of God enlivened and animated Adam’s soul and body – thus Adam became a tri-part living being; spirit, soul, and body (1Thes. 5:23).

King David acknowledged the “Holy Spirit” here, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Psalm 51:11).” David’s is the first instance of a human mentioning the words “Holy Spirit.” David implies that the “Holy Spirit” affects mankind’s awareness or consciousness and that this “Holy Spirit” could be… taken away. Hence, David writes “Cast me not away from thy presence,” meaning that taking away the Holy Spirit banishes man’s conscious awareness of God. Obviously then, the presence of the Holy Spirit in or with men of the Old Testament was temporal or transitory. Being transitory, the Holy Spirit came and went, just as His glory came and went from the Temple in Ezekiel 10.

Similarly, we see the transitory nature the Holy Spirit that came “UPON” the disciples at Pentecost. This was the transitory Holy Spirit “power” that Jesus spoke of in Luke 24:49 as needed to proclaim “the kingdom.” We may note the transitory nature of the Pentecostal “baptism in the Holy Spirit” by the fact that the very same disciples had to be “filled” again with the “Holy Spirit” (see Acts 4:23-31). The Old Testament and Book of Acts we see the transitory (temporary) nature of Holy Spirit coming upon men. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is COME UPON YOU: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. This was for the Messianic believer’s ministry to proclaim “the kingdom”; it can’t be compared to the “Spirit of Christ” now permanently indwelling the believers after the resurrection. By contrast, the “Spirit of Christ” (1John 4:13) was first literally and permanently deposited within the Messianic believer’s of John 20:22.

As we’ve seen earlier, the pure spirit-state of the invisible God ( Col 1:15) is often symbolically depicted simply as a “cloud,” and also as “fire.” God’s divine presence and protection for the entire people Israel is seen in God leading them out of Egypt and through the Sinai desert by His appearing as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22).

While Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a burning bush that burned but was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-2). God called to Moses out of the midst of the burning bush, and told him that He has heard the affliction of his people in Egypt, and gives Moses orders speak to Pharaoh and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex 3:3-12).

Moses wrote the following about God appearing to him in a cloud “(the LORD) came down in a cloud, and spake unto him (Moses)…” (Num 11:25). God is often seen as a bright light and/or a cloud. The voice of the cloud that spoke to Moses was God in His pure state, without any form and shape. In this state, the Father God is incomprehensible and unapproachable. Thus Paul writes; “(God) whom no man hath seen” (1Tim 6:12-16). John declared, “No man hath seen God at any time,” (John 1:18a). It is impossible to believe, that apart from Jesus, anyone truly has “seen” God, when we are told specifically and repeatedly that God simply that no man has seen God. He is invisible.

There also is the transitory appearance of the Lord to Abraham with two angels (Gen 19:1), in the form of “three men.” Gen 18:1-2 The LORD appeared to Abraham …² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. This is a Theophany (pre-incarnate appearance of God) with two angels.

Isaiah saw God on a high and lofty throne. In reality, however, he sees not Him but only His glorious robe, the hem and train of which fill the whole temple of heaven (Isa 6:1). Then we have a prophetic word concerning the Israel ’s rebellion against the Messiah to come, mentioning the “Holy Spirit. “But they ( Israel ) rebelled, and vexed his (Messiah’s) Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. ¹¹ Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him (Isa 63:10-11)?”

This all brings us to the magnificent miracle whereby the invisible God was incarnated, manifested in “the Son of God,” when He was born physically as “Jesus of Nazareth .” Jesus of Nazareth, as “the Word,” was the embodiment of the invisible God who is Spirit (Jn 4:24). “The WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” (John 1:14). Why is Jesus referred to as the Word? We use words to express our self; “The Word” speaks of Jesus as the expression of all that God is. Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who (Jesus) being the brightness (apaugasma, the off-flash) of his glory, and the express image of his person…

With the transfiguration of Jesus we again see a “bright cloud” that appears to the disciples, along with Elijah and Moses. Jesus removed His flesh body and showed the disciples His “spirit-form” that “shined as the sun,” as a ball of fire. It is interesting to note that while Peter was yet speaking about building a tabernacle for each of them “… a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM (Matt. 17:5).” This “voice” from the cloud was the Father saying … it is no longer Moses (the law) and no longer Elijah (the prophets), its “my beloved Son, hear ye Him.”

Originally God breathed the “spirit of man” as “the breath of life (Heb., chay, creature life)” (Gen 2:7) into Adam. Then about ~4,000 years after Adam’s creation and enlivening by God’s breath we see another deposit of “spirit.” This time the eternal Spirit-breath of the risen Jesus Christ was permanently given as the “Holy Spirit” to His Jewish disciples. John 20:22 And when he (the resurrected Jesus) had said this, he (Jesus) breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Spirit): Jesus’ life-giving spirit-breath, as “the Holy Spirit,” was IN-breathed by His Jewish Messianic disciples – with that they were born-again of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit-breath of the resurrected Christ was given to permanently abide within these Jewish Messianic believers (John 14:18, 1John 4:13, 2:20, 27) as their renewed spirit-life (1John 5:11-12). The “breath” emanating from Jesus’ resurrected spirit-body was in fact nothing less than the “Holy Spirit”; “Now the Lord is that Spirit…” (2Cor 3:17a). These Messianic believer’s were not only reconciled by Jesus’ death, but they were now born-again, renewed in spirit (Titus 3:5) by His resurrected “life-giving Spirit” (1Cor 15:45).

We can say that God is composed of these primary attributes: pure intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, love, beauty, justice, foundation, power, and strength. God with His attributes took on “the form” of “the Word,” “the Son of Man” known as Jesus of Nazareth (John 1). This human form of Jesus of Nazareth well revealed God the Father (John 14:9) to the creatures of His creation (John 1:3). The “spirit-breath” of the resurrected spirit-body of Jesus included all the divine attributes of God’s life and nature that was resident in the resurrected “Christ.” So when His disciples breathed in the spirit-breath of Jesus life they also received the “divine nature” (2Peter 1:4) of the overcoming Christ’s life (John 16:33). These attributes were imparted to them as they received the fullness of the “one Spirit” (Eph 4:4) of the Godhead that is in Christ ( Col 2:9).

The eternal “Word,” the “Son” is the original “begotten” one of “the bosom of the Father” (John 1:4, 18, 3:16, 18). “Begotten” is the Greek is “monogenese,” meaning “the one life-source” (“mono” is “one” and “genese” is “genesis” or “beginning, source”). Actually, the John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word… was with God and was God”) occurred in the eternal past, what I call “the beginning without a beginning,” which was before the beginning of the physical creation of Gen 1:1 when “God created the heavens and the earth.” This was in eternity past, before the 6-day recreation account beginning at Gen 1:2, which was about 4,000 years before the John 1:14 account where “the Word (Jesus) became flesh.”