Departure Of Holy Spirit?

Celia Rose Okhuysen

If Holy Spirit is removed along with the Faithful Church in the Rapture, how then is John 16:7-11 to be interpreted?

In Jn. 16:8 Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. If Holy Spirit is absent during the Tribulation, how then will sinners come to repentance without conviction of sin? As for the unfaithful Church who is left behind, who then will give remembrance of the Word (Jn. 14:26) after the Antichrist shuts down Christian Web sites on the Internet? Also begins Christian persecution through shutting down all spiritual broadcasting, prohibits Bible sales and other Christian literature, and probably even the assembling of Christians together in homes to study the Word, etc.? He may even close down all Christian churches, probably through taxing them. Many Christians will be gone, and those left behind will not be able to work unless they take the Mark of the Beast. (Rev. 13:16, 17) How will lack of tithing due to these circumstances keep the churches going?

After much grief and remorseful repentance, from where will the unfaithful Church draw HELP, boldness, and great strength to refuse the Mark of the Beast, and persevere in delayed faithfulness to Lord Jesus in their persecution and martyrdom through their beheading? (Rev. 20:4)

It is not too late for the Church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to search it’s heart before Lord Jesus and repent of all convicted and revealed hidden sin by Holy Spirit as we await the Rapture (1Thes. 4:13-18 — 1Cor. 15:51-57).

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"For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." (2Thes. 2:7 — NKJV)

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[The following comments are quoted from DAKE'S ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE, p. 230, N.T., columns 2 and 3.]

”The hinderer of lawlessness (2Th. 2:7) What is it? — (1) It is something already known (vs. 6); — (2) It now hinders lawlessness (vs. 6-7); — (3) It is strong enough to prevent the revelation of the Antichrist (vs. 6-8); — (4) It will hinder lawlessness until it is removed from the earth (vs. 7-8); — (5) It is called "he" (vs. 7); — (6) It will be removed from the earth before the second advent (vs. 7-8); — (7) It will not be here when Christ comes to destroy Antichrist (vs. 7-8).

”The hinderer is one of 3 things: (1) Governments (Rom. 13:1-7; 1Pet. 2:13); — (2) The Church (Mt. 5:13 — 2 Cor. 2:15-16 — Eph. 6:12-18 — 2Cor. 10:4-7) — (3) The Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:7-15).

”The hinderer of lawlessness must be the one that will be taken out of the world before Antichrist can be revealed (vs. 6-8).

“Will governments be taken out of the world? No, because Antichrist reigns over many kingdoms (Dan. 7:24; 11:40-45) … during the time the hinderer of lawlessness is removed (Rev. 11:15; 16:13-16).

“Will it be the Holy Spirit? No, for He will be here all through the Tribulation and forever (Jn. 14:16 — Acts 2:16-21 — Rev. 12:17 with 19:10 — Zech. 12:10-13:1). Multitudes will be saved by the Holy Spirit during the Tribulation, as now (Acts 2:16-21 — Rev. 6:9-11 — 7;1-21 — 12:5, 17 — 15:2-4 — 20:4-6).

“It is the Church. It will be raptured before Antichrist comes, and this is the only one of the hinderers of lawlessness that will be removed from the earth (1Th. 4:16).

“The ‘he’ of 2Thes. 2:7:

“The only argument used to prove that the Holy Spirit is the hinderer of this passage is the pronoun he. It is believed that the Church could not be referred to as he because it is the Bride of Christ; that the Church is spoken of as a virgin, a woman, and that it is referred to by feminine pronouns.

“On the contrary, the Church is:

”(1) Not referred to by feminine pronouns. — (2) Never symbolized by a woman. — (3) Never called the Bride of Christ [see note, Rev. 21:9-10: The word Bride is used only 5 times in connection with Believers (Jn. 3:29 — Rev. 21:2, 9 — 22:17] The word Bridegroom is used 10 times in connection with Believers (Mt. 9:15 — Mk. 2:19-20 — Lk. 5:34-35 — Jn. 3:29). All these passages refer to Believers who will live in the New Jerusalem, which is the Bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:2, 9-10).

”The Church is called a man (Eph. 2:15; 4:13 – “new man”) and the Body of Christ (1Cor. 12:12-13, 27 — Eph. 1:22-23 — Col. 1:18, 24). Because CHRIST IS A MAN, it would not be proper to compare His Body to that of a woman or to use feminine pronouns in referring to the Church. Since the Church is not a woman, a lady, a virgin, a bride, and is not referred to by feminine pronouns, and since the Church is called a man and the Body of Christ, who is A MAN, the Church can be referred to by the pronoun he.

“The Church is the only one of the three hinderers of lawlessness that will be taken out of the world. We must, therefore, conclude that the he, or the hinderer of lawlessness of 2Th. 2:7, must refer to the Church being taken out of the world. And THEN shall that wicked [one] be revealed who will be destroyed 7 years later by Christ at His second advent (vs. 7-8).”

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Beloved Saints of God, according to Scripture, and not “popular opinion," HOLY SPIRIT will REMAIN on earth CONVICTING THE WORLD OF SIN during the Tribulation as well as throughout the Millennium during Lord Jesus’ reign on earth, and thereafter.

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My previous post:

I AM GOD

http://www.etpv.org/2005/iamg.html

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Post Date: June 12, 2005