Chapter 7e

God's Holy Spirit—The Key

to Everything

No subject affects the author of this website more deeply and emotionally than the one that will be discussed here. Of every subject taught in the Bible—from cover to cover—there is no topic more important and more precious than the one having to do with the Holy Spirit (along with the blood—see next chapter 7f). As Christians, God's Spirit is our very lifeline. Without it, there is no basis for relationship. There is not even a basis to exist. Our entire eternal destiny hangs on whether or not we have a personal and abiding relationship with the Spirit if the Living God.

No bona-fide knowledge of God or understanding of spiritual matters can ever be attained within ourselves. The only source of truth and light is God's Spirit, which as Christians, comes and lives inside our very being. This next verse says it all.

"For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?

Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:11-14).

Dead in the Water

Without God's Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, we are quite literally—dead in the water. We are devoid of any spiritual life whatsoever. No matter how rich we are or how famous we become, or how intellectually brilliant, we are nothing if we do not have God's life within us.

When God originally created man, he breathed into His nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. The Spirit of God is always portrayed in the Bible as breath or wind. This breath is God's own life, His very nature, His very intellect. The Spirit of life can only come from God Himself, and it is the only honest life we can ever possess. Yet man lost all semblance of it when he fell in the garden and was cast out of heaven.

Oswald Chambers made one of the most profound statements ever.

"My actual life as an individual has been given to me by God. I can live it only one of two ways—either as an atheist or as a worshipper."

If we are void of God's spirit, we are essential atheists even though we profess to know about God through various religions, or even a faithful and tithe paying member of a church. Only by being filled with the Holy Spirit can we truly know God and worship Him in Spirit and truth.

The Breath of God

When Jesus came, he re-created us in God's image and repaired all the damage because of the fall from heaven. In one of the previous chapters, we quoted the passage where Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene immediately after His resurrection. Here is the complete passage. Please look carefully at the last verse.

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (Joh 20:17-22).

Few people understand the true depth and stupendous significance of what took place when Jesus breathed on His disciples. When the fall took place from heaven, man lost touch with God's Spirit because of sin and rebellion. A separation took place. For that reason in this lifetime, all we possess is soul life, which is normally controlled by our fleshly and sensual appetites. But right after Jesus had risen, our Lord was now finally able to infuse fallen man with God's Spirit.

At the time Jesus shed His blood on the cross, this released the very eternal Spirit of God that had been locked up within the "Godhead" from all the past ages (Heb 9:14). The veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom (symbolizing the rending of Christ's flesh when the water and blood and Spirit came forth). Man now had PERSONAL access into the very presence of God—into the innermost holy of holies—and ultimate access to both the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and finally to the very tree of life itself (see Heb 5:14 and Rev 2:7).

The Day it Happened

In Acts chapter 2, after Jesus ascended into heaven, the day of Pentecost occurred. The Holy Spirit came as a mighty rushing wind, and the event literally rocked the house.

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled" (Acts 2:2-10).

When this awesome event took place and men were filled with the Holy Ghost, they were able to speak in other languages—miraculously—languages that they neither understood or had any knowledge of. God supernaturally took control over the human speech apparatus.

The Story of an Eleven Year Old Boy

For five of my childhood years, I lived in Costa Rica, Central America, where my parents were evangelical missionaries. I remember as an eight year old boy a poor peasant Indian woman laying on the floor speaking in tongues in many unrecognizable languages as she received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. She did not know a word of English, but suddenly she began praising God in fluent English (I heard this with my own ears).

Many Christians believe that what took place in the book of Acts, was not just something that God intended for the early Church, but rather it is still active and very valid to this day. In that regard, I would like to share a personal experience.

When I was a little boy eleven years old, in 1961, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at a church youth camp on the Oregon Coast (Twin Rocks Friends Camp). Each evening we had a chapel service, and afterwards on one particular evening, we went into a small room in the basement for a prayer service. The pastor, a man by the name of John D. Kennington, laid hands on me. Suddenly and inexplicably, something hit me like a bolt of lightning. I felt electricity go throughout my entire body and I was speaking profusely in another language with my hands raised and tears streaming down my face. My entire body shook "uncontrollably" for forty five minutes and I was quite literally in "another world." It was the most powerful thing I have ever had happen to me.

As I look back on that event, I can say one thing for absolutely certain. What happened to that little eleven year old boy was positively supernatural. There is no possibility that I could have ever drummed up or manufactured any sort of similar emotional experience (as an innocent child I would not have even known how). Something external came down upon me and it went through my entire being. To this very day I can remember vividly the encounter as though it happened yesterday. Later that evening when I walked outdoors and looked up at the stars, I felt such a beautiful sensation of peace and joy that is difficult to describe in human language. God had immersed and filled me with His Holy Spirit.

It is important to point out the fact that not every Christian will experience the Baptism such as I experienced. Many people refer to this experience simply as the "second blessing." It is entirely possible that God's Holy Spirit can fill a person in a more gradual and low key manner. This more pronounced version is simply a sovereign act of God.

God's Spirit is Our Very Life

We must understand the fact that when God created each person, He broke off a little piece of Himself and that little piece became you and me. In other words, we did not create ourselves or generate our own life. God created us in His very own image, and that means to a certain extent (I say this cautiously), we are virtual "God clones." He made us to be like Himself.

Our life was a gift given to us by our Creator. The very fact that I exist and have individual will and consciousness, the very fact that "I can be me," this is a divine privilege. It is not a right (as Adam and Eve learned).

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Heb 12:9).

It is the Father of spirits who gives life to every living Being. Yet only Jesus, God's only begotten Son, was given the EXCLUSIVE right to have life in Himself. And the eternal life that we ourselves possess and inherit, can only come to us through Jesus who is our Lord and Savior.

"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (Joh 5:26).

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (Joh 14:6).

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (Joh 10:28).

"… that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Joh 3:16).

Crucified with Christ

At various times when I sign my own personal name, I add the Bible reference "Gal 2:20," under the signature.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

The only way Christ can live in us, is by His Holy Spirit. And the only way the Kingdom of God can exist within the heart of man, is for God's Spirit to dwell inside of us. Jesus told His disciples that,

"The kingdom of God cometh not with observation… for, behold, the kingdom of God is WITHIN you" (Luk 17:20,21).

What is the Holy Spirit?

To many Christians, the concept of the Holy Spirit may seem mystical and a little bit strange. Most people simply regard the Holy Spirit as the "third person" of the trinity. While this explanation is amicable, it is much more involved and complex than that. Few people truly KNOW the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and the Father are somewhat synonymous—the Holy Spirit is the very spirit of God the Father.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (Joh 14:26).

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (Joh 15:26).

While the author of Angelfall is not a Trinitarian in the traditional understanding of the term (see the study in Chapter 3g, The Amazing Truth of Our Heavenly Father), in a certain sense the Holy Spirit is an actual "person." He can speak to us, warn us, admonish us, and convey God's will to our minds and hearts. In that sense, the Holy Spirit is God's conscious spokesperson. We can even talk to and converse with the Holy Spirit through prayer.

The Very Mind of God

But there is another definition that is perhaps better. The Holy Spirit is the very mind of God.

When God places His Spirit within us, what that means is that God is giving us His actual brain. The Holy Spirit is the mind, the intellect, the thought process—the very heart and Spirit of God the Father. His job is to help us to think like God thinks. To see things clearly, and understand what God's eternal plan and purpose is. It comprises all aspects of wisdom and the knowledge of truth. The Holy Spirit also guides and gives us comfort.

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:26-28).

Genuine truth can only come to man through the Spirit of God. That is why God's word is absolute truth. It was God breathed—by the Holy Spirit .

"All scripture is God breathed…" (2 Tim 3:16).

If we read and comprehend the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit, it is then that it comes alive and we will truly see and understand the spiritual power that is behind it.

When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit came down "as a dove." Then the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, "This is my beloved Son…" Right here we see the connection of the Father and the Spirit. Even Jesus, God's only begotten Son, had to be filled with the Spirit from the Father. God the Father implanted into Jesus His very mind and thoughts. That is what gave Him His supernatural power. That is why He could perform miracles. And we too, are admonished to have the same mind in us, which is now in Christ.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phi 2:5).

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16).

Hidden from the Ages, Hidden from the Angels

This deepest knowledge of God was something that, apparently, was locked up and hidden from the ages past, including the angels (see Psa 18:11, 2 Sa 22:12, Job 22:14, and 1 Pet 1:12). A personal relationship with God, in the most intimate sense, was not feasible or readily available to the angels, at least to the massive host that eventually rebelled and were cast down (Note: there may have been a higher class of angels that did have more direct access).

This concept of God's Spirit living intimately in the life of a created being, is something that God introduced only after Jesus died on the cross and the Holy Spirit was released. The humble submissive death of Jesus changed everything. That is why scripture makes it very clear that the gift of the Holy Spirit only came after Jesus had risen from the dead and been glorified.

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (Joh 7:38,39).

There is no mention anywhere in Scripture that angels or past generations on earth could ever be filled with God's spirit such as we see in the New Testament. Yet it should be pointed out that even the Old Testament saints did experience the Holy Spirit to some degree (Psa 51:11 and Isa 63:11). The difference is that in the New Testament the Holy Spirit was POURED out (Act 10:45), whereas in past generations they only tasted it (Heb 6:4).

"Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets BY THE SPIRIT; That the nations should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel" (Eph 3:5,6).

Note: The first phrase in the above, "which in other ages…" is packed solid with every theomatic number, to do with the angels before, during, and after the fall from heaven.

The "Eternal Sin"—Blasphemy Against the Spirit

There are some very scary sounding verses in the New Testament where Jesus talked about those who commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world (or age), neither in the world to come" (Mat 12:31,32).

This verse is NOT talking about some act you or I commit in this lifetime, and then afterwards we feel sorry for it, only to have God say, "Oooops… You just blew it. Now you can never go to heaven." Rest assured that God will always forgive anybody for anything and everything (1 John 1:7).

What this passage is truly talking about goes far beyond—backwards in time in fact—to the rebellion in heaven. The word "world" (or Greek word meaning "age"), is referring to the entire age from the get go, from the very original creation in heaven.

Adam and Eve were clothed with God's light in the garden, and to a certain extent they experienced a Holy Spirit relationship with their Creator. But they turned against God's Spirit when they decided to decide for themselves right from wrong. That is when they found themselves naked.

You see, if we reject God's Spirit, then we have basically severed our lifeline. It would be the same as if you cut the main electrical line coming into your house. Nothing would work, no lights, no radio or T.V., no computer, no nothing… If we reject and tell God's Spirit to go "take a hike," then we have committed an eternal sin, and there is no forgiveness for that. Only by repenting and inviting God to restore to us His very life, can there ever be any hope of redemption and eternal salvation. Let us not underestimate the seriousness of this sin.

David in the Old Testament was a fore type of Jesus, who is called "the Son of David." God also called David "a man after mine own heart." If there was one thing even David was the most fearful of, it was losing contact with God's Spirit. Here are his words after he repented from the great sin he committed when he murdered Bathsheba's husband.

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee" Psa 51:5-13).

At War with the Flesh

During this lifetime, there is a great war that takes place in the hearts and minds of each person who knows the Lord. Once God fills a Christian with His Spirit, he becomes keenly aware that there is a battle raging within. There are two people or natures living inside him—one is God's nature given by the Holy Spirit, and the other is the old nature inherited from Adam and the original rebellion. And these two fellows just don't like each other very much. They are vehemently opposed at every juncture and turn in the road.

In his famous passage of Romans chapter 7, the apostle Paul talks about this great conflict in the life of every Christian. Here is the story of yours and my life.

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom 7:14-20,22-24).

The minute the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, there is a confrontation. What God' Spirit wants us to do is immediately opposed by what our flesh or sinful nature wants to do. In Romans 8 we find more verses that speak of this great conflict.

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit…So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God… The [Holy] Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom 8:5,8-14,16-18).

You Are Who You Are

When a person is born, they are who they are. As they go about life, become married, have kids, and work at their career, they are who they are. When they die 97 years later in a nursing home, they are who they are.

It is true that our environment, our upbringing, and a host of other mitigating factors can have a dramatic effect upon a person and shape them considerably. But when you get right down to it, the true fact is that nobody truly changes their fundamental nature, from the cradle to the grave. Each person, no matter how good or how well behaved—we are all sinners to the core with the same Adam/nature at any given point in time. This nature will always lead to ultimate death.

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit… Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Mat 7:16-20).

What the Word of God is saying here, is that an apple tree cannot produce oranges, and a pear tree cannot produce bananas. A tree can only produce what is in its seed. Just as a dog or a cat will always remain a dog or a cat, likewise we will always remain sinners. Even after we die.

"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (Joh 8:24).

There is only one thing that can ever change an individual, and that is an infusion of God's Holy Spirit into the inner most part of our being. Only the "law of the Spirit of life" can make us free from "the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:1).

"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter" (Rom 7:5,6).

We sin because we are under the law of sin. Only the power and newness of the Holy Spirit can truly change a person and make them a different human being altogether. There are so many testimonies of individuals who were on a highway to hell, their lives a total mess—until they came to a where God reached down into their pit, and did a supernatural work in their hearts and minds by His Spirit, pulling them out of it.

The Eternal Inheritance

The Holy Spirit is so important because it is the assurance and guarantee of our eternal destiny, which is heaven.

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest [guarantee] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph 1:13,14).

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to make us fit for heaven. It is to prepare our hearts and minds so that we can have eternal fellowship with our Creator, and likewise with our brothers and sisters who are also full of God's Spirit.

You see, the Holy Spirit is the glue that holds everything together. It is the bond of unity. It is the only thing that can make sinful people agreeable with one another when it comes to "religious" matters.

"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph 4:3-6).

Angelic Law

What we will discover throughout the Angelfall message, is that everything to do with the law of God and keeping the law—this is all tied back into the angelic realm that pre-existed in heaven. The angels were under a strict law system of dos and don'ts, and they hated it. They eventually rebelled and that is why we are all here.

So the Holy Spirit living within us is actually a new concept under a whole new covenant that Jesus Himself established, and it is going to replace the keeping of the law as a requirement. God's law will now be written on our hearts (Heb 10:16), and this new basis of relationship will destroy the hatred and resentment that was fomented by the rebellion, that was agitated by the law (that is probably what it means when the Bible says "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath"—Eph 6:4). The law provokes because it is impossible for anybody to keep.

"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace" (Eph 2:15).

That is why we as Christians have become dead to the law (which Christ fulfilled 100%). The Bible makes it unmistakably clear that we cannot be saved by our works—only by faith and grace. We are now members of the Body of Christ and are "one Spirit" with our Creator—our own spirit and God's spirit are now joined and welded together.

"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor 6:17).

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor 12:13).

"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph 2:18).

"That ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together…" (Phi 1:27).

Because we are now one spirit, rebellion and separation will be impossible. These verses in Romans say it all.

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter [of the law]" (Rom 7:4-6).

Closing Thoughts to Ponder

As I have quietly sat in nature at times, perhaps by a mountain stream or looking at majestic Mt. Hood in Oregon where I live. I have looked down at my body and marveled at the wonder of it all. My hands (which enable me to reach down and pick things up), my eyes that enable me to see the beauty, my ears that enable me to hear the birds singing, my digestive system that enables me to eat and enjoy the foods God has given… every part of my being is a special gift.

The very fact that I exist is a wonder of wonders. And it is amazing how so many men and women—who are so deeply lost in sin and have hearts of stone—they have no recognition of the fact that God created them and they owe EVERYTHING to Him. They live their lives only to please the god of self and consume their lusts on their own flesh and natural appetites. Many do not even believe that God exists—the very God who gave them their life to begin with.

It is only when the Holy Spirit comes into us to dwell permanently, are we able to once again experience the harmony that existed in the Garden of Eden. Only this time, the garden is inside of us and we ourselves are the living temple.

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor 3:16).

Everything to do with the Old Testament tabernacle and temple—all the artifacts and ceremony, contains vast realms of spiritual symbolism—all relating ultimately to the Work of God's spirit inside the being of each person who is created in the image of God.

A Personal Encounter

You may ask the question. How can I get to know this person, the Holy Spirit? How can I experience this vitality in my own personal life? The answer is very simple. Accept Christ into your life today. Pray to the Father and ask Him to give you of His Spirit. The answer to the question is simple. He promises to do it for all who ask Him.

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luk 11:13).