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THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ESCHATOLOGY

by J. Rodman Williams

This article on "The Holy Spirit and Eschatology" was written by


Melodyland School of Theology just following the last session of a sem-
inar on eschatology. For almost three months some dozen graduate
students had been meeting twice a week to study and reflect upon the
whole range of matters having to do with eschatology, or the "last
things." As their leader I told them at our final meeting of my intention
to write an article on "The Holy Spirit and Eschatology," and asked
them for their suggestions. The seminar had not really focused on the
Holy Spirit as such: it was much more on such matters as Jesus Christ
our "blessed hope," the Kingdom, eternal life and so on. However, the
seminar was quick to express a number of ideas concerning the Holy
Spirit and eschatology. So I shall summarize some of these, along with a
few additional reflections. For brevity these will be listed under several
headings.

J. Rodman Williams,(Ph.D., Columbia University, New York City), is on the faculty of


Melodyland School of Theology,Anaheim, California. He is the author of several books,
including "The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today," published by Logos Press, 1980.

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1. The Holy Spirit leads us. irtto understanding. The whole area
of eschatology is one of the most difficult for adequate comprehension.
Despite the Bible being the infallible Word of God there are many diffi-
culties in apprehending its teachings about things yet to come. This
is apparent from the fact that there are a large number of different
schools of interpretation and, despite intended adherence to the
Scriptures, they frequently differ quite radically from one another.
The Word accordingly needs the Spirit for comprehension-and only
those who earnestly seek the illumination of the Holy Spirit can make
genuine progress in understanding. Too often eschatology has become a
matter of words alone-arguments from selected biblical texts, pre-
determined theological positions-with little or no attention to the
urgent need for the guidance of the Holy Spirit It should be recalled
constantly that Jesus said, "When the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit,
comes, He will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). Without Him
the Word profits nothing.
2. The Holy Spirit intensifies our yearning for the Lord to return
The New Testament speaks of "awaiting our blessed hope, the appear-
ing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13),
and "waiting for and hastening or 'earnestly desiring' the coming of the
day of God" (II Peter 3:12). This has continued to be the stance of
true believers in Christ who, grateful for the salvation He has wrought,
look forward to His return in glory. This very anticipation is vastly
brightened by the promise of the Holy Spirit-who is none other than
the Spirit of Jesus-making us all the more eager to behold our Lord
in glory. It is not because Jesus is absent now that we yearn for His
coming (or that Satan is Lord-Jesus is Lord!) but just because he Is
so fully present in the Spirit that we yearn all the more to behold Him
in His glorious body. The Spirit-filled Christian above others cries
out continually, "Come, Lord Jesus!"
3. The Holy Spirit's outpouring signalizes the ushering in of the "last
days. " The "last days" began almost 2000 years ago at Pentecost
when the Holy Spirit was first poured out The apostle Peter announced
that what had happened to the 120 who were "filled with the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 2:4) was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy that "in the
last days ... I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17, c.f. Joel
2:28). However, this was only the beginning of fulfillment, for the
outpouring was limited to Jerusalem and Jews dwelling there. Of course
this soon spread beyond Jerusalem and the Jewish people (e.g. Acts 8,
10, and 19). However, at no time in the history of the church has there
been such a universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in our time-
as is evidenced by the worldwide Pentecostal/charismatic movement.

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In a sense far beyond the original Pentecost this outpouring is "upon
all flesh," and therefore may well herald the culminating of the ages
in the final advent of Jesus Christ.
4. The Holy Spirit alone can make effective the proclamation of
the Gospel to all nations. According to our Lord Jesus it is this preaching
of the Gospel that precedes His final coming: "This gospel of the
kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to
all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). It is im-
portant to realize that the chief mission of the church as it contemplates
the end-time should be that of bearing testimony to the whole world
about Christ-that is, to complete the missionary task. Strategies,
programs, human devices are all insufficient, especially in this time
of increasing secularism. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can energize
the witness in such a fashion as to break through the huge barriers. As
perhaps never before in the history of the church, is it quite so neces-
sary for the believer to be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5);
for only that supernatural power is sufficient to deal with the god-
lessness of the world.
5. The Holy Spirit gives the Christian in the "end times" the courage
and wisdom to endure whatever persecution may conle. In the book of
Acts it is clear that one of the results of being Spirit-filled was bold-
ness to stand firm in witnessing the gospel: "They were all filled with
the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).
Regardless of persecution they continued to preach about Jesus as the
Christ Further, Jesus Himself had said that to the very end all who
followed Him would endure persecution, nevertheless "when they bring
you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you
are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who
speak but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:11). This persecution will in-
tensify just before the Lord returns, and the believer trusting in his
own wisdom is sure to faiL But he who relies on the Holy Spirit-
regardless of what may come at the end-will find wisdom and courage
that none can stand against
6. The Holy Spirit is the power of God that alone can cope with
demonic spirits that multiply their activity in the last days. According
to Scripture, "in later times some will depart from the faith by giving
heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (I Timothy 4:1).
Hence, we are to "test the spirits to see whether they are off God"
(I John 4:1). As the time of the end rushes to its climax and "the Spirit
of antichrist" (I John 4:3) more and more emerges, the believers
reliance on the Holy Spirit to perceive and combat the false spirit-
and not to be carried away by its vain pretenses-is all the more imper-

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ative. The devil, knowing his time is short, is today multiplying his
activity, and, being a counterfeit, is having his own counter-Pentecost,
pouring out his evil spirits (witness the rise of the occult, witchcraft,
Satan worship, and so on). Therefore, without the promise and power of
the Holy Spirit the Christian cannot possibly stand against all this
wicked onslaught, But in that power the believer can discern the vicious
dimensions of evil, rebuke and overcome it in the name of Jesus Christ,
and win the victory! Praise the name of the Lord!
7. The Holy Spirit is the sanctifier who prepares the believer for
the coming of the Lord The true believer in Jesus Christ constantly
looks forward to the Lord's return in glory, and in so anticipating that
return he wants to be prepared. So does Paul pray: "May the God
of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and
body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:23). There are those who are very keen about
the coming of the Lord, the "rapture," and other eschatological events,
but who unfortunately seldom seem to think about their state of pre-
paredness. The apostle John urges that we "abide in Him, so that when
He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame
at His coming" (I John 2:28). It is the Holy Spirit who prepares us,
purifies us, molds us, enables us more and more to die to sin and live
to righteousness, and to be like Jesus at His coming. We need, in the
power of the Holy Spirit, to "strive ... for the holiness without which
no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Are we really concerned
about growth in holiness, being more like Jesus so that when He appears
we shall not be ashamed?
8. The Holy Spirit enlivens our mortal bodies so that with the coming
of the Lord we shall be raised from the dead One of the great empirical
facts of the Christian life is that every true believer is indwelt by God's
Spirit. When we become children of God by faith the Holy Spirit
becomes the inner reality of our being-"because you are sons, God
sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying 'Abba! Father!' "
(Galatians 4:6). It is this same indwelling Spirit that will some day
move upon these mortal remains of ours and bring life immortal to
them. As the apostle Paul says, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus
from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead will
give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit which dwells
in you" (Romans 8:11). So when the Lord comes back and the summons
goes forth for the dead in Christ to be raised, the great event will occur
by the inward power of the Holy Spirit. Thus will the natural or physical
body become a spiritual body (a body transformed by the Holy Spirit),
the perishable become imperishable, and the mortal put on immortality.

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Praise be to God for the victory forever and ever! Amen.
A final word: The Holy Spirit up to the very end is ever seeking
to bring people into life eternal Thus the beautiful words of invitation in
the last few verses of the Bible, "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.'
And let him who hears say, 'Come.' And let him who is athirst come,
let him who desires take the water of life without price" (Revelation
22:17). The Holy Spirit unceasingly invites people to new life in Christ.
He, will be sending forth that invitation until the day Jesus returns.

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