Lesson for October 1, 2023
The Doctrine of Pneumatology
Lesson 7
The Work of the Holy Spirit After the Church Age
The Tribulation begins immediately after the Rapture of the Church and ends with the Second Coming of Christ and the Battle of Armageddon. The seven years that comprise the Tribulation are the last seven years of the Age of Israel. Therefore, during the Tribulation the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit will not occur. This period will instead revert to the temporary enduement of the Holy Spirit.
The Tribulation is going to be a time of intense persecution and deceit from Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. Therefore, it is going to be a difficult time for believers. As we study this period of time from the book of Revelation, and other Old and New Testament books, we find unrestrained evil as never before in history. Though the Tribulation begins with unbelievers only, there will be many who believe in Christ for salvation. God will provide 144, 000 witnesses for Christ who will lead many unbelievers to faith in Christ.
We see the intensity of the period in the person and work of a false “Christ” called the Antichrist and in his religious leader, the False Prophet. Even though the permanent indwelling of Holy Spirit will be removed temporarily when believers are raptured to Heaven, He will return and have a role during the Tribulation in restraining evil and winning unbelievers to Christ. II Thessalonians 2:7-8, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains (the Holy Spirit) will do so until He (the Holy Spirit) is removed (at the Rapture). Then that lawless one (the Antichrist) will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (the Second Coming).”
Revelation 7 makes it very clear that people will come to know Christ as Savior during the Tribulation. This means that the Holy Spirit will be at work during the period convicting of sin, righteousness, and judgment and convincing unbelievers to believe in Christ for salvation. Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;and they cried out with a loud voice, saying,‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”
The Holy Spirit will also provide spiritual power for believers during the Tribulation. Not only will the 144, 000 witnesses be empowered by the Holy Spirit, but ordinary believers will be endued with the Holy Spirit so that they can resist worshipping the Antichrist.
Revelation 7:4, “And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.”
Revelation 20:4, “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
At the end of the Tribulation, the Millennium will begin. The Millennium is a period of 1000 years when Christ will be on earth reigning over all mankind. Only believers go into the Millennium since all unbelievers are destroyed at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation. During this period, the Holy Spirit will continue to convict and convince unbelievers (who will be born during these 1000 years) regarding faith in Christ. During the millennial reign of Christ, the Holy Spirit will continue to empower believers to live their spiritual lives. Ezekiel 37:14, “And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life (spiritually), and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”
The Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled during the Millennium, which is a land covenant between God and Israel. They will return to their land and as a nation they will return to God by believing in the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Ezekiel 36:25-28, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes and are careful and follow My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so, you will be My people, and I will be your God.”
In His glorified body, Jesus will rule upon earth for 1000 years with the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will sit upon an earthly throne and rule the world. Satan is bound during this time and crime will be dealt with fairly and swiftly. Animals will cease to be ferocious, and it will be a time of universal peace.
Isaiah 11:1-4, 6, 9 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him (Christ), the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make decisions by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the humble of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fattened steer will be together; and a little boy will lead them. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
The Gog and Magog Revolution terminates the perfect environment of the Millennium. (Revelation 20:7-10). Satan is released from prison after one thousand years and immediately starts a revolution to overthrow our Lord’s reign. This is simply his final attempt to overthrow God. The universe is destroyed, and new heavens and a new earth will be created. (II Pet 3:7-13; Revelation 21:1-4)
God the Holy Spirit is much more powerful that Satan, all his demons, and his world system. Christ tested and proved the life under the control of the Holy Spirit. We cannot be sinless as Christ, but we can use the same power system that He used. And God has also given us the Rebound recovery system, something that Christ did not need, in order for us to use His power system to our maximum advantage. We, therefore, have no excuse for not living in the same spiritual environment in which Christ lived. We can acquire wisdom, make good decisions from a position of strength, develop a personal sense of destiny, increase our capacity for love, share the happiness of God, receive God’s greater blessings, have complete control over our lives, and bring glory and honor to God.