Quote:
Originally Posted by deacon blues
Yet we have examples of those before the cross who were "filled with the Holy Ghost" or "full of the Holy Ghost" before the cross. I agree John's statement makes it clear the Spirit was not yet given. I've wondered this myself and don't a have definitive understanding. The Spirit was not yet given yet it was. Moses, the 70 elders, John the Baptist, and others were said to have been full of the HG or the Spirit of God. Perhaps two separate issues. The baptism of the Holy Ghost as recorded in Acts is a different work than the impartation of God's Spirit? Just asking...
Jesus did say that all we had to do was ask our heavenly Father for the Spirit and it would be given to us. John says that whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and He in us.
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FWIW, here's what I've gleaned so far from my bible studies...
Before the cross, the Holy Spirit of God came upon men to like Moses, David, Saul and all the other prophets in the bible, but the Holy Spirit
did not reside in them. It only came upon them.
For example, we see in the case of Saul (king of Israel) when the Holy Spirit came upon him that Saul began to prophesy. However, Saul was not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Another example we see is the case of Balaam. He prophesied under the anointing.
Numbers 24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes;
and the spirit of God came upon him. . We see that the Spirit of God came upon Balaam. We know according to that story in the book of numbers that Balaam was being disobedient to God, yet the
Spirit of God came upon him.
The final example would be John the Baptist.
Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and
he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
This would seem that John was indwelt by the HolyGhost but let's hear John's testimony himself.
Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Matt 3:14 But John forbad him, saying,
I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
John clearly says that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. John further says to Jesus that He (John) needs to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire and why was Jesus coming to him?
So what I see here is that before the cross, the Spirit of God came
upon people (e.g Samson, Saul, Balaam, John the Baptist) but after the cross, the Spirit of God resides inside of us (dwells within us) as a seal unto the day of our redemption (
Eph 1:13-14)
Just my $0.02
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