Previous Questions and Answers
"If the Holy Spirit is removed at the Rapture, how can people still get saved?"
I’ve
been told that when the Rapture happens that the Holy Spirit will leave, people will still
be getting saved. How can anyone be saved
without the Holy Spirit?
The
Holy Spirit has always, and will always be everywhere present (omnipresent), because He is
God. But His specific
ministries, at times, change. The Holy Spirit
is eternal. Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through THE ETERNAL SPIRIT offered himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” The Holy Spirit is everywhere. Psalm 139:7-12 says, “WHITHER SHALL I GO FROM
THY SPIRIT? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art
there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art
there. If
I
take the wings of the morning, and
dwell
in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light
about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from
thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are
both
alike to
thee.”
From
the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1,2, “In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth. And the earth was without form,
and void; and darkness was
upon
the face of the deep. And THE SPIRIT OF GOD moved upon the face of the waters.”)
— to the end of the Bible (Revelation 22:17, “And THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY,
COME. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely.”), the Holy Spirit has always, and will
be always present.
The
specific
ministry
of the Holy Spirit changes, at times, just like the specific
ministry
of the Lord Jesus Christ. But that does NOT
MEAN that EVERYTHING changes about them, or that they are totally absent at times —
they are ALWAYS PRESENT, because God is always present everywhere.
Jesus
created everything. Colossians 1:13-17 says,
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into
the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even
the
forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: FOR
BY HIM WERE ALL THINGS CREATED, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they
be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist.” But Jesus did not come down and
live with a physical presence amongst His creation, until many years had elapsed. And even when He did come to live amongst His
creation, He did not really start a public
ministry
until He was 30 years old. Luke 3:23 says,
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age…”
During
all of this time, the Holy Spirit was upon earth. We
saw that He was there in Creation (Genesis 1:1,2). The
Holy Spirit was there to empower believers throughout the Old Testament. Judges 3:9,10 says, “And when the children of
Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who
delivered them, even
Othniel
the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON HIM, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the
LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed
against Chushanrishathaim.” Judges 6:34
says, “But THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON GIDEON, and he blew a trumpet; and
Abiezer was gathered after him.” I Samuel
10:10,11 says, “And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets
met him; and THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAME UPON HIM, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him
beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to
another, What is
this
that
is
When
Jesus was going to leave His earthly ministry and go back to heaven, He said that the Holy
Spirit was going to come. John 16:7 says,
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but IF I DEPART, I WILL SEND HIM UNTO
YOU.” The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. John 14:26 says, “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.”
Remember,
the Holy Spirit was here all along, but He would be sent now in a specific
ministry. Just as Jesus was the One who created all things
(so He was there in the Old Testament), but in the fullness of time He was sent for a specific
ministry,
to take upon Himself human flesh (through the virgin birth), and live and minister upon
earth, and then to die on the cross for our sins, and rise again from the dead. But because Jesus has ascended back to heaven now,
does not mean that He is no longer present here. He
said in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, even
unto
the end of the world. Amen.” He is in
heaven, but He is also with us here. John
14:23 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and WE WILL COME UNTO HIM, AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH
HIM.”
Now
back to your question, “I’ve been told that when the Rapture happens that the
Holy Spirit will leave, people will still be getting saved.
How can anyone be saved without the Holy Spirit?”
As
you can see from the above verses, the Holy Spirit will still be here upon earth after the
Rapture, but not as the Comforter of the church (that specific
ministry
will be over, because the church will be gone). The
church will be in heaven at that point, but the Holy Spirit will still be here doing His
work in hearts, even as He was in the Old Testament. Remember,
the Holy Spirit is God, and God is everywhere at once.
Psalm 139:7 says, “WHITHER SHALL I GO FROM THY SPIRIT? or whither shall
I flee from thy presence?”
