WHEN HE IS COME

June 1, 1987 Issue
Voyd N. Ballard

Jesus promised the apostles that when he left them he would send them the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter and guide. He said, "And when he is come he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8)

This promise was made to the apostles, and to them alone and clearly sets forth the work the Holy Spirit would perform through them when he came to them, after Christs departure from this world. In the text of John 14:16,26 the Lord promised his apostles the Comforter which would fill his place with them. "I will not leave you comfortless" Jesus said to them. And, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter...even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive." The Comforter therefore was the measure of the Holy Spirit possessed by the apostles for the revelation of truth-"the Spirit of Truth", or complete inspiration, and was promised only to the apostles of Christ. The phrase "whom the world cannot receive" does not refer to the alien sinner not receiving a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. The term world here has reference to men in general as opposite to the apostles of Christ, and it means that this promise was special and not general; it was a promise to the apostles alone, and to no one else. The proof of this is seen in the functions ascribed to the Comforter "WHEN HE IS COME". Jesus said he would do the following:

1.TEACH THE APOSTLES ALL THINGS: (John

14:26) In Matt 28:18,20 Jesus instructed them to "Teach all things commanded." The Holy Spirit thus taught the apostles these "All Things".

2. REVEAL ALL THINGS TO THE APOSTLES:

(John 16:13) "Show you things to come". Thus the New Testament is COMPLETE REVELATION.

3. GUIDE THE APOSTLES INTO ALL TRUTH:

(John 16:13) The man today who looks for "some new Truth" outside the New Testament will not find it, and if he did it would not be anything revealed by the Holy Spirit, because His revelation was through the apostles only, and is recorded in the New Testament.

I recently heard a preacher say, "If you come to a passage you don't understand just put it on the shelf and the Lord will reveal it to you later on." This statement is a far cry from what the New Testament teaches. Paul said it has already been revealed, and that we can understand it. In Eph 3:3,4 he said, "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)" Paul says it is revealed and that we can understand it. Furthermore he said he wrote it in a few words so we can UNDERSTAND what he UNDERSTOOD. If these fellows today who claim a direct guidance of the Holy Spirit cannot understand what the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Testament what assurance can they give us that they can understand the revelations they claim to receive today?