Question
Why you believe his title Holy Ghost is not used in Revelation. I know it must mean that his operation is what is being emphasized there. But would it have to do with his departure as indwelling the body of Christ in the rapture, too?
Response
Primarily I am persuaded that it has to do with the fact that His operations are particularly in view, just as you state. The operations and ministries that the Holy Ghost will be performing during the final installment in God’s program with Israel are, for example, the very ones that the Lord spoke about in the Gospel accounts. For example, in John 14-16 the Lord prepared the 11 (and through them the rest of the believing remnant of Israel) for the activities of the third member of the Godhead during the final installment to their program. Though the Lord spoke of Him a number of times. He only referred to Him as “the Holy Ghost” once, in John 14:26. The rest of the time the Lord referred to Him by designations that were descriptive of His operations and ministries that the remnant would benefit from and needed to understand and appreciate. Hence, He spoke of Him as “the Spirit of truth” and “the Comforter,” and He described in detail the operations and ministries that the Holy Ghost would perform that made it so that He is to be thought of by the remnant in connection with these operational titles. Hence they knew full well that they would be dealing with the Holy Ghost Himself, but in accordance with His operations and ministries being the main issue for them, (for as the Lord said, “for he shall not speak of himself”), they were to think of Him as “the Comforter” and “the Spirit of truth”.
What the Lord sets forth in John 14-16 regarding the Holy Ghost’s operations and ministries would apply to all that He does for the remnant during the final installment in Israel’s program. Hence in all that He does for them the focus for the remnant is upon His operations and ministries, and not on His person. And so in my understanding, this is primarily why in the book of the Revelation He is not referred to by His Godhead designation “the Holy Ghost.” In view of what the book of the Revelation records, especially in chapters 5ff, (i.e. a daily newspaper type account for the remnant that sets forth the events that will transpire on this earth during the Lord’s day of wrath in the final installment of Israel’s program), it is only natural it would refer to Him in connection with His operations and ministries as “the Spirit of truth” and in connection with His comfort as “the Comforter.” Hence, He is only referred to as “the Spirit” speaking unto the churches of the remnant, who in so doing is providing the “truth” and “comfort” for them by what He sets forth.
In my understanding I think the way in which the Holy Ghost is to be looked upon as per the Lord’s teaching in John 14-16 is sufficient to fully explain why He is not referred to as the Holy Ghost in the book of the Revelation. I had not thought of what you suggest as possibly being a further reason. However, I suspect that it does not really figure in. The reason why I say this is because there is still the need for the remnant to acknowledge and think about the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost” (that is as the third person of the Godhead), during the final installment to Israel’s program. This is because it will be an issue during that time that the third person of the Godhead is functioning. The remnant will need to think about this especially in connection with thinking about unbelieving Israel’s response to what is going on. For example, they need to be thinking of the fact that what the Lord spoke about in Matthew 12:31-32 is in effect; which is the issue of Israel being given its final opportunity to respond positively to God at that time, and that this opportunity is being given to them by the person of the third member of the Godhead. Historically they have already hated the Father; likewise, they have already hated the Son; and during the final installment in essence the issue will be whether they hate the Holy Ghost as well. So in connection with issues such as this, the remnant does need to acknowledge and think about the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost.” And for reasons such as this, and others like it, the Holy Ghost is referred to by His personal Godhead designation in the books of Hebrews though Jude. However, when it comes to the book of the Revelation, those other reasons that will have the remnant acknowledging the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost” have already been dealt with. In the book of the Revelation, because of what it sets forth and what it is designed to accomplish as it effectually works in the minds of the remnant, only the Holy Ghost’s operations and ministries for them as “the Spirit” is what it sets forth and emphasizes.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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