The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Elijah was the prophet of the Lord when Ahab was king of Israel and Jezebel was queen. In 1 Kings 17-18 we find the story of when Elijah first confronted Ahab and warned him there would be no rain due to the nation’s impenitent idolatry. In 1 Kings 18:43-44, we find Elijah praying alone right after the showdown on top of Mt. Carmel.
In this story, Elijah prays seven times. After each time, he sends his servant out to check and see if there are any clouds of any size forming or coming. After each time, the servant came back and said, no. There were no rain clouds, no regular clouds, nothing at all in the sky.
Still, the prophet of God did not lose hope. He searched his heart to see if he had somewhere sinned against God. Each time he prayed, he became more and more humble. It was when he had no hope or faith in himself, and all hope and faith in God, that God answered His prayer and sent the rain. Elijah was dead to self, and alive to God; thus God was able to use his faithful servant.
“It seemed to him that he [Elijah] was nothing, and that God was everything; and when he reached the point of renouncing self, while he clung to the Saviour as his only strength and righteousness, the answer came. The servant appeared, and said, “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.” 1 Kings 18:34." — (Our High Calling, p. 133.)
The same God who sent the literal rain for Elijah and ancient Israel is still the very same God today who wants to send us the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit to prepare us to meet Jesus face to face.
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.” — (Evangelism, p. 616.)
God is our loving Father. He is more willing to give us everything we need to live a life free of sin, and with complete victory over sin. The question is, are we willing?
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” — (Luke 11:11-13.)
Right after Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles and disciples returned to Jerusalem. The Bible tells us they were always in the temple praising God. Not only did they do this, but they met together for prayer. They humbled themselves, repenting of their sins, and of their unbelief the they had indulged for the previous 3.5 years. They did Bible studies. They contemplated and studied the life of their Messiah and Savior.
They continued praying, and prayed specifically for a fitness for soul winning. Our camp meeting that ended just a couple of weeks ago was themed around this very idea. Each One Reach One. They searched their hearts so as to be sure they were not separating themselves from God by indulgence in sin.
They were likely even making things right with each other. Remember how ambitious they were before Jesus was crucified and resurrected. They were always arguing about who was the greatest, and who would sit by Jesus’ right hand in the new kingdom. They indulged pride and bitterness against each other. This all had to be confessed to each other before the Holy Spirit could fall upon them in Latter Rain power.
REPENTANCE
In these last days, God’s people are in great need of the Holy Spirit as much as the apostles were. Indeed, God’s people have always needed the Holy Spirit. However, this is the generation that will be called to endure things that no other generation has had to endure. The time of trouble is going to happen soon, and this is the time that God’s people will have to live without an intercessor in the Most Holy Place. What does this mean? Once Jesus leaves the Most Holy Place, anyone still sinning is lost. Therefore the Holy Spirit must be with us to sanctify us to obtain victory over ever sin.
This also is related to the Latter Rain. The Holy Spirit is the Latter Rain and no one who has neglected to prepare for the Latter Rain and the time of trouble will receive it. This is also the gift that will finish the sanctification process.
Why do we not hunger and thirst for this Most Precious Gift? Why do we not pray for it, study about it, and talk about it? Why do we hear almost no sermons about it?
“If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.
“Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should they pray that God will baptize His chosen ambassadors in mission fields with a rich measure of His Spirit. The presence of the Spirit with God's workers will give the proclamation of truth a power that not all the honor or glory of the world could give.” — (Acts of the Apostles, p. 50.)
Whenever distracting controversies absorb us, the Holy Spirit is lacking. These include things like women’s ordination, which is not Biblical, and other issues. When we fight over ridiculous things, the Holy Spirit is not there. When we would rather insult each other instead of sitting with each other as brothers and sisters to lovingly study the Word of God, we prevent the Holy Spirit from working on us.
When Peter was preaching to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, they were deeply convicted and asked what to do to be saved. Peter responded:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” — (Acts 2:38, King James Version.)
Repent and be baptized. These are prerequisites for receiving forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. No person can receive the Holy Spirit who is still holding onto sin.
In Acts 2:38, Peter tells the people they need to repent. This is a command in the Greek, and Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines it as, "to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.”
This is step one in the process to receive the Holy Spirit baptism. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, and we can only see the God’s goodness by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, this is not the same as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s also notice that part of the Greek definition the word repent means to amend our past sins. Repentance means not only asking forgiveness, but a complete transformation of life. If you claim to have repented but you are still indulging in sin, your profession is a lie.
Notice:
“No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” — (The Desire of Ages, p. 555.)
There are many examples in the Bible of people who said sorry, but never reformed their ways. Take, for example, Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Plague after plague fell upon him and his people, decimating their nation, taking even the life of his own son. After some of the plagues, Pharaoh would call Moses and have him ask God to remove the plague. But as soon as God did so, Pharaoh returned to his defiance of Heaven.
Finally, at length, the proud monarch admitted defeat and let the Israelites go. But even now, his sham of a repentance was not genuine. When he realized that letting Israel go meant losing cheap slave labor, he and his armies went after them to get them back. God, however, judged these wicked men, destroying them all in the Red Sea.
Judas is another example. His pet sin was covetousness. Are any of us here covetous? Judas would often help himself to the money in the apostolic bank, if you will. The collective money purse of Jesus and the apostles was managed by Judas, and robbed by the same. Still, Jesus gave him many opportunities to repent. Perhaps Judas even wanted to repent, but for whatever reason, he never chose to.
This sin got so bad for Judas, that he even condemned the woman for anointing Jesus with expensive perfume. Still on it went, until Judas could betray his own Lord for a paltry amount of money. Perhaps Judas wanted to force Jesus to be the earthly king the Jews were hoping for. When this didn’t work, and Judas realized he himself was condemned, he threw the money back to those who gave it, and hanged himself. This repentance was not genuine. Both pharaoh and Judas only mourned because of the consequence, not because of the sin itself.
What sins are we still holding onto that prevent us from experiencing the genuine gift of repentance that God wants to give us? Are we reading books we shouldn’t read, or watching movies/tv that we shouldn’t be watching, or eating and drinking things God has told us to avoid?
BE CONVERTED
Peter also says this:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” — (Acts 3:19-21.)
Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines the word for converted as, "to turn to the worship of the true God; to cause to return to the love and obedience of God, to love wisdom and righteousness…" So, what areas might we still be unconverted in? More on this in a bit. This word for “be converted” is also an imperative, a command.
But why? Why do we need to repent? God, through Peter, tells us that before we are converted, we must repent. And both of these together lead to the blotting out of our sins. If we hope to receive the Latter Rain, we must first have the early rain. And we will have neither if we are still holding on to any known sin.
You see, for God to give us the Holy Spirit while we are still holding onto sin would be condoning that sin, and it would be enabling to continue on in more sin. It would also prove Satan’s lie to be true, that God’s Law is impossible to keep.
“Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without reserve the Lord’s, not in form, but in truth. Every impurity of thought, every lustful passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness upon a sinner, to hide his deformity.... There must be a progressive work of triumph over evil, of sympathy with good, a reflection of the character of Jesus. We must walk in the light, which will increase and grow brighter unto the perfect day. This is real, substantial growth, which will finally attain to the full stature of men and women in Jesus Christ…." — (Our High Calling, p. 214.)
Here Peter makes it clear that complete forgiveness of sins is required when the Latter Rain falls. But it’s deeper than that. People receive forgiveness of sins all the time, and yet still struggle with sins. Peter here is not talking about just this.
You see, there are two kinds of forgiveness that God tells us about in His Word. In the ancient Old Covenant days, if someone wanted forgiveness, they took a lamb without blemish to the priests at the Israelite Temple. The person confessed their sins, symbolically transferring them to the lamb. The lamb was then slain, and the sins were symbolically transferred from the lamb to the Sanctuary.
When the Day of Atonement came, no one was to do any work. They were to search their hearts and to confess and forsake any sin they discovered in their hearts. The priest, while this was happening, was to perform the rituals to cleanse the Sanctuary of all the sins accumulated throughout the year. Once the Sanctuary was cleansed, the sins were considered symbolically gone forever.
When Jesus died on the cross, He opened the way for us to be forgiven, not in symbol, but in reality. When we struggle with sin, and ask forgiveness, our sins are covered with His blood. In the Most Holy Place, Jesus is working on us being permanently and forever forgiven. When someone sins, they are forgiven, but it is not until Jesus leaves the Most Holy Place and ceases His intercessory ministry that their sins are eternally blotted out and they are forever forgiven.
Consider this from W. D. Frazee’s book, “Ransom and Reunion.”
“Why does not God blot out sins as soon as sinners confess their transgressions? God has given us the power of choice, and He respects our exercise of this choice. If we choose to leave our sins in the sanctuary, Jesus will blot them out in the closing work of the judgment. On the other hand, if we wish to return to a life of sin, God will not forcibly prevent us. The sins we have given up we can take again if we choose.
My father began to chew tobacco when he was only nine years old. After he married, he surrendered his heart to the Saviour and gave up this tobacco. But he had a terrible battle! He gave it up again and again. Mother tells of seeing my father after breakfast take the plug of tobacco from his pocket and throw it into the cornfield as far as he could. He was through with it! But sometimes after dinner she would see Dad pacing through the corn looking for something. If you were in God’s place, would you have let him find it?
“Do you begin to see the difference between having sins covered and having them blotted out? My father meant it with all his heart when he threw the tobacco away in the morning, but some hours later he frantically tried to find it. Finally the day came when my father quit tobacco for the last time, and for over sixty years he lived without the defiling stuff in his mouth. Not long ago I laid him to rest, asleep in Jesus, and I know that when God calls his name in the judgment, Jesus will blot out all those sins of tobacco-using that His blood had covered. My father will never ask for the old plug of tobacco again. Through the grace of Christ he was not only forgiven, but he was also an overcomer.
“Can Christ give a person victory over other things besides tobacco? Can He deliver from an evil temper, from lust, from covetousness, from indulgence of appetite? Yes, Christ’s ministry in the sanctuary will accomplish it. “What was done in type in the ministration of the earthly sanctuary is done in reality in the ministration of the heavenly sanctuary” (Great Controversy, p. 420). At the close of the antitypical Day of Atonement, Jesus will have a clean sanctuary in heaven and a clean people on earth. Then He can close the sanctuary and come for His waiting people who welcome Him with joy. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). Notice that He was offered once “in sacrifice in order that He might bear the sins of many” (Weymouth).”
This process of sanctification in us is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now you may say, “Wait a minute! It’s the blood of Jesus we are saved by!” This is true, but it is the Holy Spirit that makes His blood effectual.
Consider this:
“It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” — (The Desire of Ages, p. 671.)
The Holy Spirit also leads us to exalt the Law of God, and to obey it. Ezra, a scribe in the Old Testament, was one such person.
“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” — (Ezra 7:10.)
It is the Law of God that reveals our sin. The Holy Spirit convicts a person that they have sinned by showing them the Law they have broken, and the Savior who can forgive them. As the apostle Paul said, it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
See, the Law of God is the object of our sanctification. And God has plainly told us that,
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour…” — (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4.)
The prophet of the Lord, Ellen G, White, further expounds upon this by saying,
"God expects of us perfect obedience to His law. This law is the echo of His voice, saying to us, Holier, yea holier still. Desire after the fullness of the grace of Christ, yea, long—hunger and thirst—after righteousness. The promise is, “Ye shall be filled.” Let your heart be filled with a longing for this righteousness....
God has plainly stated that He expects us to be perfect, and because He expects this, He has made provision for us to be partakers of the divine nature. Only thus can we gain success in striving for eternal life. The power is given by Christ. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12.” — (Our High Calling, p. 213.)
Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. Nobody becomes perfect in one day or one night. It is, however, a life continuously moving forward, going from sinner, to saint, from apostasy, to holiness. Sanctification, according to Strong's Concordance, means "purification, purity; concretely (by Hebraism) a purifier:--holiness, sanctification.”
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord…” — (Hebrews 12:14.) It is the same word for sanctification that is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:3. It is a very clear idea through the entire Bible that it is God’s will for us to be sanctified. Ezekiel 20:12 tells us that this is why the Sabbath was given to us, that we may know it is God who sanctifies us.
It is the Holy Spirit specifically that sanctifies us. Without the Holy Spirit, or by denying His existence as the anti-trinitarians do, we cannot be sanctified. I have seen them deny His existence, then go further into that rabbit hole of idolatry, or off into worldliness.
Again, the Spirit of Prophecy writes,
“Jesus prayed for his disciples, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” [John 17:21.] Just before, he said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” [John 17:17.] And he had given them the promise, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” [John 16:13.] Through the Holy Spirit, Christ will open more clearly to those who will believe on him that which he has inspired holy men to write concerning the truth. And it is thus that the unity for which Christ prayed is to be effected. We are to receive sanctification through obedience to the word and the Spirit of truth.
We cannot surrender the truth in order to accomplish this union; for the very means by which it is to be gained is sanctification through the truth. Human wisdom would change all this, thinking this basis of union too narrow. Men would effect a union through conformity to popular opinions, through a compromise with the world. But truth is God’s basis for the unity of his people.+ — (Gospel Workers 1892, p. 391.)
PREREQUISITES LATTER RAIN
You see, all of this is prerequisite to receiving the Latter Rain. If we have not genuinely repented, then we are not converted. And if we are not converted, we will not receive the Latter Rain. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been in church. Some people have been in the church for 50 or 60 years, and perhaps have only been truly converted for 5 or 6 years.
“There is to be in the [Seventh-day Adventist] churches a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, but it will not move upon those who have not humbled themselves before the Lord, and opened the door of the heart by confession and repentance. In the manifestation of that power which lightens the earth with the glory of God, they will see only something which in their blindness they think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears, and they will brace themselves to resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their ideas and expectations they will oppose the work. “Why,” they say, “should we not know the Spirit of God, when we have been in the work so many years?” — (Last Day Events, p. 209.)
Victory over sin and the health message are also prerequisites to receiving the Latter Rain. Why is living the health message so important in preparing for the Latter Rain? Is it true what some say, that living the health message is not a salvation issue? On the contrary, living healthy is a salvation issue.
Connected with living the health message is having a clear mind. When we eat and drink in ways that God has specifically told us not to, our brains become foggy, and we cannot hear the Holy Spirit anywhere near as well, if at all.
If you wonder why, consider this:
"The brain nerves which communicate with the entire system are the only medium through which Heaven can communicate to man and affect his inmost life. Whatever disturbs the circulation of the electric currents in the nervous system lessens the strength of the vital powers, and the result is a deadening of the sensibilities of the mind.” —{Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, p. 347.)
If the whole church wants to receive the Latter Rain, then the whole church needs to embrace, follow, teach, and minister using the health message and medical missionary work. Everybody needs to know how to be healthy. Why am I saying that living the health message is a prerequisite for a church to receive the Latter Rain?
Consider the following quote from the Testimonies, and you will understand.
"When the third angel’s message is received in its fullness, health reform will be given its place in the councils of the conference, in the work of the church, in the home, at the table, and in all the household arrangements. Then the right arm will serve and protect the body.” — (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p. 327.)
Do you see it? We will not receive the Holy Spirit if we are holding on to sin. Whether this sin is rejection of the health message, reading ungodly books, sexual deviancy, or any other sin. We will not receive Him in either Early Rain or Latter Rain power if we cherish anything that defiles. God tells us this all over His Word, and all over His Spirit of Prophecy.
“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.” — (Isaiah 59:1-3.)
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me…” — (Psalm 66:18.)
We must have the Holy Spirit, if we wish to receive the Latter Rain. And we must let go of sin in all its forms if we hope to experience this. Cherished sin will cut us off from the gift of the Holy Spirit. And for those who are striving to overcome every sin they struggle with, God wants to give the Holy Spirit to help them.
“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.
“We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,—and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.” — (Evangelism, p. 617.)
Those who receive the Latter Rain are also those who will live through the time of trouble, at least most of them. Some may be martyrs, but that’s another Bible study. Those who receive the Latter Rain and live through the time of trouble are the 144,000. These are they who allowed the Holy Spirit to work in their lives as we have been discussing. They have not shied away from full surrender. They are the wise virgins of Matthew 25.
In connection with the sealed servants of Revelation 7:3, is the 144,000 in the very next verse. The Bible only mentions the actual number twice. Their character is also described with the same characteristics of Jesus. And remember, it is the Holy Spirit “that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer.”
The 144,000 are described in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy as: those that were redeemed from among men; the song of Moses is their experience; those which follow the Lamb wherever He goes; They have been translated from the earth from among the living, as the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb; they have passed through the time of trouble, endured the anguish of the time of Jacob’s trouble, and have stood without an intercessor. In her book, Last Day Events, p. 272, she describes the living saints at the time of Jesus’ second coming as 144,000 in number.
Characteristically, the 144,000 are described in Revelation 14:1-5 as: having the Father’s name written in their foreheads, not defiled with women (symbolic), they follow the Lamb (Jesus) wherever He goes, they are redeemed from the earth and the first fruits unto God and the Lamb, there is no guile (deceit or subtlety) in their mouth, and they are without fault before God.
This is the character of Jesus. He had the character of the Father, He was not defiled with false religion (symbolic women), He followed God’s will in everything, He was the first fruit of guaranteed resurrections, He is not deceitful, and He is without sin before God. This is the character that all must have who wish to survive the time of trouble and go to Heaven.
A few final comments from our beloved prophet:
there “are some who, instead of wisely improving present opportunities, are idly waiting for some special season of spiritual refreshing by which their ability to enlighten others will be greatly increased. They neglect present duties and privileges, and allow their light to burn dim, while they look forward to a time when, without any effort on their part, they will be made the recipients of special blessing, by which they will be transformed and fitted for service.
“But unless the members of God’s church today have a living connection with the Source of all spiritual growth, they will not be ready for the time of reaping. Unless they keep their lamps trimmed and burning, they will fail of receiving added grace in times of special need.
“Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace, will have power proportionate to their daily need and their ability to use that power. Instead of looking forward to some future time when, through a special endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a miraculous fitting up for soul winning, they are yielding themselves daily to God, that He may make them vessels meet for His use. Daily they are improving the opportunities for service that lie within their reach. Daily they are witnessing for the Master wherever they may be, whether in some humble sphere of labor in the home, or in a public field of usefulness.” — (Acts of the Apostles, p. 55.)
CONCLUSION
God has given us many promises of the Holy Spirit in His Word. The question is, are we ready for receive this most Precious Gift? Here are just a few of those promises in the Bible.
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” — (Joel 2:28-29.)
“Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.” — (Isaiah 44:2-4.)
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” — (Isaiah 55:1-3.)
“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord
“Our Heavenly Father is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than our earthly parents to give good gifts to their children, but it is our work by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer.” — (Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 121).
“Every day approximately 44,000 lightning storms occur throughout the world, with lightning striking the earth 6,000 times a minute. The average lightning stroke is six miles long and travels about 30,000 times faster than a bullet. The temperature of lightning can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun! In addition, lightning has enough power to lift an ocean liner six feet in the air.
A “Positive Giant” is a lightning strike that hits the ground up to 20 miles away from the actual thunderstorm. Because it seems to strike from a clear sky, it is known as a “bolt from the blue.” These flashes strike between the storm’s top “anvil” and the earth, carrying several times the energy of a normal bolt.
It is also a myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. For example, the top of the Empire State Building averages over 20 hits per year. In like manner, the Bible predicts the Holy Spirit will come upon the church again in the last days with the same light and power as the days of Pentecost” — (Doug Batchelor: Holy Spirit: The Need.)
The question then becomes, we will be ready? Do we want to be ready?
