I was intrigued by some comments made on the list lately (or maybe what I've been hearing from a number of places). It appeared there was an apparent contradiction being cast upon the word of God. And what I've found is, when there is an apparent contradiction in scripture, there's a treasure hidden in there waiting to be discovered. One scripture says- Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: And yet another scripture says- John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, I think I heard someone say or imply that John 14 proves everyone who receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost is of God because He doesn't give His Spirit to the world. And another saying or implying that wasn't necessarily true because God pours out His Spirit on all flesh by grace for the purpose of bringing them to truth. So I sought the Lord to explain this apparent contradiction. And here is what I received by revelation from the Lord. Judge ye. Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, (1) the *spirit* of wisdom and understanding, (2) the *spirit* of counsel and might, (3) the *spirit* of knowledge and (4) of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him (5) of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and (6) he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither (7) reprove after the hearing of his ears: Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, Now we Oneness know that these seven "spirits" are not separate persons in the Godhead, but distinct attributes and aspects of Christ's person. We know that God has other aspects also other than just those seven listed in Isaiah, for instance that God is love, longsuffering and also severe! So it hit me that John 14:15-17 specifically didn't say "Holy Ghost" but "spirit of truth" which specifically denotes only a particular aspect of the total Spirit of Christ. Remember, that scripture basically implies that only Jesus would receive the Spirit "without measure"- John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. The spirit of truth is an aspect of Christ's nature that is specifically promised and therefore available only to those who obey and it is not available to the world. And it is only those who receive the spirit of truth that will be led into all truth. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Now, it is truth that sets free- John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. There once again, knowing the truth (which sets free) is conditioned on obedience. Therefore it can't be available to the world- Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. What is really interesting then, is where this takes us, and where it leaves the disobedient. For example with the Godhead. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman- John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. Jesus thereby commended the Israelites for their strict monotheism. But notice that He said they know Him. They were not groping in the dark or merely "searching for God" as if that's the best we can hope for in this life. Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. So even before Christ, the Jews were God's witness of His Oneness but furthermore they knew and understood who He was. Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: But here's the opposite picture- what about the disobedient? Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that NOW WORKETH in THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE: 1 John 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: HE THAT **KNOWETH GOD** HEARETH US; HE THAT IS NOT OF GOD HEARETH NOT US. HEREBY KNOW WE **THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH**, AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR. Now we can clearly understand why some understand the Oneness of God and some don't (although I think we already knew this- this is just another confirming way to look at this). 2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be... 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away... 7 EVER LEARNING AND NEVER ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. Which explains why there are those who halt between two opinions... 1 Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Oneness is a commandment of God (Mark 12:29) whereas the Trinity is the god of Babylon. It is an "expected end" for the obedient to come to the knowledge of truth, just as it is an expected end for the disobedient to be blinded to the truth. 2 Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Now we, or should I say I, can understand a little more clearly why some get the "Spirit" but never come to the knowledge of the truth. It's not a new message, but it's not a very popular one with those who though call themselves "Christian" do not really "know" God. The key is, very simply, obedience. Hereby know we **the Spirit of Truth**, and the spirit of error. Bro. Tom __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/