When was the HS given to men? Was he there in the first 1600 years of existence? If so, what did he do because that whole world was destroyed. Was he given to the nation of Israel? I would say yes. But how was he given? Through the prophets, from Moses onward. The HS did not work on every Israelite individually. He worked through the prophets. They wouldn’t listen to them and were a wicked people. King Josiah restored the law after he found the book, not because the Spirt worked on him personally.Okay, say you are right about all of this. Where, in scripture does it tell us when the Holy Spirit was taken from men? I have always believed that when The Holy Spirit is taken out of this world, with Christians, this world will become a dark place indeed as, we are the light on the hill, if we have the Spirit of God living within us. Are we not His temple?
I see the HS given to a mass of individuals for the first time beginning at Pentecost and going on from there. Joel prophesied that it would happen in Joel 2. Jesus foretold it would happen in John 7. The HS was given throughout the first century church. Why was he given? To spread and confirm the word, to guide the church. They didn’t have the written word so the Spirit was given until “that which is perfect would come”. Read 1 Cor 14 and you’ll see how an early church, Spirit filled worship service was conducted. It doesn’t happen like that today because we have all the information recorded for us.
The Spirit is still with us today through the book that he authored. I don’t know why people have such a hard time believing that a book has power. God from the beginning instructed people to write things down. Jesus responded to people with “it is written”, “have you not read”. He overcame the devil with knowledge of the word. IT IS WRITTEN.
Now people think we are going to withstand the devil with some direct guidance of the Spirit? Jesus didn’t do it that way but we think we will. If more people studied and knew the truth of the book there would be less sin in the world.