John 16:11-15

 

John 16:11 (KJB)

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

 

The world system and all its satanic ways and adherents will come under the judgment of God. This is because the prince of this world is judged. Satan has sentence pronounced on him already and this means there will be no trial because he has been condemned already. (Rev 20:9-10 KJV) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. {10} And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. When Christ goes to the cross, that will be the death knell for Satan and the entire world system because the salvation of the Elect will be sealed and those who are not saved are condemned already. (John 3:18 KJV) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. On the last day, all the unbelievers who followed Satan will be judged for all their sins and will follow him into the lake of fire.

 

John 16:12 (KJB)

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

 

Bear - Bear as a burden

 

The Lord Jesus did not want to overwhelm the disciples because they were in much consternation at this point and Jesus knew that to overwhelm them with information would cause them to forget what He would teach them. He had already promised that the Holy Spirit would be coming to them when He went back to Heaven and bring to remembrance what He taught.

 

John 16:13 (KJB)

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.

 

Howbeit - Be it as it may, nevertheless

 

The Holy Spirit will be indwelling the believers and He will guide them into all truth. He will not only guide their ministries, but He will guide the writing of the Scriptures and to open up the Scriptures for them. He will teach the disciples truth and will keep them in truth so they will not go into false teachings. He will hear what He is to teach in Heaven from the Father and the Son, and convey those things to the true believers. He will not only be involved in the present ministries of the believers but He will show the things to come. This would mean that He would show them their future, which would be what ministry they would partake in by means of their spiritual gift and He would also encourage them in their ultimate future which would be Heaven and that encouragement would enable them to become stronger in the faith. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the true believer, they become stronger in the faith day by day if they walk in the truth of the Scriptures.

 

John 16:14 (KJB)

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

 

Another great ministry of the Holy Spirit is that He is going to glorify the Lord Jesus and will bring the teachings of Jesus to all the Christians so they will in turn reach them and teach them. We saw this in verse 13 that the Holy Spirit will not speak of Himself but will magnify the Lord Jesus Christ because it is through Him that salvation is attained. One of the gravest mistakes made by the Charismatics is that they focus on the Holy Spirit without understanding His function in the life of the believer. They believe that evidence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is the speaking in of other tongues. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is the changed life. The tongues in Acts and 1 Corinthians were legitimate languages as the Gospel was just beginning to go forth. The tongues of today are nothing but gibberish and even unbelievers speak in tongues such as Roman Catholics and Mormons as listed in their seventh article of faith. If these unbelieving groups speak in tongues, then they cannot be of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit does not indwell unbelievers. The Holy Spirit operates through the spiritual gifts which He places in the believers and within the confines of these gifts, the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified.

 

John 16:15 (KJB)

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.

 

Just as Jesus showed the great works of the Father to the disciples during His earthly ministry, now in the lives of all believers down through the ages the Holy Spirit is going to bring the teachings of the Father which are also the teachings of Christ. The great harmony between the Father and the Son will always continue through eternity. So when we learn of characteristics of the Son, we are learning of the characteristics of the Father. The Holy Spirit will not withhold anything from the true believers which was given to Him to give to us. (Deu 29:29 KJV) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. We must very careful to realize that there are some secret things which will not be revealed to us and we must never delve into those areas such as trying to guess the date of the Lord’s return. Suffice it to say He told us to continue on with the Great Commission of sending forth the Gospel to all nations and that is a task which is enough for the entire life of a believer. He will take care of the timing of all events, as it is recorded in Acts 17:31, that He has already set the day of His return. We prepare for that return by making sure we are saved.

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