George H. Warnock — Pneumatologie
b1 — The Feast of Tabernacles
Werk van de Geest — leiding in alle waarheid
Warnock beschrijft de Heilige Geest als degene die de sluier van Gods geheimen wegneemt en gelovigen inwijdt in de mysteries van God:
“Such is the office work of the Holy Spirit, to lead and guide the saints into all truth, and to reveal the things which are to come. (Jn. 16:13). A consecrated and holy walk in the Spirit, therefore, is the only genuine basis we have for a proper understanding of the Scriptures.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 1 — Introduction
Interpretatie: Warnock stelt het “wandelen in de Geest” als epistemologische voorwaarde voor Schriftverstaan — niet theologie als academische bezigheid, maar als “een levende, vitale, krachtige demonstratie van de Geest van God.”
“After all, theology is the study about God and about Truth; whereas Truth is a living, vital, powerful demonstration of the Spirit of God, pulsating with Divine life and power and wisdom and knowledge.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 1 — Introduction
Gaven van de Geest — herstel en doel
Warnock beschrijft de herstelbeweging van gaven en bedieningen als Gods methode voor de opbouw van het lichaam van Christus:
“The saints of God are receiving gifts of the Spirit, the gifts are developing into ministries of the Spirit—and these ministries constitute God’s only method ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.’ (Eph. 4:12, 13).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 1 — Introduction
Warnock stelt ook de grenzen van de gaven scherp:
“Gifts of the Spirit are really no evidence of spiritual attainment; God bestoweth His gifts freely by His grace upon whomsoever He will. But with fruit it is entirely different.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
“the fruits of the Spirit, and not the gifts of the Spirit, constitute the real test of spiritual life; for the latter are given to produce the former, and it is the fruit that is the embodiment and expression of Christ-likeness within the heart and soul.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Interpretatie: Warnock bevestigt de actualiteit van de gaven (continuationistisch), maar plaatst ze functioneel ondergeschikt aan de vrucht. Ze zijn middel, niet doel.
Wedergeboorte en doop met de Geest — expliciet onderscheid
Warnock maakt een uitdrukkelijk onderscheid tussen de wedergeboorte (opstandingsdag) en de doop met de Geest (Pinksteren):
Wedergeboorte:
“On resurrection day ‘He breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost.’ (Jn. 20:22). The original Greek of the word ‘receive ye’ proves conclusively that right there and then the Spirit of God entered into the disciples—and that imparted life brought them into the experience which we call regeneration or new birth.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
Doop met de Geest (onderscheiden van wedergeboorte):
“This experience, however, was not sufficient by way of equipping them for the great and mighty tasks which lay just ahead of them; and so the Lord ‘commanded that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father… For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4, 5).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
“He is invited to drink into God’s Spirit, and be baptized with the Holy Ghost. In justification he is pardoned; in this new experience he is empowered for service.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
Interpretatie: Warnock beschrijft twee onderscheiden ervaringen: (1) wedergeboorte op opstandingsdag — ingaan van de Geest in de discipelen (Joh. 20:22); (2) doop met de Geest op Pinksteren — krachtigmaking voor dienst (Hand. 1:4-5). Dit is klassiek tweedezegeningspneumatologie.
Pinksteren — continuationisme en onvervulde belofte
Warnock bestrijdt het cessationistische standpunt dat Pinksteren slechts een historische eenmalige gebeurtenis was:
“Many evangelical circles have gone to considerable trouble in an attempt to prove that Pentecost was an event of ancient history, and that its power and glory were not for present-day experience. But a large group of hungry souls have proved by the Word and by experience that Pentecost was and is for personal appropriation by faith, just as the Passover was.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
Tegelijk stelt Warnock dat zelfs de volheid van Pinksteren nog niet bereikt is — het is slechts eerstelingen:
“Pentecost signifies a great harvest, that is true. But compared to the coming glory, it is really but a harvest of firstfruits… Pentecost is wonderful… But wonderful as it is, Pentecost is but the firstfruits of great and mighty things awaiting the Church of Jesus Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
“Our generation has had a foretaste of Pentecost, that is true. But we have by no means seen the fulness of the Pentecostal experience, as recorded in the Book of Acts.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 5 — The Feast of Pentecost
Interpretatie: Warnock positioneert Pinksteren als een drietrapsprogressie: (1) vroege kerk = het eerste morgenlicht; (2) herstel van Pinksteren in de twintigste eeuw = een voorproef; (3) de komende volheid = het middaglicht. Het Loofhuttenfeest overstijgt dit alles nog.
Vrucht van de Geest — het uiteindelijke doel
Warnock verbindt de vrucht van de Geest met het oogstfeest. Nieuwe wijn en olie zijn typen van de vrucht:
“New wine and oil… beautiful symbols of the fruit of the Spirit in the saints. Said Paul, ‘Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit’ (Eph. 5:18). And the oil, as we know, is a symbol of the anointing. ‘The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you…’ (1 Jn. 2:27).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
De vrucht omvat de volledige lijst van Paulus:
“We know what they are: ‘Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ (Gal. 5:22). But we shall never appreciate any measure of their real glory until the fruit of the Spirit becomes visibly manifest in the saints of God.”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Liefde is de hoogste vrucht en het uiteindelijke doel:
“Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts… (1 Cor. 14:1). Gifts are absolutely necessary, for they are the means to the end; but Love is the end, the consummation, the fruit for which God is waiting. Love is the Ultimate, because ‘God is Love,’ and it is His purpose to conform the saints even unto ‘the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren’ (Rom. 8:29).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Former Rain en Latter Rain — typologische uitstorting van de Geest
Dit is het meest uitgewerkte pneumatologische thema in het boek. Warnock verbindt de vroege en late regen uit de Joodse landbouwkalender met twee historische uitstortingen van de Geest:
“He hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil” (Joel 2:23, 24).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Former rain = Pinksteren (gematigd):
“Dispensationally this was Pentecost, when God first poured out His Spirit in copious showers of the former rain. Peter therefore could testify: ‘This is that…‘”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Latter rain = eindtijdse uitstorting (Loofhuttenfeest):
“God has promised to do something most unusual; for He would give, not only the former rain which belongs to that month, but He would give the former rain and the latter rain combined!”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
De Latter Rain is verbonden met de komst van de Heer:
“James associates the bestowal of the latter rain with the ‘coming’ of the Lord: ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.’ (Jas. 5:7, 8.) Notice in this passage how the truth concerning the latter rain is sandwiched between these two statements concerning the ‘coming of the Lord.‘”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 20 — The Coming of the Lord
Hosea verbindt de komst van de Heer ook met de regen:
“He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hos. 6:3).”
— Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hoofdstuk 10 — The Latter Rain
Interpretatie: Warnock plaatst zichzelf uitdrukkelijk in de Latter Rain-beweging (1948 revival). De former rain = vroege kerk en Pinksterbeweging (begin 20e eeuw); de latter rain = de eindtijdse volheid van de Geest die het Loofhuttenfeest vervult. De belofte van Joël 2 is slechts gedeeltelijk vervuld bij Pinksteren in Hand. 2; de volledige vervulling — inclusief een heruitgieting van de former rain — ligt nog in de toekomst.