THE TITLE “HOLY GHOST” NOT USED IN REVELATIONS?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Primarily I am persuaded that it has to do with the fact that His operations are particularly in view, just as you state. The operations and ministries that the Holy Ghost will be performing during the final installment in God’s program with Israel are, for example, the very ones that the Lord spoke about in the Gospel accounts. For example, in John 14–16 the Lord prepared the 11 (and through them the rest of the believing remnant of Israel) for the activities of the third member of the Godhead during the final installment to their program. Though the Lord spoke of Him a number of times. He only referred to Him as “the Holy Ghost” once, in John 14:26. The rest of the time the Lord referred to Him by designations that were descriptive of His operations and ministries that the remnant would benefit from and needed to understand and appreciate. Hence He spoke of Him as “the Spirit of truth” and “the Comforter,” and He described in detail the operations and ministries that the Holy Ghost would perform that made it so that He is to be thought of by the remnant in connection with these operational titles. Hence they knew full well that they would be dealing with the Holy Ghost Himself, but in accordance with His operations and ministries being the main issue for them, (for as the Lord said, “for he shall not speak of himself “), they were to think of Him as “the Comforter” and “the Spirit of truth.”
Joh 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 shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Joh 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Joh 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
What the Lord sets forth in John 14–16 regarding the Holy Ghost’s operations and ministries would apply to all that He does for the remnant during the final installment in Israel’s program. Hence in all that He does for them the focus for the remnant is upon His operations and ministries, and not on His person. And so in my understanding this is primarily why in the book of the Revelation He is not referred to by His Godhead designation “the Holy Ghost.” In view of what the book of the Revelation records, especially in chapters 5ff, (i.e. a daily newspaper type account for the remnant that sets forth the events that will transpire on this earth during the Lord’s day of wrath in the final installment of Israel’s program), it is only natural it would refer to Him in connection with His operations and ministries as “the Spirit of truth” and in connection with His comfort as “the Comforter.” Hence He is only referred to as “the Spirit” speaking unto the churches of the remnant, who in so doing is providing the “truth” and “comfort” for them by what He sets forth.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
In my understanding I think the way in which the Holy Ghost is to be looked upon as per the Lord’s teaching in John 14–16 is sufficient to fully explain why He is not referred to as the Holy Ghost in the book of the Revelation. I had not thought of what you suggest as possibly being a further reason. However I suspect that it does not really figure in. The reason why I say this is because there is still the need for the remnant to acknowledge and think about the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost,”( that is as the third person of the Godhead), during the final installment to Israel’s program. This is because it will be an issue during that time that the third person of the Godhead is functioning. The remnant will need to think about this especially in connection with thinking about unbelieving Israel’s response to what is going on. For example, they need to be thinking of the fact that what the Lord spoke about in Matthew 12:31–32 is in effect; which is the issue of Israel being given its final opportunity to respond positively to God at that time, and that this opportunity is being given to them by the person of the third member of the Godhead.
Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Historically they have already hated the Father; likewise they have already hated the Son; and during the final installment in essence the issue will be whether they hate the Holy Ghost as well. So in connection with issues such as this, the remnant does need to acknowledge and think about the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost.” And for reasons such as this, and others like it, the Holy Ghost is referred to by His personal Godhead designation in the books of Hebrews though Jude. However when it comes to the book of the Revelation, those other reasons that will have the remnant acknowledging the Holy Ghost as “the Holy Ghost” have already been dealt with. In the book of the Revelation, because of what it sets forth and what it is designed to accomplish as it effectually works in the minds of the remnant, only the Holy Ghost’s operations and ministries for them as “the Spirit” is what it sets forth and emphasizes.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries