TERMS USED INTERCHANGEABLY

Being "troubled" with "persecutions and tribulations,: the Thessalonian believers wondered if the day of Christ was not "right at hand." (II Thess. 1-2) If Paul had believed in the "Any-Moment" Theory, here was his perfect opportunity to encourage them with the teaching that the day of Christ was possibly right at hand. He might have said something like this: "Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, for NOTHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN FIRST. That day shall come BEFORE the man of sin is revealed. Yes, our gathering together unto Him could happen at any moment."

But, to the contrary, this was NOT his answer. Instead, he explained that the day of the Lord's coming, the day of Christ, when they would be "gathered unto Him," would NOT take place until there would be a falling away first, and the man of sin revealed. This is just the OPPOSITE of the "Any-Moment" Theory.

There can be no mistake that the DAY OF CHRIST refers to the Rapture, for it is used in reference to "our gathering together unto Him." (II Thess 2) Christians are "waiting" for the "day of the Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor. 1:8, 9) It is "in the day of the Lord Jesus" that they will be gathered and "rejoice" at seeing each other. (II Cor. 1:14) The "good work" begun in Christians must continue "until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6) Paul exhorted the Philippian believers to be "sincere and without offense" until "the day of Christ" (verse 10) and mentioned that when he would see them "in the day of Christ" he would "rejoice," knowing that his labor had not been in vain. (2:16) All of these verses plainly show that the "day of Christ" is the time when believers are gathered to meet Christ. And the same inspired apostle that wrote these things tells us that "the day of Christ" will NOT come except first the "man of sin be revealed." (II Thess. 2:1-3)

This conclusion is so obvious that those who hold the "Any-Moment Theory" try to make the "day of Christ" (in II Thess. 2:2) refer to something else! Scofield, for example, says that the authorized version "has 'day of Christ' - II Thess. 2:2 - incorrectly for 'day of the lord'." Another Pre-Tribulational writer says that the "day of Christ" according to the Greek is really "the day of the Lord" in this passage (Chafer, The Coming and Reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, pg. 32, 60). But a look at Strong's Concordance reveals that the word translated "Christ" in this verse is CHRISTOS (number 5547 in Strong's). This word is used over 500 times in the New Testament and is translated CHRIST. (The Greek word that is translated LORD in the New Testament is a different word altogether, number 2962 in Strong's) "Day of Christ" is a correct translation.

But what if it did say: "the day of the Lord?" What difference would this make? We use the expression "the coming of the Lord" when referring to "the coming of Christ." Why, then, should some try to make the New Testament expression "the day of the Lord" mean something different from the "the day of Christ?"

The following terms are used INTERCHANGEABLY in the New Testament in reference to the Lord's coming to gather believers:

1. "The day of Christ" (Phil. 1:10)

2. "The day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6)

3. "The day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 1:8)

4. "The day of the Lord Jesus" (II Cor. 1:14)

5. "The day of the Lord" (I Thess. 5:2)

We think it very inconsistent to try to make the last expression mean a different "Lord" or a different time than what the other terms describe. The "day of the Lord" IS the "day of Christ." And according to Paul, the "day of Christ" - when believers will be gathered unto Him - will NOT come until AFTER the man of sin has been revealed.

OTHER RAPTURE VIEWS

A passing comment is now perhaps in order concerning the "three children" of the Secret Pre-Tribulational Rapture doctrine: the Mid-Tribulational Rapture, the Split Rapture, and the Partial Rapture.

All that has been said previously concerning the Pre-Tribulational Rapture applies with EQUAL FORCE to these doctrines. But with the last two, the Split Rapture and the Partial Rapture, we encounter an insidious evil which goes far beyond the mischief of the teaching of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture. The teaching behind the doctrine of both the Split Rapture and the Partial Rapture contends that the Rapture of the saints is based upon personal merit and not upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Nowhere in the Word is such a doctrine taught. In every instance where the rapture is mentioned, it is mentioned as only one single event, and like the Resurrection, the Rapture is based not on merit, but on the finished work of Christ on the Cross. In this regard, it is of the utmost importance to remember that the object of both the Rapture and the Resurrection is quite simple: to usher the saints of God into His presence at the end of the age. The only difference between the two is that one of necessity deals with the dead in Christ while the other deals with those that happen to be still alive at the Second Coming. Thus, just as the Resurrection has always been considered a part of the finished work of Christ, so the Rapture must likewise be so considered; both events are part of THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS, having nothing to do with the awards at the Judgment Seat of Christ as such.

The Mid-Tribulational Rapture position is attractive to some who naively suppose that by choosing it, they have adopted the "best-of-both worlds" insofar as the Pre-Tribulational and Post-Tribulational positions are concerned. But such thinking is exceedingly superficial! The exegetical problems relating to the Mid-Tribulational Rapture remain exactly as those which relate to the Pre-Tribulational Rapture: one is still left with two "Second Comings" (semantics not withstanding) and a rapture which while three and half years closer to the "Last Day" is still not on the "Last Day."

Those that hold to the doctrine of the Split or Partial Rapture of the Church base their teachings in part on the parable of the ten virgins. They ASSUME that because all are virgins and all are able at first to light their lamps, that all ten virgins are Christians. But the text does not say this! This is merely an assumption. The better assumption would be that this parable parallels and reinforces the parable of the wheat and the tares: both look and act like Christians. A careful re-reading of the Prophetic Scriptures, especially those dealing with the parables of Christ in Matthew, chapters 13 and 24, reveals that from all OUTWARD appearances, it will be exceedingly difficult to separate the hypocrites from the believers in the last days - a task far beyond our poor abilities and imaginations, a task for which only Christ is equipped.

It seems, then, that - rather than being ambiguous - the Scriptures are very clear about the Secret Rapture theory - it's simply unscriptural.

A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS MOST
EVANGELICAL "LAY PEOPLE" ARE NOT AWARE OF

I wonder how many who - despite the facts so clearly presented above - continue to hold to the Secret Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory realize that many - if not most - of their leaders no longer believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and while they may - from time to time - mouth support for such thinking, they no longer embrace it as a viable eschatology. The fact is, whether most "lay evangelicals" realize it or not, many of their leaders have adopted a "dominionist" or "post-millennial" mindset very similar to the eschatology espoused by the Roman Catholic Church - and, as a result, have abandoned pre-millennialism (the eschatology upon which the pre-tribulation rapture theory is erroneously linked) altogether.

Christian leaders who embrace political activity have very little choice in the matter. Logic dictates that if they espouse political activity, they must at the same time embrace an eschatology which will support that activity - after all, why fight to return the nation to "Christ and the church" if after they capture it, they are going to then surrender it to the Antichrist and be raptured out of the world - which pre-millennialism postulates whether one speaks of a rapture which occurs at the beginning, the middle, or even the end of the Tribulation period. After all, pre-millennialists of all persuasions postulate that with the seven vials, judgment will fall on the world, which - ipso facto - must mean that the earth which post-millennialists and dominionists have labored so hard to "restore" will then be destroyed, rendering all their work (i.e., political activity) meaningless. Typical of those leaders who espouse political activity to "take the nation back for Christ and the church" (and are willing to ally themselves with the Catholics in order to do so) and have - as a result - adopted a "post-millennial" or "dominionist" mindset is Pat Robertson. Many recognize this transformation in Robertson's thinking. Clearly, Harvey Cox of Harvard University thinks Robertson is now - for all practical purposes, whether he admits it or not - a "dominionist." Moreover, according to Cox, it's not just Robertson, but almost everyone who is currently associated with Robertson at CBN and Regent University - and it's not only Cox, but "outsiders" like Jeremy Rifkin who recognize Robertson's transition.

THE NEW DOMINIONIST MINDSET
TODAY'S EVANGELICAL LEADERS

"Dominionism" is a militant post-millennial eschatology ("doctrine of end times") which pictures the seizure of earthly (temporal) power by the church as the only means through which the world can be rescued; only after the world has been thus "rescued" can Christ return to "rule and reign." (Some dominionists see the seizure of the earth as the result of "signs, wonders, and miracles;" others picture it as the result of military and political conquest; most see it as a combination of both.)

Dominionists - whether subtly or otherwise - discount altogether the possibility of a rapture. They have rejected pre-millennialism completely - and in doing so, they have not only rejected the possibility of a pre-tribulational rapture of the church, but also the possibility of a mid-tribulational rapture and a post-tribulational rapture. This is post-millennialism - the historic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

Al Dager, a recognized expert on the dominionist mindset, writes,

"Some two decades before Pentecostalism found its way into the (mainstream) denominations (i.e., the Episcopalians, the Catholic Church, etc.) as the 'Charismatic Renewal', it experienced a new surge of experience-oriented theology within its own ranks. It was from this neo-Pentecostal experience - what came to be called the 'Latter Rain Movement' - that Charismatic Dominionism sprang. The more prominent leaders of that movement blended Pentecostal fervor with teachings that the church was on the brink of a worldwide revival. That revival would result in a victorious church without spot or wrinkle ... (which) would inherit the earth and rule over the nations with a rod of iron."

Dager explains that at the core of the dominionist mindset is -

"... a ... premise ... that when Adam sinned, not only did man lose dominion over the earth, but God also lost control of the earth to Satan. Since that time ... God has been on the outside looking in, searching for a 'covenant people' who will be His 'extension' or 'expression' in the earth to take dominion back from Satan ..." [Dager, Vengeance Is Ours, pgs. 43-44. ]

According to Dager, the basic dominionist model is as follows:

• The world is plunged into a time of political and spiritual crisis, one which threatens the world with chaos and the church with destruction.

• The Lord brings revival to the church.

• This revival results in the end of the church's divisions and the rule of the "apostles and prophets."

• The "Gospel of the Kingdom" is preached to the whole earth

• This leads to the conversion of Israel, the conquest of the world, and the judgment of those who refuse to convert.

• The Lord returns.

Jewel van der Merwe of Discernment Magazine, elaborates; she writes that the "New Charismatics" are actively pushing a belief system which prophesies that -

" ... (1) the greatest revival the church has ever known (is about to occur); (2) the greatest baptism of the Spirit the church has ever experienced (will shortly happen); (3) the greatest army (Joel's Army) distinguished by invincibility, immortality and divinity (will be raised up); (4) the greatest purging ... in the history of the church (will shortly begin); (5) the greatest ministry - the Prize of all Ages (is about to break forth); and (6) the greatest miracles, super-natural signs and wonders far exceeding that of the Apostles and Prophets of old (will shortly take place)." [Jewel van der Merwe, "Joel's Army," (Holly, Michigan: Discernment Newsletter Publications, pg. 1.]

The dominionist model, however, is at total variance with the older pre-millennial model. The pre-millennial model pictures:

1. The world is plunged into a time of spiritual and political crisis.

2. The church is apostatized.

3. The apostatized church unites with the anti-Christ and seizes control of the world.

4. A great tribulation breaks out against those Christians who refuse to become a part of the apostatized church, resulting in their persecution and finally their destruction - after which the anti-Christ, who had at first appeared as the champion of Israel (and the church), turns on Israel (and the "apostate" church) to destroy her (them).

5. The rapture occurs for those Christians who "remain," (i.e., those who have not been killed off) and Christ returns to bring judgment on those who had destroyed Israel and persecuted those Christians who had refused to be apostatized.

[This model is essentially the model of Hal Lindsay's Late Great Planet Earth, with the exception that Lindsey postulates that Christians will be raptured out of the world prior to the beginning of the persecution of the anti-Christ. As we have already shown, pre-millennialists are divided on this point: some argue that the rapture will occur before the tribulation, some say during, and some say afterwards - but the essential elements of the rest of the model remain. It should also be noted in this connection that in the dominionist model, the church is the "main player," while in the pre-millennialist model, Christ is the "main player."]

In one way or another Franklin Hall, William Branham, George Hawtin, Percy G. Hunt, Herrick Holt, George Warnock, Bill Britton, Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, Ern Baxter, Don Basham, Bob Mumford, Charles Simpson, Derek Prince, D. James Kennedy, William Banks, Marilyn Hickey, Demos Shakarian, Ralph Martin, Steve Clark, Kevin Ranaghan, etc. have all been involved in "Dominionism" and "Latter Rain." [Dager, Vengeance Is Ours, pgs. 49-50.]

POST-MILLENNIALISM & DICHOTOMY
vs. PRE-MILLENNIALISM & TRICHOTOMY

Finally we come to one last very important matter. I very much suspect that it is not without cause that pre-millennialism and trichotomy go together just as post-millennialism and dichotomy go together. I don't believe that it is a matter of simple happen-chance that historically, whenever pre-millennialism has predominated in the church, trichotomy has also prevailed; and whenever post-millennialism has predominated, dichotomy has likewise flourished. There is a connection between pre-millennialism and trichotomy; and there is a connection between post-millennialism and dichotomy.

Post-millennialism is the effort by Christians (as a corporate body - i.e., the church) to do a work for Christ, specifically to bring in the kingdom of Christ. The arrogance and aggrandizement of self which is implicit in such thinking is overwhelming - this kind of thinking could never take place in the human mind which is fixed upon Christ. It doesn't emanate from a spirit which is "beholding and reflecting" Christ, but from a soul which at best has only a nodding acquaintance with the Lord. Those who truly behold God in their spirit would never countenance the kind of arrogance which could say, "I will do a work for God." This kind of thinking is born of "the pride of life" which is altogether a thing of this world (i.e., it's worldliness). The Bible says,

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:16)

Those who have truly touched the Lord would never be so arrogant and pretentious. Moses saw God, and he hid his face in fear:

"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

"And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

"Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Ex. 3:4-6)

Where is there any "pride of life" here?

Isaiah too saw the Lord, and he recognized immediately how small and insignificant he really was:

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple ...

"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (Is. 6:1, 5)

Where is there any pride here? Where is there any thought of "doing a work for the Lord?" - unless the Lord did the work through him.

And John the Apostle also saw the Lord, and even he - the one who had leaned on Jesus' breast at the "Last Supper" - fell on his face "as if dead:"

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, "And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.

"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man ..." (Rev. 1:10, 11, 17)

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD

Yes, the Almighty is our loving Father, but He also is an awesome God! There is no room for impertinence and shallow familiarity with the Lord such as Bennie Hinn so arrogantly exhibits in his preaching - even with those who enjoy a loving relationship with Him (which is certainly not the case with Hinn). He is not called "Lord" (i.e., master, sovereign) for nothing! Job, God's "friend," had to learn this lesson the hard way! - who are we, then, to tell God that we will do a work for Him? - the titanic arrogance of it all! Those who say such things only reveal that they have no real relationship with God at all - that their presumed relationship with God is nothing more than an empty pretense.

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

"Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

"Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

"Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

"Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

"Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

"Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

"Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

"Then Job answered the LORD, and said,

"Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

"Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

"Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

"Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous ...?

"Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty (if you can).

"(Can you) cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.

"(Can you) look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.

"Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.

"(If you can do these things) then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee. (Job 38, 39, and 40)

THE POST-MILLENNIAL "MINDSET"

Post-millennialists, nonetheless, say that they are going to conquer the world for Christ - and in saying this, they reveal that they have never really known God at all. Indeed, it's not without cause that someday they may very will hear those dreadful words, "I never knew you" (i.e., "I never had an intimate relationship with you"):

"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matt. 7:22-23)

[And one must bear in mind here, that these are people are not "out-right" sinners, but people who evidently thought they were "doing a work for God."]

Their relationship with the Lord is all of self (soul) and nothing of the spirit. Because they know nothing of the spirit - nothing about "beholding and reflecting" the Lord - it's altogether natural for them to have a dichotomous view of man. How could it be otherwise?

TO POST-MILLENNIALISTS, THE
CHURCH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHRIST

Post-millennialism (and, ipso facto, dichotomy) emphasizes "doing" over "beholding;" "works" over "reflecting" - and, more than that, it emphasizes the church over Christ. In post-millennialism, it's the church that is going to bring in the kingdom, not Christ. Christ is seen as merely an observer in heaven while Christians on earth do all the work. And more than that, in the post-millennial scheme of things, the individual is de-emphasized, and the church is emphasized. In post-millennialism, the church is everything - and, as a result, unity is stressed; but it's not the unity which flows out of the individual as a natural consequence of "beholding and reflecting" Christ in one's spirit, it's the unity that is brought about by outward control - a control which flows from church officers (elders, pastors, "apostles," "prophets," etc). It's the kind of unity that is brought about by "outward conformity," not the inner leading of Christ in our spirits.

UNITY IN THE POST-MILLENNIAL SCHEME
OF THINGS IS DEPENDENT ON HIERARCHY

The unity that post-millennialism brings is dependent on hierarchy - the orderly arrangement of church officers in a kind of giant pyramid which emphasizes rank and position. How high up one is in this pyramid determines how "close" one is to God. One is required to "submit" to those who are "above," and to "rule over" those who are "below" - and one's spirituality is measured by one's submission to authority (i.e., to one's submission to control).

The order which post-millennialism promotes is based on a military-like discipline, a discipline which is enforced by an outward chain of command. The thought that all men have equal access to Christ through the spirit (trichotomy) is anathema to post-millennialism - it strikes at the military-like order which post-millennialism promotes. The belief that each individual Christian has a spirit and can be led individually by that spirit without resort to "outward authority" is a threat to post-millennialism's pyramid-like structure and scheme of things. For post-millennialists to admit that man is a trichotomous being and ipso facto not dependent on hierarchy to guide and direct him is tantamount to destroying the necessity for post-millennialism's pyramid. The thought that each individual Christian can "know" God in his spirit independent of those "above" him in the hierarchy is an abomination and sacrilege to post-millennialists.

THE TRICHOTOMOUS VIEW OF
MAN IS IN OPPOSITION TO HIERARCHY

But Jesus promoted no such hierarchical scheme of things. Jesus taught the exact opposite. He said,

"Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (i.e., servant);

"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant (i.e., slave):

"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (i.e., served), but to minister (i.e., serve), and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:25-28)

Instead of teaching man to be dependent on an outward hierarchy, Jesus said,

"... ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie [i.e., the same anointing (which is truth and no lie) teaches all of you the same things]. (I John 2:27)

And exactly what is this anointing? Jesus said that it is -

"... 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. (John 14:26)

And again, Jesus said,

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me ..." (John 15:26)

So important did Jesus believe the "Comforter's" ministry to be to the individual Christian - a ministry which stands totally outside any form of hierarchy - that Jesus said,

"... It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:5-7)

THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR
INDIVIDUAL WALK WITH CHRIST

Trichotomy emphasizes the importance of the individual believer's walk with Christ - it's not that our "corporate" walk with other believers isn't important, but that the starting point for all our relationships with other believers, including our relationship with others in the church, is our individual walk with Christ. Trichotomy teaches that all believers - regardless of intellect and regardless of their station in life or their position in the church - have equal access to God through the Holy Spirit which indwells their human spirit, just as all the branches in the vine have equal access to the nourishment which the vine alone provides; Jesus said,

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

And John the Apostle said,

"And now, little children, abide in him ..." (I John 2:27-28)

The secret is abiding in Him! - that's where everything begins. It's not intellect that counts, nor even seminary training, nor worldly success, nor your "station" in the church or in life that counts - but abiding in Him and abiding in His Word. If a Christian does these things, everything else will follow, including a vibrant loving relationship with others as well as a fulfilling life in the church.

THE INDIVIDUAL & THE CHURCH

Yes, the church is important. Indeed, the Bible says that the church is the "Bride of Christ" (Rev. 21:9); but we must always bear in mind that the church flows out of the Lord, not the Lord out of the church. The Lord comes first, then the church. Out of our individual relationships with the Lord flows the life of the church. If our individual walk with the Lord is wrong, then our life in the church will be wrong, and all the seminars, and all the books, and all the sermons aren't going to help; but when the individual believer "beholds and reflects" the glory of the Lord, then the church also will reflect and mirror the Lord's splendor - and not until. Put another way, the health of the human body depends on the health of the individual cells of the body, not visa versa. When all the cells of the body are healthy, then the whole body will be healthy - and not the other way around.

Some people speak of the church as if it somehow had its own identity apart from its individual members; but the church has no life of its own. It has life only because we - as individual members - have life. The church has no life apart from the individual members which compose it. The church reflects the glory of the Lord only insofar as its individual members are "beholding and reflecting" the glory of the Lord. Paul put it this way:

"And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; "for through Him we (as individual members) ... have our access in one Spirit (i.e., the Holy Spirit) to the Father.

"So then you (as individual members) are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,

"having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

"in whom the whole building (i.e., the church as a corporate body of believers), being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord ..." (Eph. 2:17-21 - NASB)

According to Paul, the order is this: first there are the individual members, who as individual members are touching and communing in their individual spirits with the one and only God-given Holy Spirit (i.e., the Comforter), and its through each individual member's touch with the one and only Spirit of God that we are quite effortlessly brought into oneness and then built together into a holy Temple (habitation) unto the Lord.