And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
The first quote below appears to be a description of this encounter, and it uses the phrase "a vision in the night season".
The second quote is a general one about the Holy Spirit as Christ's successor on earth.
I'm not sure that it's possible to give a complete answer to this question. But if a friend of mine reported a "vision in the night season", I would assume that the vision was from the Holy Spirit.
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(1)
And now he was in prison, and his enemies, in their desperate malice, would resort to any means to put him to death. Could it be that his work for the churches was closed, and that ravening wolves were to enter in, not sparing the flock? The cause of Christ was near his heart, and with deep anxiety he contemplated the perils of the scattered churches, exposed to the persecutions of just such men as he had encountered in the Sanhedrim council. In distress and discouragement he wept and prayed. The Lord was not unmindful of his servant. He had guarded him from the murderous throng in the temple courts, he had been with him before the Sanhedrim council, he was with him in the fortress, and was pleased to reveal himself to his faithful witness. As on trying occasions several times before, Paul was now comforted and encouraged by a vision in the night season. Such as visitation had been granted him in the house of Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth, when he was contemplating leaving the city for a more safe and prosperous field. And now the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." Paul had long looked forward to a visit to Rome; he greatly desired to witness for Christ there, but had felt that his purposes were frustrated by the enmity of the Jews. He little thought even now, that it would be as a prisoner of the Lord, that he would go to Rome. {LP 224.2}
(2)
Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [THIS PHRASE WAS ADDED BY ELLEN WHITE.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" [John 14:26]. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you" [John 16:7]. {14MR 23.3}
"I have often seen the lovely Jesus, that He is a person. I asked Him if His Father was a person and had a form like Himself. Said Jesus, "I am in the express image of My Fathers person". {1BIO 80.6} I have often seen that the spiritual view took away all the glory of heaven, and that in many minds the throne of David and the lovely person of Jesus have been burned up in the fire of [BEGIN P.81] Spiritualism." Ellen G. White Biography, Volume 1; The Early Years (80).
I would not limit the travels and places where Jesus, or His Father may be found at any given time, Old or New Testament times. Certainly, Christ's primary work is currently in the Most Holy place, in the very presence of the King of the Universe, His Father, God on His throne. Is God free to leave His throne? Of course! He did when He showed Moses His backside. Why only His backside? Because a mortal being once beholding the face of God would cease to exist. While Ellen White, and other prophets in the Biblical record, did indeed see the face of Jesus, none saw the face of God. Jesus is a Prince, the Son of God. He will one day become the King, in a similar manner as an earthly Prince is destined to one day become the King.
I believe Jesus does not physically go in and out of the heavenly sanctuary. He went in on the Day of Pentecost, then into the Most Holy on October 22, 1844, and will leave someday soon.
Actually, this is something Bible teacher William Grotheer fell on, as he interpreted the Bible to mean that Jesus is going in and out of the Most Holy Place many times, while Ellen White shows clearly that Jesus does not come out until after the Close of Probation, so he told me I had to either believe his interpretation of the Bible, or Ellen White. I told him I chose Ellen White's writings over his faulty interpretation.
I believe John and Paul in the New Testament saw a vision of Jesus, not that Jesus physically bowed the heavens and came down to them in physical, bodily form.
understand but can you have a conversation with a vision?
Hi Nb, below is a repetition of a quote that I posted near the beginning of this discussion.
I think we make a mistake if we assume that our interactions with the Father, Son, and Spirit are "just like" our interactions with our fellow humans.
I believe that these interactions have some properties in common with our human interactions, but also have properties that are fundamentally different.
It is highly desirable that we learn whatever we possibly can about such interactions, for example by means of Bible and SOP material like the quote below.
But this is not the same as saying that we will fully understand these interactions, at least during our time on earth.
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Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [THIS PHRASE WAS ADDED BY ELLEN WHITE.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" [John 14:26]. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you" [John 16:7]. {14MR 23.3}
Christ walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Thus is symbolized his relation to the churches. He is in communion with his people. He knows their true state. He observes their order, their vigilance, their piety, and their devotion. Although he is High Priest and Mediator, in the sanctuary above, yet he walks up and down in the midst of the churches on earth. He goes from church to church, from congregation to congregation, from soul to soul. He is represented as walking, which signified untiring wakefulness, unremitting vigilance. He observes whether the light of any of his sentinels is burning dim or going out. If the candlesticks were left to mere human care, the flickering flame would languish and die. But he is the true watchman in the Lord's house, the true warden of the temple courts. His continued watchcare and sustaining grace are the source of life and light.
thought this was interesting
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