Then, there is another work that the Holy Spirit was involved in in the past, and that was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There was first the promise of His coming and there are several places where we can turn. In Matthew, chapter 3 and verse 11, we see a reference there to the coming of the Holy Spirit. [“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”] Other Scripture references are: Mark 1:8 [“I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”]; Luke 3:16-17 [“John answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.’”];John 1:32-33 [“And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He Who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon Whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”’”]; Acts 1:7-8 [“And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His Own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”]; Luke 24:49 [“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”]; Mark 9:1 [“And He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.’”]

The fulfillment of the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, however, was seen on the Day of Pentecost. If we look at Acts, chapter 2, beginning with verse 1, we see there the fulfillment, the actuality, the realizing of this promise: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

And so there was the promise of the Holy Spirit, there was the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, but there is another occasion when the Holy Spirit came upon some people in a powerful way. We might call this coming the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that came upon the Gentile nation as represented by Cornelius and his household. Acts, chapter 10, beginning with verse 44: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the Word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” And you can continue there through verse 47. [“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’”]

We can see the connection there, but we can look also in Acts 11, beginning with verse 13. Peter travels back to Jerusalem and recounts what transpired with the household of Cornelius. He will make a connection here between the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit coming with power upon Cornelius and his household. [“And he (Cornelius) told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you Words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the Word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”]

So both Jew and Gentile—“Gentile” representing all flesh—received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on these two occasions. After the time there in Acts, chapter 10, there is no mention in the rest of the Scriptures regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit ever occurring.

Another of the works of the Holy Spirit that He did in the past and does not do any longer concerns the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Those are listed in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 1 through 12. We won’t take the time to go there, but the list includes the powers that the apostles had, powers even to raise from the dead. The characteristic of those powers of the apostles was that they were transferable to others ONLY by the laying on of hands by the apostles. When the apostles died, then the power, that special Holy Spirit power, if you will, died with them. Paul had said in 1 Corinthians 13, verses 8 through 10, when he talked about these things ceasing, that they would cease “when that which is perfect will come.” That is reference, of course, to the New Testament. [“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”]