Christ and the Spirit

I've been reading The Holy Spirit, written by the late Arthur Pink (1886-1952), and published posthumously.  It has been an amazing study of the Scripture's teaching on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, both in the life of the Christian, and in the operation throughout the world (Christians and non-Christians included). 
Instead of writing a typical post from my own studies, I thought that I would share from this book a section that to me has been enormously profitable.  In this section, Pink outlines 18 parallels between Christ's coming into the world and the Spirit's coming into the world.
As one who lives and breathes Scripture (not in the sense that I perfectly embody Scripture--rather just that I constantly study, read, think, pray it, etc.), seeing connections therein which are obviously there to prove Sovereign God's goodness and transcendent intelligence has proven again and again to be fire-starting in my heart.  Things like these cause me to glorify God, with the psalmist, saying, "Your testimonies are my delight--they are my counselors...I find my delight in your commandments, which I love!" (Ps 119:24,47), so that my prayer becomes, "Give me understanding that I may learn your commandments" (119:73), because His Word has proven to be more desirable "than gold, even fine gold, and sweeter than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb" (19:10).  By His grace, I've begun to understand that I live "by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Deut. 8:3, restated by Jesus in Mt. 4:4).  Seeing parallels such as what follows prove a real delight to the eyes and heart of faith.  Hopefully as you see the similarities between Christ's Advent and subsequently the Spirit's Advent, you'll cry out with me, "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Rom. 11:33)

Before you read, remember one thing: Jesus, the night He was betrayed, told His disciples, "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you" (Jn 15:7).  Without sacrificing reverence to the Name of our Sovereign Lord and God Christ Jesus (the only Name by which man can be saved), we understand His words to mean this: Whereas He, after dying to pay for sins and then rising from death, was to go to sit at the Father's right hand to intercede for His people until He returns finally (see Ps 110:1, Mt 26:64, Eph 1:20, and cross-references), the Holy Spirit would be sent to His people to replace Christ's physical presence on earth.  The coming of Christ (His Advent) was to dwell on earth and then pay for sins, and the coming of the Spirit (His Advent) was to apply Christ's work to Christ's people and dwell with them until Christ returns (see Jn 14:16).  Thus noticing the parallel is appropriate.  That said...

1.  Whereas Christ was present in the Old Testament (Ac 7:37-38, 1 Cor 10:4) but the fullness of His presence was to be realized in the New Testament, so it was with the Spirit that He was present with God's people in the OT (Neh 9:20, for example), but the fullness of His presence was realized in the NT.
2.  Christ's Advent was predicted and foretold in the OT (as is well documented), but so was the Holy Spirit's (which is much less documented) (see Ps 68:18, Is 32:15, Ezek 36:26, etc.).
3.  As Christ had John the Baptist to "prepare the way" for His coming, the Holy Spirit had Christ to prepare the way for Him.
4.  Christ was sent by God "when the fullness of time had come" (Gal 4:4), just as the Spirit was sent by God "when the day of Pentecost was fully come" (Ac 2:1, KJV, also in Greek text).
5.  Just as the Son of God was made incarnate in the Holy Land of Israel in Palestine, so the Holy Spirit of God descended first in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
6.  The "angel choir" sang at Christ's coming (Lk 2:13) while was a "sound from heaven" at the Spirit's (Ac 2:2); likewise the "Shekinah glory of the Lord shone" around those present at Christ's coming (Lk 2:9) and there were "tongues of fire" which rested on those present at the Spirit's (Ac 2:3).
7.  An extra-ordinary star marked the house where the Christ-child was (Mt 2:9), while a divine (truly extraordinary) shaking marked the house where the Holy Spirit was (Ac 2:2).
8.  Whereas Christ was first made known to a few, but when manifested to Israel, was publically identified (Mt 3:17, Jn 1:29), so the Spirit was first made known to a few, but when manifested to Israel, was publically identified (by Peter--see Ac 2:16-36).
9.  As Christ became a man, dwelling in a human "temple" (Jn 2:19), so the Spirit came to dwell in the bodies of those who belong to Christ (Jn 14:16), so that they are "God's temple, in whom His Spirit dwells" (1 Cor 3:16). 
10.  When Christ was born, "Herod and all of Jerusalem with him were troubled" (Mt 2:3), whereas when the Spirit came, with its loud sound, "the multitude (in Jerusalem)...were bewildered" (Ac 2:6).
11.  While it was predicted that Christ would be unrecognized and underappreciated (see Is. 53), so also Christ predicted about the Spirit that "the world can't receive Him, because it doesn't see him or know him" (Jn 14:17).
12.  As the Messianic claims of Christ were called into question (see Jn 7:40-52, and cross-references), so also the people, when the Spirit came, "were amazed, and doubted, saying 'What does this mean?'" (Ac 2:12).
13.  As Christ was termed a drunkard (wine-bibbler, KJV) (Mt 11:19), so when the Spirit came, those filled with Him were accused of being "drunk with new wine" (Ac 2:13).
14.  As the public Advent of Christ was heralded by John the Baptist (Jn 1:29), so the Spirit's was interpreted by Peter (Ac 2:15-36).
15.  God appointed Christ to the work of purchasing His people's redemption (Mt 10:45), and so He appointed the Spirit to APPLY said redemption (see Romans 8:10-13).
16.  As in Christ's work "the Son honored the Father" (Jn 14:10), so in His work, "the Spirit glorifies the Son" (Jn 16:13-14).
17.  As the Father told the Son's disciples to "listen to Him" (Mt 17:15, cross-references), so the Son tells His Church to "hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev 2:7).
18.  As Christ committed His true peoples' safe-keeping to His Spirit (Jn 14:16, 16:7, 2 Cor 2:22, Eph 1:14), so His Spirit is committed to delivering Christ's true people to Him (Jn 14:3).

I trust that reading this has been as profitable and fulfilling as it was when I first read it.  God's Word is good, Christ as Lord is wonderful, and knowing Him truly is eternal life.  Go in the Spirit, for "all who live by the Spirit are sons of God" (Rom 8:14).