Does the Holy Spirit know when the Rapture will occur? This question arose a few weeks ago when a missionary friend of mine was in town and shared several words of knowledge with me. He told me I would have a certain ministry. I was excited about my upcoming ministry, but at the same time I was disappointed because I think if I have a ministry that the Holy Spirit has ordained but that I haven’t even started yet, the Rapture can’t occur yet. How do you think these things can fit together?
I’ve found that people often misunderstand when I say the rapture is not a date specific event and therefore we can’t know the date in advance. They don’t realize I’m only referring to us. God knows everything and knows exactly when the rapture will take place. That means the Holy Spirit knows too.
In cases where we’re given prophecies or words of knowledge, I think a good practice is to receive the word and check to make sure it’s consistent with Scripture, but don’t act on it until you get an independent confirmation. That means wait until someone who doesn’t know what you’ve been told gives you the same message. In 2 Cor. 13:1 Paul said “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
Some people receive very short term ministries from the Holy Spirit. For example there may be an opportunity where you are uniquely prepared to minister to someone in a time of desperate need. It may be for a day or even an hour, but your participation could be vital to the outcome (2 Cor. 1:3-4)