Biblical doctrines

Raptures Taught Throughout the Scripture

Posted on October 15, 2019 Updated on March 5, 2024

This is a very fascinating subject in the scriptures that will be explained in the context of each passage. It’s an essential knowledge to have today as we live in a chaotic and corrupt world.

Rev. Jay Werman, Director

Text based: 1 Thessalonians. 4:13-18

“¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

How many “raptures” are taught in the Scriptures?

There are ten different raptures taught throughout Scripture. We will identify each of them with their respective scriptures. For born-again Christians, the most important rapture is the rapture of the Church, which will end our probationary period.

First rapture taught in Scripture:

“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:22-24

The Hebrew word used for “God took him” is “lâqach,” which means the following “to take, to get, to fetch, to lay hold of, to seize, to receive, to acquire, to buy, to bring, to marry, to take a wife, to snatch, to carry away”. The Greek word used in the passage below expands the meaning in Genesis 5:24. In other words, both passages complement each other to express the event that took place. The Hebrew word is used 975 times in the Old Testament.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5

The Greek word used for “translated” is “metatithēmi,” which means “to transfer, that is, (literally) to transport, (by implication) to exchange, (reflexively) to change, or (figuratively) to pervert: – to carry over, to change, to remove, to translate, to turn. Enoch was literally transported to the third heaven.

The second rapture is taught in the Scripture:

Elijah was translated to the third heaven. 2 Kings 2:11-12.

“And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.” 2 Kings 2:3

The Hebrew word “lâqach,” translated here as “take away,” is used in the same sense as in Genesis 5:24. It’s repeated in verse 5. The Scriptures give details of how Elijah was caught up to the third heaven. God allowed Elisha to be able to see this event through the use of the “gift of discernment of spirits”; this spiritual gift is part of the group of spiritual gifts that must be manifested in anyone who calls himself a “prophet”. If this spiritual gift is not present, then such a person simply does not have the call to the ministerial gift of being a prophet. Perhaps this believer is manifesting some of the gifts of oral inspiration, which is “the gift of prophecy, or the gift of speaking in tongues, and the gift of interpreting tongues”. The fact that a person has manifested one of these spiritual gifts does not mean that such a believer is a prophet, as has been assumed by many to be the case.

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” 2 Kings 2:11

“Went up” from the Hebrew means “to go up, to ascend, to climb. Elijah was taken up in a “whirlwind” from the Hebrew word “se‛ârâh” which means “tempest, storm, whirlwind. God allowed Elisha to see this event through the use of “spiritual discernment”.

The third rapture taught in Scripture:

Jesus ascended to heaven to shed His blood and seal the covenant, and returned the same day.

“And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”
John 20:14-20

In verse 17, after Jesus rose from the dead, He was taken up into the third heaven to offer His own blood for us on the day He would appear to the disciples.

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father”. Verse 17

Why couldn’t Mary Magdalene touch Jesus? When Jesus rose from the dead, He rose as our “high priest” who couldn’t be touched by anyone before the blood offering. In fact, the consecration and purification rituals performed by the High Priest were extended to the entire week before the Day of Atonement. Exodus 28, 29; Leviticus 8. The Holy of Holies was divided by a veil [the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51], and no one could enter except the High Priest, and even he could enter only once a year on Yom Kippur [the Day of Atonement] to offer the blood of sacrifices and incense before the Mercy Seat. Jesus is mentioned as our High Priest in Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:5-10; 6:20; 7:26-28; 8:1; 9:11, 25; 10:21; 13:11.

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:11-12

After Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene, Jesus, as our High Priest, went into the most holy place in the temple in heaven and returned the same day, as stated in the above passage and in the following passage::

“Then THE SAME DAY at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” John 20:19

The fourth rapture taught in Scripture:

The translation of “captivity” where the saints or the righteous went after they died; also known as “Abraham’s bosom” in the story told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the third heaven, Jesus took this place and all the saints were transferred with Him to “Paradise,” which is located in the third heaven. Notice what Paul said in the following passages:

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” 2 Corinthians 12:2

Notice the language used in the next passage;

“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Verse 4

The captivity or Abraham’s bosom under the earth is emptied. All the saints of the Old Testament were raptured or translated to the third heaven when Jesus took them.

“Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8

Abraham’s bosom is now an empty space in the center of the earth, and it’s a reminder to those in hell that the righteous are in a better place. It’s a separation between the wicked and the righteous for eternity.

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17

“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” Psalm 37:10

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:17

The fifth rapture taught in Scripture:

Jesus’ ascension into the third heaven in a literal cloud after His resurrection from the dead.

“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3

Notice that the same statements are made in the following passages:

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19

“And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” Luke 24:51

The sixth rapture taught in Scripture:

Paul was translated to the third heaven.

This passage uses the word “caught up”, which in Greek is “harpazō”, which means “to snatch out or take away,” “to seize, to carry away by force. The same word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in reference to the rapture of the church and in Acts 8:39:

“And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

The seventh rapture taught in Scripture:

The rapture of the church, which is the universal rapture for which we are all waiting, as prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:23

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

All of the saints of the Old Testament are involved in the resurrection of their bodies. bodies.

The eighth rapture taught in the Scripture:

The 2 witnesses of Revelation 11 will be caught up to the third heaven after their resurrection, as recorded in Revelation 11:3-12.

“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Revelation 11:12

The two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah, who have not died because they live in the third heaven since they were raptured.

“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Revelation 11:3-12

Here is the context of the identity of these two witnesses:

“Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:11-14

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6

Enoch and Elijah, who were previously translated to the third heaven (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11), will again experience a rapture, but the difference in is that they will ascend to the third heaven with a glorified body. Notice the law established in Hebrews 9:27, which states:

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Both men are living in the third heaven with a natural body, and they will come back to bring Israel back to God after they flee from Judea, fulfilling the prophetic word given by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-16. After that, they will both die and be resurrected with glorified bodies.

The ninth rapture taught in the Scripture:

The 144,000 Jews sealed by an angel [Revelation 7:2] in the first three and a half years of Daniel’s prophecy [Daniel 9:27; Revelation 7:1-8]. These are not “the Jehovah Witnesses” as their religion teaches. That’s just a fallacy. These are JEWS, NOT GENTILES, as expressed in the following passage;

“And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of ALL THE TRIBES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.” Revelation 7:4

The judgment’s angels were told:

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having THE SEAL OF THE LIVING GOD: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants (144,000 Jews) of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2-3

What keeps these 144,000 from being harmed? is it keeping the Sabbath, as Jehovah’s Witnesses say? This is false and just another error. What keeps these 144,000 Jews from being harmed by the judgments is that they have “sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:3

They will be raptured as the man child, as expressed in the following passage:

“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” Revelation 12:5

How did we identify these 144,000 Jews as the man child? Well, according to 1 Corinthians 10:32, there are 3 ethnic groups:

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.”

The Church is already gone when the Great Tribulation period begins, and the
The two remaining ethnic groups are the Jews and the Gentiles. The Gentiles are the ones who persecute the Jews, so they cannot be identified as “the man-child. The only ones left are the Jews, whose identity is confirmed in Revelation 12:1.

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

This woman represents the people of Israel. Notice what the following passages say:

“And she [Israel] being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” Verse 2

Repeating the passage from Revelation 12:5 (Compare Isaiah 66:7-8)

“And she (Israel) brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up [rapture] unto God, and to his throne.”

The Tenth Rapture taught in Scripture:

The great multitude of tribulation saints saved after the rapture of the church.

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” Revelation 6:9-11

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” Revelation 15:2-4

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

May our Lord give you strength according to His Holy Word!

This entry was posted in Biblical doctrines, Theology and tagged 144000 Jews sealed, Captivity, Caught up, church, Elijah, Enoch, Jesus, Paradise, Paul translated into heaven, raptures, The 2 Witnesses, The great multitude of tribulation saints.

3 Stages of Spiritual Growth

Posted on October 7, 2019 Updated on August 22, 2021

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe” Hebrews 5:13

By: Rev. Jay Werman

Here are some of the topics we’re covering throughout the subject.

a) We will explain about stages of spiritual growth and how to identify myself in any of those levels.
b) How to grow and what are the elements involved in it.
c) How to grow in the inward man using the word of God.
d) What are the evidences of spiritual growth.
e) Principles established by God in his Word that produce changes in the inside and the outside.
f) The main point is to identify why I’m not growing in my inward man and how to correct it using what God had provided.
g) Most of our issues and problems come from the lock of spiritual growth.

In 2 Kings 2:1-14 we will draw a spiritual application based on the places where these two men of God were sent before one of them was taken to heaven. Let me make clear that when we study the scriptures and try to interpret a particular passage, it should be understood that there is only one interpretation, which is what the writer (inspired by God) of that particular book intended to reveal. The interpretation of that particular
passage may be “Literal or Allegorical”, depends on what God wanted to communicate to those whom He addressed. We can use or extract different applications from those verses but keep in mind that the application is limited to the context that surrounds it and you should never distort the biblical language to try to justify actions that compromise all principles and laws established by God.
Let’s apply what we had already mentioned and establish a parallel between the place where Elijah and Elisha went and the levels of spiritual growth.
There are 3 different locations in 2 Kings 2:2-7: “Bethel, Jericho and Jordan”. These 3 locations can be used (in a limited sense) as a reference to represent believer’s spiritual levels but it has to be within the biblical context of the passage.
Bethel: For example, represents the place of “the vision” in Genesis 35:1-15. Observe several key words in these verses:

“And God said unto Jacob, arise, go up to Bethel”. v. 1

“And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother”. v.7

El Bethel means “The God of the House of God”. Which was the place where God revealed Himself to Jacob. According to The Brown-Driver-Briggs’s dictionary

The stages of spiritual growth are as follow:

– First stage is Born Again (Beth-El). Here is where everything starts for us. God not only places his divine nature in us, as it is stated in the following passages:

“whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”
2 Peter 1:4

“that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life“
John 3:15

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”
John 5:39

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”
1 John 5:13

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
Romans 6:22-23

but at the same time He placed his vision in our new spirit.

“who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”
2 Timothy 1:9

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men”
Ephesians 4:1-8

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus”
Hebrews 3:1

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”
Mark 16:15

– The second stage is when we start to obey God’s word (Jericho) and rely our dependency on God more than our old way to deal with problems and issues. After we are born again, we must receive instructions (musar) about the new life we have received aligned with the word of God. Read Proverbs 1:2-8; 6:23; 8:10; 12:1; 13:18; 15:33; 19:27.

“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; And a man of understanding shall attain (acquire) unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction”
Proverbs 1:2-7

These passages lay out every area where the believer must grow after of being born again. The Hebrew word “mûsâr”, which is used the word “instruction” is used 50 times in the Old Testament and is translated, as it follows: “correction, instruction, chastening, discipline, doctrine”.

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs (corrections) of instruction are the way of life”
Proverbs 6:23

“Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it“
Proverbs 8:10-11

If today’s believers will take God’s word as it is written, they would not be chasing materials things, as many are doing nowadays, and that is unfortunate. There is nothing on this corrupted system that can be compared to the benefits of obeying God’s word.

“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: But he that hateth reproof is brutish“
Proverbs 12:1

The hebrew word used for “brutish: is “bah’-ar“, which means; “a person who loves stupirity, a foolish person”.

“O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: For thy testimonies are my meditation“
Psalm 119:97-99

– The Third stage is when we understand God’s purpose and we had surrendered to it (Jordan). As a born again Christians we are suppose to produce fruits that redounded to God’s glory. Mat 3:10; 7:17-19; 12:33; 13:8, 26; 21:19, 34; Mar 4:7-8, 29; 11:14; 12:2; Luke 1:42; 3:9; 6:43-44; 8:8; 13:6-7; 20:9-10; John 4:36; 12:24; 15:2; 15:4-5, 8, 16; Act 2:30, Romans 15:28, 1 Co 9:7; Eph 5:9, Phi 4:17, Heb 12:11; 13:15; Rev 22:2

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”
Galatians 5:21-22

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door”
James 5:7-9

“Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles”
Romans 1:13

“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life“
Romans 6:21-22

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth😉 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret”
Ephesians 5:8-12

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better”
Philippians 1:21-23

“And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace“
James 3:18

3 different places with 3 different meanings in 2 Kings 2:1-14

Explaining “Beth-El” as a Level of Spiritual Growth:

The first stage: Beth-El represents the place where God gives us his vision (plan and purpose for us). At the moment when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he placed a vision (purpose) in our spirit, which it will develop as we grow in the inward man. 1 Samuel 3:1 reveals a clear truth where it says:

“And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision”.

The manifestation and contact with Jehovah was sporadic at those days, which made it so precious. In this in mind, observe the verse 7 which says:

“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the Word of the LORD yet revealed unto him”.

2 things are exposed in those verses:

Where the Word scares there’s no vision from God.
In order to really know God, His Word has to be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Note: “The Word of the Lord was precious in those days” means “because revelation, prophecies, visions, and contact with Jehovah was SCARCE and therefore valuable”. Beth-El implies that we must let God’s Word to take over our lives so that we can comprehend the purpose of God for us. Paul wrote the following to the Corinthians “But we have the mind of Christ”. 1 Cor. 2:16. It basically means that “we know the plans and purposes of God for us”. And Jesus expressed the same line of thought when He said in Mat. 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness”. Beth-El is where we received a calling to work on a plan and purpose of God for our lives, which in the language of the biblical text means: we have received a vision from God. This is the first stage of the Christian life. God is expecting His children to grow in the inward man until we reach a maturity life. Ephesians 4:12-16. In 1 Peter 2:1 we found 5 elements that will stop spiritual growth:

“Malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speaking.”

Also in 1 Peter 2:2 it tells you how to grow in your inward man:

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby”.

The passage points out that the only way to grow spiritually is by taking the unadulterated milk of the Word of God, which is “The pure doctrines of the gospel and line up with the new covenant in Christ”. In Mark 4:2 says “And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine”. Only the doctrine of Jesus can “transform and change your life”. Compare James 1:21; Romans 12:2

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves“
James 1:21-22

By allowing and receiving the unadulterated word of God you will grow as follow:

In knowledge 2 Peter 3:18
Into Christ in all things. Eph. 4:15
Into a holy temple. Eph. 2:21
Like a cedar of the Lebanon Ps. 92:12
Like calves in the stall. Mal. 4:2
In grace. 2 Peter 3:18

A “newborn baby” is a direct reference to the experience expressed by Jesus in John 3:1-10 and also in 2 Corinthians 5:17 where it expressed the fact that we are born again.
In Colossians 3:16 says:

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

“Let” implies that you have to “accept voluntarily”. In James 1:21 we see the same line of thoughts “receive with meekness” and in 1 Peter 2:2 says “desire”. Compare with Rev. 3:20 where the reference in there is to Christian churches.
“Dwell” is used metaphorically to “dwell in one and influence him” (for good).
“richly” means in the language of the text “metaphorically abounding, abundantly supplied; abounding (rich) in Christian virtues, gifts and eternal possessions. Jesus said in John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”. The Word of God is the “spiritual food” provided by God for which we will grow “unto a perfect man” (mature person) Eph. 4:13. Jesus said in John 4:32: “But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. We are born again and received God’s nature to do God’s will, and to accomplish what we are here for. There is nothing that will bring us more satisfaction than to do God’s purpose with us. This is one of the great principles established by God in His Word.

The second stage: is when we start to be obedient to God’s word (Jericho) and our dependency is on God more than our old way to deal with problems and issues.

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds”. (Col 3:8-9)

But now ye (as well as all other true believers) also put off all these – All these which follow, as being also inconsistent with God’s calling.
Anger, wrath – Eph 4:26. The two words appear together in Rom 2:8; Eph 4:31; Rev 16:19; Rev 19:15. The word rendered “anger” is rather chronic, that rendered “wrath” rather acute – an outburst.
Malice – Eph 4:31. The Greek word sometimes bears the sense of evil, ill, in general; e.g. Mat_6:34. But in lists of vices (compare here Rom 1:29, Tit 3:3; 1Pet 2:1) it means what we mean by “malice.”—It is the vice which lies below anger and wrath, as a root or spring.
Blasphemy – Mat 9:3. The word here seems to mean all injurious and calumnious speaking – whether against God or man.
Filthy communication (which comes) out of your mouth – Lewd, indecent, and immodest discourse; Eph 4:29. The conversation of the pagan everywhere abounds with this and which, though it is applicable to all speech that is unsavory, unedifying, idle, and useless, and may be properly enough said of flattery, lying, cursing, and swearing; yet chiefly regards obscene language, unchaste words, and filthy talking, which tend to encourage and cherish the sin of uncleanness in any of its branches, flattery, lying, cursing, and swearing; yet chiefly regards obscene language, unchaste words, and filthy talking, which tend to encourage and cherish the sin of uncleanness in any of its branches.
This is the stage of our spiritual lives when “God shapes us to formed Christ in us”. Since we were born again and received a new spiritual nature, God started a “breaking through process” to remove all those things that are an obstacle and are holding you back. One thing you need to be aware of, is that the devil and his demons are your number one enemies and they will get in the way so that you get discourage and not accomplish the purpose of God in you. Paul spoke about the levels of maturity in 1 Corinthians 13:11;

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”.

The Greek word used for a child is “ne pios”, which means “not speaking, that is, an infant (minor); figuratively a simple minded person, an immature Christian”, according to The Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionary.
“I thought as a child” Better as margin, I reasoned. The same Greek word is used here as in 1Co 13:5, ‘thinketh no evil.’
“when I became a man, I put away childish things”, Rather, since I have become a man, I have brought to an end the things of the child, referring, not so much to the act which put away these things, as to the fact that they had been put away finally and irrevocably.

We need to put away;

Speaking like a child.
Understanding like a child.
Thought like a child.

Extracting the essence of what the apostle is saying in this passage, we must grow and leave behind all those things we’ve been dragging on before we were born again.
How do I put away those things? Growing in the inward man through the Word of God. The Greek word used for “put away” is “katargeo” and it means that “a superior and more complete stage will take over those that are put down”, in the same sense that adult hood replaced childhood. The whole point is that we must leave behind all the immature stages and move on to what is more excellent. Reading the context of this passage is clear the behavior of this believers.

At Gilgal (v.1-2) at Bethel (v.4) and Jericho (v.6) Elisha frankly told Elijah “I will not leave you”. After that, Elijah did not try to persuade him to stay at any place, indicating that he had merely tested Elisha.
The expression “The Lord hath sent me to” indicates that Elijah was just following in obedience the instructions of The Lord. Obedience has to be learned and it’s part of the process of spiritual growth. In Hebrew 5:8 says;

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered”

The third symbolical stage: is called “Jordan”. The word in Hebrew is “yardên” which means “a descender” or “One that descends”. It represents when we are submerged (figurative) into Christ and all our being (spirit, soul and body) is controlled by God through our spiritual growth (complete understanding of His will for us). This stage is a very slow process and it requires a spiritual understanding of how it works. In our last class I mentioned about how obscured was the definition of “Soul” in the O.T. because of the sinful nature of men. Eph 2:3; Rom. 6:23; Gal. 2:15. In the N.T. it is a totally different matter because now we had received a new nature through the price that our Lord Jesus paid for us. 2 Pet. 1:4. Our will, emotions, intellect, mind and reason are parts that conformed our soul. We must surrender all these areas to God in order to be in harmony with His plan and purpose for us. Observe what Jesus said in Mat. 16:24;

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”.

Let’s explain the key words of this passage:

“if any man will come after me” – it refers to accept Jesus as the One that had paid the price and because we believe it we are born again. John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:23. Using a “Parallel” reference this stage represents “Beth-El”. All the benefits of the new pact in Christ are concentrated on individual decision and following certain conduction. Jn. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 22:17. God will never force or put pressure to obligate a person to do His will but rather He will persuade that person in love and kindness.

“let him (the born again) deny himself” – the Greek word for “deny” is “aparneomai” which has the following definitions according to Thayer’s Greek dictionary:

to deny
1.1. to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone
1.2. to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests

“Take up his cross, and follow me” This is an expression that had cause confusion not because is confusing but rather because of the misuse and misunderstanding of what the expression meant when the writer wrote it. The context plays a great significance in the extraction of the original meaning taught by Jesus in this case. Wrong doctrines and false teaching had been the result of the wrong use of this expression, which Jesus never meant to be used in such way. Some have even have teach incorrectly that term “cross” in the text means caring a “sickness or affliction”, that such of line of teaching violated God’s plan to redeem humanity from the cursed that came because of Adam’s transgressions. Read Rom 5:12; Gal. 3:13. When we use the term “cross” related to Jesus is means “The reason or purpose He came to accomplished” (read John 4:34; 6:38), in other words “the specific mission He came to do”. The term use related to a believer it has the same meaning but connected to the term “deny himself” which it means, “all your personal ambitions need to be put aside and let God be the first one in your heart”. “Take the cross” within the context of the text implies “to do the commission you have received from God”., which includes “His plan and purpose”. Observe that in Luke 9:23 is even more specific when it says; “and take up his cross daily, and follow me”.

After we are born again (Beth- El) we are instructed by the Word of God to follow Jesus footsteps in obedience (Jericho). Read Luke 9:62; John 14:15. Then we are heading toward our goal, which is “surrendering our will to God” (Jordan). Paul experienced it when he spoke in Galatians 2:20;

“I am crucified (my personal ambitions) with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (to do God’s will): and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”.

That should be the objective of every born again Christian, all our personal agendas, plans, ambitions, aspirations, etc. must be replace by God’s purpose in us. Jesus knew this when he faced a big decision in his earthy life just days before his crucifixion. We read in Luke 22:42;

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”

“Remove” means “to lead aside from the right course or path, to carry away”. Jesus knew that the only way for Him to do His father’s will was by surrendering all to the One He trusted all his earthy life. In a figurative way Jesus needed to cross the “Jordan” and rely on God the Father. Read Heb. 5:7. And also He said in John 12:24;

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit”

If Jesus wouldn’t die at the cross He wouldn’t never die, because he never had experienced sin in his life and according to Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death;” But He came to put his own life to rescue the human race and restore everything. John 15:13. Jesus obtained the Victory not at the cross but rather at the garden of Gethsemane where He literally surrendered His will to the father’s will. The Jordan represents for us those moments when we must surrender to our lord all and rely on his perfect will. Every born again Christian will face with the decision whether to follow his/her own plans or to do God’s purpose. We won’t experience the fullness of God’s presence in us until we won’t let go and bury in the depth of the Jordan our own ambitions.

Only through spiritual growth we can reach a point where we can allow God to take control not only of plans and goals but our entire lives. It’s a process that might take years to accomplish it for some, others are not that privileged, no because they didn’t have the same opportunity but because the chose not to surrender to God’s perfect will.

One thing has to be clear, be belonging to God since the moment we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are just partakers of the life of Christ and the remaining time we are on this earth has be live to reflect His power and glory.

Spiritual growth is the more critical part of our Christian lives and keeping people from growing in the inward man is one of the reasons why the devil had introduced false doctrines, fallacies, humanism, heresies, etc. since the church got corrupted and mixed up with pagans rituals (From the 300s when Constantine the Roman Emperor). We need to be diligent in acquiring the pure spiritual knowledge that comes by the revelation from The Holy Spirit as is described by Paul in Eph. 1:17-18 that says;

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”. Read and compare to John 5:39; 14:26; 15:26.

Summary:

Let’s apply what we had already mentioned and establish a parallel between the place where Elijah and Elisha went and the levels of spiritual growth.

There is 3 different locations in 2 Kings 2:2-7; “Bethel, Jericho and Jordan”. These 3 locations can be used (limited) as a reference to represent believer’s spiritual levels but it have to be within the biblical context of the passage.

Bethel: For example represents the place of “the vision” in Genesis 35:1-15. Observe several key words in these verses:

“And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel”. v. 1

“And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother”. v.7

El Bethel = “The God of the House of God”. Which means; the place where God revealed Himself to Jacob. According to The Brown-Driver-Briggs’s dictionary.

The stages of spiritual growth is as follow:

1- Born Again (Beth-El): Here is where everything starts for us. God not only places his divine nature in us (john 3:15; 5:39; 6:54; 10:28; Rom. 6:23; Tit. 1:2; 1 John 5:13) but at the same time He placed his vision in our new spirit.

2- The second stage is when we starting to be obeying to God’s word (Jericho) and our dependency on God more than our old way to deal with problems and issues. After we are born again, we must receive instructions about the new life we have received align with the word of God. Read proverbs 1:2-8; 6:23; 8:10; 12:1; 13:18; 15:33; 19:27

The Hebrew word “musar” is used 50 times in the Old Testament and is translated:

“correction (8), instruction (30), chastening (3), chastisement (3), bond (1), chasteneth (1), check (1), discipline (1), doctrine (1), rebuker (1) according to The Brown-Driver-Brigg’s dictionary.

The Third stage is when we understand God’s purpose and we had surrendered to it (Jordan). As a born again Christians we are suppose to produce fruits that redounded to God’s glory. Mat 3:10; 7:17-19; 12:33; 13:8, 26; 21:19, 34; Mar 4:7-8, 29; 11:14; 12:2; Luke 1:42; 3:9; 6:43-44; 8:8; 13:6-7; 20:9-10; John 4:36; 12:24; 15:2; 15:4-5, 8, 16; Act 2:30, Rom 1:13; 6:21-22; 15:28, 1 Co 9:7; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9, Phi 1:22; 4:17, Heb 12:11; 13:15, Jam 3:18; 5:7, 18; Rev 22:2

May our God keep blessing you and yours!

This entry was posted in Biblical doctrines and tagged bible, new creation, stages of spiritual growth.

“What Happened at The Cross”

Posted on October 6, 2019 Updated on August 5, 2021

Victory Upon The Cross!

Biblical based: Mat. 27:4; MK. 15:28; Lk. 23:34; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 4:4.

God promised to restore humanity back to their original state, through the virginal birth a Jesus and to defeat Satan and his kingdom of darkness.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isa. 7:14

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Heb. 2:14

In the book of Micah 5:1-2 speaks of God’s guarantee for the restoration of men and the Messiah’s first coming…”yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting”. We must understand that God was the only one that could redeem (to buy back) humanity. That’s why He developed a plan of redemption from the very beginning. Gen. 3:15. Before we get in depths about Jesus dead, burial and resurrection, we need to comprehend what the prophecy of Micah said.

– The Messiah was prophesied to come from the tribe of Judah. V. 2; Gen. 49:10. It was fulfilled literally when Jesus was born. Mt. 1:1-18; Lk. 3:23-38; Heb. 7:14; Rev. 5:5.

– The person who was to be born from the tribe of Judah was to be God – An eternal being whose goings forth have been from old, to everlasting. Micah 5:1-2; Isa. 9:6-7; Jn. 1:1-3, 14; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 1:8; 2:8; 22:13. Jesus as man had a beginning, was begotten, and was brought into being, but as God, He had no beginning, was not begotten, and did not come to being. Read Acts 13:33. He always existed as God. Psalm 90:2; Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:8. The prophecies relate to the birth of “The Son of God” are directly connected to the Humanity of Jesus, not to His deity. Psalm 2:7-8 refers to the birth and ministry of the Messiah, and it is also used by Paul in Acts 13:33. “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee”. The expression “this day” refers to the day the Jesus was born of a virgin. Isa. 7:6-7. God became a father when Jesus was born of Mary. Mt. 1:20. Even more, in Jn. 1:14 says “the only begotten of the father”. Jesus always will be “the only begotten Son” of God. V. 14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 Jn. 4:9. No man can ever be “begotten or born” in the same sense as Jesus was. Read Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:34-35. All those who had received Jesus as Lord and Savior, had received a different type of sonship, which is based in “Adoption through Jesus” and not based under the same qualifications as Jesus came. John 10:1-2 expressed that only those who had entered through the door (being born) into the sheepfold (earth) but climberth up some other way (like satan did when he deceived Eve), the same is a “thief and a robber”. As the Son of God, He came to offer His blood in sacrifice for us. Jesus was born of a woman according to Gal. 4:4, which gave Him the right to operate in the earth. The angel told Mary…”and, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

“He shalt be great, and shalt be called The Son of The Highest: and the Lord God shalt give him the throne of his father David”. Lk. 1:31-32.

Let’s explain Philippians 2:6-7, which details Christ humiliation:

“Who, being in the form of God”: The word for “being” used from the Greek language is “huparcho”, which is translated “being” v. 6. It implies “existing; subsisting”, Christ existed as “God” from all eternity. Compare Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Mic. 5:2; Jn. 1:1-2; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 1:8-11. “Form of God”; The Greek word is “Morphe”, which is used as “The outward form by which a person or thing strike the vision; the external appearance, or shape”. Is also used in Mk. 16:12 related to Jesus physical appearance. This part of the passage should read “Who, subsisting in the form of God (in which He had revealed to all celestial beings)”.
“To be equal to God”: This settles the idea that some religions have about Jesus not being divine, or some others thinks that He was an angel. Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, unique in His class.
“But made Himself of no reputation”: The word from the Greek is “Kenosis”, which is extracted from “Kenoo”. It means the following “to empty out, drain, make empty”. Applied to Christ indicated; He laid aside equality with or form of God. It basically means; “Jesus put aside all His powers, abilities, and attributes as God, when He came was born as man. He was still God but operating same as Adam when God created him. Jesus is the perfect example of how Adam walk before he betrayed God. Gen. 1:26-29. God gave him “dominion” over all the creation. Christ knew that Men were created with enough abilities to overcome satan’s attacks and He came to prove so. Jesus walked in His early ministry under the power of the Holy Spirit to do all the miracles, and never used His divine powers. He said, “…He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”. Jn. 14:12. This passage states that Jesus didn’t used His divine abilities and attributes, otherwise how could he said that we can do the same works as he did and even greater? Its possible with the power of the Holy Spirit. Read acts 10:38; 1 Pet. 2:21. His divine nature, powers, abilities and attributes were still in Him but He never used them, especially to defeated satan and his kingdom of darkness. Mt. 12:28; Lk. 4:16-21; Jn. 8:28. The book of Hebrew stated that Jesus even learned obedience by the things he suffered. Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9.

In the book of Luke we found a passage that give us light of when Jesus started to get ready to fulfill His mission. We read in chapter 9:51 “ And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”. Closing one phase of his mission, which is his earthly ministry and focusing in accomplish his real mission for what he came; to taste death for all mankind so that all those who believe in his sacrifice will receive a new life. Read Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45; Gal. 1:4; 1 Tim. 2:4-6; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; Rev. 1:5. If we keep reading Lk. 9:51-53 Jesus was rejected by the Samaritans, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. Later in the following passages the disciples wanted to retaliate against the Samaritans. Lk. 9:54-56.

Details related to the spiritual warfare that Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Mat. 26:36-46; Mk. 14:32; Lk. 22:39; Jn. 18:1.

– The word Gethsemane means “the oil press”, and it was a favorite place of retirement when Christ was at Jerusalem. Lk. 22:39; Jn. 18:2.

– Jesus took these 3 disciples who had witnessed His transfiguration. Mt. 17:1-8; and now they witnessed His agony in the Garden. Lk. 22:44, 53.

– Mt. 26:39 expressed the spiritual warfare that Jesus went through. The idea in these passages is that the devil tried to kill Jesus before he could get to the cross, but God heard His prayer and saved him from death. Read Heb. 5:7; Lk. 22:43-44. If Satan could have succeeded in getting rid of Jesus from the time He was born to the cross, Satan could have defeated God’s plan of redemption. Jesus Needed to get to the cross to fulfill all the prophecies and to spoiled satan’s evil plan by triumphed over them. Col. 2:14-17; 1 Pet. 2:24.

– Mat. 26:42 refers to “the cup of death on the cross”.

– Mat. 26:45 the hour or period of time for Jesus to accomplish the redemption’s plan. Mk. 14:41; Lk. 22:14; Jn. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1.

In Mat. 26:1 Christ ended his public ministry to the people of Israel and being his period of sufferings. Also, in the same book of Matthew Christ announced his death and in each time a new detail is added. Mat. 16:21; 17:22; 20:17, 28.

God saw in the future Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus in Psalm 109. This Psalm contains 16 sins and 20 characteristics of the wicked man.

Death by crucifixion was one of the most cruel and shameful deaths that could be devised or conceived. It is supposed to have been invented by Semiramis, queen of Nimrod, who founded the Babylonian system of mysteries. Read Rev. 17:5. Crucifixion was a Roman practice inflicted only upon slaves and the worst criminals. The person was nailed to the cross, each hand extended to the utmost stretch. Then, the feet were nailed together, and then the cross was lifted and dropped into a hole with a violence thud (stomp, bang), which disjointed the whole body. The weight of the body hung on the nails through the hands and feet. A victim was left on the cross until physical pain and untold sufferings.

– Prophecies fulfilled at the cross in depth.

In the book of prophet Isaiah we found a chapter that breaks down in details the suffering of the incoming Messiah. God inspired the prophet to give us a glanced of what will happen at the cross. In chapter 53 we found 36 aspects of the suffering of Jesus at the cross.

Lets get into some of the key words in depth in Isaiah 53.

Response, reaction and reception among his people. V. 1
“For he shall grow up before him as tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground”. Verse 2. In this passage the prophet speaks about “Jesus childhood before the Lord”, which was foresee by the prophet. Achieved and complete in Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 2:1-51.
“No form”. V. 2. From the Hebrew refers to “shape, outline, figure, form, appearance’, which in the context of the text implied “that sin had disfigured or deformed his beautiful appearance’.
“Nor comeliness”. V. 2. From the Hebrew word “hadar”, which means “splendor, honor, majestic, glory, magnificence, excellency”. At the cross there was none of this but suffering for Jesus. After his defeated death, sin and satan, He has now more that anyone else, excluding the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:9-11; Col. 1:15-18; 1 Pet. 3:22. Read Jn. 17:5.
“He is despised and rejected of men”. V. 3. Fulfilled in Jn. 1:10-11; 8:48; 10:20.
“Man of sorrow”. V. 3. The word used from the Hebrew refers to physical and mental pain. Used in Exodus 3:7. He carried all our sorrows. V. 3-4.
“And acquainted with grief “. The word grief should had been translated instead; “sickness, malady, anxiety, diseases, calamity”. Jesus took them all in his own body while hanging at the cross and became our replacement.
“Surely he hath borne our griefs”. v. 4. The word “borne” from the Hebrew is “nasa” and it ‘s used 659 times in the O.T. the usage depend upon the context where it is used. “nasa” which means; “to lift, bear up, carry away, take, cast away, erase. The idea in here is that of one person taking the burden of another and placing it on himself, in the same sense as “carrying an infant; or as the flood lifted up the ark”. Psalm. 103: 12; Mt. 8:16-17; 1 Jn. 3:5.
“We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted”. V. 4. “Stricken” from Hebrew “naga”, meaning, “lay the hand upon, strike violently, bring down”, smite with plague. V. 4; Dt. 21:4. It’s used as “touch” with different endings 92 times. “Smitten” from the Hebrew word “nakah” meaning, “to strike, beat, kill, punish, slaughter, slay, smite, wound, and stripe. V. 4. Isa. 10:24; 11: 4; 50:6; Zech. 12:4; Mal. 4:6. For the sin of the people He was stricken. V. 8.
“And with his stripe we are healed”. V. 5. The word “stripe” is extracted from the Hebrew word “chaburah” which means “black and blue mark, wound, stripe”. A scourge was a Roman implement for severe bodily punishment. The whole idea of scourging was to punish the criminals before execution and not to kill, although many passed out or died when they were tortured .flogging was permitted by the law up to 40 stripes. Dt. 25:3. But was reduced to 39 stripes. 2 Cor. 11:23-25. If the scourge used on Jesus had 12 thongs and he was hit even 39 times this would make 468 stripes in his body.
“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death”. V. 9. In the Amplified bible version reads as follow; “…and with the rich man in his death”. What rich man the prophet refers to? Most people think is Joseph of Arimathea that provided a tomb for the body of Jesus. But we found a reference in a story that Jesus told in the book of Luke. Let’s analyze and compare details in Luke 16:19-31:

Many believes that Jesus spoke in parables in Lk. 16:19-31, but in a parable you don’t use a real person’s name like Jesus did when he mentioned “Abraham”, which made it a real story. We find details about where the souls and spirits of people go after their body dies. Spiritual suffering, eternal punishment, conscience of the soul, etc. Jesus talked about a real place using 2 real persons in his real story. Besides detailing the state and condition of those that leave the physical state or body, Jesus has something in common with one of them. Not Lazarus since he was comforted in Abraham’s bosom and in the other hand the rich man was being tormented. Where is the connection of Isaiah 53:9 between the rich man and Jesus? That Jesus will go to the place where the rich man went after he died. Jesus went to be tormented because of our sins. 2 Cor. 5:21.

“For he hath MADE HIM to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“

– Physical and Spiritual suffering of Jesus at the cross:

There are no doubts that the physical suffering of Jesus was behind anything we can possibly imagine, but the spiritual suffering is way more intense and deep. Physical pain reaches only the body but the spiritual pain or suffering not only affect the inward person (spirit, mind, emotions, and even sometimes the will) but the body as well. Read Prov. 15:13; 17:22. Acts 2:24 speak about “pains of death” which took over Jesus at the cross when He took all our sins. Mt. 26:28; Jn. 1:29; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24.

– Types in the Old Testament of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus:

– The Lamb without blemish. Exodus 12:3-6; Jn. 1:29; Acts. 2:23; Eph. 1:4; Tit. 1:2.

– The blood of the animals was a symbolism or representation of the blood of Jesus. The divine principle behind the symbolism was to express that without shedding of the blood there was no forgiveness. Compare Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22.

– All that symbols used in the O.T. with reference to the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross pointed to His body and His blood, which needed to be perfect in order for the sacrifice to be perfect. 1 Cor. 11:23-26; whole chapter 9 of the book of Hebrews.

– The O.T. was only a “shadow” of the realities of the benefits in the sacrifice in Christ. Heb. 10:1-4.

– Jonah was a type of Christ: 1)- Jesus approved the story of Jonah and the big whale. Jonah 1:17. 2)- When Jesus said. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whales belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three in the heart of the earth”. In order for Jonah to be a type of Christ he needed die in the whale’s belly. In fact, Jonah chapter 2:2 says “And I said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice”. It used a very interesting word from the Hebrew for “Hell”, which is “Sheol” meaning “the unseen world, the place of departed souls, not the grave where the body goes at dead”. Remember Isaiah 53:9? Jesus went to the place where the Rich man went after dead. Jonah was not miraculously kept alive, he died when he was swallowed up and then he became a true type of death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The used of “as and so” of Mt. 12:40 require the death and resurrection of Jonah in the type. Also, The Hebrew word for the expression “three days” can be used in any part of the 3 days, but when the word “nights” is used with it the term can be only mean “3 literals days and 3 nights”. It has the same meaning in here as well as in Mt. 12:40 where Jesus emphasis the time and place where he will go after dying at the cross.

– Serpent lifted up by Moses in the wilderness. Symbolism of Christ at the cross taking our Sins. 2 Cor. 5:21. Jesus to be crucified in order to fulfill the prophecy and to redeem man. Lk. 24:26, 28; Acts 3:18; 17:3. Jn. 3:15 expressed the reason for Jesus died at the cross. Jn. 5:24.

– What happened in “The three days and three nights” prophesied in the O.T. and by Jesus himself?

At the cross Jesus took all our sins, diseases, plagues, sadness, all the cursed the come because of Adam’s transgression. Paul’s said in Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us (all those who had received Him as Lord and savior) from the curse of the law (it’s expressed in Dt. 28: 15-68), being made curse for us: for it is written, Curse is every one that hangeth on a tree”. Dt. 21:23. The same day a criminal was executed he was removed from the earth. Dt. 21:22-23.

Jesus said in Mt. 12:40 that he will go to “the heart of the earth” for three days and three nights”. Jesus was dead for “3 full days and 3 full nights”. He was put in the grave Wednesday just before sunset and was resurrected at the end of Saturday at sunset. There’s no such thing as “Good Friday” which should be changed to “Good Wednesday”. No reference in the scriptures to sustain that Jesus was buried Friday at sunset. That would make Him in the grave only “one day and one night” proving Jesus words untrue. Mt. 12:40. The Sabbath mentioned in Jn. 19:31 was not the regular Sabbath observed by the Jews people, but instead was a special Sabbath of the feast. Lev. 23:6-11. Jesus was arrested Tuesday at sunset and crucified Wednesday before sunset. In Mark 15:25 said “and it was the third hour, and they crucified him”. Third hour meaning “9:00 a.m.” and died at six hours later at 3:00 p.m. at the exact time when the Passover lambs were to be sacrifice. Mt. 27:45; Lk. 23:44-45.

– What really happened at the cross?

Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies that were written by the prophets in the O.T.

Jesus mocked by the roman’s solders:

The solders stripped Jesus’s clothes. Mt. 27:28.
They clothed him in purple mocking Jesus kingship. Mk. 15:17.
Crowned Jesus with thorns mocking his kingship.
They salute Him in a sarcastic way as “King of the Jews”. What they didn’t realize is that one day every knee will bow down to him. Mk. 15:18-19; Phil 2:9-11.
Spit upon Him. Mk. 15:19.
Smote Jesus on the head with a reed (stick) mocking his kingly powers and authorities. Mk. 15:19.
Bowed their knees mock worship. Mk. 15:19.
Stripped Jesus again and put on his own clothes. Mk. 15:20

Note: The Crown of thorns was not part of the normal crucifixion ritual. Perhaps one of the roman solder (influenced by satan) brought branches from a wild hawthorn bush with long, sharp, hard thorns. The crown of thorns might have a basket shape like so that it will cover the entire scalp. The thorns penetrated the skin and were driven more and more deeper when Jesus was struck on the head with the reeds.

– Victory of Jesus over “The sin, death and satan’s kingdom of darkness:

Explanation of Jn. 20:17. Jesus’s first ministry; “High Priest”.
Explanation of Acts 2:23-32.
Jesus conquest 2 things in Col. 2:15;
Abolished and cancelled the law.
Defeated the executors of the law. Col 2:15 expressed the “Public defeat of satan and his armies”. Acts 3:13-18; 5:28; 1 Jn. 3:8.
Jesus defeat death. Rev. 1:18 says “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”. “I am” identified the person to be Christ. Acts 2:25-36; 1 Cor. 15:1-23; Col. 2:14-17; Eph. 2:14-15; Jn. 21:14. “Keys” signify “Power and Authority”. Compare. V. 18; 3:7; Mt. 16:19; 18:18; Isa. 22:22.
Explanation of 1 Tim. 3:16

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was MANIFEST in the flesh, JUSTIFIED in the Spirit, SEEN of angels, PREACHED unto the Gentiles, BELIEVED on in the world, RECEIVED UP into glory.“

May our God keep blessing your life!

This entry was posted in Biblical doctrines.

3 Types of Baptism

Posted on October 2, 2019 Updated on August 25, 2021

THE LIVING WORD CENTER, INC.

Rev. Jay Werman, Director

“Water baptism”; Symbolism of the inner change.

Text base: Acts 8:36-40

Definition: The word used in Greek language for “Baptism” is “baptidzo” and it comes from the root “bapto” which basically means, “to dip” Luke 16:24; Rev. 19:13; Jn. 13:26. “To overwhelm with suffering”, Mt. 20:22-23; Lk. 12:50. “To bury into (Rom. 6:3-7; Col. 2:12) regardless of the element used”.

In the scriptures we found 7 different types of baptism:

John’s Baptism in water: Mt. 3; Mk. 1; Lk. 3; 7:29-30; Jn. 1:31-33; 3:23-26; 10:40; acts 1:5; 11:16; 19:3.
Christ’s baptism in water: Jn. 3:22; 4:1-2.
Baptism in suffering: Lk. 12:50.
Baptism in the Cloud and in the Sea: 1 Cor. 10:2.
Christian baptism in water: Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; acts 2:38-41; 8:12-16, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:13-17; 1 pet. 3:21.
Baptism into Christ and his body: Rom. 6:3-7; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Mt. 3:14; 20:22-23; Mk. 1:8; 10:38-39; Lk. 3:16; Jn. 7:37-39; acts 1:5; 11:16; 19:2-3.

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire“
Matthew 3:11

“And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost“
John 1:33

3 Baptisms for believers:

I. Into Christ or His body at repentance and new birth. It’s also called “One baptism” in Eph. 4:5 because it is the only baptism that saves the soul and brings into the body of Christ. Jn. 3:1-13; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:27.

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
1 Cor. 12:13

II. Water Baptism after one is saved. Acts 8:12-16, 36-38.

III. The Spirit Baptism, which it can be define as “The enduement (ability or quality) of power for service. It can take place before the water baptism (acts 10:44-48) or after it (acts 1:4-8; 2:1-11; 8:12-21; 19:1-7).

Agents used in each baptism:

The Holy Spirit is the (Divine) agent to baptized “into Christ and into his body”. 1
Cor. 12:13.
Christ is the (Divine) agent to baptize “In the Holy Spirit”. Mt. 3:11; Jn. 1:31-33.
The Minister is the (Selected by God) agent to baptize “Into the Water”. Mt.
28:19

Infant baptism is not taught in the scriptures and it was not supported by neither of the apostles nor the early Christians. It becomes a practice in the 5th century by the Catholic Church. Jews people never baptized infants, they “dedicated” to the lord. Baptism in Scripture always has the prerequisite of repentance and faith, which are impossible for an infant, and obviously an Infant cannot outwardly express faith. The Lord’s Supper and Baptism are both sacraments and ordinances and are the same sign and seal, since the Lord’s Supper may not be given to unbelievers, neither should baptism. Baptism represents more than just physical washing, but being clean and good standing before God, and therefore regenerate (Romans 6). When the early church become polluted with pagan practices and beliefs, it got married with diabolic doctrines, which gives birth to The Universal church, also known as The Catholic church. Such union is represented in one of the seventh letters written by John in book of revelation; The church of pergamos allowed such tolerance of pagans teachings.
Baptism represents the remission of sins, and infants are not capable of repenting. (Luke 3:3, Mark 1:4, Acts 13:24, Acts 19:4) Baptism has been part of Christianity from the start, as shown by the many mentions in the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline epistles.
1 Peter 3:21 says in reference to that; (Amplified bible)

“And baptism, which is a figure [of their deliverance], does now also save you [from inward questionings and fears], not by the removing of outward body filth [bathing], but by [providing you with] the answer of a good and clear conscience (inward cleanness and peace) before God [because you are demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

Water Baptism is a symbol and does not put away the filth of the flesh. Gal. 5:19-21; 2 cor. 7:1; Col. 2:11. The like figure of the baptism in water also saved us. How does it save us? Is it the water that saves or the thing that it is a figure of? It was not the water that saved the 8 persons of verse 20. It was the ark that saved them from drowning in the flood. So baptism in water does not save the soul, but faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that which baptism is a figure of, does save the soul. Read Rom. 6:3-5; 1 cor. 15:1-4; Ephesian 1:14; col. 1:20-22. A mere figure can have no power to save, but the reality of the figure can. What Peter is saying is that “one thing we should have clear and that is that baptism in water does not save one from the filth or moral depravity of the flesh. He shows it to be only the answer of a good conscience toward God, one that has been made clean by faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verse 21. It is clear here that at baptism the conscience is already supposed to be good and clean and baptism merely answer to it. As the waters of the flood could not have saved these 8
persons, had they not made use of the ark, so the water of the baptism does not save the soul of anyone, but testifies figuratively to the salvation that comes by faith.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”
Romans 1:16

“being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God”
Romans 3:24-25

“that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation“
Romans 10:9-10

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord“
Acts 22:16

3 types of baptism in the New Testament:

1)- Water Baptism: which is perform by anyone who has been born again, and not only by ministers. Water baptism doesn’t save anyone, since it is a symbolism of our internal experience. In other words, baptism in water is a way or form to exteriorized the experience of being born again. When we do that in from of witnesses, we are saying by that act that we were once death but in Christ we are resurrected. The believer or minister is the instrument of God to do this act.

Let’s explain Mat. 3:13-17;

“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Few things involved in these passages:

“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.” verse 13. Jesus came to John as a confirmation of a word given to him by God. Observe what John 1:33 says;

“And I knew him not: but he (The Father) that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

– Jesus baptism was just a symbolic expression of his sacrifice upon the cross and his resurrection.

– The baptism was performed by “immersion in water”, and NOT BY SPRINKLING WATER, as many do today.

Observe what Mat. 3:16 says;

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, WENT UP STRAIGHTAWAY OUT of the water”. The water baptism was done by submersion, or being submerged inside the water.

In Mark 1:10 confirmed the same meaning:

“And SRTRIGHTAWAY COMING UP OUT of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him”

In Acts 8:38-39 expressed the same position:

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and THEY WENT DOWN BOTH INTO THE WATER, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when THEY WERE COME UP OUT of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

The Scriptures DOES NOT SUPPORT the water baptism by sprinkling water, or by pouring a cup of water into a person. If we are going to do what the Scriptures says, we should do it right!

You are saved not by what you do or you don’t do, but by the grace of God!

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Ephesians 1:7

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:7-9

When we get submerged into the water, we are testifying that: “We are dead to the old lifestyle and we have a new life, through the experience of being born again”; “We are identified with Jesus in his death and in his resurrection”.

Water baptism without the experience of being born again is useless. Why is that? Because the act of being baptized into the waters it’s just a “symbolic act”, which is done in obedience to The Word of God. Observe what the scriptures says:

“But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were BAPTIZED, both men and women.” Acts 8:12

Once more the Scriptures used the sequence and the appropriate or correct orden, which is “Believes” first and then after that “Baptized” also in Acts 8

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” V. 35
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a CERTAIN WATER: and the eunuch said, See, here is WATER; what doth hinder me to be BAPTIZED?” V. 36
“And Philip said, If thou BELIEVEST with all thine HEART, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” V. 37

This eunuch experience what is written in Rom. 10:9-10 and he was saved, not by the water baptism by instead by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross.

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” V. 38

– Two different baptisms in Acts 8:12-18:

“But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” V. 12

They BELIEVED before getting BAPTIZED, which is the correct order and lineup with the Scriptures.

“Then Simon himself BELIEVED also: and when he was BAPTIZED, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.” V. 13

That’s the order expressed by the Scriptures.

“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD, they sent unto them Peter and John.” v. 14

Meaning they received the Word and were SAVED.

“Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST.” V. 15
(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) V. 16

Proving that the baptism of water is DIFFERENT from the baptism into the Holy Spirit.

“Then laid they their hands on them, and THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST. V. 17
“And when Simon SAW (The visible evident) that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money.” V. 18

The Scriptures expressed that there’s a external manifestation through which people can notice the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.

Another passages that expressed the differences between receiving The baptism of the Holy Spirit and baptism into water. Acts 9:17-18.

“And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. V. 17
“And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was BAPTIZED.” V. 18

– Two different experiences; “He was FILLED with The Holy Spirit” and “He was BAPTIZED in water”.

Nowadays many people are struggling to follow the principles and divine directions from God, because they’re relying on the own strength and abilities, instead of relying on God’s power. Why is the reason for it? Because many are teaching that the manifestation of The Holy Spirit is not for this time but it was over in the apostle’s era. Which is something that had caused damage to many. This kind of teaching doesn’t come from the Scriptures but rather from demonic inspiration. The Scriptures are very clear on this subject, that without the help and guidance of The Holy Spirit, we are doomed. These deceiving teachings have been infiltrated into the body of Christ by satan’s agents, which purpose is to diminished the effectiveness of the work of every born again against the works of Satan.

“that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive“
Ephesians 4:14

Jesus spoke about the effectiveness of every believer through the person of The Holy Spirit:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you ANOTHER COMFORTER, that HE may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the WORLD CONNOT RECEIVE, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:16-17

Why the World cannot receive the Holy Spirit? Because of their sinful nature, they need to born again and then, they would be able to receive him. Jesus said it very clear:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

No religion can provide you with salvation but Jesus Christ. John 14:6.

May our God keep blessing your life!

This entry was posted in Biblical doctrines and tagged Water baptism.

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3 Types of Baptism

THE LIVING WORD CENTER, INC.

Rev. Jay Werman, Director

“Water baptism”; Symbolism of the inner change.

No religion can provide you with salvation but Jesus Christ. John 14:6.

May our God keep blessing your life!