THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - IX (Resurrection of the Dead - 1)

WBS.102

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - IX

 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD - 1

The concept of a resurrection of the dead is prevalent in the world, today; primarily due to 2,000 years of preaching the message of Christianity.  Even the pagan and the non-religious tend to believe in an afterlife.  The Scripture says of mankind that IAUE placed “eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NASB). There is an innate awareness that this physical life is not the totality of man’s existence.  Many acknowledge it.  Many refuse to acknowledge it, because to do so would necessarily require belief in IAUE; and if we believe IAUE exists, then we have a responsibility to behave toward Him as He would instruct; and that is unacceptable to the selfish flesh-based existence of human life.  It is this unwillingness to relinquish control of our lives to an omnipotent being that has given rise to all religions and philosophies, both old age and new age.

A belief in the resurrection was not uncommon among the Hebrew people.

Acts 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

What was uncommon was a belief in the resurrection of Messiah. More specifically, there was no understanding that Messiah would die.

Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

Mark 9:9  And as they came down from the mountain (of transfiguration), he charged them (Peter, James and John) that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

10  And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

Mark 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

John 2:19 Yahushua answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Yahushua had said.

Matthew 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of Elohim, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

As Yahushua was dying, the people, the chief priests, the scribes and the elders all mocked him because both he and his disciples had professed him to be the Messiah.  There was no place in their theology for Messiah to die. According to their understanding of Scripture, the very fact he was dying disqualified him from being the Messiah, and made the whole of his ministry for the prior three years to be a joke. The death and resurrection of Messiah was a mystery hidden by IAUE until the time for it to be revealed.  The Scripture says had this mystery been understood, they would never have impaled (crucified) Messiah.

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of IAUE in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which IAUE ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Master of glory.

How could the Jews believe in the resurrection of the dead; but not in the death and resurrection of Messiah?  The key is in the prophecies of Elijah (Eliyahu).

After the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John asked a question.

Mark 9:11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elijah must first come?

Peter, James and John were not learned men.  They were not studied in the Scriptures.  They relied on the instruction they received from the scribes and rabbis to know what the Scripture taught (much like most believers today who are dependent on what is preached from the pulpit for their understanding of the Scriptures). Remember what the priests and Levites asked John, when he came immersing in the wilderness?

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not…

If John was preparing the way for the Messiah, in their mind, he had to be Elijah. Why?  Because Malachi the prophet said that Elijah would come first.  No Elijah = No Messiah.

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of IAUE:

6 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.

The forerunner ministry of Elijah was well known among the Hebrews.  Elijah was going to come and turn the hearts of the people; then Messiah would come and deliver a restored Israel to international prominence, as Messiah took the throne of David and ruled the whole world from Jerusalem (Yerushalayim).  The very idea that the Messiah would come and not only die; but die at the hands of the people he was coming to redeem, was abhorrent and utterly unacceptable; and yet…

Matthew 27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

(The chief priests, scribes and elders could not discredit the Yahushua for the works he had done; but if he died, they believed he would discredit himself.)

43 He trusted in Elohim; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of IAUE.

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Yahushua cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My Elohim, my Elohim, why hast thou forsaken me?

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elijah.

In this moment, though we are not told, I believe that fear spread through the crowd like wildfire.  They had scourged and impaled, taunted and mocked a man who had performed countless miracles among them for three years; and now he had cried out loud; and the people thought he called for Elijah.  If Elijah appeared at that moment, the people would have been in utter despair for the horror of their mistake in impaling the Messiah.  I believe they waited in terror to see what would happen.

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

(One onlooker seemed to be hedging his bets by performing this act of kindness, while they all waited to see if Elijah would appear.)

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.

(They were hoping against hope that Elijah would NOT appear.)

50 Yahushua, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

He that would be King was dead; and everyone mocking him sighed a sigh of relief; and went to their homes confident of their rejection of this man; for it was impossible in their minds that Messiah would come and die.  They did not know that it was a mystery hidden in IAUE until the time for it to be revealed.

Next week:  The revelation of the Resurrection of Messiah.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.   

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VIII (The Laying on of Hands)

WBS.101

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VIII

 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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LAYING ON OF HANDS

This subject of “Laying on of Hands” is often discussed as the “Law of Contact and Transmission,” whereby something is either transmitted or conferred upon another through the medium of physical contact.  This concept is well substantiated by the Scripture.

-       Family blessings were conferred upon sons by the laying on of hands.

-       Sins were transmitted to the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, by the laying on of hands.

-       Healing was bestowed upon people by the laying on of hands.

-       The Holy Spirit was given to people by the laying on of hands.

-       Spiritual gifts were given to disciples by the laying on of hands.

-       Anointing for spiritual ministry to the Church was given by the laying on of hands.

-       Water baptism was administered through the laying on of hands.

Though this concept is interesting and merits further discussion, the use of the term in Hebrews 6 deals specifically with the revelation of the person of the Master Yahushua Messiah as a foundation stone of our faith and discipleship to him.  Additionally, we must remember the context of this passage is within an epistle written expressly to the Hebrew believers, a people who were united not only by their common faith in Yahushua Messiah; but also by nearly 2,000 years of family history and culture and a shared covenant with IAUE. It is this last thing held in common that becomes the central theme of this foundation stone: the covenant of Abraham.

It was the Abrahamic Covenant that gave the Hebrew people their sense of solidarity.  Though they all literally descended from Abraham, the reality of their being of one single family is not what made them a people.  It was the fact that IAUE, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, had entered into a covenant with Abraham that made their lineage from Abraham a point of boasting and pride.

Genesis 12:1 Now IAUE had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This was the stated blessing of the covenant in its most general terms when it was first presented to Abram.  When the covenant was actually initiated between IAUE and Abram, IAUE changed Abram’s name to Abraham; because he was to become the father of many nations. (“Abram” means “exalted father.  “Abraham” means father of a multitude.”)

Genesis 18:17 And IAUE said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Not until Abraham’s commitment to the covenant was tested did IAUE introduce and incorporate a mystery into the covenant he had made with Abraham.

Genesis 22:15 And the angel of IAUE called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith IAUE, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

After Abraham demonstrated his faithfulness and his confidence in IAUE, IAUE explained to him the means to the fulfillment of the promise that He had already made with Abraham.  IAUE had already promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him; but after passing the test, he revealed to Abraham that the promise would be brought to pass in his “seed.”  There was a mystery hidden within this new aspect of the covenantal promise.

In the Hebrew culture, it was through the practice of the laying on of hands that both the family inheritance and blessing were passed on to the next generation.  Ishmael was rejected from the covenant because he was not the “child of promise.” Abraham conferred the covenant upon Isaac.

Genesis 26:2 And IAUE appeared unto him (Isaac), and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all

these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

In this passage, IAUE confirms both the covenant and the extension to the covenantal promise had been conferred upon Isaac.  The blessings were passed on to Isaac; and so was the mystery of “in thy seed.”

According to the revelation given to the apostle Paul (Romans 9), IAUE rejected Esau from his mother’s womb, and chose Jacob to inherit the covenant.  Esau had lost both his inheritance and his blessing to his brother Jacob. 

Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of Elohim ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, IAUE stood above it, and said, I am the IAUE, Elohim of Abraham thy father, and the Elohim of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

In this passage, we see that the covenant and the mystery of the seed had been conferred upon Jacob, through the laying on of the hands of Isaac.  The revelation of this “mystery” was given to Paul; and he explains it in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Messiah.

The Hebrew cultural understanding of the laying on of hands as it relates to the passing of the covenant promise from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, and from Jacob to the children of Israel as the people of IAUE is here revealed to demonstrate that the covenant becomes passed on to all the nations of the earth through Abraham’s seed, which is Yahushua Messiah.

Galatians 3:16 For as many of you as have been immersed into Messiah have put on Messiah.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Messiah Yahushua.

29 And if ye be Messiah’s, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Notice the connection in the “first principles” of being immersed (baptized) into Messiah and being Abraham’s seed:

Hebrews 6:2 Of the doctrine of immersions, and of laying on of hands…

This phrase could easily have been written without the comma that separates these two ideas.  This could be written “of the teaching of immersions and of laying on of hands”…a singular teaching that connects both subjects.

The Abrahamic covenant had a first phase and a second phase.  The first phase dealt with the specific blessing of Abraham and his descendants through a covenant whose promises were conveyed from one generation to the next through the laying on of hands.  The second phase was the passing on of this covenant relationship to any person throughout all the nations of the earth (including the Hebrew people) through Abraham’s “seed” which is Yahushua Messiah.  Being baptized into Messiah was to be baptized into the covenant of Abraham.

Again we see the central importance of being IN MESSIAH.  Entrance into covenant relationship with IAUE Elohim is available to all men through Yahushua Messiah.  No longer do men need to be immersed into Judaism (see last post) to become partakers of the covenant.  They must be immersed into Messiah.  Why is this?  It is because the second phase of the Abrahamic covenant was not cut between IAUE and the Hebrew people.  It was not cut between IAUE and men in general.  It was cut between IAUE and Yahushua.  The covenant in force today is only between IAUE and His son. (See Romans 9:7-8)

Yahushua Messiah is everything to IAUE and he is everything to us.  Messiah is central to all truth, revelation, blessing and relationship with IAUE Elohim.  We become beneficiaries of the covenant, heirs of the promise, if we are in Messiah because IAUE’s covenant is exclusively with Messiah.  This makes being in Messiah and abiding in Messiah of critical importance to man.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.   

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VII (Doctrine of Baptisms - 2)

WBS.100

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VII

 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS – 2

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

A question about “purifying.”  This word in the Greek text is “katharismos,” which literally means “cleansing” or “washing.”  Its reference to immersions in the verse above specifically implies the cleansing that is achieved as a by-product of immersion; hence the translation, “purifying.”

We mentioned in our last posting that the Jews were not curious about their fellow Hebrews being immersed, because washings were a commonplace experience in the Hebrew way of life.  They were curious as to why John (Yohannes) was doing the immersing.  Either he was the Messiah, or he was the forerunner to Messiah (Elijah).  No other explanation made sense in the mind of the studied Jew.  After Yahushua was immersed by John and began his ministry, he, too, began immersing disciples.  With two men now immersing disciples, you can begin to imagine the growing fear and anxiety within the religious priests and scribes and the leaders of that day.

Laws for “washings” were prevalent in the Torah; and more were added through the centuries by rabbinical teachings and traditions.  There were an abundance of rules and laws regarding washing one’s hands, washing one’s clothes, and washing the entire body. There were washings to consecrate Levites to the priesthood, washings before annual events, washings after breaking the law, washings after touching or coming near a corpse, washings after touching any unclean thing or unclean person. There was washing after being healed of a sickness or disease, washing after normal bodily functions, washing in preparation of a marriage, washing before eating, washing after eating, washing when you awoke in the morning, and more.

Washings were a cultural way of life for the Hebrew people; so when the writer of the Book of Hebrews instructed the disciples not to lay again the foundation of washings, he was referring to an underlying principle that should have been understood by all Hebrews. One inescapable conclusion must be drawn from the existence of such an extraordinary presence of washings throughout the Torah.  IAUE intended His people to be “clean.”  Any uncleanness or impurity was unacceptable in the people called by His name; which is why He made so many provisions for restoring one to a state of cleanness and purity.

Perhaps you can see, now, the danger in the early translators rendering this word “baptismos” as a brand new word that had no relevant definition in its day.  Transliterating the word into “baptisms” created the subject of a brand new “doctrine,” rather than allowing the word to remain connected to its long-standing meaning of purification by washing.  There are very few believers in the “Christian” church, today, who look upon their water baptism in the context of purification.  It is most commonly looked upon as “something you are supposed to do now that you are a believer.”  Interestingly, these same people do not seem to regard with equal blind obedience, all of the daily commands of IAUE to do His will.  Perhaps, if this foundation stone had been properly laid, obedience to IAUE’s will on a day-by-day basis would not be an issue.

This foundation principle is called the “teaching about washings,” not the “doctrine of baptisms.”  It isn’t referring to a training course about the five different kinds of “baptisms” listed in the King James Version of the Bible:

1. Jewish Ceremonial Baptism – where a Gentile immerses himself/herself into a body of water and emerges a Jew, never again to take up the practices of a Gentile.

2. The Baptism of John – a baptism of repentance where the person confessed his/her sins and was then immersed in water, coming out of the water committed to sin no more while awaiting the coming of the Messiah.
   
   
3. The Believer’s Water Baptism – a baptism of separation from one’s former life unto the new life he/she is to live in submission to the Master Yahushua Messiah.

4. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – where a person who placed his trust in Yahushua as the Messiah was immersed in the Holy Spirit, and emerged out of the Holy Spirit a new creation, consecrated to the priesthood of the believer forever to do the will of IAUE.

5. The Baptism of Fire – where those who rejected the promise of Messiah are immersed in fire and are eternally separated from the presence of IAUE.

In these five different kinds of immersions in the Scripture, do you notice the one feature consistent with them all?  The one having been immersed never returns to his former condition.  Immersions/washings BURY the unclean thing.  The unclean thing cannot be taken with the person beyond the grave.  This is the purification implied in the teachings of washings.  It is a separation from the unclean thing.

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were immersed into Yahushua Messiah were immersed into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by immersion into death: that like as Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

From this we can easily see that immersion into Messiah is a burial.  It is our union with Messiah in his death and burial.  We can also easily see that it is Messiah who was raised from the grave, not us.  It is only by our being IN HIM, in Messiah, that we experience separation from the uncleanness of our lives. 

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Elohim? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Master Yahushua, and by the Spirit of our Elohim.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Messiah Yahushua, who of IAUE is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all immersed into one body…

Our separation from “the unclean thing” is actually a separation from our very lives which are thoroughly contaminated and corrupted by the flesh.  Nothing of our own life is “clean” enough to serve IAUE.  There is no manner or amount of washings we may apply to ourselves that removes the uncleanness of our flesh. The only thing clean enough to serve IAUE is IAUE’s son, the Master Yahushua Messiah; and the only way to share in his cleanness before IAUE is to be “in him,” so that HE might become our purification, our separation, our sanctification unto IAUE. 

The “teachings of washings” makes us understand that IAUE requires purity from the people who are called by His name.  The washings throughout the Scriptures demonstrate this call to cleanness…to purity…to sinlessness.   We can never attain to this purity by our own actions or merits.  We must rely on the purity of another, on Yahushua Messiah.

1 John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither known him.

Once again, we see the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah in these first principles to be that HE is the complete provision to all of our needs before IAUE.  He did the works of righteousness for us; his faith toward IAUE carries us into relationship with IAUE; and his death and resurrection is our separation and cleanness before IAUE.  All that Yahushua has done; and all that he is before IAUE, is commuted unto us through our being and abiding in him.

It is not about us at all.  Everything is about Yahushua.  The moment our focus is moved away from the person of Yahushua Messiah and from allowing his life freedom of expression within us, we move into dangerous paths; because outside of Messiah there is no good thing.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.   

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VI (Doctrine of Baptisms - 1)

WBS.099

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES - VI

 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS - 1

We must not forget that the purpose of the word of Messiah in these six subject matters mentioned in the above verses is to lay a foundation of the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah.  It is not so we can have a correct understanding of Bible doctrine.  The author of Hebrews recognized the same thing that Paul taught the Corinthians, that no other foundation can be laid than that is laid, which is Yahushua Messiah (1 Cor 3:11).  These first principles provide the revelation of the person of Messiah that forms that foundation; and once that foundation is laid, we must move on unto perfection.

Can you imagine the futility of a building contractor who lays a foundation then tears it up so he can lay it again, only to tear it up so he can lay it again; or once having built the foundation, he camps around that foundation to admire it day by day, not wishing to mire the image with walls and plumbing, doors, fixtures and roofing. The building would never be erected.  So it is with the church of the Master Yahushua Messiah.  It is a failed construction project; and just possibly, it is the absence of the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah in the doctrine of baptisms that has prevented the erection of the true building.

How can we erect the church of the living Elohim when its ministers refer to these most basic teachings as “the deep things of God,” or as revelations that pertain to “the next level?”  Such teaching is dishonest and borne of pride and arrogance and a serious misunderstanding of the nature of a foundation.  The Hebrews writer says that we are not to lay again the foundation, and that we are to “move on.”  These are not the “deep things” of IAUE.  These are the first principles…the “elementary” principles (as some translations render it).

This principle in the Greek text is the “didache” of “baptismos,” which, literally translated is the “teachings” of “washings.”   This word “baptismos” is found four times in the Greek New Testament, yet only here is it rendered “baptisms.”  Everywhere else it is translated “washings.”

It is important to recognize that the English word “baptism” was not a word in the English language at the time of the translation of the original “King James” version of the Scriptures.  By the 1600’s, the practice of infant baptism had become accepted by many segments of the church.  When the translators arrived at this word, “baptizo,” they understood that it meant, “to dip, or to immerse,” and that to translate the word as ‘immerse” would create havoc in the church.  So, to avoid the chaos and conflict, the translators created a new English word by transliterating the Greek word in its various forms to “baptize,” “baptist,” and “baptism.”

By refusing to translate this word, the resulting dishonest text produced centuries of mistaken understandings of its use throughout the Scriptures.  This has resulted in baptism becoming some form of “ordinance” of the church; thereby losing its power to reveal the person of Yahushua Messiah.  One Christian denomination links water baptism to experiencing the regeneration (new birth). Another denomination links it to receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Another denomination treats it as some legal requirement to be observed by all believers (with no consequences if you aren’t); while yet another requires it in order for you to “join” their local church.  All of this is essentially nonsense in the light of the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah.

There is an underlying teaching that pertains to all of the washings in the Scripture.  The Jews in the day of Yahushua understood that underlying concept.

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Messiah.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of IAUE, as said the prophet Isaiah.

John came immersing in the wilderness.  Washings for spiritual reasons were commonplace in Israel.  The law of Moses required all manner of washings, from sanctifying Levites unto the priesthood, to cleansing utensils and pots, to washing hands before eating, and to restoring one from having been ceremonially unclean. For this last provision there were actually reported to be 1,000 ceremonial pools in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Messiah’s ministry.

When John began immersing, it wasn’t the immersion that was of concern to the priests and Levites.  It was the fact that someone was doing it for others.  Ceremonial cleansings were done by the individual stepping into the pool and immersing himself/herself.  For someone else to perform this task to another raised questions about the identity of the immerser. Note the question, and John’s answer.

Q.  “Who are you?”

A.  “I am not the Messiah.”

This answer reveals much about the Jews expectation of Messiah.  They did not ask John if he were the Messiah; but John knew that was the point of their question; which is to say, they fully expected Messiah to come immersing.  So, the priests and Levites countered with:

Q.  “Are you Elijah?”

A.  “No.”

Having had a direct answer to the real intention of their first question, they were compelled to try to find out just who John was and by what authority he was immersing people.  Why did they ask if he were Elijah?  It is because they knew from Scripture that Elijah must first come before the coming of the Messiah.  If someone was immersing others, this extraordinary and unusual event must be the precursor to the coming of Messiah.  Failing to satisfy on that point, they pressed on:

Q.  “Are you that prophet?”

A.  “No.”

Having eliminated the Messiah and his forerunner, Elijah; the only other explanation in their minds is that he was “that prophet.”  What prophet?  The one Moses prophesied would come.  He told Israel that a prophet would come who would be like him; and that they were to hear him (pay attention to him).  The Jews did not link “that prophet” with the Messiah.  They thought they were separate people.  John left them quite unsatisfied and frustrated; so they gave him one more chance.

Q.  “Well, then who are you?”

A.  “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

These priests and Levites would immediately have understood that John referred to the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, imagery, which in the Hebrew mindset, was connected with Elijah’s forerunner ministry; and yet he had said that he was not Elijah.  The Hebrews had no concept of a first and second coming of Messiah; thus, they had no concept of a forerunner to the Messiah who was not Elijah. (Yahushua actually identified, later, that John was a type of fulfilment to the prophecy of Elijah; thus giving them a clue to the mystery of a second coming of Messiah.)

John 3:22 After these things came Yahushua and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and immersed.

23 And John also was immersing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were immersed.

24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same immerses, and all men come to him.

So, we see that once revealed through the immersing by John, the Messiah did proceed to immerse others.  In fact, more were being immersed by him than by John; and it provoked a question in the mind of John’s disciples…a question about “purifying.” 

This question reveals the underlying truth behind all of the washings in Scripture; and helps to reveal the next foundation stone in these “first principles.”  We will develop this idea next week.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.   

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