The BIG Picture (Q&A)

The following is a reaction to this post:  https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2024/02/why-were-baptisms-required-for-israel.html POST REACTION: I don’t think you can connect the ministry of John the Baptist to the Old Testament priesthood. Only the priests needed to be washed, not every Israelite. And John the Baptist’s imagery had nothing to do whatsoever with priestly cleansing. Just read the accounts in the four Gospels. It was a sign of repentance. And Israelites before John were not baptized. It was a ritual that started with him. And Christian baptism has a totally different symbolic meaning and was done for both Jews and Gentiles alike. In your article, your thoughts on priestly rituals are interesting, but there’s no biblical evidence that John’s baptism has anything whatsoever to do with that. ANSWER: One cannot just isolate John’s ministry as something that just appeared out of the blue. In the Bible EVERYTHING has meaning and purpose. The entire bible interprets itse...

Yes. That is correct for that time. Joh 3:5 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. The advice Jesus gives Nicodemus does point to water baptism, and spirit baptism. There were conditions for salvation in the Kingdom gospel. In Acts, we see Peter preaching the same thing, Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So, for salvation in the Kingdom gospel, it required faith in Jesus as Messiah and also to be water baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. These were requirements to enter into the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus would come again in the Second Coming. The reason for these requirements is because of their significance for Israel. In Deut. and Lev., priests were washed to cleans them of sins before the ministered to God on behalf of the people....

A question in response to this post:  Should we have a 'Pentecost' encounter today? Question: Answer Request: So then, how do you dismiss the testimonies of millions of believers today who testify to a “Pentecost” experience? How do you explain the thousands documented in Acts that came to faith through the preaching of the disciples (not directly by Jesus) who also were baptised by the Holy Spirit? I can see how one may arrive to the conclusion you have drawn (although it is quite a stretch) but I and millions of others see no clear, unambiguous directive in Scripture that states that the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church has ceased, or that signs and wonders should not accompany those who believe.  Joel‬ 2:28-32 And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservan...

To answer this question, lets analyze what Jesus said to his disciples just before He ascended into heaven. Most of what we need to answer the question can be found in the following verse.  Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. ... 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Who baptized the disciples? The writings of Matthew and John make it clear that Jesus was the baptizer of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11 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 : (See also John 1:33; John 14:16; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7) Why was the Holy Spirit to come?  Jesus provides the answer. It was so that the disciples could receiv...

Paul taught of only ONE baptism. What baptism is that? A waterless baptism of the Holy Spirit that places you into the Body of Christ at the moment you are saved. This is unique to the Body of Christ who receive salvation through the grace gospel. For the 12-apostles in the book of Acts, it was always TWO baptisms. The 12-apostles could never separate baptism (water and Spirit) from their gospel. Consider the instructions and order of the Kingdom gospel,  Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Notice that after a Jew repented, they had to be baptized in water. Water baptism was a requirement in the Kingdom gospel as it was for the cleansing for priesthood (Exo.19:6), something that ALL Jews had to do,  Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria ha...