- May 3, 2022
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Unfortunately, the words "baptize" and "baptism" are used in English Bibles, especially in the Gospels. The life of Yeshua was lived as part of the Old Testament. Everything that happened in the Gospels needs to be viewed just as if one was reading Numbers, 1 Samuel, or Psalms. I have yet to see even one Bible version that points this out! But it is crucial to know! The New Testament era didn't start until Yeshua ascended! Anyone reading the gospel must understand that what they are reading is written within an Old Testament setting. At the same time, the Gospels also show that things were going to be changing. The way things were done in the O.T. were now going to be done in a new way. The theology stayed the same, but one of the most important changes was that things were now going to have a spiritual meaning rather than a physical one. Things would move from the physical into the spiritual. His life and words also showed that the Old Testament world was coming to an end. His death ended the Old Testament ways. The destruction of the Temple was Jehovah completely burying the Old Testament practices and covering the grave with an unpenetrable cover.
What people consider the "Gentile church" is not found in the Gospels. (Yeshua never used the word "Church," nor did he start the "Church.") The things people think are "Christian" are not found or taught in the Gospels. Everything in the Gospels must be viewed from the eyes of a 1st Century Jew, living in a Jewish culture with a Jewish mindset.
The Jewish people had no concept of a ceremony called "baptism," a ceremony that a "new believer" would engage in after "getting saved." What the Jewish people did practice was what they called Tevilah (Full immersion) which was when a Jew would be fully immersed underwater for the purpose of becoming ritually pure. That water "cleansed" the mind and spirit, and one would become "clean" in Jehovah's eyes, fit to serve Him. This doesn't fit the definition of "Christian Baptism." While God did command "cleansing by water" for different physical or spiritual reasons, He had never commanded "full body submersion" as a necessity. What God had commanded had been "added" to by the Pharisees at some point. ( Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders...)
Let me explain the differences between Tevilah and "Christian Baptism."
1. The Tevilah performed by the Jews at the Jordan River and Acts 2 or anywhere else in New Testament Scripture were completely voluntary! It was something each individual Jew chose to do.
2. Each Jew would put themselves underwater by their own action. They would enter the water by themselves, go under, and come out of the water without anyone else making any physical contact with them. This was an act they were doing. It wasn't something being done to them.
3. The Jewish teacher observing the act made sure that the Jew was completely underwater. He made no physical contact with the Jew. He didn't push the Jew under the water. Neither did he make some prayer or public announcement before the Jew immersed him/herself.
4. No Jewish parent ever immersed a baby or child or allowed a young child to practice this. In the Jewish culture, a child becomes an adult at age 13. After coming into adulthood, each young person was free to practice Tevilah of their own free will. He/she wasn't required to answer questions from some Jewish leader about "Do you understand what this means and why you are doing this" before the first Tevilah.
5. Tevilah had been a Jewish practice for thousands of years before John appeared at the Jordan.
6. Tevilah was never a one-time event. In the days of Yeshua, the Jewish people would do Tevilah before entering the Temple Mount, exchanging money, making a sacrifice, etc. It was almost a daily event. Some would immerse themselves three times in a row.
7. The synagogues never scheduled a Tevilah "event" where family and friends were invited to attend.
8. Doing Tevilah was not a public "profession of faith" or a step to becoming a member of a synagogue.
9. immersion was the only connection between "Christian Baptism" and Tevilah. "Christian Baptism" is something that was completely made up, a man-made tradition that came from paganism, the Mystery Religions, that has no roots in Judaism, and cannot be tied to any doctrine or teaching in all of Scripture.
I am not here trying to destroy something "legitimate" based on Scripture! I used to believe in "Christian Baptism" and what it is said to represent. But my in-depth study has shown me that so many things taught in the Evangelical/Christian world that are not true, including "Christian Baptism!" With my knowledge of Scripture and if I was willing to compromise and teach lies, I could have eased myself into some large "church group" years ago or started my own "church," and I would be on "easy street" right now. I would be on hundreds of T.V. and radio stations. If I had written some books, they would have sold well. I would be well known. But as a man of God (I don't say that as if there is a halo over my head), someone He called to study and teach His word, I cannot and will not compromise in what I teach. Most people believe that 2 Tim 2:15 is a verse that applies to all people, but this is untrue. This is Paul, as a teacher of God's word, writing to Timothy, a younger and less experienced teacher of God's word. Timothy was having many problems with the false teaching that he was encountering. So in vs. 15, Paul is stressing to Timothy that Timothy needs to study more and learn more so that Timothy, through using Scripture, could expose the lies. (Words don't lie, men do). As to what he teaches, as far as any "approval," someone who teaches God's word needs to do his study and teaching so that God approves!
John's role in the coming changes was huge and pivotal! He was the hinge. He was the beginning point, the point of the spear! His role was much larger than merely being the promised forerunner to the Messiah! In the next post, I will cover that in more detail when I lay out the timeline and events that led to Yeshua coming to John for Tevilah.
John, who lived in the wilderness dressed in rough clothing and lived off of the land, and was the last Old Testament prophet. God called him for a specific purpose, and John began to obey Jehovah. While we don't know exactly the geographical location where John began to preach the message God gave him, we do know he ended up moving around and staying near the Jordan River.
John had only two things to proclaim, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Mat 3:2, and preached a "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Mk 1:4, Lk 3:3. So, as presented chronologically, we will read;
There came a word of God to John the Immerser, the son of Zacharias. And he traveled to every populated region around the Jordan River, preaching an immersion of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins and commanding people to "Repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand/near!.. Many Jews from Jerusalem, Judeah, and different areas around the Jordan River came to where John was, confessing their sins. And John oversaw everyone's Tevilah.
I am positive that this was how it was originally written down, as Jewish how men would write down events only involving Jewish people. They would not have used the words "baptize" or "baptism." (Did you know there is now solid, irrefutable proof that all 4 gospels were originally written in Hebrew? And they know that James, Jude, and Revelation were originally written in Hebrew. If the Translators had never used the words "baptize" or "baptism," The concept of "Christian Baptism" would have never begun!)
The concepts of "Repent" and "Repentance" come from the Jewish people, or rather through the Jewish people. The Torah teaches a moral code of life. In the huge majority of pagan religions, there was no concept of "sin" or any need to repent of sin. The closest pagans came to this was that if they thought they had angered a god or goddess, they would seek to appease their deities. There was no concept that if you did wrong to another person, you were also guilty of doing wrong to your deity.
In Jewish theology and culture, there were two aspects to repentance. One dealt with having sorrow and regret for breaking God's commands or sinning against another person. This included the idea of vowing not to repeat the sin. The other aspect was the idea of turning back to God and turning away from your false religion, idolatrous ways, serving self, and lusting after the things of the world.
The second aspect is what John proclaimed to the Jewish people that came out to him. They needed to do this because when he said, "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand/near, that meant to the Jews that it was now here, not coming later on. (The Jewish people spoke in a different way than us.) At this time, among the Jewish people, there was an expectation that the coming of the Messiah was soon! And when they heard John say, "The kingdom of heaven was here," they were jumping at the opportunity to become part of God's kingdom, the true kingdom. The average Jew in Jerusalem and Judah was so fed up with the Jewish spiritual leaders and the mess that Judaism had become. It was not just the tough rule of the Romans and the high taxes; the Jewish leaders, secular and religious, were also oppressing the average Jew. The Pharisees and scribes had made it so tough, almost impossible for the average Jew to think he was obeying and serving God properly!
Now, I must say that I have never once heard any teaching on the "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins!" This seems to be a contradiction, right? We are never taught that "baptism" forgives sins! Only God or Yeshua can forgive our sins, correct? Well, guess what? This immersion under John did not forgive sins; it did away with sins! People think that "forgiveness" and "remission" are one and the same, but they're not. Forgiveness is directed toward the person. God/Yeshua forgives the person after they repent, confess, and approach with a humble heart and have true sorrow for their thoughts and actions. But remission is where your sins are taken away as if you never committed them. Forgiveness is God's favor toward the sinner. Remission is where the sins are removed. (I am going to do a study on forgiveness and remission later on)
This is something "new", the removal of sins, a concept not found in the O.T. This was great news and a blessing to the Jews. Because while they knew that God would forgive them for their sins and the animal sacrifices and sin offerings would atone (cover up) their sins, they believed that their sins remained attached to them and it was a burden that each Jew would have to carry for their entire life. They were now able to experience true freedom from their sins and understand that they were completely free from the guilt, bondage, and penalty of past sins!
While John could have held these immersions at other rivers or streams, there was also the Mediterranean Sea, The Lake of Galilee, and the Dead Sea; he chose the Jordan River for two reasons. (That and I'm positive that God told John where to hold the immersions) 1. The Jordan River is 25 miles from Jerusalem, which can take up to 7 hours to walk normally. Being far from Jerusalem ensured he could do his work without constant interruptions or interference from the Religious Left in the city. There were members of the Religious Left that would have had him arrested. The Jews that traveled that far showed that they believed John's message and that they were serious about what he preached. 2. Beyond that was the symbolic meaning of immersing in the Jordan. Just as the Jewish people had to cross the Jordan to claim the Promised Land, so to were these Jews about to enter a new Promised Land, the real and true Kingdom of God, from the Jordan River.
Thus, while the immersion occurring at the Jordan River had no "Christian" meaning and no hint of a Gentile practice, this was a wonderful thing for the Jews. Because they would turn back to God, turn away from their old practices and beliefs, and confess their sins, which would lead to God forgiving them and be free from the past, free from their past sins as if they had no sin and enter the real Kingdom of God as if they were brand new citizens of the Kingdom! This makes me think of 1 Cor 5:17, Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things are passed away. All things have become new!
What people consider the "Gentile church" is not found in the Gospels. (Yeshua never used the word "Church," nor did he start the "Church.") The things people think are "Christian" are not found or taught in the Gospels. Everything in the Gospels must be viewed from the eyes of a 1st Century Jew, living in a Jewish culture with a Jewish mindset.
The Jewish people had no concept of a ceremony called "baptism," a ceremony that a "new believer" would engage in after "getting saved." What the Jewish people did practice was what they called Tevilah (Full immersion) which was when a Jew would be fully immersed underwater for the purpose of becoming ritually pure. That water "cleansed" the mind and spirit, and one would become "clean" in Jehovah's eyes, fit to serve Him. This doesn't fit the definition of "Christian Baptism." While God did command "cleansing by water" for different physical or spiritual reasons, He had never commanded "full body submersion" as a necessity. What God had commanded had been "added" to by the Pharisees at some point. ( Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders...)
Let me explain the differences between Tevilah and "Christian Baptism."
1. The Tevilah performed by the Jews at the Jordan River and Acts 2 or anywhere else in New Testament Scripture were completely voluntary! It was something each individual Jew chose to do.
2. Each Jew would put themselves underwater by their own action. They would enter the water by themselves, go under, and come out of the water without anyone else making any physical contact with them. This was an act they were doing. It wasn't something being done to them.
3. The Jewish teacher observing the act made sure that the Jew was completely underwater. He made no physical contact with the Jew. He didn't push the Jew under the water. Neither did he make some prayer or public announcement before the Jew immersed him/herself.
4. No Jewish parent ever immersed a baby or child or allowed a young child to practice this. In the Jewish culture, a child becomes an adult at age 13. After coming into adulthood, each young person was free to practice Tevilah of their own free will. He/she wasn't required to answer questions from some Jewish leader about "Do you understand what this means and why you are doing this" before the first Tevilah.
5. Tevilah had been a Jewish practice for thousands of years before John appeared at the Jordan.
6. Tevilah was never a one-time event. In the days of Yeshua, the Jewish people would do Tevilah before entering the Temple Mount, exchanging money, making a sacrifice, etc. It was almost a daily event. Some would immerse themselves three times in a row.
7. The synagogues never scheduled a Tevilah "event" where family and friends were invited to attend.
8. Doing Tevilah was not a public "profession of faith" or a step to becoming a member of a synagogue.
9. immersion was the only connection between "Christian Baptism" and Tevilah. "Christian Baptism" is something that was completely made up, a man-made tradition that came from paganism, the Mystery Religions, that has no roots in Judaism, and cannot be tied to any doctrine or teaching in all of Scripture.
I am not here trying to destroy something "legitimate" based on Scripture! I used to believe in "Christian Baptism" and what it is said to represent. But my in-depth study has shown me that so many things taught in the Evangelical/Christian world that are not true, including "Christian Baptism!" With my knowledge of Scripture and if I was willing to compromise and teach lies, I could have eased myself into some large "church group" years ago or started my own "church," and I would be on "easy street" right now. I would be on hundreds of T.V. and radio stations. If I had written some books, they would have sold well. I would be well known. But as a man of God (I don't say that as if there is a halo over my head), someone He called to study and teach His word, I cannot and will not compromise in what I teach. Most people believe that 2 Tim 2:15 is a verse that applies to all people, but this is untrue. This is Paul, as a teacher of God's word, writing to Timothy, a younger and less experienced teacher of God's word. Timothy was having many problems with the false teaching that he was encountering. So in vs. 15, Paul is stressing to Timothy that Timothy needs to study more and learn more so that Timothy, through using Scripture, could expose the lies. (Words don't lie, men do). As to what he teaches, as far as any "approval," someone who teaches God's word needs to do his study and teaching so that God approves!
John's role in the coming changes was huge and pivotal! He was the hinge. He was the beginning point, the point of the spear! His role was much larger than merely being the promised forerunner to the Messiah! In the next post, I will cover that in more detail when I lay out the timeline and events that led to Yeshua coming to John for Tevilah.
John, who lived in the wilderness dressed in rough clothing and lived off of the land, and was the last Old Testament prophet. God called him for a specific purpose, and John began to obey Jehovah. While we don't know exactly the geographical location where John began to preach the message God gave him, we do know he ended up moving around and staying near the Jordan River.
John had only two things to proclaim, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Mat 3:2, and preached a "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Mk 1:4, Lk 3:3. So, as presented chronologically, we will read;
There came a word of God to John the Immerser, the son of Zacharias. And he traveled to every populated region around the Jordan River, preaching an immersion of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins and commanding people to "Repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand/near!.. Many Jews from Jerusalem, Judeah, and different areas around the Jordan River came to where John was, confessing their sins. And John oversaw everyone's Tevilah.
I am positive that this was how it was originally written down, as Jewish how men would write down events only involving Jewish people. They would not have used the words "baptize" or "baptism." (Did you know there is now solid, irrefutable proof that all 4 gospels were originally written in Hebrew? And they know that James, Jude, and Revelation were originally written in Hebrew. If the Translators had never used the words "baptize" or "baptism," The concept of "Christian Baptism" would have never begun!)
The concepts of "Repent" and "Repentance" come from the Jewish people, or rather through the Jewish people. The Torah teaches a moral code of life. In the huge majority of pagan religions, there was no concept of "sin" or any need to repent of sin. The closest pagans came to this was that if they thought they had angered a god or goddess, they would seek to appease their deities. There was no concept that if you did wrong to another person, you were also guilty of doing wrong to your deity.
In Jewish theology and culture, there were two aspects to repentance. One dealt with having sorrow and regret for breaking God's commands or sinning against another person. This included the idea of vowing not to repeat the sin. The other aspect was the idea of turning back to God and turning away from your false religion, idolatrous ways, serving self, and lusting after the things of the world.
The second aspect is what John proclaimed to the Jewish people that came out to him. They needed to do this because when he said, "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand/near, that meant to the Jews that it was now here, not coming later on. (The Jewish people spoke in a different way than us.) At this time, among the Jewish people, there was an expectation that the coming of the Messiah was soon! And when they heard John say, "The kingdom of heaven was here," they were jumping at the opportunity to become part of God's kingdom, the true kingdom. The average Jew in Jerusalem and Judah was so fed up with the Jewish spiritual leaders and the mess that Judaism had become. It was not just the tough rule of the Romans and the high taxes; the Jewish leaders, secular and religious, were also oppressing the average Jew. The Pharisees and scribes had made it so tough, almost impossible for the average Jew to think he was obeying and serving God properly!
Now, I must say that I have never once heard any teaching on the "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins!" This seems to be a contradiction, right? We are never taught that "baptism" forgives sins! Only God or Yeshua can forgive our sins, correct? Well, guess what? This immersion under John did not forgive sins; it did away with sins! People think that "forgiveness" and "remission" are one and the same, but they're not. Forgiveness is directed toward the person. God/Yeshua forgives the person after they repent, confess, and approach with a humble heart and have true sorrow for their thoughts and actions. But remission is where your sins are taken away as if you never committed them. Forgiveness is God's favor toward the sinner. Remission is where the sins are removed. (I am going to do a study on forgiveness and remission later on)
This is something "new", the removal of sins, a concept not found in the O.T. This was great news and a blessing to the Jews. Because while they knew that God would forgive them for their sins and the animal sacrifices and sin offerings would atone (cover up) their sins, they believed that their sins remained attached to them and it was a burden that each Jew would have to carry for their entire life. They were now able to experience true freedom from their sins and understand that they were completely free from the guilt, bondage, and penalty of past sins!
While John could have held these immersions at other rivers or streams, there was also the Mediterranean Sea, The Lake of Galilee, and the Dead Sea; he chose the Jordan River for two reasons. (That and I'm positive that God told John where to hold the immersions) 1. The Jordan River is 25 miles from Jerusalem, which can take up to 7 hours to walk normally. Being far from Jerusalem ensured he could do his work without constant interruptions or interference from the Religious Left in the city. There were members of the Religious Left that would have had him arrested. The Jews that traveled that far showed that they believed John's message and that they were serious about what he preached. 2. Beyond that was the symbolic meaning of immersing in the Jordan. Just as the Jewish people had to cross the Jordan to claim the Promised Land, so to were these Jews about to enter a new Promised Land, the real and true Kingdom of God, from the Jordan River.
Thus, while the immersion occurring at the Jordan River had no "Christian" meaning and no hint of a Gentile practice, this was a wonderful thing for the Jews. Because they would turn back to God, turn away from their old practices and beliefs, and confess their sins, which would lead to God forgiving them and be free from the past, free from their past sins as if they had no sin and enter the real Kingdom of God as if they were brand new citizens of the Kingdom! This makes me think of 1 Cor 5:17, Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things are passed away. All things have become new!
