Saturday, January 3, 2015

Israel's national baptisms

1 Corinthians 10:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

When the Hebrews crossed over the dry path through the Red Sea, they were "baptized unto Moses". That is they were identified with him. This baptism was not an "immersion" nor a "dry baptism", it was a pouring out of water. 

Psalms 77:
[13] Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
[14] Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
[15] Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
[16] The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
[17] The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.
[18] The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
[19] Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
[20] Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron
.

Believing Israel will go through another national baptism at the 2nd Coming of Christ.

Judges 5:
[2] Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
[3] Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
[4] LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
[5] The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel
.

Ezekiel 36:
[22] Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
[23] And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
[24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
[25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
[26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
[27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
[28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
[29] I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
[30] And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
[31] Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
[32] Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
[33] Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded
.

Isaiah 52:14-15 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Why does Israel go through a national water baptism?

1.) To identify them with the cleansing that they receive from Christ's shed blood. Israel's sins get taken away at the 2nd Coming of Christ (Jer. 31:31-34, 32:36-42, 33:4-18, Ezek. 11:14-21, 36:12-38, 37:1-14, 37:21-28, Acts 3:19-21, 1 Pet. 1:5-11, etc.).  Notice these connections with Christ's suffering for Israel's cleansing with the water baptism.

"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations " (Isa. 52:14-15a)

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. " (Isa. 53:4-5)

As you can see, Christ's suffering on the cross is connected with Him sprinkling the nations.

2.) To identify Israel as the royal priesthood. God's plan for Israel is for them to be a kingdom of priests.

Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: .

Isaiah 61:6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

....And a priest has to be sprinkled.

Numbers 8:
[5] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[6] Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
[7] And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean
.

Leviticus 8:
[4] And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
[5] And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.
[6] And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water
.

For further study as pertaining to water baptism under the Gospel of the Kingdom you should read Hebrews 10:19-22, Acts 22:16, 1 Pet. 1:2, 1 Pet. 3:21. It is also interesting that the Bible refers to the questions John's disciples had about baptism as a question about purifying in John 3:22-28. These all point to sprinkling as being the proper mode of water baptism.

However, in this present dispensation we only have "one baptism" and it is done by the Holy Spirit into Christ (1 Cor. 1:17, 1 Cor. 6:15-17, 1 Cor. 12:12-14, Rom. 6:3-4, Col. 2:10-14, Eph. 4:1-6, Gal. 3:26-28, Eph. 3:1-9).  

--Eli Caldwell

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