JESUS THE BAPTIST

Welcome to Jesus the Baptist!

2006-10-30T00:00:00.000-10:00

10:39 PM, 6 May 2006

Blessings World!

In celebration of Pentecost 2006 and the Centennial of the Azusa Street Revival, we launch this Pneuma Blog. This is the home of our blog narrative about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe this site and study to be a fulfillment of our calling to light a fire in the world for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To our Lord,

Lord, we will speak the message you gave us to speak to the world. We humbly ask you to bless the site and study. May you translate its contents to the four winds on the fiery wings of your messengers as you will. May you use its contents to shed light on a subject that has proven to be controversial. In so doing, Lord use these contents to bring both unity to your Body and a fresh impartation of your Holy Spirit's power to your Bride. May you use this site and study to empower your church for end-time revival. May it hasten your coming in such measure as you have willed. Accompany and seal it with your atoning blood, your manifest presence and your all consuming firepower. We dedicate "Jesus the Baptist" first to you our Lord and Baptist, Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God. Amen!

In His Calling,
Danny dj and Martha Morales

Danny dedicates this site also to his loving bride, Martha.

11:39 PM, 30 September 2006

As of this day and hour, our Pneuma Blog was completed for the honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord for seeing us through this project and for making it possible!

"but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" (Hebrews 12:26b-29)

The Assorted Colors of Pentecost

2006-10-03T20:45:00.000-10:00

Shortly after finishing the main portions of Jesus the Baptist on September 30th 2006, I revisited my notes and felt compelled to include some of the missing points that went behind the panorama of the main work. Since I did not want to leave any of them out, I packaged as many flavors and colors of ideas swirling around in the background as I could into this one collage. I pray that your senses are refreshed and blessed in the Lord as you read just a few of the many colors that emanate from the spectrum of Pentecost.

The Multicolored Tongues of God

One of the major claims of Jesus the Baptist is that unknown tongues are covenantal signs in the same category as the lasting signs of the three great Covenants in Scripture. This is an extremely significant statement, because if they are analogous to these other lasting signs, then questioning why God chose them is analogous to questioning why He chose the rainbow, circumcision, and the Sabbath. Such hypothetical questioning is difficult to ponder as it brings to mind the words of Isaiah "who has understood the mind [or Spirit] of the LORD or instructed him as his counselor?" (Isaiah 40:13). Although it may be impossible to know why God chose any and all these signs, we do know from Scripture that they are definitely God's intellectual and supernatural property.

God identified personally with these signs calling them, "my rainbow," "my covenant in your flesh," and "my Sabbaths" (Genesis 9:13, 17:13; Exodus 31:13). Similarly, the word of God identified "my Spirit" as the agent and enabler behind the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28-9; Acts 2:4, 17-8). Peter's words affirm this ownership: "I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy" (Acts 2:18) as do the words of Jesus: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about" (Acts 1:4b). This latter Scripture not only affirms God's ownership of the Pentecostal experience, it uses covenantal terms to describe this ownership.

Although not recorded in Scripture, it would be proper for God to call tongues "my tongues" for two reasons. First, because He created previously unknown tongues at Babel to begin with: "the LORD said, 'if as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other'" (Genesis 11:6-7). Second, because God overtook the lips and tongues of men to speak to unbelievers in the New Testament:

"Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people" (Isaiah 26:11)
"In the Law it is written: 'Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,' says the Lord." (1 Corinthians 14:21)

Unknown tongues from their onset originated from the supernatural and according to the apostle Paul continue to abide in this realm. He attributed speaking in unknown tongues to the spirit and not the human mind, saying that when one speaks in unknown tongues the spirit prays and utters "mysteries" (1 Corinthians 14:2, 14). In fact, according to him, those who speak them can be rightfully accused of being out of their minds (1 Corinthians 14:23).

"In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (1 Corinthians 2:11b-13)
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (Romans 8:25-27)

Scripture affirms that Holy Spirit-enabled unknown tongues and the three well-established covenantal signs are not the intellectual property of man. They originate from the creative mind and Spirit of God and do not reflect the natural inclinations of man.

The Evangelistic Colors of Tongues

Although attempts to understand the reasoning behind God's choice of tongues may prove futile, understanding their broad significance to evangelism, prophecy, and the priesthood is possible when using a covenantal context.

The first covenant was a global one. Its continuing sign, the rainbow, has a worldwide range of visibility, and its promise applies to "all living creatures of every kind on the earth" (Genesis 9:16). The rainbow bears resemblance to the gospel messenger mentioned in Revelation 14:6: "then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people." The rainbow is literally a midair messenger to the whole world-to people of every color (i.e., nation, tribe, language) of the good news that God will not again flood the earth.

The Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit and tongues bear the same resemblance, because they represent the power to witness the gospel message of Jesus to every nation, tribe, language and people. In his last words on earth, Jesus himself links the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to worldwide evangelism:

"…You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:5, 8)

Approximately ten days later, tongues are also linked to worldwide evangelism¹:

"They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language...'we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!'" (Acts 2:3-11)

In the terms of the covenantal rainbow, Acts 2 depicts a midair sign, a gospel message, a worldwide audience, and a spectrum of languages. Acts 2, thus, shows an intimate relationship between the Lord's Baptism of the Holy Spirit, tongues, and worldwide evangelism.

The Prophetic Colors of Tongues

An intimate relationship also exist between tongues and the office of prophets. One unlikely hero of the Bible and his robe proves that such a relationship exists:

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours." (Genesis 37:3 KJV)

Joseph's robe was not distinctive merely because it was finely ornamented, it was distinctive because it distinguished Joseph as a prophet. It set Joseph apart from his brothers and spoke to his election by his earthly father. It also spoke to his prophetic giftings and his election by a heavenly father. Joseph was essentially clothed by his father with a multi-colored sign - physical evidence that befit the fact that God spoke to and through him:

"Listen to my words: 'When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.'" (Numbers 12:6)

However, the robe's prophetic symbolism did not end there. When Joseph's brothers turned on him and stripped the robe from him, they unwittingly foreshadowed symbols of baptism and the Great Atonement:

"So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing - and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it." (Genesis 37:23-24)
"Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, 'We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe.'" (Genesis 37:31-32)

The fact that the cistern was empty of water is an important point. In its emptiness it represented a baptismal chamber (tomb) that would be found empty of its occupant². After eight of Joseph's brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Midianite merchants, his brother Reuben returned to find the cistern empty.

"When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, 'The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?'" (Genesis 37:29-30)
"but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying?' 'They have taken my Lord away,' she said, 'and I don't know where they have put him.'" (John 20:11-13)

It is no coincidence that the Word of God distinguishes Joseph's robe exactly three times in exactly the same manner (verses 3, 23 and 32). Neither is it a coincidence that his robe is first mentioned along with his prophetic dreams, then along with the cistern and finally along with the blood of a goat. These three instances point to a three-part baptism in spirit, water, and blood. They also point to the future ministry of priests, especially during the Day of Atonement³:

"He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness." (Leviticus 16:15-16)

After the robe was covered with the red blood of a substitutionary sacrifice, its full range of colors were complete. It was now a garment of rainbows and a picture of Atonement. It was now a multi-colored tongue speaking a message of the redemptive plan of God.

The coat of many colors and Joseph's dreams make for beloved Sunday School stories. With each stroke of a child's crayon, a heavenly Father still speaks to believers about the relationship between clothing, colors, the prophetic, baptism, and tongues.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

The Priestly Colors of Tongues

Hundreds of years after the episode of Joseph and his brothers, a new multi-colored garment would be fashioned that would speak a similar message as his robe. This time, the heavenly lights seen in Joseph's dream, would be emblazoned on the garments of Israel's High Priest. Now not only would Joseph's brothers be immortalized by colored stones, but so to would all the promised offspring of Father Abraham including modern day believers. The promised ones of Abraham would shine like stars in the night sky from the Priestly mantle:

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Genesis 15:5)

The sacred garments of the High Priest present an even more complete picture of Atonement and baptism than Joseph's robe. From their colorful threads, to their sacred stones, to their gold settings and mysterious bells, the High Priest's garments speak a message of baptism, Atonement, and even tongues. They are a clothing immersed in power, holiness, and significance.

"When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that they do not consecrate the people by means of their garments." (Ezekiel 44:19)

In as much as baptism, Atonement, and tongues flow from the Throne Room of God, so too are the glories of God's throne embedded within every thread, stone, gold setting and bell on these garments. It is no exaggeration to say that almost every facet of these garments speaks "baptism," "Atonement," "tongues," and "Throne Room."

"These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests ...

... Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:4, 15-21)

The colors, stones, gold settings, and bells are elements of a recurring theme throughout Scripture. Other such elements include fire, water, blood, thunders, lightnings, winds, rain, rainbows, floods, seas, and colors. All are found in visitations to and from the Throne and all have something to do with baptism and Atonement. Furthermore, all are represented faithfully in the garments of the High Priest. The reason for this recurring theme and setting is simple. Baptism and Atonement flow from the Throne of God as do the images and colors conveyed by the Priestly garments:

"And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire" (Revelation 15:2a)

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:6-10)

"From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal." (Revelation 4:5-6a)

"I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal" (Ezekiel 1:4)

Take for instance, the blue ephod robe of the High Priest. In this one robe was a pictorial representation of baptism in water. The High Priest would thus be clothed and immersed in baptism while ministering before the Lord and for his people:

"Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear." (Exodus 28:31-32)

The golden bells around the hem of the High Priest's robes, on the other hand, represented the voices of God's Spirit. These visible audio devices faithfully echoed the many forms of God's voice: from the visible thunders streaming from God's Holy mountain, to the visible tongues of fire heard and seen at Pentecost, and finally to the rushing waters, rainbows, and double-edged swords radiating from the mouth of the one who sits upon the Throne.

As the High Priest would walk in his garment of baptism into the earthly rendition of God's Throne Room, the bells would chime and rumble in percussive, repititious sounds just like the voice of the Seven Thunders. This is exactly what unknown tongues in the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit are. They are the flashings of lightnings, rumblings, and peals of thunder from the Throne. They are the multi-colored voices of God's Spirit. They are voices that can be seen.

"The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die." (Exodus 28:34-35)
"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." (Exodus 20:18-19)
"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28)
"When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 8:14-19)
"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke." (Revelation 10:1-3)

The breastpiece of the ephod bespectacled with its own rainbow of precious stones was yet another representation of baptism. The Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, would enable the precious stones on its front and the Sardonyx stones on its shoulder straps to glow as if they were on fire from within. The High Priest or onlooker would then interpret, or hear, God's voice according to how these multi-colored stones glowed.

"Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions" (Exodus 28:15a)

"When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, 'Bring the ephod.' David said, 'O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.' And the LORD said, 'He will.' Again David asked, 'Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?' And the LORD said, 'They will.'" (1 Samuel 23:9-12)
"David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" 'Pursue them,' he answered. 'You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.'" (1 Samuel 30:6-8)

High Priest Speaking in Rainbows and Tribes as the Holy Spirit Enables

Thus, the High Priest would wear a garment of power that had visible evidence of God's voice in the form of multi-colored stones on the front and Sardonyx stones on top each representing a tribe that would glow, or speak, as the Holy Spirit enabled...

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"" (Acts 2:5-12)

From the Day of Pentecost up to the present day, the Lord is still placing a mantle of priestly power on His children. He is still speaking through a new garment and a new priesthood to a world that is lost. His children are still prophesying as living stones in a multitude of colors, the colors of every tribe and nation on earth. These living stones are still declaring the wonders of God as the Holy Spirit enables them through unknown tongues - tongues that glow and move by the fire of the Lord's Spirit:

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" (Acts 2:1-4)
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:1-3)

One Rainbow Many Colors

It is interesting to note that Pentecostal phenomena on the first day of the early church's life united believers from around the then known world. In fact, in the book of Acts it mentions seven times that the believers met in one accord in the midst of great miracles and Pentecostal activity. That said, it becomes ironic that something meant to unify believers, proven to span denominational lines, and key to countless revivals of these last days can still disunite believers.

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?'" (Acts 2:5-8)

On the Day of Pentecost, God reversed the confusion of the tongue that He began at Babel and brought the world together to build not a tower of man, but a fluent household of God.

The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.' So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city." (Genesis 11:6-8)

"The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear." (Isaiah 32:4)

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." (Ephesians 2:19-21)

"...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18b)

Not only does the Lord's Baptism and its lasting sign meant to unite a worldwide body of believers on earth, it is also meant to unite heaven and earth as believers speak in the tongues of both men and angels. Thus, it is no exaggeration to say that at this very moment a believer somewhere in the world is praying in a language unknown to him or her, but known to a brother or sister on the other side of the world. Likewise, it is also not an exaggeration to say that at this very moment an angel in Heaven is glorifying the Son of God face to face while a believer on earth is doing the same in that same heavenly language.

Heaven is meant to come down to earth and the diverse parts of the Body are meant to come together when the Lord baptizes individual believers in His Holy Spirit. God's family may come in many colors, but when they speak in colors as the Holy Spirit enables, they become one rainbow.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.⁴" (Ephesians 4:3-6)

"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:10-11)

God's Water Colors

As the Apostle Paul stated in First Corinthians, tongues are mysteries uttered from the springs of the great deep of people - their spirits. Once burst forth, stopping them would be tantamount to stopping the floodwaters of Noah's day, tantamount to dimming the heavenly lights of the Priestly Garments, tantamount to extinguishing the fire on Elijah's altar and tantamount to stopping King David in mid dance. It is kicking against the goads, and to use scientific terms, it is "thermodynamically unfavorable."

"For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth." (Genesis 7:17)
"When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' 'I tell you,' he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'" (Luke 19:37-40)
"But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9)
"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14)

When the Lord Jesus baptizes people in the Holy Spirit, He immerses and clothes them in a powerful wind and rainstorm. Out of their mouths howls the wind of the Holy Spirit and out of their spirits flow rivers of living water. After baptism, just like the survivors of the Great Flood, people awaken to behold a never-seen-before phenomena. For the first time, they "see" rivers of living watercolors spraying from their mouths⁵. Not only them but all present can see a rainbow that lifts the Ark of God, Jesus, high above the earth and one that speaks the good news that people can be saved from the Flood of Sin and thus have eternal life.

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32)
"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" (John 4:13-14)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Colors That Won't Fade

Viewing the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit and unknown tongues as a covenantal act and sign, respectively, answers two longstanding and controversial questions: was the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit meant to persist and are unknown tongues its only evidentiary sign? If the covenantal pattern repeats itself, then the answer becomes "yes" to both questions. Scripture affirms that all the covenantal acts are perpetual and have only one evidentiary sign:

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth ... I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (Genesis 9:12, 16)

“You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you ... my covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:11, 13a)

This unchanging quality is reflective of God’s unchanging nature. Balaam prophesies of this unchanging nature saying, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19). From James we know that, “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." The Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a heavenly gift initiated and promised by God (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:4, 2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17). God's word promises us that God will not take back His gifts and He will not change His promises. Neither will He allow the ministry of His Spirit to fade in its glory:

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)
"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)

1. It should be noted that all the recorded covenants were initiated by God and not by man. Both the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in unknown tongues were initiated by God and not by man. Thus, Love for instance would not qualify as a covenantal sign because it does not necessarily originate from the mind and Spirit of God and can originate from the cognition of man as seen in the words of Jesus, “if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). Tongues in themselves are intimately linked with worldwide evangelism, not only because they represent the languages of the world, but also because their genesis created the need for worldwide evangelism in the first place. As previously discussed, God deliberately confused the languages at Babel and scattered people “over all the earth" (Genesis 11:8). Thus, when God created tongues at Babel, He also planted the seed for: worldwide evangelism, the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and unknown tongues. It should also be noted that evangelism in this context is not to be confused with the office of an evangelist, but rather the empowerment to witness that is available to all believers.

2. The correlation between an empty cistern, empty tomb, and an empty baptismal chamber is profound beyond words. This connection underlines the importance of baptism in water, which is one of three New Testament covenant acts (Salvation and the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit are the other two). Baptism in water involves a burial and resurrection (new birth from the womb of the earth). It is no wonder that Jesus spoke of a "Sign of Jonah" to describe his baptism in the earth and subsequent resurrection, which left the belly of the earth empty (Matthew 12:40) just like the belly of a sea creature in Jonah's account (Jonah 1:7) and even the belly of a cistern in that of Joseph (Genesis 37:29-30).

3. The three special references to Joseph's multi-colored robe and the three-part baptism they represent are reminiscent of the three-part baptism of the Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. In Elijah's account, however, the references are reversed. First, the altar was enrobed with the blood of a bull, then it was enrobed with water three times, and finally it was enrobed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Also of note were the twelve stones that made up Elijah altar. These stones are significant details in that they represent the sons of Jacob, who were in Joseph's dreams and were connected to his robe. The twelve stones are also reminiscent of the twelve multi-colored stones on the ephod, which again point back to the twelve sons of Jacob. Combining all the facets of Joseph's robe and those of Elijah's altar-top experience gives a partial picture of Atonement and baptism. Combining the events of Abraham's test atop Mount Moriah gives an even more complete picture. The following are just a few of the pieces of the picture puzzle of Atonement and baptism found in these three accounts:

cloud
God's glory (in the form of fire)
meet me
choose one
goat
bull
instead of
the people from all over Israel
ram
burnt offerring
belt
bound
cloak
ornamented robe (priestly garment)
twelve stones
sons of Jacob
empty cistern (like a mikva)
jars of water
blood cover up (atonement)
altar
carrying fire (like a censer)
man's hand
spices (used for incense)
ornamented robe (temple curtain)
black with clouds
dipped in blood of goat
seven times
do it again
ornamented coat (atonement cover)
angel of the Lord second time (atonement cover)
horns and altars
laying hands
animal as scapegoat (blamed for Joseph's death)
all the people
fell prostrate

As seen above, the picture of the Day of Atonement can be reconstructed using a composite image of the Test of Abraham, the Story of Joseph, and Elijah on Mount Carmel. This composite is just one level of understanding, however, because within it are three pictures within one: a baptism in blood, a baptism in water, and a baptism in Spirit. To see the baptism in blood (salvation), highlight references to eating and drinking, flesh and blood (communion), the grave of the son, beloved son and wood (the cross). To see baptism in water, highlight references to pouring water three times (the Sign of Jonah), water running down the altar, Joseph being put in the cistern and then being pulled out. To see the baptism in the Spirit, highlight references to the wind rising, the sound of a heaven rain, and God speaking.

4. As mentioned in The Unifying Theory of Baptisms, the Lord's Baptism is just one of three new birth experiences into the Kingdom of God, the other two are Salvation and Baptism in Water. All three serve to advance the Kingdom through the life of just one believer. All three coalesce into one baptism - The Great Atonement, which can rightfully be called The Great Baptism. Even within Ephesians 4:6, one can find evidence of this triune baptism: "over all (Water Baptism) and through all (Holy Spirit Baptism) and in all (Salvation)." This concept of three separate and distinct experiences being one is a difficult concept to grasp. An example from marriage may provide better understanding. A marriage certificate or wedding ring proves a couple is married (Salvation), so too does a wedding ceremony (Water Baptism), and lastly the holy union shared by the couple throughout matrimony (Holy Spirit Baptism). All say "the Bride is married to the Groom and the Groom to the Bride."

5. Like any rainbow, the rainbow of languages that comes from the mouths of believers needs three elements: light, water, and the perspective of a person (the light needs to behind you to see a rainbow in front of you). Likewise, the Lord's Baptism needs three elements: Spirit, Baptism, and Believer. Thus, you have the following equation: Spirit (the Light) plus Baptism (the Water) plus Believer (the perspective) equals Rainbow (of languages).

The Throne Matrix

2006-09-25T22:23:00.000-10:00

Many times I prayed that the Lord would grant me just one vision here on earth. That vision was of Heaven. If my vision came true, I would have loved for God to take me to the place where His glory dwells. I would have loved to stand before Him at His Throne:

"I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8)

Just the thought of entering God's living room filled my heart with unspeakable wonder and my mind with countless questions. Just what sights and sounds would have awaited me in that glorious place? Would I have seen the blood of Christ still applied on the Mercy Seat?

"It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence." (Hebrews 9:23-24)

What would the language of heaven be? Would it be Hebrew? Or would it be a language only those in Heaven understand? What would the voice of God sound like?

"The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic." (Psalm 29:4)
"Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth." (Job 37:2)

Would I have recognized any description of the Throne given by the Prophets?

"Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. He said to me, 'Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.' As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me." (Ezekiel 2:22-28; 2:1-2)
"After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.' At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal." (Revelation 4:1-6)

Would His Throne look anything like the pattern of the Tabernacle given to Moses? Would I have see the Lord's Throne residing on a mountain top? Would it be anything like the Temple prophesied to exist in the Millennium?

"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-3)

Upon touching the threshold of the Throne Room in my vision, would I fall prostrate on holy ground? Would God favor me to acknowledge my name from His Throne as He did Moses from the Burning Bush?

Even if I was not allowed to enter, it would be enough for a thousand lifetimes just to peek from a crack in His doorway:

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10)

Such was the vision I once requested of the Lord.

But I have since stopped praying for it, not because I don't want to see it anymore or because I no longer think about it. I stopped asking because I realized that the Lord had already given me glimpses of His Throne!

In writing Jesus the Baptist and in looking back at all my experiences, I realized that I have been in the Throne Room many times. And I am so excited to say that I was not alone in these visitations.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21)

If you have experienced the Lord's Baptism, which is the Promise of the Father, and the gifts of His Spirit, then you too have been in the Throne Room. But what is even more exciting than this is that you never had to leave the earth to do so, the Throne Room came to you!

"I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." (Isaiah 6:1-7)

I must pause to thank the Lord for what He has shown me, because I know He has honored my prayers. May the Lord open your eyes and ears and show you the same.

"Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!" (Ezekiel 3:12)
"Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water." (Isaiah 32:3-6)

To be baptized by the Lord in the Holy Spirit is no small thing. The same can be said when a person is baptized in water and especially when a person is baptized in the blood of Jesus at salvation. I believe that all three baptisms originate from what I call "The Matrix of the Throne:"

Matrix¹: "something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates; the intercellular substance of a tissue; a crystalline phase in an alloy in which other phases are embedded; also called master; the womb"

To look upon the throne of heaven is to see the living waters of baptism. No sapphire on earth could ever compare to its clear blue sheen. Emanating from it is the color of the atmosphere and the waters that cover the earth. The Lord's throne rivals the heavens above and the waters² below:

"Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself" (Exodus 24:9-10)
"This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." (Isaiah 66:1a)

If you have ever felt the Lord stirring, you have felt His Throne in motion, the stirring of His waters. You have been enveloped by the clouds of His presence, the clouds kicked up by His feet. The clouds are His mobile home:

"So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels." (Exodus 40:38)
"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him." (Psalm 68:4)
"Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy." (Isaiah 4:5)
"The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1:3)
"After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

To be baptized into His salvation, is to be immersed in waters bluer than the clearest Caribbean waters and at the same time redder than the reddest desert sunset. If you were to look up from the embrace of your salvation, the Lord, you would see the colors of jasper and carnelien. You would see the waters of baptism that flow from the Throne, waters of the clearest blue and the deepest red³.

As your Baptist, the Lord would be transfigured before you. His form and cloud would turn fiery red. He would be engulfed in living fire. His eyes would be ablaze with power. On the edges of his form would radiate the most brilliant light your body could ever feel. Its warmth would pour over you from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. You would be set on fire.

You would be embraced again with His hand of fire. He would dip you into the fire of His holiness, a molten bath burning from the oil of His Spirit. As you fall back, the Lord would cradle you:

"You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." (Psalm 23:5b-6)

You would see Him motion with His hand. Immediately, an angel with tongs would fly to the altar of incense. Once there, he would retrieve the live coal chosen for you by the Lord. The altar would glow from the iridescence of the live coals⁴.

You would watch in wonder as he would fly over and deliver it to the Lord. The Lord would smile as He would touch your lips with the coal. Sparks would fly from your mouth as if a crucible of molten metal was pouring from it. The deep springs of your soul would burst forth and bubble up to your mouth as lava from a volcano. As the bubbling reached your mouth, the coal would begin to dance and so would your tongue.

"on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." (Genesis 7:11b)

At that moment, you would hear rumblings and peels of shouting thunder come from the Throne. You would see flashes of lightning surround you. In the distance, you would hear the cherubim calling out in repetitious synchrony. You would hear the language of Heaven. To mortal men, who could not discern, these voices would sound only like babble. Some would even say it sounded like rolling thunder:

"sav lasav sav lasav kav lakav kav lakav" (Isaiah 28:10, 13)
"Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," says the Lord." (1 Corinthians 14:21)
"Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'" (Revelation 4:8)
"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding." (Job 37:5)
"'Father, glorify your name!' Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him." (John 12:28-29)
"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns." (Revelation 19:6)

Only then would you realize that the words coming from your spirit were in harmony with the chorus of sights and sounds from the Throne. You would be speaking in a language of heaven! Out of your spirit would flow a river of living water. And out of your mouth would flow the rumblings of the Throne, the babbling brook of the Spirit.

Again, the Lord would signal to the angel. You would see him fly to the golden lampstand ablaze with fire. From the lampstand, the angel would retrieve a luminescent vessel of oil⁵ and deliver it to the Lord.

"I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man,' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.'" (Revelation 1:12-18)

Oil Pitcher for Replenishing the Menorah

The Lord would no doubt smile again as He poured all its contents on your head. Power would surge through your being and the Word of the Lord would burn within you:

"But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9)

As the living waters spray from your mouth, a fine mist would burst forth and be immediately illuminated by the light of the Lord. It would join with the cloud of voices coming from the Throne. In the brilliance of His light, the voices would turn into rainbows that encircle the Throne.

The stream coming from your mouth would change in color according to the moving of the Holy Spirit. At times, it would be the same color as the live coal given to you from the altar. At other times, it would change to different colors. But whatever the color, the stream would always match in sight and sound with the river of voices coming from the Throne Room. With each measure of the heavenly song, you would be declaring the wonders of God!

"Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.'" (Revelation 9:4-11)

When we awake to this vision of synthesized experiences. You will suddenly realize a deep truth. Although you may have never visited the Throne, it has visited you!

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him' — but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

1. "matrix." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. 01 Oct. 2006. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/matrix>

2. The atmosphere of our planet is blue due to a process known as "Rayleigh Scattering." Water, however, is intrinsically blue due to its absorption of light in the red part of our visible spectrum.

3. The change in color from blue to red represents baptism in water followed by baptism in the blood of Jesus and vice versa. Amazingly, within our bodies blood changes in color from blue to red and red to blue all the time. This occurs when the blood coming from the body, which is blue, comes into contact with oxygen, changing it to red. It changes back to blue when it loses its oxygen and picks up carbon dioxide. This change literally occurs as we breathe. When you consider the fact that the intrinsic color of water is blue and the recognized color of blood is red, you can see a picture of water turning into blood within our bodies - all thanks to the power of our breath (Genesis 2:7; Exodus 4:9; Job 33:4; Lamentations 4:20; John 2:9)! This phenomenum is a vision of the three primary elements of baptism-water, blood, and spirit (the breath)-working in unison. Interestingly, the colors of these three primary elements are also the three primary colors of pigmentation: blue (cyan) for water, red (magenta) for blood, and gold (yellow) for the Holy Spirit. The color purple is also noteworthy, because it is the intermediary between blue and red. So as blood changes from blue to red, it goes through purple. When you add the color gold, which shines like the glory of the Lord, and white linen, which represents the Lord Jesus, you have the shifting colors of baptism: blue, red, purple, gold, and white (the Baptist Himself). Put another way, you have a picture of the Lord Jesus, water changing to blood (or wine), and the power of the Holy Spirit, or "saved, baptized and filled with the Spirit." This picture gives further insight into the significance of these colors in Temple worship, as well as in the Throne. It also gives insight into the color of the tallit (the Jewish prayer shawl) and the flag of Israel (in essence a tallit), both of which are representations of the Atonement. These familiar items, so central to Jewish spirituality and identity, have baptism written all over them! For more commentary about the significance of colors and baptism, see The Assorted Colors of Pentecost.

4. The coals represent an element in Baptism (Atonement). In this case, it is symbolic of the fiery tongue in the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Each coal is uniquely chosen by the Lord for one of His believers (every coal has its own color and meaning). The fact that it is taken from the altar of incense is important because here it represents the intercession and ministry of the saints:

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:3-5)
"And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (Revelation 5:8)
"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit." (1 Corinthians 14:2)
"Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning." (1 Corinthians 14:10)
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26)

5. The blazing lampstand is symbolic of the Spirit-filled assembly of believers, while the horn of oil from the lampstand is symbolic of the gifts of the Spirit that edify and belong to the body.

A Baptism in the Clouds

2006-09-02T00:28:00.000-10:00

The next time you look at a cloud you may just see them as baptisteries in the sky. You may also imagine the Lord welcoming people up to these suspended pools of waters that they may be baptized. After all, when He left He was hidden by a cloud and when He returns He will welcome His church from one. But what do clouds have to do with baptisms? The answers may surprise you.

As discussed in The Unifying Theory of Baptisms, salvation, baptism in water, and baptism in the Holy Spirit are all baptisms unified under one baptism - the Great Atonement. There are several accounts in Scripture that unify these baptisms and also prominently involve clouds. The Great flood account, the "Baptism of Noah," and the Exodus, the "Baptism of Moses," are just two examples. Scripture records two other events that upon further investigation involve "cloud baptisms." They are the events that took place on the Day of Atonement and atop the Mount of Transfiguration.

As far as the Day of Atonement, three sets of baptismal clouds were evident on that very special day. These clouds involved the three elements of water, blood, and Spirit respectively and also prophetically pointed to the acts of baptism in water, salvation, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Before entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest had to first baptize himself with "clouds" of water and incense. The waters of cleansing and incense served as preparatory devices for ministry, as well as, seals between flesh and what was sacred. The waters of cleansing first of all prepared the way to put on the priestly garments and gave witness to the glory of the priesthood (Hosea 4:7 and Hebrews 5:1-4). Likewise, the incense prepared the way to make contact with the glory of the Lord.¹ When the High Priest came before the Ark, he did so with clouds that bridged the gap between what was blood and what was glory.

Second, the High Priest symbolically produced two clouds of blood in the Holy of Holies. The first cloud was formed when he sprinkled blood on the ground in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The second was formed when he sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat. Together, both sprinkles represented a cloud of blood whose billows covered (baptized) both heaven and earth. The clouds signified to the Universe that the wages of Sin had been paid for (Rom 6:23; 1 Cor 6:20). When the Lord looked out from His throne atop the Mercy Seat, He did so through a cloud of blood (Hebrews 9:14, 22), one that baptized an entire nation.

Lastly, enthroned above the Ark and the High Priest was the cloud of glory. Many times in Scripture, this cloud was known to float away from the throne. When it did, it would overtake the High Priest, effectively mix with blood and incense, and fill the whole temple. Moses, for instance, was more than enveloped by this cloud. He lived in it, carrying it on his face afterwards. When the cloud of glory arose from the throne and filled the temple, the priests could no longer minister. They could no longer speak for the people. When the Lord baptized the temple, He was the one who ministered and spoke through the cloud of glory (Exodus 24:16; 2 Chron 5:13-14, 7:1-3; Ezekiel 10:1-8; Isaiah 6:1-6; Mark 9:7; Matt 17:5; 1 Cor 6:19; Rev 15:8).

As we have seen from the Old Testament, Israel was covered by clouds of baptism on the Day of Atonement. On that day, it could be said that clouds made the Day of Atonement into a "Day of Baptisms." Likewise, in the New Testament, clouds of baptism formed on another very special day atop a very special mountain. That day was when Jesus was transfigured before three of His disciples. It could be said that the Mount of Transfiguration was also a "Mount of Baptisms."

In order to see all the baptisms that took place on the Mount of Transfiguration, one first has to see Jesus, whose name means "the Lord saves," as a baptism in bodily form. To prove this point, one can look at examples from the sacrifice of Jesus and the ordinance of communion. In the Book of Luke, for instance, Jesus referred to His physical body in these terms:

"'But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!'" (12:50)
"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'" (22:19-21)

Other clues in the Transfiguration point to the related cloud baptisms of water and Spirit, but involve the actual players and settings of the account. By this, I refer to the three disciples, the "high mountain," the Prophet Elijah, Moses, and the bright cloud. Why three disciples? Why a high mountain? Why Elijah and Moses? Why a bright cloud?

Why three disciples? Because three proto-baptisms occurred on that mountain one for each disciple. All three were mediated by Jesus. Why a high mountain? Because high mountains are where water clouds are reborn from ocean water (a process known as orographic lifting). Why Elijah and Moses? First, because they symbolized the Law and the Prophets, but secondly, because they symbolized three-part baptisms themselves. Elijah's baptisms were atop Mount Carmel (blood, water, fire) and those of Moses began at Passover, continued in the Red Sea and culminated on another mountain - Sinai. Note: Jesus also experienced three proto-baptisms simultaneously at the River Jordan involving blood, water, and Spirit.

Why a bright cloud? Because a cloud of glory was about to baptize them, making them fall face down.² Thus, the disciples experienced three baptisms on the Day of Transfiguration that involved clouds: one in blood, one in water, and one in light. Putting the events of the Transfiguration together in terms of clouds and baptisms, the story reads like this: "a cloud of blood lifted the disciples up a high mountain, to a place where clouds of water are reborn, to be baptized by a cloud of light.

In closing, we have seen that clouds played a surprising role in baptisms throughout Scripture.³ In Old Testament days, clouds of blood, incense, and glory baptized Moses, the priests, the children of Israel, and at times the whole temple. In the New Testament, they baptized three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. But what is even more exciting than this, is that they still appear over children of God today. Is there a baptism in the clouds waiting for you?

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (1 Cor 3:16)

1. The cloud of water and incense as preparatory devices for ministry gives insight into the ministry of John the Baptist and even the baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan. As far as the High Priest was concerned, passing through the waters of baptism and incense prepared him for the baptism of glory on the other side of the veil. The same could be said for the Baptisms of Noah, Moses, and Jesus. The ark of salvation prepared the way for baptism of water, which prepared the way for the baptism of glory (rain and rainbow had never appeared before). Likewise, the salvation on Passover paved the way for the baptism in the cloud and in the Sea, which further paved the way for the baptism in glory at Sinai. Lastly, salvation in the name of Jesus (blood), should lead to baptism into the name of Jesus (water) and baptism by Jesus (Spirit).

2. Whether one is talking about Mount Sinai shaking, disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration falling, or believers acting like drunk men at the Temple Mount on the Day of Pentecost, when clouds of glory manifest in Scripture, things tend to shake and fall (e.g., Isaiah 6:4). Furthermore, when these clouds of glory overtake people, they allow the Spirit of the Lord to do the talking and as He alone enables. As long as Jesus and His baptism have not changed, we should expect no different today.

3. Before closing, I must mention three elements aside from the clouds of blood, water, and Spirit that are present in the accounts of the Atonement and the Transfiguration. These elements are substitution, obedience, and sovereignty. First, each baptism by blood required substitutionary sacrifice. In the case of the Atonement, sacrifice came in the form of a bull and goat. At the Transfiguration, sacrifice came in the form of the Lamb of God. Second, each baptism in water required an act of obedience. In the Atonement, instructions for the use of incense and water washings had to be meticulously followed. In the Transfiguration, the disciples followed the Lord in obedience and were told by the voice to "Listen to Him!" (Matthew 17:5). Lastly, each baptism in the Spirit required a sovereign act of God. In the Atonement, God chose to appear in a cloud above the Mercy Seat. In the Transfiguration, He chose to appear in a bright cloud. The timing and manner in which He manifests, fills a Temple or mountain top, or even a person is decided ultimately by His sovereign will. Today, the elements of substitution, obedience, and sovereignty are still very much evident in salvation, baptism in water, and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The Synthesis of Atonement

2006-08-27T23:59:00.000-10:00

The greatest baptism recorded in Scripture is not to be found first in the New Testament, but in the Old. Among the baptisms recorded in the Old Testament, it stands out over the baptism of the earth by the Great Flood and the baptism of fire witnessed at Mount Sinai. At first appearance it may not look like one at all, but it is in fact very much a baptism. In fact all the great baptismal events of both the Old and New Testament Covenants fall under and comprise its umbrella. It constitutes the central theme of the highest holy day in the Jewish spiritual calendar. What is the answer to this riddle? What is this baptism?

- The Great Atonement -

To write of its significance is to stand at the threshold of the Universe and attempt to draw out the cosmos. The colors of its spectrum go beyond the visible and intellectual range of the human mind. To gaze at it from afar, an observer could see it take on different textures and colors. It could take the shape of a bright cloud. Or, it could take the texture and color of blood. It could become a pillar of fire. Or, it could exude all the colors of the rainbow at once. It could also take the form of what best can be described as living water. But one thing that always characterizes it, is that it covers the souls of mankind. A vision of the Great Atonement truly goes beyond description.

The fact that the Jews were given a special day to observe it apart from other holy days such as Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkot speaks volumes as to its unique significance. It was the only time that the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies.

Sacrifices could be made for known sins all year long. But this day was set aside to atone for all the sins of Israel, including those that were unknown. It ensured that every sin was covered. In fact, "to cover" is precisely what the mysterious word atonement means. This is just but one clue of many that point to its identity as a baptism.

A baptism is meant to immerse and the Day of Atonement was meant to cleanse Israel from all her sins by immersion. Only through a full immersion could all sins be covered and thereby cleansed:

"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work - whether native-born or an alien living among you- because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins." (Leviticus 16:29-30)

The Day of Atonement was Israel's Day of Baptism. To fully appreciate this point, place the words "baptism," "baptismal," "baptizing," or "baptize" whenever you see the various forms of "atonement." For instance, one can replace the exact phrase "make atonement for" with a single instance of "baptize." You can also do the reverse in the New Testament by using the appropriate forms: "atoned," "atoning," "atonement," or "atonements." What you will discover is that the two concepts are inter-changeable. Why? Because they are synonymous.

You can even refer to the predecessor of Jesus as "John the Atoner." Or even better, the one who was greater than John, "Jesus the Atoner." This understanding gives further insight into how John was to prepare the way for the Lord.

I have often wondered why baptism was not mentioned in the Old Testament. To me it was more than just the fact that baptism comes from a Greek word. I have also wondered just where in the world, John the Baptist's baptism originated. This was even an idea that Jesus used to baffle the Pharisees, putting them in a rhetorical dilemma.

"Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism - where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men' - we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." (Matthew 21:23-27)

Of course John's baptism came from heaven, but was it also a fulfillment of an Old Testament prototype? What I have now discovered not through any man's wisdom, but from meditating on Scripture alone, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is that baptism is mentioned over and over again in the Old Testament. It is just called by a different name - atonement. For this I can not take any credit. This solely came from the Lord and from studying His word and only His word. If this resembles any prior teaching or understanding it is completely unintentional on my part.

Looking again at the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, and apart from all the references to "atonement" in this chapter, one can see several mini-baptisms that are hidden at first glance.

Before the High Priest could enter the sanctuary area, he had to clothe himself with the sacred garments. This is exactly what Jesus prophesied would happen to the disciples, the new priesthood, in the Book of Luke:

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

But before the High Priest could even clothe himself with his vestments of God-given power, he had to baptize himself first with water:

"These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on." (Leviticus 16:4c)

He was then to select four animals for the Atonement: one bull, two goats and one ram. The bull was to make atonement for himself, one goat was for the sin offering of the people, the other goat was to be the scapegoat and the ram was to be a burnt offering for both him and the people.

To make atonement for himself and his household, the High Priest was to slaughter the bull. Essentially, the High Priest was covering, or baptizing, himself with the blood of the bull. This is the first occurrence of bloodshed in the sacred ritual of Atonement. As discussed in The Unifying Theory of Baptisms, blood is one of the three primary elements in baptisms. Water is another (more obvious) element and was involved in the first act of the High Priest as previously mentioned (the remaining element is spirit).

The next mini-baptism is to be found in the manner in which the High Priest was to pass the curtain into the Most Holy Place. He was to cover, or baptize, himself in a cloud of incense:

"He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die." (Leviticus 16:13)

According to God's commands, the High Priest would extend the censer behind the curtain and fill the Most Holy Place with a cloud, a visible covering to protect himself from the manifest holiness of God. Only then could he enter and perform atonement first for himself and his household and then for the people of Israel.

"He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover." (Leviticus 16:14)

The High Priest symbolically immersed himself, by sprinkling, the atonement cover and the area before it with the blood of the bull. Symbolically he placed a blood covering between his sin and the absolute holiness of God.

The blood together with the water (the High Priest's first covering), cloud of incense, and cloud of glory made a three-part baptism or atonement covering. If this tri-unity is not convincing enough, the elements of blood, the cloud of incense, as well as the fire which produced it, and water all exhibit triune qualities in and of themselves:

83% of blood is chemically water, a fact which I am confident is not lost to God. Secondly, the life or spirit of a created being is spiritually tied to its blood. After all, the primary purpose of blood is to deliver oxygen, the breath of life, to cells. This latter fact gives further insight into the kosher dietary law forbidding the eating of blood that actually originated with Noah and later seemed to be affirmed by the Holy Spirit to the disciples (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10-12, Acts 15:29). Thus, the element of blood is tied to both water and spirit. When water and spirit are combined with the third part of blood, which make up the various blood components, you have blood in its fullness.
As far as the cloud of incense was concerned, three elements were needed to produce it as well. These elements included fire, air, and the particulate "bodies" of powder. These elements combined to produce the aerosol of smoke that shielded the High Priest from the outbreak of the Lord. Fire, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit is itself composed of three elements: heat, light, and a persistent chemical reaction. Furthermore, in order for this chemical reaction to persist, a "fuel triangle" of an oxidizing agent (e.g. oxygen), heat and fuel is needed.
Lastly, water has triune qualities that are well known. It is composed of three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. Together, they make a triune compound that is absolutely essential to life. So essential, that it can be said that water is the essence of life on planet earth. Another triune quality of water is that it can exist in three states: liquid, solid, and gas. Furthermore, like other substances, water can exist in these three states simultaneously in a phase of matter known as the "triple point."

Having sprinkled the blood of the bull, the High Priest and his household were thus covered, baptized, or atoned for in the sight of God. To view it from a supernatural perspective: water, cloud, and blood formed an arc of protection from the lethal outbreak of the Lord's glory. This arc was a multi-textured and multi-colored covering, atonement, or baptism, similar to a fully spherical rainbow, that immersed and surrounded the High Priest and his family.

This protection was brought about through exacting obedience on the part of the High Priest and a covenant of grace on the part of God. After all, He was the one that provided a means to atone for sins using these elements in a covenant that the nation of Israel did not merit. This shows that grace and obedience (not to be confused with works or what I call "extra credit") go hand in hand.

After atonement was accomplished for his family and himself, the High Priest would repeat the steps for the nation of Israel, but this time using the blood of one of the two goats. Thereafter, the High Priest would emerge from behind the curtain and sprinkle the blood on the Tent of Meeting, or the Temple in later times. He would then take the blood of the bull and goat and symbolically immerse the altar with it, first by applying it to the four horns of the altar and then by sprinkling it on the altar.

Then, a second type of baptism would occur when the High Priest would take the live goat and place on it the sins of Israel. This was a baptism of sin. This is one of only two instances where an immersion of sin takes place in Scripture. The second is the baptism of the sin of the world on the sinless Son of God (Isaiah 53:5).

"When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites - all their sins - and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert." (Leviticus 16:20-22)

After the scapegoat was sent out with the sins of the nation, the High Priest repeated many of the same sanctuary elements outside the Tent of Meeting or Temple. He washed himself with water, put on his "regular garments," shed the blood of the ram, and then offered it as a blood offering with fire. Here again the primary elements of baptism were present: water, blood, and spirit (in the form of fire and a cloud of smoke). The men involved with releasing the scapegoat and burning the sacrificial bull and goat also had to bathe themselves with water.

Thus, the Day of Atonement was replete with baptismal experiences and motifs from start to finish. Perhaps the greatest allusion that this was in fact a baptismal experience appears in the beginning of this text, an allusion I have saved for last. It is found in the manner by which God told Moses he appeared over the atonement cover. It was the preface for his instructions concerning the Day of Atonement.

"The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover."

God said He appeared in the cloud over the atonement cover. In order for a cloud to form you need two elements: super-cooled water vapor and particulate bodies known as "condensation nuclei." However, this cloud also gave off light, because it glowed from the glory of the Lord¹. Thus within this visible cloud of glory, you had all three primary elements of baptisms: water, spirit (here in the form of light), and a form of matter that I believe represents man (Genesis 2:6-8). I believe the man represented was Jesus the Baptist.

In closing, I believe the Holy Trinity was active and manifest throughout the Day of Atonement. In fact, I believe that He presided over the entire event. I further believe that all three elements of baptism recurred in various facets of that most holy of days: blood - salvation or baptism in the blood of Jesus, water - baptism in water, and spirit - the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit². Lastly, I believe they all came together as one in what can be called The Synthesis of Atonement.

1. The following Scripture verses speak to the radiance of these supernatural clouds: Exodus 16:10, 24:18, 34:29, Ezekiel 1:28, and Matthew 17:5.

2. For more on the significance of clouds in the Day of Atonement and baptisms, please read A Baptism in the Clouds.

The Covenant of Pentecost and the Significance of Tongues

2006-08-24T00:45:00.000-10:00

The Covenant of Pentecost and the Significance of Tongues
16 March 2004 (updated 22 August 2004)

Dear Believer:

I am currently giving a Bible Study on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Even though I come from a traditional Pentecostal Fellowship, I have not relied on its doctrine or position papers to give this study. Instead, I am relying on what the Holy Spirit reveals to me and confirms with Scripture and some research. What I have found, however, confirms the widely accepted doctrine of tongues as evidence. The difference is that I have never heard the case for evidentiary tongues as it is presented here.

This is what I have found:

God on several occasions entered into covenants, which are binding agreements, with His Children. Each covenant had the following in common: God initiated it, God established it in two parts, and God worked or mandated covenantal signs. The signs were either "benchmark" signs or persistent signs. The benchmark signs.

The first was God's covenant with Noah. In the first part of this covenant, God's worked the signs by bringing all the animals to Noah, by sending rain, and by bursting the fountains of the deep. This first part may not be immediately obvious, but it predestined the second part. In the second part, God worked the sign by displaying His rainbow. The rainbow stands as a visible sign that reaches the world in an array of colors. It also symbolizes God's power and unbroken covenant.

The second covenant was God's covenant with Abram. In the first part, God worked a sign by sending a flaming torch and smoking fire pot. The accompanying sign in the second part was circumcision, which was a sign in the flesh.

The third covenant was God's two-part covenant with the Children of Israel at Sinai. The accompanying signs in the first part were fire on Mount Sinai, visible voices and torches (as read in the Hebrew translation of Exodus 19:16-19 and Deut 5:22-26). The accompanying signs in the second part were stones engraved by the finger of God and demonstrable symbols in Deut 6:6-9.

What is so phenomenal is that according to Jewish tradition, all these covenant experiences occurred on Shavuot (Pentecost) and all these covenantal signs were visible or audible. In summary, the signs had the following traits: multi-colored, worldwide, power, fire, in the flesh, voices, and demonstrability. As many know, all these signs persist as covenantal signs; no one agues against them as everlasting signs with the exception of the flaming torches/smoking fire pots/visible voices and torches. It seems that these were benchmark signs (much like that which happened in Acts with the tongues of fire and the sound of a rushing wind). So what is the connection with tongues as evidentiary signs? Tongues, in the tradition of Acts, fit the traits of all these covenantal signs perfectly. The connections point to tongues serving as a covenantal sign.

Apart from covenantal signs, we have a possible connection to the confusion of the languages at Babel, Joseph's coat of many colors (finely ornamented), and the priestly garments of the Temple period. It's interesting to note that the creation of the world's many languages (tongues) were a part of God's design to scatter people around the world (thereby instituting the need for world wide evangelism in the future). The first occurrence of tongues in Acts was in the form of dialects (symbolizing world-wide outreach). Many people wonder why Joseph's coat was finely ornamented and multi-colored. This represented his father's favor, no doubt, but also an appointment of sorts (we know that Joseph was prophetically gifted in interpretation and revelation). Later, we find God instructing Moses to adorn the priests with the multi-colored ephod and breast-piece. At the end of it all you have foreshadowing of a multi-colored clothing of priestly and prophetic power. This is not to mention the many times that tongues, the human mouth, fire, and God’s word appear connected (Exodus 3:2, Isaiah 5:24, 6:6-7, 30:27, Jeremiah 20:9, 23:29, James 3:6). Unless I am reaching here, all these "types" fit perfectly with the tongues of Acts (it is also interesting to note that the priests carried censors=fiery signs of priestly power=tongues of fire atop their heads).

The other day, I was led by the LORD to take another look at 1 Cor 12-14. The context of this passage, as you know, is the proper place and use for tongues. As I read the Scriptures, it seemed like my eyes were opened to the many references to corporate settings as opposed to personal settings. I invite you to do as I did and highlight all the references to the "the body," "all," "in the church," "the church," "if I come to you," and the "whole church." In short, there is a preponderance of these linguistic markers that say in essence "I am talking about behavior when one is with other believers." One of the most telling is Paul's phrase "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you, but in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." Another question that came to mind was: "what would Paul tell those who neither spoke in tongues (speaking God's word in an unknown tongue) nor prophesied" (speaking God's word in a known tongue) as found in 14:5? I know from personal experience that the passages in 1 Cor 12-15 are used to argue against tongues as an evidentiary signs and, worse, marginalize tongues. But when you read it in context, Paul’s comments neither serve as an argument against tongues as evidentiary signs nor do they marginalize tongues. Instead, his instructions were for immature Christians in the proper settings, purposes, and rules for tongues. The Corinthians were using their edification tongues meant for home devotion in the church place. Paul was saying in essence what a lot of employers tell their employees nowadays: "it's ok for you to speak in your maternal language at home, but when you come to work, I insist that you speak in a common language so that we can work as a team." With all this said, I would have to reject any assertion that these passages marginalize tongues in a personal setting and as a personal experience. After all if the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a personal experience and tongues is its evidence, the package is a personal experience.

As it concerns the gift of tongues, I distinguish between the gift of tongues and the initial evidence. This distinction is not so much based on doctrine but personal experience and surveys. On a personal note, I was gifted with the gift of tongues (also called message in tongues) seven years after I spoke in tongues. The sensations, the tongues, and the purposes were very different from my initial experience with tongues. I have interviewed several people who speak in tongues who may or may not believe in tongues as evidentiary signs. What I have found has served to confirm my own experiences and that is that there is a difference between speaking in tongues and an appointed gift of tongues. My wife for instance has been speaking in tongues since the age of 8, but has never been used for a public word (she has never sought the gift which may or may not be the reason). I, on the other hand, was gifted in this way after a week of seeking (I will share later how this gifting occurred). I'm not sure if you can relate, but it is quite a different experience. For one, the Spirit miraculously turns your volume up while simultaneously hushing the congregation. Secondly, the tongues are often different. Thirdly, the overwhelming impulse is to share this message with others (you can literally "feel" the Spirit speaking to the Church and not to your spirit as in the self-edification tongue). Lastly, others that are filled with the Spirit can “sense” when a word is forthcoming and when it is from God. When I was reminded of these distinctions (I'm sure others can add to the list), I went back to 1 Cor 12 and saw in verse 28 a confirmation. Paul says "and in the church God has appointed..." This gift is not a distributed one but an appointed one, hence "do all speak in tongues?" in his thesis about the body (the context is church ministerial appointments). In my ongoing surveys, only a handful have this gift. The manner in which people receive this gift (sometimes several years after their initial baptism), its unique characteristics and the results of my informal surveys show these to be consistent distinctions.

On another note, my own thinking has been challenged by the fact that tongues were not mentioned in the Baptism of the Samaritans and the Baptism of Paul. However, I have found that this challenge is arguing from silence. This is a well-known concept to avoid in logical argumentation. In other words, “just because it doesn't say something happened in an account doesn't mean that it did not happen; especially when all the circumstantial evidence points to it happening.” In the Samaritans' case, we know that Simon, as a sorcerer, performed and was drawn to visible manifestations of the supernatural. That a visible sign confirmed the Samaritan's baptism makes logical sense. This is especially evident when it says that he was astonished by the “great signs and miracles he saw.” Then in Acts 8:18 "he saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of hands." However, as it concerns Paul, if one used the argument of silence without ever knowing that Paul spoke in tongues (as found in 1 Cor 14) one could believe that he was baptized with the Holy Spirit without ever speaking in tongues. When you throw in the fact that Scripture records that he spoke in tongues; logic tells you that an argument from silence is at best questionable (On a side note, I believe Paul ties the Baptism to the Holy Spirit to the ancient feast of Shavuot, which is the end of the Firstfruits, in Romans 8:23). I realize that this may be reiterating exegesis that you already know, however in the absence of details it is logical to draw from both pre-existing patterns and circumstantial evidence.

One thing that I have also been shown by close reading and revelation is that Simon Peter had his reputation to defend before the circumcised believers after he had ministered to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius. He was facing severe repercussions if he could not defend his actions with demonstrable proof. Luke, records in two separate passages for Theophilus that there was demonstrable proof of the baptism. The acceptance of gentile believers into the fold (after the half-blooded Samaritans) depended on it (Luke was a gentile believer writing to a gentile audience). This explains the quote “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” The importance of an evidentiary sign was extremely important for Peter, his Jewish companions, and Gentile believers. Tongues were the linchpin in the case for gentile redemption. A person’s salvation ( as well as accounts of visions and angelic visitations) could be questioned by man, but Spirit-enabled tongues could not and it logically followed that these Gentiles had to be believers. Tongues are truly more important than we give them credit.

With all that I have found apart from doctrine, I have to conclude with three findings:

1. Tongues are a covenantal sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Every other covenant had evidentiary signs and all these signs, except for the benchmark signs, persist to this day. If this is true, it goes contrary to God’s unchanging nature to argue that tongues would not persist and be expected for all who seek to enter this covenant rite (a covenant by God to man). After all, God does not “change like shifting shadows” and Jesus as the Baptist in this Baptism is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

2. There is a difference between a personal tongue-speaking experience and a corporate tongue-speaking experience. The personal experience is self-edifying and the corporate experience edifying to the body. The former should be practiced to oneself and the latter is an appointment to be sought after to be practiced for the edification of others.

3. Tongues are connected with fire, power, and world-wide outreach (Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth). These concepts are in line with Christ’s words in Acts to the disciples about evangelism and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have had to redefine tongues (glossalia) as prophetic utterances (they are the word of God spoken with the Spirit-enabled human spirit) unknown to the speaker that may or may not be known to the speaker’s audience (glossalia in Paul’s teaching covers both dialects and angelic tongues as seen in 1 Cor 13:1 and 14:22). The statement “tongues (glossalia not dialectos), then, are a sign...for unbelievers” intimately connects the world-wide outreach aspect. They force the unbelieving listener to say “this person is drunk,” “this person is not speaking a language of his/her own,” “what does this mean?,” or “they are out of their minds.” In the days of the Apostles, people speaking in tongues at evangelistic outreaches were not uncommon (Cornelius’ home and with the Samaritans if you accept the circumstantial evidence). The issue with the Corinthian church is that they were using un-interpreted tongues in the fellowship of believers. They in essence were using something intended as a personal means of communication with God and a means of evangelistic outreach. Their error (immaturity) was two-fold. Imagine if evangelistic crusades nowadays were filled with people being baptized with the Holy Spirit with the demonstrable sign of tongues, the unbelievers would be shaken. Reports would circulate that known languages were being spoken by those who had no knowledge of them. This sounds a lot like what happened at Azusa and still happens to this day, but only in pockets (my dad has been used in dialectos). We all know that the Azusa experience shook the nation.

If all the above is true, it does make me rethink the way tongues as evidentiary signs are taught. All of my findings have come within the last two weeks and all thanks to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you can say anything that might show a hole in my findings I will seriously consider them. I am deeply committed to Biblical truth more so than man’s doctrine. I hope you do not find anything offensive in what I have I have said. as I am only attempting to test my findings (using the scientific method if you will) with you as a fellow believer (especially since you may not believe in tongues as evidentiary signs). All of these findings do not take away from the misgivings, discomfort, fears, and misunderstandings some may have of tongues. Nor do they justify anybody’s immaturity. Paul taught us all to use wisdom, mature thought, and the supremacy of love. I for one, would prefer to go to a church that loved me over one that exercised the gifts without love. But if one has never spoken in tongues and has never felt the post-experiences that so many experience: self-edification, closeness to God, acuity to the supernatural (Scripture, the moving of the Spirit, spiritual warfare, discerning witness), and effectiveness in ministry, I would have to say that he or she is missing out on something of God. I have to say, in closing, that it was and still is God’s desire that all prophesy and minister as priests (Exodus 19:6, Numbers 11:29, Joel 2:28, Acts 2:39, 1 Cor 14:5, 1 Peter 2:9). The Baptism of the Holy Spirit with accompanying “appointment” tongues makes this possible. Tongues is the surface sign of a multidimensional inner transformation that should resurface in power, ministry, and holy living as many stress. Thanks for listening to my rambling. God bless you and your ministry!

Danny Morales

Light The Fire Ministries

Post Script: After completing the Bible study in the late Spring of 2004, I had come full circle with the doctrine of tongues as evidentiary signs as taught by traditional Pentecostal fellowships. I like them relied on the Holy Spirit to guide me in all truth and He did. Although my original thoughts may seem a bit cold to the "traditionalist" view, they were written during a time of objective "spiritual analysis" away from my doctrinal comfort zones. The verdict is in for me: tongues are the physical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Danny Morales (8/22/04)

Speaking in Rainbows

2006-08-17T23:06:00.000-10:00

Until recently, I had never heard of a condition known as synesthesia. It is a rare neurological disorder that is caused by a mis-wiring of sectors in the brain that relate to the five senses. Amazingly, some people who have the condition can taste shapes! Others, including some well known composers, were known to see colors when they heard music. After hearing about the condition, I was struck by how much this phenomenon resembles what took place on the Day of Pentecost.

When I say the "Day of Pentecost" in this instance, I actually mean a composite of two days of Pentecost. One from the book of Exodus and the other from a book that is yet to be written. The Day of Pentecost in the book of Exodus? Let's deal with that claim first and then what happened on that day.

Everything that I had ever known about the Day of Pentecost, changed on the night of February 18th 2004. As mentioned in Behind the Baptist, while I was reading the entire account of the Exodus, the Lord revealed to me that the day Moses received the law on Mount Sinai was in fact the Day of Pentecost.

The idea was absolutely foreign to me. I had never made the connection before. But there it was right in front of me. Here in Exodus was a vision of God descending on the mountain in fire, with a mighty rushing trumpet blast and a voice that made people drunk with fear:

"On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him." (Exodus 19:16-19)

The very next day I confirmed the revelation from Scripture by doing a simple online search. I was shocked to find out that the whole idea was not some obscure conjecture, but actually a concept known and celebrated worldwide. It turned out, that people have commemorated the Day of Pentecost as the day the fire fell on Sinai for centuries, it's just that these people were not Pentecostal, per se. They were Jews! To me the discovery was like stumbling upon Noah's Ark. To Jews, I came to find out, it was like stumbling upon a McDonald's around the next street corner.

My search results were inundated with rabbinical teachings and traditions concerning that day. I was absolutely overwhelmed by all the Pentecostal themes that rabbis throughout the centuries have expounded upon and passed down to their Jewish congregations.

From there, my trail of discovery went from the shocking to the absolutely unbelievable. This is where the condition of synesthesia comes in.

As I researched more, I ran into strange references by rabbis who spoke of the visible thunders that emanated from the mountain¹. Some rabbinical traditions even went so far as to say that the whole mountain, ablaze in fire, was supernaturally uprooted and came to rest above the heads of the assembly as a luminous "beacon²". Others even went further and wrote that the law was carried around the world on that day to every living person in their own tongue!³ At this point, if I could not see Pentecost written all over the events at Sinai, I must be blind. I had to wonder who was more Pentecostal, me or the rabbis?

But one question haunted me, what did the rabbis mean when they talked about visible thunders?

That afternoon, just before dinner, I rushed to my Bible and looked for any reference in the exodus account to visible thunders. It took some time because I could not match the traditional translations to English from Hebrew that I found on the Jewish sites to my Bible translation. Finally I found the reference in Exodus 20:18:

"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance"

The reference is somewhat veiled in this translation, but in the Hebrew and in the rabbinical teachings, there is no doubt that the people saw what appeared to be voices coming from the mountain.

Over the last two years, the sights and sounds of Pentecost have taken on a whole new feeling for me. I used to think of the Day of Pentecost as a festival day in the Jewish calendar that just so happened to be the birthday of the church. It also represented the Pentecostal experience in the life of a believer. I know it had proven to be the most empowering and edifying experience in my life. Pentecost also stood for the fastest growing and perhaps most influential movement in Christianity today.

All these ideas are true, but I now believe that Pentecost encompasses these and a million more truths. For one, I have come to realize that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a covenantal act of the same magnitude of the major covenantal acts in the Bible. I now see that Pentecost is actually related to all these acts and that its types appear all throughout Scripture. And what's more, I now sense a unity between the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the acts of salvation and baptism in water that I have never known before.

Just like all the previous covenants before it, I now appreciate the fact that Pentecost was put into effect by blood and a mediator. That blood and mediator are found in the person of Jesus Christ, whom I am now call the Baptist to make the point clear and to give Him the honor that He and His baptism are due - a baptism that is intimately tied to His messiahship:

"See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. (Isaiah 32:1-4)
"Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs." (Isaiah 35:5-7a)
"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. (Isaiah 44:3)
"The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'" (Luke 3:15-16)
"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, 'He is the Christ.'" (John 7:37-41)
"Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear ... When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:32, 37-39)
"When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." (Acts 8:14-17)
"Then Peter said, 'Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.'" (Acts 10:47)
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?' 'John's baptism,' they replied. Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." (Acts 19:1-6)

Together with salvation and baptism in water, Pentecost is now a primary color in the multi-spectral truth I have known all along as the New Covenant.

"But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6)

"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6)

When you look at Pentecost in this light all of a sudden complex concepts and issues, the colors of Pentecost if you will, begin to become clear. In fact, they will not only become clear, they will speak to you and through you.

I pray as the Lord's coming approaches that the theological differences concerning Pentecost will be resolved and that this confusion will at last lift through a mighty work of the Spirit. As I have said to many of my friends, God is not coming back for a disembodied church.

I believe the Lord is about to pour out His Spirit in one last deluge before His coming. This will be the opening chapter in the second "book" of Acts - written not by adding dot or tiddle but by the fiery finger of God on the tablets of hearts. There is coming a worldwide Baptism of the Holy Spirit and it will be mediated by none other than Jesus the Baptist. As prophesied by the Prophet Joel and the Baptist Himself, this long-awaited event will at last unite and empower the end-time Church for her finest hour:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8)

To all those who await that day when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will wash away theological lines and prepare the Bride for her ascension, I leave you with this prayer composed from a synthesis of ideas from Jesus the Baptist, a prayer with a hint of synesthesia:

May the fire of God come to rest on you. May the Lord Jesus make your whole being a blazing torch and a smoking firepot. May your lips become circumcised as you begin to tremble like Mount Sinai. In the name of Jesus, who baptizes you now, speak in rainbows as the Holy Spirit enables you! Amen.

The Moment Lightning Shared the Sky with a Rainbow

"Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke." (Psalm 144:5)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." (Psalm:19:1-4b)
"Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." (Acts 2:2-3)

"we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'" (Acts 2:11-12)

1. "Lifeline." Rabbi Yaakov Menken. 1995-2006. Project Genesis, Inc. 11 Nov. 2006 <http://www.torah.org/learning/lifeline/5761/yisro.html>

2. The Aramaic Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel states: "And it was on the third day, on the sixth of the month, in the time of the morning, that on the mountain there were voices of thunders, and lightnings, and mighty clouds of smoke, and a voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people in the camp trembled. And Mosheh brought forth the people from the camp to meet the glorious Presence of the Lord; and suddenly the Lord of the world uprooted the mountain, and lifted it in the air, and it became luminous as a beacon, and they stood beneath the mountain. And all the mount of Sinai was in flame; for the heavens had overspread it, and He was revealed over it in flaming fire, and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain quaked greatly." Targum Pseudo-Jonathan commentary on Exodus Chapter 19.

3. The Babylonian Talmud comments: "'And all the people saw the voices' (Ex. 20:14). Since there was only one voice, why 'voices' in the plural? Because G-d’s voice mutated into seven voices, and the seven voices into seventy languages, so that all the nations might hear it." Shemot Rabbah 5:9. Tanchuma, Buber, Shemot 22.

The Law of Tongues and Prophetic Relativity

2006-07-22T14:40:00.000-10:00

The fact that speaking in prophecy is speaking in tongues may be a revelation to many, but the fact is that both are Holy Spirit enabled use of tongues. I call this fact the "Law of Tongues and Prophetic Relativity."

When a person speaks in an unknown tongue or different kinds of tongues they are in fact prophesying (speaking the mind of God). Conversely, when a person is prophesying, they are speaking in an unknown tongue. Unknown, that is, to the vast majority of the world outside that particular church setting. Perspective or frame of reference is the difference between what is known and unknown. Paul speaks about the importance of this relativity in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 and proceeds thereafter to define the correct setting for the two. This relativity is what makes speaking in a known tongue greater than speaking in one that is unknown, but it all depends on the setting and the tongue used.

A passage of Scripture that substantiates this relativity is Joel 2:28-29, which the Apostle Peter used to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the speaking of tongues on the Day of Pentecost. The Prophet Joel foresaw believers prophesying. The Day of Pentecost, however, saw people speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues (both unknown and different kinds) is prophesying and prophesying is speaking in tongues. Again, the difference between the two is what is known and unknown to the speaker and to those around.

There is a key difference, however, between the gift of prophecy and the unknown tongue. The first is for the edification of the assembly and the second is for the edification and empowerment of the individual. To prove this point, take two highlighters of different colors and all of 1 Corinthians 14. Then, highlight the differences between the unknown tongue and the gift of prophecy. What you will find is that all the references of prophecy include words that stress a corporate setting (e.g., In the church," "come together," "the church"). While those for the unknown tongue, stress the individual and personal evangelism (e.g., "himself"), which is exactly what the unknown tongue and the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is all about!

At the same time, there are also key similarities between the gift of prophecy and the gift of different kinds of tongues. Both are for the edification of the body and both are often marked by the same supernatural phenomena (the hush, pre-discernment, urgency, volume, and corporate message). These phenomena do set the gift of prophecy and gift of different kinds of tongues apart from the unknown tongue. Nevertheless, all three occurrences still remain Spirit-enabled utterances in tongues.

Behind the Baptist

2006-07-21T00:08:00.000-10:00

I am so very blessed in the Lord to share this blog and its insights with you. I pray that you are even more blessed than I have been in bringing this project to fruition. Here are a few behind the scenes events that led to Jesus the Baptist.

Ever since I was a young boy, I have seen the supernatural hand of God at work. I was saved at a very early age, maybe seven and grew up in the ministry. Growing up I was privileged to hear of miracles and witness countless supernatural manifestations. One of the most awesome experiences I had was a personal one. It was when the Lord Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit while on a youth Ambassadors in Missions trip to Puerto Rico in 1993.

Words can not even describe the power of the Holy Spirit I felt as the Lord immersed me in His Spirit. The evidence of that experience flowed out of my belly and onto my tongue and lips as I began to speak in a tongue unknown to me as the Holy Spirit enabled me to speak it.

Seven years later, the Lord began a new supernatural chapter in my life. The latter half of the year 2000 was marked with several breathtaking and unbelievable supernatural visitations and workings in my life and that of my young family. That Summer, the Lord imparted a new gift upon my life. It was the gift of different kinds of tongues. Prior to that experience, I had spoken only in a single unknown tongue, which sounded a lot like Chinese. About a week or two later, the Lord complimented the gift of different kinds of tongues with another one, the gift of interpretation¹.

For some strange reason, I had delayed baptism in water all my teenage years up until the age of twenty-six. I had been saved for almost twenty years and had been baptized by the Lord in His Holy Spirit for eight. Interestingly, no one ever "pushed" me into doing it, not even my parents. The Lord had already gifted me with the gift of different kinds of tongues and the gift of interpretation that previous Summer. The one remaining thing I had yet to experience was baptism in water. It was not that I had been consciously delaying it, it just seemed as though it was not the appointed time for me. It really was never a matter of if but when.

While on leave from Naval Air Station Pensacola, I flew with my wife and then only son to my hometown of Douglas, Arizona. My father who is an Assemblies of God pastor, baptized me in water in our backyard swimming pool. It was a very special day for me and my family. I was joined that day by several young adult friends who had been a part of our youth ministry in Douglas. Three of the guys were baptized that day along with me. One of them could only be partially immersed in water because of his diabetic condition and dialysis intubation. I felt so fulfilled that day as if a day that had been written in the womb had finally come to pass.

Four years after my baptism in water, the Lord began to move at my work and in my home. This may not seem too unusual, but when your workplace and home are properties of the United States Navy it does get a little interesting.

The Lord began to bring people into my office seeking spiritual guidance. One sailor, who happened to be raised a Catholic, literally came in, shut the door behind him, and told me that he was looking for God and didn't know where to find him. If there had been a camera behind me, I would have looked at it and shrugged in disbelief. I smiled and chuckled as I told him that he had come to the right place. Right there in my office he accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. His life was radically changed in an instant. After praying he was practically glowing. A few months later, before he was transferred to Japan, my wife and I were privileged to see him get baptized in water at Harbor Christian Center in Wilmington, California (my wife's home church and where her sister and our brother-in-law pastor a Spanish congregation). Since then, my good friend has been involved in ministry. He is now out of the Navy and is pursuing a Christian education at Biola. Now this is American tax dollars at work!

Ministry opportunities at work were coinciding with a new move of the Spirit at home. At that time, my wife and I were serving as youth leaders in a Spanish Assemblies of God church and as secretary and assistant to the youth representative over the youth ministries of seven churches in what we call a "Section" in the Assemblies of God.

While driving the return leg of a trip to take one of our youth from the Section to the Latin American Bible Institute in La Puente, the Lord visited me powerfully in the car. I will post this experience at length in our Light the Fire blog, but for now I will say that it was the beginning of a new supernatural chapter in my life and in the Morales home.

When I arrived home in Monterey, I was still shaking from the experience. I told my wife that a change was coming and that we needed to prepare for it.

A couple weeks later, we attended a birthday party for one of my son's kindergarten friends. I was surprised to find out that her father was a weather officer just like me. Out of the blue, I started telling him about the Lord's baptism in His Holy Spirit. Now normally I don't go to birthday parties and discuss deep theological truths with total strangers, especially when it is over cookies and punch. But there was something special about this guy. I came to find out that he was from the Church of Christ. He was not sure about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit but was very interested about the subject.

I told him that I had a book called Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit that he should look into. It was written by a former Dallas Theological Seminary professor who came to literally be surprised that the power of the Holy Spirit is still active today as it was in the Book of Acts (hence the name). That same night, I walked over to his Navy apartment unit and dropped off the book for him to read. That same night, unknown to me until months later, he read the entire book in one sitting and began to speak in unknown tongues!

I began to sense a calling to start a short-term Bible study in our home about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I felt led to invite several Navy friends and colleagues, who like me and my wife, were all young adults. The thing that set this group apart from all the others we had ever been a part of was that they had been raised in non-Pentecostal churches.

This was uncharted territory for us. To be continued...

Sunday August 6 2006:

Before the study began in our home, I fasted, prayed, and sought the Lord's face for the study. In my meditations before the study, I felt that I should be absolutely firm in every angle of the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I felt somewhat comforted in the fact that I could draw from my background in Pentecostal teaching and experience.

Growing up in a traditional Pentecostal denomination, I was well-versed in the New Testament basis for the present-day work of the Holy Spirit. I had lived and experienced it from the womb as the son of a deacon (Douglas First Assembly) and then Pastor (Templo Betel). My paternal grandmother had been a pillar of the first Pentecostal church in Agua Prieta, Sonora just across the border from her residence in Douglas, even laying its cornerstone. As a young minister, my dad had been influenced by Pentecostal giants H. C. Ball, Demetrio Bazan, and the father of Paul Finkenbinder. Years later, he was pastor to a woman by the name of Chonita Howard, another great hero of the Pentecostal faith.

These stories spanned years because the early days were filled with awesome stories of God's supernatural power. The stories also spanned several states because my parents had pastored in Nebraska and had traveled long distances for camp meetings and youth conferences (they had also been Sectional Youth Reps in the days when sections covered whole states and crossed state lines). These cherished stories even crossed the Atlantic from Germany where my father had been stationed. I also heard of the persecution that my parents and their families endured for converting to Pentecost. One story etched in memory is of my aunt Esther who was one of the first Pentecostal martyrs in Mexico. She was burned alive by a militant mob of Catholic youth. It was said that she died singing her favorite Sunday School song.

As a teenager, I had been well-discipled in the foundations of my fellowship's faith and had been involved in Pentecostal ministry as a team leader in children's church at the age of 16, a youth missionary at 18, a youth leader assistant and youth worship singer at 19 (Worcester First Assembly of God). In my early twenties, I attended Oral Roberts University, well known for its Pentecostal foundations and birth out of the healing revivals of the 1950s. A couple years later I transferred to the University of Arizona where I briefly became involved with Chi Alpha. While enrolled at the U of A, I ministered as a worship leader at my father's church in Bisbee, Templo Estrella, a church rich in Pentecostal revival history.

Two years after this, my wife and I would become leaders of the very youth group in which we first met. The church was First Assembly of God in Douglas. This was yet another church steeped in Pentecostal lore. One such story is how the Douglas Fire Department had once been called to the church by frantic neighbors who saw fire emanating from her rooftop. The firefighters arrived only to discover that it was a supernatural fire! Adding to this mystique is the fact that the church is home to the piano of the old Azusa Street Mission - a church synonymous with Pentecostalism.

With all this in the back of my mind, I felt secure in giving the study. There was one big problem, however. God was leading me down an entirely different path from which to draw my teachings. In fact, He was about to lead me to a place some distance from my experiences and the book of Acts, the virtual safe harbors of every Pentecostal.

He was about to open up a whole new world in Scripture. To be continued...

Wednesday September 6 2006:

Before starting our Bible study in mid-January 2004, I spent hours praying and researching the Word of God with the hope of giving the best possible study on the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I looked up resources online that I could use to hand out and foster discussion and even ordered one set of booklets that I found to be quite informative and concise. But the more I studied and the more I prayed, the more I felt compelled to demystify the Lord's Baptism and tongues and to center the Pentecostal experience clearly on Jesus. I also felt strangely drawn to the Old Testament and obliged to give it equal treatment in the study.

At the outset, I never even considered teaching at any length from the Old Testament when it came to the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit, let alone give it equal treatment. It was a forgone conclusion that the only Old Testament Scripture I would probably mention would be Joel Chapter 2 and that was it. But I could not escape the pull to paint a complete and much larger picture that somehow I knew had to exist in Scripture.

I prayed and re-prayed for guidance, at times crying out to God to fill in the blanks. Finally, I began to discern a direction. Little clues in the New Testament began to pop out that there was more to the story. One set of clues included references to the Lord's Baptism as "the promise of the Father" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 2:33). It seemed that Jesus had much to draw from Scripture in preparing the disciples from the impending Baptism. Of course, the only Scripture that existed at the time was the Old Testament. The fact that He referred to it as a Promise of the Father told me that it could never have been just a footnote in Scripture. Other clues included references to "baptisms," in a larger sense of the word, involving Noah and Moses (1 Peter 3:20-21; 1 Cor 10:2). With these clues in mind, I knew that there had to be at least proto-types and maybe even prophecies in the Old Testament that pointed to the promise of the Lord's Baptism.

I began to leave what I call "the comforts" of the New Testament and poured over the Old Testament for proto-types and prophecies that would foreshadow the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Throughout this whole process I kept an open mind about tongues and their relation to the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I felt that if I really wanted to learn the full truth that I had to let go of any pre-conceived notions about tongues. This meant that I was prepared to drop them as evidentiary signs of the Lord's Baptism if in fact my research showed otherwise. Truly, this was uncharted doctrinal territory for me. In the back of my mind I prayed and dreamed of the day that God would give me a clear revelation from Scripture that would finally answer of all my questions.

I decided the best course of action was to incorporate the many ceremonial washings, sprinklings, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament that resembled and foreshadowed the events in the Book of Acts and the experiences of the early church in particular those addressed by the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians. I began to see these as "elements," in the Chemical sense of the word, of a larger pattern that involved the Holy Spirit and His workings.

I consolidated as many references as possible and called the lesson module "Elemental Charisma." It would directly follow an introductory lesson module. I called the entire Bible Study "The Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Study for Those Seeking the Face of God."

The first night of the Bible Study was held at our home and drew together the expected audience of my friends and associates who all came from non-Pentecostal traditions. I passed out several resources and the outline of the study. We prayed, sang worship songs and discussed the direction of the Study. Even though I hoped to delay mention of tongues, questions came right away about their connection to the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I tried my best to assure the group that these questions would be answered fully in the course of the study, even though I maintained an open mind and search for clear answers. In the days after the first meeting, I cried out to God in absolute desperation for wisdom and clear-cut evidence in Scripture. I took solace and exhortation from the words of James:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6)

Then it came, not in my desperate prayer sessions, but while quietly studying the Word of God. What came would not only answer questions about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit and tongues, but to my surprise even larger theological issues concerning salvation and baptism in water. The answers came in what I can only refer to as a "progressive revelation" that started one night while reading one of my favorite passages of Scripture - the account of the Exodus. As I was studying for the second Bible study, I began to see a pattern emerging from the storyline in Exodus, from the Passover, to the Red Sea Crossing and then on to the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.

While cross-referencing with the Gospels, I clearly began to see the Passover in terms of salvation and the Red Sea crossing as a baptism in water. But then when I got to the account at Mount Sinai, something all of a sudden hit me. I had fasted and prayed before starting out on this Bible Study, asking for the Holy Spirit's guidance, and now here before me, right there on the pages of my Bible, was the answer to my prayers. The only thing though was that the answer came in a totally unexpected manner.

On February 18th 2004, I suddenly realized that the day that the fire of God fell on Mount Sinai was the Day of Pentecost! I could not believe what I was seeing there in front of me. My heart began skipping as I cross-referenced Scriptures and re-worked the timetables of the journey from Egypt to Midian where Mount Sinai lay. Images ran through my mind of an account I read in a book by Bob Cornuke that had so affected me in the Summer of 2000. I was so moved by the account of finding evidence of fire on Mount Sinai that I quoted an excerpt on our youth website back in 2001. It now appears on our Fire Blog.

The cross-referencing, dividing the Word, and the timelines all matched up. It was the right month and around the right time. Then I started to carefully look at what happened that day. When I looked at the events on that mountain in light of Pentecost, I believe my life changed forever.

It was all the there. From the fire descending on the mountain to the thunders, from the mixed assembly of Jews and Gentiles, to the mountain trembling (a physical manifestation of God's glory), it was all there. Here before me stood an example of the Pentecost experience, but it wasn't to be found in the book of Acts. It was in Exodus!

I put my Bible down on my lap and sat with my mouth gaping trying to focus on what was happening to me. The next thing I did was take the shaking pen in my hand and write the date on page 125 of my Bible. But my shock did not end there. The next day, I went to work and during one of my breaks I "Googled" Mount Sinai and Pentecost. I would have never made any connection had it not been for the night before, but one after another all these Jewish sites started coming up one right after the other.

What was going on? To my absolute surprise the Day of Pentecost is commemorated by Jews everywhere as the day that Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai. It is the day that the fire of God fell on the mountain leaving its summit forever charred. I had never heard anything like this in all my Pentecostal experience and education.

The next couple days were filled with excitement as if I had come across a buried treasure field. Other exciting concepts began to appear in my mind and spirit. Another breakthrough came as I cross-referenced the covenant at Sinai with the other covenants in the Bible. All pointed to salvation, water baptism and Pentecost.² One after the other, each one unfolded more and more information behind an emerging pattern and theme. All these ideas began to flood my mind so quickly that I became almost disoriented and afraid. The depth and the incomprehensible beauty and magnitude behind God's Word almost became more than I could bear. I look up and told my wife as she was preparing dinner, "Martha I am afraid, this is so deep that I am shaking. I can't believe what God is showing me!"

All of a sudden complex questions about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit and unknown tongues became clear to me as I saw Pentecost for what it was - the Promise of the Father and a Covenantal act. Although, I had started my preparation for the study with an open mind about the significance of tongues and whether the Lord's Baptism was a separate work, all of it became as solid as gopher wood after February 18th.

There is now no doubt in my mind that unknown tongues are the lasting sign of the Covenant of Pentecost. Neither is there any doubt that the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct work, as can be seen in the triple play of the Exodus account (salvation, water baptism, fire). However, at the same time I began to see that all three concepts are unified, an idea that is equally mind-blowing.

I had always been taught that tongues were the initial evidence, but never the larger why's. When I looked at all the evidence, not just from the New Testament, but the whole Word of God, unknown tongues became the obvious choice even before appearing in Acts! Looking at the entirety of Scripture before the New Testament, the disciples should not have been surprised that tongues of fire would appear over their heads. Neither should modern-day Christians wonder if the Lord's Baptism is for today and whether unknown tongues are a necessary sign. God does not change! (Malachi 3:6)

Suddenly questions over when Salvation occurs, the significance of water Baptism, the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second work, and unknown tongues as initial evidence begin to be answered. Much of the confusion over these issues stems from an inability to see a simultaneous distinction and union between them. It also stems from a failure to see these works from a covenantal perspective. Once you put on these "lenses," the answers to these questions become clear.

Take for instance unknown tongues as the initial evidence. Pentecostals almost naturally fall back on personal experiences and the three witnesses in the book of Acts to prove that unknown tongues are the Biblical evidence. I know I did. Unfortunately, these arguments have never been enough to convince sincere believers who are skeptics. But what if the Bible is shown to be full of witnesses outside of the book of Acts? This is exactly what the covenantal model accomplishes.

For instance, who would argue that circumcision is not the lasting sign in the flesh mandated by the Abrahamic Covenant still adhered to by Jews everywhere? Who would argue that rainbows are not the lasting sign of the Noahadic Covenant? If the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a covenantal act on par with the covenants of Noah, Abram, Abraham and Moses, then it must have a lasting sign. Who would argue that God all of a sudden changes the rules when it comes to His covenants? Again, God does not change.

"He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case...What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise." (Galatians 3:14-15, 17)
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)
"I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered." (Psalm 89:34)

More harm has also been done by Pentecostals assigning attributes to the Lord's Baptism that are not Biblical. These theological "rabbit trails" have set up Pentecostals for failure. One such rabbit trail is arguing that the Lord's Baptism guarantees holiness. When one looks at the Lord's Baptism from a covenantal perspective this argument falls short. Were the Jews holy because of their circumcised bodies? Clearly not. Neither do the Lord's Baptism and unknown tongues guarantee holiness. Although they may help lead a person to greater holiness, this is not their intended purpose. The Lord's Baptism and tongues are part of a covenant of empowerment and edification for the purpose of witnessing to the world.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Two other theological rabbit trails are that believers without the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit can not be successful in evangelism or perform miracles. The first case confuses the office of an evangelist with the power to witness. This is why there are successful evangelists who do not have the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. They are operating in the great supernatural power of their specific office and not in the power to witness that is available to all believers through the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12)
The second case involves confusing either the power in the name of the Lord or the offices of a miracle worker again with the power to witness. This is why some believers are used of God in working miracles, first because the power to heal and drive out demons resides in the name of the Lord Jesus and second there is power in the office of a miracle worker appointed by the Lord Jesus.

"He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." (Matthew 10:11)

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.'" (Luke 10:17-19)

The Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit with its accompanying lasting sign is in a category all its own. It is a personal encounter and personal covenant act between the Lord Jesus Christ and an individual believer. It is a singular moment when the Lord Jesus baptizes an individual believer on earth from His throne in Heaven. He did not baptize during His earthly ministry, but now that He has ascended He can do so for all His believers.

"The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee." (John 4:1-3)

"I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'" (John 1:33)

"But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'" (Matthew 3:14)

"Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 11:16)

"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear." (Acts 2:32-33)

"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)

Viewing the Lord's Baptism and unknown tongues in this light I finally understand why the disciples accepted the Gentile believers into their fold in Acts chapter 10. I believe the disciples fully understood that the Lord's Baptism was a covenantal act and that tongues were its lasting sign. When sincere believers marginalize tongues they are actually taking a key moment in church history for granted. Had it not been for tongues, and the Pentecostal experience, the very Jewish disciples would never have accepted the ceremoniously unclean Gentiles into their fold. Here again, the covenantal model shows that it has always been God's plan to include both the "clean" and the "unclean" from the Flood, to Abraham, to Sinai, to Acts Chapter 10 and beyond.

As far as proving that salvation, Baptism in water, and the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit are separate yet unified works, the covenantal model can be used again. Who would argue that the Flood, Noah's sacrifice, and the appearance of the rainbow were not three separate events? Who would argue against the Red Sea crossing being a different work from the Passover yet a part of a unified story?

Failure to see the simultaneous distinction and unification between these works explains why they are so often confused together. It explains why some sincere believers confuse baptism in water with salvation saying that it is necessary for salvation. It also explains why others confuse salvation with the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit saying that it too is necessary for salvation. It also explains why salvation can occur at baptism in water (if the person at that point finally understands the Gospel) and why the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit can occur at salvation or baptism in water (Acts Chapter 2). There is an intimate connection between all three, however, they are three distinct works. The same could be said of the Holy Trinity. There is only one God, however, He exists as three separate persons.

All these insights flowed together with this progressive revelation that began on February 18th, 2004 and has continued to the present day. From that day on, whenever I asked the Lord in prayer to lead me to more confirmation of the covenantal model, the inter-relationship between baptisms, and to even the significance of tongues, He would faithfully guide me to the passages of Scripture that I had never put together. The following instances provide examples of how I came to an understanding that was pre-formulated in Scripture:

One day I asked the Lord to confirm a connection to the sign of circumcision and tongues. In moments I was led to what to me was an obscure comment from Moses and God's response to Him:

"And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?" (Exodus 6:12, KJV)
"And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?" (Exodus 6:30, KJV)
"And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land." (Exodus 7:1-2, KJV)

Thus was I shown that God had enabled Moses through the power of the Holy Spirit to speak whatever He commanded Him. In this sense, his lips were circumcised just as the lips of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost and all disciples since then.

On another occasion, I asked the Lord to show a connection between the covenantal sign of the rainbow and tongues. I was shocked and excited beyond words when he led me to Chapter 10 of the Book of Revelation, which I quote in its entirety:

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

There is so much within just this Scripture that time and space does not permit to elaborate, but what I was shown was that when Jesus baptizes people in the Holy Spirit, they are very much like this angel and even John when he eats the little scroll. Whether it is a rainbow or a tongue of fire overhead, the Seven Thunders speaks through His believers in a colorful multitude of tongues as He enables. The description of the angel, his unique cloud robe, the scroll, and its prophetic anointing are all significant types that are in line with the unchanging patterns of the Word of God.

On yet another occasion, I received clarification on tongues. The experience occurred when questions arose in the study about their significance. The questions originated from confusion over the Apostle Paul's teachings in First Corinthians. I knew my doctrinal understandings could only go so far and could not completely answer all the questions. I had been always been taught the gift of tongues was different from the evidentiary sign of tongues, but never in the way the Holy Spirit taught me after praying that night after the study.

After crying out to God for wisdom, I took another look at First Corinthians Chapter 14. Here is where I thank God for my studies in linguistics, because after a few seconds of re-reading the passage, linguistic markers began popping up all throughout Paul's words. These markers clearly differentiated what I now refer specifically to as the "unknown tongue" and the "gift of different kinds of tongues."

Then I came to 1 Corinthians 14:22, where it says in part "tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers." I became fixated on this verse reading it over again as if there was a larger story behind this one verse that I often passed over. I asked the Lord, "show me what you mean by a 'sign for unbelievers.'" Within a few moments, several ideas I had never considered began to formulate in my mind and jumped out from Scripture.

The first idea was that unknown tongues were intimately connected with worldwide evangelism - the languages of the world. Adding this to the self-edification purpose for tongues, the Corinthian error became two-fold. They were manifesting a gift that was connected to evangelism and self-edification in a corporate setting of people who were already saved. Thus, the unknown tongues they were manifesting belonged not amongst believers but to edify and empower them as individuals in their prayer closets outside of church for the purpose of winning unbelievers. This explained once and for all why the Apostle Paul said that unknown tongues edified the individual and served as a sign for unbelievers.

The second idea was to search for as many instances to tongues as signs. This time I bypassed the traditional "three witnesses" in Acts that linked tongues as signs for the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 10:46, and 19:6) and the disputed witness in Mark 16:17. Instead, I found three other witnesses in the Book of Acts that I had never considered. These all involved references to the salvation of the Gentiles. The first was Peter's explanations to the council of Apostles and their verdict:

"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." (Acts 11:15-18)

Then, I found another explanation given by the Apostle Peter:

"After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: 'Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith . . ." (Acts 15:7-9)

And then came the response from James that ended the debate about the standing of Gentiles:

"When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself." (Acts 15:13-14)

These three witnesses two by the Apostle Peter and one by James, along with the two recorded responses of the circumcised believers all referred back to the events of Acts Chapter 10, when the Lord baptized the Gentiles with the Holy Spirit just as he had done with the circumcised believers on the Day of Pentecost. Just how did the Holy Spirit come on the Gentiles as He had come on the Jews?

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God." (Acts 10:44-46)

Thus, three witnesses, two different Apostles, and two separate councils of circumcised believers were referring to the events found in Acts Chapter 10, one of the "three witnesses." What was the central fact that ended both debates? The fact that the Lord had baptized the Gentiles in the same manner as He had with the Jews, that is they spoke in tongues unknown to them.

All of a sudden what began as a search for the significance of tongues in First Corinthians ended in Acts, with a total of seven witnesses and a conclusion that left me stunned. For the first time, I realized that Gentiles owed their acceptance by the circumcised believers not to some invisible experience or declaration of faith, but to speaking in unknown tongues! The Lord answered my earnest prayers for wisdom that night by showing me just how significant unknown tongues were.

The last example of this progressive revelation was the ultimate jackpot. It occurred some time after I had completed giving the entire Bible Study. For some reason, I had been afraid to ask the Lord for more confirmation. But one day, I sought the Lord to give me clear a connection between a covenant and Pentecost. The Lord, ever faithful to those who ask for wisdom, led me to the Book of Isaiah, but for the first time, I was to combine portions of two separate chapters. From Isaiah 59:21 and 60:1-5:

"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come . . ."

I was absolutely stunned by the clear connection to a future covenant and tongues. Just like the events at Sinai, I had found another Day of Pentecost described not in the Book of Acts but in Isaiah. I processed the combined passage, taking the first part as prophecy and second part as fulfillment and excitedly compared it to passages from Acts Chapter 2:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:1-12)
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:37-39)

After I read this, just like the disciples two thousand years before me I finally understood. I had no further objections and just praised God.

I pray that the story behind Jesus the Baptist brings glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, who along with the Father and Holy Spirit are unchanging players in this and all other covenants. I also pray that it gives honor due to His inerrant and infallible Word.

In closing, I encourage you the reader to ask for wisdom from the Lord and to not rely on the wisdom of man in your search for the truth. I have found that there is a veritable treasure trove of truth in Scripture that is awaiting more discovery. For my part, I discover new gems almost every day while I meditate on His Word and rely on its author the Holy Spirit for guidance in all truth. It is as if I have walked on the open diamond fields of Africa with the Lord for the last two years, long after the original Bible study ended. I pray that what I consider to be gems glow in their brilliance behind the pages of what is now the Baptist. What I have found has finally answered all of my questions and even the ones I never asked. I pray that your study of God's Word proves just as personally enriching if not more!

In the name of Jesus the Baptist - Amen.

Danny dj Morales

1. Only after writing Jesus the Baptist have I realized that the Lord showed me the relativity between prophecy and tongues back in 2000 when He blessed me with the gift of different kinds of tongues. Prior to receiving this gift, I had been asking specifically for the gift of prophecy. After receiving the gift of different kinds of tongues and the gift of interpretation I somehow knew that my prayers had been answered. Now I realize just how much the Lord was showing me this relativity by the manner in which He answered my prayers. My testimony about this experience appears in The Radiant Face of My Dad on our Light the Fire Blog.

2. Another exciting confirmation occurred when I researched the connection between all the days of Covenant. When I re-read the account of the Flood, I realized that Noah's Covenant had to have occurred in the third month corresponding again with Pentecost. As a side note, several days later as I was looking through an online version of the extra-canonical Book of Jubilees for the Days of Covenant, I discovered another startling connection between them. According to this source, all the major Days of Covenant in the Old Testament (Noah, Abram, Abraham, and Moses), four in all, fell exactly on the Day of Pentecost! Although its contents are disputed, this book was widely available and no doubt widely discussed during the Second Temple Period, which included the years of Jesus' earthly ministry. Thus, the inter-relationship between these Days of Covenant was a part of the Jewish consciousness of the day.

The Unknown Tongue and Different Kinds of Tongues

2006-07-02T01:16:00.000-10:00

When the Apostle Paul wrote the following words, I doubt he knew how much they would be confused and keep people from experiencing the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit¹:

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues²? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church." (1 Corinthians 14:1-4)
"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:18-19)

Because of a lack of experience or understanding, or for incorrect handling of the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), millions of believers have literally left Jesus the Baptist waiting in the rivers of His baptism. Millions have never received the Promise of the Father, the promise that Jesus put into effect by His death, resurrection and ascension, and all because of misunderstandings largely arising from these verses in First Corinthians.

The Apostle Paul wrote in very clear terms, painfully trying to differentiate the difference between the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31) and the personal gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The former being for the common good and the latter being for the empowerment and edification of the individual. The former being appointed gifts for a few "do all speak in tongues?" and the latter being for "you and your children and for all who are far off; for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).

In exhorting the Corinthian church, Paul clearly differentiated the gift of different kinds of tongues (plural) and the unknown tongue (singular). In fact, he was careful to use the term "different kinds of tongues" twice and both times exactly the same way. He was trying to instruct the Corinthian church about the difference between the two. Sadly, much of the present church does not understand the difference either. What is even more sad is that the Corinthian church was better off in their lack of understanding than the present day church is in theirs. At least, the Corinthians had individually acted in obedience and faith for the Promise of the Father. They had waited in their personal Jerusalem and Upper Room for what Jesus had talked about. What they lacked was maturity and love in exercising that promise after it had been fulfilled.

The Corinthian immaturity and lack of love was evident in their misuse of the unknown tongue of their personal Baptism and their lack of use of the appointed ministry gifts of the church meant for the common good (e.g. the gift of different kinds of tongues). In doing so, they were forgetting those around them. They were living out an intimate moment with God meant for personal edification and empowerment for evangelism in a corporate setting of people who were already saved. Their actions were not only unloving, they were downright childish and out of place.

In Paul's writings, one can find a world of difference between an appointed gift and a personal one, between different kinds of tongues and the unknown tongue. The first manifestation - the gift of different kinds of tongues - is always pluralized three times and the second - the unknown tongue - is always singular unless spoken by several individuals at once.

To illustrate this last point, think of a hypothetical crowd of twenty people who all speak in English. In this crowd, there is one person who is fluent in say three languages that are unknown to the other nineteen people. The rest of this hypothetical crowd are fluent in English, but each can speak a few words in another language that the others don't know³. Three statements can be made about this hypothetical crowd:

1. Only the few can speak in different kinds of tongues
2. The rest can speak a few words in an unknown tongue
3. Together, all can speak in unknown tongues

This is exactly the case in Pentecostal crowds today, just as it was the case in the crowd at the church of Corinth.

When Jesus baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit, they each receive an unknown tongue (singular) as an everlasting covenantal sign (similar to circumcision). At that moment, something so powerful and awesome takes place. In the supernatural, a tongue of fire still appears over their heads! To use covenantal language, a rainbow and blazing torch still appear over them (Isaiah 60:1-2, like the angel mentioned in Revelations 10:1). Put another way, the Spirit descends in fire and then the Voice of the Seven Thunders speaks through them! (Deuteronomy 4:9-13, Revelation 10:3). In doing so, the Lord circumcises their lips to speak to an unbelieving world with unfaltering voices (Exodus 6:30, 1 Corinthians 14:22). He provides the gift of the unknown tongue so that believers can speak mysteries to God, refreshing their souls and recharging the Spirit of God in their lives (Ephesians 5:18).

When somebody receives the gift of different kinds of tongues, it is a ministry appointment by God for the common good. God calls out a Spirit-baptized believer out of many Spirit-baptized believers to exercise a ministry over the church. The Lord enables this believer to utter messages in different kinds of tongues through the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes over a person appointed with this gift, the Holy Spirit often uses a wealth of dialects to speak to the church and not just to the person speaking. The speakers are no longer uttering mysteries to God. They are instead uttering a distinct message to the church that is waiting to be interpreted. Those who have received the Lord's baptism can speak to the Lord in a single unknown tongue all their lives. Those who have received the appointed gift of different kinds of tongues, however, will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak in several if not thousands of tongues both known and unknown throughout their lives. These believers often speak in full sentences (utterances) and can sometimes change from one language to another in the middle of a message. This makes sense, 1. because they are appointed to bring full messages to edify the body at large and 2. the gift is a gift of many languages, hence the name. It is truly a rare gift and to use Paul's words, one of the "greater gifts."

As those who are gifted in this gift can testify, when the Lord brings a message in different kinds of tongues, the person: feels an urgency to share with the whole congregation a message, they know it's not just to edify themselves (as is the case with the unknown tongue), and the Holy Spirit takes over their vocal chords and supernaturally raises their volume level. Other awesome events often take place before a person speaks in different kinds of tongues to the church. A supernatural hush fills the church to quiet people and ready them to hear from the Lord. Those who have been baptized by the Lord in the Holy Spirit also can discern when a message in different kinds of tongues is imminent. These are all works of the same Spirit and they are meant for the common good to build the church!

To recap, the unknown tongue is a gift that every believer can have and experience. It is the Promise of the Father for all (Acts 1:4, 2:39). By contrast, the gift of different kinds of tongues is only for the appointed few (1 Corinthians 12:28). Speaking in an unknown tongue is for the edification of the individual: "he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" (1 Corinthians 14:4a). It is also for the empowerment of that individual to witness to unbelievers - a circumcision of the lips for the unbelieving world (Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 14:22). Speaking with the gift of different kinds of tongues, however, is for the edification of believers (1 Corinthians 14:12) and for the "common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Paul was undoubtedly appointed with the gift of different kinds of tongues and could speak from experience "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you." But he would rather speak five intelligible words through the gift of prophecy, which is still speaking in tongues that do not require interpretation,⁴ than speak ten thousand in an unknown tongue (singular). Which brings me to a final point and a rhetorical question: "what would Paul say to those who neither prophesied nor spoke in tongues?"

Paul would say and did say the following: "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." The message that the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul to the Corinthian church is just as true today. Many have used this verse to somehow diminish tongues as a whole, when all Paul was trying to do was put everything into its correct perspective and setting. If he was alive today, he would tell all those who could speak in a Spirit-enabled unknown tongue to seek the gift of prophecy. We should not interpret his preference to speaking in a known tongue to mean that we should not be speaking in unknown tongues. At a bare minimum, according to Paul, we should be speaking in unknown tongues. At the most, and what he preferred, we should be seeking to speak in tongues known to those around us (prophecy).

Put more simply and another way, if you are not speaking in prophecy, you should be speaking in tongues.

Speaking in any tongue as the Holy Spirit enables is a promise of the Father available to all believers. The fact that Jesus referred to it as "the promise of the Father," should make any believer seek it. If that is not enough, then the fact that Jesus put this promise into effect with His blood and is waiting at the river of His Holy Spirit should be enough. If that is not enough, then God help and forgive us.

Paul lays out the proper use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in black and white. We would do well in following them and his final words in the matter: "therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."

My prayer is that this blog will make truths about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit clear to believers everywhere. I have not relied on anything other than the Word of God and the Holy Spirit who inspired it. I thank the Lord in advance for confirming these truths elsewhere. May the Lord bless you, baptize you and refill you in the power of His Holy Spirit today!

In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Baptist, Amen.

1. The confusion stems not from the Word of God, or even from the Apostle Paul's writing, which was quite clear and un-misleading. As stated above, the confusion stems from lack of experience, understanding, or from incorrectly dividing the Word of God. All three factors can easily cloud truths that the Apostle Paul and the Spirit of God meant to be so clear.

2. Another confusion stems from a mis-characterization of the Apostle Paul's question "do all speak in tongues?" Some mistakenly take this for an expectation rather than a statement of fact as if to say "not everyone speaks in tongues, so it's okay if some people don't" when all the Apostle Paul was doing was stating a known fact. Clearly not everyone has the gift of different kinds of tongues, because it is an appointed gift. However, this does not mean that people should not seek it, especially when the only expectation in this Passage is for us to "eagerly desire the greater gifts." Furthermore, any confusion over the Apostle Paul's expectations over tongues in general should be resolved with his expressed wishes: "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." When you take into account that prophesy is speaking in tongues (please see Note 4 below), Paul's expectations were clear; people should be desiring the gifts of the Spirit, especially speaking in tongues, both known and unknown.

3. This is why an individual who speaks in an unknown tongue seems to be babbling the same thing over and over again. He or she can only speak a few words in a language that is unknown to him or her (this was the case with me for seven years, until the Lord empowered me with the gift of different kinds of tongues). A repetitive tongue or voice is entirely Scriptural. One need only look at the voice of God that rushes like water and rolls like thunder, or the voices of the creatures who worship Him both day and night forever. In fact, the repetitive nature of unknown tongues is a clue that what is occurring is from the very Throne of God (a concept visualized in The Throne Matrix). They are the Lord speaking through His creation. They are the rainbow that emanates from His body. They are His voices and His tongues:

"and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory." (Ezekiel 43:2)
"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder." (Revelation 4:2-5)
"His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters." (Revelation 1:15)
"Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.' The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him." (John 12:29)
"Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'" (Revelation 4:8)
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4)

On a side note, I wonder if we were to hear the four living creatures right now, would we say that they were speaking in gibberish? What is the language of the Throne Room anyway? What does it sound like? Would we understand it if God were to give us a behind the scenes look? Does the Lord always speak in a language we can understand and in a manner that makes sense to us? I believe the unknown tongue, as simple as it sounds, gives us a glimpse of that world and insight into these questions.

4. For more information on how the unknown tongue, gift of different kinds of tongues, and the gift of prophecy interrelate, please see The Law of Tongues and Prophetic Relativity.

Jesus is the Baptist!

2006-06-27T23:52:00.000-10:00

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life" (Revelation 21:16)

Jesus is the risen Lord, the savior of all humanity, and the Baptist in fire and in the Holy Spirit. Some six thousand years ago, Jesus was present when the deep springs and the floodgates of heaven were opened up to baptize the earth, cleansing it in water. He along with the Father and Spirit remembered Noah and his family in the ark. His breath blew away the waters to resurrect the dead, to breathe new life into the earth, to give all of creation a new birth.

His body was symbolized in Noah's burnt offerings that put the first Covenant into effect. On that day on the third month, in response to Noah's sacrifice, the hand of the Lord Jesus reached down to earth and set the sign of the Father's promise over its head. With His hand, Jesus clothed and covered the heads of all living creatures, both clean and unclean, with light. In a multi-colored arc of fire produced by water and light suspended in the breath of the earth, the heavens, the Father through the hand of the Son hung His everlasting sign of Covenant. And in that sign, filled with depth and meaning beyond human comprehension, God revealed His Spirit, the Comforter, who would remind all living creatures both clean and unclean of His promise of life and everlasting grace from destruction by water:

"this is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come" (Genesis 9:12)

The promise of the Father was for Noah's children, and for their children, for their children's children, for all far-off generations after them, and for all who would be saved from a watery tomb on the earth. In that sign, with seven distinct colors, God manifested His Spirit. He poured out His Spirit for all men to see. And in that rainbow, God revealed the Spirit that would rest on His Son, who was and is the Baptist:

"the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD¹" (Isaiah 11:2)

All the colors of the rainbow would stand as a visible and everlasting sign overhead that would speak of God's Covenant to all generations.

Several hundreds of years later, on the third month, Jesus again was present when God made a covenant with Abram. Again the covenant was put into effect by blood. In a split red sea of carcasses, the body of our Lord was symbolically broken before Abram. And across that tract of dry ground between the walls of death on the right and on the left, walked the invisible Angel of the Lord with fiery torch and smoking firepot in hand. The pre-incarnate Christ, the Great High Priest Jesus, walked with a symbolic censor and incense sealing the promise of the Father to make Abram the father of many nations.

With a column of fire, and a cloud of smoke, the Lord Jesus traced the footsteps that the Children of Israel would take hundreds of years later through the Red Sea. With the same steps, he traced the footsteps of His other children, who even further into the future would take the same walk out of a land of captivity, to be baptized in the red sea of His blood. After passing through a wall of death, they would reemerge on the other side as if reborn from a watery womb. In the fire and smoke rising from the torch and firepot stood another promise of the Father. A promise that one day, the prayers of the saints carried by the High Priest in one hand would one day be answered by the promise held in His other. In the hand of our Lord burned a consuming fire carried overhead.

Many years later, again in the third month, the preincarnate Christ reappeared to Abram. With the breath of His Word the Lord spoke regeneration into Abram. He gave Him a new name and thus a new life. No longer was he to be called "Abram" but "Abraham."

"then God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner; those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.'" (Genesis 17:9-14)

The Lord Jesus gave Abraham instructions of how the Covenant was to be manifested in the flesh. Both Jew and Gentile who were of his family were to carry with them the everlasting sign of His covenant. The seal of adoption was to be placed on their bodies. With the shedding of blood, a ritualistic death and rebirth took place. In that act, a baptism would mark the death of the old and the life of a new man. The old body, like the womb of a virgin, would be pierced, blood would flow, and out of death and bloodshed would be conceived and born something new and holy.

Circumcision was to be an everlasting sign in the flesh. It was to mark a child of Abraham no matter if he was born into the household or purchased. Like the animals saved in the ark, both clean and unclean children of Abraham were partakers in this new Covenant and beneficiaries of the promise of their earthly and heavenly fathers. Those not of Abraham's seed would be covered under this new Covenant and all would see the promise of the Father manifested in their flesh, a sign that would edify the man's body and be a witness to unbelievers.

Hundreds of years later, in a land of captivity the innocent blood of Jesus was again symbolically shed to save God's children and to bring a new Covenant to pass. This time the blood of lambs covered wooden thresholds and in so doing, covered a whole nation. The Death Angel could not but pass over this protective arc and shield of blood. Like the rainbow before it, this covering of blood protected the flood that came by night.

After the Children of Israel had received salvation by the shed blood of the lamb, they were to walk in obedience and faith through the split waters symbolically completing their part in the covenant initiated by God with their father Abraham. Through those waters of baptism in the sea and in the cloud, they walked symbolically into a watery tomb, a cleansing pool and into the very womb of the earth all at once. After passing by a wall of death to their right and to their left, they reemerged new creations on the other side. With the deadly Red Sea behind them, they walked under the covering of a cloud by day and a fire by night.

"they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:2)

On the third month, on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus stretched His hand over Mount Sinai and baptized it in fire. The Spirit of the Lord descended in fire with the sound of a mighty rushing trumpet blast. The mountain shook violently and swayed as would a man drunk with wine. On that altar not made by human hands, like that of Elijah the Prophet², the Lord showed His power in flames.

"when the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance" (Exodus 20:18)

The Assembly saw voices and blazing torches coming from a mountain baptized in fire. Both Jew and Gentile, clean and unclean, were witnesses and partakers of a Covenant that day. The Word of God, His Covenant, was spoken by the very lips of God through the fires on an earthen mountain whose crest (head) is blackened to this day! His Covenant was to be passed on by mouth and lips from generation to generation.

"teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, 'Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.' You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets." (Deuteronomy 4:9b-13)

His Covenant was to be manifested in obedience. Through His Covenant spoken at Sinai, the Lord would cover, anoint, bless, and send out His people to be for Him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. That day at Mount Sinai, He endued them with power. He baptized them with fire and spoke to a mixed multitude, both clean and unclean, in visible voices, signs and wonders.

Two thousand years later, on the banks of the River Jordan, a man by the name of John the Baptist, spoke these words:

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11)

When the Lord Jesus Christ appeared before him to be baptized,

"John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14)

John the Baptist, knew that before him stood another more powerful Baptist. On that day, John no doubt yearned for the baptism that only Jesus could give.

"He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)

Three years later, the Lamb of God whom John first professed was sacrificed on a wooden cross atop the altar of Mount Calvary. The blood of an innocent man would soon cover all those who believed in Him. They would be saved from the ultimate death thanks to another wooden ark of salvation-the cross. No longer would they face eternal separation from God in a land of captivity. Like Jesus, they would emerge from the tomb as new creations. As Jesus prophesied to Nicodemus, they too would be reborn from a watery womb.

"Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)

They would leave their old bodies behind reborn and marked with seal of the Holy Spirit. They would adopt a new name and thus a new identity. They would be called to walk into the waters of baptism in obedience and faith, symbolizing their death, their re-conception, their new birth, their resurrection, and their covenant with God before man.

Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus commanded the children of the new Covenant:

"do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:4b-5)

On the third month, fifty days after putting the new Covenant into effect on Passover with His blood, Jesus the Baptist received the disciples on the banks of His river, the river of His Holy Spirit. On that day, He baptized 120 believers not with His blood (the salvation they already received) and not with water, but with His Holy Spirit.

"this is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." (1 John 5:6-8)

On that Day of Pentecost, just as He had with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the Children of Israel on previous Days of Pentecost, the Father confirmed His Covenant in the Son, through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit³. As with all the other covenants - God does not change - He extended this Covenant Act to Gentiles, who were ceremoniously unclean⁴ - a point that was graphically taught to the Apostle Peter by vision. As with Noah, His Spirit descended in a sign of light overhead. As with Abram, His Spirit appeared in a sign of fire again overhead. As with Abraham, the sign manifested in the flesh, this time in their mouth, lips, and tongues. As with Moses and the Children of Israel, the Lord appeared with a mighty rushing sound and spoke to a mixed multitude. He spoke in a rainbow of visible voices and torches in the form of tongues of fire overhead and in the circumcised tongues of men and women.

As in the days of Noah, the floodgates of heaven were opened, the deep springs of their souls burst forth and out of them flowed rivers of living water. They began to prophecy in a brilliant multitude of linguistic colors. As in the days of Abram, their earnest prayers had been answered when the Lord Jesus, the Great High Priest, lit them with the blazing torch of His Holy Spirit. As in the days of Abraham, the everlasting sign of this Covenant manifested itself in the flesh, in the circumcised and fluent tongues of seeking believers. As in the days of Moses, the Lord descended in fire on altars not made by human hands but formed by God in the womb. He descended on altars known as men and women. Although unseen, the Lord spoke through them in a torrential rainbow of languages. As with the mountain at Horeb, the Spirit of the Lord shook them and made them sway as though they were drunk. He clothed them with multi-colored prophetic and priestly power as Jacob clothed Joseph (the coat) and Aaron clothed his sons (the ephod). On that day, the words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled:

"'As for me, this is my covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,' says the LORD. 'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 'Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.'" (Isaiah 59:21-60:1-5)

These words were witnessed by the believers on the Day of Pentecost and by all those who had come from afar:

"they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs; we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'" (Acts 2:3-12)

The words of the prophet were also echoed by the Apostle Peter:

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off; for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)

Jesus is the Baptist in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He has not changed. He is waiting to baptize you in fire and in the Holy Spirit. If you are saved, you have already been baptized in His blood. If you have been baptized in water, you have walked in obedience and faith. If you have not been Baptized by the Lord Jesus, hearken now to the words of John the Baptist:

"I need to be baptized by you!"

His Covenant is the same as it was on the Days of Pentecost. He is and will forever remain, Jesus the Baptist.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8)

1. The Seven-fold Spirit of God was fully manifest in the ministry of Jesus, which began with His baptism in the Jordan River and His empowerment by the Holy Spirit. His earthly ministry and the words of Isaiah demonstrate a common beginning - the Spirit of God. As followers of Jesus, believers should imitate this example.

"I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'" (John 1:33)

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children" (Ephesians 5:1)

2. Note how Elijah baptized the altar atop Mount Carmel in three ways. He first baptized the altar with a bull and its blood (the atoning body and blood that covers us like a rainbow-Salvation). He then baptized the altar three times with water. This was a sign to us that it was indeed a three-part baptism. It was also a sign that foreshadowed the three days that the Lord would be "baptized" in the belly of the earth (the Sign of Jonah). After this baptism in water, the Lord baptized the altar with fire from heaven (Spirit baptism). The altar that God seeks to cover, atone for, clothe with blood, water, and Spirit is one not made by human hand and fashioned by human tool. That altar is you and me! We are the altars of living stones (1 Peter 2:5). We like Noah's mountain, Sinai, and the Temple Mount on the Day of Pentecost, are the Mountains of His new Covenant. We are the temple and tabernacle of God able to be filled with the glory of God (1 kings 8:11; 2 Chronicles 5:14, 7:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-21). Elijah's three-part Messianic baptism and the altar he prepared atop Mount Carmel gives added insight to the Enunciation and Messianic ministry of another prophet - John the Baptist:

"And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17)

3. The Lord's Baptism with the lasting sign of the unknown tongue is the third major covenantal act found in the New Testament. The remaining two are salvation and baptism in water with the lasting signs of blood and water respectively. These major covenantal acts join the four found in the Old Testament (lasting sign in parentheses): The Covenant of Noah (rainbow), The two-part Covenant of Abraham (circumcision), and the Covenant of Moses (God's laws and decrees). Four of the major covenantal acts fall under the category of "ordinances": the two-part Covenant of Abraham, the Covenant of Moses, and baptism in water. Three fall under "promises": the Covenant of Noah, Salvation, and the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, all seven major covenantal acts involve both promises and ordinances. For instance, salvation involves following the teachings of the Lord (John 14:23-24; Acts 5:32; Romans 2:13), while the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit involves obeying the Great Commission and the Lord's instructions to wait (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:4-8).

4. Gentiles owe speaking in unknown tongues for their acceptance as believers by the early Christians who as observant Jews could not associate with Gentiles. They were seen as "unclean" just as the unclean animals onboard the Ark, the aliens in Abraham's camp, and the mixed multitude who left Egypt along with the Hebrews. The inclusion by God of what was seen as unclean in the covenants of previous Days of Pentecost gives added insight into the vision given to the Apostle Peter. If the Gentiles of Acts Chapter 10 had merely said they were believers or had exhibited any other sign it would not have been enough for the Spirit-baptized Jews. The lasting multi-colored, fiery, covenantal sign in the flesh is what confirmed loud and clear that they were a part of the new Covenant. Put another way, their circumcised tongues and lips testified that they had been grafted into the line of their Father Abraham.

"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God." (Acts 10:45-46)

Translate Jesus The Baptist and Move Mountains!

2006-06-13T14:00:00.000-10:00

On Sunday, March 19th, 2006, we launched Mountain Movers :: Missions Without Borders. Mountain Movers MWB is our collaborative translation initiative for Pentecostal Ministry. The initiative relies on Wiki-based technology to translate ministry materials, the first of which will be Jesus The Baptist :: The Covenant Act of Pentecost. Like Jesus the Baptist, the initiative is dedicated first and foremost to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is also dedicated to my mother and missions inspiration, Rev. Maria Morales. It is our hope that the initiative revolutionizes the way the Gospel and Christian teaching is translated by using the Internet to move mountains. The initiative hub page is located on Club Alpha Omega's website. We provide direct links here to the hub, forum, and each of our language wikis. The following is a description of the initiative as posted on the Mountain Mover's home page at Club Alpha Omega.

:: mountain movers: missions without borders ::

We live in an age like no other where knowledge has increased to the point where obstacles like language barriers are waiting to be taken down in one fell swoop. Much like the eradication of polio, all it takes is one catalytic idea, one drop in an ocean to send ripples that will surround the world. Furthermore, technologies like the Internet and podcasting have allowed us to overcome international borders and politics to reach into even the most sensitive of countries with the good news of Jesus. For these reasons and for the 24/7 empowerment of multi-lingual missionary translators everywhere, Mountain Movers : Missions Without Borders was formed.

Our objective is to mobilize multi-lingual believers, and maybe even curious non-believers to hasten the pace of Gospel literature translation through online collaborative means. To that end, we have launched a MediaWiki site to serve as the translation test-site for this revolutionary missions project. Our dedicated forums (fora?) will serve as the host of the original piece (does not have to be in English). From the outset, we will only post evangelistic and discipleship literature from sources that adhere to our statement of faith and that is approved for release. Club Alpha Omega will initiate the process until the floodgates open wide.

As an example, a work is made available online. We post it on one of our syndicated forums. Multi-lingual believers everwhere are empowered to translate the work in a collaborative manner. Within months, that same article can be made available in several languages of the world. The literature is now available for in-country missionaries, indigenous ministers and nationals with Internet access. They can then re-publish the works in their language and distribute as needed.

There are potential hardships to this method, as is the case with ministry of every kind, the MediaWiki format is prone to vandalism. To mitigate this, people are empowered again. This time to shepherd the work from vandals. Collaborative online ministry means just that. This project is meant to be a team effort!

Please join us in prayer as we move mountains and missions to a place without borders in Jesus name!

Mountain Movers :: Missions Without Borders Hub

Mountain Movers :: Missions Without Borders Forum

:: know a foreign language? ::

Move Mountains and Jesus the Baptist @

Arabic Mountain Movers

Chinese Mountain Movers

English Mountain Movers

French Mountain Movers

German Mountain Movers

Japanese Mountain Movers

Portuguese Mountain Movers

Russian Mountain Movers

Spanish Mountain Movers

:: move mountains and borders today ::

The Patterns of Christ and Christians

2006-06-13T12:04:00.000-10:00

18 March 2004

Dear Believer:

As I was thinking about the model that Christ had left for his church, it occurred to me that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was a piece of a complete pattern for Christians. What follows is a very simple lesson as it was given to me this day.

When Christ was born, salvation was born, as His name literally means "the LORD saves" (Matthew 1:21). Next we see Him as a young adult of twelve. Scripture records Him in the temple courts as a student of the Law. We then see Him at the Jordan getting baptized in water and the Holy Spirit. At the Jordan, all heard a voice from heaven and all saw an enduement of power that descended on Him and remained. Here began His public ministry. After His baptism, He was led by the Spirit in power to do the following: face the world's temptations, work signs and wonders, make disciples and fishers of men, face persecution, and to carry His cross. Through it all, He lived and ministered a gospel of love. What happened next in His life is a promise to all believers. After He died, He was resurrected by the Spirit and He ascended in a glorified body. The next event yet to occur is His soon re-appearing.

So what exactly is the pattern for us as Christians? First, we are born again into salvation. We must then go to His temple courts to become lifelong students, as well as, go to the waters to be baptized physically and spiritually. As we are baptized in the Spirit, we will hear voices from heaven as we utter mysteries to God in the tongues of men and angels. We will also experience an enduement of power that descends on us and remains. Our initial temple lessons and baptisms are to occur before our earthly ministries but can occur in any order relative to each other.* After these things, we are to be led by the Spirit to do the following: face the world's temptations, work signs and wonders, make disciples and fishers of men, face persecution, and to carry our crosses. Through it all, we are to live and minister a gospel of love. What happens next in our lives is His promise to us. If we die, we will be resurrected, transformed, and then ascend. If we yet live, we will be transformed and then ascend. Together, we will meet Him in the air in our glorified bodies. The next event is to re-appear with Him.

In conclusion, we are called as Christians, "little Christs," to follow the patterns He has set for us. Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-2, "Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved Children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." I pray that we all become imitators of Him!

Danny dj Morales
Light The Fire Ministries

*I will not discuss this point in detail here, but I will say that in the early church the two baptisms were intimately connected. Water baptism is a symbolic bridge between salvation and the Holy Spirit. Water symbolizes the cleansing and atoning waters of His blood. It also symbolizes the water of sanctification in that it marks the rebirth from death into life. It further symbolizes the living and resurrection waters of the Holy Spirit. To better understand the connection we can look at the birth process. The first birth is a three-part baptism: spirit first (conception), water second (womb), blood third (delivery). In the new birth, the order of baptisms is "reversed": blood (salvation=Jesus), water (into Jesus), and Spirit (by Jesus). The born-again experience does not stop at salvation it is actually three-fold (John 3:3-8). Scripture further says there is "one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5) and that the water, blood, and Spirit agree (1 John 5:5-8). The concept of baptism is the link between all three. This explains the impetus for baptism in water and in the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation. To be saved, baptized in water and in the Spirit is to fully identify with Christ. Christ's Baptism shows the link between the three persons of the trinity. This further explains why it is neither wrong to baptize only in the name of Jesus nor in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (though this is how Jesus instructed to Baptize). It's all identifying with Jesus in the end. As it concerns the relative order, we can look to the events in the home of Cornelius. Here, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (by Jesus) occurred before Baptism in water (into Jesus) while they were learning of salvation (Jesus). In case it is not clear at this point, salvation is not found in Baptism in water nor in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; it's found in the name of Jesus (Romans 10:13)! - 03/18/04

Study 5 :: Seeking the Giver, Knowing His Voice

2006-06-13T11:29:00.000-10:00

dedicating to the LORD a time for seeking His face, following His leading, and knowing His voice

Introduction:

Thus far we have seen how the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of implicit foreshadowings and explicit prophecies in Scripture. We have also seen the lasting transformation the Baptism imparts to the individual, for witnessing, discernment, and intimacy in their relationship with the Lord. Thanks to the error of the Corinthian church, we also have studied the proper purposes and settings for the spiritual manifestations that come as a result of the Baptism. These manifestations can be separated into those that edify the individual believer and those that edify a body consisting of many believers.

In covering all of the above, we have answered the why's, who's, when's and the where's involving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Why? The Baptism is meant for empowered living and ministry. Who? Jesus is the Baptist in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism is for all believers. When and where? The Baptism and its manifestations are deeply personal experiences for the prayer closet and for the mission field just outside the believer's doorstep. The Baptism also opens another door for that believer to be empowered to edify other believers. This last lesson in the series, however, is designed specifically to answer the question of how. How does a believer receive this experience? The answer with the best guarantee of success is to seek the Giver of the Baptism wholeheartedly, "to seek the face of He who baptizes" (from the study's introduction) and to wait upon the Lord.

We can learn by the successes of those in Scripture who sought more from the Lord. Moses asked the Lord bluntly "show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18), but only after the Lord had told him first "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Elisha followed his master persistently and asked him "let me inherit a double portion of your spirit" (2 Kings 2:9). Moses and Elisha both received their experiences but they also had another thing in common, they knew the voice of their master and their master knew them. Scripture records another such success story, one that has a lot to do with seeking the Lord, receiving an experience, the voice of the Lord and, amazingly enough, the day of Pentecost. The story is found in 2 Chronicles 15:1-15. In the case of Judah, Scripture declares "the LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you," (2 Chronicles 15:2c). The Lord is with us when we are with Him and if we seek Him wholeheartedly, He promises to be found by us. Truth is, He wants us to know His voice and He desperately wants to be found.

Verse for the week:

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Study 4 :: The Manifest Gifts of the Holy Spirit

2006-06-13T11:23:00.000-10:00

the gifts of the Holy Spirit apart from the initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Introduction:

Twenty years after the events at Pentecost, the church had grown well beyond its nascent borders. Just as Jesus had prophesied, spirit-empowered witnesses had spread the gospel (Acts 1:8). Sustaining this growth would have been difficult if not impossible without the manifestations of the Holy Spirit meant to edify the ever-growing body. These manifestations were experiences apart from the initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was and continues to be a deeply personal experience. It is an experience meant to edify (i.e. build up) and empower the individual to both keep and spread the faith (i.e. witness). The manifestations of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, however, are corporate experiences meant to edify and empower the church body as a whole. This distinction was apparently lost to the Corinthian church and thus called for its clarification by the Apostle Paul in his first epistle to the church.

Specifically the Corinthian error lay in their manifestation of experiences meant for personal edification and evangelistic empowerment in a body of people that had already been won to the Lord but who were in dire need of corporate edification. This view is validated by Paul's expressions: "he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" and later "tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers" (1 Corinthians 14:4a, 22a). His point was that if the person was going to seek and manifest spiritual gifts, they should be gifts that edify the body of believers; hence his emphasis on prophecy and interpretation (vv 14:5-6, 13, 26). In other words, Paul was telling them to leave their prayer language (tongues of angels) in the prayer closet and their street talk (tongues of men) on the street where they belonged. To use a manifestation meant for personal edification and witnessing in a body of fellow believers was out of place and, more importantly, not a manifestation of God's love (1 Corinthians 13).

The Corinthians' folly is certainly the present-day church's gain. In his comments culminating to his exhortation, Paul explains how the Holy Spirit empowers individuals "for the common good" and appoints individuals "in the church" (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 28-31; see also Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11-13). Taken together these manifestations (phanerosis) and appointment gifts (diakoniai) characterize Spiritual gifts (pneumatika), given as grace gifts (charismata) for the building and empowering of the body. Not even the gates of hell could withstand a church that worked together as a team, with a corporate language, vision and mission, comprised of Spirit-empowered individual members.

Handout: (1) Questions to Think About (2) Living with Power Articles

Verse for the week:

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12)

Questions to Think About

1. What are the main purposes for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? For possible insight, look at Acts 1:8, Romans 8:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 14:2,4.

2. In a private setting, such as a person's prayer closet, do tongues have to be interpreted? For possible insight, look again at Romans 8:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 14:2,4.

3. Is it ever in order for God to disrupt a service? For possible insight, look at Acts 10:44, Luke 1:8-11; Exodus 40:34-35; 2 Chronicles 5:13-14.

4. When is it proper for a church leader to quiet a person who prophesies or speaks in a tongue in a public church setting (1 Corinthians 14:28, 30-33, 39-40)?

5. How does the gift of speaking in different kinds of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10c, 28c) differ from the enabling to speak in an unknown tongue as a visible witness of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4, 8:17-18, 10:46, 19:6)? Does the gift of interpretation go with one and not the other?

6. Can the church body be edified by a message in tongues? Can a prophecy come through a message in tongues (look closely at 1 Corinthians 14:6 and 14:26)?

7. What do you think the Apostle Paul would say to those who neither spoke in tongues nor prophesied? For possible insight, look at 1 Corinthians 14:5a. NOTE: This is a purely rhetorical question meant to underscore the Apostle Paul's sentiments.

8. What is the central theme of 1 Corinthians 13? Does it have more to do with Christian life and ministry or tongues and prophecies?

9. Did the Apostle Paul pray in the Spirit in tongues unknown to him, without interpretation (look at 1 Corinthians 14, Romans 8:23-27)?

10. In 1 Corinthians 13, what does the phrase "but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears" mean? Does this perfection relate to the themes in Hebrews 5:8-9, Hebrews 7:11-28, 1 John 4:7-21, and Revelation 22:3-7? Does it have anything to with the perfection of Scripture?

Study 3 :: Tongues of Fire

2006-06-13T11:17:00.000-10:00

focusing on the promised fulfilled and how it transformed the church. How the power of the Holy Spirit continues to be fulfilled and how it continues to transform

Introduction:

One can only wonder about the mindset of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. Just ten days earlier, they had seen their last glimpse of their master as He disappeared from view in the clouds. They must have savored every moment with Him up to his ascension. They must have also had fresh memories in mind, but they also had something to look forward to, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In His last instructions, Jesus said "do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then just before His feet lifted from the ground, He told them, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:4-5,8).

Now on the Day of Pentecost, we find the disciples waiting after more than a week of constant prayer (Acts 1:14). One can only wonder if they knew how the promised gift would come. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" (Acts 2:2-3). Then in an instant, the tongues they used everyday to talk to God and man were transformed into powerful witnesses to "Jerusalem, to Judea, and to the ends of the earth."

The transformation went beyond the outer manifestation of speaking in tongues. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit transformed the once huddled disciples, like their tongues, into powerful witnesses. Conversions, signs and wonders en masse would follow. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they would face any crowd and any circumstance ordained by God for them to face. Together these Spirit-empowered exploits would be chronicled as the Acts of the Apostles.

Not only did the Baptism change the disciples' witness, it marked the redemption of Gentiles and the dawn of the present Church Age. The Baptism and its physical manifestations meant that Gentile faith could not be questioned (Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; 11:15-18; 15:7-8). Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Church was born. Even after her birthday on the day of Pentecost, the church continues to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. For instance, all who are enabled to speak in tongues today testify to a marked empowerment in witnessing, acuity to Scripture and a more passionate walk with the Lord. Are these testimonies any wonder, for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit came to empower our witness, reveal truth, and intercede for us with groans that words cannot express (Acts 1:8; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 2 Peter 1:3-10, and Romans 8:26)? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a promise to all believers, for there is no favoritism with God and His promises are "yes" and "amen" (Acts 10:34-35 and 1 Corinthians 1:20). Those who wait upon the LORD just as their spiritual ancestors can and will experience a personal Day of Pentecost.

Handout: (1) Questions to Think About (2) The Patterns of Christ and Christians

Verse for the week:

"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)

Questions to Think About

1. Are baptisms a form of birth? Is salvation a birth by blood? Is water baptism a birth by water? Is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit a birth by the Spirit? For a possible answer, look at John 3:5-6 and 1 John 5:6-8.

2. Can it be said that the Church was born by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost?

3. Is a person given a new birth by salvation? What about through water baptism and baptism by the Holy Spirit? Which of the three if any is most important. For a possible answer, look at this question in terms of prerequisites.

4. What role does prayer play in receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? For a possible answer, look at Luke 3:21-22, Acts 1:14, and Acts 2:1.

5. Is it Scriptural to teach a believer "how" to speak in tongues? For possible insight, look at Acts 8:9-22.

6. Why does Jesus attribute the promise of the Holy Spirit to His father (Acts 1:4)? It is well known among Jews that the Day of Pentecost is a day to commemorate the giving of the covenant of Moses. Is the father's promise of the Holy Spirit a covenantal promise (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:16-18 and Numbers 23:19)?

7. Jesus often forgave and healed interchangeably; are these separate experiences (Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26 and Luke 7:48-50)? Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts occurred at times separately (Acts 19:1-3) and times simultaneously (Acts 10:43-44), are these separate experiences?

8. If it is true that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from salvation in Scripture can a truth such as this change (James 1:17)?

Study 2 :: The Promised Baptism

2006-06-13T11:12:00.000-10:00

following the prophetic finger pointing specifically to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Introduction:

John the Baptist was not only the first person to speak of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, he was also the first person to seek it. How could this be? For Scripture records that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth (Luke 1:15). The answer lay in the role of Jesus as Baptist and in the uniqueness of this baptism, one custom fit for a supernatural kingdom. John knew the role of Jesus as Baptist as he told his disciples "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matt 3:11).

When Jesus came to John to be baptized in water, John tried to deter Him saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matt 3:13). It was not John's turn to be baptized; it was the LORD's. What happened next, as the gospels record, was a baptism whose meaning went well beyond an immersion in water. John the Baptist gave the following testimony "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit'" (John 1:32-33). In this one testimony, John not only reiterates Jesus' role as Baptist, but he mentions that the Spirit remained, a powerful illustration of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

After His baptism, Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" and was thereupon led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted (Luke 4:1). This baptism fulfilled "all righteousness" (Matt 3:15) and thus began the Spirit-led and filled public ministry of Jesus. Jesus would later lay the same model for His believers when He instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem before proceeding to the uttermost. Scripture is clear on one point, He did not baptize on earth. It was after He ascended that He began to baptize. Believers seeking the Baptism should be comforted by His words: "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13)

Handout: (1) Questions to Think About (2) William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival

Verse for the week:

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 29:13-14a)

Questions to Think About

1. Through what/whose power did Jesus perform miracles, healings, and deliverances?

2. Through what/whose power did the disciples and apostles perform miracles, healings, and deliverances? (For questions 1-2, look at Matt 4:1, Luke 4:1, 14-15, 18-19, Luke 11:20, Luke 12:12, Acts 10:38, John 16:7-15)

3. What does it mean to "worship the Father in spirit and in truth?" (John 4:23-24)

4. Is it possible that Jesus' role as Baptist be limited to baptizing only the apostles and the early church? If not, when, would His role as Baptist end? If never, when would the Baptism in the Holy Spirit end as an experience?

Study 1 :: Elemental Charisma

2006-06-13T11:02:00.000-10:00

the significance of ceremonial washings, baptisms, anointings, sprinklings, the prophetic tongue, and human emotion throughout Scripture

Introduction:

Almost two thousand years have passed since the Holy Spirit fell on the waiting believers on one fateful day. That day was a special day as it was a feast day, the day of Pentecost (Shavuot in Hebrew). This feast not only celebrated the ending of the harvest season (which began with the Feast of Firstfruits seven weeks earlier, 50 days to be exact hence the Greek word for "fiftieth"), it commemorated the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. Time and again in Scripture, God uses special days to fulfill his promises. Scripture is also ripe with symbolism and themes that allude to these promises. The promised Baptism of the Holy Spirit is no different.

Just on the surface, one can see the significance of that day. On that day alone three thousand souls were harvested for the kingdom of God (Acts 2:41). Could it also be that on the anniversary of the law that God reached down with His hand and wrote the law on the hearts of the 120 who were gathered in the Upper Room (as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-33)? Could it be that on that day God the Son, as Baptist, reached down and anointed those believers as priests in a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God, just as the Father had done to the nation of Israel in Exodus 19:6?

The significance of this feast day is just one of many elements that point, in a thematic way, to the promised Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This study will attempt to show several elements in Scripture that point to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, hence the name "Elemental Charisma." By doing so, it is hoped that the participant will see an unchanging nature and purpose for the promised baptism. The Apostle James said it best "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

Handout: (1) Questions to Think About (2) Mount Sinai and Mount Zion

Verse for the week:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

Questions to Think About

1. Does the Baptism of the Holy Spirit occur at a definite point of space and time? Does Salvation?

2. Is it possible to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation? For a possible answer look at Acts 10 and 19.

3. Why does it sometimes take a long time to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it like other miracles and answers to prayers? If it is a miracle, how then does it differ from the miracle of salvation?

4. If Jesus is the Baptist in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, what does this say about its importance to the believer?

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

2006-06-13T10:52:00.000-10:00

A Study for Those Seeking the Face of God

Introduction to the Bible Study:

In Acts 19, we find the apostle Paul in Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." His question was not whether they believed in the person of the Holy Spirit. Rather, he was asking them whether they had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The evidence for this is quite clear in the next verse when he responds by asking them "then what baptism did you receive?" After finding out that these men were not even baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus, Paul had to start from square one and lead these disciples to the point where they could receive.

These disciples were about to experience one of the most awesome miracles a Christian could ever experience after salvation. They were about to be baptized, not by human hands but by the hand of the LORD Himself and not in water but in the Holy Spirit. Paul's question is still valid today for all believers-"did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

This study is meant to provoke a God-ordained stirring in the heart of those that participate. It is further meant to provide a deeper understanding of this blessed experience-one that it is not an isolated event but whose themes run throughout Scripture-an experience that is very much alive today. Most importantly this study is intended to glorify the LORD Jesus Christ and to encourage the seeker to not seek so much after the experience but to seek the face of He who baptizes. For it is at this point that a believer, much like the disciples of Paul's time, can indeed receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Handout: Hungry? Spiritual Food for Today's Student"

Verse for the week:

"My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8)

Outline:

STUDY 1
Elemental Charisma: Understanding the significance of ceremonial washings, baptisms, anointings, sprinklings, the prophetic tongue, and human emotion throughout Scripture.

"Taking the weirdness out of the Baptism"

STUDY 2
The Promised Baptism: Following the prophetic finger pointing specifically to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

"It was not meant to be a footnote in Christian History"

STUDY 3
Tongues of Fire: Focusing on the promised fulfilled and how it transformed the church. How the power of the Holy Spirit continues to be fulfilled and how it continues to transform.

"Once you get it, you will never be the same"

STUDY 4
The Manifest Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit apart from the initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

"You mean to tell me there's more?"

STUDY 5
Seeking the Giver, Knowing His voice: Dedicating to the LORD a time for seeking His face, following His leading, and knowing His voice.

"Ok God, your turn now"

About the Study: We launched the above study in January 2004 in our home in Monterey, California. Within a couple weeks, we moved the study to Monterey Assembly of God. After the study's end, we posted the above articles on our Light the Fire ministry site sometime in mid-March. There they have remained until now. On Sunday, May 07, 2006, we launched this Pneuma Blog to combine all of our Biblical studies and research into one site and into a single project - Jesus the Baptist :: The Covenant Act of Pentecost. We hope this study lights a fire in the hearts of people everywhere. We hope that it also sheds new light on a subject so important yet unfortunately so controversial. We further believe that the views presented throughout the overall project do not take away from other established and traditional Pentecostal teachings about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, we believe they provide further insight to what Pentecostals all over the world already believe and experience.

Jesus the Baptist Concept Art

2006-06-04T21:36:00.000-10:00

Above is our prototype cover artwork. Many thanks to Mr. Luis Macario of Macario Designs for helping us with this conception and for my father for the use of his hand. The design features a hand lighting seven tongues of fire on a lampstand (menorah). In the final version, the tongues will appear in the seven visible colors of the rainbow. This design encapsulates the central ideas of this study:

Jesus is the Baptist
the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is covenantal
the tongues of fire are lasting signs just as seen in the lasting sign of the rainbow
Recurring themes involving covenantal types in Scripture
the 7 Manifestations and 7 Thunders of the Holy Spirit (seven flames)
we the church are the lampstand

Happy Birthday to the Assemblies of the Living God!

Danny "dj" Morales

The Unifying Theory of Baptisms

2006-06-04T14:06:00.000-10:00

One fateful night, a leading member of the ruling council, one of Israel's greatest teachers, received a one-on-one Bible study from Jesus. Although Jesus spoke in clear terms about being born again, his insights puzzled one of the greatest minds of his time. Nicodemus may have been Israel's teacher, but the Lord revealed deep truths that even he could not understand.

What were these deep truths? These truths form the very heart of why Jesus was sent to the earth and what occurs to everyone who believes in His name. The heart of his mission on earth was to save. One need only look to the name of Lord to see this truth at its surface. The Lord's very name means "salvation" for He came to "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). If one understands why Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross and accepts this truth wholeheartedly, it is sufficient to save this person from eternal separation from God.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18)

What about being born again? What does this have to do with the Lord's mission and the Christian experience? The short answer is "everything" - Jesus was born so that we could be reborn. The long answer, however, may reveal that what Jesus taught in a few moments about the new birth may actually hold more truths than is readily apparent. In fact, it may hold a universe of truths.

In his remarks to Nicodemus, Jesus almost invites curiosity to the hidden truths in God's word that go well beyond the teachings of the day. To use a modern analogy, it could be that Jesus was drawing the equation e=mc² on a chalk board, briefly mentioning the theory of relativity and then leaving Nicodemus and the world to discover all its implications. Scientists are still solving more mysteries of the universe through Einstein's simple expression of relativity.

Was Jesus only talking about salvation when He was talking about being born again? Or, was He also making hidden references to other birth experiences for Christians?

I firmly believe that He indeed was speaking about other birth experiences. We have come to know these birth experiences as "baptisms," a fact I will explain further below.

Nicodemus for his part could not conceive the deep truths Jesus was attempting to convey. He could not understand what the new birth was about and neither could he see a precedent in Scripture. In reply to his ignorance, Jesus said "you are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?"

As far as being "born of water," I do believe that it speaks to the natural birth process. This has been a traditional interpretation. However, I believe that this interpretation is just the tip of the iceberg and that Jesus was also speaking about a much deeper truth than birth from the natural and watery womb.

I believe the same can be said about the being "born of the spirit" and the traditional interpretation of how it relates to salvation. All the mainstay interpretations are 100% true, but I believe that the truth of the Lord's words go much deeper into related truths that do not conflict with these traditionally-held interpretations.

I believe that the deeper truth of this passage was that the Lord was referring to new birth experiences in water and in the Holy Spirit. I further believe that new birth experiences and baptisms are inter-related concepts. Being born again involves a baptism and baptism is a type of new birth experience.

Furthermore, I believe that these baptisms and birth experiences are connected to the Day of Atonement and actually coalesce under its central act of atonement. This act is a baptism in and of itself as it literally means "to cover over." I believe that this unified baptism is what Paul was talking about in Ephesians 4:4-6 when he said:

"There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all"

What unifies these new birth experiences, baptisms, "clothings" and "coverings" are the three elements of blood, water, and Spirit. This unity is manifest in the supernatural Body of Christ just as it is the manifest in His natural Body:

"this is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." (1 John 5:6-8)

According to this line of thought, three main baptisms, new births, "clothings" or "coverings" are unified in the Atonement by way of blood, water, and Spirit:

1. Baptism in the Blood of Jesus (Salvation)

2. Baptism in Water

3. Baptism in the Holy Spirit

All three are separate and distinct with their respective everlasting sign:

1. The Blood of the Covenant²

2. Water (represents tomb and womb)

3. The Unknown Tongue

The three baptisms are unified and at the same time separate. Salvation is separate from water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism, but is intimately related to them and is in fact a pre-requisite to them. The complexity in unity and diversity between the baptisms approaches that of the Holy Trinity. Just like there are three persons and one God, there a three baptisms and one great Atonement, which is itself a type of baptism.

As a result of seeing this inter-relationship repeated throughout Scripture³ and as a result of much prayer on the subject, I offer the following "Unifying Theory of Baptisms:"

The baptisms of blood, water, and Spirit are separate and distinct birth experiences that are unified under one baptism, the Atonement

This theory can be best tested using Scriptural truths concerning the Christian experience.

When a person is saved, they are reborn by the cleansing blood of Jesus. They are also reborn as if from a watery womb as a new creation. Lastly, they are reborn of the Spirit as an adopted child.

Similarly, when a person is baptized in water, they are clothed in the blood of Jesus. They are clothed in water by immersion (the meaning of "baptism"). Lastly, they are symbolically clothed in the Spirit.

When the Lord baptizes a person in the Holy Spirit, they are baptized by Jesus the Baptist, who is the blood embodied. They are baptized in the water of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). Lastly, they are baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit.

This theory also holds true when you look at circumstantial and direct evidence from Scriptural accounts and witnesses. The following are just a few examples⁴: 1. The three-fold regeneration of the earth, 2. The life of Jesus, 3. The Lord's baptism in water, 4. The covenantal rainbow, 5. The several instances of mixing of water, blood and spirit, 6. The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord, 7. The account of the Exodus, and 8. The Pilgrimage Feasts of Israel.

At present, the earth has undergone two regenerative baptisms, by water in the Great Flood and by blood at Calvary. It is awaiting a third one by fire (a Spirit-baptized regeneration) at the end of time. All three elements flow and pour (Deut 12:16, 24, 15:23; Psalm 79:3; Joel 2:28-29; John 3:8) and wash away uncleanliness (Numbers 19; Isaiah 4:4; 1 Cor 6:11; Titus 3:5; Rev 7:15). When it is all said and done, one planet will have been baptized (atoned) three separate times: by water, blood, and fire.

The life of Jesus provides an illustration of the Unifying Theory. He was first conceived by the Spirit of God, carried in a watery womb, and then delivered in blood, as is the case with all babies. At the launching of His ministry at the River Jordan (see next paragraph), all three elements of blood, water, and Spirit were yet again present. Three years later, he washed the disciples feet in water (water), gave them the covenant act of communion (with blood as its lasting sign), and later breathed on them the Holy Spirit (Spirit). Before His crucifixion, His disciples baptized believers in water in His presence (John 4:2). Then at His crucifixion, He baptized His disciples, and the world, in His blood. Finally, after His ascension, He fulfilled His role as Baptist, and baptized His disciples in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the singular life of Jesus unified three baptisms in blood, water, and Spirit.

Looking at the baptismal account of Jesus in particular one can see not only the Holy Trinity but the three elements in operation in a baptism. You have the water in the form of the Jordan. You have the blood in the form of the Son of God and lastly you have the Spirit in the form of the dove. Also of note is the voice from heaven. In the three Gospel accounts of an audible voice from heaven, the three elements once again appear. In the Transfiguration, you have the Son of God and a bright cloud combining both light (Spirit) and water. In the third account found in John 12:28-30, you have the Son and the sound of thunder mentioned, which is caused again by a complex interaction of light and water. Thus, within the baptismal account, Transfiguration, and prediction of the Lord's death you have the three elements of a unified baptism: blood, water, and Spirit.

The covenantal rainbow, whose meaning goes much deeper than the present discussion⁵, also points to a three-fold baptism. To have a rainbow you need three elements: water, light and perspective. Perspective in that you need to have a film of water in front of you and a bright source of light behind you. A human, the blood in this case, has to be between the elements of water and light in order to see the rainbow. Thus, three elements are unified in a singular multicolored phenomenon that covers (atones) the earth: blood, water, and Spirit (here in the form of light)⁶.

The many instances of water mixing with blood and spirit, actual and thematic, provide other witnesses for the Unifying Theory. One of the most spectacular of these is the third and ultimate sign that God gave Moses to convince the Hebrew captives that he had been sent by God to deliver them (Exodus 4:9). In this one event meant to be the ultimate sign of God's commission to Moses, the servant of the Lord "baptized" the ground by turning water into blood by the power of the Holy Spirit. Another almost identical miracle took place in the New Testament. It was the first miracle of Jesus, where He turned water into wine (later symbolic of His blood). In His first miracle, Jesus "baptized" the wedding guests by turning water into wine by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John concludes the account by saying "He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him" (John 2:11b). Returning to the Old Testament, we find another witness in Ezekiel 16:8-10, where God speaks of His atonement covering in baptismal terms using water, blood, and ointments (symbolic of the Holy Spirit). Lastly, skipping ahead to the New Testament, we find more witnesses of all three elements mixing at the Lord's "baptism" at the cross. The Apostle John records in verses 30-34 of his gospel that Jesus first gave up His spirit and then was pierced "bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." This passage perhaps provides the clearest connection between the Atonement, the three elements, the Covenant of Sinai given on the Day of Pentecost, and baptism. To see this connection compare the Lord's own prophetic words about His death, the words of the Apostle John about the actual event, and the Apostle Paul's discourse on how this event ultimately fulfilled the Day of Atonement and the Covenant at Sinai:

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!" (Luke 12:29-30)
"Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." (John 19:28-34)

"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:11-12)
"This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, 'This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.' In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:18-22)

Thus, the changing of water into blood (or wine) or its mixing in Scripture is a work of the Spirit that atones whatever it comes in contact with, whether externally or internally.

The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord also provide evidence that point to a three-part and unified baptism. As mentioned above, the Lord's sacrifice at the cross was clearly a baptism of blood. Later, His burial was a prototypical baptism in water. Finally, His resurrection, performed by the power of the Holy Spirit, could be seen as a prototypical baptism in the Holy Spirit because the Spirit covered Him in glory. These three separate and distinct events, which form the basis for the Christian faith, are unified by the Baptism (Atonement) endured by the Lord: one Baptism in three parts over a span of exactly three days.

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:2-5)

When one looks at the account of the Exodus, the concept of three separate baptisms unified in one atonement experience becomes clear. During the Passover, the blood of lambs was to cover, atone, or baptize the entire nation of Israel (Exodus 12:1-13). After this, when this same nation passed through the waters of the Red Sea (note the "red"), they were baptized in water by the cloud and in the sea (Exodus 14; 1 Cor 10:2). Lastly, the entire nation was again baptized this time by the fire of the Holy Spirit at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). The fact that underscores that this event was indeed a baptism of the Spirit is that it took place on the Day of Pentecost, a fact which is commemorated by Jews everywhere but is relatively lost to much of Christianity. Thus, three separate baptisms were unified into one epic account by blood, water, and Spirit⁷.

Lastly, the pilgrimage Feasts of the Jewish calendar provide an eighth witness to the Unifying Theory. There are exactly three such feasts: The Triune Feast that unifies Passover (Pesach and Unleavened Bread) and Firstfruits (Bikkurim), the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), and the Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot). These three feasts are set apart from the others first, because they are the only ones that require pilgrimage and second, because they are considered the Moadim Feasts by Jews, that is, the three feasts where people (other than the High Priest) would have personal encounters with God:

"Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you." (Deuteronomy 16:15-17)

As mentioned above, the Pilgrimage Feasts of Passover and Pentecost are clear symbols of baptism (atonement) by blood and spirit, respectively. However, as we shall soon see all three Pilgrimage Feasts have all three elements of blood, water, and Spirit within them.

In order to see this in Passover, one has to combine Pesach and Unleavened Bread with Firstfruits. Once unified, they confirm the Unifying Theory in that they point to the baptism by blood at the Cross, the prototypical baptism in water in the Grave (the Sign of Jonah), and the prototypical baptism by the Spirit at the Resurrection as discussed above. All three Feasts, three New Testament events, and three baptisms occurred over the same span of three days. At the same time, all three made a singular Rebirth and Atonement possible for humankind. Thus, the combined Feasts of Pesach, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits are a simultaneous tri-unity and singularity.

The Pilgrimage Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, provides another confirmation of the Unifying Theory. For a full week, Jewish families were required to live in booths. Amazingly, the Rabbis viewed these booths as not only symbolic of the tabernacles in the wilderness but also the "clouds of glory" which the Lord spread over the nation of Israel during the Exodus and wilderness experience (BT Sukkah 11:B; Rashi). As such, these booths could be seen as clouds of baptism (see A Baptism in the Clouds). Another key practice during Sukkot was the highly celebrated Nisuch HaMayim or "Pouring of the Water" upon the outer altar. This altar was always kept burning (Leviticus 6:12) and provided the coals used for the inner Altar of Incense. The water used in the Nisuch HaMayim was no ordinary water, but that drawn from the Spring of Shiloah, the very source of Jerusalem's water supply that flowed from Mount Moriah⁸. The drawing of this water was done using a special golden flask and in the public eye with much fanfare so that the words of Isaiah were fulfilled:

"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." (Isaiah 12:3)

Once inside the Inner Court, the priest would take this flask of water along with a flask of the finest wine, both considered unadulterated, and pour them into twin silver receiving cups mounted on each end of the Altar. The actual pouring technique was complicated yet most telling because the priest had to pour both water and wine simultaneously and at the same rate! This libation was undertaken in the midst of coals simultaneously burning in the Altar as well. Thus, the most visible and celebrated event at Sukkot was a unified baptism of water, blood (here in the form of wine), and Spirit (here in the form of burning coals) that atoned or covered the Altar.

The third Pilgrimage Feast of Pentecost is yet another representation of baptism mostly of the Spirit, but also of blood and water. As mentioned throughout Jesus the Baptist, the Lord of Hosts baptized Mount Sinai and the entire nation of Israel with fire on the Day of Pentecost. Furthermore, Pentecost was the day that nation was born. It was a day of national revelation and origin.

"Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, 'This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.'" (Exodus 19:3-6)

It was a national baptism, revelation, and birth not only of fire, but also of blood and water:

"When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people." (Hebrews 9:19)

As we have seen, the Pilgrimage Feasts had one dominant baptismal (atonement) element associated with them: Passover (blood), Sukkot (water), and Shavuot (Spirit). At the same time, each feast was a tri-unity of the three elements. Thus, the Pilgrimage Feasts provide a dramatic illustration of the Unifying Theory in their simultaneous singularity and tri-unity⁹.

In Jesus the Baptist, I have attempted to consolidate a few of the countless references that confirm that baptisms, atonements and new birth experiences are synonymous concepts. We can see this in the great Covenant acts. We can see it in the Day of Atonement. We can see it again in prophetic atonement types such as Elijah's sacrifice on Mount Carmel, the multi-colored ephod, the multi-colored robe of Joseph and so many others. One of the greatest evidences is the Church, the supernatural Body of Christ and Nation belonging to God who was born and revealed through a Baptism on the Day of Pentecost!

Another fascinating inter-relationship between these truths is that all of them require a death of sorts to be put into effect. Each new birth requires a death of the old. This demands a study all its own. My emphasis in this article is to express a unity between the concepts of baptism, new birth, blood, water, Spirit, and the Atonement.

When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, I believe He was pointing both to the past and to future concepts of rebirth and baptism. The very blood of God in the form of Jesus stood before Nicodemus and spoke of being born again in water and in the spirit. He spoke of His own blood being poured out in a offering for the world (John 3:16).

This study is the fruit of much meditation, study, and prayer that has spanned over two years. Many times, the Lord would bring truths to light in His word. At other times, He would put something in my heart throughout the day and I would write them down and ponder them in my heart. I have relied almost entirely on the Word of God with little research of other works. This is why I do not extensively cite other publications throughout Jesus the Baptist.

I will mention one interesting fact that I discovered outside the Bible that further confirms the theory. It is a historical fact that the early church unified the concepts of Salvation, Baptism in Water, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit through their practice of baptizing newly saved believers in water (often wearing white robes) on Easter and Pentecost¹⁰. Of course, one does not have to go outside Scripture to see that the early church unified, and at the same time distinguished, salvation, baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 8:15-16; 10:47).

What all did Jesus mean when He told Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit?" The Unifying Theory of Baptisms may provide insight into the "heavenly things" that Jesus was talking about. At the moment, it is just a theory. One thing is for sure, one day we shall see the greatest Rabbi face to face and sit under His teaching just like Nicodemus!

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Cor 13:12)

1. The Hebrew word for Day of Atonement is Yom Hakippurim, which is literally translated "Day of Atonements." On this day of atonements, according to rabbinical regulations, the High Priest pronounced the all-encompassing Name of the Lord three times and entered the Holy of Holies three times, once for each confession of sin over the sacrifices. Each time he pronounced the Name of the Lord, the people prostrated themselves before the Lord. Synthesizing the Trinitarian pronouncements and confessions, as well as the theory that baptisms are atonements gives added insight into the following Scriptures:

"because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins." (Leviticus 16:30)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

2. The lasting sign of salvation is the blood (and body its cup) of the Lord. This is why we celebrate Communion. Taking communion is a covenantal act just as baptism in water and the Lord's baptism in the Holy Spirit are also covenantal acts. In this way, blood joins water and the unknown tongue as a lasting sign of a separate and distinct, yet unified, baptism from baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

3. These are but a few of the many Scriptures aside from those cited above that support this theory:

Exodus 12:12-13:
"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."
Matthew 3:16-17:
"as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
Luke 22:20:
"In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'"
Acts 1:16:
"because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."
Acts 2:32:
"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear."
Acts 10:45:
"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles."
Acts 10:47:
"then Peter said, 'Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.'"
Acts 22:16:
"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."
Romans 3:25a:
"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood."
Romans 4:11:
"and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them"
1 Corinthians 12:13:
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
Galatians 3:26-28:
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 6:1-3:
"Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so."
Hebrews 9:18
"This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood."
Hebrews 13:20:
"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,"
1 Peter 3:21:
"and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"
1 Peter 1:1-2:
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance."
Revelation 19:11-13:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God."

4. Scripture is replete with prototypical baptisms involving blood, water, and spirit. Some are more apparent than others such as those listed above. Others are more difficult to discern and connect. One example is prototypical baptisms that involved wooden or wood-like objects. Such objects included:

Wood used in burnt offerings (e.g. the sacrifices of Abel, Abraham, and Elijah)
Ark of Noah
Thicket which caught the ram in Abraham's test
"Ark" of Baby Moses
Ark of the Covenant
Burning Bush
Rod of Moses
Three-sided thresholds of Passover
Wood used to make the water potable at Marah
Burning coals
Cedar wood used in the water of cleansing
Stalks of hyssop in the Old and New Testament
"Ark" of Baby Jesus
Spear that pierced the side of Jesus
Cross of Jesus

All the above objects were a part of accounts involving prototypical baptisms of blood, water, and Spirit. First, the accounts involved representations of blood such as sacrifices, manifestations of the Son of God (e.g. the Angel of the Lord), or physical body parts (e.g. lips and mouths). Second, the accounts involved representations of water such as bodies of water, flows of water, washings, clouds of smoke (e.g. burnt offerings) or allusions to the Great Flood. Lastly, the accounts involved supernatural works of the Spirit such as the voice of God, fire, salvation, cleansing, conception, transformation, or the cloud of glory.

5. In a rainbow, one can see a sign of a blood covering, a sign of circumcision (around the world), a sign of Spirit baptism (similar to the tongues of fire), and a sign of the new birth (its origin was after the flood). One can also see the Great Atonement that covers the whole earth. Furthermore, one can see a multi-colored symbol in the Lord's Baptism of the Holy Spirit. As mentioned before, I believe that the inter-relationships between these concepts and the mystery of it all approaches the unity we see in the Holy Trinity, for all three persons are represented in each! One little known fact about the rainbow is that within one rainbow are many supernumerary rainbows. The rainbow is a universe all its own with dimensions that truly go beyond human comprehension.

6. Moreover, when God instituted the everlasting covenantal sign of the rainbow, He was foreshadowing the blood of the covenant that would be poured out over the whole earth. He was also foreshadowing the day that His Spirit would also be poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17). In this sense, when people look at a rainbow they are actually seeing three promises in one: the promise of no future flood by water, the promise of salvation in the atoning blood of the great Passover Lamb, and the promise of the Father in the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In a rainbow are the signs of a blood atonement and spirit atonement, both of which are baptisms. Indeed the air in front of you has to have a water baptism of sorts in the form of a watery film in order for you to even perceive the rainbow. When you look at a rainbow you are in fact seeing a circumcision of water and light (a blood covenant) as well as a tongue of multi-colored fire resting above the head of the earth (a spirit covenant).

7. In New Testament language, this means salvation by the blood comes before baptism by water which comes (typically) before baptism in the Spirit. All three can happen at the same time, because they are unified, but they typically happen separately, which proves they are distinct.

8. The inclusion of the Pilgrimage Feasts was another development in the progressive revelation of the Lord from His word. While studying God's Word concerning "streams of living water" on the week of November 5th 2006, I wondered if there was a compliment Feast to Passover and Pentecost that prominently featured water. Such a feast would complete the theme of triune baptism, because Passover and Pentecost already prominently featured blood and Spirit respectively. Just as with Pentecost on the night of February 18th 2004, the Lord opened my eyes to the Feast of Succot. Somehow I knew this feast had something to do with water. The Lord did not disappoint and soon I was inundated with references to water. Praise the Lord for His Spirit who still guides us in all truth! For more information on the significance of water and Sukkot, please visit the following articles:
"The Water Libation: Water on Sukkot." chabad.org. 2006. <http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template.asp?AID=4492>.
"The Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles)." The Temple Institute. 2006. <http://www.templeinstitute.org/sukkot.htm>.

9. This discussion is only a brief treatment, the proverbial "tip of the iceberg," concerning the Unifying Theory of Baptisms as illustrated by the appointed Feasts of Israel. There exists much more to be discussed and discovered within the totality of the Jewish Calendar and Temple Worship, and of course Scripture, to confirm the Theory. For instance, the outer altar had three separate and distinct fires burning within it: 1. the fire for the burnt offerings (Exodus 40:29), 2. the fire for the coals of the Altar of Incense (Leviticus 16:12), and 3. the fire that burnt continuously (Leviticus 6:12). Another fascinating confirmation of the Unifying Theory is that all Three Pilgrimage Feasts, with their triune baptisms, point to the greatest Day of Baptism, the Day of Atonement. This day was the focal point of all days, the day in which all three Pilgrimage Feasts became one. Every aspect of the three Pilgrimage Feasts can be found and is unified within this most holiest of days (please see Note 1 above and The Synthesis of Atonement for more on this tri-unification). As an aside to this discussion of Jewish Festival practices, it is my sincere hope that as the Measure of Gentiles reaches its completion, the Last Day's Church will return to the model of the Early Church. Aside from returning to the Early Church's manifest power in the Holy Spirit, we can also return to speaking more and more in terms that Jews can understand as was the case in the Early Church. In this way, we will be a John the Baptist for our Jewish brothers and sisters who will soon take off where leave behind. We can set the stage for their full redemption and their return to God's center stage. We can leave a legacy and prepare the way for Messiah!

10. "Pentecost." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 2 July 2006 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9059122>.

The Covenant Act of Pentecost

2006-06-03T23:22:00.000-10:00

The Covenant Act of Pentecost

Today is the Day of Pentecost. As we celebrate this day, let us take heart in knowing that we not only celebrate the power of Pentecost, we are also commemorating a day of covenant. Pentecost as a covenantal day is a fact unknown to many Christians. However to Jews, the Day of Pentecost marks an important anniversary, for on this day the Covenant of Moses was made at Mount Sinai. Amazingly what transpired on that mountain and on other days of covenant in Scripture has much to do with the Pentecostal experience and its power.

The Covenant of Noah

Looking back to Genesis, the first well-known covenantal day was when God established a covenant with Noah, his family, and pairs of clean and unclean animals. An important point to keep in mind is that the first part of this covenant was a work of grace in a progressive setting apart and salvation of Noah’s family and the animals. These works occurred as the ark was being built, as the animals journeyed to it, and when its only door was suddenly shut to withstand the impending flood.

When the promised flood waters finally came, they did so in what the Apostle Peter termed a “baptism” (1 Peter 3:21). In this baptism, “all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened and rain fell on the earth” (Genesis 7:11b-12a, NIV). After the great flood, God bestowed a second work of grace in a covenant. For this covenant, God chose the rainbow as an everlasting sign. From that day onward, “all generations to come” could witness the physical evidence of God’s promise in the form of a multi-colored sign floating overhead (Genesis 9:12).

The Remnants of Noah's Ark on Solomon's Throne

The Covenant of Abram

Moving on, we come to the pact between God and Abraham. As in the account of Noah, God’s first work of grace was to set apart and save a chosen people. We see God’s progressive sanctification when He called Abraham, his wife, and “the people he had acquired” to a journey out of their known world (Genesis 12:5). A little later, we see God’s definitive salvation when He delivers Abraham from all his enemies.

When Abraham’s day of covenant finally came, God first showed him the countless starry hosts singing in the heavens. He then displayed two more signs of fire and light (Genesis 15:5, 17). God later confirmed His covenant with another visible sign, this time not resting over the heads of men but manifesting in their flesh (Genesis 17:13). The covenant of Abraham, with its fiery signs and its continuing sign in the flesh was to be a promise “for the generations to come,” a promise extended even to those not of Abraham’s seed (Genesis 17:12).

The Oak of Mamre where God appeared to Abraham
(photo circa 1877)

The Covenant of Moses

Now to the last Old Testament covenant, which took place at Sinai. Here again we see works of salvation and sanctification prior to a powerful covenantal experience. First, the Lord saved each household that had been sanctified by the blood of a lamb (Exodus 12:13). Then, He “baptized” the Children of Israel in the waters of the “cloud and in the sea” saving His children and at the same time setting them apart from their enemies (Exodus 14:29-30, 1 Corinthians 10:2).

It was not until fifty days after their initial salvation and sanctification that they experienced their covenantal day with God. What they experienced can only be described as a “baptism with fire,” as God’s power descended upon the mountain¹ (Exodus 19:18). Interestingly, when God spoke to the mixed multitude, He did so in a way that is missed in the English translation. In the original Hebrew, it literally says that the people saw “voices” and “torches” coming from the trembling mountain (Exodus 20:18a). That day, God again chose demonstrable and continuing signs to distinguish His covenant and His chosen people for the “generations to come” (Exodus 31:16, NIV). The Sabbath and the signs mentioned in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 are still practiced every day and week by devout Jews as continuing signs of the covenant made at Sinai.

The Charred Mountain of Sinai in Arabia

We have seen that the covenants all followed a distinct pattern: salvation combined with progressive sanctification as a first work of grace and then a powerful covenantal experience with demonstrable signs as a second and distinct work. But what do these experiences have to do with the Pentecostal experience? The answer is “everything!”

As partakers of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we have witnessed the deep springs of souls burst forth. We have also seen the floodgates of heaven open as the Lord pours out living water on flesh. As a group, Pentecostals are known for their vibrant praise much like that of the hosts of heaven ablaze in fire. Speaking of fire, what about tongues? Something like tongues of fire must have been seen and heard by the mixed multitude at Sinai, much like those witnessed by an equally mixed multitude in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (the only Jewish feast determined by counting off Sabbaths). Are tongues the physical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? The answer is a resounding “yes!” not only because of the three Scriptural witnesses in Acts (Chapters 2, 10, 19), but also because of three covenantal witnesses of the Old Testament. Everything points to tongues being the continuing, multi-colored, fiery, visible, voiced, and demonstrable signs in the flesh that relate to Pentecost. It is no wonder then that the disciples had nothing further to say when they heard that the Gentiles had spoken in tongues. Tongues, and not the spectacular experiences of Peter or Cornelius, were the chief reasons that argued for the inclusion of a mixed multitude of “unclean” Gentiles (not of Abraham’s seed) into the new covenant. It is also no wonder that Simon, a profiteer of visible signs and wonders, wanted to buy the free gift of the Holy Spirit with its demonstrable sign and wonder. The Apostle Paul not only cherished his speaking in tongues but even identified them as a “sign” (1 Corinthians 14:18, 22). Taken together, these experiences show that the ways of the Lord have not changed since Genesis.

Indeed the Pentecostal experience is worthy of much celebration because it is covenantal in nature, endurance, and power. The power of Pentecost is available today, because Jesus is the Baptist and mediator of the new covenant. This power is for “you and your children,” because he is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Acts 2:39, Hebrews 13:8, NIV). It is the power to change lives, to change unbelievers into believers, and to change the world. Let’s make it count for Him and for them; let’s make this year, and every year, a year of Living with Power.

1. American and European explorers have recently publicized to the western world their discovery of a mountain in northwestern Saudi Arabia (ancient Midian) that fits the Biblical description of Mount Sinai in exacting detail. One of the most striking features of the mountain, known as Jabal al Lawz, is its blackened summit. All evidence points to something of immense heat descending upon the head of this mountain, leaving it forever charred by fire.

About the Article

With the exception of the first sentence, the above first appeared in an article I submitted to a Pentecostal magazine in August 2004. It was never printed, first rights to print were not accepted and the article was returned to me, thus all rights are reserved by me. It is the first time it has been re-printed and it serves as the first installment on this Pneuma Blog of many more commentaries to come concerning the covenantal nature of the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Jesus as the (Chief) Baptist, and the unknown tongue as the lasting sign of this covenantal act. These commentaries are the culmination of hours of Biblical study and prayer. Some of the views expressed here may not be new and may appear in other bodies of knowledge. However, I have relied on the word of God to illuminate my mind first and then have confirmed His revealed word with other findings. To my knowledge, this is the first time that all the covenantal acts have been linked prophetically and used to prove that the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a covenantal act and that the unknown tongue is a lasting sign on par with the other lasting covenantal signs. The upcoming original commentaries will hopefully shed more light on this subject. Happy Shavuot and Azusa Street Revival Anniversary...

Light the Fire!

Danny "dj" Morales