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This article is one in a succession of hundreds of articles written over the last ten years and should be read in the context of that which has gone before.
As i am constantly seeking to grow closer to the Almighty, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, Yah the eternally self existing, my understanding is evolving. Accordingly there may be elements of my understanding as set out in this document and any other document that you obtain from us that will change with time. Please refer to my old website at www.ETIMin.org for all articles prior to this, copies of previous documents, etc or email James@ETIMin.org for information.
Words in curly brackets {} are words that are traditionally used but which i understand to be either technically inaccurate translations or misleading or meaningless religious words, some of them are blasphemous and hurtful to our Father in heaven, specifically "the LORD" -- actually "Yah the eternally self existing", "God" -- actually "the Almighty", Jesus" - actually "Yahooshua" and "Christ" actually "the anointing of the set apart Spirit of Yah", or one "anointed" by Him, or "the anointed one" referring to Yahooshua at times. The word/s before the curly brackets represent my best understanding of the technically correct terms that should be used today.
Text in square brackets [] represents elaboration of what precedes it for clarification or amplification, a particular word or phrase will be amplified or explained the first time it occurs only.
Refer to the document "The Name of Yah in Scripture" (reference 1A1..02..01..04) for a discussion on the Name of the Almighty which is "Yah" and all the references to the Name of the Almighty in the writings.
The name of the man most people know as Jesus is actually Yahooshua meaning "Yah is salvation" and occurs 218 times in the books commonly referred to as the "Old Testament" [books prior to Yahooshua, there are MANY covenants before Yahooshua so "Old Testament" is a meaningless term], most prominent of these people was the man commonly referred to as Joshua who brought Israel into the promised land.
In reading this article please keep in mind that I am human and therefore prone to error, concentrate on seeking truth and for the most part bypass any error you may find or think you find.
Father, i ask in the name of Yahooshua that if there is anything that is false or not to your liking or way of doing things in this document that you will blow it away by your Spirit and that you will prevent it from taking root in the minds of the readers and that all that is truth will take deep root and impact the reader as you purpose by your Spirit.
SUMMARY:
This article provides robust biblical evidence that "baptism" is in fact "immersion" and was prescribed in the Torah {law} by Moshe {Moses}.
It is evidenced that the Almighty and Yahooshua require us to continue to practice these ordinances as appropriate and that there are many situations in which immersion is appropriate.
Many of the things that Yahooshua {Jesus} accomplished are explained with a brief explanation of how this was accomplished.
It is evidenced that immersion as many as seven times is entirely permissible and it is suggested that triple immersion for cleansing of sin, immersion into the set apart {Holy} Spirit and immersion into the Kingdom of the Almighty is useful and desirable at certain times.
It is recommended that believers who are seeking to draw closer to Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} should practice immersion as a routine part of their life as believers, just as was appointed by Moshe {Moses} and confirmed by Yahooshua.
IMMERSION
FOR CLEANSING AND INFILLING
WITH THE SET APART SPIRIT OF YAH
Baptism?
What is it?
It was introduced by John the Baptist?
Wasn't it?
After all, the first time we read of Baptism is in Matt hew3:1-6:
"1. In those days John [Yahoochanan meaning Yah has graced] the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea [Yahoowd ], 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah [Yahoow meaning Yah has saved], saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD};
Make His paths straight.'"
4 Now Yahoochanan {John} himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Yahoowd {Judea}, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins." NKJV
Not so?
NO!
WHAT EXACTLY IS BAPTISM AND WHEN WAS IT INSTITUTED?
This is an example where doctrinally skewed translations based on the Greek text rather than the Hebrew original and either ignorant of or deliberately ignoring the Hebrew roots of faith in Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD}, the Almighty {God}, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth through the covenant [vows and promises reinforced by the slaughter of a living thing and sprinkling of its blood to signify that the promises will only be revoked by the death of the person who breaks the covenant] made by Yahooshua {Jesus}.
The words "baptise, baptist, etc" are meaningless religious words which give rise to the continuing dispute about whether baptism is a sprinkling by a priest or pastor shortly after birth or full immersion in water by a person old enough to take a conscious and informed decision about what they are doing.
Then again, you can only be baptised once, can't you?
In order to answer the questions above we need to understand where "baptism" comes from.
To start with let us consider Leviticus [Wayyiqra] 14:8 relating to a person cleansed of Leprosy "8. And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days" KJV
In the translation named "The Scriptures" we read Wayyiqra {Leviticus} 14:8. "And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his garments, and shall shave off all his hair and wash himself in water, and shall be clean. Then after that he comes into the camp, but shall stay outside his tent seven days." The Scriptures
The same verse in the Amplified reads "8. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but stay outside his tent seven days." Amplified
Notice that the Amplified says "bathe" which carries the connotation of a bath in modern terms - a tub containing water into which the person climbs in order to wash themselves.
"But this is Old Testament" [before Yahooshua] i hear you say?
Yes.
And so?
"But Yahooshua {Jesus} died to free us of all this ritual and stuff!"
Did he?
Let us consider what Yahooshua himself had to say about this:
Matthew 5:17-20, Yahooshua speaking:
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah {Law} or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Torah and Prophets {law} till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." NKJV adjusted
Interesting?
Would you like to be great in the Kingdom of Yah?
or least?
So, unless we keep EVERYTHING commanded in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy that can still be kept today we will be called LEAST in the kingdom of the Almighty!
That includes Leviticus 14:8!
Consider also Luke 16:16-17, Yahooshua speaking:
"16 "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of the Almighty {God} has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Torah and the Prophets (?) {law} to fail."" NKJV adjusted
It is EASIER for heaven and earth to FAIL than for one tittle (equivalent approximately to the dot on a lower case i) to pass away.
So, we should pay attention to Leviticus 14!
Consider also Mark 1:41-44:
"41 Then Yahooshua {Jesus}, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."" NKJV
Luke 5:13-14
"13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."" NKJV
So here we see Yahooshua directly commanding a man cleansed of leprosy to go to the priest and do "those things which Moses commanded" which includes what is set out in Leviticus 14:8!
Therefore we should seek to understand the relevance of Leviticus 14:8 and ALL of Leviticus and the other books commonly attributed to Moses and commonly referred to as the Torah.
Consider also Luke 24:44-49, Yahooshua speaking AFTER HIS RESURRECTION:
"44. Then He (Yahooshua) said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Torah {Law} of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
"46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the anointed one {Christ} to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." " NKJV
But you may say, the only reference to Yahooshua in the books of Moses is a reference to a "prophet like me (like Moses)" in Deuteronomy 18:15-19?
In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Moses speaking, we read:
"15. "Yah the eternally self existing {The LORD} your Mighty One {God} will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of Yah the eternally self existing {The LORD} your Mighty One {God} in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,'Let me not hear again the voice of Yah the eternally self existing {The LORD} my Mighty One {God} , nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.'
17 "And Yah the eternally self existing {The LORD} said to me:'What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him." NKJV
In Acts 3:17-26 we read (Peter speaking):
17 "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which the Almighty {God} foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the anointed one {Christ} would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of Yah the eternally self existing {the Lord}, 20 and that He may send Yahooshua the anointed of Yah {Jesus Christ}, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which the Almighty {God} has spoken by the mouth of all His set apart {holy} prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'Yah the eternally self existing your Mighty One {The LORD your God} will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which the Almighty {God} made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 26 To you first, the Almighty {God}, having raised up His Servant Yahooshua {Jesus}, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."" NKJV
So here we read that we are to do ALL that Yahooshua says to us and he tells us to observe ALL the Torah {Law} and Prophets down to the last jot and tittle!
Consider also Yahoochanan {John} 7:16-19:
"16 Yahooshua {Jesus} answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from the Almighty {God} or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the Torah {law}, yet none of you keeps the Torah {law}? ..."" NKJV adjusted
Again Yahooshua commands us to keep the Torah and rebukes the people of his time for NOT keeping it -- so when we read what the scribes and pharisees say we should realize that much of the time they were in ERROR and should not adopt their beliefs.
Consider also Yahoochanan {John} 5:41-47, Yahooshua speaking"
"41 "I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of the Almighty {God} in you. 43 I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only Mighty One {God}? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"" NKJV adjusted
But Moses hardly says anything about Yahooshua!
In fact, all he says is about a "prophet like me" in Deuteronomy 18:15 and yet Yahooshua seems to talk as though Moses had a lot to say about him?
And yet it is evident that the scribes and pharisees did NOT recognize that Moses had written about Yahooshua AND that AFTER his resurrection neither did those who followed him for we read above in Luke 24:45 that "... He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures"
So there would seem to be something we are missing?
What do you think?
WHAT EXACTLY DID YAHOOSHUA ACCOMPLISH AND HOW DID HE DO IT?
Exactly what most people are missing is the subject for another very detailed paper that
is planned to analyze exactly what Yahooshua DID do and what he did NOT do.
The headlines are as follows:
1. Yahooshua was created from the ovum of a virgin (Matthew [MattihYahoo
meaning gift of Yah] 1:18) by a creative miracle that is orders of magnitude LESS
complex than the miracle that created Adam from dust and Chavah {Eve} from
Adam’s rib. He is therefore a son of Adam {man}.
2. Because he has no earthly father Yahooshua is FREE of blood line curses that pass
through the MALE bloodline. It was accordingly possible for him to live a life
without sin.
3. Yahooshua was the first created being (Yahoochanan {John} 1:1-3 and others)
and worked alongside the Almighty throughout creation until his spirit was placed
in the body of the human being conceived miraculously within Miriam’s {Mary’s}
body and he therefore knew everything about history, the plan’s and
commandments of the Almighty, Satan’s methods, etc. This equipped him to do
what he was called to do AND to live without sin.
4. Yahooshua was and is an emissary of Yah the eternally self existing, a “sent one”
so was sent with the authority of Yah and representing Yah -- this also gave him
considerable authority which included the authority to forgive sins, perform
miracles, etc. This does NOT make Yahooshua Yah, it does make him Yah’s
representative. There is a whole body of Hebrew knowledge around the concept
of a “shaliach” or emissary.
5. When Yahooshua was immersed {baptized} by Yahoochanan he was filled with
the set-apart Spirit {Christ} of Yah and became “Yahooshua the anointed of Yah”
{Jesus Christ} MattihYahoo 3:16 and other versus. Up to that point he was
simply the human being Yahooshua the son of Miriam {Mary} and Joseph with
a special human spirit in him conceived miraculously and without a human
progenitor (father).
At that point he became Yahooshua, the prophet like Moses – filled with the Spirit
of the Almighty and with an extremely close relationship with the Almighty.
6. The two days following after Yahoochanan immersed Yahooshua in the Jordan he
proclaimed that Yahooshua was “the Lamb of the Almighty {God}” Yahoochanan
{John} 1:29 and 36. This prophetic assignment associated Yahooshua with ALL
the animal sacrifices in the Torah that related to the offering of a lamb and
created the legal and spiritual context for the blood of Yahooshua to fulfil the
function that it performs today.
7. In MattihYahoo {Matthew} 26:28, Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:20 Yahooshua
assigns the blood of the lamb to the wine of the covenant passover meal which
then substitutes for all the relevant sacrifices in the Torah which require the use
of blood.
8. This opens the way for us to observe ALL the rites and rituals of the Torah that
require blood by simply praying over a cup of wine or grape juice to represent the
blood of the covenant = the blood of Yahooshua = the blood of the lamb or other
animal. Thus we are able to perform ALL these rites without access to an animal!
And therefore we can sanctify ourselves as required.
9. In those same passages and also in Yahoochanan {John} 6:54 to 56 Yahooshua
assigns his flesh, being the flesh of the lamb, to the bread thus permitting us to
observe all the rites and rituals in the Torah that relate to the shewbread, grain
offering, meal offering, wave offering, the flesh of the sacrificial animal WITHOUT
an animal.
10. When Yahooshua was abused by the Priests, scribes, pharisees, etc they
repeatedly layed hands on him thereby transferring authority according to what
they proclaimed, specifically they proclaimed him to be “King” and this was
confirmed by Herod and by Pontius Pilate, the representative of the Roman
Emperor and ALL hailed Yahooshua (sarcastically) as King but nevertheless
naming him as King – this makes him king in the Court of Heaven.
11. When Yahooshua was sentenced the people cried for “his blood be upon us and
upon our children” MattihYahoo 27:25 thereby entering into the covenant
sprinkling of the blood of the sacrificial lamb in the Torah necessary for their
cleansing for all time.
12. When Yahooshua died his heart ruptured and when the blood and water flowed
from the spear wound in his side they ran down an earthquake crack formed
when the earth was rent in MattihYahoo 27:51-54 onto the Mercy seat of the Ark
of the Covenant (refer video and DVD available from this ministry, relating to the
findings of Ron Wyatt as reported by Ron and also Jonathan Gray). This flow of
blood onto the mercy seat thereby permitted the induction of a new Priest and
represented the covenant sacrifice for atonement thereby achieving the full power
that we experience in applying the “blood of Yahooshua” or the “blood of the
covenant” or the “blood of the lamb” in the name of Yahooshua.
13. Because Yahooshua lived a life without sin death had no hold on him and he was
resurrected as the first born from the dead and, as his reward, became “King of
Kings” and “Adonai of Adonai’s {Lord of Lord’s}” 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation
17:14 and Revelation 19:16
14. As a consequence of this Yahooshua was also given ALL authority in heaven and
on earth (MattihYahoo 28:18) which he then promptly assigned to those who
follow him.
15. He is therefore the most powerful created being and is seated at the right hand
of the Father waiting till his enemies be made his footstool Hebrews 1:13
and 10:13 and elsewhere. Accordingly, those who believe in Yah the eternally
self existing, the Almighty Creator through the covenant of Yahooshua have ALL
authority on earth and are expected to exercise that authority in order to prepare
the way for the return of the King. Yah and Yahooshua will do NOTHING unless
a human being exercises their authority in terms of the covenant to request the
intervention of Yah.
16. Because he has lived a life on planet earth as a human being without divine power
for thirty years and with the infilling of the set-apart {holy} Spirit for three and a
half years Yahooshua is also equipped to be our advocate 1 Yahoochanan {John}
2:1 and is righteous.
17. Because of his obedience he also earned eternal life and the priesthood, refer
Hebrews 5:7 to 11.
18. NOTHING that Yahooshua accomplished in the way of miracles was beyond the
miracles already performed by the Almighty through other human beings filled
with the set-apart {holy} Spirit of Yah {Christ} and therefore while what
Yahooshua accomplished is extraordinary and unique, it was achieved through him
being entirely a human being filled with the set-apart Spirit of Yah {Christ} and
barring the one-off legalities the miracle working power of the Almighty is available
to every one who believes and is willing to SANCTIFY themselves sufficiently to
walk in this power.
19. For this reason we have been given all the ordinances, rites and rituals in Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy which rely on the sacrificial system
of animals in order to permit us to sanctify ourselves directly through the office
of our high priest, Yahooshua which has also been delegated to us making us
prophets, priests and kings by delegated authority IF we walk in that authority
and a full revelation of who Yahooshua is and what he accomplished.
There is MUCH more that can be written about the above topics, however, that is not
the essence of this message.
SO, WHAT HAS THIS TO DO WITH BAPTISM? - ACTUALLY EVERYTHING!
By now you may well be wondering what all of this has to do with "baptism"?
Good question!!
We have seen now that Yahooshua fulfilled the Torah in a huge variety of different ways, that he told us the Torah would NOT pass away and that we should observe the Torah.
We have also seen that the offering (sacrifice) that Yahooshua made opened the way for all the ordinances, rituals and rites laid down in Genesis through Deuteronomy to be available to any human being anywhere on the planet IN ISOLATION without the intervention or ministry of a human priest, king or prophet in order to serve the Almighty fully.
This is a MASSIVE improvement in the lot of human beings on earth PROVIDED they know this and walk in it.
And the ordinances, rituals and rites provide an easy means for us to set ourselves apart {sanctify ourselves}, draw close to the Almighty and do all that He has called us to do.
Let us return to baptism as a vital component of what is set out in Leviticus in particular.
Returning to Leviticus 14:8 in the Amplified we read "8. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but stay outside his tent seven days." Amplified
Turning to the same verse in The Living Torah by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan published by Maznaim Publishing and available from Jewish bookstores we find the same verse rendered as follows:
"The person undergoing purification shall then immerse his clothing and [the priest] shall save off all the person's hair. He shall then immerse in a mikvah and thus complete [the first part] of the purification. He may return to the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days."
In a footnote we find "mikvah, See Exodus 29:4, literally 'with the water'".
Turning to Exodus 29:4 we find, the Almighty speaking to Moshe {Moses}: "Bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Communion Tent, and immerse them in a mikvah."
In a footnote we find "mikvah, a specially constructed pool containing 40 sa'ah (80 gallons) of water ..." in other words, roughly equivalent to a very large modern bath tub deep enough to immerse in fully!
The footnote above this item refers to "immerse" and refers to Josephus, Antiquities 3:8:6 and notes to Exodus 19:10 and Leviticus 15:16.
Exodus 19:10 and 11, relating to preparing the people for the Almighty's appearance on Mount Sinai, says "10. The Almighty said to Moshe {Moses}, 'Go to the people, and set them apart {sanctify them} today and tomorrow. Let them {even} immerse their clothing. 11. They will then be ready for the third day, for on the third day, the Almighty will descend on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.'"
So here we see that BEFORE the situations described in Leviticus 14:8 and Exodus 29:4 ALL the people had been immersed.
Accordingly it becomes apparent that immersion is NOT a one off event, it is a routine cleansing process.
In a footnote to Exodus 19:10 we find "immerse. In Torah law "washing" ALWAYS DENOTES IMMERSION in a mikvah or OTHER NATURAL BODY OF WATER, cf 2 Kings 5:10, 14"
Thus we see that Yahoochanan was simply applying Torah law on immersion when he immersed people in the Jordan as an outward sign of repentance from sin!
Following the reference to 2 Kings 5 we find in 2 Kings 5:1-15:
"1. Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."
5 Then the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.
7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I the Almighty, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me."
8 So it was, when Elisha [contracted from Eliyshuwa meaning Mighty one of supplication or riches] the man of the Almighty heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."
9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} his Mighty One {God}, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of Almighty; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of the Almighty, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no Mighty One in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant." " NKJV adjusted
Here we see immersion again as a means of cleansing.
It is NOT the immersion that cleanses, it is the symbolic obedience that opens the door for the Almighty to cleanse us.
So it was in the time of Moshe, so was it in the time of Yahoochanan and Yahooshua and so is it today with the modification that today ALL believers have the authority to immerse themselves or others and they are not reliant on a Levite (remember that Yaoochanan was the son of a Priest and therefore a priest by inheritance and therefore authorized to immerse Yahooshua and all those who came to him) Luke 1:5 to 80.
In 1 Kings 7:23-26 regarding the temple constructed by Solomon we read about the "sea" (Living Nach says tank) in front of the temple for immersion:
"23. And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths. " NKJV
In other words a swimming bath.
Accordingly, when Yahoochanan came immersing in the Jordan and calling for repentance all the people immediately knew what he was doing and flocked to him.
There was no need to explain this new phenomenon of "baptism" because it was NOT new, it was immersion and it had been laid down by Moshe and so all the people immediately recognized it and received it.
Following is Leviticus 14:8 from the Interlinear Bible in PC Study Bible version 3.3A from Biblesoft:
The word translated "wash" or "bathe" relating to immersion is Strong's number OT:7364 rachats (raw-khats'); a primitive root; to lave (the whole or a part of a thing):
KJV-bathe (self), wash (self). (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
As you can see this word has various meanings in the King James Version which contributes to the confusion.
Interestingly the Living Torah is quite clear on this distinction and only refers to immersion in specific locations.
Referring to the Hebrew Interlinear of Biblesoft we find for Strong's number 7364:
In Genesis 43:31 "washed his face", Hebrew = Wayirchats, KJV
In Leviticus 14:8 "wash himself in water", Hebrew = wªraachats, KJV
In Leviticus 15:6 "bathe himself in water', Hebrew = wªraachats, KJV
All from the Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright (c) 1994 by Biblesoft.
Thus, without exhaustive analysis it appears that there are at least two different Hebrew word forms grouped together with the same Strong's number.
This is a significant problem with the available English translations that is quite common - we find the same number applied to more than one word form where the different word forms frequently have technically distinct meanings as appears to be the case here.
This complicates analysis and also leads to translation errors.
Thus, for my next point, other than in the case of Leviticus 14:8, I will focus primarily on those passages that use the word "bathe" in the King James Version.
Listing all verses that use the word "bathe" we find:
Exodus 2:5
"5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it." NKJV
This does NOT relate to immersion in a mikvah as such but is the Hebrew word "lirchots", another word so we can exclude it.
The following verses all relate to immersion in a mikvah (body of water either artificial or natural):
Leviticus 8:6
"6. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water." KJV
This was a precursor to Aaron and his sons being ordained as priests for the first time.
Notice that Yahooshua insisted on being immersed by Yahoochanan - could it be that this was a necessary precursor to being ordained as the new high priest?
Leviticus 14:8
"8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days." KJV
Leviticus 14:9
"9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean." KJV
Leviticus 15:5
"5 And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:6
"6 He who sits on anything on which he who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:7
"7 And he who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:8
"8 If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:10
"10 Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening. He who carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:11
"11 And whomever the one who has the discharge touches, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:13
"13 'And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean." NKJV
Leviticus 15:18
"18 Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Notice that this relates to a routine event in human life from which we see that immersion in a mikvah, that is bathing, is a routine part of daily life.
We may assume that our custom of having a "bath" derives from this except that we do not immerse fully.
It is therefore entirely acceptable to immerse for cleansing as frequently as you feel impressed by the Spirit of the Almighty to do so or in response to any of the conditions set out herein or anything that might relate to that.
Leviticus 15:21
"21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 15:22
"22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 16:4
"4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on." KJV
Leviticus 16:24
"24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people." KJV
Leviticus 15:27
"27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening." NKJV
Leviticus 16:26
"26 And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp." NKJV
Leviticus 16:28
"28 Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp." NKJV
Leviticus 17:15
"15 "And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean." NKJV
Leviticus 17:16
"16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt." NKJV
Leviticus 22:6
"6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water." KJV
Numbers 19:7
"7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening." NKJV
Numbers 19:8
"8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening." NKJV
Numbers 19:19
"19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean." NKJV
Deuteronomy 23:11
"11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again." KJV
So we see that we have of the order of 22 separate instructions to immerse in a mikvah.
Some examples of immersion later in the book:
Ruth 3:3
"3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking." KJV
Wash is the Hebrew "Wªraachats", also immersion
2 Samuel 11:2
"2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon." KJV
Thus we must conclude that immersion is a routine ordinance, ritual or rite prescribed by the Almighty for our spiritual welfare and can be practiced at any time it seems appropriate and certainly any time we are conscious that we have sinned or transgressed any of the above statutes.
HOW IS THIS RELEVANT TO ME TODAY?
Well, firstly it is relevant in that you should be doing this any time you transgress any of these statutes.
Secondly it is relevant that when you sin and repent you should seriously consider immersing, particularly when there has been major sin.
Thirdly there are some powerful spiritual principles associated with immersion.
Notice that in 2 Kings 5:9 we find:
"10 ... "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times"
or more correctly, immerse seven times.
Thus there is absolutely no reason why we should immerse only once and it appears that there is something significant associated with immersing SEVEN times, remember that seven is the number of perfection!
Notice also that in the context of Yahooshua he says in Luke 12:49-53:
"49. I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have an immersion {baptism} to be immersed {baptized} with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." NKJV
It would seem that Yahooshua was immersed in sin on the stake and then in death, so again we see different immersions.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT IMMERSIONS IN ACTS
In Acts 19:1-7 we read:
"1. And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Shaul {Paul}, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the set apart {Holy} Spirit when you believed?"
So they said to him,"We have not so much as heard whether there is a set apart {Holy} Spirit."
3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you immersed {baptized}?"
So they said,"Into Yahoochanan's {John's} immersion {baptism}."
4 Then Shaul {Paul} said,"Yahoochanan {John} indeed immersed {baptized} with an immersion {a baptism} of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on the anointing that was upon Yahooshua [Yah is salvation] {Christ Jesus}."
5 When they heard this, they were immersed {baptized} in the name of Adonai Yahooshua {the Lord Jesus}. 6 And when Shaul {Paul} had laid hands on them, the set apart {Holy} Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all." NKJV
So we see here:
- The reference in verse 4 is to immersion into the anointing that was upon Yahooshua {Christ Jesus} NOT into Yahooshua {Jesus}, it is vitally important to understand that this is an immersion into the Spirit of Yah which is claimed through faith in the covenant made by Yahooshua and through the authority that Yahooshua has delegated to us as believers to act as priests without descent from the Levitical priesthood and in fact without any other human being being necessary to minister to us!
This is a powerful extension of what is provided in the Torah of Moshe.
- There are distinctly two immersions:
- An immersion of repentance, referred to as "Yahoochanan's immersion" [Yah has grace] which is a straight forward Torah immersion in accordance with Leviticus, etc.
- An immersion into the set apart Spirit of Yah in the name of Yahooshua [Yah is salvation].
I first noticed this about seven years ago and was impressed to immerse three times.
I first applied this to a Satanist killer who i was privileged to pray the prayer of faith with after a dramatic event.
After first applying a derivative of the processes set out in Leviticus 14 viewing leprosy as being a shadow or type of sin, i symbolically shaved him to cut off all ties with his past, cut off curses, etc, praying as i did so, i then anointed him from head to toe in grape juiced prayed over to represent the blood of the covenant and then with olive oil prayed over to represent the anointing oil of the set apart Spirit.
I then immersed him three times:
- Forgiveness of sin (Yahoochanan's immersion) -- Father i ask you to cleanse me of all my sin in the name of Yahooshua [Your salvation] -- following prayers of repentance as led.
- Immersion into the set apart Spirit in the name of Yahooshua [Yah is salvation] -- Father i ask you to immerse me in your Spirit and fill me in the name of Yahooshua and whatever else you are led to pray with them.
- Immersion into the Kingdom of Yah -- Father i ask you to immerse me into Your Kingdom and whatever else you are led to pray with them.
He subsequently told me that all three times he was immersed he did not feel the bitterly cold water at all but a comforting warmth and the third time he was immersed he had a vision in which the gates of heaven opened to him.
We then immersed him three times again on the seventh day and again on the eighth day and each time he had significant experiences with the Almighty.
I subsequently immersed myself three times together with a few others and on that occasion on the first immersion one of our number saw a massive demon like a sphinx fly off the property where it had been stationed, on the third immersion he saw Yahooshua walk down into the water with us with his arms outstretched toward us!
This is powerful!
I have only undertaken triple immersion on a few other occasions but in each case the people immersed have reported a significant experience such as increased anointing through infilling of the set apart spirit.
I have followed this process myself on more than one occasion and have always had break throughs after doing it.
I hope to write another document shortly that will discuss the cleansing process based on Leviticus 14 in more detail as a powerful means of inducting new converts and also of inducting those who have come back after backsliding and as a general procedure that can be applied by any believer at any time that they want to draw closer to the Almighty, be cleansed of sin, be filled more fully with the set apart Spirit, etc.
I have repeatedly found this process very very powerful and very beneficial.
Prayers for the three immersions for an existing believer at any time would take the form:
- Forgiveness of sin (Yahoochanan's immersion) -- Father i repent of all my sins and ask you to cleanse me of all defilement from my sin and whatever else you are led to pray -- typically this would follow a period of soul searching, possibly fasting, repentance, etc.
- Immersion into the set apart Spirit in the name of Yahooshua [Yah is salvation] -- Father i ask you to fill me again with Your Spirit / fill me more -- you might want to repent if you have done things that have compromised the anointing on your life..
- Immersion further into the Kingdom of Yah -- Father i ask you to draw me deeper into Your Kingdom and whatever else you may feel led to pray -- in the case of a man and woman / women in life time intimate (sexual) covenant {marriage} the women can be immersed into the man and then into the Kingdom or there could be a fourth immersion.
I only noticed the seven immersions of Naaman while writing this article and it is my intention to immerse seven times when the time seems right.
You might also want to consider it.
It terms of what i have been shown about immersion is something we can practice at ANY time we feel the need provided our motives are sincere and right before our Father in Heaven.
If you have not been immersed since you first believed or were first immersed i encourage you to seriously consider immersing again and to consider triple immersion or even sevenfold immersion as part of a rededication process as part of ongoing setting apart {sanctification} and drawing closer to the Almighty.
From my experience there is greater power if a small group immerse together but there is no reason why you cannot immerse on your own.
If you are able to have a person walking under a strong anointing immerse you it seems to me that there will be greater power in that.
CONCLUSION
I continue to discover that there is HUGE power in applying the Torah sacraments through the covenant of Yahooshua which opens the way for us to apply those sacraments / ordinances / rituals / rites easily and without the need for a temple, an ordained priest or any other encumbrance that makes us reliant on other human beings.
Yahooshua died a terrible death in order to provide us with convenient access to the throne of the Almighty any time we need it without being dependent on others AND in order to provide us with full access to ALL provisions of Torah.
It is up to each of us to reverently and with respectful fear seize this opportunity to cleanse ourselves of our defilement, set ourselves apart and draw closer to our loving Father in Heaven day by day through the powerful covenant that Yahooshua purchased for us through his amazing and terrible life and death.
I hope that this article will help you to draw closer to the Almighty.
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.
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