Water Baptism

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Water Baptism

            “And he said to them, go to all the world, and preach my gospel to the whole creation.  He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; and he who does not believe shall be condemned.”  (Peshitta Mark 16:15-16)

            These are the words of Jesus Christ Himself as He was speaking to His disciples just before His ascent into the Heavens.  This is the final instructions to His disciples on what they were to do when He left them.  Jesus Christ made it very clear that they were to baptize all of the world!  In fact, I think that Jesus Christ made it very clear here in verse sixteen, that He equated baptism with salvation. 

            It seems the Apostle Peter had also understood baptism as an essential part of salvation when he preached on the Day of Pentecost.  In the Book of Acts, the Apostle Luke recorded Peter’s sermon to the crown of devout Jews the need for water baptism in the name of the LORD Jesus!

            “When they heard these things, their hearts were touched and they said to Simon (Peter) and the rest of the apostles, our brethren, what shall we do?  Then Simon said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of the LORD Jesus for the remission of sins, so that you may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise was made to you and to your children, and for all of those who are far off, even as many as the very God shall call.”  (Peshitta Acts 2:37-39).

            The Apostle Peter understood that water baptism was a requirement for salvation.  The rest of the apostle’s present did not correct Peter, so they also understood the same thing.  If Jesus commanded water baptism and the Apostle Peter preached it, who are we to say that we do not need it for today?

            Later, the Apostle Philip, also water baptized people in Samaria!  “But when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, they were baptized (water), both men and women.  (Peshitta Acts 8:12). 

            Philip would later also baptize an Ethiopian God-fearer out in the desert.  “And he commanded the chariot be stopped: and both went down into the water, and Philip baptized the eunuch.”  (Peshitta Acts 8: 38).

            When Saul, the accuser of the brethren, traveled to Damascus to arrest the Christians there.  Jesus intervened and converted Saul in a miraculous way!  When Saul (Paul) agreed to salvation, he was baptized in water!  “And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”  (Peshitta Acts 9: 18).

            When the Apostle Peter traveled to Caesarea to preach to Cornelius and his family and friends, he baptized them all in water.  After the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were all baptized in water!  “Then Simon Peter said to them, can any man forbid water, that these people who have received the Holy Spirit, just as we have, should not be baptized?”  (Peshitta Acts 10:47).

            When the Apostle Paul was preaching to some disciples of John the Baptist, he felt that it was necessary to rebaptize them in water and they had received Spirit baptism.  “When they heard these things, they were baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ.”  (Peshitta Acts 19:5).

            The Word of the Lord is very clear by the mouth of Jesus Christ and the actions of all of His apostles that we should all be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, so that our sins may be washed away!

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

Gog and Magog

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Gog and Magog

                “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth…”[1]  All of the chess pieces of mankind will be set upon the table of the earth to play the last hand of man’s dramatic history.  But it will be the hand of God that will be playing the pieces at the end.  Mankind has had thousands of years to make his move, only to play the war, violence and rebellion against his God moves.  It’s always been funny how man has the audacity to think that the earth is his and he is the only player.  But in the “Last days,” God will “putting the hooks” and dragging human pieces into place to end our sinful and rebellious history His way.  Understanding this endgame is very important for all of us, but especially among the saints of the Most High.  I receive a great deal of comfort knowing that I am in God’s majestic hands. I feel safe knowing that my future is already planned out.

            Magog, Meshech and Tubal are all in the present land of Turkey.[2]  With Gog being their leader and these lands being mentioned first in the thirty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel, this leads me to believe that the leader of Turkey will form an alliance to attack Israel.  Turkey currently has a half million man army that is a NATO member and is a first world military.  Turkey currently has seven million military aged men that could be quickly drafted for a larger operation.  With Russian allies (Gomer), they could form a formable Northern Alliance. Persia, which is currently in Syria, which also has a half million man military with eight million men that could be drafted. Both of these countries mentioned in the thirty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel would form a very powerful Northern Alliance. A million man army with potential millions behind them. Add a few more allies like the Russians, Syrians and maybe the Lebanese we have a potent force. 

            The Southern Alliance, controlled by Gog of Magog (Turkey) would consist of Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Palestine and Ethiopia, would form a much smaller and less powerful force than the Northern one.  On its own it would form a definite threat to “land of unwalled villages (Ez 38:11), but not a fatal one. But combined with the Northern Alliance, this would be an overwhelming attack of the land of Israel. 

            This major military conflict would come before the unveiling of the anti-Christ and the beast. Satan will have us ignorant and prideful man to do his bidding and use them to try and destroy God’s people.  The anti-Christ and the beast will be revealed just after this large military campaign that God will win for His people.  Then we will have the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the two witnesses, the seven bowls.  The anti-Christ and the beast will team up for the final battle at the end of the tribulation period. The final battle, the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), will usher in the thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth.

            Before God’s entire plan for the last days, God will catch away His saints upon the earth for the marriage supper of the Lamb.  God’s people have suffered enough on this earth and in this life and He will see to it that His people are caught up to be with Him.  Some have said that the rapture is mentioned in the fourth chapter of Revelation.  “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:  and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”[3]  But, this is a revelation of John’s vision; this does in no way refer to all saints on the earth.  It would be nice if it was but I do not see it in the context.  Just because John was caught up to heaven does not mean that we will be caught up at the same time as this vision is in the book of Revelation.

            In Isaiah chapters eleven and twelve we read Isaiah’s prophecy about the eventual return of the Jewish captives back to Israel. This is actually a juxtaposition of the Jewish return to Israel and the return of Jesus Christ to Israel to save His people and return as their King.  We can see this in the chapter. “…and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”[4]  Also, “The wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”[5]  This is clearly a scene in the future Millennium Kingdom, not during the Tribulation period.  As Isaiah painted a hopeful future for the eventual returning Jews in Israel, he also was showing us our future in the distant Millennium Kingdom.

            So, Satan will try to use man to destroy Israel in the beginning of the Tribulation period and will be defeated by our Lord. At the end of the Tribulation period Satan will try again to invade Israel and Jesus Christ will return in person to destroy the armies of Satan and the world and usher in the Millennium Kingdom.

---

[1]Bible; KJV EZ 38:1-4.

[2]Wikipedia.

[3]Bible, KJV; Revelation 4:1.

[4]Bible, KJV; Isaiah 11:4.

[5]Bible, KJV; Isaiah 11:6.

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

My hospice blog

Apostolic Theological Seminary