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UNTO, INTO, BY, AND WITH

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words

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

 

There is no possibility of understanding the Bible unless one interpreters the word within the context. The structure must first be discovered,  then the scope of the passage can be ascertained. From that, one can correctly determine what the words mean in the context of the passage.

The mistake by many, who study the Bible, is to assume that the same word will have the identical meaning wherever it is found. The key to any passage is the meaning of the word usage within that passage. With that in mind, we will look at four words where it is imperative that these rules be followed.

  • Baptized unto Moses- “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;” 1 Corinthians 10:1-2. Here we have the baptism of an entire nation. They had no knowledge that it was a baptism, and no one got wet. The key is that the nation was “baptized unto Moses.”

How is the word “unto” used in this passage? The Oxford English Dictionary says it is “Denoting attachment, union, adherence, or kinship to a person.” Thus, when they followed Moses through the Red Sea, under the cloud, they were demonstrating the above definition of the word “unto.”  They were not baptized “into” Moses, but “unto” him. They would follow his leadership.

  •  Baptized into Christ- The first use of the word “baptize” in Romans, is 6:3. “ Know  ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were  baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death…”There is no water in the passage.  No one is baptized into Christ by water. The context and the word usage make that clear. When we arrive at the book of Romans, we are beginning the doctrinal section of      the church epistles. This is a spiritual operation.  Neither is there is a resurrection of the believer in the text. The believer, in the passage, is in a state of death and burial. Thus, this is his standing in Christ. He is out of site, and      nothing can touch him!

 

The word “into” shows placement, and position.  Every believer has been baptized “into” His death and burial.  We are not baptized unto Christ, but into Him. There is a world of difference. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27.  You were put “into” Christ in His death and burial by the Holy Spirit.

 

  • Baptized by the Spirit– “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or      Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into  one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13. The third word one must understand is “by.” When God baptized the Nation of Israel, He was the baptizer, and  no one got wet. When we were baptized “into” Christ death and burial, water was not involved. Also, when we were      baptized “by” the Holy Spirit, there was no water present. The Holy Spirit is doing the baptizing.

 

Some Baptist, like Church of Christ, Mormons, and Catholics see water just about every time baptism is mentioned. That is a great error.  Paul says, it is the Holy Spirit who does the baptizing. All believers are baptized “by” the Spirit into Christ’s body. That body comprises all believers in this dispensation. There is no water is this passage.

Paul reinforces this when he says, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,” Ephesians 4:5. We know of at least seven different kinds of baptisms, but Paul is saying there is really only one Lord that matters, one body of faith for the church, and one baptism that puts one into Christ.  That baptism is the only one that puts you into Christ, and it is “by” the Holy Spirit.

 

  • Baptized “with” the Spirit-“I indeed baptize you “with” water “unto” repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and “with”  fire:” Matthew 3:11. In this baptism, Christ is the baptizer, the Spirit is the element, and Israel is the recipient. Notice it “with” the Spirit they would be baptized. No water here either. This baptism was      prophesied throughout the Old Testament, and it involves the nation of Israel.

 

Notice the following promises to Israel. “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Proverbs 1:23 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: Isaiah 44:3  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zechariah 12:10 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Acts 8:16. So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Isaiah 52:15 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. Ezekiel 36:25.

So, no Christian should be confused by the words “unto, into, by,” and “with.” The nation of Israel was baptized “unto” Moses. The believer today in baptized “into” Christ “by” the Holy Spirit, and at Pentecost, the Apostles, and believing Jews were baptized “with” the Spirit. That baptism will happen again at the end of the Tribulation when a Jewish remnant repents. God will “pour out”  His Spirit and a new nation will be born. John’s baptism my have symbolized that baptism.

WHY ATHEIST HATE THE BIBLE-#4

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athiest creed By Ken Blue
The list below was sent to me by an atheist who does not believe in God. He thinks it impossible and unreasonable to believe the following. I ask him if it was “reasonable” to believe that all matter came from nothing, or has always existed. Also, why do humans progress, create, and reason, while animals never change their behavior? The beaver builds his dam, the birds build their nest, and monkeys still swing in trees. Why do they never progress? I never received an answer to my questions, and will not.  If one can accept, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. There will be no issue with the following.

*I take it, then, that as a Bible-believing Christian you believe all of the following are true, actual, factual (let me know one way or the other, please):
* there was light (“night and day”) before there was a sun GE 1.3-5, 14-19-No
* plants began to grow before there was sunlight GE 1.12, 16-No
* every plant and tree which yield seed (including hemlock, buckeye pod, nightshade, and oleander) are safe to eat GE 1.29-No
* there was a Garden of Eden GE 2.8-15-Yes
* there was an Adam GE 1.27, 4.1, 5.1 and an Eve GE 2.22-Yes
* there was a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil GE 2.17-Yes
* there was a Serpent who spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) GE 3.1-5-No
* there was a Tree of Eternal Life GE 3.24–Yes
* there was a cherubim with a flaming sword guarding the way to the Garden of Eden GE 3.24-Yes
* Cain built and populated a whole city in only two generations (GE 4.17)-Yes
* giants (Nephalim) were on the earth before the Flood GE 6.4-Yes
* there was a Flood covering the entire earth at one time to a depth of 20+ feet above the highest mountain GE 7.17-19-Yes
* there was a Noah’s Ark GE 6.15-Yes
* there were still giants on the earth after the Flood NU 13.33-Yes
* “God” ate solid food with Abraham GE 18.1, 7-8-Yes
* Jacob altered the genetic characteristics of cattle by letting them view a striped rod GE 30.37-43-No
* “God” took part in a wrestling match with Jacob (and won by injuring his hip) GE 32.24-30-Yes
* An “angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush that was nevertheless “not burned up.” EX 3.2 “God” then called to Moses “out of the bush,” and spoke to him. The two then carried on a conversation. EX 3.4-Yes
* the Lord killed all the first-born of Egypt and there was not a house where there was not at least one dead (this means that there was not a house in Egypt that did not include at least one first-born—a most unusual situation) EX 12.30-No
* a donkey saw an angel, recognized it as such, and then spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) to his master NU22.21-30-No
* “God” obliged Joshua by making the sun and the moon stand still (so that he could finish his battle by daylight) JS10.12-14-Yes
* Samson lost his strength as a result of having his head shaved JG 16.17-22-Yes
* Solomon’s temple was only about ninety feet long by thirty feet wide, yet 153,300 persons were employed to build it, it took seven years to build, ~7,500,000 lbs. of gold and ~75,000,000 lbs. of silver were used, 24,000 supervisors and 6,000 officials and judges were employed to manage it 1KI 6.2, 2CH 3.3, 1KI 5.15-16, 1KI 6.38, 1CH 22.14, 1CH 23.4-No
* an iron axe head was made to “swim” or float (2KI 6.5-7)-Yes
* Ahaz was a 10- or 11-year-old father (Ahaz was thirty-six years old when he died. His twenty-five year old son Hezekiah succeeded him.) (2KI 16.2, 20, 18.1-2)-No
*The shadow on a sun dial was made to move backwards (2KI 20.11)_Yes
* Solomon sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep in one week (845+ animals per hour, 14+ animals per minute, for seven days straight) 2CH 7.5, 8-9-No
* fire consumed wet wood, stones, and dust, and “licked up”water 1KI 18.33-38-Yes
* an iron axe head was made to float 2KI 6.5-7-Yes
* the shadow of the sun was made to move backwards 2KI 20.11-Yes
* dry bones were made to come alive EZ 37.1-10-No
* the shadow of the Sun was made to move backwards (again) (IS 38.8-Yes
* there is or was a high mountain from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen (MT 4.8)-No
* both mental and physical illness are caused by demons and can be cured through exorcism MT 4.23-24, 9.32-33, 12.22, 17.14-18, MK 1.23-26, 32-34, 5.2-16, 9.17-29, 16.9, LK 11.14, 4.33-35, 8.2, 27-36, 9.38-42, AC 8.7, 16.16-18-No
* you should give to everyone who asks, lend to everyone who wants to borrow (MT 5.42, LK 6.30, 35)-No
* faith can move mountains, nothing is impossible if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed MT 17.20, 21.21, MK 9.23, 10.27, 11.23, LK 17.6-No
* whatever you ask in prayer, if you have faith you will receive it MT 21.22, MK 11.24-No
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly poison without suffering any harm? (MK 16.17-18)-No
* a dead man whose body had begun to stink because he had been dead four days was brought back to life JN 11.39-44-Yes
* the bodies of dead saints arose from their graves and went in force into the city of Jerusalem MT 27.52-53-Yes
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly thing without suffering any harm whatsoever MK 16.17-18-No
* you should sell all your possessions and give to the poor?(LK 12.33, TI 6.8)-No
* you should use prayer and anointing to cure illness? (JA5.14-15)-No
* you should consider making yourself a Eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom? (MT 19.12, RO 8.13)-No
* you should be subject to every human institution because all authorities (laws and governments) are from God (RO 13.1-4, PE 2.13-14)-No
* there are at least three heavens 2CO 12.2-Yes
* an angel (from “God”) who preaches a gospel contrary to that of Paul’s will incur Paul’s wrath GA 1.8-9”-No
The girls in our elementary Sunday school could answer most of these questions. These are not a problem if you believe in God, know your Bible, and can rightly divide it. Jeff strikes out on all three.

“WHERE IS THY GOD?”

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Where is God?
where is God

By Ken Blue

“…My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” Psalm 42:3. “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see…” John 1:38,39.

Very little is more painful than memories of former days when we experienced the joy and personal fellowship with God and His people, then discover all has been destroyed by our enemies. To add to David’s pain, he was taunted daily by his enemies with, “Where is God?”

That question has been asked by millions. When life seems to be at its worst, then the taunt, “where is thy God?”, usually follows. But, God was there all the time, though we may not be aware of His presence.

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  • Israel in Egypt 400 years- I am sure God was forgotten by many Israelites. No doubt they were taunted every day with, “Where is God?”      Yet, He was there all the time. First, he led them there to protect them, and allow them to multiply. Next, He led them out to make a great nation of them. God was with them every day although they didn’t know it.
  • The Red Sea- When Israel came to the Red Sea, the Egyptian armies were hot on their heels, and the Red Sea lay before them. It appeared that they were trapped. Many ask, “Where is God?” He was there all the time. The sea opened to let Israel cross, and it closed to destroy Egypt’s army.
  • Bitter water- Soon Israel was out of drinking water. They came to a pool that appeared to solve the problem, but the water was poison. Where was God in their time of need? Moses was instructed to cut a branch from a tree and cast it into the water. The water was healed, and all could drink. God was there all the time.
  • Water from a rock– Some days later, they were in need of water again, but this time there wasn’t a pool nearby. Moses was commanded to strike the rock. He did, and water came powering out. Where was God? He was there all the time.

Time would fail to tell of the Manna, and the quail, of Daniel’s captivity in Babylon, of Queen Esther, the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, the Resurrection of Christ, the absence of Christ, the Tribulation, the Second Advent of Christ, your sickness, and your death. He was there, and is still there all the time! Trust Him.  Where is God?  “…he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

SEVEN REASONS I DID NOT BAPTIZE CONVERTS

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By Ken Blue

 

  • I did not baptize them because Jesus was baptized.

 

  • I did not baptize them to wash away their sins.

 

  • I did not baptize them into the local church.

 

  • I did not baptize them because of John the Baptist.

 

  • I did not baptize them to make them Baptist.

 

  • I did not baptize them because of the “great commission.”?

 

  • I did not baptize them because I am a Baptist

 

Then why did I baptize the saved? I baptized them by immersion to picture the gospel Paul preached. That gospel was the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for our sins. Paul is the Apostle to the church, the body of Christ. He baptized converts, and so did I, and for that reason only.

LET’S STUDY REVELATION #34

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REVELON BOOKBy Ken Blue

 THE BOOK THAT WAS BITTER/SWEET

 

“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”  (Revelation 10:5-7).

 

 

 

The angel now lifts his hands toward heaven; this shows his harmony with Him who is in heaven. Then, “sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.” Some reject the thought that the angel could be Christ on the grounds that He swears by One in heaven. However, the Lord has sworn by Himself before: “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,” (Hebrews 6:13). We believe Him to be the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The mighty angel declares that there will be no more delay in verse 7. The time has come, and the usurper is about to be evicted from earth to his new residence.

 

The mystery of God, which is about to be finished, is not an event that has been kept secret from the foundation of the world. God’s servants, the prophets, spoke of these days long ago. The only mystery was when would God judge Satan and take back the Kingdom forfeited by Adam. That mystery was about to unfold, for the time had come. The fulfillment of this mystery brings us right up to the Second Advent of Christ.

 

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”  (Revelation 10:8-11).

 

This is the third looping parallelism and takes us back to the mid-point of the Tribulation. John is told to take the book from the right hand of the angel. He takes it, and he is instructed to eat it.  In his mouth it was sweet as honey, but in his belly it was bitter. There is no mystery here.

 

Ezekiel was given the same commission. Only the time was different. “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them” (Ezekiel 3:1-4). “So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me” (Ezekiel 3:14).

 

Jeremiah experiences this same bitterness of spirit as he is called upon to take a message of judgment and condemnation to his people. “Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed” (Jeremiah 20:14). He curses his day because he is the one chosen of God to carry the message of death to his own people. This caused great sorrow and bitterness of spirit.  This is what John is yet to experience.

 

The book John eats contained the blessings and the curses, which were yet to come on John’s people. The blessings were the things associated with the glorious return and reign of Christ over Israel’s promised Kingdom. That expectation thrilled John and was indeed sweet as honey to him.

 

The prophetic message also carried judgments like the world had never seen and was about to come at the sound of the seventh trumpet. It was indeed grievous and bitter for him. This is the meaning of verse 11, “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” This is fulfilled throughout the remainder of the book.