He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. John 1:32-35.

 Previously I told you about an unusual statement from John the baptizer.

"I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water." (John 1:31 NASB)

If I focus on the first part of the sentence, it is nothing less than muddy water as I try to find the scriptural references that validate who the “He” is that should be manifested to Israel. Because there are always those who will say you are not very bright if you can't figure out that this is Jesus.
In response to that domineering attitude, you need to understand my calling. I write for Christians that will not or have not picked up a Bible with enough frequency to say whether something is right or wrong.

A quick look at Revelation 12 could quickly answer any question that this is Jesus.

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”
(Revelation 12:1-5 NASB)

The problem that most would have is that Jesus is NOT yet governing with a rod of iron. He is ruling, but currently, within the age of grace that we now live in, He rules with mercy and grace. This era will soon come to an end as all things are falling rapidly into place, and then He will break out the rod of iron, but since the church will be with Him, then you need to know that this rod is NOT for the church.

What things in Revelation 12:1-5 tell us of Jesus?

• The woman clothed with the sun is Israel.

• “ A great sign appeared in heaven,” along with the sun, moon, and stars (or planetary alignments), are astronomical alignments and mean something. The problem is that we seem to make a religion out of these events. This particular star alignment has come and gone just a couple of years ago (It is currently 02/13/2023.)

• This labor and pain to give birth have much to do with Israel becoming a nation on May 14, 1948.

  As a side note, we are told that “this generation” shall not pass away. This verse below bursts with prophetic fullness like a tree full of ripe figs.

  "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
  (Matthew 24:32-34 NASB)

• The male child is Jesus, but some will say, He is NOT ruling the nations with a rod of iron and, therefore, unbelievable.

  Would you prefer a rod of iron?

  That would be crazy if you did. So, there is yet a time to come when this happens. If you are a “follower” of Christ and don't know Jesus ruling in this manner only occurs during the millennial reign. The world has to go through seven years of God's wrath before this rule over the nations will come.

• And, there are few who do not realize that the dragon is Satan; he, of course, has several names and titles, such as serpent, beast, and Lucifer.

While I could use the information above to answer my questions, I am trying to keep my attention on witnesses from the Torah, as much of what Jesus and the Apostle Paul said came from the Torah. If reaching the heart of the Jewish community was essential to me, then adhering to the Torah is beneficial; this is especially true since most of the Jewish community refuses to see the Jewishness that explodes from Matthew’s account merely because it is in the New Testament and, therefore, a Gentile book and of no importance.

The book of Acts gives us a massive clue as to what John the baptizer was talking about.

"Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.' "From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,”
(Acts 13:21-23 NASB)

There was NO resurrection of King David, so this is talking about God's Son, Jesus, and scripture takes Jesus' heritage back to David.

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:”
(Matthew 1:1 NASB)

The baptizer “gave further evidence.”

“John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart]. And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize N1in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen [that happen--I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!”
(John 1:32-34 AMPC+)

• He (John the baptizer) saw the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him (never to depart.)

  The Apostle John, thirty-plus years after the event, is writing about the circumstances that initiated Jesus' three and one half year ministry.

  A quote from (https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/blog/jesus-and-the-disciples-of-john-the-baptist), tells us what I was starting to see in scripture.

  “In this case the two disciples aren’t named yet, we’re going to find out in a minute that one of them is Andrew, one of them is Simon Peter's brother; the other disciple who is unnamed, scholars have speculated as to his identity; many scholars actually think that this is the first reference to the author of the Gospel of John himself, to the beloved disciple St. John, who will frequently refer to himself in the third person, and will not always identify himself explicitly.  Is there any way to prove that? No, we don't know for certain.”

I am trying to remember, with no success, if it was taught to us as children or if we were just made to assume that the Apostle John had been a disciple of the baptizer. As this article explains, the problem is that there is nothing in scripture to prove that argument. So I can't assume that the Apostle John witnessed any of the events of that day.

It borders on criminal that we were not guided to understand that “ it (the Holy Spirit) dwelt on Him [never to depart].” [AMP]

The Tree of Life version is the product of the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, therefore their usage of the Hebrew word rûach, which has a similar meaning to the Greek word pneuma. Pneuma is understood as a current of air or someone's breath.

“Then John testified, “I have seen the Ruach coming down like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on Him.”
(John 1:32 TLV)

A translation like the NASB conveys what John said: “ I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.” [NASB]

The prophet Isaiah was amazing. I can't understand how he could write if the words filled his eyes with joyous tears, as mine are now.

"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.”
(Isaiah 42:1 NASB)

Still looking at John 1:32-34 AMP, where it tells us that the Spirit, the breath of the Father, remained upon Him.

Remained - meno¯; a prim. vb.; to stay, abide, remain: The KJV uses the word abode; surely you can see the correlation. The UCRT gives us these passages that speak about the lasting actions of the Holy Spirit, the ruach. Isa_11:2; Isa_61:1, Mat_12:18, Luk_4:1, Act_2:3; *Act_10:38.

A witness to the baptizer's words comes again from Isaiah.

"The Rûach of Adonai will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and insight, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Adonai."
(Isaiah 11:2 TLV)

The NASB puts it this way - The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him

The word rest, what does that mean?

Brown, Driver, and Briggs's commentary tell us that it means to settle down and remain. The Word Study Dictionary also points out that it means to pause. It goes on to say, "It has many uses. Its main uses are summarized here: (1) to rest, to settle, to settle down,"

Are you beginning to realize that the pneuma or the rûach, if you wish, has alighted itself upon you with the Spirit of the almighty God.

Pause is such an inappropriate word to describe the Holy Spirit. Mind you, the Spirit will instruct you to pause at times, although you may only perceive this pause as something restraining you. I have experienced this in my own life, especially when the things I hear or see in my spirit could cause more damage; not that God goes around causing damage, but what if you said something, like an obvious sin, that could cause the recipient emotional harm because most of them around you in “church” are not safe. They will, in time, go on the attack against vulnerable persons. I am speaking from experience (It has happened to me.)

“I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”
(John 1:33 BSB)

It is the Holy Spirit of God that brings liberty to the captives.

"The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is on me, because Adonai has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,"
(Isaiah 61:1 TLV)

The vital aspect of this brief discussion is the word Rûach / or Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit. Note the translation of the next verse.

"The Spirit of the Almighty LORD is with me because the LORD has anointed me to deliver good news to humble people. He has sent me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to announce that captives will be set free and prisoners will be released." (Isaiah 61:1 GW)

Consider that these are the words that Jesus declared in the synagogue - an aspect and part of His initiation into His time of ministry on the earth. So don't think for a minute that His ministry has ceased, for He still intercedes for you and me.

Why do that?

1. Because He understands and cares.

“(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, "THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER'"); so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.
(Hebrews 7:21-25 NASB)

2. We have an enemy that is persistent in accusing us before God.

   “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”
   (Revelation 12:10 NASB)

That same Spirit is constantly working on our behalf.

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
(Romans 8:26-27 NASB)

They will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it. Revelation 21:2.

 Let's assume you read my last post and now have a confidence that allows you to describe how:

• The surviving Jews enter the millennial kingdom and become evangelists.

  “In that day ... the survivors of Israel.” (Isaiah 4:2 NASB)

  "For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant ... survivors.” (Isaiah 37:32 NASB)

  "...There will be those who escape, ... Even among the survivors ...” (Joel 2:32 NASB)

• The beast (which is the antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, while Satan is locked up in Hades, where he cannot bother anybody for a thousand years.

  Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:1-3.

• People from the nations that are NOT believers and did NOT fight against Jerusalem and Jesus at His triumphant return will enter the thousand years with their free wills intact.

  “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16-19 NASB)

  Because there are many among the churches that believe only Christians come into the millennial kingdom, here are a couple more passages that speak in opposition to this belief.

  “... and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, .... (Jeremiah 3:17 NASB)

  "Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. ... (Zechariah 2:11 NASB)

• The entirety of the thousand years will be peace. This is only one verse among many that speak of this.

  "I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. "I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. "Also, the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. "They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them, but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. "I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore. (Ezekiel 34:25-29 NASB)

• By the time the great white throne judgment comes along, multitudes from among the nations will have come into the kingdom and are now called God's people.

  It is hard to imagine who is left to stand before the throne. One of the things that became clear as I did this study is that in Matthew's account of the great throne, Jesus (the only judge) finds good deeds listed for some, and they obtain mercy and enter the eternal kingdom.

• The thousand years are expired; Satan is released; and deceives all those whose names ARE NOT written in the book of life.

  This tells me that many from the nations chose to NOT have their names written in the book of life. To be honest, this is unbelievable that someone could choose to walk away from God's love. So, Satan deceives an uncountable number from the nations, and they surround the Holy City in an attempt to kill God and His people. God responds by killing them all with fire. Do you understand what death is? Most think it is merely the cessation of breath and heartbeat. Ah, but your soul never dies. As a non-believer, you merely go to sleep as you await whatever happens next. Unfortunately, even if it's a wait of several thousand years, that next event is to stand before the Great White Throne.

• Scripture tells us that the next event is the great white throne, the final judgment, which has Jesus Christ as the judge.

  The only people standing before this throne are dead people. Scripture says nothing about sinners; they are simply dead. They weren't “Christians,” or they would have gone up in the rapture, and we far too quickly forget that Jesus took ALL sin upon Himself on the cross; therefore, their sin was forgiven. Alright then, why are they standing here?

  Since each of us has God's moral code written upon our hearts, (Think about the logic of that. We were made in God's image, so it only stands to reason that His moral code is written there also. It also stands to reason that the choice of following after the one who made you or tossing Him aside has repercussions,) then, you are only judged based upon what you did with Jesus; and it was Jesus who paid that sin price for you. In Matthew's gospel, chapter 25, we see Jesus calling the nations before Him. Nations suddenly equals the dead.

  All of them standing there are judged by what is written in those books, and Jesus is looking for good deeds. Those deeds are explained in Matthew 25, and I will let you go there and pursue that on your own time. But it is evident that the simplest acts that demonstrate God's love, which is an aspect of that moral law written upon our hearts, had its wanted effect. While it is not explained, those who demonstrated these acts of love apparently have their names written in the book of life. (Do not ask me how or why their names are written there because I do not know. I just know it happens because I see it in scripture.) Matthew's gospel tells us that the “sheep” are the first to be dealt with and given entrance into the eternal kingdom. (Don't worry, Jesus is going to allow anyone to bring their broken human nature into the eternal kingdom, and so they will be changed at some point.) Those NOT found in the book of life were cast into the lake fire.

• The final judgment is over. The next thing that happens is that the earth is burned up along with the heavens. But not to worry, because believers are now immortals and can't be harmed. That and God makes the heavens and the earth new.

  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1 NASB)

Where does this Holy City go when the earth burns?

Maybe nowhere. Maybe it is heavenly, spiritual, and according to scripture, more real than what we see on earth and untouchable by fire. Maybe, it's hovering in the sky, just waiting for the command to descend.

With the end of the time of wrath, I know that the New Jerusalem (God's Holy City) will come down to earth, and this may happen within minutes of Jesus' return.

How can I be so sure?

The end of warfare can come about with a Word from Jesus. The changes will begin.

Jesus, alongside the previously martyred saints, will sit as the judge during the millennial reign. Doesn't it stand to reason that He will sit in the new Jerusalem? Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish believer and evangelist, will tell you, “We DO NOT have control of the temple mount in Jerusalem.” I would think that would be a necessity if Jesus were to sit on the throne of David. (Spare me the theological arguments and corrections, as they don't really matter while I try to make a point.) The point here is that the place and the city in which Jesus will be seated is NOT here yet, and the only place and time that can happen is after Jesus returns and conquers everything.

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NASB)

So, when Jesus comes back to earth at the end of the time of wrath, where does, He sit as the judge?

"It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. "At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.” (Jeremiah 3:16-17 NASB)

Jerusalem, but not the place we now see, as that will be destroyed. It will be the New Jerusalem that lies within the Holy City, which is currently absent. This line from Jeremiah chapter three, “and all the nations will be gathered to it,” is the lead in verse to the sheep and goat judgment of Matthew 25. It has a context, and that is the final judgment.

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. (Matthew 25:31 NASB)

Standing before the Jewish high priest, who could not recognize Him as God, spoke of that throne.

But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." (Mark 14:61-62 NASB)

And in the book of Hebrews, Jesus is described as the one who upholds all things by the Word of His power and is seated at God's right hand.

“in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB)

So, Jesus, as we speak, is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is, by the way, ever making intercession for us.

Doesn't such a picture imply something noble, worthy of a judge?

I know I am making a broken human assumption, and NO, we don't need special seats to judge, but we all picture a throne. And most of you realize that such a magnificent place can only exist when Christ comes to reign.

In Revelation 19:3-5, we see a chorus of voices rejoicing because they see smoke rising up from her. That “her” is Jerusalem as the sin and rebellion are squeezed out of her, and God's wrath is finished. Revelation 19:5 tells us that he heard a voice coming from the throne; however, that throne is in heaven, and there is a good chance that this voice was coming from The New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. We have to look outside the Revelation to get more details on this.

“In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, ...” (Zechariah 14:4 NASB)

And here our introduction ends, so let's move on to Revelation twenty-one, verse 2.

Revelation 21:2 NASB “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”

While Zechariah 14:8-11 does not speak of a throne, he tells us that Jesus will be the king over all the earth and where this Holy City will be placed.

“And in that day, living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. (Zechariah 14:8-11 NASB)

At 1500 miles square, there is much ground to level.

As for the dimensions of the Holy City, most translations use the term stadia, but stadia does not translate into an exact measurement in English. For me, it is like meters and feet. So, the CEV version 

works best for my understanding.

“The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about fifteen hundred miles high and fifteen hundred miles wide.” (Revelation 21:16 CEV)

According to Ezekiel 48, this measurement is the exact same on each side. I found several versions of maps, and most differ, but here is one. Some show the land engulfing all of Saudi and North to encompass Turkey. By looking at old maps and their distance equivalence indicators, I can do no better than 600 miles.

Here is a thought for you. We always make the assumption that Adam stayed in one small garden area. When in fact, the landmasses were all combined. I don't speak of this much as I do not handle ridicule well. One day my mildly autistic grandson said to me, “the entire earth was a Pangaea.” This was a new vocabulary word moment for me, and my grandson knew what it meant. I looked it up, and it means that what we consider continents were at some point all combined into one landmass. I told my grandson, “I have believed that for many years, and my bible tells me that this was the case.” That did not impress him, but it impressed me. In case you don't believe that I will show you.

Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for, in his days, the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. (Genesis 10:25 NASB)

Divided is the Hebrew word pâlag and literally means to split. So, we have evidence of an earthquake so massive that the continents physically split apart; and people wonder how Egyptian glyphs ended up in the walls of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and other places. Having joined landmasses may explain why are there commonalities between the megalithic stonework of Sacsayhuaman, Cusco, Peru, and Baalbek in Lebanon?

Just remember, brides, are always at their best on their wedding day. So the New Jerusalem will be spectacular.