Cross Reference
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The modern term "Christian" no longer carries the same meaning as Christianos which is found in the Apostolic writings. Even according to the very words of Paul himself the Christos, Messiah, must be formed in a disciple of Yeshua and this can only be done by consuming his parables, allegories, idioms, sayings, doctrines, and words. Likewise according to Paul the Torah is our "paidagogos" crossing guard, or "schoolmaster", to bring us to Messiah. Yeshua also clearly quotes from Exodus 23:20a in several places in the Gospel accounts, Matthew 11:10 and Luke 7:27, and states that the Malak-Messenger of that passage is none other than Yochanan the Immerser. If therefore Yochanan the Immerser is the Malak of Exodus 23:20-23 then he is the Messenger who leads us in the way of righteousness through "the desert" and into "the Land". The immersion of Yochanan is therefore an immersion into Torah and Prophets, (the Name of the Father and likewise "the washing of water in the Word", Ephesians 5:26). Therefore one must first have the immersion of Yochanan, (which even Cornelius and his household knew and understood) which includes immersion into Torah, Prophets, and Writings, (i.e. Psalms) which are the Name of the Father, and thereby repentance toward the sending away of sins, (which again is the immersion of Yochanan). And with at least a basic knowledge of those things in our hearts, minds, and souls, (Deuteronomy 11:18-21) one must then devote at least a full year of intense immersion into the Testimony of Yeshua found in the Gospel accounts as the Antiochians first did, under Paul and Barnabas, who were then first called Christianos by divine revelation as clearly stated in Acts 11:26. Such a one is a true Christianos according to what is actually written and only then should one expect the Christos to begin to be formed in himself or herself.
Matthew 3:11 ASV
11. I indeed baptize you in 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 in the Holy Spirit and in fire:
John 3:5 ASV
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water [the immersion of Yochanan] and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!
Matthew 21:32 ASV
31. Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.
I have not found any translation renderings of the following passage which I can fully agree with but the Young's Literal Bible Translation is the closest:
Acts 1:5 YLT
5. because John, indeed, baptized with water, and ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit - after not many days.'
Acts 1:5 Transliterated Unaccented
5. hoti Ioannes men ebaptisen hudati, humeis de en Pneumati baptisthesesthe Hagio ou meta pollas tautas hemeras."
"Because indeed Yochanan did immerse [you] in water, you moreover in Spirit shall be immersed Holy not many days hence."
This cryptic statement implies that the immersion of Yochanan was necessary first and foremost, which is the water immersion IN THE WORD, and an immersion of repentance toward the sending away of sins. If we check the record concerning the first critical immersion of a Gentile, that being Cornelius who had joined himself and his house to the Jewish nation, we likewise see the same prerequisite having been met:
Acts 10:37
37. That word, I say, you know, which was published throughout all Yhudah, and began from the Galilees with the immersion which Yochanan preached:
This is stated to Cornelius and his household, in his house, and confirmed again with a reference back to Acts 1:5 when Peter rehearses what had happened in the next chapter:
Acts 11:15-16
15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as on us at the beginning.
16. Then remembered I the word of the Master, how that he said, Yochanan indeed immersed [you] in water; you moreover shall be immersed in Spirit Holy.
Modern westernized Christianity has unfortunately become guilty of promoting nothing more than a "drive-up window", quick and easy pleasy, insurance policy type of instantaneous "salvation" which is deceiving and stealing souls of people.
If becoming a Christian entails all of that, would it be any wonder why so few are?
