Water baptism – Holy Spirit baptism – Fire baptism

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Water baptism is by no means a guarantee of human salvation. In fact, the Gospel describes three different baptisms that a person must undergo for salvation: baptism with water, baptism with the Holy Spirit, and finally, the so-called baptism of fire.

In advance:

The so-called “three-step” baptism is neither “secret knowledge” nor a specific methodology applied as a special procedure in the form of a traditional ritual. It is an essential principle, which is also described in the (typical) Exodus from Egypt. It begins with the lamb, which is brought into the home days before the appearance of the “killing angel,” who brings the 10th plague upon Egypt. After a few days, the lamb is slaughtered (Passover), and some of its blood is smeared on the wooden doorframe.

In haste and in preparation, the lamb’s flesh, along with bitter herbs, is to be consumed. It continues with the actual Exodus to the Red Sea and its crossing. What follows is a 40-year journey filled with apostasy, returning, murmuring, and renewed obedience, until finally the Jordan is crossed to enter the Promised Land.

All this describes the cleansing from sin through the blood of Jesus, the recognition of sin as a “bitter abomination,” baptism, sanctification, and ultimately the completion of sanctification with subsequent entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Baptismal font is at the beginning

While water baptism is an essential component of Christian life, it is still by far the end of the story. Contrary to some claims that one only needs to be baptized to join the “Christian club” and thus be automatically saved, it is a lifelong process. A portion of the “last generation” will experience a baptism of fire in addition to water baptism and baptism by the Holy Spirit.

There are basically three types of baptism:
– Baptism with water
– Baptism with the Holy Spirit
– Baptism with fire

Water Baptism – The First Steps

As with the entire path of redemption, the tabernacle of the priesthood of ancient Israel also provides a corresponding example for the three different baptisms. This begins with entering the courtyard, and the first thing the newcomer encounters is the altar of burnt offering. Those who have chosen to surrender their life to Jesus Christ will first confess all their sins and ask for forgiveness. This corresponds to the burnt offering.

Following the altar of burnt offering is the laver. It is the facility for purification before entering the interior of the Tabernacle, the sanctuary. The laver corresponds to water baptism. Baptism and complete immersion symbolize the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, as well as His resurrection through the subsequent reappearance. The person dies with Jesus Christ and is reborn with or in Jesus Christ.

This is the washing away of committed sins, corresponding to the cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ. Justification. These are also the people who will ultimately stand before the throne of God, Revelation 7:14:
“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.“

Baptism with the Holy Spirit

Justification—that is, repentance, conversion, and forgiven sins—was the beginning. The next step is passing through the first veil from the outside into the tabernacle. The person enters the sanctuary. A lifelong process of character transformation and deepening of faith follows.

The Word of God

Looking further ahead, one finds the table with the 12 loaves of bread on the right, the seven-branched menorah on the left, and the altar of incense in the center. Bread symbolizes the Word of God, or rather, Jesus Christ, who came to earth as the “living bread from heaven” (symbolically, John 6:51).

These loaves represent the written Word of God, the Gospel. It should be studied diligently to deepen faith and, especially, to develop absolute trust in God. This will be a prerequisite, especially at the end of time, for enduring the adversities to come.

Work of the Holy Spirit

The menorah is the only source of light in the sanctuary. The oil, or light, represents the Holy Spirit. This enables the believer to see anything at all and to understand the spiritual aspects of the gospel. Without light, man would remain in (spiritual) darkness and thus be disoriented. Without light, the Word of God could not be read, let alone internalized.

No other light or “foreign fire” was allowed to be brought into the sanctuary, which symbolized the rigorous exclusion of false teachings.

Jesus Christus vermittelt

The incense altar symbolizes the prayer service of the believers, their daily petitions and confessions. This smoke, or rather the prayers of (sinful) people, are, however, prepared by Jesus Christ by passing (virtually) through His hands, as depicted, for example, in Revelation 8:3-4:
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.“

These prayers are “archived” and will be used when the books are opened for judgment, Revelation 5:8:
“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.“

Baptism of Fire – Sanctification

Fundamentals: No person can stand before God if they are still tainted with any sin. The garment must be free of spot or wrinkle. Man must wear the garment given by Jesus Christ, the only one that has remained absolutely pure (Revelation 19:7-8):
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.“

The presence, or rather, the face of God, is represented in the Tabernacle by the Holy of Holies. God’s seat with His people, equipped with the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. No human being, not even an ordinary priest, could have survived entering the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. This was only possible once a year for the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishri), and only after the High Priest had been thoroughly purified.

The new priesthood

While in the Old Testament the priests (according to Aaron) had exclusive access to the sanctuary, the believer has now become a priest of God himself (1 Peter 2:9). The High Priest is Jesus Christ (according to Melchizedek, Hebrews 7:21), and the Christian has free access to the sanctuary to follow Jesus Christ wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).

Hebrews 10:19-22:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Sanctification is a prerequisite

The glory of God, His face, which acts like a consuming fire. Consuming those who still stand in their own sin and sanctifying those who wear the garment of Jesus Christ. This purity of man is required to ever be able to stand before the throne of God. This is the state when one has undergone the third baptism, the baptism of fire.

The apostles of Jesus Christ received this baptism of fire, also commonly known as the Pentecost baptism, or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:3-4:
“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.“

Jesus Christ asked the Heavenly Father for this sanctification for His disciples shortly before He was hung on the cross, John 17:16-19:
“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.“

This is the infilling with the Holy Spirit, which empowers people to perform supernatural deeds, such as healing, speaking in other tongues, and prophesying.
In the final stages of the end times, there will be another baptism of fire by the Holy Spirit, the so-called latter rain.

Baptism of fire at the end of time

The prophet Joel received a glimpse of what would happen at the end of time, Joel 2:28-31:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.“

The Gospel does not reveal exactly when this will happen. The day and hour are just as unknown as the moment of Jesus Christ’s return. However, the circumstances described indicate that this final outpouring of the Holy Spirit (baptism of fire) will come after humanity has already been confronted with its ultimate decision.

The mark of the beast, the last “abomination of desolation,” has already been established, and the destruction of Babylon is imminent.

The last call

Before the gate closes, through which a person can still pass to salvation, there is a loud cry. The very last warning and the urgent call to leave Babylon immediately. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit (sanctification, or glorification) and the final call are described in Revelation 18:1;4:
“nd after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”

Anyone who remains in Babylon has chosen to accept the mark of the beast. A fateful decision.

Water Baptism – Spirit Baptism – Fire Baptism – Overview

Following Jesus Christ into the sanctuary

“Just sprinkle with water once and that’s it.” No! The prerequisite is true repentance and confession of sins. Then comes true baptism, including immersion, and not just a few splashes of water on the head. This is followed by the lifelong process of sanctification, which also succeeds thanks to the power of God through His Holy Spirit.

The overcoming sin, or rather, this world, is the goal. The completion of this process is followed by the baptism of fire, the final prerequisite for being able to stand before the glory of God.

Anyone who does not enter the sanctuary is either groping in total darkness or being led by an foreign light (false teaching). The menorah, the only true light. The 12 loaves of bread, the only true Word of God. The altar of incense, the constant prayers. Staying away from the sanctuary leaves one standing at the very least in the courtyard near the altar of burnt offering. However, this is the wrong place to stay for long without following Jesus Christ in the sanctuary.

“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles:” (Revelation 11:2).

Sanctification is overcoming sin

It’s all about the law of God. The transgression of this law IS sin (1 John 3:4). Sin leads to separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). There is no life in separation from God. Only Jesus Christ, who stands between man separated from God and God himself, ensures that the sinner is not already dead.

Jesus Christ came into this world, died on the cross, paid with His own blood, and rose from the dead so that man could be saved not IN his sin, but so that man could be redeemed FROM his sin. Not saved despite of sinfulness, but saved because freed from sinfulness.

Sanctification is the transformation of fallen man into a character that conforms to that of Jesus Christ (example: Galatians 5:22). This automatically includes the abhorrence of sin.

Don’t just stand still

Humans cannot do this on their own, but require the path of sanctification. This begins with repentance, contrition, and the request for forgiveness of sins (“burnt offering”), followed by cleansing from previous sins (water baptism, justification), followed by the process of character transformation (sanctification, overcoming, baptism with the Holy Spirit), and finally by the completion of sanctification (baptism of fire), which enables one to stand before God’s face and consuming fire.

God’s law (the Ten Commandments) has neither been changed nor abolished. Therefore, anyone who thinks they can simply stop after the first few steps is in for a bitter surprise:

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)

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