BAPTISM: We Will Be Surprise In the End

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.” (Matt 12:43)

We understand that baptism is the outward sign of a repentant heart. In the words of Peter, “an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” (1 Pet 3:21). I think that there is a good chance that when we get to the other side we will find out that our baptism had much deeper spiritual significance than we ever imaged. We might get to the other side and find out that the physical act of baptism actually purged us and helped protect us from spiritual forces of the enemy. How could this possibly work?

As we know, water plays a prominent role in the creation and in sustaining life. I am fascinated by the passage of Jesus speaking of the “unclean spirit” that attempts to find rest in “waterless places.” In the Hebrew mind, it is living water that cleanses and make a person or an object “clean.” If you are an “unclean spirit” you probably would try to avoid living water because it would be contrary to your nature and potentially harmful to your make-up. These thoughts lead to an interesting question, “Can unclean spirits pass through water or does living water have some power to drive away that which is ‘unclean’ from our flesh”?

Let’s look at the healing of the man by the pool of Bethesda with the concept that water might drive away a demonic spirit, which is sometimes seen in scripture as the cause of disease and physical ailments. John explains the people’s understanding this way, “For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever…first… stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted,” (John 5:4). Maybe the water at times had the power to drive away an unclean spirit when the source of the illness came from the unclean spirit. There must have been some healings at the pool of Bethesda prior to Jesus’ appearance otherwise, why had the understanding flourished?

When Jesus cast the demons into the herd of swine “the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters,” (Matt 8:30). An ocean, a sea, and a lake are considered to be “living water.” We talk about the abyss as being the dwelling place of the demonic spirits, but maybe it is actually a holding cell where spirits are kept because they cannot pass through the water. In the Book of Revelation, it is necessary for the fallen star to open the abyss for the locusts (evil spirits) to rise out like smoke, (Rev 9:2). Maybe the act of sending the swine rushing into the sea imprisoned the spirits rather than leaving them to roam and torment other victims.  Maybe there will be no sea in the world to come (Rev 21:1), since no demons need to be imprisoned because “nothing unclean…shall ever come into it (the New Jerusalem),” (Rev 21:27).

 During creation, God “separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse,” (Gen 1:6). The waters below were gathered into seas. The “gathering of the waters” (Gen 1:10), is translated from the Hebrew word “mikvah” and lead to the understanding that “seas” are acceptable for baptism. Paul alluded to this when he said, “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,” (1 Cor 10:2).

The waters below are necessary for baptism and might protect the creation from spirits in Sheol, but what function do the waters above serve? The obvious first answer is that the waters above provide clouds for rain, but they might also serve a second purpose. Maybe the waters above served as a protective barrier against “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms,” (Eph 6:12). Some protection may be provided, but not complete insulation as Satan was still able to move between the heavenly and the earthly and to tempt Adam and Eve.

There is some indication in scripture that the canopy that protected the earth was diminished after the flood. Without the canopy, the effects of solar radiation quickly shortened the age of individuals from over 900 years before the flood to slightly over 100 years by the time of Abraham, ten generations after the flood. Maybe a shortened life was caused by increased solar radiation or maybe is was the weakening of the protective covering between mankind and the “spiritual forces of wickedness.”

God is often seen as being enclosed in a cloud such as when God called to Moses from the cloud on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:16), a cloud that led Israel during the day; the bright cloud at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt 17:5); Jesus being caught up into a cloud (Acts 1:9), Jesus promised return in a cloud (Matt 24:30), and a future time with the saints will be caught up to be with the LORD in the clouds (1 Thes 4:17). Are these just coincidences? Certainly God does not need a water barrier to protect Himself from wickedness, but the cloud is a testimony to the purity of God, that nothing unclean can be in His presence?

I think there is a good chance that when we pass to the other side we will find out that, in addition to a profession of faith, baptism was much more than some “legalistic” requirement or the cure for the common cold. We will then wish that we had placed greater emphasis on the importance of real baptism, the dunk you multiple times completely under water, like Naaman in the days of Elisha. We will also wish that we had personally performed baptism on a more frequent basis.  What a change from my own perspective in the past.

How I am looking forward to being baptized on Yom Kippur!!! (Scott)