1. Introduction

It is no longer important they claim where, how or when you worship, whether you pray before an image using a rosary or not, whether you are sprinkled as an infant or immersed as an adult, whether you confess your sins to a priest or to God alone, whether you look upon the Bible as the final authority in spiritual matters or as just another inspired book having equal weight with the age-old traditions of the church.

“These differences of opinion,” many say, “are no longer important.”

During the past few centuries, doctrinal issues exercised the minds of the most learned theologians; they changed the course of nations, spawned new religious communities in distant lands and governed the behavior of literally millions of Christians all over the globe.

In those days, the word doctrine was on every responsible churchman's lips. Each group did its utmost to explain its foundational beliefs to others; fully convinced, only by practicing the truth as they understood, was salvation assured. Yes, doctrine used to be an important consideration in times past! It was the navigational chart, by which each group steered its course towards the spiritual Kingdom of God.

The scene has changed! Doctrine has fallen from favor, and now only a few church-goers, by comparison, speak of it. Today, there is another word on the lips of many. It is the word experience. It tells of supernatural happenings so overwhelming, so exciting and apparently so fulfilling, that no attempt to describe them, we are assured, can succeed, because they must be experienced!

“Never mind your doctrines” they say “I know.” I've had this marvelous experience, and it makes no difference what you say, write or do, because I know from experience.

What is this “supernatural experience,” which has overtaken the church, causing it to abandon the tried and tested path of doctrine? It is called, by those who have had it, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

• What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
• What are the identifying signs of a valid Baptism?
• Is there such a thing as a counterfeit?
• When will the real Baptism come?

2. What Is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

As pointed out in The Baptism of Repentance (Water Baptism), it is a ceremonial ordinance of divine origin, which enables a believer to publicly declare his or her faith in Jesus Christ by being momentarily submerged in water. The Baptism of Repentance, in other words, is the shadow, the type, the blueprint, the physical illustration, the symbolic ceremony.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the living reality, to which Water Baptism points. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in short, is the Main Baptism, the REAL THING!

Even though Water Baptism is only a symbolic ceremony, we can still learn a lot from it; just as an engineer can learn a lot about a machine by studying the designer's blueprint. Let us first turn our attention to that ceremonial blueprint and see what we can learn about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Upon doing this, we find, when the repentant believer goes through the waters of baptism he/she figuratively declares to the world two important objectives.

• The burying of the old sinful nature
• The power of God rising you again to live a new life of righteousness

This spiritual resurrection is, in fact, the main purpose of water baptism; that the washed believer sheds the old sinful life and rises to live a new life of righteousness in accordance with God's will.

Colossians 2:

12: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Also read Romans 6:3-7.

These two objectives, we repeat, both find fulfillment in the life of a believer, who has been Baptized in the Holy Spirit. They are no longer a figurative exercise as they were in Water Baptism, but a real, recognizable fact in the Spirit-Baptized believer's life.

3. What Are the Signs of a Valid Baptism?

When we look more closely at those two ceremonial features, we find, they tell quite plainly of these two things.

1. The burial of the old sinful nature
2. The rising to live a life of righteousness - obedience!

4. The Burial of the Old Sinful Nature

Romans 8:

7: The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.

Because of this fact (the carnal mind cannot be subject to the law of God), the carnal mind must be slain; for it cannot be made holy. This slaughter of the carnal mind is accomplished by the Spirit of God. The believer's sinful nature, the “old man” as Colossians 3:9 calls it, is to be slain and buried at baptism.

In Water Baptism, this death and burial of the carnal nature is only figuratively expressed when the repentant believer is placed under the water, buried in the watery grave so to speak. In the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, this death and burial of the sinful nature really takes place. It is no longer a symbolic exercise, but a recognizable reality, a visible fact.

The believer is literally purged of sin by the Holy Spirit of God. His old sinful nature is slain and buried. In other words, he does not sin anymore. He is finished with sin forever, because his old sinful nature is no longer alive. He is, in fact, no more capable of sin than a buried corpse is! Consider this verse:

1 John 3:

9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

In other words, a born-again believer, who is baptized in the Holy Spirit is an extremely holy person, who no longer sins! He may make errors of judgment or leave tasks undone, or like a child, may have a lot to learn, but he no longer sins. That is the first sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Just pause awhile and consider that amazing standard. The Scriptures make it abundantly clear, it will be reached by a great company of believers. Look at Revelation 14: 1-5. There you will read about a perfect company of believers numbering many thousands who are faultless. The standard of absolute purity can and will be reached! It has been reached before by men like Asa and Job (1 Kings 15: 14, Job 1: 8).

5. Rising to a Life of Righteousness/Obedience

In symbolic language, righteousness (obedience) is referred to as good fruit. That is why John the Baptist, when he saw true righteousness often missing from the lives of those who came to him for baptism, he spoke these scathing words:

Luke 3:

7: Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8: Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, ... 9: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

This man of God knew very well, if righteousness (right actions, good fruit) did not follow water baptism, then the whole symbolic exercise was invalidated and pointless. John was looking for good fruit, true repentance followed by obedience in the lives of those who came to him. When he didn't find it, his denunciations were voiced in no uncertain terms:

“Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.”

The Savior expressed the same thought when he said:

Matthew 7:

15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

In other words, a believer who is Baptized in the Holy Spirit will live a righteous life. He will be eager to OBEY the Law of the Most High. He will not merely stop sinning (sign #1) but he will go on to produce good fruit by obeying Yahweh's Law (sign #2).

6. Supernatural/Witnessing Power

Acts 1:

4: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

When we broadly consider this matter of supernatural power, we find, it manifests itself in a variety of ways (Mark 16:17-18). To mention a few:

• The gift of prophecy
• The gift of tongues
• The power to cast out devils
• The power to work miracles

The power they were to receive, at the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, was not the kind of power they already had. It was a completely different kind of power. Also bear in mind, many of the prophets of old had supernatural power. Elisha had even raised the dead (2 Kings 4: 32-36).

The power mentioned in (Acts 1: 8) was an entirely new kind of power. It was the power to witness of the resurrected Savior on a supernatural scale.

Acts 8:

8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Indeed, when they received this new kind of power, the power to witness effectively, they turned the world upside down. Within a few years, the gospel penetrated areas where even a thousand miracles would have gone unheeded. What they received, on that Day of Pentecost, was the great power of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to unstop the ears of the spiritually deaf and to raise the spiritually dead.

This is the power, the Spirit Baptized believer is promised in (Acts 1: 8); the power to witness with spectacular results, the power to do the spiritually impossible! That kind of power had never been known before. It was new.

The supernatural power conferred on a believer at the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in short, is not to be confused with the power to do physical miracles. It is the power to witness of Yeshua and to produce supernatural results, just as they did in the early days of the Christian era. Here is a further word of instruction about supernatural power.

Supernatural power, at its lowest level (the power to do physical miracles), is not confined to the Christian Church. It is found in most religions, pagan and otherwise. In India, Africa, China and the Middle East, yea in almost all the nations of the world, there are heathen spiritual leaders who possess miraculous powers. Believe it or not, many of them speak in tongues. Like the magicians of ancient Pharaoh, they are well able to duplicate most of the miracles done by the prophets of God (Exodus 7: 11, 22).

Because of these facts, we conclude, the commonly know expressions of supernatural power (miracles, healings, tongues etc.), wonderful though they may be, should NOT be taken as a unique sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. For we know very well, spectacular miracles are often done by heathen religious leaders. We also know, their powers DO NOT emanate from Yahweh the Holy One of Israel. Because of this fact, we should not accept something as from God, simply because it is accompanied by a miracle.

To be accepted as a unique sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, supernatural power must be a witnessing power; witnessing of Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel with Apostolic effect. Because this sign is so difficult to assess, we only consider it when it is accompanied by those first two signs:

1. The absence of sin
2. The presence of righteousness

These are the signs of a valid Spirit Baptism. If even one of them is missing, in the life of someone who claims to have been Baptized in the Holy Spirit, you can be sure, you ARE NOT seeing the genuine article.

7. Satan’s Counterfeit Baptism

• False prophets who pose as ministers of righteousness
• Over 100 modern English Bible translations, all posing as the Word of God For proof see Bible Versions
• Counterfeit sabbaths and festivals, which are being palmed off as the genuine Sabbaths and Feasts of the Most High
• Antichrists and bogus messiahs pretending to be agents of the Eternal
• Miracle workers with phenomenal powers all claiming, they are the instruments of the Almighty God

8. The Lying Spirit

The Lying Spirit will succeed where all other agencies fail, mainly because, he never comes in his own garb. He always poses as the Spirit of Truth. The Lying Spirit always transforms himself into an Angel of Light, when, in fact, he is a minister of darkness.

The Lying Spirit is the wolf in sheep's clothing, a lamb who speaks as the dragon, the miracle-working False Prophet from whose mouth proceeds error and deception (Revelation 13: 11, Revelation 16: 13-14).

In the Christian Church, he speaks through the mouths of the false prophets, who blatantly reject the commandments of the Most High. They not only disregard the Law of God, but claim, it is obsolete. They proudly parade their supernatural gifts as evidence, of what they say, is correct. We are given a preview of the Lying Spirit, at work in the experience, recorded in 1 Kings 22. Read the whole chapter over a few times and you will realize, you are, in fact, looking at a dramatized prophecy of the greatest deception this old world has ever witnessed. It is a symbolic prediction, which is coming true in our day. There you will see how:

• The Almighty had determined to hand the disobedient Ahab over to destruction, because even after Elijah's spectacular victory on Mount Carmel (see chapter 18), he was still allowing his wicked wife Jezebel to corrupt the nation of Israel.

• Each Spirit, in turn, proposed a plan to trick Ahab to his death. Only the Lying Spirit's plan would work.

  1 Kings 22:

  19: And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20: And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21: And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22: And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

• The Lying Spirit had decided to speak through the mouths of the prophets of Israel. Remember, these leaders were not the prophets of Baal. The prophets of Baal had been slaughtered some time before (see 1 Kings 18: 40). These men were the respected spiritual leaders of Israel.

• Note how the deluded prophet Zedekiah was wearing a pair of iron horns (verse 11). Iron horns are symbols of supernatural power. For all Zedekiah's power and numerical advantage (400 to 1, verse 6), he was still delivering a false message. What was worse, he was totally unaware, the Lying Spirit was using his tongue to do so.

• Sad to say even the righteous King Jehoshaphat believed the false prophets and he almost lost his life as a result.

1 Corinthians 10:

11: Now all these things happened to them as ensamples and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the world are come.

Did you notice that? This ancient experience is an example, a type, an illustration, a figure of a great spiritual deception, scheduled to come upon this world in the end-time. That time has already begun. So let us examine this matter further.

9. The Last Great Deception

Strange as this may seem, Yahweh is, once again, handing over multitudes of rebellious souls to believe the Lying Spirit. Like Ahab and Jezebel, they do not really want to obey His Law. Yes, the Lying Spirit is again at work, posing as the Spirit of Truth.

As in the days of old, his spokesmen have supernatural power, just as the horned Zedekiah had. He also has the majority on his side and he is convincing the people of God, he is speaking the truth. In the end, even those, whom he has deluded, will find out, he was a liar and the truth was not in him. Now consider this amazing end-time scene foretold by the Savior.

Matthew 7:

21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Here is one of the most amazing spiritual scenes portrayed in the whole Bible; one, which will stagger your mind, if you just stop to think about it. Here are believers, many of them, who:

• Openly profess Christ (“Lord, Lord” they say)
• Have prophesied in his Name
• Have cast out devils in Messiah's Name
• In his Name, have done many wonderful works!

What is this thing called ‘iniquity,’ that can invalidate the powerful arguments these believers put to Christ, the one who disqualifies them from entering the Kingdom of Heaven? The answer, iniquity is:

• Deliberate, persistent sin, a willful refusal to acknowledge sin and obey the Law of Almighty God!

• An absolute rejection of Yahweh’s commandments (one or all).

• Disobedience of the worst kind, an act of spiritual rebellion so deep and so deluding, it even contemptuously dismisses the charge that it is wrong. Did you get that?

These persons are guilty of iniquity. To be sure, they profess Christ. Indeed, with their wonder-working powers, they are usually the leaders in this field. What is more, in Christ's name, they have cast out devils and have done many wonderful works.

It would be foolish to suggest, they would use these arguments if they hadn't done these things. Yes, they have done them all, but it avails them nothing. The Master still refuses them entry to the Kingdom. Like unproductive trees, they are hewn down and cast into the fire.

Again we ask, Why?

Because, they are blatant sinners who refuse to recognize and obey the Commandments of the Most High. They are willfully and persistently disobedient. They are guilty of iniquity. Moreover, they have allowed their tongues to become the channel for the Lying Spirit and have taught and practiced lawlessness to their own ruin. To be sure, they can do miracles, but that counts for nothing when weighed against their iniquity. Oh what a terrible scene is portrayed here. Can you begin to understand it?

Pause awhile and consider so great a deception! Who are these people anyway? What do they call themselves? By what denominational name do they go? There must be many of them and they must be able to work miracles for the Master to say:

Once more we ask, who are these people?

There is only one answer to that question. If you spend some time really thinking about it, you will realize, it is the only answer that presents itself. That answer is:

These deluded souls are none other than the wonder-working Charismatic Christians who are currently claiming to have that supernatural experience called The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, believe it or not, these miracle-working believers are the only ones in the whole of Christendom, who fit that prophecy. No other Christian group can possibly claim such powers as these people can.

• They openly confess Christ (“Lord, Lord” they say).
• They prophesy in his name.
• They cast out devils in his name.
• They have done many wonderful works.

We do not.

What will happen to these deluded souls? Are they forever lost, because in their eagerness to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit they have allowed themselves to be tricked by the Lying Spirit?

We are happy to say, many of them will realize their error and like king Jehoshaphat of old, cry out to Yahweh before it is eternally too late (1 Kings 22: 32). Yes, many of them will repent, they will wash their garments, that is, they will begin to obey the commandments of the Most High (Revelation 7: 13-17, 22: 14). Many others like Ahab and Jezebel will not. They will continue in their lawlessness and perish in their sins.

10. When Will the Real Baptism Come?

That was the symbolic environment, the figure, the spiritual blueprint, the ceremonial setting. The reality will be when multitudes of believers from all nations are baptized by the Messiah in the Spirit of the Most High. Our sinful, carnal natures, with all their inherent, lawless traits, will then be slain and buried. Our minds will be overwritten with the Law of Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel.

In other words, every believer who enters the Kingdom of God is going to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit. The old carnal nature, the one that we are all born with, the nature that is inherently hostile to the commandments of the Most High, will be slain. In its place, the Messiah will give us a mind like his own and write on it, His Father's Law. We will then be totally obedient sons and daughters of God, not because we have to be, but instinctively.

This glorious prospect is guaranteed in these words:

Hebrews 8:

8: For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

The same thoughts are expressed in Hebrews 10: 16.

This experience is, in fact, the climax of the New Covenant, when the whole Family of the Most High will assemble at Mount Zion to have His Law inscribed on the tablets of our souls. In this Covenant, Yahweh's commandments will be inscribed on our minds, etched by the divine hand into our spiritual hardware (to use a computer term) for all time.

We will then be absolutely, holy people in every thought, word and deed. Yes, the Messiah is going to personally Baptize in the Holy Spirit, every believer who is going to enter the Kingdom of God.

He will do this in his own time, so wait for it. He has scheduled himself to slay our sinful natures, which in varying degrees are at enmity with the Law of his Father. In the place of our sinful rebellion, he will put total obedience.

This experience is the true Baptism of the Holy Spirit and when we experience it, we will never sin anymore! Then this following text will apply to us:

1 John 3:

9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

This is the wonderful prospect that awaits every believer, who wants to obey Yahweh and enter His Kingdom. Think about it dear reader and in your eagerness to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit, do not sacrifice True Doctrine for the deceptions of the Lying Spirit.

Now, may the Spirit of Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel help you to understand and obey His will. For further study see: The False Prophet, The Gift of Tongues and Miracles.

A Voice In The Wilderness - USA
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