Jordan means descending

 Jordan means descending

Babylon tried to build a tower to ascend up to heaven. They wanted human ideas to be established as truth in heaven.

They were operating in the wrong direction. Heavenly truth has to descend to earth.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. He descended from Heaven to Earth to save us.

The only One Who can teach us is the Holy Ghost descending from Heaven to fill our hearts.

We depend on an understanding of God’s Word coming down from Heaven.

That was symbolized by the Holy Ghost descending as a Dove to rest on Jesus, the Word of God, as He emerged out of the water of baptism.

For us, after we have repented, we have to be immersed in water at our water baptism and then we rise up out of the water. After that, we are ready to receive the Holy Ghost baptism, whereby Eternal Life takes full control of our lives. God coming down to seal us into His Kingdom.

EPHESIANS 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

The Old Testament established an outline that the New Testament has to fulfil.

A strange incident took place in the Jordan River that concerned a Syrian Gentile called Namaan.

He was a Gentile person. Thus, he was not a Jew (belonging to the tribes of Judah or Benjamin shown in green) or an Israelite (belonging to the other ten tribes. Some of these tribes between Ephraim and Dan are shown).

The River Jordan (the blue line) runs through Dan, the Sea of Galilee, and into the Dead Sea.

Namaan wanted to be healed of the dreaded disease of leprosy.

II KINGS 5:10 "And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean."

Washing in Jordan’s water seven times cured Namaan. Leprosy can appear anywhere on the body. Namaan wanted a total cure for this awful disease. So, he dipped himself into the water by total immersion.

II KINGS 5:14 "Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

Namaan was completely cured. This was a preview of the Gentile seven church ages. As Gentiles, we have to totally immerse ourselves into the Word of God by believing everything in Scripture that God has revealed for our day.

The River Jordan is very significant as this is the river where Jesus Himself would be fully immersed in baptism at the start of His ministry, not just to heal our diseases but also to forgive our sins. Total immersion signifies a complete commitment to obey and believe all the revealed Bible truths for our day.

Naaman was an important preview for us Gentiles (non-Jews).

The Jordan River is important.

Jordan is the river where Jesus would be baptized.

Jesus had no sin. Thus, His baptism was not to remove sin from Him as He has none.

Why then was He immersed in water?

In order to fulfill a deeper Old Testament pattern.

First, He had to be washed in order to be the Sacrifice for sin.

Jesus was our burnt offering as He took on our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and then paid the price for them on the cross.

In the Old Testament, when the spirit left a man as he died, it was called a ghost.

The Holy Spirit in Christ became the Holy Ghost as He carried our sins down to hell to dump them on the Devil. As He walked over those burning fires He was our burnt Offering. But being sinless, He could not burn. Thus, He defeated Satan.

II CHRONICLES 4:6 "He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in."

REVELATION 1:15 "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;"

Hell fire was hot. Jesus fought Satan in a tough battle, and won. His feet showed evidence of being in a very hot place but sinless feet cannot burn.

Secondly, He had to be washed to be the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek.

In order to establish Aaron as the High Priest, Aaron first had to be washed. The same applied to his sons as they would become High Priest when the previous High Priest died.

LEVITICUS 8:6 "And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water."

After being washed in water the High Priest had to be anointed. The anointing oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

LEVITICUS 8:12 "And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him."

When Jesus emerged out of the water of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended like a Dove on Him, to anoint Him as the High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek.

MARK 1:10 "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:"

At first, John the Baptist felt too inferior to baptize or wash Jesus.

Then Jesus had to remind him that both the Sacrifice and the High Priest had to be washed.

John, as a prophet, then obeyed the pattern of Scripture.

MATTHEW 3:15 "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him."

The Levitical Priesthood ended when Caiaphas tore his garments.

MATTHEW 26:65 "Then the high priest rent his clothes,"

LEVITICUS 10:6 "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people:"

The Levitical Priesthood had the Law but it could not produce the resurrection from the dead. Thus, the Levitical Priesthood was a failure.

Therefore, the Old Testament never had a baptism. Because the water baptism would symbolize someone being buried and then rising up out of their grave.

Jesus, however, began His ministry by being washed in a water baptism.

His entire focus was on His future death, burial, and resurrection. He alone could achieve this.

There was no other way to defeat sin and establish His true New Testament church.