Donnie, I did not mean to "confuse" you. I thought I was clear on the question: "what does this mean?" from Acts 2:12. Either the "Pharisees and Sadusees" were to be the "first" to be "baptized with the Holy Spirit," or John was a false prophet[Ma.3], or did he nail it, by Peter's answer. Now, I do not know how to make that any clearer. J.R.

Humans can baptize with water: both John and the disciples of Jesus baptized with water and it was FOR the remission of sins as was that of Pentecost. However, disciples were to receive the gift of A holy spirit ot A good conscience AFTER they were baptized. This was not a PROMISE but a WARNING:

And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Matt 3:6

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matt 3:7


Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Mt.23:33


Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: Matt 3:8

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Matt 3:9

Jesus agreed that they were "children of Abraham" but He denied that they were true Israelites. In fact, they were more Kenite or Arabic than Jewish. That is why Jesus spoke to them in PARABLES to prevent their hearing the gospel. It is doubtful that the Pharisees were baptized with the HOLY spirit but with the spirit OF fire and the spirit OF burning.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Matt 3:10

I indeed baptize you with 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 with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Matt 3:11

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable FIRE. Matt 3:12

The word SPIRIT has its primary meaning as SPIRIT or WIND. When you PURGE your wheat crop you send a strong WIND or SPIRIT to separate the wheat from the chaff. Then, you BURN UP the chaff. The non-Israelite sectarians in Jerusalem would be SEPARATED by the SPIRIT or DIVINE WIND of God and most of them would be BURNED up while not one believer is said to have died.

Only the apostles were in the "room where they lived" on the day of Pentecost. Only the eleven spoke, they were all Nazarenes and none of them were Pharisees or Sadducees. Peter looked back over the years when the same SIGN appeared to Cornelius to prove to Peter that the Gentiles were PURIFIED or ceremonially clean and no one could REFUSE baptism.

The prophecy of Joel was the prophecy of judgment by a SPIRIT OF FIRE and a SPIRIT OF BURNING. The testimony which God gave these poor men was a judgment AGAINST the clergy sectarians (probably less than 10,000 total) who believed that they had religious speaking controlled and no one spoke other than the "sacred" Hebrew language.

None of those baptized on and following Pentecost are said to have been baptized with the SPIRIT and none of them exhibited any supernatural signs. This was because speaking in the KNOWN MINOR DIALECTS this was a sign. Only those who were chosen to MARK OUT a change in God's dealings with mankind proved it by miracles.

AND when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:1

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty WIND, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Acts 2:2

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of FIRE, and it sat upon each of them. Acts 2:3

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4

If you read Paul's letter to the Corinthians he quotes Isaiah 28. When they herd the FOREIGN LANGUAGE they knew that the ENEMY was at the gate to destroy them. Most of the Jews would recognize all of these signs and FOREIGN LANGUAGES as a threat just as YOU would if you went to the County Council and everyone is suddenly speaking Arabic.

You will notice that the "spirit" which rested on Jesus as the Son of God was like a dove. This symbolized a peaceable MESSENGER OF GOD. However, the baptism of the SPIRIT was in the form of TONGUES OF FIRE. The STRONG WIND and the CHAFF is the way God separates our the enemy and burns them up.

Speaking in all of the known languages of the transient Jews was utilitarian and it was also to PROVE the prophecy of Joel.

But Peter, standing up with the ELEVEN, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: Acts 2:14

For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. Acts 2:15

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; Acts 2:16

Philip had daughters who 'prophesied' but this was not speaking FROM God Who sent Agabus to warn Paul. Old men "dreaming" was also a judgmental sign of "enchanting" means of hearing from God. However, the message was that they should HEAR HIM meaning Jesus Christ.

Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. Isaiah 33:13

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the HYPOCRITES. Who among us shall dwell with the DEVOURING FIRE ? who among us shall dwell with EVERLASTING BURNING? Isaiah 33: 14

When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT , and by the SPIRIT OF BURNING . Is.4:4

These were all JUDGMENTAL SIGNS AGAINST THE JEWS and not "commands, examples and inferences" for us. The Pharisees REJECTED the counsel of God by refusing to be baptized. As a result of ignoring the SUPERNATURAL proof on the day of Pentecost perhaps a million Jews were killed in Jerusalem and most of them were probably BURNED UP.

could you answer some questions for me?

wasn't it about 3 1/2 years between Jesus' baptism and Pentecost birth of the church?

wouldn't all of the real jews whether any of the sects have seen His miracles for years before His crucifixion?

wouldn'there have been millions in Jerusalem between Passover and Pentecost that witnessed the death, resurrection, visibility etc?

doesn't 3,000 responses seem rather small considering the circumstances?

is it possible that "baptism in the spirit" really means being one in spirit with God? having the mind of Christ and etc.?

weren't there more than 12 in the room when the wind and tongue fires came?

that's all for now.

clyde

A Bite at a Time:

It is important to understand the meaning of SPIRIT. My view is that SPIRIT is the Word of Christ which are the MIND of Christ. Isaiah 55 speaks of the "water cycle" of God's Word being poured out on us and filling all of the cracks and bringing forth fruit. The result is that the Word is returned to Him in our worship. Jesus also identified the SPIRIT as the Word which flows out of our BELLY. In our baptism we have our external body washed with pure water but God INTERNALLY sprinkles our conscience, consciousness or mind or spirit FROM evil. Like casting out demons, we can then fill our "house" with the Mind or Spirit of Christ or have the demons return with their friends.

THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Acts 1:1

In 1 Corinthians 2 Paul draws an identity between God's Spirit and man's spirit. He then said "but we have the mind of Christ." The words MIND and SPIRIT are often used interchangeably. Therefore, when God in Christ "breaths" he does what most trinitarians claim: that Father is the thought, Son is the Word and Spirit is the breath. When the "Father" thinks then the "Son" speaks exactly what He hears from the Father Whom the Son always had with Him. He had his Word and Wisdom and Spirit with Him but this was not another person.

In the same way, when we are baptized we receive A holy spirit or A good conscience but this is not a little Divine being living inside our carnal body.

Until the day in which he was taken up, after that

he through the Holy Ghost
had given commandments
unto the apostles whom he had chosen: Acts 1:2

In John

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you John 20:21

And when he had said this,
he breathed [from germinate] on them,
and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Jn.20:22

By instructing the apostles He Breathed on them and the meaning of receiving the Spirit is receiving commandments. This has to be true because Jesus had told them that:

It is the SPIRIT that quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing:
the WORDS that I speak unto you,
they are SPIRIT,
and they are LIFE. John 6:63

To receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit did not put the focus on MIRACLES but the CONTENT of Words.

The miracles had little effect on most people and almost none on the clergy Jews who had bought their positions as highest bidder. Jesus agreed that they were the children of Abraham but denied that they were true Israelites. In fact, they were more Arabic and therefore the enemy of God than friends.

The power of common people to preach from the Old Testament and show that Jesus was the Messiah meant, as they confessed of Stephen, they were going to lose their PLACE and their LAW. The Words of Christ as SPIRIT AND LIFE could have given them life. Instead it was a SUPERNATURAL SIGN of their doom. Peter had already been convinced that the Gentiles were CLEAN or PURIFIED and therefore ceremonially acceptable WITHOUT becoming a Jew. The effect of the Spirit on Cornelius was SPEAKING and PRAISING in a language the doubting Jews could understand.

And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Jer 5:13

Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth FIRE, and this people WOOD, and it shall devour them Jer 5:14

Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Jer 5:15

Is not my WORD like as a FIRE? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Je.23:29

The identity between the Spirit OF Christ or the Spirit OF God and the Mind of God is well defined. The baptismal examples show that we REQUEST that God give US A holy spirit or A good conscience. This invited the Spirit of God or the Mind of Christ to dwell within out OWN spirit or minds BY FAITH.

While people love to mock conservatives, it is a fact that history does not recognize the SPIRIT as a separated "being" until it was articulated in print by H. Leo Boles and the Gospel Advocate in 1942. I have found no exception. John Mark Hicks gives credit to the INCARNATIONAL views of Max Lucado and Rubel Shelly for popularizing a neo-trinitiarianism. This consists of THREE PERSONS able to hold conferences and discuss who is most suitable for a particular dispensation.

Churches of Christ have been MAINSTREAM by claiming that the SPIRIT of Christ is not another being. His Words ARE Spirit and Life because He told me so. The Word and Spirit are the same because of the many parallel examples. Therefore, if we want to be OVERWHELMED with the Spirit OF Christ we have only one way to access it as historical scholars such as Luther and Calvin agree.