Program 153: The Significance of the Water

Baptism is more than a public statement of faith. It is an important requirement that symbolizes cleansing.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Baptism. Traditional ceremony? Important symbol? Outmoded rite?

Hi, I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio.

Baptism has actually been around a very long time. John the Baptist wasn’t the first to introduce baptism. The Jews understood baptism as being symbolic for purification. Early Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as some indigenous religions in the Americas and the far East, all practiced various forms of baptism.

For Christians, though, there is a very specific purpose, one that is too-frequently being overlooked today. I’ve asked Dave Wright to talk about that today. Dave?

Dave Wright: Thanks, Miles. As a boy, whenever someone was baptized at church, it always seemed very special. It didn’t happen very often, but it was a break in the typical church service routine and it always seemed so fascinating to see the baptismal tank filled with water and someone, usually an adult, being baptized.

Miles: Yeah, I can see how that would be. For me, I was brought up in a church that practiced infant baptism. That was always fascinating to watch, too. The baby would be fine … right up until the cold water hit its head. Then there’d be “weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.” It was predictable! And, as a kid, I always found it amusing. Wasn’t very nice of me, I know. I’m sure it was stressful for the mothers, but I always found it amusing.

Dave: We never had anything quite like that, but there’s a book called Even the Angels Must Laugh. It’s a compilation of various amusing and true incidents that have happened during church services. Apparently, this one church installed a baptismal tank that had a glass front to it. Now, for baptism by immersion, if there are several people being baptized, they usually have the women go out one side, and the men the other so they can change into dry clothes afterward.

Well, this one time, a man got turned around and exited the wrong side. By the time he figured out his mistake, the next baptismal candidate was down in the tank. He thought it would be too awkward to re-enter the tank from the ladies’ side and walk back across, so he came up with another plan instead.

Miles: Oh, no! Do I want to hear what it is?

Dave: Well, you have to give him credit for creativity. He completely forgot that the baptismal tank was glass-fronted and, as the pastor dunked the person under, he slipped under the water, too, and swam across to the other side underwater! All in full view of the on-looking congregation!

Miles: That would have been a sight to see!

Dave: Rather distracting, I should think!

Miles: Yeah, but you have to give him points for trying.

Seriously, though, I’d like to talk about the purpose for baptism. Is it still necessary? Or is it, I don’t know, more optional, I guess. The reason I’m asking is that I had a conversation recently at a family get-together. My wife’s cousin is a pastor in a denomination that is known for being on the conservative end of the scale. I think that’s why his comment surprised me so much; it’s not something I’d expect to hear from a conservative Christian. He said that baptism is just a ritual that allows believers to make a public display or statement of their private faith and convictions.

Dave: I’ve heard that before. You disagree?

Miles: Well, at least partially, yeah. Yes, it gives believers the opportunity to make a public statement about their faith. But at the same time, it’s more than that, and I think that’s where I really disagreed with him. See, I think that it is necessary for salvation. He, on the other hand, insisted that baptism is greatly misunderstood if you take it to be an outright requirement.

So, yeah. I guess I’m looking for some clarity on that. How are we to view baptism? Just a chance to make a public statement about our faith? Or is it something more?

Dave: Those are good questions. Views on baptism have changed among some Christians in recent years. So, let’s see what the Bible has to say. Would you please turn to Matthew 28 and read verses 16 to 20?

This passage is often referred to as “the great commission” because here Yahushua is giving his disciples some final instructions before his ascension to Heaven. It’s after his crucifixion and he’s telling them what their work is to be. Go ahead and read it. Matthew 28, verses 16 to 20.

Miles:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Yahushua had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Yahushua came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Dave: So here we’ve got Yahushua’s instructions to the disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you.”

What’s he doing here?

Miles: Uh, well, he’s telling them what they’re to do as apostles. He’s laying out their work.

Dave: Did the apostles take his words as “helpful career suggestions”? Or did they take them as inspired commands?

Miles: Well, when you look at what tradition says they did, I’d have to say that they seem to have taken Christ’s words quite literally.

Dave: Of course! Andrew is said to have gone to “the land of the man-eaters” in what is, today, known as Russia. Philip took the gospel down into northern Africa and Asia minor. Matthew ministered in Persia and Ethiopia.

Miles: Thomas—good, old “doubting Thomas”—was so committed to following the Saviour’s instructions that he took the gospel clear to India!

Dave: Right! So I’d say they all took the Saviour’s words rather literally, wouldn’t you?

Miles: Yeah. It sounds that way, yeah.

Dave: The thing is, as we said a moment ago, views on the importance—dare I say, the necessity—of baptism have changed. It’s no longer viewed as a vital part of salvation. It’s more a comfortable tradition. Certainly a public statement of faith, but also, often, a way to bind the next generation to your preferred flavor of church.

Miles: “Preferred flavor of church”? You make it sound like an ice cream shop.

Dave: You know what I mean.

Miles: Yeah, I do. Sometimes it seems people are more focused on what divides their different denominations than what unites them.

One area I’ve seen this shift in mentality is in the songs we sing. Personally, I love the old hymns. There is such a depth to their lyrics. Some of my favorites were written over a thousand years ago!

The hymns have a depth I just don’t find in the modern “praise songs.” For example, there’s a hymn by William Cowper written clear back in 1770. The first verse says:

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

Then another verse goes:

Thou dying Lamb! Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransomed church of God

Are saved, to sin no more.

Dave: Mmm, I like that one, too. And you’re also right that many—not all but most—of the modern praise and worship songs lack the depth found in the old hymns.

Miles: They’re repetitive! They just repeat the same words over and over and over again. But more than that, I’ve noticed that baptism is not a subject they like to sing about. They’ll sing about everything else in praise songs, but not baptism. It’s a reflection of changing attitudes about baptism.

Dave: It’s really too bad. The truth is, people in the past had a more correct understanding of baptism than many people today. I contend that baptism is an absolute necessity, and yet many believers today take a very casual attitude toward baptism, almost as though it’s optional.

Recently, I was visiting with some fellow Christians on this very subject. One person vehemently stated that if a person truly understands what he called the “New Covenant Scriptures on baptism,” then they’ll know that the only baptism we need today is baptism in the Word of Yah.

Miles: What?

Dave: Yeah. Just “baptism in the Word.”

Miles: No, I’m serious. What does that even mean? It’s a word salad that doesn’t really mean anything, especially because the Gospel Commission we read earlier specifically states that we are to go and teach … and baptize! No offense, but it sounds like your friend was suffering from a serious level of ignorance about what the Bible actually teaches.

Dave: I agree. Scripture is very clear that baptism is more than an option. Would you please turn to Luke chapter 24? Luke 24 and read verses, uh … 44 through 49. This is the last chapter of Luke. This is after Christ’s death. Directly after this, it talks about Yahushua’s ascension. So take this in the context of what Matthew recorded of Yahushua’s instructions to go and teach all nations, baptizing them.

Go ahead. Luke 24, verses 44 to 49.

Miles:

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Dave: Matthew adds in the detail that they were to baptize those who accepted the gospel message, but the point remains that these are Yahushua’s final instructions to his disciples just before his ascension. He’s even telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t optional. These are their marching orders.

Now. Fast forward to Pentecost. What attitude did the newly ordained apostles—ordained just that morning by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—what attitude did they take toward baptism?

Acts chapter 2, verses 37 to 39. This is Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Go ahead once you’ve found it.

Miles:

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Dave: Repent and be baptized.

Miles: Is baptism necessary for being filled with the Holy Spirit? I think we’d all agree we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Is water baptism necessary for that?

Dave: Well, let’s take a look at the story of Cornelius. You remember, he was a Roman centurion in Caesarea. He sent and asked Peter to come. There was some initial hesitation because, traditionally, the Jews would never enter the homes of the uncircumcised. But Peter goes. Let’s read what happened. Acts 10. I don’t know which verses.

Miles: Uhh … verses 44 to 48. It says:

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling [Yahuwah]. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Yahushua Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Dave: Notice that, just because these gentile believers were already baptized with the Holy Spirit, Peter did not decide that water baptism was suddenly no longer necessary.

Miles: No. In fact, the baptism of the spirit just gave more weight to his argument that they should be baptized with water!

Dave: Right. And this is the same stance the other apostles took, too. Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Paul and Silas, too, urged physical baptism in water as an important and vital step in salvation. Turn to Acts 10 and read what they told the Philippian jailer after an earthquake loosened their stocks and set them free.

Miles: Acts 10 … uh, verses 29 to … 34. It says:

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Yahushua, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in [Yahuwah]—he and his whole household.

Dave: The jailer was saved! He expressed faith in the Saviour and accepted the gift of salvation. And yet, Paul and Silas still baptized him. And let me tell you, back then? At night? There wasn’t any baptismal tank filled with pre-heated water just standing around. And yet, baptism was still deemed important enough that they still did it.

Miles: Are there ever any exceptions?

Dave: Of course there are. Humans are dogmatic and judge each other. Not Yah. John 5:22 says that the Father judges no one but has given all judgment unto the son. And what does the son say? John 8:11.

Miles: Uhhh … “Neither do I condemn you.”

Dave: Satan is the accuser of the brethren and he gets people judging each other. Judging others is a favorite past time of the Laodicean, end-generation church. You build yourself up, make yourself feel better about your own failings by comparing yourself to others, looking down on them and judging them as worse off than yourself.

Miles: So, what are some exceptions to the rule?

Dave: Well, obviously, if there is some physical impairment that would keep a person from being baptized. For some, perhaps they’re in prison and aren’t allowed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Yah reads the heart. He knows if it is in the heart to obey . . . or to look for some excuse to get out of what the natural heart views as a disagreeable chore. See, this is where faith comes into the equation. The thief on the cross is an excellent example of an exception due to extreme, extenuating circumstances.

Miles: Are there any instances in which sprinkling would be acceptable?

Dave: Sure! Again, if someone is truly unable to be baptized by immersion and has no other option, then it is the faith expressed in the act that has value, not the particulars. That said, I do not believe that the baptism of infants is acceptable. Infant baptism came in after the doctrine of hell was introduced. You don’t want an infant to end up in an eternally burning hell, so you baptize him real quick. It’s all very works-oriented: jump through this hoop to save your child an eternity of torture.

Baptism should always occur when someone is old enough to make a conscious choice for him- or herself.

Miles: Okay, we’re going to take a quick break. We’ll be right back.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: We were just talking about exceptions. Let’s take a look at the story of the thief on the cross. Would you read it for us, please? It’s in Luke 23, I’m pretty sure.

Miles: Yeah, uh, verse 39 to … um, 43. It says:

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save yourself and us.”

But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Yahushua, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And Yahushua said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

Dave: It’s important to notice what the second thief actually says. His sense of injustice is triggered when the first thief ridicules and mocks the Saviour. He says, “Aren’t you even afraid of Yah when you’re under the exact same condemnation? And, in addition to that, our condemnation is just because we’ve broken the law. But he hasn’t done anything wrong!”

So, it’s a confession of guilt as well as a rebuke. Then, in his very next statement, you can see his faith, and it’s a beautiful thing. Here is Yahushua, crucified, scourged, unrecognizable after the beatings and torture before the crucifixion. And yet in this man he sees the Messiah, his Redeemer and he puts that faith into words. “Lord,” he says, using a respectful title, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

It's an incredibly beautiful statement of faith!

Miles: It is. And obviously, the Saviour accepted that as the best he could do under those circumstances, because obviously he couldn’t be baptized. He wasn’t getting off his cross alive.

Dave: Right. Over and over in the New Testament, whenever someone would ask how they could be saved, the apostles’ response was clear: “Repent and be baptized.” From the stories recorded in Scripture, it’s clear that the baptism they were talking about was baptism by water, not some mystical “baptism of the Word.” It’s a very simple, very clear statement: “Repent and be baptized.” It’s not something we’re to spiritualize away.

Miles: That’s true. Furthermore, when we spiritualize away clear commands in Scripture, we’re straying onto forbidden ground. Looking for ways to shrug away clear requirements is rebellion. Disobedience.

Dave: In Mark 7:13, Yahushua makes it very clear that we’re not to make the clear Word of Yah of no effect with our excuses and explanations and traditions.

Miles: So let me ask you this. Now that we’ve seen that baptism is a literal requirement, one we are to obey, just how are our sins forgiven when we’re baptized in Yahushua’s name? I mean, it’s only water. Why—how does that have such a vital impact that it is what causes our sins to be forgiven?

Dave: It has to do with the motives of the heart. Again, Yahuwah reads the hidden, inner heart. You’re forgiven and cleansed of sin when you are baptized because … you have obeyed … the command … to be baptized.

Lucifer fell through rebellion. How did Adam and Eve fall?

Miles: Rebellion. Well, disobedience, but that’s still rebellion.

Dave: And the opposite of rebellion is obedience. It is the obedience in the heart, the desire of the heart to honor Yah through obeying His word that forgives and cleanses us from sin.

Peter explains it best. Why don’t you turn to 1 Peter chapter 3? Let’s read what he has to say.

Miles: 1 Peter … 1 Peter. One of those tiny books that is impossible to find.

Dave: You can do it, Miles! I have faith in you!

Miles laughs: 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter! Okay. Peter what?

Dave: 1 Peter, chapter 3, verses 18 to 22.

Miles: Okay, it says:

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to [Yah]. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when [Yahuwah] waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to [Yah] for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Yahushua Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of [Yah], with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Dave: The forgiveness and cleansing that is Yah’s gift comes when we repent and truly desire to bring our will into alignment with the divine will. Then, we make determined efforts to obey, to keep the law, to bring our will into oneness with the divine will. This doesn’t mean that, even through faith, we’re suddenly sinless. We still have a fallen nature so, as long as we have that fallen nature, we will still stumble into sin. But it does mean that obedience, one-ness with the Father is in our hearts.

If you read through the Levitical requirements in the Old Testament, you will find detailed instructions on where the blood of the sacrifices was to be applied.

Miles: Oh, yeah! Yeah! Wasn’t it supposed to be applied to the base and horns of the altar?

Dave: Yes, and in Egypt, to the lintel and door posts. When cleansing Aaron and his sons, the blood was applied to their right ears, right thumbs, and right big toes. All very precise requirements.

Now, let me ask you, what would have been the result if some Israelite in Egypt had decided that painting the door frame with blood was a bit too stinky. He sacrificed the lamb but he didn’t apply the blood. What do you think would have happened?

Miles: Well, I think the consequences would have been quite tragic.

Dave: Right! And that was only a type. The blood shed then was a type, a symbol pointing forward to the blood of the “lamb of [Yah] who takes away the sin of the world.” So, now, let me ask you this: if in the type, the symbol, the blood had to be applied, then in the anti-type—the fulfillment, the reality—why wouldn’t the blood also have to be applied?

Miles: Hmm. Yeah, that makes sense that it would have to be, wouldn’t it?

Dave: And the way it is applied is … baptism. Why wouldn’t you want to have the redeeming blood of Christ applied?

Miles: That’s true, that’s true. But how, precisely, does the water of baptism provide that cleansing we need? I mean, the fact that it applies the blood clearly shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that baptism, whenever and wherever possible, is a very important act, not just some unnecessary, outmoded ritual.

Dave: That’s a good question and Scripture has the answer. Why don’t you turn to John 19? This is John’s account of the crucifixion. It is in John we learn that the crucifixion took place on the sixth day of the week. Now Christ’s enemies, the Pharisees, were, as we know, very careful to keep to the strict letter of the law. It was the Preparation Day and the sun was setting. Death by crucifixion typically took several days and they didn’t want to leave the bodies on the crosses over the Sabbath, so they got permission to hasten their deaths.

Why don’t you start reading at … uh, verse 31. John 19:31.

Miles:

Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him. But when they came to Yahushua and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. [John 19:31-34]

Dave: Blood and water. This was the “cleansing tide” that had been in Yah’s mind from eternity past as the solution should sin arise. It was this dual stream designed to show His love and cleanse sinners. So, if we don’t understand the significance of this dual stream and what each is to accomplish for us, we’re missing an important part of the plan of salvation.

Turn to Mark 16. We’ve read the Great Commission in Matthew, as well as Peter’s statement on the Day of Pentecost. Let’s read now what Mark recorded. Mark 16, verses 14 to 16.

Miles: Let’s see … this is after Yahushua’s resurrection. It says:

Later he appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Dave: There’s a little three-word phrase there that we tend to skim over but it’s important. Verse 16. Read that again.

Miles: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved—”

Dave: He who believes … And. Is. Baptized. Baptism is important. It is the blood of Christ that brings Yah’s forgiveness, but it is the water of baptism that cleanses us.

Miles: Wow. All in a single act of obedience. You know, I’ve never viewed baptism as an outmoded ritual, but I’ve never viewed it quite this way before. This is beautiful!

Dave: It really is. Now here’s something else that most Christians today overlook or don’t understand: blood also ratifies the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was ratified by the blood of animals, but the New Covenant is ratified by the blood of our Redeemer.

Could you read Hebrews 9, verse 19 to 23? This is an interesting passage. Hebrews 9:19-23.

Miles:

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which [Yahuwah] has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Dave: The animal sacrifices were a type which pointed forward to the great anti-type, Yahushua, the lamb of Yah. He was the “better sacrifice.”

Now, turn the page to Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10, verse 29.

Miles: “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of [Yah] underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Dave: Yahushua’s blood is what ratifies the New Covenant which will allow Yahuwah to give us new, unfallen natures when Yahushua returns to set up Yah’s kingdom on earth.

Miles: I’m just thinking now of a number of various passages in Scripture. They’re all coming alive now. Like at the Passover, Yahuwah told the Children of Israel that when He saw the blood on their doors, He would “pass over” them. And what Yahushua told Peter. You remember at the Last Supper? Peter didn’t want the Saviour to wash his feet, but then Yahushua explained something important. He said: “If I don’t wash you, then you have no part with me.”

Dave: Right! There is so much depth of meaning there!

Turn to Colossians 3. This passage really pulls it all together. Colossians 3, verses 1 to 4.

Miles: All right, um: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of [Yah]. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in [Yah]. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Dave: The blood and the water. One hides us with Christ in Yah; the other cleanses us.

Let’s take just a few minutes now to talk about Communion. Turn to Mark 14 and let’s look at verses … uh, verses 22 to 24. What does that say?

Miles:

And as they were eating, Yahushua took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.”

Dave: Probably every Christian alive understands the significance of the bread and the wine. They’re emblems, symbols of Christ’s body and blood. Probably every denomination has some way of celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

In 1 Corinthians 11, after talking about the Last Supper, Paul lays the foundation for believers to continue this practice. He says, quote: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”

The thing most Christians have overlooked, however, is the significance of what happened before. We mentioned it briefly, but let’s read it now in context. John 13, verses 3 through 15. Just start reading as soon as you find it.

Miles:

Yahushua, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from [Yahuwah] and was going to [Yahuwah], rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to him, “Lord, are you washing my feet?”

Yahushua answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Yahushua answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

Yahushua said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

For he knew who would betray him; therefore he said, “You are not all clean.”

So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

Dave: Now sometimes, when we talk about the Last Supper, we kind of get this idea that they all trooped into the upper room and sat down, then stared awkwardly at each other, waiting for a servant to come wash their feet. Then, after Yahushua does the deed, they proceed with the meal, but that’s not how it happened. You started reading at verse 3. I want you to go back and read the first few verses again, but this time I want you to start at verse 2.

Miles:

And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Yahushua, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from [Yahuwah] and was going to [Yahuwah], rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

Dave: “And supper being ended . . .” this was what he did: he washed the disciples’ feet. The foot washing is part of the commemorative rite! Yahushua himself, in verses 14 and 15 says what?

Miles: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

Dave: And yet what do the vast majority of denominations conveniently forget to do every time they either have mass or celebrate the Last Supper?

Miles: The foot washing service.

Dave: The foot washing service. And do you know why? Oh, it’s embarrassing. It’s awkward. Do we really have to touch someone else’s feet? Some churches actually refer to it as “the ordinance of humility.” But Yahushua said, “You also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

The reason the foot washing service is so important is because it is this part of the remembrance that symbolizes the water of baptism. The bread and the wine represent the Saviour’s body and blood that brings forgiveness, but it is the foot washing that symbolizes the cleansing of the water of baptism.

Miles: Hm. That’s true.

Dave: See, Satan doesn’t mind if we claim forgiveness … so long as we overlook the cleansing part of the equation. Both blood and water flowed from the Saviour’s side, and both the blood of the sacrifice and the cleansing water of baptism are needed. And both are symbolized in the Communion service and the foot washing.

But in our pride, we don’t like to wash each other’s feet. We explain it away, just like too many today are shrugging away the importance of baptism. Both are important and both are needed.

The foot washing reminds us of the cleansing that comes through baptism. It’s beautiful and it’s something we’ll want to participate in if we wish to honor Yahuwah with obedience.

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You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question from our Daily Mailbag is from Nancy in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States. She has a rather heart-breaking question but one I think many of our listeners can relate to. She writes, “My husband of sixty-two years passed away last year. We had only one child who died when he was still young. All of my brothers and sisters have passed on, and my husband was the last of his family, too. I have a few nieces and nephews, but they live far away and are busy with their own lives and families. I feel so alone. America is a culture that idolizes youth. I feel invisible. Does the Bible have any promises for people in my position?”

Dave: First let me say how very sorry I am for the loss of your husband. I honestly can’t even imagine what it is like to lose a spouse after so many years of marriage.

Secondly, yes: the Bible certainly does have promises specifically for the elderly. Yahuwah knows we’re but dust and unto dust we will return. He hasn’t left the elderly alone.

Miles, if you’d take your Bible and turn to Isaiah chapter 46 and read verses 3 and 4. That’s Isaiah 46, verses 3 to 4. I think this passage is particularly apt for Nancy and all like her. Go ahead.

Miles: “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

Dave: Yahuwah knows our frailty. He knows our humanness.

King David may have had many children, but in his old age, he struggled with fear for the future and feeling alone. In Psalm 37, he said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by Yahuwah, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for Yahuwah upholds him with His hand.” [Verse 24.] Then, in the very next verse, he adds his own personal testimony to Yah’s faithfulness. He says, quote: “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” [Verse 25.]

Miles: From everything I’ve seen, it can be very scary to be elderly. You’ve got the life experience of knowing that sometimes bad things happen to good people. When we’re young, it’s easy to assume that bad things happen to other people, but with life experience we learn that sometimes things beyond our control happen and there’s nothing we can do about it. One promise that I really appreciate is found in Psalm 138. Let me look it up to find the verse really quickly. It’s Psalm 138 and verse … uh, here it is! Verses 6 and 7.

Verse 6 says, “Though Yahuwah is on high, yet He regards the lowly.” Then in verse 7 it says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand will save me.”

Dave: That’s beautiful.

I think one thing that can be very difficult when one loses a spouse is the loss of that sense of companionship. But even here, Yahuwah has promised to fill that hole. In Jeremiah 49, verse 11, Yahuwah urges, quote: “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in Me.”

Miles: Hm. I haven’t read that one before. One I do like, though, is found in Isaiah 54 verse 5. It says, “For thy Maker is thine husband; Yahuwah of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.” So, even when bereft of our life’s partner, Yahuwah is there for us, to step in and be our protector and provider, our companion.

Dave: Amen. I love Paul’s words in Romans 8. It says: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of Yah which is in Christ Yahushua our Lord.” [Romans 8:38-39]

Miles: That’s beautiful. One of my favorites. In fact, we taught it to our kids when they were little. It’s a Scripture song.

If you’ve got any questions, comments, prayer requests, just go to our website, WorldsLastChance.com and click on “Contact Us.” We always enjoy hearing from our listeners.

* * *

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* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

Luke chapter 18 verse 1 says, quote: “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”

Have you ever heard the expression, “God works in mysterious ways? Well, recently I read a story that really reminded me of that statement. Late one Saturday night, a pastor was working alone in the office at his church. As it was getting near 10 o’clock, he decided to call his wife on the church’s landline to let her know he’d be home soon. He dialed the number but it rang and rang and nobody answered.

He thought that was odd. He knew his wife was at home and wondered why she didn’t answer. Maybe he’d caught her taking a shower. He decided to finish up a few last things and try again. This time, his wife answered by the second ring. He was concerned that something might be wrong so he asked why she hadn’t answered before. She told him that nothing was wrong. It just hadn’t rung before.

While it was strange, they didn’t think too much of it. After all, wrong numbers do happen. The following Monday, the pastor was again at the church when a call came in. A man he’d never heard before wanted to know why he had called him Saturday night.

The pastor was confused. He didn’t recognize the voice of the person calling nor could he remember trying to call someone new.

“It was about 10 o’clock at night,” the man explained. “It rang and rang but I didn’t answer.”

“Oh!” The pastor exclaimed. “That’s right. I was trying to call my wife. I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, that’s fine. You didn’t bother me,” the stranger said. “In fact, I was planning and all prepared to end it all Saturday night. Before I killed myself, though, I took one last minute to pray. I said, ‘God, if you’re there and if you care, please give me a sign. Otherwise, I’m going to end it all right now.’

“Right then, my phone started to ring! I looked at the caller ID and it said ‘God Almighty.’ I was too afraid to answer the phone!”

Yahuwah works in mysterious ways indeed. The church the pastor worked for was called God Almighty Tabernacle. That was too long to appear on the stranger’s caller ID, so all that appeared was “God Almighty.”

Nothing that concerns your happiness and well-being is too small for the Father’s notice. He upholds the universe! And yet, not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice.

Second Corinthians chapter 1, verses 3 and 4, says, “Blessed be [Yahuwah], even the Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of Yahuwah.”

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: I just want to say how grateful I am for your presentation today, Dave. There’s so much more there than I ever realized before! I’d noticed how the “praise songs” tend to avoid the subject of baptism, but the connection between baptism and the foot washing to the blood and water that flowed from the Saviour’s side, is so packed with meaning. I never saw all that before.

Dave: You’re not alone. A lot of Christians today don’t understand the significance of the blood and the water. Baptism is vitally important. Foot washing is also an important part of the last supper. It’s all significant. The blood covers us and the water cleanses us. They’re both gifts of infinite love.

Peter’s words on the Day of Pentecost are more significant than we’ve previously realized. Would you read it one last time for us? Acts 2 verse 38.

Miles: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Dave: “Let everyone of you be baptized … for the remission of sins.” This is an important part of the plan of salvation and it is not for us to say it’s not needed.

Robert Lowry was a 19^th-century American pastor. In … I think it was 1876, he wrote a hymn called “Nothing But the Blood.” The lyrics go:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of [Ya’shua];
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of [Ya’shua].

Then the refrain goes:

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of [Ya’shua].

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of [Ya’shua];
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of [Ya’shua].

And it goes on from there.

There is power in the blood, and there is power in the water. This is the Father’s plan for our salvation.

Miles: This really reminds me of the lyrics of the hymn that’s come to be known as the “love song of the Welsh revival.” I’d like to read it to close today’s program. I think it will really have a lot more meaning after today’s discussion. And as I read this, I invite you to picture in your mind that cleansing flood. The Saviour of mankind hanging from the cross, the spear thrust so rudely into his side, and the twin rivers—blood and water—that flowed from his side.

Here is love, vast as the ocean
Loving kindness as the flood
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom
Shed for us His precious blood

Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven's eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide

Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love

Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven's eternal days

Thou alone shall be my glory
Nothing in this world I see
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me
Thou Thyself hast set me free
Thou alone shall be my glory
Nothing in this world I see
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me
Thou Thyself hast set me free

Time is short, my friends. Turn to the Saviour now. Accept Yahuwah’s gift of love and be forgiven and cleansed. He’ll never turn you away. He sacrificed His own son to save you! And He’s waiting with longing to make you His.

We hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.