A Second Baptism of Fire

Thoughts on Davidic Kingship.

This week we continue in our discussion of Seeing God the Son and consider a second Baptism of Fire.  Christianity has falsely interpreted the Baptism of Fire as an immersion of the Holy Spirit, when in fact it is a trial of faith. God tests our loyalty to Him to see what our core convictions are before He raises us to be more like Him.  And these tests get more demanding the closer we resemble God. Those who are God's Sons/Daughters/Elect experience a second Baptism of Fire. In this review, we’ll introduce the concept of the Baptism of Fire, correlate the degrees of testing with Isaiah’ spiritual categories and then consider the Endtime tribulations as an opportunity to prove one’s loyalty to God.

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The Process of Perfection
Our Process of Perfection looks like this:

                                                                     Individual Salvation
                                                                             Born Again
​            ​                                           (Redemption / Sanctification)
     Born of the Blood / Born of the Water > Keeps the Commandments > Born of God/Spirit

                                                                       Married Exaltation
                                                                    Going Onto Perfection
                       Becoming Perfect > Reaches the Full Stature of Messiah > Sees God the Son

Baptism of Fire Introduction
The Baptism of Fire is one of those New Testament concepts that was changed by Christianity.  As a young Believer, I was taught that the Baptism of Fire was a bestowal of the Holy Spirit - religionists had replaced the true concept of the Baptism of Fire as a trial of faith with an immersion of the Holy Spirit, which was based in part on a poor understanding of Acts chapter 2.  The Apostle Peter properly teaches this concept,

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" 1 Peter 1:7

This concept of a Baptism of Fire being a test of loyalty or a trial of faith is consistent with Isaiah’s descent before the ascent.  This descent is a temporary test of loyalty -

“According to this pattern [ascending to higher levels of blessedness], we must temporarily descend into “humiliation” before we ascend. That descent is a part of God’s test of loyalty for all who ascend. God proves the measure of our covenant relationship, testing the level of our commitment.” (Isaiah Decoded, Gileadi, p.52)

This is how Moses states this concept in Deuteronomy.

"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart," Deu 8:2​

Greater Tests for Greater Ascents
Another concept that we see in Isaiah, is that as one progresses to more like God the tests of loyalty become more severe.  Dr. Gileadi explains,

"According to Isaiah’s theology—which he develops systematically in his seven-part literary structure—every ascent to a higher spiritual level is preceded by a temporary descent. That descent phase consists of God’s trial of a person’s faith equal to the level of that person’s ascent. In other words, the higher one ascends, the greater the temporary descent that precedes it. Ruin may occur cyclically before rebirth to a higher spiritual level, as may suffering before salvation, humiliation before exaltation, and so forth—intensifying each time a person ascends. Even Messiah descends below all before he is exalted above all to sit on his Father’s throne. Trials of faith escalate as one ascends because the terms of God’s covenants on ascending levels grow more exacting, each representing a higher law than the one before." (Descent before Ascent, Ascent before Descent, http://www.isaiahexplained.com/resources/overviews-of-the-prophecy-of-isaiah) 

The table below summarizes the progression of severity of tests that can be expected as one ascends to higher levels of  blessedness.​

Beginning Spiritual Category	>	​Target Spiritual Category	Baptism of Fire ​(test of loyalty)	Examples
Jacob/Israel	​>	​Zion/Jerusalem	Persecution Ostracized by ecclesiastical  ​authority Loss of friends/family Excluded by brethren Excommunication​	Believers that go against false religious traditions.
Zion/Jerusalem	>	Sons/Daughters/Elect	Tried under all conditions	Job Abraham ​Endtime Servants
Sons/Daughters/ Elect	>	Seraphim/Joint-Heirs	Suffers unto death	Two witnesses Apostolic Martyrs Isaiah Endtime Servant/144,000 ​
God of Israel	>	A Most High God	Descends below all things.	Yeshua

Jacob/Israel > Zion/Jerusalem
Beginning on the Jacob/Israel categories of Believers, where most Believers begin, Yeshua and the Apostles warn of being persecuted or being harassed for one’s beliefs.  Most believers associate persecution with non-believers persecuting believers and indeed there is some of that,  but we also see persecution of one faction of Believers with another faction of Believers, and did we not see the Jewish leaders and brothers during Yeshua’s day persecute Him and His followers.  This persecution of one believing faction of another believing faction continues today.  Didn’t Yeshua teach that His Gospel would divide the truth from error and therefore divide people.

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matt 10:34,35,37

In our last post, Dr. Gileadi stated that when we start understanding the words of Isaiah, the false beliefs or man made traditions that we once held would be replaced by the true doctrines of Messiah.  Consequently, this would lead to not only persecution of non-believers against believers but persecution of one faction of believers against the true followers of the Messiah. This persecution might manifest itself as being ostracized by ecclesiastical  authority, loss of friends and family, being excluded by brethren and excommunication. 


Zion/Jerusalem > Sons/Daughters/Elect
When we ascend from the Zion level to the Son level of blessedness, we see a second Baptism of Fire, which gets really personal. We see that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only child Isaac and Job loses his family, wealth and health.  Both of these men had reached a level of perfection, whom then God decides to test. And then finally Job states that these trials will make him like gold to God. Job 23:10​

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

​So on the Son/Daughter/Elect category of Believers we have this sequence.

Perfection  >

Test of Loyalty  > ​(Baptism of Fire)

A State of Exaltation (Gold)

Endtime Tribulations
The tribulations that take place at the end of the world affords Believers the opportunity to prove their loyalty and to ascend to greater levels of blessedness.  This ascent occurs  on all levels of blessedness.  Jacob/Israel who prove their loyalty will ascend to Zion/Jerusalem, Zion/Jerusalem ascends to Sons/Daughters/Elect and Sons/Daughters/Elect ascends to Seraphim/Joint-Heirs.  To the dismay of many Christian Believers, the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture will not materialize.

In the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah outlines three Endtime tests that will provide the opportunity to ascend - see Isaiah Decoded, pg. 151.

​                             1. Modern Idolatry (Materialism and Sensual Gratification)

                                               2. A Worldwide Political Dictatorship.

                                                    3. False Ecclesiastical Authority 


All three of these tests have a common denominator, which can be linked to the foundation of the Mark of the Beast.

There has been much speculation on what the Mark of the Beast is.  But if we make a simple comparison with Rev. 13:16 to Deu. 6:8, we can see that the Mark of the Beast is a false man-made system of law, which is tied to money - Rev. 13:17.  So we might say that in order to be able to buy and sell, we'll have to abandon living the law of God and accept this false law system - if we don't accept this man-made law system, we will be persecuted and oppressed.  Moreover, all three of our tests are in one way or another are tied to living God's law.  Christians who expect to receive God's protection will need to discard their abhorrence of the Law and embrace the Law or perish.

Deuteronomy 6:8	.	Revelations  13:16,17
Law to be bound to one's hand and head	< >	Mark receive in hand and head.
God's Law (The Commandments,Statutes and Judgments)	< >	False man-made Law system tied to money.
Law that leads to life.	< >	Law that leads to death