Amazing Facts

Doug Batchelor: I want to begin with an amazing fact. The lesson, of course, is called A Voice From the Jordan. I like scuba diving. I was scuba diving in Indonesia about a month ago, and I used to do free diving. Well, I heard that the deepest dive performed by a human in 2012, Herbert Nitsch of Austria reached 830 feet. To get that low that quickly, he had to use weights to go down. Once he reached his point, he had to use an inflatable bubble to bring him back up.

Don't try this at home. It is a very dangerous practice. Many people have tried doing that. Now, that is the deepest dive with assisted equipment. Some have gone down with just flippers—I think 400 feet—free diving, which is just mind-boggling. It's dark when you're down that deep. The person who has held their breath the longest this year, September 5, 2025, free diver Vitomir Maričić held his breath for a world record of 29 minutes and 3 seconds while lying on the bottom of a three-meter pool in Croatia.

My record for holding my breath was four minutes and 10 seconds. It's very hard to do that. You have to hyperventilate at first, which can be dangerous because you can pass out. You do this in shallow water, warm water, and you don't move so you don't expend any energy. You have someone else do the timing for you. I don't think I can do that anymore, but the Bible tells us where the lowest river is in the world.

It's in the Middle East, and it is mentioned many times in the Bible. The Jordan River is a unique place in that it is the location of many miracles. It's also interesting geographically. It's not a very long or wide river. You read about it and you think it's this massive river like the Amazon, or the Missouri, or the Mississippi, but you can throw a rock across the Jordan. In the summer, sometimes it looks like a series of stagnating pools.

There used to be a lot more water back in Bible times when they weren't draining it all for irrigation of the promised land. It's only 156 miles long, but this river is unique in that this river supplies the water for two seas. Usually, you get one sea that takes the water from many rivers. The Jordan is one river that supplies the water for two seas: the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. You might even argue the Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, and one lake up further north.

You can read about some of the miracles in the Jordan. Of course, the Lord parted the Jordan River when the children of Israel crossed by Jericho in the days of Joshua. The river was miraculously parted again during the time of Elijah when he and Elisha crossed the water. He struck the river with his mantle. The mantle was your outer robe. The Jordan is a symbol of death in the Bible. If you read many of the hymns in the Bible, it talks about "through Jordan's billows you lead me."

The hymn writers understood that before you can get into the promised land, you have to cross the Jordan, and it takes a miracle. The fact that he struck the river with his robe—and it's the robe of Christ that makes it possible for us to cross the Jordan. Then, after Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and God gives it to him. He sees Elijah go to heaven in a fiery chariot, and as Elijah is going to heaven, he throws down his robe.

Elisha then takes that robe back to the Jordan River, strikes it again, and for the third time now, the Jordan River miraculously parts. God has provided a way to part that lowest river in the world, which is often a symbol of death. It is the barrier between the wilderness and the promised land. You have a miracle in the Bible where someone lost an axe head, and Elisha threw in some sticks, and it made the axe head float.

Then you have the miracle of Naaman. He is a Syrian general, and he is plagued with leprosy, and he's dying. Elisha tells him, "Go wash in the Jordan River seven times." Naaman was offended by that. What's implied if you come to a person and you say, "So what do I need for healing?" and you say, "Take a bath." What are you telling them? You're telling them they're dirty. But what if they say, "Take seven baths"?

You must be very dirty. The Jordan River is sometimes a muddy green river. So if you're being told to take seven baths in dirty water, you're dirtier than the water. You're really dirty. Naaman was offended, and he went home in a rage. His soldiers came to him. God, in His mercy—he had to go by the Jordan River to get back to Syria. As he's looking at the river, going home to die with his leprosy, his soldiers drew near.

They said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to go fight a battle or kill some enemy soldiers, you would have done it. Climb a mountain, you would have done it. He's saying, 'Wash and be clean.'" Naaman humbled himself, and he took off his armor and robe and got down in the water. Once, no miracle. Twice, no miracle. It wasn't until the seventh time the blessing came. He came up out of the water, and not only was his leprosy gone, the Bible says his flesh came to him again like the flesh of a little child.

Think about this: a soldier with baby skin. Doesn't that sound like a paradox? But the Jordan River, of course, is where Jesus gets baptized. It's where John the Baptist is baptizing. It's a symbol of death, burial, and cleansing from the leprosy of sin. You might be wondering, "Pastor Doug, I came to this prophecy countdown. I want to know about Bible prophecy." I'll tell you, friends, you can't understand these things without committing your life to the Lord.

In the Jordan River, a voice came from heaven where God spoke and he said, "This is my beloved son. Hear him." Some people understood the voice of God, and some people thought it was thunder. Some people understand because they've got the spirit of God and they're surrendered to God and they're searching. Other people in the world—it's just going to sound like gibberish to them.

We do this presentation telling people if you really want to understand, the Bible says the wise will understand. Having ears, they will hear. Some people have ears they do not hear. He speaks in parables that the wise might understand. If you must understand, first you must surrender your life. Part of these seminars, I always tell people it does you no good if you understand all the sequence of prophecy but you do not have a commitment to Christ.

By the way, the Bible talks about water in Genesis, the spirit of God moved on the face of the waters, and then you go all the way to Revelation, and it says, "Whosoever would take the waters of life, let him take them freely." Jesus told the woman at the well, "I'm offering you water where you'll never thirst again. It'll well up within you in artesian supply." We're talking about being spirit-filled, and that gives us understanding.

Going into our question—and this is a prophecy lesson, you'll see what I mean—what New Testament prophet came in the spirit and power of Elijah? Well, really two. In Matthew 11:13, Jesus says, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John," meaning John the Baptist. "And if you are able to receive it, he is Elijah that was to come." So in one category, John the Baptist came as Elijah.

How do we know that? In the very beginning when the angel spoke to his parents, he said that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. You look in Matthew 3:1, "John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea." He said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me"—this is a prophecy, by the way—"he who is coming after me is mightier than I. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

The Bible says unless you are born of the water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You need both births to enter the kingdom. Those are not my words. Those are the words of Jesus to Nicodemus. Unless you are born of the water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom. It's very important. Then all of the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him, and they were all baptized by him, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Just so you're not confused, there are at least three Johns in the Bible. John is the Greek way of saying Jonah. You've got John the Apostle, the beloved apostle. You've got John Mark, who worked with Paul, Barnabas, and Silas. He was one of the disciples. Then you've got John the Baptist, who is the one we're talking about now. When John was born, the angel spoke to his parents and the angel prophesied, "He will go before him"—John the Baptist will go before the Messiah—"in the spirit and the power of Elijah."

For what purpose? To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just—turning the disobedient to the wisdom of obedience is what he's saying—and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Why do we do these seminars? Because Jesus is coming. We want to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. John the Baptist preached a message of revival and repentance to prepare people for Jesus' first coming.

Jesus said there will be another spirit and power of Elijah that will come to prepare the world for the second coming, before the great and terrible day of the Lord. That's still future. John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Look at the similarities between John and Elijah. John was never married. Elijah was never married. They both were known for their bold, fearless preaching, and simple lifestyle. Elijah's fed by ravens and widows and lives by a creek and camps under a bush and out in a cave.

They wore leather belts and camel hair. They fearlessly rebuked kings when the time came, and they both ministered by the Jordan River. Isn't that interesting? John the Baptist did come in the spirit and the power of Elijah. But Jesus said—don't miss this—Jesus said if you can understand it, Elijah has come and Elijah will come. There's going to be another coming of Elijah. John the Baptist was not the reincarnation of Elijah.

When the religious leaders came to John the Baptist, they said, "Are you Elijah?" He said, "No." You're thinking, "Wait a second, Jesus said he was and John said he's not. Which is it?" They're asking the wrong question. The religious leaders came to John and they said, "Are you the reincarnation of John?" He said, "No. I've come in the spirit of John." But Jesus said, "If you can receive it, he is the one that was prophesied that would come in the spirit and power of Elijah."

So what unique ministry was given to John? What ministry was John chosen for? In those days, John—what's he called?—John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan—it was a great revival—went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, meaning in the river, confessing their sins. Turning from their sin, baptism was a symbol of a cleansing, a washing, and a new beginning.

While we're talking about this subject, I thought, "Well, let's go to the man on the street and the ladies on the street and find out what are some of the ideas people have about baptism, the importance of baptism, and must you believe in Jesus, and what's some of the conventional wisdom out there?"

Guest (Male): Baptism is when you're blessed as a young child into the Lord's kingdom.

Guest (Female): When you are born, all the time he is protecting you, but for me, it's a way to be closer to him.

Guest (Male): It's an outward declaration that you have decided to follow Christ.

Guest (Female): It's the physical way to wash away your sins, to be born again. I know that I was full immersion baptized. Some people just have water sprinkled on their head.

Guest (Female): It's ending your old life and starting a new one.

Guest (Female): To me, baptism means to have a physical way to wash away your sins.

Guest (Male): For me, baptism represents like you're going into the watery grave and you're coming back alive and living a new life for Jesus Christ.

Guest (Female): Baptism to me means a brand new start.

Guest (Male): I can't say it's directly the only way, so, but it's one way.

Guest (Male): Believing in Jesus will always save you. Yes.

Guest (Male): Yeah, I believe so.

Guest (Male): I wouldn't say that Jesus is the end-all-be-all for being saved, but like I said, I think if people find solace in that thought then, as long as that keeps them going and keeps them happy, then yeah.

Doug Batchelor: Did you catch something that was said by several of the people speaking here? They said, "Well, for me... for me... for me." It's like you've got your truth and I've got my truth and everybody's got their truth and your truth is true for you and my truth is true for me. Is there an absolute truth and where do we go for truth?

Do you want to get on an airplane and have the pilot say, "Well, you know, today I'd like to try something new. I'm almost sure that this can work like a submarine also. I believe it. I'm sincere." You'd be very nervous because there are laws of aerodynamics that you can't violate. There are laws in life, and the Bible has laws of truth. So many people are afraid of offending someone else. "Well, I kind of think it's this way and I think it's that way." What does God think?

What is the truth on this subject? We're going to find out. Fair enough? Let's see what the Bible says. What essential Bible truth is symbolized by baptism? The Bible says, Acts 22:16, "Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." It's a symbol for washing away sin and calling or trusting in the name of the Lord. You see this happening several times in the Bible.

I'll just tell you right at the beginning, baptism is as important to a Christian as a wedding is to a marriage. Baptism is as important to a Christian as a wedding is to a marriage. Baptism is the ceremony ordained by God, not by the church. It's taught by Jesus as the method where we make a public declaration that we want our sins washed away and we are committing our life to the Lord.

Something tangible happens. When a marriage happens, there is a new relationship. Would you agree? There are new rights and privileges, and you've just given away half your property in most states. It is legally understood. Something tangible happens in baptism as well. You are giving God permission then to release His power into your life. When Christ was baptized, the spirit of God came down.

A special power was given for a life of ministry. Jesus did no miracles until his baptism. Isn't that right? His ministry began at his baptism. It represents a washing away of sin. The gospel stories begin and end with baptism. You read in Mark, it starts out with John the Baptist baptizing. The ministry of Christ, the last words of Jesus, "Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing." The book of Acts begins, "Repent, be baptized."

Friends, I am prioritizing what the Bible is prioritizing, and it is to prepare a people to meet the Lord. Amen. According to the Bible, how many different kinds of baptism are acceptable? Ephesians 4:5 says there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There is one true method of baptism that is taught in the Bible. It is universally the same.

The same thing that happened in Naaman in the Jordan River. He was dipped in the water seven times, submerged, plunged—is what that word means. There's about 15 different ceremonies that people call baptism, everything from words spoken on the phone to baptize three times, once for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to rose petals, all kinds of different things. They've got the dry cleaning method.

The Bible says that there's really—some are sprinkling, some are pouring—the only biblical method was what you call immersion. The very word "baptize" means to immerse. It's *baptizo*. It means to dip, immerse. They used it when they were dyeing cloth. In Greek manuscripts, when they dye cloth, they say you take the stick and you *baptizo* the cloth. They would plunge it under. Otherwise, you get polka dots if you just sprinkle it.

"Buried with him in baptism." Buried is pretty clear. When you bury someone, you don't sprinkle a little dirt on them and walk away. They're not buried. It's being buried, submerged. There's a reason for that. "Buried with him in baptism, in the which you were also raised with him through the faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."

Since Jesus is our example, how was he baptized? A Christian is a follower of Christ, but what method did Jesus use? You read in Mark 1:9 and 10, "Jesus came to the Jordan, he was baptized by John in the Jordan, and immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heaven parting." He went down into a river. If baptism was by sprinkling, you could have used a spring, a canteen, anything would have worked.

But John needed a place where there was a river and deep enough water. John was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. If that's clear, say amen. And then they came and they were baptized. They came down to the river to be baptized. Admittedly, it is a little more inconvenient if you say, "I want to get baptized," to be immersed than to have someone just sprinkle a little holy water on you or something like that.

I believe that we need to do what God says the way God says it. For example, Jesus gave us also not only baptism—there's only a couple of sacred rites that Jesus gave. One is baptism, the communion service of the Lord's supper is another, and he said it's to be unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice. They represent the body and the blood of Jesus. We all together?

But I heard of one pastor who said, "Well, obviously these are symbols, so at our church next week for communion, we're going to have hamburgers and Coca-Cola." I don't know about you, but I thought that was a little sacrilegious. It is a symbol, but you're corrupting the symbol and it's losing its significance. So when God gives us a symbol and he says, "Here's how you carry out this ceremony," we've got to be very careful about changing the commandments of God and the example of Jesus.

These things do matter, and it's important. Christians are to follow Christ's example. He gave us an example that we should walk even as he walked. Christ was baptized. He said to fulfill all righteousness. Was Jesus baptized for his sin? Christ committed no sin. The Bible says that for one thing, he was baptized as our example, and I believe Jesus was baptized in behalf of those who could not be baptized.

Will there be people in heaven that were not baptized? Yes, of course. The thief on the cross who came to Jesus the last hours of his life, he said, "Lord, remember me." Jesus promised, "You will be with me in paradise." He could not get down and get baptized. Jesus gave him credit for his baptism, just like Jesus gives us credit for his righteous life. Amen. For those who can't be baptized, Jesus said, "I will give you credit for my baptism."

How did Philip baptize the treasurer of Ethiopia? Here's another example from the book of Acts. You can see in chapter 8, verse 38 and 39, Philip, who was one of the deacons—later became an evangelist—he's sent by the Holy Spirit down to the road to Gaza, and it says that on the way he meets this very wealthy treasurer of Ethiopia who is probably parked on the side of the road in the shade reading from the manuscript of Isaiah.

Philip hears him reading. He's reading out loud. He's reading the prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 53. Philip hears him and he goes, "I know why I'm here." He says, "Do you know what you're reading?" He said, "It's really hard to understand without someone to explain it to me." Philip said, "May I please?" He invited him up in the chariot, and you have the Bible's first example of a hitchhiker.

As they went along, Philip then explained that Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy in Isaiah and many other prophecies. This man was so overwhelmed with the power of the spirit and the truth of what he was saying. He said, "I want to give my heart to Jesus. Here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"

We don't know whether he was pointing at the Mediterranean or it could have been a creek or a river. It doesn't say. There was some body of water, but what we do read is it says, "Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water," is it clear that they're being immersed? The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away. You've got your first biblical example of someone being beamed from one place to another.