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The Promised Land
Between Genesis (50:13) and Joshua, the phrase “when I bring you into the land of Kanaan” have been repeated about 40 times. And finally… here they are! They have been wandering/sojourning for 40 years, from the Red sea that they had to cross, up until the Jordan (Yardĕn H3383 – yardēn in Hebrew) river. The word Yarden (Jordan) means “descender”, to come down, even a Revelation.
The Hebrew word “Hebrew” is IBRI H5680 – ʿiḇrî, essentially means “passer-over” or “one who crosses over”, or “one from beyond”. “Hebrew” doesn’t come from the Passover event, as the Hebrew word for “Passover” is “Pesach” H6453 – pesaḥ, which means “a sacrifice/offering”. The word Hebrew actually comes from the people who come beyond the river. Abraham also had to cross a river to go to the Promised Land. The Hebrew story is one of travelling and sojourning to a destination. Before they reach that destination they had to change themselves, by cleansing of the Laws/Words of YHWH. Then they physically crossed the river. That story still continues. The Laws/Words of YHWH should change us, and we get baptized, and we can go into a Promised Kingdom.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign/kingdom of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!”
John 3:3 “Yeshua answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he is unable to see the reign/kingdom of Elohim.”
John 18:36 “Yeshua answered, “My reign/kingdom is not of this world. If My reign were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Yehuḏim. But now My reign is not from here.”
Going through the waters
Joshua 4:17 “And Yehoshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Yardĕn.” This is actually such a profound statement. Yeshua the Messiah also commanded all to be baptized, i.e. “come up from the Yarden”. Matthew 3:11 “I indeed immerse you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. He shall immerse you in the Set-apart Spirit and fire.” and Mark 16:16 “He who has believed and has been immersed, shall be saved. This is the exact same river that Yeshua was baptized in, Matthew 3:13 “Then Yeshua came from Galil to Yoḥanan(John) at the Yardĕn(Jordan) to be immersed by him.”
The word for baptism in Greek, it’s “baptismo,” or “baptize.” The word for baptism in Hebrew is “Tabal” H2881 – ṭāḇal which means to immerse, or to be immersed. And John, in Hebrew, is called “Johanan Hamatbil,” the immerser, the baptizer, the “toveler”. This word appears in the Book of Ruth (2:14) where it describes Ruth dipping her bread into vinegar. Joshua 3:15 says, “And it came to pass, when those carrying the Ark up to the Jordan, and the feet of the Kohanim (Priests) carrying the Ark, were baptized in the edge of the water.”
Some people use the Hebrew word mikva for baptism, however mikva means just any body of water, the seas are called a “mikva.” In Genesis chapter 1 it says, “The waters gathered.” “Mikva” means gathering, a gathering of waters. So you can’t say you were mikvaed.
Another type of story of baptism that happens in the Jordan river is with the story of Naaman, who was the Syrian General who had leprosy. Elisha sent Naaman a messenger who said, “Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed, and you will be clean.” 2 Kings 5:14, “Then went he down, and dipped H2881 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.”
Splitting of the waters happened a few times,
– Genesis 1:6, where YHWH said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
– With the red sea in Exodus 14:21 “And Mosheh stretched out his hand over the sea. And YHWH caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.”
– The Hebrews crossing the Jordan river into the Promised Land, in Joshua 4:7 “the waters of the Yardĕn were cut off before the ark of the covenant of YHWH. When it passed over the Yardĕn, the waters of the Yardĕn were cut off.”
– Before being taken up to heaven, Elijah struck the Jordan River water with his cloak. The water parted so that he and Elisha could cross. After Elijah ascended, Elisha again parted the waters with Elijah’s cloak so he could return to Israel. (2 Kings 2:1-2, 5-15.)
It is interesting the peoples’ names who were involved with the splitting of waters. Moses means “taken/drawn out from the water”, Yehoshua (Joshua) means “YHWV saves” and Elisha means “My Elohim saves”. Eliyahu (Elijah) means “My Elohim is YHWH”.
John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11 “I indeed immerse you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. He shall immerse you in the Set-apart Spirit and fire.“
It is interesting to think, that in the new heaven and earth, there will be no sea. Rev 21:1 “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
