Why did John the Baptist urge all Israel to receive his water baptism?

Note that In Matthew 3:12 (below) how that John the Baptist announced a coming ‘firey judgement’ to come upon ‘unfruitful Israel’ unless they repent.

Matthew 3 “¹⁰And 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. [11] I [John] 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 [Jesus the Messiah] shall baptize you [the nation Israel] with the Holy Ghost, and WITH FIRE: [12] 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.”

Taking John’s water baptism was the only way that ‘Israel’s Believing remnant’ could avoid God’s fiery “wrath to come” at Christ’s 2^nd Coming ‘in wrath and “in vengeance” to “purge out the rebels” of Israel (Eze. 20:38).

We could say, just as physical circumcision was the sign of an Israelite as a son of Abraham, now John’s water baptism “unto repentance” became the marker or sign of a true member of ‘Israel’s believing remnant’ that Jesus referred to as His “little flock” (Luke 12:32). John’s water baptism carried with it the idea of ‘being setting apart,’ as sanctification of one as a members of Jesus’ “little flock” believing remnant… those who are called to one day be a Nation of “Royal Priest” unto God. The Holy Spirit, reflecting on John the Baptist’s ministry some years later, comments here in 1 Peter 2:9-10 who writes to Israel as encouragement for them during their time of the Tribulation period.

“But Ye [Israel] Are A Chosen Generation, A Royal Priesthood, An Holy Nation, A Peculiar People; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; ¹⁰Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Some 1,600 years before John the Baptist, God promised to make Israel “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exo. 19:6). It was then required that Jews who believed on ‘Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah’ be water baptized. Since they were to be His priests—the Mosaic Law had stipulated all the priests be ‘washed in water.’ They were manifesting their faith, their change of mind … moving from idols to the one true God. Malachi 4:5-6 and Luke 1:16-17 predicted John the Baptist’s ministry would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” It also meant that those who refused John’s water baptism were expressing their unbelief.

Luke 7:29-30 “And all the people that heard him [Jesus], and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being NOT baptized of him.”

Some of Israel believed and became members of Jesus’ “little flock” (Lk. 12:32) of Messianic believers while the Nation’s leaders remained ‘Apostate,’ opposing Christ.

Jesus of Nazareth was water baptized to be Israel’s High Priest (cf. Heb. 3:1), as well as to identify Himself with Israel’s believing “little flock” remnant.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the LAMB OF GOD, which taketh away the sin of the world. [30] This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. [31] And I knew him not: but THAT HE SHOULD BE MADE MANIFEST TO ISRAEL, therefore am I Come Baptizing With Water.” (John 1:29-31)

Today, religious men are Satanic by deceived to confuse and hide simple Bible truths such as the one true baptism. The Apostle Paul spoke of a new ‘dry’ baptism that very few Christians understand, because all they hear about is the traditional ‘water baptism’ of man’s Satanically inspired false religious system.

The widely accepted error of a ‘water baptism’ for today is borne out in that when we simply hear the word ‘baptism’ it immediately conjures up the idea of ‘water.’ The other issue is that most fundamentalist, evangelicals, and others assume baptism must be ‘immersion’ in water.

This confusion stems from a failure to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) dispensationally, as to what applies to Israel versus what applies to the members of the Gentile “body of Christ.” Unless we approach the Bible dispensationally, we won’t have hope in understanding the real baptism that is for today.

The two passages that need to be compared clearly lay-out the ‘dispensational context’ of Scripture are Acts 3:19-21 and Rom. 16:25-26. These are similar but hugely different.

• Peter preached to “Ye men of Israel” at Pentecost in Acts 3:19-21:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. [20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath SPOKEN By The Mouth Of All His Holy Prophets SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.”

• By CONTRAST Paul’s gospel concerned the secret or “MYSTERY” (Eph. 3:2) concerning “the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12), one that had been “KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.”

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and The Preaching Of Jesus Christ, According To The Revelation Of The Mystery, which was KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN, [26] But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith….”

Something “SPOKEN By The Mouth Of All His Holy Prophets SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN” cannot be the same as something “KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.” These speak of the God ordained DISPENSATIONAL CHANGE that came with Paul’s “Revelation Of The Mystery [secret]” when he was converted by Jesus from heaven in in Acts 9.

Paul became “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). Israel was set aside temporarily (Rom. 11:25). Paul’s ministry disclosed the “MYSTERRY (Secret)” that God had “KEPT SECRET” concerning the Gentiles. When Paul wrote our Scripture for today, he was focusing on what he called “the Mystery [Gk. musterion, secret]” something different from Israel’s Prophetic Program and its promised kingdom on earth.

We should never try to blend Peter and Paul’s two different gospels for the two different people groups of God, trying to make all their teachings the same… because they are not. As seen in Galatians 2, they clearly had two Different Gospels for two Different People groups of God. Paul wrote;

“⁷ But CONTRARIWISE, when they saw that the Gospel Of The Uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me [Paul], as the Gospel Of The Circumcision was unto Peter;

(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship Of The Circumcision [Israel], the same was mighty in Me [Paul] Toward The Gentiles:)

⁹ And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision [Israel]. Galatians 2:7-9 (KJV)

Today our “one baptism” (Gal 4:4) is unique to Paul’s ministry, and it is for all men of all races. It is NOT a water baptism – it is totally DRY baptism – no immersion no sprinkling! Paul wrote;

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ [not into water] have put on Christ. ²⁸  There is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile], there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28

For too long, assumptions and suppositions have affected the spiritual understanding and growth of “the church,” which Paul later called “the Body of Christ.” (1Cor 12:27). Sadly, God’s plain words through Paul have been ignored.

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized [placed or set] into one body [‘one body assembly,’ Paul uses the human body as a metaphor; see verses 14-19], whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (KJV)

Paul’s one waterLESS baptism is the only baptism that is for believers today and for eternity, as the grace believers of today’s age of “the dispensation of the grace of God”! The fact is that the very moment that one believes, ‘trusting in’ the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, they are simultaneously Spiritually Baptized or Set Into UNION WITH CHRIST’S DEATH and CHRIST’S RESURRECTION LIFE. Thereby, we obtain Christ’s righteousness and right standing with God the Father.

“… so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4)