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Continuing our discussion from part two, in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist bears the following record of this very same miraculous event when Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by him:

"And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."


John the Baptist adds more information by stating that the Spirit abode upon, or remained on, Jesus. There are lots of Christians who will point to these verses and say that they are a clear reference to the actual indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' body. However, if, as most Christians are inclined to believe, the Holy Spirit is an invisible force, power, energy or however you wish to refer to it, how is it then that they physically saw it? As we have seen through a variety of verses, those people who are bearing testimony of the incident, report a variety of visible or audible signs. These include actually seeing the Spirit descend, seeing the heavens parting, and hearing a voice. All of these things came from above. As I noted in part two, whether or not what happened was physical in nature is difficult to say; but it was at least very visible to the observers. There should be no doubt that something descended from the sky on that miraculous day.

So, the questions which remain are the following. Do these verses that are found in the four Gospels actually mean that this is the very first time that Jesus is receiving, or at least making contact with, the Holy Spirit? In fact, can we even be totally certain that they are stating that Jesus is receiving the Holy Spirit at this point in time, since only one writer makes this distinction? Based on what I've shared with you thus far in this series, I still remain unconvinced that this is the case. In part two I mentioned that I still had another "Scriptural bomb" to drop on you. You might say that it is my ace in the hole.

The fact of the matter is that there's simply no need to even guess what happened on that day; because if we dig a little deeper into the Scriptures, and look at some of the original Koine Greek which is used in the aforementioned verses, we can arrive at a very clear conclusion. So let's conduct some Biblical archeological work. The first thing I discovered is that there is an unusual translation in Matthew 3:16. Let me share that verse with you again in order to refresh your memory:

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:"


Please notice that Matthew writes "and lighting upon him". I was curious to know if that was the proper translation for that part of the sentence. So, utilizing Strong's Numbers, I looked it up in Thayer's Greek English Lexicon. What I found is that the phrase "lighting upon" is translated from the Koine Greek word "erchomai". To my great surprise, this Koine Greek word is NEVER translated as "lighting upon" -- except in this one verse -- in the entire New Testament of the KJV Bible. What "erchomai" actual means is to come, and to come from one place to another. It is used in reference to people arriving and returning. This is a very important point, as you will see in a moment. In fact, of the 643 times that it is found in the New Testament, "erchomai" is translated as "come". It has NOTHING to do with "lighting upon". What?!

Now let's take another closer look at Mark 1:10. Again, let me share that verse with you to refresh your memory:

"And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:"


In this verse from the Gospel of Mark, the phrase "descending upon" is translated from the Koine Greek word "katabaino". In looking at Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, I discovered that this ancient word means to go down, come down or to descend. In fact, part of the lexicon's definition even states that "katabaino" is used in reference to celestial beings coming down to earth! Oh my gosh! Are you starting to understand the true picture yet? If not, let us continue. Lastly, let's take another closer look at Luke 3:22. Again, that verse states as follows:

"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."


As occurs with Mark 1:10, in Luke's account, we discover that the word "descended" is once again translated from the Koine Greek word "katabaino"; so there is really no need to explain the word again. The first point I wish to make here is that neither "erchomai" nor "katabaino" means to "light upon" or "descending upon". They simply mean to come, or to come down. In other words, as I've already stated a few times, something came down from the sky and came to Jesus. There is nothing in any of those three verses which clearly states that something actually entered into Jesus, as in Jesus receiving the Holy Ghost.

It is also important to point out that in all of the verses I have shared with you from the four Gospels where the word "on" or "upon" is used, it is translated from the Koine Greek word "epi". This word also means at, by and over. So rather than say "abode upon" or remaining on", I believe we could also say "abode by" or "remaining by". In other words, something descended from Heaven, and remained by the Lord. So how are we supposed to understand all of these verses?

Well, as I said a moment ago, there is no need for guessing here, because by comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can arrive at a very clear answer. In fact, Jesus Himself gives us the answer that we are looking for. Believe it or not, He in fact provides us with the correct answer in the very first chapter of the Gospel of John, when He states the following:

". . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."


Whoah! What?! That's right! There is the answer right out of the Lord's own mouth! And in case you are wondering, yes, the phrase "descending upon" is ALSO translated from the Koine Greek word "katabaino", meaning to go down, come down or to descend. Jesus plainly stated that the Angels of Heaven would be at His beck and call. They would ascend and descend from Heaven, in order to assist Him during His mission on Earth. In that verse, the word "angels" is translated from the Koine Greek word "aggelos", which is always translated as "angels" or "messengers". So you might say that Jesus had His very own communication hotline to Heaven, and Angelic Messengers who could carry messages to and from the Father.

Regarding the Angels of Heaven being at His beck and call, again, Jesus clearly confirms this point for us when He says the following in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, when He and His Apostles are accosted by Judas and the band of soldiers who were sent by the high priest, in order to arrest Him:

"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"


Another clear example which I have mentioned before concerns when the Lord was praying desperately and undergoing what was probably His heaviest trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, just prior to the aforementioned scene when He was taken prisoner. Consider what we are told in the Gospel of Luke:

"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."


Clearly then, Jesus was never alone during His mission on the Earth. He had His special elite team of Guardian Angels who could ascend to and descend from Heaven, and even remain with Him, and protect Him, as He fulfilled His Father's Will. If you are well-versed in the Scriptures, then you may already know that these verses which are found in the four Gospels are not the first time that we find Angels travelling to and from the Earth. In particular, I'm reminded of the following incident which is found in the Book of Genesis, which sounds very similar to what the Lord spoke of, and what may be what John the Baptist personally experienced, on that day at the Jordan River:

"And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."


After carefully researching, examining and analyzing all of the aforementioned information, I have become convinced that what happened that day at the Jordan River may not have been what we have all been taught by organized religion. And why would it even be necessary if Jesus had been filled with the Holy Spirit from His very creation and birth?

Rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit on that day, as I already pointed out in part two, I lean more towards the belief that what may have really happened, is that upon being baptized by John the Baptist, the heavens opened -- meaning perhaps that some kind of an interdimensional vortex opened -- and one or more Angels descended to the Earth, to remain or abide by Jesus, or at His side -- again, the Greek word "epi" can also mean "by" or "at" -- as His guardian(s) and protector(s). I think that's possibly what John may have seen that day. Perhaps God the Father temporarily opened his eyes so that John could see those things, just as Elisha the Prophet prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant, so that he could see the Lord's Army in these verses:

‭"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha"


Because of this new understanding I have gained through a careful study of the Scriptures, and the underlying Koine Greek words which are used in them, in my mind, I now see a very different picture than that which has been portrayed by organized religion for literally centuries. Thus, instead of envisioning a white dove gently settling on Jesus as He is being baptized by John the Baptist, what I now imagine is one or more great Angels either hovering just above Jesus, or perhaps even one mighty Angel standing just behind Jesus -- maybe even with his hands touching the Lord's shoulders -- with his majestic wings outspread, as if protecting Jesus from any potential harm. I am reminded of this verse:

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."


Now some of my readers might insist "But Bill, in Luke 3:22 it clearly says 'the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove'. Isn't that clear proof that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit that day upon being baptized by John? Aren't you twisting the meaning of the Scriptures by saying otherwise? Aren't you ignoring what is plainly stated in that verse?" Not necessarily so, my friends; and I will now explain to you why I say this by sharing another "Scriptural bomb" with you.

As I explained at the conclusion of part two, Luke is the only one to use the phrase "Holy Ghost" in describing this amazing event. In contrast, Matthew, Mark and John all say "the Spirit". To refresh your memory, following is a list of all four verses for the sake of comparison:

Mat. 3:16	"the Spirit of God descending like a dove"
Mark 1:10	"the Spirit like a dove descending"
Luke 3:22	"the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove"
John 1:32	"the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove"

Please remember what I shared with you in part two regarding Bible translations. How a word or phrase is translated into our English language is based solely on the discretion and personal preference of the person who is translating the text from its original language. This in turn is directly affected by that person's ecclesiastical affiliation and theological leanings. In other words, what particular doctrinal stances they adhere to. As I have mentioned before, that is why even when using tools such as Hebrew and Greek lexicons, we must be careful; because if there is one thing which has become clear to me over the years, personal biases do tend to creep into some of the provided definitions. In other words, if a translator believes a certain way, they may tweak a certain definition so that it fits what they personally believe.

In this particular case, if the translator is convinced that Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost during the event which we have been discussing in this series, then he is going to translate the verse in such a way so that it reflects his personal doctrinal belief. For the record, in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, the word "Spirit" is translated from the Koine Greek word "pneuma". When using Strong's Numbers, we discover that the word "holy" -- or "hagios" in the Koine Greek language -- is not even present in any of those three verses. It is only in Luke's account that "hagios pneuma" -- or Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit -- is used.

So, we must wonder why the other three Gospels omit the word "holy" from their account. Are they in error, or is Luke in error? Is it possible that the word "hagios" -- or "holy" -- was inserted into the Koine Greek text of Luke's Gospel at some later point in time by someone who desired to promote the doctrine of Christ being filled with the Holy Spirit during this amazing event? I honestly don't know, but the fact that the Koine Greek word "hagios" is only found in Luke's manuscript strikes me as being a bit odd.

To complicate this matter even further, in the process of translating a Bible manuscript from its original language, a translator often adds an article -- such as "a" or "the" -- before a noun. But which one does he choose, and why does he choose that particular one? Is this too at least partially decided and based on personal doctrinal leanings? Thus, as a result, and as I briefly mentioned in part two, just changing the word "the" to the word "a" can make a very big difference in meaning and how we understand a verse. In similar fashion, whether or not a particular word is capitalized can also have a direct effect on how we understand a verse. In short, all of the following do not necessarily mean the same thing:

the Spirit
the spirit
a spirit

But let's assume for the sake of argument that Luke's version of the Gospel is the correct one, and that in the original Koine Greek language text it really does say "hagios pneuma" -- or Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit -- and not simply "pneuma", as the other three Gospels state. Does this in fact solidly confirm for us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit on that day? Not necessarily so. We will be delving even deeper into this topic in a moment. But first, let us examine and the whys and wherefores of this amazing event which occurred along the banks of the Jordan River.

Now, obviously, I don't know if I am 100% correct about all of this. Furthermore, you are not obligated to believe one single word of it if you don't want to. But assuming for a moment that I am correct, the question which arises in my mind is this: Why did this event happen at this particular time in Jesus' life? Again, I believe that the Scriptures hold the answer, and a very clear one at that. All we have to do is consider what happened next. In a word, it was at that point in His life that Jesus began His earthly mission in earnest. It was likewise at that moment that He began to confront the Devil and his earthly minions head on. This fact becomes rather evident by the following verses, which describe exactly what happened following His water baptism:

"And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."


"Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."


"And he [the Devil] brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."


"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."


As those verses state, that sly Devil was quoting directly from the Scriptures in order to try to tempt Jesus to sin against His Father. It isn't much different from Satan also tempting Eve in the Book of Genesis with his wicked taunt "Hath God said?", which was immediately followed by the lie that they would become as gods if they ate of the forbidden fruit. In similar fashion, the Devil is twisting the truth by basically saying "Don't worry, Jesus. You can jump from the pinnacle of the temple. Nothing will happen to you." He was actually quoting the following verses:

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler . . . For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."


"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."


So I believe that God the Father may have allowed one or more Angels to descend from Heaven on that day at the banks of the Jordan River, in order to offer His beloved Son some needed assistance as He took on the Devil during those forty days that He wandered in the wilderness area of the Jordan River valley. As the previous verses make clear, once Satan was done tempting Jesus and testing His mettle, those same Angels came to serve Him and attend to His needs. That is precisely what the word "minister" actually means in the original Koine Greek language where Matthew and Mark write that the Angels "ministered unto him". You may recall that the Apostle Paul also briefly commented regarding the topic of ministering Angels when he wrote the following:

"And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire . . . But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"


Now, there is something important in those verses which goes right back to the inclusion of the phrase "hagios pneuma" in Luke's Gospel. Please notice that Paul says that Angels are "ministering spirits". To focus even more sharply on what I am trying to get across to you, Paul says that Angels are in fact SPIRITS. They are "pneuma", which is the same word that we see being used in the account of Jesus being baptized by John. But that's not all. Consider what Jesus said regarding His Return in the Gospels as well:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:"


"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."


"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."


Do you notice anything particularly interesting in those three verses which relates to our current discussion? How about the phrase "holy angels"? That phrase is derived from the Koine Greek words "hagios aggelos". As you will recall from previous paragraphs, "hagios" means "holy", while the word "aggelos" means "angels". But the point I want you to see here is that Jesus clearly says that Angels are HOLY. So the Apostle Paul informs us that Angels are SPIRITS, and Jesus informs us that Angels are HOLY. In other words, my friends, Angels are HOLY SPIRITS. They are "hagios pneuma", which is exactly the same phrase that the writer Luke uses in his account of Jesus being baptized by John.

So, if Luke's actual intention in using the phrase "hagios pneuma" was for his readers to understand that a holy spirit -- or an Angel -- descended from the sky -- or from heaven, being as both words are translated from the same Koine Greek word "ouranos" -- then this puts Luke much more in agreement with the other three Gospel writers who omitted the Koine Greek word "hagios", and who simply wrote "the Spirit", and NOT "Holy Ghost".

Furthermore, let me remind you again that the KJV translators could just as easily have translated the word "pneuma" as "a spirit" -- implying an Angel -- instead of as "the Spirit". However, if their personal understanding and their doctrinal stance was that Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit at that particular moment, as opposed to everything I shared with you earlier in this series, then it makes perfect sense that they would translate the word "pneuma" as "the Spirit", with an uppercase "S". Doing so would enforce their doctrinal belief.

At this point, let me reiterate one of the main ideas I wish to emphasize in this series. Taking into consideration all of the amazing information which I have uncovered, it seems more and more to me that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit at the very moment of His conception. As we have seen, there was a very good reason for it to happen at that particular time, as I have already pointed out. That reason was that baby John needed to be zapped with the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of the Angel Gabriel's prophecy regarding John being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb.

Furthermore, if Jesus is "the beginning of the creation of God" -- Revelation 3:14 -- as well as "the only begotten of the Father" -- John 1:14 -- and "the firstfruits of them that slept" -- 1 Corinthians 15:20 -- then it seems to me that He would also be the first individual to be endowed with, filled with, anointed with or created by the Holy Spirit. After all, as I said at the beginning of this series, Jesus was a direct result of the union of flesh and Spirit in Mary's womb. Jesus was in essence a physical manifestation of the Spirit of God.

Thus, as I have already made clear, it makes no sense to me whatsoever that Jesus would have to wait, and would need to be filled with the Holy Spirit some thirty years later when He was baptized by John the Baptist. Based upon the Biblical evidence, I can only conclude then that the baptism by John the Baptist has been misunderstood, either due to intentional manipulation by organized religion at some point in history, or possibly due to a slightly inaccurate translation of a few words. It could also be simply due to our lack of a proper understanding of what is really being stated in the four Gospels.

While I have gone into considerable detail to explain my own position and current understanding regarding this matter, I would also like to mention that I do not believe that it is a major issue which should result in contentious debate. The most important point to consider here is that Jesus was in fact filled with the Spirit of God -- regardless of when it actually occurred. Furthermore, not only was He filled with the Spirit, but He was filled with it without measure. Just like the River of Life, the Spirit which flowed from Jesus, which the Gospels refer to as "virtue", was endless. For this reason, so many people were wonderfully healed just through His spoken word, or by a mere touch of His garment, or by a touch of the Master's hands.

Furthermore, let us not lose sight of the fact that even more important than a physical healing of our temporary bodies, it is the words Jesus spoke which give all of us hope of Eternal Life. That is, if we believe in them. As we read in the Gospel of John:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."


"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed . . . And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst . . . I am that bread of life . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you . . . It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."


"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly . . . And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."


"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."


Please go to part four for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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