We also find baptismal types in the stories of Elijah and Elisha. Alongside Moses and Joshua, they were the only men to supernaturally part bodies of water. It is no accident that Elijah is compared to both Moses and John the Baptist — figures associated with a “first baptism.” Both Elijah and Moses participated in God’s triumph over pagan gods; both fasted for forty days; both spoke to God at Horeb; both were rejected by their people; both were fed supernaturally; both appeared at the Transfiguration; and both parted waters. Likewise, Jesus referred to John as “the Elijah who was to come” (Matt. 11:14).
After becoming disheartened, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb and cried out to the Lord. The Israelites had broken their covenant with Yahweh, destroyed his altars, and killed his prophets. Elijah mistakenly assumed that he was the only remaining faithful prophet. In response to Elijah’s cries, God instructed Elijah to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha to be his successor. These men were given one mission — to bring judgment upon Israel (1 Kgs 19:17).
Though God commanded Elijah to anoint Hazael and Jehu, Elijah left the matters of judgment to his successor. After anointing Elisha, Elijah parted the waters of the Jordan (i.e. first baptism) and ascended into heaven. Immediately afterward, Elisha returned to the banks of the Jordan, struck the waters with Elijah’s mantle, and crossed the Jordan again (i.e. second baptism). It is instructive to note that the forerunner ministries of Moses, Elijah, and John[1] concluded outside of the land, while the ministries of Joshua (Jos. 3:7), Elisha (2 Kgs. 2:14-15), and Jesus (Jn. 1:28) were launched on the eastern banks of the Jordan as they came into the land.
Elisha’s “second baptism” marked a clear transition. While Elijah sought to turn the hearts of Israel to God, Elisha brought judgment upon those who spurned Elijah’s message. After receiving Elisha’s anointing, Jehu killed Joram (2 Kgs. 9:24), Jezebel (2 Kgs. 9:33), Ahab’s relatives (2 Kgs. 10:17), and the prophets of Baal (2 Kgs. 10:25). With Elisha’s anointing, King Hazael “overpowered the Israelites” to “reduce the size of Israel” (2 Kgs. 10:32). Yet even as God judged Israel, he preserved a faithful remnant (1 Kgs. 19:18).
Baptism and Ultimate Rest
From the beginning, man has labored toward an elusive prize. Man was created and charged to transform this world into a garden — bringing shalom and finding rest from his labors. In his book Living in God’s Two Kingdoms, David VanDrunen argued that Adam’s goal was to “enter into a royal rest.”[2] Adam failed. After the Flood, the world began anew with Noah. Though his name means “rest,” Noah failed. Joshua was charged to bring “rest” to Israel (Jos. 1:13), but this rest did not endure (Heb. 4:8). As Jehu brought judgment upon Israel, the wicked repeatedly asked, “Is it peace?” Jehu responded, “How can there be peace as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft…abound?” (2 Kgs. 9:22). Apart from Christ, our pursuit of lasting shalom in a fallen world is futile. The author of Hebrews declared, “If Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:8-9). However, only those who “remain faithful to Jesus… will rest from their labor” (Rev. 14:13).
When Jesus spoke about his crucifixion, he invoked sacramental language. He spoke of another baptism and a cup of suffering (Mk. 10:38). On the night of his betrayal, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper — sharing the cup of his blood “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Then he went to Gethsemane and prayed that God would take the cup of wrath from him (Matt. 26:39-44). When Christ returns, all who reject his cup will drink “the wine of God’s fury” from “the cup of his wrath.” Those who reject Christ’s baptism will be baptized and tormented with “burning sulfur.” They will find “no rest day or night” for eternity (Rev. 14:10-12).
Rest is clearly a major aim of eschatology. In Christ, we have access to this rest already, but our rest is not yet perfected until he returns. The book of Hebrews claims that our rest is patterned after God’s Sabbath rest. Interestingly, God’s work in creation also featured a two-stage pattern.[3]
In the first stage (days 1-3), God’s Word triumphed over darkness and waters — overcoming the barriers to life. On the third day, God brought forth the dry land — providing a sanctuary for life and securing Adam’s substance, the dust. This “first baptism” laid the groundwork for Adam’s creation, but the consummation remained for stage two. The first advent of Christ was similar to this first stage of creation. Jesus, the Word of God, has triumphed over the impediments to life — sin and death. He became our sanctuary for life and brought forth the substance (i.e. his blood) by which we are made new. Nevertheless, the consummation remains.
During the second stage (days 4-6), the Lord divided all creatures into their proper abodes, and he raised man from the dust. He then created a paradisiacal garden, transported the man into Eden, and dwelled with him. At the end of the second stage of creation, God performed an act reminiscent of Jesus’ “second baptism.” He put an innocent man into a deep sleep, wounded him, and fashioned a bride from his blood and substance. At the culmination of this second stage, God presided over a wedding between the raised sinless man and the bride who was fashioned from his wounds.
Once these two baptismal pictures were complete, God rested.
Once our two baptisms are complete, the church will find everlasting rest in the Lord.
[1]
According to Josephus’ Antiquities
(18.119), John was beheaded at Herod’s fortress at Machaerus, east of the Dead
Sea.
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