267 Does the thought of death make you

Does the thought of death make you nervous?

Even though most of us do not want to contemplate the thought of death, it is by far more certain than life. It is estimated that a newly conceived baby has a one in five chance of never being born.Then again there is no chance that once a baby is born, that he or she will not eventually die. It is for that reason that death is not a pleasant subject to be talking about and why so many are uninformed about it. However, refusing to think or talk about death will not let it go away. But prospective children of Elohimshould not become morbid like those in some culturesin the world are and be overly concerned with the subject of death, as we have hope as I am about to show in the rest of this discussion. Our concern should be how we live life.

Nevertheless, most of us are aware of the saying: ‘The only sure thing in life is death and taxes’ attributed to Benjamin Franklin a US Statesman who helped to draft the US Constitution. Yes, the governments of most nations levy taxes on their citizens who earn incomes from whatever economic activity they are involved in. Everything we earn and use is taxed; from our personal income, consumable goods, airline tickets,fuel and even accommodations. Even though the taxes we are required to pay may vary, death does not change. Sooner or later all of us must face our own mortality. The way we die might not always be the same, but the end result will always be the same. Death happens to all human beings, it does not matter from which nationality, religious affiliation or financial background they are, and no one is exempt. In addition, death can happen at any age and in many different ways. When death comes early in a person’s life, his/her hopes and dreams come to a sudden end. Whereas those who are very ill or old and fragile might welcome death, the death of a young person is devastating. Death is an enemy and most people fight it with a soldier’s forcefulness.What should our reactions be when a death occurs? Is it wrong to be relieved when someone who suffered for an extended period of time dies? Is it wrong to be angry when someone’s life comes to a sudden end? Should we be totally destroyed at the death of a loved one? May we mourn openly and unapologetically, or should we cry behind closed doors, not showing any grief in public? And for what period are we allowed to mourn?We will try to answer most of these questions, but also get to understand a bit more about death.What defines death or more specifically when does death occur? Only in this modern age in which we live has there been a need for such a question. Does death occur when one stops breathing, when the heart stops to function or when all brain activity comes to an end? Jewish (Halachic) authorities do not agree on whether a person who has no brain and breathing functions, but whose heart and other organs are functioning, is considered dead or alive. Halachic consequences of this debate are endless, among them implications of organ donations. Our bodies can be kept functioning artificially for an extended period of time by heart and lung life support systems, long after the time of potential recovery and consciousness.In a number of cases pregnant mothers have been kept alive for a number of weeks, to allow their babies to develop fully before they are born. This also results in endless debates as to the medical and religious ethics of such procedures, without ever answering everyone’s questions satisfactorily. Sometimes righteous people die at a fairly young age and we cannot understand why.Fortunately, we are given the answer in Isaiah57: 1, in this way: ‘The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; and devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil (that could occur in the future, when he might be forced to make wrong decisions).

But what happens at death? Let’s turn to Elohim’s handbook for us (namely the Scriptures), to find a suitable answer to this question. The first time the word death is mentioned in the Scriptures is after YHVH created man in His image and likeness as in Genesis 2: 15 – 17, as follows:‘Then YHVH Elohim took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (16) And YHVH Elohim commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; (17) but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”’Part of the instruction or knowledgethat Elohim gave Adam and Eve was the curse of death, provided they obey His teachings and do not take what He prohibited them to take. But, as the account of Adam and Eve unfolds, we see even though Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they did not die – at least not immediately. Why not?Because YHVH said ‘in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die’, and one day to Him is a thousand years (as recorded in Psalm 90: 4[1] and 2 Peter 3: 8[2]), despitethe fact that Abel was murdered by Cain before his death, true to Elohim’s word in Genesis 5: 5, ‘(So)all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.’ Yes, Adam died within a thousand years or one day to Elohim, death entered the world because of Adam’s disobedience to YHVH, as we read from Romans 5: 12, in this way: ‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.’Death came upon all the offspring of Adam, because of his actions at the beginning of human life on earth. After the fall of Adam Elohim barred Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden and the ‘Tree of Life’ (symbolic of the Set-apart Spirit given to Torah obedient believers who remain faithful to YHVH as per Acts 5: 32[3]), the whole world became corrupt and YHVH destroyed all life from the earth in a flood, except for Noah, his family and the animals which YHVH led to enter the ark Noah built for protection against the ravages of the flood. But, after the flood mankind’s initial failure was repeated with the rebellion at Babylon led by Nimrod, when they built a tower to try to go the heaven, like Satan previously did (as per Isaiah 14: 12 – 15[4]) when YHVH started over again with the man Abram. At that time YHVH entered into a two-fold covenant with Abram, namely that he and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob would eventually possess the Promised Land eternally; meaning that ifhe and his descendants remain faithful to YHVH and as a sign of the covenant circumcise their male children at eight days old, they would receive a portion of the Set-apart Spirit ensuring them eternal life as children of Elohim, over which the second death has no power after they are resurrected to life one day in the future when Messiah comes to rule the world from Jerusalem. Even though knowledge about the truths Abraham believed in is not immediately evident, a little searching by those whom YHVH has chosen and are busy calling during the latter days, reveal the five truthsAbraham believed and by which YHVH reckoned him as righteous, as shown here below:

Considering the faith of our father Abraham, we know for a fact that firstly he called on (YHVH)’s name as witnessed in Genesis 12: 8 and also in Genesis 13: 3 & 4, as follows: ‘And he went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, (4) to the place of the altar, which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of YHVH.’ Secondly we know that Abraham obeyed all of Elohim’s Torah as is confirmed when YHVH told Isaac about his father in Genesis 26: 4 & 5, saying: “And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (5) because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” Thirdly we see that after the binding of Isaac, Abraham came to believe that the dead will one day be resurrected again, as witnessed in Hebrews 11: 17 – 19, as follows: ‘By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; (18) it was he to whom it was said, ‘IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” (19) He considered that Elohim is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received him back as a type (of Messiah).’ Fourthly our father Abraham also believed in Yahshua our Messiah as Messiah told some Jews of His day in John 8: 56, after a discussion regarding Abraham being their father in the faith, saying: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Fifthly, we understand from Hebrews 11: 8 – 10 that Abraham believed in the coming kingdom of Elohim in the Promised Land, as follows: ‘By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; (10) for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is Elohim.’The second part of the promise to Abraham was that the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob from the house of Israel who eventually disobeyed Elohim’s Torah and were scattered into the world because of idolatry, but are now returning to the covenant with Abraham through his one seed, namely, Yahshua, will join Torah observant members of the house of Judah to become first fruit heirs to the promise YHVH made with Abraham, provided they are immersed in Yahshua’s saving name and fulfil their part of the covenant with Abraham, including circumcising themselves and their male children at eight days old and remain Torah observant until their dying day, or when Messiah comes. This part of the promise to Abraham through Yahshua Messiah also extends to the rest of mankind who will also be saved after Messiah’s millennial rule, when all knees will bow before Yahshua (as per Philippians 2: 9 - 11[5]) and when Elohim will open the Scriptures to their understanding as witnessed in Isaiah 25: 7 – 9, in this way: “And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death for all time, and YHVH Elohim will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for YHVH has spoken. (9) And it will be said in that day, ‘Behold, this is our Elohim for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is YHVH for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’”We need to understand that whilst our Jewish Brothers receive the gift to the Set-apart Spirit by being obedient to Torah, we from the lost ten tribes from the house of Israel, who have forgotten what sin is, obtain the Set-apart Spirit by accepting Yahshua our Messiah as our personal Passover and being immersed into His saving name for the forgiveness of our past sins, as Rav Shaul also explains in Romans 8: 11, saying: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Yahshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”In other words those of us from the house of Israel whom YHVH is busy calling from the churches of the world have to return fully to the faith of our fathers in the faith, like Abraham when he was called from his father’s house to follow Elohim and like members of the house of Judah who remained faithful to YHVH have been doing since their return to the Promised Land 70 years after their exile in Babylon and more so since their final return to Israel in 1948. We also know from the 13 principles of Jewish faith, that they believe in the coming Messiah to bring the lost sheep of the house of Israel back to the covenant with Elohim; to rebuild the Temple and institute universal obedienceto Elohim’s Torah teachings, but also in the resurrection of the dead.

The second part of the promises made to Abraham according to Elohim’s plan of salvation which includes us, a remnant of the lost ten tribes to be given eternal life during Messiah’s millennial rule, but also the rest of mankind during the second resurrection is confirmed by Rav Shaul with an even greater promise and opportunityto inherit eternal life, in Romans 6: 23, saying: ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of Elohim is eternal life in Messiah Yahshua our Master.’ Nevertheless,there remains thecondition given in John 3: 36, in this way: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life;but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim abides on him.” It is as we read from Habakkuk 2: 4, “Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.”After we have returned to the covenant we made with YHVH together with the house of Judah we need to remain Torah obedient to retain the Set-apart Spirit, else we die, as YHVH tells us through Ezekiel in Ezekiel 18: 23, saying “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Adonai Elohim, “rather than that he should turn away from his ways and live?” Death is one of Satan’s weapons against mankind to try and frustrate Elohim’s purpose for us. Satan inspires mankind to excessively desire to have what do not belong to them and to threaten and even kill to obtain what they want. He uses mankind’s emotions of hatred, fear and jealousy to make the lives of others very difficult. Satan absolutely enjoys seeing people in pain that eventually causes death. Life comes to an end in three different ways, namely naturally, accidentally and intentionally. When a person dies of natural causes, it basically means that he or she died from a heart attack or stroke, or from a prolonged illness like cancer or other life threatening diseases. Accidental death is the least expected and can happen at any age, where a person is involved in an accident resulting in his/her immediate death or after a period in hospital. Intentional deaths include murder, suicide and loss of life on the battlefield in a war. Somehow, people frequently end up blaming Elohim for not stopping someone’s death. But mankind made from the dust of the ground is in no way different to animals, as Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes 3: 19 & 20, in this way: ‘For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. (20) All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.’We are no different from plants and animals and each one of us should make preparations for our deaths. We are able to control our affairs whilst we are alive and should make it easier for our loved ones when we die. A first step that you might want to take is to face the reality of your own mortality. When we die, the greatest value is not the money that your spouse and children inherit, but how content you were in your life. Rav Shaul put it like this in first Timothy 6: 6 & 7, saying: ‘But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. (7) For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.’

The Scriptures are full of examples where our fathers in the faith prepared for death. They bought burial grounds for their families and themselves. They also prepared in other ways, as witnessed in the first part Proverbs 13: 22, as follows: ‘A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.’ Even though we are not all able to leave our children with sizable inheritances, we should all make sure that there are enough funds available to pay for our burial costs, etc., so that we do not leave our families with huge amounts of debt. We should also ensure that we have a Will drawn up so as to ensure that our families receive what is rightfully theirs. Not having a Will in some countries could result in the government of the day walking away with most of what you accumulated during your lives. In spite of advances in medicine and technology the life span of most people is as mentioned in the first part of Psalm 90: 10, in this way: ‘As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years.’ When death occurs, we need to understand that grief is natural and should therefore be allowed to express the same. Sorrow is a personal thing and there is nothing wrong with feeling and expressing it. Yes, a certain amount of sorrow is a good thing and most people need time to express their feelings. We also need to realize that friends who lost loved ones may need to talk about their loss. We need to be understanding and sympathetic with those who recently lost loved ones – time will eventually heal. However there is hope for our Jewish Brothers who remained loyal to Elohim’s covenant and those of us who are waiting for Messiah’s return as witnessed in Hebrews 9: 27 & 28, in this way: ‘And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (28) so Messiah also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him (to come and rule us from Jerusalem).’At death the body ceases to function and the life (or soul) of the person comes to an end. The person’s body is buried and over time returns to the dust from which we were all made. However, since we know that man consist of body, soul (or life) and (the) spirit (in man); what happens to that spirit? The spirit in man consists mainly of the breath of life given to the person at birth, but also of the brain-power, memory and the character that each person develops over the duration of their lifetimes.

Even though both the spirits (or memories and characters) of believers and unbelievers go back to Elohim at death as witnessed in Ecclesiastes 12: 7[6], two different scenarios follow for them: If a person dies without being in the covenant relationship YHVH made with all Israel at Mount Sinai, meaning he/she is neither a Torah observant Jew or he died as a returnee to the covenant from the house of Israel in Yahshua, such a person will only be raised in the second resurrection, to live again as a flesh and blood human being during the great judgment period. That will be the time during which the books of the Scriptures will be opened to their understanding as explained in Revelation 20: 12, in this way: “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books (meaning the Scriptures) were opened (to theirunderstanding); and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” This will be similar to the way Yahshua opened the books of the Tanach to His disciples after His death and resurrection, as we read from Luke 24: 44 & 45, as follows: ‘Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (45) Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.’ These people will be given a period of time during which they will be able to make an informed decision (based on understanding the Scriptures correctly), as to whether they want to follow the way of Elohim or not as witnessed in Isaiah 65: 17 – 20, in this way: ‘For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. (18) But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing, and her people for gladness. (19) I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in My people; and there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. (20) No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred shall be thought accursed.’If they ultimately accept Messiah as their Passover and bow the knee before Him, they will also be changed into spiritual children of Elohim. This will be when everybody who ever lived will live again. They will be resurrected to a life much better than the one they knew in the past, as Satan will be out of the way and will not be able to influence anybody any longer.

Torah observant Jewish believers and those from the house of Israel who have been called during this life to become first fruits (as per James 1: 18[7])and who accepted Yahshua the Messiah as their personal Passover, will if they qualify by overcoming those sins which so beset them, be resurrected at Messiah’sadvent to rule the world from JerusalemonYom Teruah n the near future. They will become spiritual children of Elohim to serve as kings and priest under Messiah during His millennial rule and beyond, as witnessed in first Corinthians 15: 50 - 52, in this way: ‘Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of Elohim; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (51) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (be dead), but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we (who are still alive at that time)shall be changed (from flesh and blood human beings to Spiritual children of Elohim; meaning that our physical lives will also come to an end when we are changed).’ We find a second witness to both resurrections in Revelation 20: 4 – 6, as follows: ‘And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of Elohim, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Elohim and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years.’

It is important for all believers to understand that only YHVH Elohim has immortality, as witnessed in 1 Timothy 6: 13 – 16, in this way: ‘I charge you in the presence of Elohim, who gives life to all things, and of Messiah Yahshua, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate (that His Kingdom is not of this world, but the world to come), (14) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Master Yahshua Messiah, (15) which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Master of masters; (16)who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see.To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amein.’ Even though the spirits of all men returns to the Father at death, they are similar to recordings of music, simply recordings of the memories and characters of the people who died. Such spirits are not conscience of anything, as we read from Ecclesiastes 9: 5, as follows: ‘For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.’This is confirmed by David in Psalm 6: 5, saying: ‘For there is no mention of Thee in death; in Sheol(another name for the grave) who will give Thee thanks?’ However, the spirits of those who died whilst in the covenant relationship will be perfected, as witnessed in Hebrews 12: 23, as follows: ‘To the general assembly and congregation of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to Elohim, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.’The end result will be when Messiah returns as Rav Shaul wrote to the Thessalonians in first Thessalonians 5: 23, saying: ‘Now may the Elohim of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete,without blame at the coming of our Master Yahshua Messiah.’This tells us as believers that when Yahshua returns one day, He will bring back our perfected spirits from heaven and resurrect our bodies to eternal life. It is for this very reason that Rav Shaul told the brethren in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18, saying: ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep(meaning those who died), that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.(14) For if we believe that Yahshua died and rose again, even so Elohim will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Yahshua.(15) For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Master, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of Elohim; and the dead in Messiah shall rise first.(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Master (on earth, where He will have established the Kingdom of Elohim).(18)Therefore comfort one another with these words.’

However, those who ultimately refuse to accept Yahshua Messiah as their Savior and to live the way of Elohim during the period of hundred years, as well as those who continue to live in sin after coming to the knowledge of the truth in this life or during the millennium will simply be burnt to ashes as witnessed in Revelation 20: 15, in this way: ‘And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.’ A second witness to this is recorded in Malachi 4: 1, as follows: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says YHVH of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” A third more descriptive witness about those who are irredeemable after the Great White Throne judgment or after being given the truth at this time comes from Isaiah 26: 14, in this way: ‘The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; therefore Thou hast punished and destroyed them, and Thou hast wiped out all remembrance of them.’ This is essentially talking about the second death described in Revelation 20: 14, as follows: ‘And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.’ Note that the lake of fire is not a place where the souls of men are tormented for ever and ever – no, it is the second death! Those who have been given the Set-apart Spirit after immersion in the name of Yahshua the Messiah and the laying on of hands (as per Acts 8: 12 – 17[8]) have been given the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment of eternal life (as per 2 Corinthians 1: 22[9]) and as a result, we will be resurrected at Messiah’s return, provided they remain faithful, as previously confirmed in Romans 8: 11. In the end mankind’s greatest enemy will cease to exist as witnessed in Isaiah 25: 8 (quoted earlier) and Revelation 21: 4, in this way: “And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Death will be no more, and those of mankind who accepted Messiah as their personal Passover, will have eternal life! We need to look forward to that day like Abraham did, as we read from Hebrews 11: 10, in this way: ‘For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is Elohim.” This is the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21: 1 – 3, as follows: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from Elohim, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be among them.’ This is truly good news for each and every one of us alive, but also for those who died before. Halleluyah!

[1] Psalm 90: 4, ‘For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday when it passes by.’

[2] 2 Peter 3: 8, ‘But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with Adonai one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’

[3] Acts 5: 32, “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Set-apart Spirit, whom Elohim has given to those who obey Him.”

[4] Isaiah 14: 12 – 15: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of Elohim, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”

[5] Philippians 2: 9 - 11: ‘Therefore also Elohim highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Yahshua EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Yahshua Messiah is Master, to the glory of Elohim the Father.’

[6] Ecclesiastes 12: 7, ‘Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to Elohim who gave it.’

[7]James 1:18, ‘In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.’

[8] Acts 8: 12 – 17, ‘But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of Elohim and the name of Yahshua Messiah they were being immersed, men and women alike. And even Simon himself believed; and after being immersed he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Elohim, they sent them Kepha and Yochanan, who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Set-apart Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been immersed in the name of the Master Yahshua. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Set-apart Spirit. ’

[9]2 Corinthians 1: 22, ‘Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge (deposit).’