Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5*
Whenever Jesus used ‘truly, truly’ meaning ‘verily, verily’, it was something He wished to emphasize the importance and truthfulness of what He was about to say. This is one of those important, truly, truly words from Him. If you are believer, especially a believer who is not yet baptized, please hear this urgent message from the Holy Spirit. I pray you will hear this truth, and then get baptized, and every child of God spread the word so we might all assist others in standing with God and not falling away from the church.
From February 2025 to June 2025, the Holy Spirit gave me revelations regarding free will and the proper way God wants us to pray in reverence to Him, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then at the end of June 2025, the Holy Spirit gave me an extraordinary vision regarding the importance of baptism for God’s children and their salvation. He gave me the knowledge and clarity before leading me to corroborating scripture as evidence, and it opened my eyes to the truth and the lies being spread. Lies that are leading God’s children away from Him, lies that have been perpetrated since the Catholic Church became the center of Christianity. I will address the lies that perpetrated this great deception at another time. The importance of baptism is what is most urgent.
Now, I know some of you are thinking that I am crazy or making this up, mainly because the lie is so embedded in the church that any resistance to it will be seen as a lie, heresy, or blasphemy. I don’t know why God chose me to be the messenger of this truth, but I know He always has a reason for everything He does – I simply obey Him.
The Holy Spirit revealed that we are in the apostasy – the falling away of the church – right now, which means the man of lawlessness might already be in the world as well. If you are believer, especially a believer who is not yet baptized, please hear this urgent message from the Holy Spirit. I pray you will hear this truth, and then get baptized. We all need to spread the word so we might all assist others in doing God’s Will for us.
No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
The vision and third revelation from the Holy Spirit came quickly, about a week after the second, in the last week of June. One evening, while trying to understand why He had revealed the importance of praying to the Holy Trinity rather than to Jesus alone, I kept hearing a specific piece of scripture— Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. I asked the Holy Spirit why, and after giving me a vision like nothing I had experienced before, He sent me to scripture after scripture as proof. I am still unpacking more, but as I read, the Holy Spirit gave me clarity that answered more than the question of why.
The deception leading many Christians to their condemnation is not sin per se but a deception from the enemy that has been spreading throughout believers worse than any virus. This deception is far more distressing to our Heavenly Father than any other sin we may commit. The deception is that baptism is not necessary for our salvation—this is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit—the only sin that will never be forgiven. This unforgivable sin will cause many believers to be forever separated from our Heavenly Father, even though they believe they are saved.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize all converts, and it is clearly commanded throughout scripture yet somehow baptism has become seen as inconsequential for our salvation by Christians today.
Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, saying to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus explained the necessity for baptism to Nicodemus in a secret meeting.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8
We see Jesus’s warning to us about the unforgivable sin—the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit—in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, yet I must admit to never having heard this verse taught in any church or religious education that I received, and I have been walking with the Lord for over sixty years.
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31-32
So, now you might be asking why the Holy Spirit says baptism is imperative for our salvation. The vision and clarity the Holy Spirit gave me when I asked Him the same question made it all clear. He showed me what our Lord Jesus really did for us on the cross. I pray you will see it too, and believe it as I do.
That evening in June, the Holy Spirit gave me a vision—a vision so powerful that it was both mind-blowing and heartbreaking. This was the first time I ever had a vision like this, and it took me by great surprise.
I saw our beloved Jesus on the cross. The sky had grown dark, and the wind began to blow with great might. Onlookers began scattering away. I saw Jesus lift His eyes to the heavens and He called out in a language I did not understand, but I knew what He said, “It is finished.” And then He died. My heart broke in that moment, but then what followed made clear what He had actually done for us on the cross.
I heard a loud boom, which I recognized as the start of the earthquake. More people ran from the site, but His loved ones remained. I heard the sounds of cracking, and when I turned and looked, I saw the great stones in front of tombs crumbling to the ground like gravel. Then I saw spirits, or rather souls, departing the tombs. These souls were filled with immense joy, dancing in their freedom.
Next, I was standing before a thick, richly decorated drape hanging from the extremely high ceiling. I realized I was standing in the Holy Place of the Temple before the Holy of Holies. I have never seen images of it, but somehow recognized it. There were lit candles along the walls and beautiful urns set on the floor. Suddenly, that great wind filled the room, blowing out the candles and tumbling the urns, breaking them. The wind seemed to blow around me with great force but without touching me. Then, as if the wind had fingers, it reached out to where the drape was attached to the ceiling, and tore it. It did not just tear the drape, but shredded it so that it fell to the floor, destroyed. As I lifted my eyes from the drape lying on the floor, I caught sight of a huge beautiful fully lit menorah. The flames didn’t even flicker. In front of it, to my awe, I saw the Ark of the Covenant. Suddenly, I was in outer space surrounded by the splendor of the heavens and looking down on the earth. It was surrounded by a shimmering as if enclosed in a bubble made of millions of diamonds.
The shimmering began fading, until it was completely gone. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Now the Father can speak directly to His children.”
It was then that I understood that the tearing of the veil in the temple represented the destruction of the barrier that the Lord God, the Son, had placed between God the Father and Adam and Eve when they were banished from the Garden of Eden. That barrier had prevented everyone who came after the sin in the Garden from hearing from and speaking directly to the Father unless He willed it so. Before Jesus came to us the first time, God had not spoken to His people through prophets for approximately 400 years. This means that all those, with a His exceptions – His chosen few such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others who He chose for elevated works for the benefit of His children – who had lived and died since Adam and Eve, before Jesus became the last blood sacrifice by dying for us on the cross, had not been forgiven of their sins, no matter how many blood sacrifices of repentance had been made. These are the sleeping saints mentioned in the crucifixion story. Before Jesus gave His life to free us, God’s children were following God’s commandment to make such sacrifices as a test of their faithfulness to His will, but forgiveness was not given until Jesus destroyed the barrier with His blood on their behalf, and ours. It was at the moment of His death that the sleeping saints were freed to be received in heaven.
Jesus did die for the redemption of sin so that we might have eternal life, but there is more to His sacrifice. He did take sins upon Himself, but only the sins of all those who loved the Father, and who had died up to the moment He died. He then went into hell to liberate those souls unjustly incarcerated there before defeating death and resurrecting. Jesus spoke often of freeing man, but I now understand that it was not just to free us from sin. Sin continues to exist in our nature and in our world, and will as long as Lucifer is loose in it. The freedom that Jesus provided the world was far greater than has been understood, possibly because of deception. Yes, Jesus freed us from the consequences of the original sin of disobedience, but it came with a new test of obedience for all those who follow Him. Since His sacrifice, we have been under a new covenant with our Heavenly Father and a new test of obedience to Him, but His children are failing again. We must do more than exercise our free will to choose God instead of the world. We must obey His imperative will of baptism for our salvation.
The rejection of baptism and consequently, the rejection of the Holy Spirit, is the unforgivable sin that will condemn many even though they believe themselves saved. We have been taught that baptism washes away original sin—the sin of disobedience committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden—but the truth is that Jesus washed that sin away with His blood on the cross. John the Baptist declared this at the baptism of Jesus.
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
All my life, I have heard this verse wrongly quoted. John the Baptist did not say ‘sins’ plural, but ‘sin’ singularly. That embedded error continued to lead me to see that verse with a plural mention of sin, rather than the singular. Our minds can be convinced to see what isn’t there.
Jesus did not take away all of the sins of the world, but the original sin that had kept us from an intimate relationship with our Father. Baptism is not for freeing us from sin, for it still remains in the world and so we will continue to fall to temptation. However, baptism does allow us direct communication with our Heavenly Father so that we can ask Him directly for forgiveness and He can discipline us through conviction individually as any good father would His children because He loves us that much. We are not God’s adopted children, but have been His children from the moment of our creation. After Adam and Eve disobeyed Him, He cut off all communication with them hoping man would learn from their disobedience. As we know, man did not, and so God decided to start again. This time, He put His hope in Noah and his offspring to remain faithful to Him, but again man failed. God saved His children once more, this time from slavery in Egypt, but gave them the Commandments to guide them. He commanded they perform blood sacrifices for repentance. After finally seeing their commitment to obedience to His Will, He sent His only Son to restore the intimate relationship He first intended to have with us, but set another test of obedience with the hope that we would succeed this time.
Baptism is that test of obedience – His final test for us. Someone can believe in God, believe in Jesus, that He died for us, resurrected on the third day and sits at the right hand of the Father, but unless he is born again through water and Spirit through baptism, he is not saved—no matter how many times he says the sinner’s prayer or how hard he believes and prays.
Too many Christians believe that salvation comes solely through faith in Jesus and His grace, and that baptism is only a public expression of that faith rather than a requirement for salvation itself. They believe they do not need to be baptized to solidify their relationship with the Father, but they are very wrong and are risking their eternal salvation.
Some churches perpetuate this idea and so are leading their followers down the wrong path. Far too many Christians see baptism as a symbolic act, representing the believer’s identification with Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, or a public declaration of faith. But the truth is that Jesus set in place a new covenant with God and His desire that we once again choose obedience to His will. With God, it has always been about respecting and obeying His will, and loving Him. Once we obey His will and are baptized, we have His grace for forgiveness through true repentance which we can directly ask Him for, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will always have God’s forgiveness for our sins. But if we refuse baptism, we are being disobedient and committing the one sin that God will never forgive and condemn us with eternal separation from Him. This is the last test and one we do not want to fail!
There are many reasons that believers do not choose baptism, but all of these reasons are deceptive and are leading them away from God rather than to Him. Some individuals may feel unworthy of God’s grace and delay baptism until they feel they have achieved a certain level of spiritual maturity or have overcome particular sins. The truth is that we are all worthy of God’s grace and love if we surrender to Him. Baptism is about surrendering to God’s will, trusting in Him for everything in our lives, and less about a public commitment to follow Jesus and participate in the Christian community. We, His children, are the church, not a building, institution, or organization, and baptism belongs to Him, to God the Father, not any denomination or religious leaders.
Many denominations only practice baptism for those old enough to profess faith and so reject infant baptism, leading those with infants in these traditions not to baptize them until they are older, if ever. This is an individual choice for the innocent are already welcome in the kingdom of heaven, but when a child is old enough and cognizant enough to understand who God is and what Jesus did for us, it is wise to allow them to be baptized so they do not inadvertently blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
Many individuals feel that certain churches place too much emphasis on religious tradition, including baptism, rather than genuine faith, leading them to delay or abstain from it. Too many religious groups do not practice baptism at all as part of their religious practices. This is misleading to their followers and leaves people in a position of blaspheming the Holy Spirit through false teaching—all part of the Apostasy.
In certain circumstances, such as when under persecution or where there is a lack of available water, individuals believes they are unable to be baptized, so they delay or avoid it. The truth is that it can be done anywhere, at any time, by any baptized believer. John the Baptist was not a priest or a minister. He was a Jewish man who believed in what God pressed on Him to teach and to do in his ministry. Baptism is between man and God. It allows restoration of the intimate relationship our Heavenly Father originally planned to have with each of us, and so with water and the right words, anyone can be baptized when they are ready to surrender to His will.
If a body of water, pool, or tub is unavailable, enough water to make the sign of the cross on a person’s forehead while speaking the following words, I baptize you, in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, will suffice. What is important is the person’s willingness to surrender to the will of God and accept the Holy Spirit into his bodily temple.
However, some might have been baptized due to an emotional experience rather than a deep personal conviction and surrender. If this is the case, the believer must examine their inner belief, looking to the Holy Spirit and Jesus for their place in the family of God through sincere prayer. It is about more than just someone believing in God and what Jesus did for us on the cross; it is about putting our complete trust, the surrender of our lives, and our worldly existence in God the Father. If anyone is unsure about the reason for having been baptized, or was baptized as a baby before understanding true faith in God, let this person be baptized again through water and Spirit so that they might truly be a member of God’s family. Anyone who has denied baptism for salvation, even if baptized, should think about being baptized again – better safe than sorry later.
Many believers will cherry-pick scripture as a reason to deny baptism as a means of salvation. This is a dangerous path for any believer to walk. Please pay attention to how these teachings might be leading you away from God rather than toward Him. Some examples that I hear far too often are:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
But if we continue reading, we see that Paul writes:
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:14-22
Another cherry-picked scripture I hear extolled for denying baptism is:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1
But Paul continued to say:
through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:2-5
Another cherry-picked scripture used by those who wish to lead believers away from the path is:
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, Titus 3:4-5
But Paul continued with:
by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7
Do not be deceived!
Many believers say that baptism is not necessary because the thief on the cross next to Jesus was forgiven without baptism. Yes, he was. But he was forgiven, as anyone who has never heard the teachings of Jesus will be. The thief did not know about baptism, and died with Jesus as He was completing the purpose for which He came—to restore an intimate relationship between God the Father and His children. It was by Jesus’s grace, even while He suffered horribly, that the thief was promised he would be in paradise with Him that day. This is the reason that Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission: And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16
While many Christians do not believe that baptism is a requirement for salvation, trust when I tell you that it is! In fact, it is the most important act of obedience for all believers. Refusing baptism when one has the opportunity will be seen by God as a lack of submission to His will, committing the unforgivable sin—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—and condemning the believer to eternal damnation rather than salvation and eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
Please, do not believe this lie. Denying baptism for any reason is not worth the risk of eternal separation from heaven.
Whereas not everyone may have the opportunity or even the knowledge of baptism as the only way into the kingdom of heaven, I do believe that God, in His mercy, will allow them to stand in judgment when the time comes, just as He extends mercy to babies who die before baptism can seal them with the Holy Spirit. But if a person chooses to believe in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, but does not commit himself to full, surrendering faith in the Father, in the Son, and the Holy Spirit through baptism, that grace may not be given to him. If a believer surrenders and desires baptism but dies before he/she has the opportunity, I believe he/she will be give similar grace as the innocent. God knows our hearts, but to delay when given the chance may not receive the same grace.
So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17
If the rapture does come, something I do not believe will happen, the question always asked is, what will happen to those left behind? There will still be time for those remaining to accept God, Jesus as our savior, and be baptized so they may be sealed with the Holy Spirit, and gain the protection of the angels from the wrath about to be sent on the world. God’s gift of free will is forever and will never be retracted from us, but we have to make the right choice.
As a Catholic, I was taught that baptism removed original sin—Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience. This removal of original sin is understood to restore the individual’s relationship with God and cleanse the soul, and in part, this is true. But Jesus accomplished the removal of original sin through the blood He shed on the cross, and He restored the ability to have an intimate relationship between God and His children by destroying the barrier separating us from our Heavenly Father. However, without the act of baptism, the restoration of an individual’s intimate relationship and communication with God cannot be completed. The first thing that Jesus did in His ministry was be baptized by John the Baptist. This was not a passing thing. It was Jesus showing God’s people that the only way to true salvation was to accept the Holy Spirit so that the intimate relationship God originally planned to have with His children could be restored. That intimate relationship gives each of us the gift of speaking directly to our Heavenly Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We may ask Him for forgiveness of our transgressions without the need of such things as confessionals, priests, and offerings. God will forgive and forget all of our sins if we repent directly to Him. This is why we need the Holy Spirit living within us through baptism.
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
Baptism does renew our hearts and souls but more importantly, it signifies our submission and obedience to God’s will for His children. Refusing baptism is a continuing sin of disobedience. Baptism is the new covenant between God and His children in the Holy Name of the Trinity. It belongs to God, not to a church or any particular denomination, and is the only way to pass this last test of obedience before Jesus’s return.
While Jesus did not need baptism for forgiveness of sins, He did need the Holy Spirit to enter His human flesh so that He might have the same intimate communication with His Father that is being provided to us—if we accept God’s command that we be baptized according to His will. Knowing that all things are possible with God, He could have imparted the Holy Spirit onto His Son at any time, but He chose for Jesus to do it in public. Jesus’s baptism gave Him that inner connection with the Father, but also set an example for believers to follow. He demonstrated the importance of obedience to God’s will and the act of cleansing the body and soul to make a proper temple home for the Holy Spirit to abide within us. Remember that our Lord, Jesus is the living water. The only true way to be saved and remain saved is to be baptized in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and continue to have faith in that gift of salvation.
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21
The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever. 1 John 2:17
The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:24
I pray that all Christians will see what the Holy Spirit has revealed in scripture for themselves. It has been there the entire time, but those we have trusted to instruct us on God’s word have led us astray. Now is the time for all of us to listen to our Heavenly Father instead of false teachers. My plea to all who hear this message from the Holy Spirit is that if you are not yet baptized, please do so as soon as possible, and that all believers spread this important and urgent message so that more of God’s children will not fall away. Jesus commanded His followers to spread the truth so all of God’s children have the opportunity for eternal life, and the enemy is working overtime to stop me from getting this message out.
Let me ask you this: are you willing to risk your salvation because you don’t want to surrender to getting a little wet? May God Bless and keep you always. I pray this in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible translation.
Amy Valentini, Romance Author and Romancing Editorially Editor 