Daniel Study | Session 13 | 9:1-2

Today, we get into chapter 9 and discover why the nation had been exiled into captivity and how long that captivity was prophesied to last.

Chapter 9

Daniel's Prayer

Verse 1: "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;" Notice, "in first year of Darius" which would have been the year 538 BC.  

Student of Scripture

Verse 2: "In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Daniel apparently was a student of Scripture and he had been studying the book of Jeremiah. 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Apparently, Daniel had looked at Jeremiah 25:11-12 and Jeremiah 29:10-11.

 History tells us that Israel had been destroyed by King Nebcuchadnezzar in 605 BC and it was now 538 BC. How many years had they been in captivity? 67 years.  And Daniel knew this and understood that their captivity was almost over.

Believe It!

You know, something that amazes me is that Daniel just opened up his Bible…..read Jer_25:11…..and believed it. Can you believe it? He took it literally! Why is it that "Bible Scholars" of our day can't seem to do this? They make every excuse under the sun not to take something at face value from the Bible. "Well, he didn't mean 70 years….God was speaking in a metaphorical sense." Well you know, in the original Greek….." 

Why can't we just open up the Bible and take it at face value? Daniel did! John wrote in 1 John, "I write these things that you may know…" We need to stop second guessing God! "WHERE GOD HAS PUT A PERIOD, DON'T CHANGE IT TO A QUESTION MARK!" God has not, and never has been, in the business of confusing people. Paul told the Corinthians, "God is not the author of confusion 1 Corinthians 14:33. Sadly, much of our is the direct result of our arrogance.

Why 70 Years?

The first question that I asked myself when I read this was, Why 70 years?" We are told why in Leviticus 25:1-7 where God told Jeremiah, "And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. (3) Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; (4) But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (5) That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. (6) And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, (7) And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat."

And he goes on to say in Leviticus 26:33-35, "And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. (34) Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. (35) As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it."

And of course the Israelites did not trust the Lord by giving the land its rest, and as a result God fulfilled His promise to exile them! 2 Chronicles 36:20-21 speaks to this when God says, "And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: (21) To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." So, God brought destruction upon them because of their failure to trust in His promises.

There is a principle here that you and I must come to grips with as well. God's expectation is that we trust Him! When we trust Him, He brings about blessing. When we fail to trust Him, He doesn't bring about his blessing. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;" From this verse we see, that the blessing or lack thereof is entirely dependent upon how much the nation trusted him. 

The same can be said of us today. God promises blessings for obedience! But if we choose not to trust him, the Bible says in Haggai 1, "You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways!" We must learn how to trust God! Amen? We can also see an excellent example of this in  Deuteronomy 28. In the end, the world says, "Show me and I will believe you", while God says, "Believe me and I will show you!"

Daniel | Session 12 | 8:19-27

In today's study, we see the interpretation of Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat, and how Antiochus Epiphanes was a type of the coming Antichrist.

Verse 19: "And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be." Gabriel is projecting these prophecies all the way down to the time of the end. If we understand the book of Daniel, a great part of it has to do with the Gentile age with very little regard for the Jew. 

Daniel's prophecies begin in 600 BC with the birth of Babylon and according to this verse all the way to the end. 

"For at the time appointed" means that God already has this thing worked out. God already has the dates set! He is a date-setter. 

Kings of Media and Persia

Verse 20: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." The two kings of Media and Persia referred to are Darius and Cyrus. Cf. verse 3 which seems to refer that Cyrus was higher.

King of Greece

Verse 21: "And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king." The rough goat here is Greece. The great horn is Greece's first king, Alexander the Great (verses 4-7). Alexander was the son of Philip II of Macedon and became king upon his death between 359 and 336. His title was Alexander III of Macedon. 

Interestingly, a coin was found in Thrace that featured a the head of Alexander on one side with ram's horns on either side of his crown. Historically, the horns were the symbol of the Egyptian god, Amun from whom Alexander claimed to have descended from. In essence, the symbolism implied diety status. Also, interestingly, they were not minted until after his death. 

Grecian Kingdom Broken and Divided

Verse 22: "Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." That being broken is Alexander the Great.

"Four stood up for it" refers to the four generals Alexander had appointed over his kingdom (v.8) because he had no heir. However, historically, one was born after his death. The four generals were Cassander who took Macedonia, Lysimachus who took Thrace and much of Asia Minor, Seleucus who took Syria, and Ptolemy who took Egypt. Cassander would later order the death of Alexander's wife Roxana, son, and mother to consolidate his power, and would asume the title of Antigonus I. 

However, none of Alexander's generals "possessed his natural intelligence, understanding, or military genius but, even so, would found dynasties which, with exceptions, ruled their respective regions until the coming of Rome."

Duel Fulfillment in Action

Verses 23-25: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.  And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." "In the latter time of their kingdom" refers to these four generals mentioned above. 

"A king of fierce countenance" was primarily fulfilled with Antiochus Epiphanes. However, the ultimate fulfillment of this is the Antichrist.

Two Fulfillments in View

Antiochus was symbolically what the Antichrist will be literally. In verses 9-12 we see him as coming out of Greece. He rose to power around 175 BC. He plundered the temple in Jerusalem and desecrated it by offering pig's flesh on the altar. This is actually recorded in I Maccabees 1-6 in the Apocrypha.

God Manifest

Here's something interesting, his last name Epiphanes means "God Manifest." He was one of the cruelest rulers of Syria as a descendant of Seleucus, one of Alexander's generals.

Maccabean Revolt

The Jewish rebellion which was led by the Maccabees, took place when he made an edict that all in his empire would practice the same religion. Of course, the Jews refused to do this and it led to Antiochus coming to Jerusalem and erecting a statue of the Greek God Zeus in the Temple…the Jews were forced to worship it or be killed. This is referred to by the Jews as the Abomination of Desolation. However, Matthew says that there will be another one (Matthew 24:15). Doesn't all of that sound familiar (Revelation 13:14-15)?

"He shall destroy the mighty and the holy people" is speaking to the destruction and carnage caused by Antiochus, but it also refers to the Antichrist (cf. Rev_6:1-11).

"He shall cause craft to prosper" refers to deceit or witchcraft (Cf. 2Th_2:8-11).

"He shall stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand" cannot be referring to Antiochus (Revelation 19:19-21; Revelation 20:1-3). 

Daniel Study | Session 11 | 7:18-8:19

Today in our study, we pick up in 7:18 and work our way down through 8:19 where we find the interpretation of Daniel dream in regards to the four beasts, but also we are introduced to his next vision of the ram and the goat.

Verse 19: "Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;" Daniel seems to be particularly interested in the fourth beast.

Verses 20-28: "And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart." This is Daniel's interpretation of the dream which we've already covered in detail.

Note: The Seventh Day Adventists believe that verse 25 was fulfilled when the pope, who was merely known as the Bishop of Rome at the time, changed worship from Saturday to Sunday and that worshiping on Sunday is the sign of the Antichrist or the Mark of the Beast. Historically, this did happen after Constantine's edict in 321 AD under Sylvester I (314-335 A.D.) who was then Bishop of Rome. This change from Saturday to Sunday was later confirmed at a council of Bishops at the Council of Laodicea (363 A.D.) said; "Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath"...meaning Saturday. By the way, the Roman Catholic Church has always been anti-Semitic. 

Chapter 8

In this chapter verses 1-14 are the dream, verses 15-25 are the interpretation and verses 26-27 are Daniel's response to it. 

Verse 1: "In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first." Of the course, the one at the first was the vision we studied in chapter 7. 

The Palace of Shushan

Verse 2: "And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai." Shushan was the location of the Babylonian palace.

The Vision

Verses 3-18: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. In these verses the vision is given. 

Notice the angel Gabriel in verse 16. Only three angels are mentioned in the Bible by name, Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer. 1. Gabriel seems to be especially chosen to send messages (cf. Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19, Luke 1:26). 2. Michael seems to be a warrior (Cf. Daniel 10:10-13; Jude 1:9). 3. And of course, e Lucifer, the music guy (cf. Isaiah 14:10-12). 

Time of the End

Verse 19: "And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be." Gabriel is projecting these prophecies all the way down to the time of the end. If we understand the book of Daniel, a great part of it has to do with the Gentile age with very little regard for the Jew. Daniel's prophecies begin in 600 BC with the birth of Babylon and according to this verse all the way to the end.

"For at the time appointed" means that God already has this thing worked out. God already has the dates set! He is a date-setter. 

Daniel Study | Session 10 | 7:10-18

In today's study, we spend a little bit of time catching up since we last left off, and then continued to look at the beasts, the little horn, the Ancient of Days, and also comparing the visions that Ezekiel and John saw.

Verse 9-10: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." The words "cast down" could be better translated as established or set up. 

The book of Revelation tells us who is sitting on these thrones in Revelation 4:4. While we are not absolutely sure who these twenty-four elders are or represent, we do know that the number means signifies government in the Bible. There are a couple of views on whom these twenty-four elders are. Some say they are literally the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve apostles of the New Testament combined. Not sure about the sons, but I do know that Jesus said that the Twelve would do so in Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:29-30. Others say that these represent all of the redeemed from both the Old and the New Testament. Either way, in this view, the twelve patriarchs represent those from the Old Testament and the twelve apostles represent those from the New Testament. 

We do know that in 1 Chronicles 24:3-4 that David appointed 24 elders to represent the entire Levitical priesthood which numbered around 38,000 at that time. Each of these elders were to represent a group of Levites who were to serve throughout the year for two weeks at a time in the Temple. This division also made it easier to meet with the Levites as they were representative of the entire group. This is probably why the number 24 represents governmental authority in the Bible. 

Now those who want to place the Body of Christ in this number, as I used to, will point to 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 as a proof text. To be honest, where I am right now, I am having a hard time seeing the Body of Christ anywhere in the Old Testament, and I am also struggling with the term "saint" because it appears to be referring to Jewish Believers and not the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; and Colossians 1:1-2). Make what you will of it, but they appear to be different groups of people. 

Final thought, whoever these are, they are judging during the Kingdom, which I have become convinced has nothing to do with the Body of Christ. Also, if you compare Jude 1:14-15 and Revelation, you will find that they are both speaking of Jews and not Gentiles. We will see another clue in this same chapter in verse 18. Again, referring to the House of Israel. 

Notice the "Ancient of days". This is a reference to God the Father. We see the deity of Christ in this because here it is a reference to God the Father, but in Revelation it is a reference to God the Son. Compare this description with Revelation 1:12-15. They most certainly appear to be one and the same.  

Daniel has the Second Coming of Christ and final judgment in view here which we see in detail in Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:11-15; and Isaiah 66:15-16

Notice that the "books were opened". There are three books mentioned in the Bible. 1. The Book of the Living in Psalm 69:28; 2. The Book of Remembrance in Malachi 3:16; and 3. The Book of Life in Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:12; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:27, and Revelation 22:19. 

Notice the latter part of verses 9 where "it says his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." This is exactly the description that Ezekiel gave in Ezekiel 1:4-5a and Ezekiel 1:16. It is interesting that this is how both Ezekiel and Daniel describe heaven, and yet, every time year hear those who say they have been there, this is never their description (1 Corinthians 2:9). We also get a similar description in Revelation 4:2-3 and Revelation 4:6. Obviously, Heaven is indescribable. 

The Little Horn

Verse 11: "I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." The "horn" is still a reference to the Antichrist and shows that he and the beast are one and the same: Rome, but the is looking down through time to the Revived Roman Empire (Revelation 19:20). 

 

The Rest of the Beasts

Verse 12: "As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." "As concerning the rest of the beasts" is a reference to the four major empires. the ten horns of verse 8. Note sure exactly what "their lives were prolonged for a season and a time" means. 

One Like the Son of Man

Verse 13: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." I believe this may be a a reference to Revelation 5:1-9

An Everlasting Kingdom

Verse 14: "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." The Lords kingdom will be the final kingdom which will never pass away. It is the last of all kingdoms.

Troubling Dreams

Verse 15: "I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me." His dreams troubled him. Can imagine being Daniel or John and trying to take in all of this information?

The Interpretation

Verse 16: "I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things." Now we get the interpretation of Daniel's dream.

 

The Beasts

Verses 17-18: "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." The beasts represent Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, but in the end God will set up a kingdom that will last forever just like we are seen in the previous dreams.

Is Water Baptism for the Body of Christ? - Part 3

Today we pick up in our third and final study on the subject of baptism, and specifically, the question of whether it is for the Body of Christ today. As we have mentioned earlier, there are three baptisms recorded in Matthew 3:1-12 and none of them are for the church. We also mentioned that Jesus' baptism was to fulfill the law in regard to the priesthood as an example for the nation to follow. 

Before, moving any further, I must point out that there is a fourth baptism mentioned in Luke12:49-50 where it says, "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (50)  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" The text makes it pretty clear that this baptism is one that only Christ will take. This, of course, speaks of when God the Father baptized his Son with the sins of the world on the cross. 

So, we have seen that there are four baptisms mentioned in the Bible: water, holy spirit, fire, and wrath. Water by John, Holy Spirit and Fire by Jesus, and Wrath by God. The problem with all of these baptisms is that none of them are for the church today.

Even Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, said in 1 Corinthians 1:17, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."  How could he say that? After all, Christ did tell the Twelve to baptize in Matthew 28:18-19 when he said, "And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. (18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" 

The issue for those who can not seem to put it together is that Paul was not one of the Twelve, he was never meant to be one of the Twelve even though I have heard many say, including myself, that Peter and the others messed up by choosing Mathias when they should have waited for Paul. Wrong! Paul's calling was different in that he was sent to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15) while the others were not (Matthew 10:5). 

The conclusion is that the only baptism that is for the Body of Christ is that of the Holy Spirit and it occurs at the moment of salvation. Paul explains this in Romans 6:4 when he says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Also, in Ephesians 4:4-6 when he said, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5)  One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6)  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Our baptism is not with physical water! To teach that water baptism is required in any way, shape, or form is contrary to the teachings of Paul and the Gospel of Grace. 

Another interesting point that E.W. Bullinger points out is that water baptism is only spoken of in Paul's Acts-Period epistles (Corinthians and Romans), but never again afterward. Also when Paul speaks of baptism in his post-Acts epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and the Pastoral letters, he is only speaking of Spirit baptism into the Body of Christ at conversion. 

Again, Paul also shows that what was physical under the old program is now spiritual under the new in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Colossians2:9-13. Again, a move from the physical under the Law to the spiritual under Grace.  Our identification in Christ is a spiritual one and not a physical one. Everything for the church is spiritual. We are a heavenly people and not an earthly people. Our promises are spiritual and not physical (Ephesians 1:3). 

The only conclusion that I can draw is that to baptize today is trying to make the church Israel, which is exactly what most do whether they want to admit it or not. Paul is our apostle and it is his teachings that we are to follow (1 Corinthians 11:1, 14:37). He was the first in the line of sinners to be a part of the Body of Christ (1 Timothy 1:15-16). And the only way to right divide is to realize the significance of Paul. Also, anyone who feels uncomfortable with us saying that we follow Paul, apparently don't have a problem with Israel following Moses.  

E.W. Bullinger once said, "it is the reliance on tradition instead of the study of the Bible that prevents people from understanding and enjoying it." He also said in his work, "The Foundations of Dispensational Truth", that "Christians have all been so long tied to the tether of tradition that difficulties are met with in connection with rightly dividing the Word of Truth." The problem with most Christians is that they are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up, and set. 

Is Water Baptism for the Body of Christ? - Part 2

Today we continue with the question of baptism for the Body of Christ. The second argument for those who defend baptism is that they will point out that Jesus was baptized as proof that we also need to follow his example. 

This comes from Matthew 3:13-17, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14)  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15)  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (16)  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: (17)  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The problem with this view is that Jesus was exclusively ministering to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and the only ones that were to follow his example were the house of Israel. Jesus said pretty emphatically in Matthew 15:24 that he was only sent to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." Therefore, his baptism was to set an example for them to follow, not us (Matthew 3:15). 

Jesus' baptism was unique in that it was required just as Moses spoke of for Aaron and his sons in Exodus 29:1-4, "And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, (2)  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. (3)  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. (4)  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water." It was required for him as the high priest of the nation. One only need to read the book of Hebrews to see Christ in this role as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 4:14-15, 5:5, 5:10, 6:20, 8:1, 9:7, 9:11). 

It was the nation of Israel that was to follow in this example "to fulfill all righteousness" as foretold in Exodus 19:6, "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." And then God was to use the nation of Israel to reach the Gentiles. We see this in Isaiah 49:6-7, "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (7)  Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." Also, in Isaiah 60:1-3, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2)  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (3)  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." And in Zechariah 8:23, "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." 

In conclusion, Jesus was baptized as the new high priest of Israel according to the order of Melchizedek and they were to follow his example by accepting him as their new Priest and King, he would have then brought in the Kingdom and they would reach the nations. Unfortunatley, that did not happen.