What Is The Baptism Of Fire ?

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watchman

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John the Baptist says this in Matthew 3:11.....I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. What is the baptism of fire referred to by John in this sentence?
 

logabe

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QUOTE (watchman @ Apr 17 2009, 09:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72722
John the Baptist says this in Matthew 3:11.....I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. What is the baptism of fire referred to by John in this sentence?
John was talking about the Pentecostal experience where weas believers receive power to understand the "WORD". The WORD in conjunction with the Spirit which is within you...in essence, causes you to be convicted of your actions if yourworks are not in harmony with God.The fire of God should dwell within each of us as a burning love and desire to please Him. Moses had the fire within his own heart, and so He was able to approach God without fear.If the fire of God makes us fearful and does not increase our faith, then something is wrong either in our own hearts or in our understanding of God. Perhaps God is not being portrayed correctly. Perhaps many are describing the fire incorrectly and imparting a carnal fear, often inadvertently. Fear has become such an ingrained way of life for many Christians. The victorious life of unshakable faith in God is quite rare, and, I believe, impossible without knowing the sovereignty of God and His love for us. Isaiah 33:14-16 says,14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure. Logabe
 

watchman

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Nope that is not what it means.I have another question...When John says he baptizes with water, we know he meant actual water. When John says Jesus Baptizes with the Holy Ghost, we know he is speaking of the Holy Ghost. So when John says and fire why is it that we do not realize that he is speaking of actual fire?
 

Rank Stranger

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John the Baptist, when he stated Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, was talking about the pass-fail situation of Christianity. Every person has a free-will choice to follow Jesus and believe in HIm, which of course results in baptism by the Holy Spirit of God entering into all true believers. Everyone else will be baptized by fire in the Lake of Fire. There re no other choices -- every person will get one or the other of these two endings. And if anyone rejects Christ, they certainly will receive a firey baptism.Rank Stranger
 

tomwebster

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QUOTE (Rank Stranger @ Apr 18 2009, 09:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72754
John the Baptist, when he stated Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, was talking about the pass-fail situation of Christianity. Every person has a free-will choice to follow Jesus and believe in HIm, which of course results in baptism by the Holy Spirit of God entering into all true believers. Everyone else will be baptized by fire in the Lake of Fire. There re no other choices -- every person will get one or the other of these two endings. And if anyone rejects Christ, they certainly will receive a firey baptism.Rank Stranger
Just to throw a thought into the mix, how is gold purified? With real FIRE! Have you ever had a warm feeling when God was chastising you? Maybe our melting point isn't as high as the melting point of gold.
 

logabe

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QUOTE (watchman @ Apr 18 2009, 07:44 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72750
Nope that is not what it means.I have another question...When John says he baptizes with water, we know he meant actual water. When John says Jesus Baptizes with the Holy Ghost, we know he is speaking of the Holy Ghost. So when John says and fire why is it that we do not realize that he is speaking of actual fire?
Mal. 3:2-4 says,2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:3 And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.When we become Christians, we come before the bar of God's justice as repentant sinners. We claim the death of Jesus as payment for all our sins-past, present, and future. From that moment on, we form a new and different relationship with the law. In time past we were afraid of its judgment; now we voluntarily submit ourselves to its judgment and teaching, that we may learn what sin is and how to refrain from sinning. As Isaiah said, we begin to learn righteousness. Isa. 26:9 says,9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Paul said that "by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Rom. 3:20) How could we be expected to know what sin is and do something about it, if we have no knowledge of what sin is? And how could we know what sin is except by the law?So this new relationship with the law is known to us as learning obedience, or sanctification. It comes AFTER and BECAUSE OF justification. We submit ourselves to the fiery law, and Jesus leads us through the fire of circumstances, a baptism of fire, and God begins to refine us as gold. As we draw near to Him, He speaks to us out of the midst of the fire even as He spoke to Israel of old.Logabe
 

evotell

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QUOTE (watchman @ Apr 17 2009, 08:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72722
John the Baptist says this in Matthew 3:11.....I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. What is the baptism of fire referred to by John in this sentence?
What it is, is something that institutional Christianity knows little or NOTHING about, if it did they how do you explain all the man made rules and suffocating traditions that have turned the body of Christ into a spectator congregation.The pulpit needs to GO and we all need a fresh outpouring of the mighty Holy Spirit
 

For Life

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I was thinking of the parable about the enemy who planted weeds in the middle of the wheat and how the laborers asked if they should pull the weeds. The laborers were told not to pull the weeds because they may pull the wheat up with it. Then I started thinking of the book of Daniel and how the three (Mishac,Shidrac, and Abednego) were able to withstand the furnace. Maybe that is how the weeds are ultimately separated from the wheat?? The weeds are burnt away and the wheat makes it through?
 

evotell

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QUOTE (tomwebster @ Apr 18 2009, 08:33 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72755
Just to throw a thought into the mix, how is gold purified? With real FIRE! Have you ever had a warm feeling when God was chastising you? Maybe our melting point isn't as high as the melting point of gold.
Excellent point. We need to remember that the IC isn't about the melting pot, it's about more bums on seats. Talk about being derailed.
 

watchman

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QUOTE (evotell @ Apr 19 2009, 10:12 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72768
What is it.
To find out what the Baptism of fire really is we need not do much study we can find the answer in the very next verse.Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.The baptism of fire is the burning of the chaff when Christ returns to gather His wheat at the 2nd coming. Here are some other verses that will support this truth. Luke 17:29-3029 But THE SAME DAY that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone down from heaven and destroyed them all.30 Even thus shall it be in the day the Son of man shall be revealed.2nd Thessalonians 2:7-87 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that no not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:2nd Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.Hebrews 10:26-2726 For if we willfully sin after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation that shall devour the adversaries.This is the baptism of fire, the destruction of the wicked by fire at the 2nd coming of Christ.
 

whirlwind

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QUOTE (watchman @ Apr 19 2009, 01:24 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72774
This is the baptism of fire, the destruction of the wicked by fire at the 2nd coming of Christ.
How interesting. I always thought of the fire for believers as being a good thing but I believe you are correct. It seems the believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit while the others...with fire.
 

Lookin4wardtoHeaven

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It was talking about the ministry of John the Baptist. He was preaching baptism of repentance for remission of sins, baptizing all those who came to the river of Jordan ... telling them as he did this, that he was baptizing them with water, but one mightier than me, shall baptist you with the Holy Ghost and fire. .. that the God's Spirit would be upon them and they would be brand new. A new way of walking and talking! God bless
 

Jordan

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QUOTE (Lookin'4wardtoHeaven @ Apr 23 2009, 02:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72883
It was talking about the ministry of John the Baptist. He was preaching baptism of repentance for remission of sins, baptizing all those who came to the river of Jordan ... telling them as he did this, that he was baptizing them with water, but one mightier than me, shall baptist you with the Holy Ghost and fire. .. that the God's Spirit would be upon them and they would be brand new. A new way of walking and talking! God bless
Nice post Lookin'4ward. Right, there was two baptisms... The baptism of John is Water Baptism (Matthew 3:1-11) in which Christ did too. (Matthew 3:13-17)The other is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.Water Baptism may and can be essential to one's faith, but it is not required at all. Since the Holy Spirit is God, the baptism is the only one that is required... because it does the regeneration of the heart.
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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the only baptism that is required as this verse proves it.Ephesians 4:5 - One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
 

logabe

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QUOTE (whirlwind @ Apr 19 2009, 02:25 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=72776
QUOTE
How interesting. I always thought of the fire for believers as being a good thing but I believe you are correct. It seems the believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit while the others...with fire.
In Daniel 7:9 and 10 the prophet saw God's throne as a fire, from which "a fiery stream" issued forth to judge the people. A throne is a symbol of law, and when the monarch sits upon the throne to judge the people, it signifies that he is ruling and judging the people according to the law.In Luke 12:49, Jesus was not anxious to burn the earth with fire, but restore it with the baptism of fire. He takes no pleasure in destroying or torturing sinners. He was, however, anxious that the divine law be implemented and enforced in the earth, because, as Isaiah 26:9 says, "For when the earth experiences Thy judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." This is the purpose of divine judgment. It is to teach and correct, not to destroy. This is why Jesus expressed His yearning to see this divine fire come upon the earth. It was because He loved the world (John 3:16) and longed to see it restored, as the prophets have all foretold.Logabe