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12 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 28

The “Baptism With FIRE”

John the Baptist, speaking of the
Messiah, said: “He...shall baptize you with the
holy spirit, and with FIRE" (Matthew 3:11).
People just don’t understand what
they’re asking for when they seek “the baptism
with fire”! Let’s understand what John meant!
1. Just what did John the Baptist
prophesy concerning “baptism with fire”?
Matthew 3:11.
2. To whom was John speaking?
Matthew 3:5-6. Are we to assume from this that
all Jerusalem and all Judea, and all this region
was righteous, or at least repentant and seeking
salvation?
COMMENT: Not at all! The whole
population came in great crowds to see John --
mostly out of CURIOSITY!
3. Did John baptize ALL of this group
who came to him? Matthew 3:7-8. What is to be
the ultimate fate of the “tree” -- one who has not
truly repented and shown forth the “fruits” --
proof in the life he leads -- of true repentance?
Verse 10 and last word of verse 11.
“BAPTISM WITH FIRE”! -- Tinder-dry brush COMMENT: John was speaking to the
explodes into fury of flame during raging brush UNREPENTANT hypocritical Pharisees and
fire. Below, white-hot molten metal pours from Sadducees whom he REFUSED to baptize, as
open hearth furnace into ladle. Both vividly well as those who did repent and whom he
portray the “baptism by fire” which will utterly BAPTIZED. So notice carefully that SOME of
destroy the incorrigible wicked when parts of the those there to whom John spoke -- the repentant
earth’s crust will be purified by an all-consuming -- were to be BAPTIZED with the HOLY
MOLTEN mass! SPIRIT later. But that the others there -- the
unrepentant -- were awaiting the wrath to come,
which shall burn them with -- baptize them into
-- a fiery death! (Verse 11, last word.) This fire
is the ultimate fate of the wicked, who shall be
cast into the lake of fire -- this earth’s surface
burning up -- which is the second and final death
(Revelation 21:8).
4. Did John also compare the evil to
chaff? How did he say the Messiah would
separate them from the good, so they could be
burned? Matthew 3:12.
COMMENT: At the final judgment, the
Messiah’s fan is to be in his hand. With it he will

Avoid a Counterfeit Baptism!