I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Matthew 3:11
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:2-4
The early church experienced both the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and a Baptism in Fire as one experience.
The element of fire has been missing in the Pentecostal or Charismatic experience for many years. We need to ask, why is this?
Towards the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century it was common for those who were baptized in the Holy Spirit to also experience a Baptism of Fire like the early church experienced. Why then has this experience been lost?
There was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit which became known as the 1948 move of God. During this time, a popular teaching swept through Charismatic circles that basically taught the way to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was by faith, so there was no heart searching.
Many in the early holiness m o v e m e n t s experienced a Baptism of Fire which they called an experience of sanctification. This was very powerful and life changing. This baptism of fire had brought about an experience of sanctification — an experience that dealt with the nature of sin in their lives — the fire purging them, doing a great work within them preparing a place for the Holy Spirit to dwell in them.
The Charismatic move of the late sixties and early seventies was also a great move of God, but there was very little fire experienced with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This resulted in much carnality and mixture… the word sanctification was rarely heard during this period. The lack of fire resulted in many continuing on with demonic problems not dealt with in their lives.
The prophet Isaiah was a good man who lived in an age similar to ours in some ways. He did not know how much the ungodly environment he lived in had affected him. It took the fire to deal with his problem.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah 6:5
The Hebrew word Saraph means burning.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:11
When Water Baptism is taught in a way that total surrender is required and that we must die to our own life, laying it down to utterly serve Jesus, and then the fire will begin to fall as the new Christian is raised from the watery grave into a new person, dead to the world and alive unto God.
There is coming a Baptism of Fire. It will be a part of what God is about to do. Prepare your hearts, the Seraphim are coming.
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. Isaiah 4:4
Fire is not for cleansing of sin.
Fire is for purging and refining; it deals with the consequences of sin in one’s life, the pollution that sin has caused. It also deals with the demonic.
We need: The Blood, the Cross and the Fire: ‘ Blood for cleansing ‘ Cross for dying to self ‘ Fire for purging.
The Fire deals with Soiled, emotions, hurts, polluted minds, bad memories, spirit strongholds, body pollution and hereditary problems.
The Baptism of Fire will preserve a generation of Christians that will live through the greatest darkness the world has ever seen. (See Isaiah 60:2)
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. Malachi 3:3
The fire burns out hurts, fears, inferiorities, hereditary problems, sexual abuse, MPD, inherited sins of the fathers and enemy strongholds in the minds of God’s people.
This next move of God will include the fire of God that will transform people into a flaming fire.
Just as Jesus was transfigured, even so, the church will undergo a transfiguration experience where the light flowing from one’s spirit will affect the whole being of man, transforming and renewing. The Bride will be made ready without spot or any blemish.
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Hebrews 1:7