Baptised In Fire

CEV: With all your hearts, keep the agreement I made with you. But if you are stubborn and keep on sinning, my anger will burn like a fire that cannot be put out.

Just the thought of fire usually fills us with fear. When we think about fire, we think about pain and sorrow and hardship. We think about the wrath of God. That’s why we don’t understand what John meant by baptism in fire.

There is also a second meaning of fire in the Bible and I believe it is time for the church to start to see and understand and experience this second meaning. It is time for the church of God to be baptized in fire again.

Acts 2:3

I want you to see an order here. First there were the tongues of fire and after that the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:49

CEV: “I came to set fire to the earth, and I wish it were already on fire!”

MSG: "I’ve come to start a fire on this earth--how I wish it were blazing right now!

If fire only have one meaning namely the wrath of God and hell, then Jesus is very negative here because He then declares that His desire is to destroy the whole earth with fire.

That was not His intention or meaning. His hearts desire was that the whole earth will be on fire for Him, burning with a passion and a zeal to serve and love Him. Even today God’s desire is that a fire must burn in His church. He desires for His church to be on fire for Him.

So what is the meaning and purpose of this fire?

Exodus 3:2

AMP: The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, yet was not consumed.

Exodus 19:18

AMP: Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like that of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

Exodus 24:16 & 17

AMP: The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day [God] called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the glory of the Lord appeared to the Israelites like devouring fire on the top of the mountain.

Exodus 40:34 – 38

2 Chronicles 7:1 – 3

Zechariah 2:5

AMP: For I, says the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.

I hope you have received something here. What are all these verse saying?

Numbers 14:21

Psalms 72:19

Fire comes just before God Himself appears. Every time that the glory of God appeared, fire come first and prepared the way for His glory. Fire does the preparing for the glory of God because fire devours everything that will be in the way of the glory of God. Fire prepares our hearts so that we can live in the glory of God. This is the reason why Jesus cried out that He has a desire for fire and wishes that it is already burning because the whole world must be filled with the glory of God.

It is time to cry out: Lord send Your fire because we desire the glory of God. We must understand without the fire there can be no glory. That is why John said that Jesus will baptize us in fire because this fire will prepare the way for the glory of God.