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In connection with the Holy Spirit baptism announcement of John (Luke 3:16-17), it
should not be overlooked that the promise was twofold. "He shall baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and with fire."
The question here is: What was the baptism of fire, and who were its subjects? The following verse — Luke 3:17 — gives the answer to that question. "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable." The use of the word fan here referred to the ancient process of separating the wheat from the chaff. The part of the nation of Israel that accepted Christ is here classified as the wheat, but that part of the Jewish nation that rejected Christ is designated the chaff. The gathering of the wheat into the garner meant the entrance of the Jews who accepted Christ into the new institution and the benefits of the Holy Spirit's dispensation; and the burning of the chaff with fire unquenchable meant the total destruction of the nation of Israel. |