I am come to send fire on the earth

 

I am come to send fire on the earth

 

Luke 12:49-50『I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!』

In the Old Testament, when a sinner brought a sacrificial offering to the sanctuary to be forgiven of his sins, the sinner killed the sacrificial offering, the priest poured the blood on the altar, and burned the flesh on the altar. The baptism ritual includes water baptism, fire baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, the ritual is performed in water. Although it is performed in water, fire baptism is also received. Water baptism symbolizes dying with Jesus who died on the cross for sin. Fire baptism symbolizes death to the body of sin. The body of sin is like a vessel that contains sin. Therefore, the body of sin and sin die. Sin is death, but there is no death. Water baptism symbolizes the judgment of Noah's flood, and fire baptism symbolizes the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Both water baptism and fire baptism are connected to the ritual of pouring blood and burning flesh on the altar as the death of Jesus Christ (the sacrificial lamb), so that the spirit that was imprisoned in the physical body becomes alive.

The baptism that Jesus had to receive was a baptism of fire. Regarding water baptism, Jesus received it in the Jordan River even though he was sinless. This was for those who would be baptized in the future. Matthew 3:15 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John gave him permission.”

In Matthew 3:11, it says, “I truly baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit in the future.

Jesus was baptized, but because the time for the ministry of the cross had not yet come, he was frustrated because he could not give the baptism of fire to his disciples until the resurrection. This fire is the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives the fire that takes away sins and also gives a spiritual body. This is the power of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Peter 3:18, it says, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit:" To be put to death in the flesh is to be burned by fire (baptism of fire), and so to be made alive in the Spirit. For three days, he was in a spiritual state, and then by the power of the Holy Spirit, he took on a spiritual body from heaven (baptism of the Holy Spirit) and appeared to the disciples.

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too should walk in newness of life." Sin and the body of sin die, and the spirit is raised to new life, the resurrection life. The Bible expresses the spirit being raised to resurrection life as "rising."

Romans 6:5, "For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we will also be in the likeness of his resurrection." The likeness of the resurrection is the spirit putting on a spiritual body (a new soul).

The various stages of dying to sin, dying to the body of sin, and thus living the spirit and putting on the body of the spirit are accomplished by the grace of God who sees faith and the results of that faith. Faith is evaluated by God as to whether it is one's own faith or a faith that comes from heaven. God has delegated the evaluation to Satan (the devil). Just as Jesus was tested by the devil, the saints also undergo the same tests.

If we look at the time of Jesus' baptism, Matthew 3:16-17, "And immediately after being baptized, Jesus went up out of the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. '" The Holy Spirit rests on Jesus. And in Matthew 4:1, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

There are three tests: whether you mix the gospel with the law, whether you test God with worldly things, and whether you are your own master. If the saint passes the three tests, he acknowledges that sin and the body of sin are dead, and God frees the spirit of the saint that was imprisoned from the body and gives it a spiritual body from heaven. The spirit that died from the flesh comes alive, and the spirit is put on a spiritual body, a resurrected body, and is seated in heaven.

It is to return to the original position of angels in the kingdom of God. Although the body is in the world, the spirit is clothed in a spiritual body and is at the right hand of God. In Ephesians 2:5-6, “Even when we were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

So the saints become the people of the kingdom of God, that is, sons. However, because the flesh is in the world, the fleshly self is operating and the spiritual self is also operating, showing a dual appearance. If one does not clearly define one’s identity, the result is countless falls. At this time, Satan mobilizes thorns to prick one. It is saying to come to one’s senses and stay awake. 1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober-minded; be alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being accomplished in your brothers throughout the world.”

God guards the spirits and spiritual bodies of the saints who are seated in heaven, and blocks the approach of Satan. 1 John 3:9 says, “No one who has been born of God commits sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” Then, in 1 John 5:18, it says, “We know that no one who has been born of God sins; but He who has been born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.” The evil one is expressed as the devil, and the evil one refers to the devil. The crime refers to the crime of an evil angel who wanted to become like God in the kingdom of God and opposed God. Therefore, it is said that there is no such crime because the resurrected spirit is wearing a spiritual body born from heaven.

When Jesus was acknowledged as the Son of God, God gave him the authority to forgive sins and the keys to heaven. And Jesus gave his disciples the authority to forgive sins and the authority to open the gates of heaven. John 20:22-21 "And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit are given this authority. Matthew 18:18, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”