Outline

«　WEEK 8　DAY 2　»

　　Matt. 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.”

　　3:11 I baptize you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is stronger than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He Himself will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.

　　The tempter tempted the new King to take His position as the Son of God. But He answered with the word of the Scriptures, “Man…” [Matt. 4:4], indicating that He stood in the position of man to deal with the enemy. The demons addressed Jesus as the Son of God (8:29), but the evil spirits do not confess that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:3), because in confessing Jesus as a man, they admit that they are defeated. Although the demons confess Jesus as the Son of God, the devil will not allow people to believe that He is the Son of God, because in so doing, they will be saved (John 20:31).

　　The Lord seemed to be saying, “Satan, don’t tempt Me to assume My position as the Son of God. I am here as a man…Satan, I know that you are not afraid of the Son of God, but you are afraid of man. The first man, the man whom God created to defeat you and to fulfill His purpose, was defeated by you. Thus, God sent Me as the second man to defeat you. Now you are tempting Me to leave My position as a man to assume My position as the Son of God. But I tell you, Satan, I am standing here as a man.” (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 129-130)

　　In Matthew 3:11 John seemed to be saying, “I have come to baptize you with water, to terminate you, to bury you. But the One who comes after me is stronger than I. He will baptize you in the Spirit and fire…If you repent, He will put you into the Spirit. But if you continue to be the offspring of vipers, He will certainly baptize you in the lake of fire.”

　　According to the context, “fire” here is not the fire in Acts 2:3, which is related to the Holy Spirit, but is the same fire as in Matthew 3:10 and 12, the fire in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), where the unbelievers will suffer eternal perdition… The Lord’s baptism in the Holy Spirit initiated the kingdom of the heavens, bringing His believers into the kingdom of the heavens, whereas His baptism in fire will terminate the kingdom of the heavens, putting the unbelievers into the lake of fire. Hence, the Lord’s baptism in the Holy Spirit, which is based on His redemption, is the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens, whereas His baptism in fire, which is based on His judgment, is the ending of that kingdom. Thus, in Matthew 3:11 there are three kinds of baptisms: the baptism in water, the baptism in the Spirit, and the baptism in fire. The baptism in water by John introduced people to the kingdom of the heavens. The baptism in the Spirit by the Lord Jesus commenced and established the kingdom of the heavens on the day of Pentecost and will carry it on to its consummation at the end of this age. The baptism in fire by the Lord, according to the judgment at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15), will conclude the kingdom of the heavens.

　　[In Matthew 3:12] those typified by the wheat have life within. The Lord will baptize them in the Holy Spirit and, by rapture, gather them into His barn in the air. Those typified by the chaff, like the tares in 13:24-30, are without life. The Lord will baptize them in fire, putting them into the lake of fire.

　　Jesus the King exercises two kinds of baptism…The beginning of the kingdom of the heavens was on the day of Pentecost. On that day Jesus the King baptized the believers into the Holy Spirit. By that baptism in the Spirit, the kingdom of the heavens began. The kingdom of the heavens will end with the judgment at the great white throne. At that time the unbelievers will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. That will be the baptism in fire. That fire baptism will terminate the kingdom of the heavens. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 105-107)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msgs. 9, 11