Recognize if John was right in his prophetic word over the Baptism of Fire then it is this we need today – Jesus had the Spirit fall upon him and it IS US (yet not us) who need it especially in these last days – THIS IS THE LATTER RAIN! The longing need on this earth today is the fire, the fire which is omitted from the talk of charismatics and being “spirit-filled”, this baptism is far beyond tha
t concept and is mentioned in Malachi, Matthew and Acts. We are talking here of the Baptism of Fire! Malachi 3:1-3 King James Version (KJV)
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 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. Matthew 3:11-12 King James Version (KJV)
11 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:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Acts 2:1-4 King James Version (KJV)
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Fire therefore brings forth the purifying, penetrating and energising power of the Holy Ghost as holiness preacher Maynard James put it! I remember watching Maynard James preach in my younger days at Aintree Gospel Mission, Liverpool. He preached with a fire evangelism, souls responding and abandoning their lives to the move of the Spirit. Maynard recalls that the Holy Spirit is likened in scripture to seven (the number of perfection) to seven lamps of burning fire so can there be a Baptism in the Spirit without fire, without the burning, with the Malachi Refiners Fire and Fullers soap, without the assurance of John that Jesus would burn up the chaff, the burning clearly coming in the Baptism on the Early Church in Acts which was to become a Church dead to the religious form like we see today but a Church that had upon it cloven tongues like as of fire! This is the true Church. Revelation 4:5 King James Version (KJV)
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Isaiah 4:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 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. BURNING UP OF CARNAL PRIDE & FEAR
To quote Maynard James who in turn quotes Samuel Chadwick: It was the fire of the Holy Ghost that burned up the dross of carnal pride and fear, and gave the hundred and twenty a supernatural power which shook the hardest city in the world and brought three thousand sinners to Christ in a single day. Well wrote Samuel Chadwick: “The supreme need of the church is fire. The one persistent prayer of them that cry and sigh is for the fiery baptism of Pentecost …. The baptism of the Spirit is the baptism of fire. Spirit filled souls are ablaze for God. They love with a love that glows. That believe with a faith that kindles. They serve with a devotion that consumes. They hate sin with a fierceness that burns ……”
Maynard James; I Believe in the Holy Ghost. Lakeland, London, 1965. Riggs in his classic book The Spirit Himself points out that the children of Israel were preceded through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Exodus 13:21-22 King James Version (KJV)
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. This has to come with revival as the revivalist William Williams knew in Wales:
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through. Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield. Smith Wigglesworth preached on May 24th. 1926 that the ministers of God are to be flames of fire! Hebrews 1:7 King James Version (KJV)
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Declared Wigglesworth: A flame of fire! A perpetual fire; a constant fire, a constant burning; a holy inward flame which is exactly that which God’s Son was in the world manifesting for us all. I can see this – that God has nothing for us than to be flames! This flame is the outward manifestation of the Spirit’s power to convict sinners, to bring populations to the Cross of Jesus Christ, to be buried with him in baptism, to be risen again a flame of fire! This is what this magazine is all about – to bring about those who know their position; to bring the Baptism of Fire and to move ahead into 100 fold blessing. It is the fire that is missing! We in this ministry are all agreed that we have never seen so much corruption, hatred and bad blood amongst a people who call themselves “Spirit Filled Christians.” Whilst the term is correct Biblically it is widely used to describe an experience that lacks fire, the Holy Spirit being the Spirit of Burning and it this that removes the dross. We constantly witness a group of people who combine paganism with a form of Christianity, organised religion that hears nothing from God, priesthood more akin to Eli rather than Zadok. Dr. Oliver in his excellent book The Sons of Zadok identifies the “Eli System” focussing in on the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. “The sons of Eli portray all that is wrong with institutionalized religion,” declares Dr. Oliver, the Sons of Zadok being those who hear from God. The Bible draws a clear distinction between those of the Eli and Zadok priesthood and this is identified in the following questions that needs to be asked of all places of worship. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Be-li-al; they knew not the Lord. I Sam. 2:12
the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of the sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me; Eze. 44:15
1) Does the “Church” have an altar made with hands? For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands …… Hebrews 9:24
2) Is there a separation going on at communion? Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Mel-chis-ed-ec. Heb. 6:19,20 And Mel-chiz-ed-ek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: …… Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth … And he gave him tithes of all. Gen. 14:18,19,20
3) Does the Pastor see himself as part of the Royal Priesthood, or part of the priesthood, laity system? But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people … I Peter 2:19
4) Is the Ancient Landmark recognised – 4square Gospel – Elim; Entire Sanctification – Methodist etc. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Prov. 22:28 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. I Sam. 15:23
5) Is there encouragement to hear from God? I Sam. 1-4; Hab. 2 to speak out His word?…desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. I Cor. 14:1
6) Is unity seen as our oneness and intimacy with the Father or with each other first? I am married unto you; Jer. 3:14; that they also may be one in us .. John 17:21
7) Are the majority of calls to the front to minister to the Lord or to receive from the Lord? they shall come near to me to minister unto me; Eze. 44:15 Give, and it shall be given unto you .. Luke 6:38 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. Job 36:11
8) Is He an all-giving God or a covenant God demanding our all? Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac …..Gen. 22:2
9) Are pagan infiltrations exposed and dealt with? He that hath clean hands …. Psalm 24:4
Engrossed in the Eli system is a people combining the spirit with pagan lusts rather
than accepting the Spirit of Burning and his conviction. Manifesting therefore instead of the flame of God we find the blue flame witchcraft of modern revivals. Evidence of this is easy to obtain including the teaching of Patricia King and her “blue flame” and with Todd Bentley and his links to Peter Wagner rebel of the Fuller Seminary along with Rick Warren and his ancient philosophies linked with motivational business practice, an approach alien to Early Church practice.
