What Does It Mean to be “Baptized With Fire?” Matthew 3:11 Explained

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

In this verse, it’s clear that John is referring to Jesus as the one whose sandals he was unworthy to carry and whose baptism would consist of the Holy Spirit and fire. What’s not so clear, however, is what’s meant by being baptized with fire.

According to numerous New Testament records, we know that Jesus promised to send His Spirit and to baptize His people with His Spirit, that is, to fill them with it. However, never does He promise to baptize them with fire. Here are a few examples:

1. Acts 1:4-5 – “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
2. Acts 11:16 – “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
3. John 7:38-39 – “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
4. John 14:16-17 – “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

In no New Testament account of anyone being baptized (filled) with the Holy Spirit is there any mention of them being baptized with fire as well. The only mention of fire being associated with the infilling of the Holy Spirit comes from Acts 2:1-3 where “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

But even here the text simply says, “they were all filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit”. This says nothing of being baptized with fire, only that the “divided tongues” had an appearance of fire. There is a difference.

So if the promise of Jesus to His followers was that He would send to them the Holy Spirit, what did John mean when He said Jesus would baptize with the “Holy Spirit and fire?” Furthermore, are we, as Christians, to seek this fire baptism or is the idea completely unrelated to the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

In short, when John speaks of being baptized with the Holy Spirit, he’s speaking in line with what Jesus Himself said He would do. This baptism is for those who would believe in Jesus as the Messiah. John’s reference to “fire” is not in addition to the Holy Spirit baptism; it’s its own separate event. This “fire” baptism would not be experienced by those who received the Holy Spirit, as it is a reference to the judgement that John speaks of both before and after the verse in question.

Thus, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with God’s holy presence wherein one becomes His temple, but to be baptized with fire is to be filled with God’s wrath wherein one becomes the object of His fury. This is what John meant when he proclaimed that the One coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire – some would receive Him and in return be filled with the Holy Spirit; others would reject him and in return receive His judgement (we’ll discuss this judgement later).

John’s proclamation here is in line with what the Old Testament says concerning the Messiah – that He would come for salvation and judgement; salvation for God’s people and judgement for those who would reject Him and who broke God’s law.

That John’s reference to a fire baptism is in regards to judgement is made clear by the context of the passage from where this verse is taken, which we’ll now discuss.

The Context of Fire Baptism

Given the context of the passage from where the verse in question comes, it’s clear that being baptized with fire is not something John was advocating for. In the surrounding verses, the language John is using is that of condemnation and judgement. 

In verses 7 and 10, John says to those attending his baptism: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?…Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And in verse 12 he tells them: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

As you can see, both before and after the verse in question John’s tone is one of judgement. As you can also see, John uses “fire” symbolically for God’s judgement. This judgement, as previously stated, was to fall upon those who rejected Jesus as Messiah; those who would later cry out, “His blood be on us and our children” (Matthew 27:25).

This is made known by the imagery John uses to describe this judgement. Both the axe being “laid to the root of the tree” and “His winnowing fork is in his hand” are images that speak to the imminence of this pending judgement.

Furthermore, the idea of the Messiah coming in judgement would not have been unknown to those attending John’s baptism, especially to the Pharisees and Saduccees, who were also present. We know this based on the prophecies of Malachi which predicted that judgement would accompany the ministry of the Messiah.

A Prediction of Judgement

In Malachi 3:1-5 we read:

• “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.”

And in Malachi 4:1-6 we read:

• “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

In both of these passages we read of the forerunner of the Messiah who comes to prepare His way, the ministry of the Messiah, and what the Messiah came for – salvation and judgement.

That these passages refer to the First Advent of Christ and not His second is indicated by the presence of “Elijah” prior to His arrival. This means that the judgements spoken of in these passages have already taken place and are not in regards to any future judgement coming of Jesus.

Based on Jesus’s own words in Matthew 11:13-14 and 17:12-13, we know that John the Baptist was the “Elijah” spoken of in these prophecies, further illustrating that whatever was to occur in connection to these prophecies has already occurred, including the land being struck with a “decree of utter destruction”.

However, it is true that we have no New Testament record of any such judgement taking place. But what we do have is Jesus’s words as to when this judgement would occur, where it would occur, and whom it would affect. All of this information and more can be found in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) where Jesus discusses with His disciples the judgement that is coming upon Jerusalem that results in its destruction along with the destruction of the Temple. This is the judgement that was spoken of by the prophet Malachi, and referred to by John the Baptist.

We’ll now discuss the specifics of this judgement as made known to us by Jesus Himself.

Judgement and Destruction Predicted by Jesus

Malachi introduces to us the idea that judgement and destruction will accompany the ministry of the Messiah. Fast forward 400 years and John the Baptist is proclaiming the same thing. Only this time the prophecy is a lot closer to being fulfilled. Again, John’s imagery of the axe being “laid to the root of the tree” and “His winnowing fork is in his hand” testify to the nearness of this destruction. It’s not until Matthew 24, however, that we learn exactly when this destruction would occur.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:34, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Meaning what? That the generation alive at that time would be the one to experience the judgement and destruction that Jesus spoke of leading up to this verse.

In Jesus’s lamentation over Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37-39 He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!…See, your house is left unto you desolate.” This is a reference to the Jewish temple being destroyed. Jesus makes this clear in the following verses when He tells of the day when not one stone would be left upon another that would not be thrown down.

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

Matthew 24:1-2

From here Jesus goes on to tell His disciples of everything they’ll observe and experience leading up to this time of judgement and destruction. He speaks of:

• False Christs coming and leading many astray (v.5)
• Wars and rumors of wars (v.6)
• Nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms (v.7)
• Famines and earthquakes (v.7)
• The disciples being delivered up to tribulation and death and being hated for His name’s sake (v.9)
• The arrival of false prophets (v.11)
• Increased lawlessness and the love of many growing cold (v.12)
• The abomination of desolation (v.15), or as Lukes version says, “Jerusalem being surrounded by armies” (Luke 21:20).
• Etc.

All of these are signs that would be observed leading up to the time of Jerusalem being destroyed and would be experienced first hand by the disciples. We know this based on the way Jesus addresses them during the discourse in relation to these events: “See that no one leads you astray…And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…See that you are not alarmed…Etc”. Who was Jesus talking to? His disciples. They are the “you” throughout the Olivet Discourse passage.

After speaking with His disciples of everything that was to take place, Jesus then announces that it would all happen within the lifetime of the generation living at that time: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). Meaning what? That the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem living during the time of Christ would be on the receiving end of the coming judgement. It would be they who would experience the baptism of fire that John spoke of and the decree of utter destruction that was prophesied about by Malachi. And who else should be worthy of such punishment but the wicked generation that took upon themselves the task of “killing” God?

It’s for this reason that judgement came and the city and the temple of those who crucified our Lord was destroyed. Not only this, countless lives were taken in the process as God poured out His wrath upon those who rejected and crucified His Son. A fitting end for those who advocated and took responsibility for the slaughter of the Son of God.

When Did This Judgement Occur?

As I mentioned earlier, there is no record in the New Testament of this judgement having already taken place. But remember, Jesus said it would happen within one generation, which according to Biblical standards is a roughly 40 year period of time. With this in mind, we need only to look at the events of 70 AD to see the fulfillment of Jesus’s predictions concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.

In the years of 66-70 AD, the Jews were at war with Rome. At the climax of this war in 70 AD, the Romans invaded the city of Jerusalem destroying both it and the temple. The Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the devastation that occurred, says this in regards to Rome’s conquest of the city:

“Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done), [Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple,… but for all the rest of the wall [surrounding Jerusalem], it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.” (Jewish Wars 7.1.1 & 6.1.1)

The account of Josephus along with other historical records show that both the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. This temple has never been rebuilt, some 2000 years later, leaving the Jew’s “house” desolate just as Jesus promised.

Jesus’s prediction of these events happening within one generation was also fulfilled. We know that it was towards the end of Jesus’s ministry that He gave His discourse on the Mount of Olives, placing it roughly around 30 AD. This means that it would have been 40 years exactly when the judgement took place upon Jerusalem.

The Roman-Jewish war was devastating to the Jews. According to Josephus an estimated 1.1 million Jews died as a result of this war, a countless number of which due to starvation. History tells us that Roman armies, under the direction of Titus Caesar, surrounded the city of Jerusalem and cut off its food supply, forcing some of the inhabitants to resort to cannibalism. Josephus gives an account of one mother named Mary who killed, cooked, and ate her own child in order to sustain herself. That this was one of the most grievous wars in Jewish history is without question, which is why Jesus referred to this judgement as a time of “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).

This war, and the destruction that came as a result of it, was the fulfillment of Jesus’s predictions in Matthew 24, of John’s proclamations in Matthew 3, and of Malachi’s prophecies in Malachi 3 and 4. This is the wrath that John warned of when he asked the crowds, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” This is the judgement he had in mind when he spoke of the tree that doesn’t bear good fruit being thrown into the fire and the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire. This was the baptism of fire that he said Jesus would bring upon those who would not “bear fruit in keeping with repentance”.

Final Thoughts

As we’ve come to learn, the Old Testament tells us that the Messiah would come for salvation and judgement. That John was whistling to this same tune when he spoke of Jesus coming to baptize with the “Holy Spirit and fire” is without question.

Throughout the passage we’ve been discussing, John uses the term “fire” in a destructive sense. However, it should be noted that while fire can and does destroy, it can also purify. This theme of purification can also be seen in the prophecies given in Malachi 3:2-3 which speaks of the Messiah being “like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver…”.

That Jesus purifies us through His Spirit is without question and John, no doubt, would have had this in mind as well when he spoke of the upcoming baptism of the “Holy Spirit and fire”. But the same Holy Spirit that leads God’s people to salvation and sanctification is the same One that condemned 1st century Jerusalem and declared them worthy of God’s judgement. Thus, to be baptized with the “Holy Spirit and fire” can be viewed as God filling one with His Spirit and purifying them as fire does to gold and silver. This can certainly be one application of the text.

But we have to keep in mind the original context of the passage. When we do so, we’ll see that everything John said about fleeing from the wrath to come, fruitless trees being cut down and thrown into the fire, the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire, and so on, was spoken to the Pharisees and Saduccees, who were notorious for their hypocrisy and who Jesus constantly rebuked and condemned for their failure to lead God’s people according to His Word.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?…”

Matthew 3:7

When we take this into consideration it seems unlikely that John was promising anything good to those he was essentially rebuking. And with the overall context of this passage being that of judgement, along with the fact that John didn’t begin pronouncing these judgements until the arrival of the Pharisees and Sadducees, it stands to reason that John’s mention of the Messiah baptizing with the “Holy Spirit and fire” was yet another reference to the judgement God was about to bring upon the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem.

So unless you want to experience God’s wrath in proportion to that which led to the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, I’d advise you not to pray for the baptism of fire.