"He shall baptize you . . . with fire."

That this verse is speaking of the same coming of the Lord announced in Malachi 3:1-3 can be observed in the verse that follows:

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. (Matthew 3:12)

"He will throughly purge his floor"!

If we apply Matthew 3:12 to the Jews, as some are doing today, then we must reserve the baptism with the Holy Spirit for the Jews.

The result of separating the Gentile believers from the Israel of God has been doctrinal chaos.

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:16)

Paul considered the Galatian believers, who were Gentiles, to be the "Israel of God."

It is time for Christian scholars to take a close look at the effect the dispensational model has had on the straightforward, coherent interpretation of the Scriptures. It is certain that the concept of the Kingdom of God has been lost by the teaching that there are two separate kingdoms—one of elect Jews and one of elect Gentiles. It is time, we believe, for a reformation of Evangelical Christian thinking concerning God's plan of redemption in Christ and the nature of the one Kingdom of God, the Kingdom coming from Heaven.

The coming of Christ to reconcile Himself to His people, as set forth in John, Chapter Fourteen, Malachi, Chapter Three, and Matthew, Chapter Three, is not the manifestation of Christ to the world (Revelation 1:7).

The coming of Christ to His elect in judgment and reconciliation must take place before the appearing of the Lamb and His Wife. The appearing to the world of the Lamb and His Wife is the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb. By the time of the manifestation stage the Bride already has been judged and reconciled, as evidenced by the clothing of her with the white raiment of bodily immortality.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous behavior] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)

The expression "to her was granted" signifies that a judgment has been made concerning her eligibility to be arrayed in immortal righteousness. It is obvious that the Bride will not, after she has been arrayed in immortal righteousness, be required to stand before Christ in judgment.

It is not possible she will be declared to be the Wife of the Lamb by virtue of being clothed with immortality, and then be baptized with purifying fire. The baptism with fire must take place before her glorification (manifestation). The stage of reconciliation must precede the stage of manifestation. Malachi 3:1-3; Matthew 3:11,12; and I Peter 4:12-19 must precede Revelation 19:7,8. The believer must be made manifest at the Judgment Seat of Christ before being presented to the universe as the Wife of the Lamb. It is not possible we can be clothed with bodily immortality and after that stand before Christ and receive the bad things done in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).

To be continued.