Rev. 4:5 And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; Acts 2:2 And suddenly there was a sound out of heaven, as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared to them tongues as of fire... (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...
[Part 2 of 2] In 12:49 the Lord Jesus says, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and what can I desire if it has already been kindled?" This "fire" is the impulse of the spiritual life, which comes from the Lord's released divine life.… His life was concealed, and the Lord wanted it to be released. He wanted the fire to burst into flame. In verse 49 the Lord says, "What can I desire if it has already been kindled?" This part of the verse may also be rendered, "How I wish that it were already kindled!" This indicates that the fire was not kindled before the Lord's death. We know from the record in the book of Acts that after the Lord's death this fire became a flame. In 12:50 the Lord goes on to say, "But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am pressed until it is accomplished!" The word "baptism" here reminds us of the Lord's word to James and John in Mark 10:38: "Are you able to drink the cup which I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" Both the cup and the baptism refer to the Lord's death. The cup signified that His death was the God-given portion for Him to take for the sinners whom He would redeem for God. Baptism denoted that His death was the God-ordained way for Him to pass through for the accomplishment of God's redemption for sinners. The Greek word rendered "pressed" in Luke 12:50 may also be translated "constrained." The Lord was constrained in His flesh, which He put upon Himself in His incarnation. He needed to die, to be baptized, in physical death so that His unlimited and infinite divine being with His divine life might be released from His flesh. His divine life, after being released through His physical death, became the impulse of His believers' spiritual life in resurrection.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, pp. 254-255. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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