Becker Bible Teacher Resources

 

Spirit of Burning (Isaiah 4:4)

 

Teachings by Kathy L McFarland

 

I hope that you are beginning to understand the role of the different Spirits of the Holy Spirit, and how that knowledge can help your journey with Christ.  While all Christians have Christ’s 7 Spirits upon them always, the other Spirits are available to you as needed.  Young Christians depend upon the Holy Spirit to know those needs and to respond quickly. However, as mature Christians, knowing the specific roles of each of the Spirits gives you a focus upon your needs at any given moment, and frame your prayers into an organized solution. 

 For example, if you are studying Scripture and have been stumped by a verse, a quick prayer for the Spirit of Understanding or the Spirit of Knowledge would best help you overcome that problem. You don’t have to wait for the Holy Spirit to respond; possibly your relationship with Him allows a certain amount of time of frustration and struggle before He sends His Spirit to you. But if you pray directly to the LORD God to send the Spirit you need to help you with one of His works, you are golden.  The Spirit will be sent immediately.  If not, then you better check whether you really are doing a works of God.

 This lesson will cover the attributes and characteristics of the Holy Spirit of Burning.  Looking forward to introducing you to this important part of our Holy Spirit of the LORD God and our Lord Jesus Christ that purges impurities from the Righteous and Holy.

 Isaiah 4:2–4 (KJV 1900)

²    In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious,

And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely

For them that are escaped of Israel.

³    And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion,

And he that remaineth in Jerusalem,

Shall be called holy,

Even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

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.

 1.     We know the branch of the LORD God is Jesus Christ.[1]

Isaiah 4:2 (KJV 1900)

          In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious,

And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely

For them that are escaped of Israel.

 

b.    Zechariah 6:12–13 (KJV 1900)

¹² And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,

Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH;

And he shall grow up out of his place,

And he shall build the temple of the Lord:

               ¹³ Even he shall build the temple of the Lord;

And he shall bear the glory,

And shall sit and rule upon his throne;

And he shall be a priest upon his throne:

And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

2.     We know this prophecy is for a future time, after the Jews have escaped from Israel. (Isaiah 4:2)

3.     We know that those left in Jerusalem and Zion will be called holy; even those that did not escape Jerusalem. (Isaiah 4:3)

4.     We know the Lord Jesus Christ can wash away the filth of sin. (Isaiah 4a)

5.     We know that sinful blood can be purged of its impurities through the Spirit of Judgment and the Spirit of Burning. (Isaiah 4:4)

6.     The Spirit of Judgment and the Spirit of Burning are always partnered together with regards to making a follower of Jesus Christ holy.[2]

Matthew 3:1–12 (KJV 1900)

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, ² And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ³ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, ⁶ And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 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.

Garner - 630 ἀποθήκη (apothēkē), ης (ēs), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ Str 596—LN 7.25 storehouse, barn for grain stores (Mt 3:12; 6:26; 13:30; Lk 3:17; 12:18, 24+)^[3]

7.     John the Baptist is the first New Testament prophet that explained the responsibility that the Spirit of Burning operated.

8.     When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and Sadducees come to one of his baptisms, he asked them who had warned them about the wrath to come.  His reaction shows us that he believed the Pharisees and Sadducees had come to flee the coming wrath of God, rather than to watch him and convict him of violating laws.

9.     John the Baptist clearly states the solution to fleeing the wrath of God: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus Christ was soon to embrace the ministry of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven was upon this earth.

10. Now that Jesus Christ has arrived to assume the works His Father had given him, John the Baptist warned the Pharisees and the Sadducees that Abraham as their father is not going to help them flee God’s wrath; that it took the growth of good fruit to survive.

11. We have learned that the fruit of a tree is the works worthy of presenting to the LORD God. We have learned that a person’s spiritual life is represented by a tree in Scripture.

12. We learn from John the Baptist that unless repentance of sin was first experienced, good fruits could not develop. Thus, we know that if the Pharisees and Sadducees did NOT have a spiritual life that gave growth to the tree and produced fruit (works) for God, then they would be cut down by God and their roots to Abraham would be no more. Their faulty spiritual life would be cast into the fire and burned away.

13. John the Baptist clearly states that without repentance, the fruit of the tree would not be an offering worthy of God.

14. John the Baptist then goes on to say, that there is even a mightier baptizer that will come whose baptism far exceeds anything John the Baptist can do.

15. The Baptism of the coming Jesus Christ will baptize with the “Holy Ghost, and with fire.” First comes the Holy Ghost.  Then comes the Spirit of Burning.

16.  An important duty of the Spirit of Burning is to purge the unusable stubble of leftover and useless particles, and to gather those worthy portions together.

17. Those worthy portions to be eaten and developed into bread by the people following Jesus Christ are called “wheat.”[4]

18. The Spirit of Burning has a fan in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

a.     The Spirit of Burning uses a fan to make the fire hot

b.     He purges the floor of all the leftover substances that originated from the tree and its fruits.

                           i.     Those leftover substances that are worthy to be eaten by God’s people are called wheat (corn).

                          ii.     Those leftover substances that are not worthy to be eaten by God’s people are called chaff.

19. The Holy Spirit of Burning cannot be quenched. The fire can never go out.

Teachings of Kathy L McFarland

 Please pay particular attention to the resulting reward to those that do God’s Work and develop worthy fruits.  There is no reward of fruit.  There is no reward of gold.  There is no reward of fame.  There is no reward of status.  There is no reward of love. There is no reward with rewards! That comes later when you face Christ, and He hands out the rewards in Heaven and the New Earth.

 The LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ expect for Christians to develop the works they give to them.  Once those works are COMPLETED, and excess materials can be “eaten” by them.  However, the LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ use every bit of the fruit that is grown according to their works.  That which is leftover is the remnants of the process.  They consist of wheat, and they consist of chaff.  The Holy Spirit burns up the chaff, and the wheat remains. 

 Christians are given that wheat to have the strongest body possible as it is nourished by that wheat. The LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ want your bodies to be nourished so another works can begin.  Wheat is not a grand reward that will make people look at you, give you power, prestige, or love.  It is a reward for your body to restrengthen itself for the next task.

 On a personal note: Whenever I get earmarked monies, (when the Lord tasks me to do a new works and money or resources are required, I receive them directly through His movement through others).  Whenever those supplies come, I invest the entire money and resources to that new project, down to the penny.  I use every farthing of that money and resources to grow the newest work.  I trust that the Holy Spirit of Burning will separate the leftover remains of my effort and feed me fully with the remainder wheat once my duty toward creating that works have ended. The key word is AFTER the works have been completed!

 Worksheet 1 

1.     Who is the BRANCH of the LORD God?

a.     Jesus Christ

b.     Believers

c.     The Church

d.     All the above

 

2.     How do we know that Isaiah 4:2 is a prophecy for the future?

a.     We don’t know that

b.     It is the time when Israel escapes Jerusalem

c.     The prophet Isaiah points us there with exacting words

d.     None of the above

 

3.     According to Isaiah prophecy 4:2-4, which Jews can be made holy?

a.     Those that escape Jerusalem

b.     Those that remain in Jerusalem

c.     Those that remain in Zion

d.     All the above

 

4.   (True or False) Jesus Christ can wash away the filth left by sin.

a.     True

b.     False

 

5.     Which Spirit(s) purge the sins from the blood of Holy Spirit Baptized Believers? Might be more than one answer)

a.     Spirit of Fire

b.     Spirit of Judgment

c.     Spirit of Burning

d.     Spirit of Counsel

e.     All the above

 

 6.     What prophet explained the responsibility that the Spirit of Burning operated?

a.     Isaiah

b.     Ezekiel

c.     John the Baptist

d.     Jeremiah

 

7.     What was John the Baptist’s question to the Pharisees and the Sadducees when they showed up at one of his baptisms?

a.     Who are you?

b.     Who warned you about the wrath to come?

c.     Do you repent of your sins?

d.     Are you here to take me to prison?

 

8.     How did John the Baptist advise the Pharisees and Sadducees to escape the wrath of God?

a.     Study, study, study God’s Word

b.     Ignore the law

c.     Repent

d.     Forgive

 

9.     What did John the Baptist mean by stating the “kingdom of heaven is at hand?”

a.     God would soon judge them

b.     Jesus Christ was ready to assume His ministry as the King of the kingdom of heaven

c.     Earth would begin a thousand years of peace

d.     None of the above

 

10. What did John the Baptist warn the Pharisees and the Sadducees? (May be more than one answer)

a.     Their relationship to Father Abraham will not remove the wrath of God

b.     Only the growth of good fruit from righteous works can remove the wrath of God

c.     Once you begin to ignore the law, God will ignore His wrath

d.     Jews are the beloved of God.  There are no threats of wrath by God.

 

11.  What have we learned about the fruit of a tree in our past lessons?

a.     The fruit of a righteous tree is worthy of presenting to the LORD God.

b.     It is not the fruit, but the tree that is important to the LORD God.

c.     The branches of the tree are the only parts of the tree that matter to the LORD God.

d.     None of the above

 

12. What have we learned concerning the trees in Scripture?

a.     They represent people’s natural lives

b.     They represent people’s eternal lives

c.     They represent people’s heavenly lives

d.     They represent people’s spiritual lives

 

13. According to John the Baptist, what must be present before good fruits could develop?

a.     Sin

b.     Forgiveness

c.     Baptism

d.     Repentance

14. According to John the Baptist, what would happen if the Pharisees and Sadducees did NOT have a spiritual life that produced fruit?

a.     They would be cut down by God

b.     Their roots to Abraham would be no more

c.     Their faulty spiritual life would be cast into the fire and burned away

d.     All the above

 

15. (True or False) Without repentance, the fruit of the tree would NOT be an offering worthy of God.

a.     True

b.     False

 

16.  Who is the mightier baptizer that will come, whose baptism far exceeds anything John the Baptist can do?

a.     The LORD God

b.     The Holy Spirit

c.     The Lord Jesus Christ

d.     None of the above

 

17. What type of Baptism will Jesus Christ bring?

a.     Holy Ghost

b.     Fire

c.     Baptism of Christ

d.     All the above

 

18. After the Baptism of Christ, what comes next?

a.     The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

b.     The Spirit of Burning

c.     The repentance of sins

d.     The forgiveness of sins

 

19. After the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is received, what comes next?

a.     The baptized believer moves on to mature growth

b.     The sins are chaff that is burned away by the Spirit of Burning

c.     They are immediately assumed to be theologists and preachers

d.     All the above

 

20.  What is the duty of the Spirit of Burning within Baptized Christians? (Will be more than one answer)

a.     Purge unusable stubble of leftover and useless particles

b.     Gather the worthy portions within a believer together

c.     Forgive of sins

d.     Establish worship with talking in tongues

 

21. What are those worthy portions to be eaten and developed into bread by the people following Jesus Christ?

a.     Flour

b.     Sugar

c.     Barley

d.     Wheat

 

22.  What is another word used in Scripture for wheat?

a.     There is none

b.     Corn

c.     Barley

d.     Rye

 

23.  What does the Spirit of Burning use to make the fire hot when He purges?

a.     Matches

b.     Fan

c.     Power

d.     Smoke

 

24. What does the Spirit of Burning purge?

a.     Everything lying on the floor unworthy to be used

b.     Everything lying on the floor worthy to be burned

c.     Everything lying on the floor worthy to be inside a Christian

d.     None of the above

 

25. Where does the Spirit of Burning gather the wheat into?

a.     The floor

b.     The garner

c.     The fire

d.     None of the above

 

26. What is a garner?

a.     A barn

b.     A storehouse for grains

c.     A storage bin

d.     All the above

27. What are the leftover substances that are worthy to be eaten by God’s people called?

a.     Wheat

b.     Barley

c.     Rye

d.     Chaff

 

28. What are the leftover substances that are not worthy to be eaten by God’s people called?

a.     Wheat

b.     Barley

c.     Rye

d.     Chaff

 

29. What is the characteristic of the fire that the Spirit of Burning uses to burn the chaff?

a.     It is unquenchable

b.     It is easily put out

c.     It drives the believer to ecstasy

d.     It is extinguished when there is just a little fuel left

 

Deep Dish Discussion

1.          How does our understanding and knowledge of the different Spirits of the Holy Spirit aid us in prayer?

 

 

2.          Why are the Spirit of Judgment and the Spirit of Burning paired together?