Burn Up The Chaff
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: You brood of vipers! ...every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire…" (Matthew 3:7-10)
"Vipers" spew out poison from their mouths. These "vipers" that John the Baptist is talking to are the religious leaders, not their congregations, or those outside which they termed sinners. Whatever they were spewing from their pulpits was not "good fruit".
“...after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire… “ (Matthew 3:11)
Of course John is talking about Jesus. Those religious leaders needed a strong dose of his Truth, not the poisonous "precepts of men" they were passing out.
“They worship me in vain, they teach as doctrine the precepts of men." (Matthew 15:9)
When Jesus returns he will "baptize" them "with the Holy Spirit" which will burn up these "precepts of men" in "unquenchable fire"...
"...he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)
The "chaff" John the Baptist is referring to were the venomous "precepts of men" that the Jewish religious leaders were teaching. It is the "chaff", not the wheat seed, which is going to be burned up. Chaff is the shell around the wheat seed. Even those "brood of vipers" are part of the "wheat" harvest, so they will be gathered "into the barn" and saved along with all the other wheat seed - all mankind. Paul puts it this way...
"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed by fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
There is much "chaff" around the "wheat" which make up Judaism, Christianity, and all other religions. The "good fruit", the truth, is that God through Christ Jesus has reconciled all creation to Himself at the cross, and will save all mankind out of death and into abundant immortal life. At that time all mankind will know the truth, even the "brood of vipers", and that truth will have set them free!
"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)
AMEN to that!
"Vipers" spew out poison from their mouths. These "vipers" that John the Baptist is talking to are the religious leaders, not their congregations, or those outside which they termed sinners. Whatever they were spewing from their pulpits was not "good fruit".
“...after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire… “ (Matthew 3:11)
Of course John is talking about Jesus. Those religious leaders needed a strong dose of his Truth, not the poisonous "precepts of men" they were passing out.
“They worship me in vain, they teach as doctrine the precepts of men." (Matthew 15:9)
When Jesus returns he will "baptize" them "with the Holy Spirit" which will burn up these "precepts of men" in "unquenchable fire"...
"...he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)
The "chaff" John the Baptist is referring to were the venomous "precepts of men" that the Jewish religious leaders were teaching. It is the "chaff", not the wheat seed, which is going to be burned up. Chaff is the shell around the wheat seed. Even those "brood of vipers" are part of the "wheat" harvest, so they will be gathered "into the barn" and saved along with all the other wheat seed - all mankind. Paul puts it this way...
"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed by fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
There is much "chaff" around the "wheat" which make up Judaism, Christianity, and all other religions. The "good fruit", the truth, is that God through Christ Jesus has reconciled all creation to Himself at the cross, and will save all mankind out of death and into abundant immortal life. At that time all mankind will know the truth, even the "brood of vipers", and that truth will have set them free!
"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)
AMEN to that!