Boy! What a mouthful! Here is one of the most controversial and paradoxical statements our Lord ever made! He's "clearing" the "air" about one of the deepest, most profound secrets in the Mind of God; namely, His Advent (coming!). Why He came. In what manner; for what purpose; to what end?
He's not just refering to His baptism of "fire" (as John said He would baptise), nor His own baptism of "fire" (the cross) which He'd undergo on our behalf. He's also talking about all that attended His forth-coming (manifesting). And in attempting to understand the ramifications of this 'Eternal, Apocolyptic, Divine Cataclysm', (Immortal Righteousness/Truth/Reality/Life meets mortal sin/lie/delusion/death), we must keep these three words always in the foreground of our "minds-eye"; "I AM COME".
We know (because it is written!) that God's Name is secret, and unknowable for us mortals! However, we now know (thanks to Jesus) His Son's Name! In a certain sense, His Name is "I*AM...COME" - (unto you) = God in (us) our midst!.
But there is a marked difference between His Person (Presence), and His Impact (Effect Caused). When we speak of His "advent" (His coming unto us), it's very difficult to distinguish between His Cause and our effect! Obviously, the Creator's Greatest Act of Creation (His Advent) would "impress" (or impact) such "clay" as we creatures. Such an event would seem awsome to all Creation (including His angelic host!).
And, so it was. The resultant "explosion" (words always fail insight) shattered every illusion, every confusion, every lie ever learned by mankind! In one "fell swoop", Reality came to earth and faced (or confronted) such "swamp-gas" counterfeits, charlatans and "magic darkness" as have held man captive to Satan since the Garden!
"I AM COME" WAS HERE - NOW. God was "at hand". Light had "burst in" upon darkness and had "caught it in-the-act", so to speak! All was "undone"; uncovered; exposed; revealed. And it wasn't a pretty sight, either!
God had been telling man He would come: now He was here. God had told Israel (man) how wretched he'd become apart from God.
Now God was here, in Person, to show man. Jesus says He (the Prince of Peace) brought no Peace, but division. But He also appears to contradict Himself when He says in one place, "For judgment I came into this world"(Jn 9:39), and in another place he says, "I judge no man"(Jn 8:15). Is this a contra-diction? Does Jesus (God) speak-against His own Words?
We must remember here, Jesus Christ IS the Living Word of Almighty God! No... Jesus is trying to show us something from Above, Beyond our usual sensual-perception. He's revealing something about Himself (and us) that seems (at first, to us) to be a paradox; a dicotomy; even a contradiction.
King Peace brings a "sword" of 'division" .......Hmmmm....... and let's see, somewhere else it says we're suppose to study to "rightly divide" the Word of Truth. And we're promised in Malachi that, "Then once more you shall distinguish (discern, "divide") between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him"-Mal 3:18. That's quite a promise!
But HOW? No, ..BY WHOM? Just what is it, then, which divides dark from Light; good from evil; Truth from lie? BY WHAT STANDARD are we to "judge" (discern, "distinguish")?
Well, it's either Love or Fire! (Notice I capitalized that word "fire". That's because it comes from God. Just as Jesus here says He "brings fire on the earth", and as John said He would baptise and be baptised with Fire!). Just what is this Fire, anyway? Why, the Judgement of God, of course - what else? [God's Acceptable Sacrifice was ALWAYS [Originally] Received by God Sending Fire from Heaven - ala Elijah]
Isn't that what Jesus (the Lamb of God) came to perform and become; God's sacrifice for our sins!? Jesus "faces" us with His Righteous Light and exposes (with Fire) our darkness. This enables us (for the first time) to see (by example) what God has been talking about all the time! [His Humility & Obedience vs our prideful depravity]
John the Baptist told his crouds it would do them no good to "flee the wrath (Fire) to come". The Advent of God's coming amongst us to Perform all He had Sworn to Provide, (even His Repentance-by-Blood), was anticipated, looked forward to, and waited for by all those who Loved and served God for century after century before His Arrival!
Now was the time "Ripe"! God would not only "visit" all that His hands had made, but He was moving in to stay! From now on, God was taking up Residence in His Creation! ["Immanuel" - "God WITH us!"]
Well, there'll be Heaven (and Hell) to Pay now! Yes, and God would be the First to "render unto 'Ceasar' and God"! Payment had "come due"! "Due season" had arrived - "harvest time". All that was chaff would be burned by the fire, and that "of God" would survive. He would "come forth as Pure Gold", even as was fortold from ancient times, long ago!
This "survival" ["Coming-Forth"] we call Resurrection. And "His(-in-us)" "Resurrection-Life", we call our salvation!
So it is then, that, by His "Baptism" of [Acceptance by] Fire, (even the death of the Curse on the Cross), we obtain (are "grafted" into the Word) unto "All" God had "in-Mind" for us - from the Begining!
And we have a small notion of His intentions toward us when we see Jesus! Man, O Man! - what a God! He Promised, and now;... "I AM COME!"
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