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(Mat 11:11-15) Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he [Why? Because those in heaven have the fullness of the Spirit whereas we who are here have (operationally) "the earnest" of the Spirit (1 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:14)]. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force [because the violent seek to "climbeth up some other way" John 10:1]. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John [who was a type and shadow of the fulfillment of the law and prophets in Jesus Christ]. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah [a teacher and worker of miracles], which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

(Mat 3:1-8) In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight [Isa 40:3]. 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. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 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? Bring forth therefore fruits meet [Gk: suitable, worthy] for repentance: 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.

(Mat 3:10,11) And now also the ax 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. 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:

(Mat 3:10,11) And now also the ax [of the separation of good from evil that is an ongoing perhaps eternal process (Mark 16:15) which commenced in (Gen 1:4) – Jesus Christ is the ax of separation] is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit [i.e., the rhema word of God which has its logos seed within itself] is hewn down, and cast into the fire [1]. I [John the Baptist who came quoting and preaching the logos word of God] indeed baptize you [Gk: to make you whelmed (i.e. fully wet)] [on the outside (a shallow baptism: "the earnest"] with water unto repentance ["with the washing of water by the word" (Eph 5:26). With the water/seed of the word of God the Holy Spirit will cleanse some of the dirt or debris off you on your outside (a shallow baptism: "the earnest") unto repentance to prepare you to receive the complete and full baptism yet to come] [2,3]: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I [i.e., having a much more powerful, much stronger extension of the Holy Spirit baptism than I am empowered to apply to you], whose shoes I am not worthy to bear [4]: he [Jesus Christ] shall [future tense] baptize you [Gk: to make you whelmed (i.e. fully wet)] [the baptism of salvation shall proceed much deeper into your souls, i.e., after speaking from shallow water to the multitude, "he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep" (Luke 5:4)] [5,6] with the Holy Ghost [with the cleansing logos word of God by assimilation (John 1:14) upon His first appearance], and with fire [with the final perfectly and fully cleansing rhema word of God, the fruit, the understanding, the revelation, by the burning consuming fire of His Second Coming, of which His sending the Holy Spirit upon His death (John 16:7) is a forerunner type and shadow]:

Commentary: "the root of the trees" = throughout the Bible trees symbolize men, whose roots, like gigantic determined fingers, cling deeply to the earth. "The field is the world (Gk: cosmos)" (Mat 13:38) (i.e., inclusive of this world) and Father God is the "husbandman (Gk: farmer)" (John 15:1). The Garden of Eden is the archetype and shadow of the earth wherein every tree in the garden was/is a fruit tree. "Every tree which bringeth forth not good fruit" (from the tree of life) and thus by default bringeth forth bad (evil) fruit (from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) "is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Mat 3:10). From a farming point-of-view, that makes excellent sense to me.

repentance = Gk: (subj.) compunction (for guilt, includ. reformation); by impl. reversal (of decision) /// to think differently, i.e. reconsider (mor. feel compunction):--repent /// to exercise the mind (observe), i.e. (fig.) to comprehend, heed:--consider, perceive, think, understand.

a. compunction = synonyms: regret, scruple, qualm, second thoughts, guilt, hesitation.

Commentary: water is a biblical symbol of the cleansing presence of the Holy Spirit; however, in this case (the case of any and all unsaved men) the Holy Spirit did not enter into the souls of the men, but initiated, by the constant pressure of His cleansing presence in the air (pressure - h2o4) and in the water (pressure - h2o), the washing away of some of the world’s attached obscuring debris, thus enabling the men to better receive the input of clearer perceptions, the input of new and different information, and thereby inviting them "to think differently, to reconsider" as they reassess their position relative to God, i.e., their relationship with God.

b. debris = Dict: an accumulation of loose fragments of rock.

c. debris = synonyms: wreckage, remains, fragments, rubble, rubbish, garbage, trash, waste.

Commentary: "whose shoes I am not worthy to bear" = a subjective phrase conveying John’s great humility, thus "servant-hood" upon himself, and reflective "Kingship" upon the coming "One."

Commentary: "he shall baptize you" = into a much deeper extension of the Holy Ghost baptism than my (John’s) part, his part is our part, we are the John the Baptist/Elijah company. Jesus Christ shall invest, endue, cover you completely on the inside and on the outside with gold, with blood, with Himself. The physical symbol (presentation) of that deeper baptism is depicted in Exo 25:10,11 and follows:

(Exo 25:10,11) And they shall make an ark [Heb: a box: chest, coffin] of shittim wood [symbolizing many men]: two cubits and a half [5 feet, using 24" as a cubit] shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half [3 feet] the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half [3 feet] the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay [Heb: cover] it with pure gold [biblical symbol of God, the purity, and the readily perceivable value thereof], within and without [Heb: inside and outside] shalt thou overlay [Heb: cover] it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

d. Commentary: for saved born-again children of God, the ark of the covenant is a treasure chest containing the two tablets of stone which are the ten commandments representing God the creator of order, and the golden pot of manna representing Jesus Christ who is the bread of life, and Aaron’s rod that budded almonds representing the miracles of the Holy Spirit. However, for unsaved persons, the ark of the covenant is a coffin.

e. Commentary: = pure gold is the biblical symbol of God. It represents not only His perfect purity, but also the perceivable value of Him to us as viewed by the greatly limited perceptional capabilities of our natural eyes. But from one saved person to another, our opening (a process) spiritual eyes see varied degrees of loveliness in their perceptions of God.

 

(Mat 3:12,13) Whose fan [Gk: winnowing-fork] [the fork of separation] is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge [Gk: to cleanse perfectly, i.e. (spec.) winnow] his floor [Gk: his threshing-floor] [the earth], and gather [Gk: sunago; assemble] his wheat into the garner [Gk: barn]; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire [at His Second Coming]. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him [to "be the firstborn [i.e., the first born-again] among many brethren." (Rom 8:29)].

Amen