Baptism, the Second Coming and the Judgment

“…and strike, and do not spare, and do not pity; the old man and the young man, the women, the nursing infants: wipe them all out; but do not come near any who bear My sign” (Ezekiel 9:5-6).

92. That baptism in Christ was foretold. Isaiah says, “Wash yourselves, become clean; remove the wickedness from your souls before My eyes” (Isaiah 1:16). And again, more plainly, “On that day God will shine forth in counsel with glory upon the earth, to exalt and glorify what is left of Israel in Zion and what is left in Jerusalem; for all who are written for life in Jerusalem will be called holy. For the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and He will cleanse the blood of Jerusalem from their midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. And He will come, and a cloud will overshadow by day every place of Mount Zion and all that is around it” (Isaiah 4:2-5). And the baptism of the Jews according to the law also bears witness.

93. That the second coming was foretold. Malachi says, “Behold, the Lord Almighty is coming; and who will endure the day of His coming? Or who will stand at His appearing? For He will come in like a refiner’s fire, and He will sit refining and purifying” (Malachi 3:1-3). And again he says, “I will bring you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulteresses, and against those who swear falsely by My name” (Malachi 3:5).

94. That He will judge the world, and that judgment will be given to Him. David says in the 96th Psalm, “The Lord will judge the world in righteousness” (Psalm 96:13). And Joel says, “I will bring all the nations, and I will enter into judgment with them” (Joel 3:2). “And before Him will be a consuming fire, and behind Him a blazing flame; and behind Him a plain of desolation” (Joel 2:3). And again he says, “Before His face peoples will be crushed” (Joel 2:6). And again he says, “For the Lord has a case against His people” (Micah 6:2). And Daniel says, “I was watching in the vision of the night, and behold, One like a Son of Man was coming with the clouds of heaven, and He came as far as the Ancient of Days; and to Him were given the dominion and the honor and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues will serve Him; His authority is an everlasting authority” (Daniel 7:13-14). And David says in the 2nd Psalm, “The Lord said to Me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:7-8). And again the same says in the 76th Psalm, “The earth feared and was still when God rose up for judgment, to save the meek of the earth; for the thought of man…” (Psalm 76:8-10).