What is the baptism of the Spirit?

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What’s Your Question? for Nov. 12, 2008

John said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt. 3:11,12). Jesus said the Father would send the Spirit and "I will send" the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26; 15:26). He told the apostles they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5), and this was fulfilled when the Spirit was sent upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost giving them miraculous power to reveal truth in languages unknown to them (Acts 2:1-4). Scripture reveals one other example of Spirit baptism (Acts 10:44-46). In both examples, the Spirit came from heaven and those who were baptized spoke in languages they had not learned. No man ever administered the baptism of the Spirit and no one today receives new revelations from heaven nor speaks in languages he has not learned.