Mark 1:7-8 NIV
[7] “And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. [8] I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

According to Matthew, John the Baptist also predicted the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11-12 NIV
[11] “I baptize you with water for repentance. But 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. [12] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John’s message, as reported by Mark, was short and to the point. His baptism of repentance was a symbol of something much greater.

In Lluke’s expanded version of John’s message, Jesus’ appearance on earth would herald not only a great awakening but also a great cleansing.

Luke 3:16-18 NIV
[16] “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [17] His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” [18] And with many other words, John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.”

As grim as the outcome of Jesus’ appearance would be, the separation of wheat and chaff and the utter destruction of the chaff, everything John preached about the advent and work of God’s Servant was included in the bundle of “good news”.

What was the essence of this good news?

First, John’s immersion of God’s people in the “mikvah” of the Jordan River prepared the hearts of the repentant ones for the good news of a cleansing far greater than the cleansing of a flowing river. Water on the outside to cleanse the body was symbolic of the Holy Spirit on the inside, purifying the soul.

Adam’s greatest loss, after his declaration of independence, was the departure of God’s Spirit, God’s presence in him, breathed into him at his creation. He retained his physical life for a season but his connection with God through the Spirit was broken. He was dead to the spiritual dimension and lost to God’s presence and purposes. He was afloat on the treacherous and stormy ocean of life and left alone to navigate his own way.

The coming of the Servant heralded something new in Israel, prophesied in the Old Covenant but only effected by Jesus…God’s decisive remedy for sin.

Second, John’s message included the good news that, not only would Messiah usher in God’s rule again in the hearts of His people but He would also immerse them in His Spirit just as their bodies were immersed in water.

Third, His work would also include separating the chaff from the wheat, not unbelievers from believers as some would suggest, but separating the chaff of the “outer man”, the thoughts and actions that spring from the evil desires of the old, sin nature, from the inner man, the shrine of God’s presence. Chaff and wheat are part of the same seed, chaff the outer husk and wheat the inner grain. By the fire of His Word, He would cleanse the soul of the old life, the chaff, and restore His own image in them.

So, in a nutshell, John heralded the Messiah’s coming with the promise of a thorough work of grace…This was impossible through the law of Moses which could not rein in the wickedness of the old nature, but would be made possible through the work of the Messiah and His Spirit.

For thecl people of God, the coming of the Holy Spirit to deluge and transform all people was not an unknown or unexpected event. Joel spoke of His coming centuries before John’s announcement.

Joel 2:28-32 NIV
[28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. [29] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. [30] I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. [31] The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. [32] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”

Peter matched this prophecy with the astonishing events of the day of Pentecost, witnessed by thousands of Jews from all over the Roman Empire.

The Holy Spirit had indeed come, as John had predicted, to restore God’s people to fellowship with Himself by removing their sin, cleansing their hearts and conscience from guilt and shame, and restoring His own presence in them through His Holy Spirit…

Acts 2:14-17 NIV
[14]” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams… “

…leading to the momentous event when the church of the Lord Jesus, His body, was born as they called on His name and received His gift of salvation.