John the Baptist helped the crowds to understand that he was not the Christ (i.e. Messiah).
He compared what he was doing (baptizing with water) and what the Christ would do (baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire – fire being the symbol of God’s presence with them).
John knew that he was unfit to even untie the thong of Messiah’s sandals.  Do you believe that you are worthy or unworthy to untie the thong of Jesus Christ’s sandals?

John had been called by God to be the herald, the forerunner of Christ to the world.  What has God called you to do?  Do your words and actions reflect God’s call to you to tell others of Messiah’s coming again? (He is coming again and when He comes He will rule as King and Judge).

Do you know, really know, that Messiah is God’s Anointed One?  Do you understand that Messiah is mightier than you?  How mighty is He to you?

Messiah’s Baptism:
John understood that one day (still future to us), Messiah will come and judge if people have chosen to believe Who He is or have rejected Him and His truths.
John knew that Messiah would baptize those who believe in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit and His presence.  Messiah’s baptism is available to you…today.

Messiah’s Judgment:
John also knew that Messiah would come as Judge.  One day, still future to us, Messiah will come and separate those who believe Him and His words from those who do not “buy in” to what He has warned and promised in His holy word…the Holy Bible.

Believers will have received His gift of His Holy Spirit, His very life within, when they have placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior.  (They will be with Him in eternity.)

Those who have ignored, not believed, rejected God’s words of warning will be judged by Messiah and like chaff be burned with unquenchable fire.  (Unquenchable fire: a literal fire which will never burn out…Think about our sun, it has a limit of how long it will burn, it will come to an end.  But unquenchable fire will never come to an end.)
Messiah will judge the unbeliever and they will suffer the consequences of their choice – unquenchable fire!

Consider carefully:
(NIV) Luke 3:17 “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.”