Here we see John’s declaration of the need that only Christ could provide, both baptizing with His Holy Spirit for the circumcision of the heart, and ultimately going through the judgment process for all men as pictured in winnowing of the wheat.
Winnowing was the practice of tossing the grain into the air with some kind of shovel that separated the wheat or grain from the chaff. This normally occurred in the late afternoon when the Mediterranean winds prevailed. The grain or wheat would then be bagged, and the chaff or tares burned.
Only Jesus Christ can give that missing piece in the baptism with His Holy Spirit, along with the perfect judgment of those that blaspheme His Spirit and end up in the baptism of fire. Immersion into the Lake of Fire is the second, and therefore eternal death for the incorrigibly wicked who have willingly and persistently rejected the salvation of God the Father through Jesus Christ. All who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit and committed the unpardonable sin will be destroyed.
