Where in the Bible does it say holy fire?

Answer 1

There is no inspired Scripture that uses those two words "holy fire" together.

The closest you might come to it may be found in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16. The King James Version quotes John the Baptist as he ripped a few of the self-righteous "Pharisees and Sadducees" [who felt that they had no sins to repent of, but rather came to find some fault with John's career choice] present at one of his baptisms at the Jordan River:

"Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan [John, who had thousands of his own disciples, was very, very popular among the people who recognized him as the prophesied one heralding in the Messiah {Isa.40:3 & Matt.3:3}, with all of Judaea anxious for the Messiah's appearance], and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, 'O GENERATION OF VIPERS [John was not happy with them], who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance...'" (Matt.3:5-7 KJV)

John was speaking to these Jewish leaders of the people regarding "Judgment Day" at the "Last Great Day" of God's plan when His "wrath" will be "poured out" on the earth [see Rev.16], and all men's works will be Judged by God. These self-righteous leaders of the people weren't there to "repent" of their sins... nor to be baptized [both of which were John's commission]... but to see what John was up to and to find fault with him if they could. John's immense popularity with the people, however, prevented them from doing what they might have wanted to do, which was to "stone him to death if they could."

Same verses: [NLT] New Living Translation: "People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. 'YOU BROOD OF SNAKES!' he exclaimed. 'Who warned you to flee God's coming Judgment? Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins [repented] and turned to God...'"

John continued his tirade against the hypocritical Jewish leaders:

"...'Don't just say, ''We're safe - we're descendants of Abraham." That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. Even now the ax of God's Judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and THROWN INTO THE FIRE. I baptize with WATER those who turn from their sins [repent] and turn to God. But Someone is coming soon who is far Greater than I am - so much Greater that I am not even worthy to be His slave. He will BAPTIZE you with the HOLY SPIRIT and with FIRE. He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with His winnowing fork. Then He will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in His barn but BURNING the chaff with a never-ending [KJV: unquenchable] FIRE.'" (verses 9-12 NLT)

The "Holy Spirit" and the "Fire" [not a "holy" fire] with which Christ will "baptize" us are contrasted by John. They are TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF BAPTISMS... not the same thing. The first one is the "separating" of God's servants from the "chaff." It's the "Immortality" [Holy Spirit] of God given to His humble, productive servants that then cannot be "hurt of the Second Death" [as Jesus says it - see Rev.2:11]... which is being CAST ALIVE INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE on Judgment Day [Rev.20:14-15].
There are many modern professing Christians who misconstrue what John says here, believing that a "Baptism of Fire" is the same thing as the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." But it isn't. It's one or the other... and the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is truly the more desirable of the two. You hear these deceived preachers shouting through raw, raspy throats to their audiences, "Ah wont that Baptism of FAHR!" as they bounce and dance around in a sweat-induced frenzy, spitting into the microphone. And their audiences, caught up in the emotional moment, cry out in joyous agreement, "A-men, brother! Hally- loo- yah!" Not realizing what they are calling upon their preacher... and perhaps even ignorantly wishing upon themselves.

The King James Version's description of the Lake of Fire is the more accurate translation than the [NLT's] in this case, as an "unquenchable" fire will go out after everything that can burn does; in accordance with the laws God set forth to produce fire: "heat, air and fuel." Remove any one of these three elements, and the fire goes out on its own.

Men have tackled fires that they "couldn't put out" throughout history. Those were and are "unquenchablefires." Fires that are too big to extinguish. But when those unquenchable fires burned everything that it could... they went out on their own. An experiment you might try is to find an old pack of matches. Break one off and light it. Now, don't blow it out, or "extinguish" it, or "quench" it. Let it burn... it's an "unquenchable fire." What happens? Does it burn forever? Of course not. It does exactly what God's law demands; it goes out on its own after it burns all of the fuel fed it by the match stick.

All "unquenchable" means is that "no one extinguishes the fire"... not that it will burn for all of eternity.

God offers man two possible future baptisms... one is [through repentance] with His Holy Spirit; and the second is [without repentance] with FIRE.

If you want to call the Lake of Fire of Judgment Day set by the Holy One a "holy fire"... feel free... but "holy fire" isn't a biblical term.