The
subject of fire in the Bible is an interesting one. This summer proves to be a time of many
wildfires because of dry conditions in the United States. These fires are
different than the eternal fire that we are told of in the bible. What does Biblical fire have to do with us? Besides
eternal fire there is a second type of fire John the Baptist tells us about. He
says that Jesus will bring a baptism of fire when he comes. A third type of
fire Paul tells us about is in regards to our works. Our works will be tried
and burned with fire. Lastly there is the lake of fire the Apostle John tells
us of. The overall warning, regarding
fire, is to avoid eternal fire that torments forever. This should be our
message to others who may not know that there is eternal fire.
Starting
with the things John the Baptist said, it was a clear teaching that fire would
be a tool to burn up the unnecessary things in life. John reminds me of a crabby uncle who speaks
the same message at every gathering and gets frustrated because people don’t
listen. But clearly, as we will see, fire
is a means to extinguish things that we should realize are a distraction in our
lives. It is also the disposal method of evil at the end of the world.
Matt
3:1-12 IN THOSE days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the
Wilderness (Desert) of Judea 2 And saying, Repent (think differently; change
your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. 3 This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he
said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness (shouting in the desert),
Prepare the road for the Lord, make His highways straight (level, direct). [Isa
40:3.] 4 This same John's garments were made of camel's hair, and he wore a
leather girdle about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. [Lev
11:22; 2 Kings 1:8; Zech 13:4.] 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the
country round about the Jordan went out to him; 6 And they were baptized in the
Jordan by him, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee and escape from the wrath and indignation [of God against
disobedience] that is coming? 8 Bring forth fruit that is consistent with
repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]; 9 And do not presume to
say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our forefather; for I tell you, God is
able to raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! 10 And already the
ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you in
(with) water because of repentance [that is, because of your changing your
minds for the better, heartily amending your ways, with abhorrence of your past
sins]. But He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not
worthy or fit to take off or carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire. 12 His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will
thoroughly clear out and clean His threshing floor and gather and store His
wheat in His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with fire that cannot be put
out. AMP
The
account of John’s preaching varies in Luke, so that it is worth noting the
extra content.
Luke
3:3-18 And he went into all the country round about the Jordan, preaching a
baptism of repentance (of hearty amending of their ways, with abhorrence of
past wrongdoing) unto the forgiveness of sin. 4 As it is written in the book of
the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness
[shouting in the desert]: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His beaten paths
straight. 5 Every valley and ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and
hill shall be leveled; and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the
rough roads shall be made smooth; 6 And all mankind shall see (behold and
understand and at last acknowledge) the salvation of God (the deliverance from
eternal death decreed by God). [Isa 40:3-5.] 7 So he said to the crowds who
came out to be baptized by him, You offspring of vipers! Who secretly warned
you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Bear fruits that are deserving and
consistent with [your] repentance [that is, conduct worthy of a heart changed,
a heart abhorring sin]. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham
as our father; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up
descendants for Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, so
that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the
fire. 10 And the multitudes asked him, Then what shall we do? 11 And he replied
to them, He who has two tunics (undergarments), let him share with him who has
none; and he who has food, let him do it the same way. 12 Even tax collectors
came to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? 13 And he
said to them, Exact and collect no more than the fixed amount appointed you. 14
Those serving as soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he
replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing
wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your
allowance (wages). 15 As the people were in suspense and waiting expectantly,
and everybody reasoned and questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether
he perhaps might be the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 16 John
answered them all by saying, I baptize you with water; but He Who is mightier
than I is coming, the strap of Whose sandals I am not fit to unfasten. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing shovel (fork)
is in His hand to thoroughly clear and cleanse His [threshing] floor and to
gather the wheat and store it in His granary, but the chaff He will burn with
fire that cannot be extinguished. 18 So with many other [various] appeals and
admonitions he preached the good news (the Gospel) to the people. AMP
Clearly,
there are some major points in both sections.
First, we see that John’s message is a warning for people to be able to
flee the coming wrath. And as we saw
last week, where there will be people trying to get saved at the last minute to
avoid being on the outside of the door of heaven, there are people who will to
go through the motions of repentance without the true heart of repentance. John’s message is that all of mankind will
acknowledge the salvation of God, so get right with God now. If all of mankind will see God’s salvation,
whether they are in the eternal life side or the wrath side of the end, then it
hardly matters what your family lineage is, yet people relied on their
ancestors as a way of promoting their importance. People would say that they were set apart or
important because Abraham was their father.
What they were claiming was genealogy through Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. They were dismissing the fact
that Abraham had seven other sons. They
were magnifying their importance and disregarding all other people groups, but
John says this is ignorant. God can
raise up descendants for Abraham from rocks, and as we know from Paul’s
writings, anyone who believes, like Abraham, is of Abraham, irrespective of
genealogy. John then goes on about the
ax being laid to the root of the trees.
Again irrespective of genealogy, anyone can be cut down if they are not
bearing good fruit. Fire devours the
unproductive trees.
John
gives further instructions, as written in Luke, saying if someone has more than
they need, to share or give to those who do not have; and he also notes the
actions of tax collectors. Both accounts
record that Jesus is coming with a baptism of the Hoy Spirit and fire and that
his rake is in his hand. The baptism of
fire is a new thing to think through and is only mentioned in these two places
in the Bible. Jesus has the rake, pitchfork, and is separating the wheat from
the chaff. Whatever is not wheat is
burned in the fire. That sounds harsh,
because John clearly is telling people that this is not just a “say the magic
words” kind of thing, but a true heart change.
That means that we have to want to make the change and follow through
with our actions to be counted among the wheat and then hidden in the storehouse,
avoiding the fire.
Matthew
points out the people that John was most upset with were the Pharisees and
Sadducees. Why them? The Pharisees were
people who separated themselves from other Hebrews. Pharisee means separated one. The Sadducees were a higher class of priests
and aristocracy, while the Pharisees were lay people. However after the Temple was destroyed in
79AD, the Sadducees, who practiced their rituals in the temple, faded away; the
Pharisees continued on and morphed into our contemporary Judaism today. Both groups had varying beliefs, but
technically both were “off-shoots” of the Mosaic Law. What made John and Jesus
both frustrated with these groups is that they put people in bondage to their
ideas. This is why John is angry that
they came to be baptized, they weren’t changing their hearts, and they were
just taking a few actions to look like they were agreeing with John.
John
sounds like he would have rather seen the Pharisees and Sadducees suffer the
fires of hell than get saved. What we don’t understand in modern times, because
of our plethora of religions worldwide, is that their groups were manmade, just
like all religions are. Rituals and
practices have an appearance of deep spirituality, but eventually become the
focus themselves, rather than keeping Jesus as the focus. Something interesting to study is what we
term cults. Cults generally are an
offshoot of a religion that people on the outside don’t like. Once in a while a cult becomes a mainstream
religion. Sometimes cults are derived
from fundamental religious practice while the mainstream group shifted ideals,
such as polygamy in Mormonism. In 1904,
Utah could receive statehood benefits if the Mormon belief system abolished polygamy,
which sent polygamist groups underground and into different places. John, in
speaking of what Jesus was going to do, clearly stated that the ax was at the
root of the tree. Therefore everyone is
in danger of fire, no matter what group we are with.
Matt
13:36-51 Then He left the throngs and went into the house. And His disciples
came to Him saying, Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field. 37 He
answered, He Who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the
world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the
children of the evil one, 39 And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The
harvest is the close and consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with
fire, so it will be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth
His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense
[persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity
and act wickedly, 42 And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be
weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. 43 Then will the righteous (those
who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, and let
him consider and perceive and understand by hearing. [Dan 12:3.] 44 The kingdom
of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and
hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. 45
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and
precious pearls, 46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and
sold all he had and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort. 48 When
it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the
good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away. 49 So it will
be at the close and consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and
separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right
standing with God) 50 And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire;
there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 Have you understood
all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. AMP
At
the end of the age, the angels will reap the world, separating the weeds who
are the children of the devil, and the children of God. The weeds will go into the fire, which is the
lake of fire, at the end of the age before the new heaven and new earth. If they understood all of this, we should
also understand it too. Consider now
what Matthew reports Jesus as saying regarding the fire. There will be weeping and wailing and
grinding of teeth; this fire is an everlasting fire that does not consume
individuals, so they live a tortured existence in the fire. Just as there are
compartments to the grave and hell, and there is consciousness there, there is
consciousness in this fire that causes people anguish, forever.
Matt
18:7-11 Woe to the world for such temptations to sin and influences to do
wrong! It is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the person on whose
account or by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes
you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better
(more profitable and wholesome) for you to enter life maimed or lame than to
have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. 9 And if your
eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; it
is better (more profitable and wholesome) for you to enter life with only one
eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell (Gehenna) of fire. 10
Beware that you do not despise or feel scornful toward or think little of one
of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always are in
the presence of and look upon the face of My Father Who is in heaven. 11 For
the Son of man came to save [from the penalty of eternal death] that which was
lost. AMP
We’ve
looked at this saying of Jesus a few times now, and again the point is to avoid
the everlasting fire by drastic measures if necessary. In the next parable
Jesus spoke of regarding fire, we see judgment for those who did not behave
kindly towards others. People are sent to the same place as the devil and his
angels.
Matt
25:40-46 And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you
did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren,
you did it for Me. [Prov 19:17.] 41 Then He will say to those at His left hand,
Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you
gave Me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me and
entertain Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison
and you did not visit Me with help and ministering care. 44 Then they also [in
their turn] will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? 45 And He
will reply to them, Solemnly I declare to you, in so far as you failed to do it
for the least [in the estimation of men] of these, you failed to do it for Me.
[Prov 14:31; 17:5.] 46 Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but
those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal
life. [Dan 12:2.] AMP
Clearly,
the choice is being given to everyone, eternal life or eternal fire. John reiterates the idea of fruitless
branches being burned.
John
15:5-6 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him
bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union
with Me] you can do nothing. 6 If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown
out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and
thrown into the fire, and they are burned. AMP
One
day our works will be tried by fire. Paul helps our understanding on how we are
judged for rewards. If anything we do endures
the fire and does not burn, we are rewarded.
1
Cor 3:10-15 According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God
bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the]
foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be
careful how he builds upon it, 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than
that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed
One). 12 But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 The work of each [one] will
become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ]
will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the
fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each
person has done. 14 If the work which any person has built on this Foundation
[any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his
reward. 15 But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will
suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be
saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.] AMP
If
anyone’s work is burned up he still at least has eternal life, just no rewards. Think back now to the Pharisees and
Sadducees, will their works burn up? That is a key point for any religious
leader; is the material you use wood or silver.
Is there a religious practice, not supported by scripture, which you
encourage others to follow? Sometimes we
think just because a group looks spiritual they are doing things
correctly. However, if their beliefs and
practices do not line up with the Bible, they may simply be hay. The best thing for us to do is to avoid things
that are hay, wood, and stubble, and instead pursue things like gold, silver,
and bronze.
At
the end of the age, the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire along with
the beast and false prophet. They will be tormented day and night; again, this
is a fire that does not consume but tortures those in it.
Rev
20:10 Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was
hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false
prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever
(through the ages of the ages). AMP
Forever
is forever. That means that every moment
of existence is torture. There is no
hope of change.
Rev
20:14 Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were
thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. AMP
Death
and Hades are then thrown into the lake of fire. By this time, all people are standing for
judgment before the throne. Death and
Hell are abolished into the lake of fire, so that is not an option for people
to go to any longer.
Rev
20:15 And if anyone's [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was
hurled into the lake of fire. AMP
This
is the finality of the end of the age, the final reaping of the world, the
separating of the wheat and the chaff.
Everyone has a chance to choose.
Rev
21:8 But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the
cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the
unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with
abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the
practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to
anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey
untruth by word or deed) — [all of these shall have] their part in the lake
that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death. [Isa 30:33.] AMP
Here
is the irrevocability of the human existence.
After this time, humans will either be changed, having new bodies and
inhabit the new heaven or new earth, or be put into the lake of fire. It is difficult
to think about a fire that torments but does not consume, because it is
difficult to think more than three dimensionally. Jesus, in his resurrected body gave us clues
to 11 dimensions of existence; therefore we have to stretch our thinking to
understand that eternal fire is different than the typical fire that burns and
destroys and consumes things. This is a
fire that causes weeping, wailing, and grinding of teeth. While fires burn on
the earth causing damage and destruction, their harm is reversible as far as property
is concerned. We can rebuild, material possessions can be replaced. But people will go through a baptism of fire.
The end result is a non-consuming fire for eternity, or eternal life, we get to
choose.
