Fire in the Scripture....

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Ben12

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I do not believe in the Catholic terminology of purgatory but there are some reasons for the doctrine which most Protestants have not considered. But I do believe in the Bible has spiritual types and patterns that reveal spiritual principles. Below is a small study on fire in scripture and see what God is saying spiritually instead of a literal fire; remember God is a spirit not a brain. There is so much more to God’s fire but here are some interesting examples.

You know Jesus got a dove when He was Baptized in the river Jordon; on the day of Pentecost believers got cloven tongues of fire. Jesus is perfect; we are not. The word fire comes from the Greek word “pur’ which we get our English word pure, purify, purge and the good old catholic purgatory.

Fire was first used with the sacrifice of Able. Our flesh must be sacrificed to be in the presence of God. The sweat of Cain was not sufficient and was not an acceptable offering unto God for sin. All flesh (self) must be burnt by the fire of God.

Don't forget Daniels friend’s thrown in the Fiery Furnace in Babylon. Only their bondages were burn. Does not Baby lon speak of the religious/political systems of man? They were in Baby lon.

Dan 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.


The NT is speaking to us the believer, not the world or heather or unbeliever. This is especially true with the Greek Word Gehenna s used in scripture. Gehenna: referring to the Valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna which is the city dump outside the walls of Jerusalem; a place of constant burning of refuge. Those who go to Gehenna are not sinners of the world; but are sinners of God’s people. (how precious is this a type of purification outside of God’s holy city. All things that are not of God will be purified in God’s holy judgment. The point is simple in the 12 or 13 times that the Bible is referring to the word Gehenna it is directed towards God’s people and how important is to overcome sin.

Matthew 5:22 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Rica' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell (Ge-hen-na).

Matthew 5:29 It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Ge-hen-na).


Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Ge-hen-na)

Matt 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell (Ge-hen-na).

Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. (Ge-hen-na)
Matthew 23:15 15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell (Ge-hen-na) as you are.

In my study of the lake that burns with fire and brimstone I was very much helped and impressed by the understanding given by Charles Pridgeon and I would like to quote from his scholarly work on the subject of BRIMSTONE. He says: "The Lake of Fire and Brimstone signifies a fire burning with brimstone; the word 'brimstone' or sulphur defines the character of the fire. The Greek word THEION translated 'brimstone' is exactly the same word THEION which means 'divine.' Sulphur was sacred to the deity among the ancient Greeks; and was used to fumigate, to purify, and to cleanse and consecrate to the deity; for this purpose they burned it in their incense. In Homer's Iliad (16:228), one is spoken of as purifying a goblet with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from THEION is THEIOO, which means to hallow, to make divine, or to dedicate to a god (See Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, 1897 Edition). To any Greek, or any trained in the Greek language, a 'lake of fire and brimstone' would mean a 'lake of divine purification.' The idea of judgment need not be excluded. Divine purification and divine consecration are the plain meaning in ancient Greek. In the ordinary explanation, this fundamental meaning of the word is entirely left out, and nothing but eternal torment is associated with it" -end quote.
 
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Ben12

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Those who love the Lord and long to see His purpose fulfilled in their lives, are willing to accept Him as a refiner’s fire, as a thresher of wheat, as a presser of olives, as a crusher of grapes, and as a scourging Father! We accepted Him as Saviour, Baptizer, Healer, and Blesser; now we are accepting Him as the Lord of the fires! Our Father has made us willing to embrace the means He uses to perfect us. He perfects us in the crucible of adversities. The tribulations He sends us are not punishments for past failures, but divine tools to conform us to His image. Paul’s thorn in the flesh, Job’s loss of all his possessions, family, and health, Joseph’s betrayal by his brethren, his being sold as a slave, and later his being falsely accused and thrown into prison, were all for a divine purpose.
 
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Ben12

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"For behold, the Lord will come in Fire, His chariots shall be like the stormy wind, to render His anger with fierceness, and His rebuke with flames of Fire.
For BY Fire will the Lord execute judgment, and by His sword, upon all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many".
(Isaiah 66:15-16 Amplified)
"For, lo, Jehovah in Fire cometh, and as a hurricane His chariots, to refresh in fury His anger, and His rebuke in flames of Fire. For BY Fire and by His sword, doth Jehovah do judgment with all flesh, and many have been Jehovah's pierced ones." (Isaiah 66:15,16) (Young's translation)

There has been much misconception concerning the Fire of God, and while we would not dare to think we grasp all the answers, we would like to present some of the thoughts which God has quickened to our heart by His Sprit. For "BY Fire" will the Lord plead with "ALL" flesh.

The word plead (Hebrew, shaphat) is correctly translated by Young as "do judgment," with all flesh. The word "JUDGMENT" actually refers to the corrective processes of God, the training up, the disciplining or girding up, bringing into alignment wayward creation. And in this great process of restoration, the Lord is going to use Fire as part of his dealing with us all.

Let me give you Moffatt's translation for this verse: "On the WHOLE WORLD the Eternal will pass sentence with His Fire and sword." I like the emphasis that is given for ALL FLESH, when he says, THE WHOLE WORLD - for not one person is going to miss the hand of God in this operation. But, the application of Fire is going to be far different than much of our past conception, or shall I say, of traditional teaching of error. For first of all, God has quickened to us the truth which has changed our understanding greatly, when He caused us to know that Fire IS REMEDIAL IN ITS PURPOSE. And through we didn't always understand it that way, thank God for the revelation given by His Spirit. There is a remedy that is wrought out by the process of Fire.

As we begin to delve into our subject now, we turn to 1 Kings 18:24,38,39 "And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth BY Fire, let him be GOD. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. Then the Fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, THE LORD, HE IS THE GOD." Hallelujah!

I don't think we need much comment on the verses that surround the ones we have given, you have read about these prophets of Baal, how they cut themselves, they shouted and danced, had themselves a good "religious" hoe-down, they jumped over the altar: (benches), they did all they could think of to bring the power down - with Elijah standing over on the side urging them on. But their god did not answer BY Fire; he didn't begin to answer at all. But when it drew nigh for that time of the evening sacrifice, and all the people feel on their face, and said, THE LORD, HE IS THE GOD. Glory! Hallelujah: The confession was caused by the God who answered BY Fire.

Beloved, God is going to deal in such a manner with all creation, this world in which we live, till God's Fire process will cause every man to say, The Lord, He is GOD. There must needs be a turning again of hearts to the Lord, but it is going to take more than just a harem-scarem preacher telling about all the flames of some hell wherein you shall burn forever and forever, and it is going to take more than the other extreme, where one talks dreamily of a beautiful Isle of Somewhere, out beyond the blue. Rather it is going to be THE TRUTH OF GOD brought forth by the power of divine anointing. For it is going to be BY Fire that God will bring all things back into the realm of righteousness.


Ray Prinzing
 
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Ben12

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"He that cometh after me is mightier than I, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, AND Fire; Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable Fire." (Matthew 3:11,12).
"I am come to send Fire on the earth, and what will I, if it already be kindled." (Luke 12:49).

Our immersion into the Spirit is that by His enablement, we might have the power to pass through all the fiery process which follows. Without the enablement of the Spirit you could not abide the Fire, so first He graciously imparts His Spirit, then continues giving increasing measures thereof as the trials arise.

The Spirit's inworkings will mature the wheat kernel, and harden it, and then help us endure the winnowing process while the chaff (self) is removed. And after HE has thoroughly purged His floor, the chaff is all burned; the wheat is gathered into His garner. Thus Fire is to burn the chaff, not the harvested wheat.

We also point out, He is not speaking of two separate companies, one of chaff, and another of wheat; every kernel of wheat has its own chaff. Every man has a spirit, given them from God-- for God is the Father of spirits, and if we are His offspring (Acts 17:28), then there dwells a spirit in every man, it is the kernel of life within him. But there is a lot of old chaff surrounding that kernel, protecting it until we come to maturity in Him, and then He begins a stripping process, burning up the chaff, that the life of the kernel within might be made manifest.
More Ray Prinzing
 
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Ben12

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O, I suppose that we could say, in a limited manner, every group has those who operate in a chaff realm as they stand on the fringe - they like to be near that place where God is moving, but they are not actually becoming a part of that movement right now.

Now God is after the nucleus, the pure-hearted saints who are seeking for His fulness, and as they come to maturity, the chaff crowd will be shaken off - then they will have to be dealt with, until their own soul is brought into a right place with their Creator. So every one of us now has his own chaff, and every one needs the Spirit of God upon him to be able to abide the processes through which we must pass. "It shall come to pass... I will pour out My Spirit upon ALL FLESH." (Joel 2:28). And God will not send you thru the severest of Fire without first pouring out divine enabling that we might come forth all victorious. God is all gracious, He knoweth our frame, and He doesn't plunge us into valleys of Fire without first giving a divine revelation by His Spirit to uphold through it all. His mercy endureth to sustain at all times. If God has called you, giving you a portion of divine truth, and His Spirit-- and you resist His inworkings and will not submit to the processes now, then there is but a "certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery (Fire) indignation (zeal), which shall devour the adversaries (opposition)... (Hebrews 10:27).

DEVOUR THE ADVERSARIES- now this doesn't say things which many teach, it doesn't say the Fire will eat up all the ungodly. The word "adversary" used here, in the Greek is actually a word meaning CONTRARY, or opposition. If we resist His inworkings, there remains for us a fiery experience that will burn out all the contrariness-- all the rebellion of our self-natures. It didn't say we would be burned up, nor does it imply that we'll stay there for ever, but merely speaks of purging out all the opposition and contrariness. Fire is Three-Fold
Ray Prinzing
 
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Ben12

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Yes, Fire is three-fold. There are three statements in the Word which define "Fire". First, we read, "Our GOD is a consuming Fire." (Hebrews 12:29). There is no need to look outside the Word of God for answers; the scriptures contain the needed definitions. Amen?

God is spirit-- that is His substance. God is love-- that is His nature. God is also light and Fire, they are His manifestations. We speak of fiery trials, HE IS IN EVERY ONE OF THEM. May we go even farther? He is the source of the Fire in our fiery trial, "HE" is the Fire thereof. You say that God's hand is resting upon you-- you say that He has filled with His Spirit and His anointing is upon your life, guiding you into all truth. Then don't be amazed at the fiery testing that is your also, for with every advancing step into new truth, there needs to be a purging out of error and past traditions which are contrary to pure truth.

The Fire to burn out the dross is the Holy Spirit God has placed within, Your GOD is your Fire. The reason you are conscious of the Fire is because there remains something in resistance to the move of God, but after all is brought into submission, it doesn't matter if the circumstances don't change, for by then you have been so changed you no longer consider them as a Fire in your life. The Lord places you into a situation which almost "burns" you up, and by your unyieldedness to God you are completely miserable. But when you at last begin to yield to His will, you find that all of the situation has become a haven, and learning to be content in whatever state you are in, you are no more adversely affected by the Fire, you delight in it.

God knows the desire of your heart, and He is answering the desire within to be like Jesus. He says, "Lo I am with you always." Where are you, Lord? I'd like a blessing. God says, "Here I am, I'm the Fire which is purging you." HAVE YOU RECOGNIZED HIM AS SUCH? We see Him in the burning bush, don't be afraid, the bush won't be consumed - you aren't gong to be burned up by the Fire, all that is consumed is the opposition to the will of God. His presence, so holy and pure, is Fire to all uncleanness.

There are other kinds of fierce Fire, wild fire, they only destroy and lay desolate, BUT GOD IS A FIRE THAT PURIFIES AND BRING INTO RIGHTEOUSNESS. God's mighty Fire does not leave you in a state of devastation, He is the same Presence that also BUILDS YOU UP IN FAITH AND LOVE, so that your cleansed life is to His glory. Once the carnal thought and imagination of our mind is purged out, then that same Fire-PRESENCE illumines to your heart to the glorious life-giving verities of God.
 
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Ben12

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Second, we find that the Word, also, is Fire. "Is not My WORLD like as a Fire? saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:29).
"I will make MY WORDS in thy mouth Fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them." (Jeremiah 5:15).

The Lord is going to plead with ALL FLESH BY Fire, it will be by the Fire of HIS WORD, and all the false and insipid creeds of man will turn into ashes before the mighty burning truth. Truth alone will cause every mighty burning down into nothingness. The anointed Word, given in a spirit of love, is Fire. And such truth needs no defense, for as a Fire it defends itself; mishandle it, and you will surely be burned.

Thirdly, and all of these do blend together into one, "Who maketh His angels (messengers) spirits, His ministers a flaming Fire." (Psalm 104:4). Note: they are HIS ministers, not some man's. "Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men." (1 Corinthians 7:23). GOD WILL MAKE HIS MINISTERS A FLAMING FIRE. Also note this word "flaming", it is the same as used in Genesis 3:24, "a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." And it means A FLASHING Fire, speaking of a sudden or startling burst of light.

Think of it-- when God begins to plead with all flesh BY Fire, and into all those dark, secret assemblies, suddenly appear His ministers as a flashing, flaming Fire, to expose and reveal every under-cover, sneaky, corrupt thing of man. What a consternation it is going to produce. In the midst of the gross darkness covering the earth, suddenly a flashing outburst; GOD ANSWERING BY Fire, until all will have to shut their mouths and be still, truth at last prevailing. Amen.
 
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