FIRE FROM THE ROCK or THE LORD OUR PEACE

[Kokavkrystallos]

FIRE FROM THE ROCK or THE LORD OUR PEACE
"there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh..." - Judges 6:21

Today we're going to examine fire from the Rock that consumes the flesh. Now anyone who's been a believer in Jesus for any amount of time should know the flesh is not a good thing, and it's the works of the flesh, and lusts of the flesh that bring us into sin. And we are called to mortify the flesh, crucify the flesh, and put to death the flesh.
Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." So, we are the sacrifice; a living sacrifice, called to be holy and acceptable to God.

This message might seem like it's going down 2 or 3 different rabbit trails, but bear with it, because they all meet up at the end in one place.
The full scripture in Judges is: "Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight."
I did a message on this back in '22: How Moses brought water from the Rock at Horeb, but here the Angel of the LORD Yahweh brings FIRE from the Rock - and we know from 1 Corinthians 10:4 the Rock is Christ. And in Deuteronomy 32:3-4, "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Here we see the LORD Yahweh named as the Rock, just more evidence of Christ and Yahweh God, Yahweh Elohim being one.
And, the Angel of the LORD is also Christ, as we shall see.

Judges 6:22-24, "And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah Shalom..." יהוה שלום
Now we know Christ is our peace. Ephesians 2:13-18,
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."

So this is all about Christ. We need to clearly see Christ revealed in the Old Testament, because a lot of folk today won't use the Old Testament, or think it's irrelevant. But the Old Testament is the only Scripture Jesus and the Apostles quoted: still relevant; just not under law but under grace through faith (Eph 2:8). But still, we ESTABLISH the law through faith. (Rom 3:31)
That word "establish" is "istemi" in Greek: means to set, stand by, establish, make firm, fix; to cause a person or thing to keep his or its place. So we could say we are to stand by, or keep the law by faith. It's just not by works, but rather grace through faith.

So don't let anyone tell you "You don't have to keep the 10 commandments," because it's still God's law. Again, we keep them by FAITH, by the liberty to be free from sin - and all the works Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, and Colossians 3:5-6, that keep one out of the kingdom of God, and brings about the wrath of God, ARE the breaking of one or more of the 10 commandments! So don't be deceived by antinomians,* for they have taken many a soul to hell by preaching liberty TO SIN, rather than liberty FROM SIN.
*[Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί [anti] "against" and νόμος [nomos] "law") is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term has both religious and secular meanings. In some Christian belief systems, an antinomian is one who takes the principle of salvation by faith and divine grace to the point of asserting that the saved are not bound to follow the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments]
Now to continue on Christ being our peace, and we will come back to the fire from the Rock, and see how that can bring us peace: first, John 14:27 as Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, said, " Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." And in 1 Corinthians 14:33, " For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 2 Thessalonians 3:16, such a great blessing, "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means." Amen!

This brings us now to Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

This is one of the greatest Messianic prophecies, for it confirms Jesus would come as a child, and then some of the names being mighty God, everlasting Father. El Gibbor אל גבור is "Mighty God". Isaiah knew about idolatry and to call any being "Mighty God" other than Yahweh Elohim would be idolatrous and blasphemous. He's also called "Everlasting father" which is Abiad, אביעד . "Ab" being "Father." Now look at Jesus prayer in the garden of Gethsemane: Mark 14:36, "And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" Jesus used the Aramaic word for Father that contains the Hebrew root Ab: Aramaic being a sister language to Hebrew. Just more evidence of Jesus and the father being one.

But let's look at another name there in Isaiah, the name "Wonderful" in Hebrew that's, "Pila" פלא .Now, let's go back to Judges: this time to chapter 13 where Manoah, Samsons Dad is visited by the Angel of the LORD.. First verses 17 & 18, " And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?"

The Hebrew word translated "Secret" there is "Pila'i" פלאי . Notice anything? It's got the same root as Isaiah, translated "Wonderful." In fact it's meaning is more like "Wonderful, Miraculous, Extraordinary, etc." [The letter Yod י at the end, when used as a suffix is a first person singular, possessive, as "my" and is used in the word "Ani" אני which means "I" - Yod also symbolizes the Holy One, the Creator whose name יהוה begins with Yod. (Hebrew is read right to left)]

We see then that at the time Jesus was concealed and "secret" in the Old Testament, except in a few prophecies by the time of Judges, that He revealed one of His names he later revealed to Isaiah some 600 - 700 years later!

Here we see Yeshua - Jesus, revealing Himself with a little bit of a riddle, a mystery; but not too hard to figure out, especially knowing something of the original Hebrew and Greek. It's kind of using a play on words. Paul did write in Colossians 1:26, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory"

And again, the Book of Judges: we looked at chapter 6 where the Angel of the LORD comes to Gideon, then later in chapter 13 where He comes to Manoah and his wife. We see He brings fire from the Rock with Gideon, and again with Manoah. You see how "the angel did wondrously," and Manoah and his wife look on, "FOR it came to pass, when the flame went up..."

Again here the root "Pila" is used for "wondrously", sometimes verbalized as "Pala" but still spelled פלא as in "to be wonderful, extraordinary, to do extraordinary, hard, or difficult thing." Here then is the full passage of Judges 13:19-22,

"So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God."

Now we see Mannoah, when the Angel of the LORD caused fire to go up to heaven, and ascended in it, realizing "We have seen God!" (vs. 13:22) So we see fire again, and the symbol of the ascension of Jesus portrayed, and indeed: Jesus baptized in what? FIRE! The Holy Ghost and Fire. Oh, let the fire of God consume thy flesh, and as the coale from the altar in Isaiah 6, cleanse thine lips, and purify thee as gold is tried! And may you receive the PEACE that can only come from the Prince of Peace!

Oh, come to know these deep things of God, for you live at such a time as this, that you have the Scriptures, and they are expounded to you, that ye can know them and walk in them. "For our God is a consuming fire." (Heb 12:29) Let that fire that proceedeth from the Rock of Christ burn now! "Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me, use me!" as the song goes.

Let this Holy Fire drive out the sin in our lives, burn it up: drive it away and consume, as the Israelites were commanded to drive out the inhabitants of the land, for they were sinful and a snare unto them, in Numbers 33:55, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

Look at 1 Corinthians 3:11-17, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

Christ is the foundation stone, again , THE ROCK, from which comes FIRE. You see here at Christs judgment seat anything that believers do that are useless works will be burned up. I do not know what that entails, nor do I want to, yet, am afraid I will be subjected to this, and probably every believer to some degree more or less. I prefer less over more, because fire is painful. It's nice when it's warm and gives heat: painful when the coal pops and lands on your lap! I'd much rather seek the Holy Ghost and fire HERE and let God purify me now, as He also commands us to do.

(continued in next post)

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

(Continued)....
So, we've been looking at some ancient Scriptures; and honestly, compiling this message has been crazy, in a good crazy way - The Holy Spirit is weaving that scarlet thread of redemption from ancient time all through the Bible, and right down to now today 2024. HalleluYAH!

Let's look at 1 John 2:24-25 , "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."

What you have heard from the beginning: that's the important thing here. God does not change. He changeth not. Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I change not..." Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." We see in Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

Look at Jeremiah 6:16, "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."

Ask for the OLD PATHS, Amen! Then look what it says: "But they said, we will not..." How like today: Contemporary Christianity has so departed from the old paths, that it's hard to tell what real Christianity is. Well, it's the old paths, it's what John meant about what you heard from the beginning abiding in you, which at the time was everything Jesus taught, and Paul expounded on, but was all based on the old paths, with the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection of Christ having taken place, and no wonder He used the word Pila, because it was a wonderful and extraordinary thing He did on the cross to purchase us who believe back from the clutches of sin and the penalty of it!

Modern Christianity is often lifted up with pride, as this, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD." (Obadiah 3-4)

I know it's talking about the nation of Edom there, but the principle lesson is about PRIDE, and the modern day Laodicean Church is filled with it! Look at Revelation 3:15-17, " I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked..." That is pride right there; saying you're rich, increased with goods, and in need of nothing. What arrogance!

That's why Jesus says in verse 19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Thankfully He loves us, and He corrects us with rebukes and chastisement, and tells us to be zealous, which involves the fire of zeale, a Holy Zeal. And now let's read the whole verse of Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." - He does not change, and it is only by His sheer mercy and the act of His own will to have mercy, that we are not consumed: for if you are a child of God through Jesus Christ, you are a son of Jacob, for He is a son of Jacob through Jacob's son Judah, for He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, and if ye be Christs then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, according to Galatians 3:31.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-2 it says "the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,.." Notice, here is that pride - it's a trademark of the perilous times of the last days. And all the signs point more and more to this being the last days and most likely the last of the last days: the latter part of it, right before our blessed Lord's return, which we should be diligently watching for. That's why this purifying fire is so important. Let it burn up the spirit of pride that is so prevalent in these last days.

Isaiah 33:6, "And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure." - This message is one filled with wisdom and knowledge, and scripture says those shall be the stability of thy times. Make them your stability, and know these things: wisdom and knowledge proceed from the LORD, the Rock, He who is the consuming fire....

Look at Daniel here, 7:9-10, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened."

God is called the Ancient of Days here: He is Yahweh, the self existing one, He that is and was from the beginning, the great I AM of Exodus 3:14, I AM THAT I AM, in Hebrew "EHAYAH ASHER AHAYAH" אהיה אשר אהיה - sometimes translated "I will be who I will be," or "I am become what I become". It's an eternal designation: just as Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the eternal: for He and the Father are one. We see also Daniel records all kind of fire going on around the throne - even a throne of fire!

The baptism of fire from the Rock must burn in you, the anointing of the Holy Spirit: the indwelling of the Spirit, will make Christ alive in your inner being: your heart, your soul, your spirit, so that you will not be imitating Him, rather; You will have HIM on the inside—You won't be trying to work for Him in your strength, but rather His strength within you. For He even says "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)

But also know that baptism by fire might be uncomfortable as it burns and strips away sin out of your life. Yet, surrender all to Christ and He shall bring you through the fire. And when sin is burnt up, when you've been refined in God's fire, you have such peace: yea, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus'' (Philippians 4:7)

Isaiah 43:2-4 and I'll close with this: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour"

Sounds like a contradiction, but no! His fire purges us and cleanses: the fire of wrath cannot touch us if we are safely in Christ, and while His fire will consume His enemies, those who don't know God, the wicked and abominable who have mocked and rejected Him - His fire to those who have been purged of their sins shall be like the burning bush that was on fire yet not consumed. Exodus 3:2, "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed" - The fire then consumes only that which is an imperfection: that is, sin, and the flesh, and its lusts. But we have better promises, that we shall be jewels, and gold, and silver, refined by fire, and thus be the jewels God longs to make: "And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." (Malachi 3:17) Amen.