Should we be afraid of the fire?

Should We Be
Afraid of
The Fire?

Some Christians believe they can
terrify others

into being “good” or seeing things
THEIR way.

If someone tells you you’re going to
hell

The Bible uses fire as the
symbolic description

of God‟s immediate presence:

is like a flaming fire.” (Daniel
4:24 – GN)

is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews
12:29 – GN)

Israel‟s holy God will become a
flame,

which in a single day will burn
up everything,

even the thorns and thistles”
(Isaiah 10:17 – GN)

The immediate presence of God
is tortuous to some –

but not because He is a literal
fire that burns up flesh.

God does not exude any hostility
towards his rebellious children.

This is describing psychological
discomfort

that involves intense guilt and
shame

as sinful and selfish individuals

enter into the presence of a God

who is selfless love personified.

There are several examples in
scripture

of individuals who have
experienced God‟s presence.

This was the experience of
Isaiah:

“In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw the Lord.

and his robe filled the whole
Temple.

Around him flaming creatures
were standing,

Each creature covered its face
with two wings,

and used the other two for flying.

They were calling out to each
other:

made the foundation of the
Temple shake,

and the Temple itself became
filled with smoke.

I said, „There is no hope for me!

I am doomed because every
word

that passes my lips is sinful,

I have seen the King, the LORD
Almighty.‟

Then one of the creatures flew
down to me,

that he had taken from the altar

with a pair of tongs.” (Isaiah 6:4-
6 – GN)

Notice that Isaiah did not
exclaim,

“God, you are so bright and hot
that I am burning up!”

No - Isaiah saw the beautiful
glory

saw with an intense clarity his
own sinfulness.

His lips were touched with a
burning coal,

but notice again the symbolism
involved

as the coal was not harmful to
his flesh.

The intense shame and guilt
experience by Isaiah

is what God described to Moses
with these words:

“But you may not look directly at
My face,

for no one may see Me and live.”
(Exodus 33:20 – NLT)

“If you look at My face, I‟ll kill
you!”

“In your state of rebellious
separation

from My kingdom of other-
centered love,

the full face-to-face exposure

to My goodness and love is
actually harmful.”

The destructive element of
beholding God

face-to-face does not come from
God,

but rather from within the sinner.

We need to use many examples
to drive this point home.

Moses saw the glory of God at
the burning bush.

But were the leaves of the bush
consumed?

No, God‟s fiery presence
apparently does not burn leaves.

A little later on God came as a
fire onto Mount Sinai:

“The glory of the Lord rested on
Mount Sinai…

And the glory of the Lord
appeared to the Israelites

like devouring fire on the top of
the mountain.” (Exodus 24:16-17
– GN)

Were the trees on the top of the
mount consumed by the fire?

Did God‟s presence spark a
massive forest fire?

God‟s glory also filled the tent in
the wilderness,

but is there ever a record of the
sheets

spontaneously bursting into
flames?

No, this is an altogether different
kind of fire.

when he came from the LORD‟s
presence:

“Whenever Moses went into the
Tent of the LORD‟s presence

to speak to the LORD, he would
take the veil off.

he would tell the people of Israel
everything

that he had been commanded to
say,

and they would see that his face
was shining.

Then he would put the veil back
on

until the next time he went to
speak with the LORD.” (Exodus
34:34-35 – GN)

These were not 3rd degree burns
in the face of Moses.

The reflected glory of God in his
face caused distress in the
people

– very similar to the experience
of Isaiah, no doubt.

Out of consideration for the
people,

Moses put a veil over his face.

And this story of two rebellious
sons

“Aaron's sons Nadab and
Abihu…disobeyed the LORD

by burning before Him the wrong
kind of fire…

So fire blazed forth from the
LORD‟s presence

and burned them up, and they
died there before the LORD.

„This is what the LORD meant
when He said,

through those who come near
Me.

I will display My glory before all
the people.‟

Then Moses called for…Aaron‟s
cousins…

„Come forward and carry away
the bodies of your relatives

from in front of the sanctuary to
a place outside the camp.‟”

If you were Aaron‟s cousins and
were given the command

to carry them outside the camp,

what would you predict would be
left of their bodies?

What do you think would be left
of their clothes?

“So they came forward and
picked them up by their
garments

and carried them out of the
camp,

just as Moses had commanded.”
(Leviticus 10:1-5 – NLT)

The fire that emanates from the
very presence of God

is apparently not harmful to
clothes or flesh,

but yet these 2 rebellious men

could not stand in the presence
of God.

Job also saw God in all his glory,

and like Isaiah he was acutely
aware of his own guilt:

“In the past I knew only what
others had told me,

but now I have seen you with my
own eyes.

So I am ashamed of all I have
said

and repent in dust and ashes.”
(Job 42:5-6 – GN)

Is there a more righteous saint in
the Bible than Daniel?

But yet, his experience in the
presence of God had this effect:

“I looked up and saw someone

who was wearing linen clothes
and a belt of fine gold.

His face was as bright as a flash
of lightning,

and his eyes blazed like fire.

His arms and legs shone like
polished bronze,

and his voice sounded like the
roar of a great crowd.

I was the only one who saw the
vision.

Those who were with me did not
see anything,

but they were terrified and ran
and hid.

I was left there alone, watching
this amazing vision.

I had no strength left, and my
face was so changed

that no one could have
recognized me.

I fell to the ground unconscious

and raised me to my hands and
knees;

Stand up and listen…” (Daniel
10:5-10 – GN)

The friends that Daniel was with
fled in panic,

while Daniel is described as
acutely aware of his own
sinfulness:

“…my comeliness was turned in
me into corruption,

and I retained no strength.”
(Daniel 10:8 – ASV).

I love the fact that the angel
immediately reassures Daniel

with these comforting words:
“God loves you.”

John, who walked with Jesus for
over 3 years,

later saw Him in all His glory.

He had a similar response as
Daniel:

“When I saw him, I fell down at
his feet like a dead man.

He placed his right hand on me
and said,

„Don‟t be afraid!‟” (Revelation
1:17 – GN)

Once again, isn‟t it wonderful
that God is

so quick to say, “I love you” and
“Don‟t be afraid!”

“It‟s too hot in here. My flesh is
starting to burn.”

Rather, these individuals are
experiencing

psychological discomfort, guilt
and shame.

in the presence of God‟s glory:

“I ordained and anointed you

as the mighty angelic guardian.

You had access to the holy
mountain of God

and walked among the stones of
fire.” (Ezekiel 28:14 – NLT)

describes the very presence of
God

where the sinless Lucifer dwelt
unharmed with his Creator.

Notice very carefully the
description of Satan‟s

destruction just a few verses
later:

“You defiled your sanctuaries
with your many sins

So I brought fire from within you,

I let it burn you to ashes on the
ground

in the sight of all who were
watching” (Ezekiel 28:18, NLT).

The destructive element in God‟s
presence

The destructive “fire” that will
end of the life of Satan

comes from within his own
selfish and rebellious heart.

is one of the most compelling on
this subject:

„Now I will do something and be
greatly praised.

Your deeds are straw that will be
set on fire

You will be burned to ashes like
thorns in a fire.

come look at what I have done.

The sinners in Zion are terrified;

„Who of us can dwell with the
consuming fire?

Who of us can dwell with
everlasting burning?‟

and speaks what is right…”
(Isaiah 33:11-15 – CEV, NIV)

This passage is describing the
fear

and dread that the wicked
experience

who appears to them as “the
consuming fire”

and the “everlasting burning”.

“Who of us can dwell with the
everlasting burning?”

But notice that the reply comes
that

“He who walks righteously and
speaks what is right”

can dwell in the fiery presence of
God!

This passage in Psalms also
describes

that will one day stand in God‟s
presence:

“As wax melts in front of the fire,

so do the wicked perish in his
presence.

But the righteous are glad and
rejoice in his presence;

they are happy and shout for
joy.” (Psalms 68:2 – GN)

For some, God‟s presence is
tortuous;

for others it is a place of great
joy and happiness.

We see this same relationship
once again

where the wicked perish in His
presence,

while to others that same
presence

„The day is coming when all
proud and evil people

On that day they will burn up,

and there will be nothing left of
them.

my saving power will rise on you

as calves let out of a stall.”
(Malachi 4:1-2 – GN)

When the fire of God is
understood in this way,

both heaven and hell are seen to
be the same place.

both heaven and hell are a
Person.

it is heaven to dwell in the
presence of Love Personified;

God‟s love is very hot indeed:

“Put me like a seal over your
heart,

For love is as strong as death…

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

Many waters cannot quench
love,

nor will rivers overflow it. (Song
of Solomon 8:6-7)

John describes the individuals

who will stand in the presence of
God this way:

“Yes, my children, remain in
union with him,

from him on the Day he comes…

We know that when Christ
appears,

because we shall see him as he
really is” (1 John 2:28, 3:2 – GN)

those who already live in union
with him will have courage

for they know that the glorious
One

is just like Jesus in character:

These individuals are settled
into the truth

about the kind of Person God
is.

by daily dwelling in the
presence

like the God we love, trust and
admire:

because we shall see him as
he really is!”

The central characteristic of
God‟s friends

is that they will see God as he
really is.

they are fully settled in the
picture of God

and by beholding the true
God,

it is an unavoidable natural
consequence

that we are changed into His
image:

“All of us, then, reflect the
glory of the Lord

transforms us into his
likeness …” (2 Corinthians
3:18 – GN)

that preached annihilationism.

I recall some pastors going to
great lengths

to explain that the soul is NOT
immortal

and to quickly add the “good
news”

that “the fire won‟t last
forever”.

“The wicked will only burn for
as long as they deserve.”

But if the “eternal fire” is
ultimately

then the fire really is eternal

– an eternal fire of intense
love and goodness

that will never be
extinguished!

the suffering of the wicked in
God‟s presence

is short and does not last
forever,

but yet the fire of God‟s love
will burn on.

God‟s friends will dwell in His
presence

Just as Lucifer was described
as walking

“…what looked like a sea of
glass

mixed with fire” (Revelation
22:4).

Once again, this refers to the
very presence of our God

and the righteous will dwell in
the unveiled glory of God

I believe that the reason
Jesus would say,

“I came to set the earth on fire

and how I wish it were already
kindled”

is that He desires more than
anything

to experience with each one
of us

a deeply personal face-to-face
relationship.

Jesus came in order to
restore

and to heal us that we may
enter

into His presence and
experience

this incredible intimacy and
friendship with God:

“But now, by means of the
physical death of his Son,

God has made you his
friends,

in order to bring you, holy,
pure, and faultless,

into his presence.”
(Colossians 1:22 – GN)

What God has desired more
than anything

from the moment Adam and
Eve

is to wrap His arms around
His children once again.

that the end is described with
these words!

and his name (character) will
be written on their foreheads
(minds).

Should we be afraid of the fire?

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Should we be afraid of the fire?