[Verse 1]
The LORD considered it was fitting
For the element of Fire to be a symbol in the Scriptures as a visible depiction...
...Of His Glorious Essence and Holiest Presence
Which is manifesting the Fullness of all His Perfections
So a sermon is constructed through burning combustion
Of Furious Judgement on those who deserve His destruction
(For instance) when Man disobeyed the LORD a FLAMING SWORD
Blocked the way that’s towards His Holy Place and Courts they
Can’t enjoy his Face no more!
Now only He who can endure the “burnings” (Isa. 33:14)
Can bring us back into His Courts to serve Him
Yet not just punishment but God’s Redemption
Is represented by Fire in Covenant Condescension:
Genesis 15, be attentive to this scene
As Abram’s wrestling with doubt about the blessing of his seed
Yahweh prophecies the Exodus- foreseen
And reassures Him of the Land’s possession, yes and indeed!
As Abram’s resting in sleep, the Faithful LORD
Descends as a Smoking Fire-Pot and FLAMING TORCH
And passes through, the calf that’s slashed in two
(Hence) showing that “If I am not faithful toward
My Covenant--may I undergo this punishment”
It’s fitting God appears as Fire four hundred and some years later
To keep this promise to redeem from bondage as Israel’s Dear Savior
Now what was Adonai’s main desire?
For appearing to Moses on Sinai in this Flaming Fire?
Why, it’s to show COVENANT CONDESCENSION
That just as on the bush, The Consuming Fire was not dependent
And didn’t need it to keep lit
So (in the same way) God didn’t them to redeem them from Egypt
But just as He was in the bush, so He is with us
For deliverance from Pharaoh’s grip and clutch by His Omnipotence
But I skipped a story which is gory:
Sodom & Gomorrah, the LORD said that “their sins abhor Me”
From piety they were void
So the LORD rained down fire from the LORD
They were entirely destroyed
God’s eyes were disgusted because in pride they were lusting
From exchanging Truth for lies, in idols they trusted (Rom. 1)
ALAS! He who is a Consuming Fire made them a pattern of the Final Fiery Judgment (2 Peter 2, Jude)
[Chorus]
“All Consuming Fire”
“The I AM tells His Famous Name, from the burning bush-the Self-Sustaining Flame” (2x)
Question: Who can dwell with The Consuming Fire?
Who can dwell with the Everlasting Burnings?
Answer: the One who walks righteously
And speaks uprightly. Isaiah 33! (v. 14)
Who can dwell with The Consuming Fire?
Who can dwell with the Everlasting Burnings?
Only The One who walks righteously
And speaks uprightly. (Isa. 33:14)
[Verse 2]
Who can go back through the Holy Flaming Sword
To bring us back to the Glory-Blazing LORD?
We’re now considering the connection
Between Fire and Sacrifice, first at Isaac’s “figurative resurrection” (Heb. 11)
Seen like an awful thing
For God to tell Abraham to make his offspring into a whole-burnt offering
But as he goes to sacrifice Isaac’s life on Moriah
What’s in his hand? The KNIFE and the FIRE!
Isaac asks his dad the question
I see you have a weapon, but where’s the lamb that we’re presenting?
Abraham replies
God will graciously provide a lamb for a burnt offering
In flames yes it will die
A ram was slain by the knife, Isaac’s taken back alive
But Isaac being saved really portrayed him as a type...
Of the nation of Israel’s salvation on the night, of Passover
The final plague is now in sight
Yahweh’s passing through Egypt, His Wrath is now heated
Israel’s saved by the blood, He’ll pass if He sees it
He provided them lambs, He’s Jehovah Provider
He said “slaughter the lamb then roast it with FIRE” (Ex. 12:8)
That’s the pattern and prescription of the sacrificial system
But at the Red Sea in Fire, He actually is with them
To perform the Exodus
The Pillar of Cloud and Fire is what the LORD’s Glory-Presence is!
He’s in the Pillar of Fire--He dwelt in it
Behold the redemptive-historical development
Because as the Fire and Pot passed through the Covenant Curses
The Pillar of Fire passed through the “flood” that was bursting
Mt. Sinai again, now at the giving of the Law
Cloud-Fire descends, they were trembling in awe
Dudes were scared stiff, who wouldn’t fear this?
To look at the LORD--any who breaks through will perish!
But Moses actually entered the Fire-Glory
By the righteousness of Another, His attire is Holy
Who can sojourn into the Consuming Fire?
Only one who foreshadows True Messiah!
He even spoke face to face with Him who’s blazing flames
A great display of Amazing Grace
He’s the Wilderness Rider- the Pillar of Fire and Cloud
That’s why the Tabernacle was filled with Shekinah
Since Sinai was a temple, they’re urged to look
At the Menorah to remind them of the Burning Bush
Read Leviticus 9 and then 10
As His Fire descends upon the sacrifice, God’s abiding with them
See that same Fire again:
On Nadab and Abihu in great wrath to remind you
Don’t trifle with Him, Who’s despising our sin
Because either in sacrifice or judgment
His Name will be Sanctified in the End
Leviticus 10:2
It’s the same phrase as 9:24, let the literal Hebrew be read through
“Then Fire came forth from the Face of Yahweh”
End quote. And this was for forsaking God’s way
That word for “consumed them” the Spirit used and inspired
Is °¹kal ( אָכלַ)
Used for God as consuming fire
Because to go into the Most Holy Place and face the LORD
You pass through the Cherubim on the veil—the Flaming Sword!
[Chorus]
“All Consuming Fire”
“The I AM tells His Famous Name, from the burning bush-the Self-Sustaining Flame” (2x)
Question: Who can dwell with The Consuming Fire?
Who can dwell with the Everlasting Burnings?
Answer: the One who walks righteously
And speaks uprightly. Isaiah 33! (v. 14)
Who can dwell with The Consuming Fire?
Who can dwell with the Everlasting Burnings?
Only The One who walks righteously
And speaks uprightly. (Isa. 33:14)
[Verse 3]
Deuteronomy, you don’t wanna be—a pagan nation in Canaan
Because they’ll be truly slaughtered, see
Yahweh is as a fire devours, going before Israel for them to triumph in power (Deut. 9:1-3)
Move to Joshua and Judges, where the fire theme is awesome in abundance
And often it confronts us
Many cities where pagans lived and stayed, for their sickening ways
Their cities were lit ablaze (Josh. 6:24; Judges 1:8)
They were evil and unpardoned, after heathens who were slaughtered—
Fire judgment—they were treated just like Sodom
But at Jericho after they struck and they crushed them
What happened to Achan, one of the sons of the covenant?
He coveted, lusted some of the stuff that
He should offered up to the Lord unto destruction ( ח רֵֶם)
And what was the punishment?
After being stoned, he and his family were burned with fire—covenant judgment!
Judges 4 Deborah, “wife of Lapidoth” ( אֵ֖שֶׁת לַפִּיד֑וֹת)
What’s this mean in the Hebrew, which God, He wrote
Lapid ( לפִַּיד ) is the word for torch
Which He appeared to Abram as (Gen. 15:17)
Which this word the LORD imports
Because as He descended in hot flames
Deborah is a “woman of torches”
Thus a woman of Yahweh
Be in awe considering the call of Gideon
Yahweh appeared to him to conquer Midian
God consumed his offering, the sign of the LORD (Judges 6:21)
His army triumphed with sword, and a fiery torch (Judges 7:16-25)
Revealed in fire to Gideon and Manoah
Then ascended in flames, it’s the symbol of Jehovah! (Judges 13:20)
But Satan comes against David, tempting him
To worship self and impress his flesh, within
To give a census of his people—a wretched sin
So God brings about His judgment of pestilence
The Angel of the LORD in His anger that is towards David
70,000 He’s slaying with the sword
So David repents, “surely God I have sinned”
Then God’s fire consumes his burnt offering
To show that God’s fiery Wrath is appeased
The Angel of the LORD put his sword back in his sheath
David’s sacrifice was devoured by Fire
But where did this occur?
On the Mount of Moriah!
That’s the place of the Temple! We see the dedication
By Solomon we’re all the people on their face when
Sacrifices consumed a recapitulation
Like at the Tabernacle a repeated situation
They see that He’s a blazing and they reverenced Him as Holy
The Fire was equated as the Presence of his Glory!
Because He is the Living God and he proved this to Elijah
Unlike Baal, the offering—He consumed it with His Fire
But notice that the Fire is called the Fire of Yahweh
Because God is symbolized by the very hot flames
2nd Kings 1, Ahab the wretched king is done
But Israel is still set in sin’s scum
They turned to Baal
Twice Elijah called down fire to consume them, the word is ¹kal ( אָכלַ)
Plus none would bury this Elijah
Why? Because he ascended to the Father in chariots of fire!
[Chorus]
“All Consuming Fire”
“The I AM tells His Famous Name, from the burning bush-the Self-Sustaining Flame” (2x)
[Bridge]
Who can go back through the holy flaming sword?
To bring us back to the Glory Blazing Lord
It’s Only He Who can endure the burning
Who can bring us back into His courts to serve Him
[Verse 4]
Israel is exiled because they are lawless
The fatherless were oppressed with idols they’re obsessed
And just as Yahweh as a fire consumed their enemies--it’s a reversal of the Canaanite Conquest
Chapter 21:10 in the Prophet Jeremiah
Jerusalem destroyed and they conquered it with fire
By the king of Babylon
But actually for Judah’s idolatry this was the very wrath of God
The temple was defiled and they burned it
Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw 3 exiles in the furnace (Dan. 3)
Although the furnace was ablaze
Another Person in that place
Preserved them by His mercy and His grace (Dan. 3:24-29)
Hence Isaiah 43, “When you walk through fire
You won’t be consumed nor burned up by the flames” (Isa. 43:2)
Although they returned to the gates in the land of Palestine
Their calloused minds and hearts still have the foulest slime
Malachi 3:1-3 it reminds ya
To be refined His people still need a Refiner
Because since we earned the Wrath of the Lord and Sire
We still need one who can endure His fire
Who can also be a purifier
Who can also purify us from our impure desire
Plus on the wicked still pour a fire of the purest fire
Hence the Greek word pur (πῦρ) is fire
Still in the wilderness, but hear him who is a crier
John the Baptist dressed in appearance of Elijah
Saying, “Behold! Look—here is the Messiah!
He’ll baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire!” (Luke 3:16)
Fire—He often preached constantly
To bad fruit producing rotten trees in apostasy. (Luke 3:7-9)
They’re hacked down as well
My last 4 verses are a Biblical-theological background of hell
Which Jesus mentioned more than any men who were prior
The chaff He’ll consume with unquenchable fire
Whether baptized or Jew, fire could be baptizing you
Consider Matthew 5:22—
This should strike ya
An epexegetical genitive, literally it’s “the hell which is fire” (τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός)
Yet who can fully endure the burnings
Concerning the curses that your works are deserving? (Isa. 33:14)
Only the Divine Servant who’s perfect (Isa. 33:15)
When He died on the cross hence He tore the curtain
Because infinite fire fell on Him who’s Messiah
But it was much worse than visible, physical fire!
When He died the veil was torn, (Mark 15:38)
To show that this Priest passed through the cherubim’s flaming sword
He is the Passover Lamb who was roasted with fire (1 Cor. 5:7; Ex. 12:8)
When consumed by the Omnipotent Shekinah
But His atonement was final, because surely God the King
Became the greater Isaac-Lamb whole burnt offering!
This is why we needed a Savior who’s Divine
Who can pass through the flames and be raised up alive!
In the Scrolls you have got to see
The fulfillment of the Joel 2 prophecy, (Joel 2:28-32; 3:1-3:5 MT)
Behold a true Theophany
Because just as He appeared as fire to Abram
Then to Moses to disclose His desire to save them—
The beginning of the end time fire has come
At Pentecost the Spirit was as fiery tongues! (Acts 2:1-3)
Because with the Spirit-Fire that the Lord sends
It’s not the end of the world, but the way the world ends
Baptized by Jesus with the Spirit of the Christ
To purify us Jew-Gentile-Levites (Isa. 66:18-21 ; Mal. 3:3-4)
Because our desires are foul, entirely vile
So He’s purging His church with these “fiery” trials (πύρωσις,1 Peter 4:12; Prov. 27:21, LXX)
Now as I behold our God and King
My whole soul and body brings through Jesus a holy offering (Rom. 12:1; 1 Pt. 2:5; Heb. 12:28)
To reverence His Name
2nd Thessalonians the Lord will be revealed from heaven with a flame. (2 Thess. 1:7-8)
Then every faithless liar (Rev. 21:8)
And Satan’s entire Fallen Angel choir (Matt. 25:41)
Is placed in the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:8)
Although we won’t be consumed through Messiah in our Union
Forever God will still be a fire that’s consuming! (Heb. 12:28-29)