FIRE OF GOD!
Many are out there giving forth what they consider "the truth of
the Bible." Some have grains of truth, and so it can appear as
"the whole truth and nothing but the truth." It is so slight of
hand the average person cannot see the jump from truth to error,
and "adding" or "subtracting" from the Word of God. The following
is a classic example, and some come from people with Dr. in front
of their name, which often makes the average person "shake in
their boots" with trepidation to mess with such "expert"
individuals. Ah, but remember I've told you before that "expert"
can mean ..... "ex" = 'unknown quantity,' and "spert" = 'a drip
under pressure.' Hence "expert" can be an unknown drip under pressure.
Email sent to me in November 2009.
QUOTE
Hey Keith,
From my understanding of the Scriptures I believe I know what the
"fire" symbolizes in the lake of fire, but I'm a little confused
as to what the "lake" symbolizes. This is what I believe the Fire
represents.
Daniel 7:9,10 ... His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels
were a burning fire. 10 A river of fire was flowing and coming
out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat,
and the books were opened.
The source of the fire is shown to be the throne itself. Thrones
symbolize authority and law, or more specifically, the
administration of the law by one in authority. To be seated upon
a throne signified that the king was issuing decrees or judgments
in an official capacity according to the laws of the nation.
MY ANSWER
***This is a picture or vision in the minds eye of the throne of
God. Daniel had to put it down in terms we as humans could get
some kind of picture. What was around the throne looked like
being ablaze with flames, the wheels also as burning fire.
Looking like fire does not of itself represent anything, the
throne looked like it was encased in flames of fire. Nothing else
should be read into it.
QUOTE
In the case of the Great White Throne in Daniel and Revelation,
God judges all men according to His own law. The "fire" that
proceeds from the throne is the judgment of the divine law
according to their works.
MY ANSWER
***No, such cannot be read into it. You are adding something that
is not there. The picture of God's throne looks like it is within
flames of fire .... nothing more should be added.
Deuteronomy 12:32 principle.
QUOTE
Deuteronomy 33:2,3 (KJV) says,
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto
Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right
hand went a fiery law [Heb. esh dath] for them, 3 Yea, He loved
the people; all His saints are in Thy hand; and they sat down at
Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words.
Note that it is not merely the law, but a "fiery law." Esh is the
Hebrew word for fire, and dath means decree, command, or law.
Take special note also that this law is said to come from His
right hand - and then it says that "all His saints are in His
hand." As we will show later, His saints are the ones called to
administer the law, because they are the ones in whose hearts the
divine law is written. That is why both the law and His saints
are identified as being in the hand of God. But for now it is
enough to see that the law itself is characterized as FIRE.
MY ANSWER
***The law was written with the finger of God, as written
(Deut.5:22). Here it is given as a fiery law. The saint are
connected with the law. Yes, indeed, the true children of God
will have the law written in their hearts and minds as the New
Covenant prophesied it would be so (Jer.31:31-34 with Heb.8:6-
13). The connection of law and saints does go hand in hand with
God, the two cannot be separated. As I prove in many studies on
my Website.
QUOTE
When God appeared on Mount Sinai to give the people the divine
law, He was also visible only as FIRE. Deuteronomy 4:36 says.
Page 2 of 4
FIRE. Deuteronomy 4:36 says,
Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you;
and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His
words from the midst of the fire.
In other words, the law was spoken and went forth from the midst
of the fire on the mount. This is the meaning of the fire going
forth from the throne of God as a river of fire upon the people.
MY ANSWER
***When God came down on Mount Sinai He came within visible fire,
the people could see it, they heard His voice etc. So yes God can
be fire or come within fire, as He appeared to Moses in the
burning bush. Yes his hand can be as fire, and He can write the
Ten commandment as with fire. His throne is as within fire. So
indeed "fire" is connected many times with God.
QUOTE
David used this same terminology in Psalm 18:7,8, referring to
the day at Mount Sinai when God gave the law to the people:
7 Then the earth shook and quaked; and the foundations of the
mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry. 8
Smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire from His mouth
devoured; coals were kindled by it.
MY ANSWER
*** There is nothing in the CONTEXT of Psalm 18 to say this was
THE day when God came down on Mount Sinai; by implication it
could be INCLUDED, as could many other times, up to the time of
David, when God SHOOK the earth and heaven in different ways at
different times, see the context. David uses this context to
describe how God saved him from distress and his enemies, see the
previous verses and the ones that follow. Context and context and
more context is part of the key to correct Bible reading and
understanding.
QUOTE
How does fire come from God's mouth? Is it not by means of His
Words? These passages were not meant to portray a literal fire in
Moses' day, nor in Daniel's day, nor in John's day.
MY ANSWER
***Not so! There were times when God used literal fire to mark
His work. How could anyone forget about Elijah and the prophets
of Baal and the fire that God used to answer the prayer of Elijah
(1 Kings 18). And there is a spirit type of fire that God used
with the burning bush when He wanted to speak to Moses. And there
is what to the human mind appears as fire around the throne of
God in heaven.
QUOTE
The prophet tells us in Jeremiah 23:29,29 - Is not My word like
fire? declares the Lord, and like a hammer which shatters a rock?
There are two kinds of fire: earthly and divine. The earthly type
of fire burns the flesh-body. The divine fire burns "the flesh"
in our souls, as it purifies us by means of discipline.
MY ANSWER
***Sure God uses "types" and "analogies" - Here in Jeremiah God
likens His word to fire, that burns away the dross, that
purifies, that cleans the sin from righteousness, truth from
falsehood.
QUOTE
Deuteronomy 5:25,
Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us;
if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we
shall die.
They did not understand the difference between literal fire and
the character of God. They did not see that a literal fire burns
the bodily flesh, but the all-consuming fire of God only destroys
"the flesh" that we ought to submit to Him for destruction
anyway. Are they not like so many Christians today, who still do
not know the difference? We think the fire of God is for the
purpose of destroying US, when in fact, its purpose is to destroy
our "flesh," by way of divine discipline.
Christ said, "Everyone shall be salted with fire." That's why
believers are Judged by the SAME fiery law in 1 Cor 3:15.
MY ANSWER
***They did see fire. If it was literal or spirit (as in the
burning bush) we are not told. They did believe if they continued
within all that was happening, they would die. They believed they
would literally die. The truth is God also said they would
literally die if .... see Exodus 19:16-21, note verse 21, the
last words. When you see something you cannot explain or that is
so mighty and powerful, you can believe you will die, if it
continues, such is the mind of man. But it would also have been
literal if they broke through to gaze. Yes, they were not
"converted" or in the right mind-set to be with God, as Moses
was. And it is true that God uses the "type" as with fire, to
teach us lessons, as being tried with fire, purged with fire,
cleaned and tested as with fire, that burns away the dross. That
is the teaching, the correcting, the word of God, to purify us
spiritually. All of that is used in Scripture within its own
CONTEXT and teaching.
QUOTE
So what do you believe the lake symbolizes, and do you agree with
what I have said. Actually this was mostly the words of Dr.
Stephen Jones at Gods-Kingdom- Ministries.org
Thanks for your time.
MY ANSWER
***I DO and I do NOT! Some is correct, Some is not correct. All
and each must be taken within its own context, as to what that
context is teaching, some context is teaching nothing but the
picture in the human mind as to how to describe the throne of
God, in human terms.
As for the "lake of fire" - if you are thinking of Revelation
20:15, it means what it says in the CONTEXT! The Bible teaches a
SECOND DEATH - a fire that burns up the wicked to be ashes under
the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:1-3). Those who refuse
salvation will at the end of the 1,000 year age and White Throne
Judgment, find themselves in the second death. They will be
physical, they will stand before the judgement seat of Christ, be
rewarded according to their works - sin, wickedness, un-repented
wickedness and so earn - death (Rom.6:23) in the lake of fire
that shall spread around the earth to consume the very physical
matter of the surface of the earth, and all that is physical
shall be no more (2 Peter 3:10-13). Then will come the new earth
and the new heaven; then will come the heavenly Jerusalem; then
will come the Father, to dwell with His immortal children for all
eternity (Revelation 21,22).
Such is the clever teaching of some to deceive the truth of God,
used by some to "spiritualize" everything and believe in no
literal - in this case, no literal fire of the second death, and
so as the sender of the email wrote to me later, believing in
UNIVERSAL salvation for everyone who has ever lived or will live,
which then to such believers they have to figure what the "lake"
is, now they have spiritualized away the fire. The Bible has MANY
verses showing God does NOT teach universal salvation. You must
read ALL the Bilble from Genesis to Revelation, and not just
selected passages to "proof text" your theology.
You have seen how (by very clever manipulation and adding or
subtracting from the word of the Lord) as some atheists say, "You
can make the Bible say anything you want it to say."
Such is NOT the case! The Bible does not say anything you want it
to say. There are rules of correct Bible reading and under-
standing. Those rules are given in many studies dealing with
correct Bible study, on this Website.
Keith Hunt
