BY FIRE!
by Ray Prinzing

"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.

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