The Fire of Judgement
Jesus came to bring fire to the earth. His own words proclaim it in Luke 12:49. And maybe he was talking about the fire of judgment.
Fire From Heaven
If we go back into the old Testament in Second Kings, there's an interesting story of Elijah being summoned by Ahaziah an idolatrous King of Israel. The king sends a troop of men to go and fetch Elijah. And Elijah says, “If I'm a man of God, my fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50 men.” And fire falls down and consumes them. And this happens again to another troop that the king sends out, until the third troop come to Elijah and the captain falls on his knees and says, “Man of God, please have respect for our lives and don't let the fire fool and consume us.” Then in verse 15, the Angel of the Lord, which as we know is Jesus before he came on the earth, appears to Elijah and says, “Go down with him, don't be afraid.” And so Elijah goes.
Two Fires
And this story just stunned me as I read it. And it occurred to me how this is such a contrast to what we spoke of yesterday, the fire on the day of Pentecost.
I think you can either choose the fire of judgment -like these men who were serving a wicked king and doing wicked things - or you can have the fire of the Holy Spirit for those who turn from their sin and give their lives to God and are anointed by Him.
Jesus Spoke of a Fiery Hell
Now, I'm not saying that fire is actually going to fall down on the earth now like it did then. It might, but I don't think that's what's going to happen. But Jesus did speak of a fiery place with weeping and gnashing of teeth, for those who don't believe. He did say in Matthew 25 that he's going to split the true believers from the false ones and the false ones who are cursed will be sent into an eternal fire.
And of course, right at the end of the Bible, Revelation 20:14, we read about finally when death itself and hell is thrown into a lake of fire. And anybody whose name is not in the Book of Life is also thrown into the lake of fire.
This is heavy stuff, but friends, we can't ignore it. It's in God's Word.
Choose Your Fire
And so the question is, which fire will you choose? The fire of the Holy Spirit giving you life, giving you power, setting you aside for God or the fire of judgment?
I pray that you will make the right choice.
