God’s Holy Spirit power is symbolized and manifested by natural phenomena such as: wind, water or rain, oil, the dove…fire. As I was doing devotionals on the morning of 05/23/2006, I began to receive revelation about God’s holy fire! While at work that day I began writing it down, as able. Then on the evening of the day of Pentecost 06/03/2006, my son Timothy mentioned Holy Spirit (HS) fire. And on 06/24/06, my 3-year-old grandson Gabriel even said, “Holy Spirit is fire”!
Fire and light are interrelated. 1Ti.6:16 God dwells in unapproachable light which physical eyes cannot see! Ex.33:20-23 the Lord told Moses no man can see the glorious brightness of God’s face and live.
Fire was sometimes present while God interacted with the ancients. In Ge.15:7-10, 17-18, the Lord had a flaming torch pass among the sacrificial pieces as He ‘cut a covenant’ with Abrám. Ex.3:1-6 the Messenger of YHVH appeared to Moses in a burning bush which didn’t burn up. Ex.13:21-22 the HS led ancient Israel in pillars of cloud and fire. De.4:10-15, 24 Christ had spoken the Decalogue from the midst of fire atop the mountain or volcano. He is awesome…the genuine fire-God of Light!
Remarkably, the Lord commanded Moses/Israel that the fire on the altar (for burnt offerings, etc.) in His central sanctuary complex was to never quit burning! Le.6:8-13 “Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.”
What made this fire so significant, that it should never be extinguished? That very fire supernaturally came forth from God! Le.9:23-24 “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offerings. The people saw it and fell on their faces.” Fire from the Lord fell upon His altar…amazing!
The priest was to put wood to burn on the altar every morning, so that fire wouldn’t go out (Le.6:12). That continual fire, originating from God, was to be used for their communal sacrifices. No substitute fire was authorized!
Le.10:1-2 Nadáb & Abihú (sons of Aaron the priest, and nephews of Moses) were even supernaturally put to death for not using God’s holy fire (the flames on the altar) with their offering!
Tradition says a glowing, burning coal from God’s holy fire (Le.9:24) was carried in a special vessel all during their wilderness wanderings. So that fire wouldn’t completely go out. It was then rekindled on the altar, when the tabernacle was set up at the next encampment.
On the annual Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, the high priest must take incense with coals of that fire into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, lest he die! Le.16:12-13 “He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar, and bring it inside the veil.” (see “Day of Atonement”.)
God authorized His pilgrim feasts be kept only at the central sanctuary, where God’s fire burned on the altar. This was where Christ the Lord ‘dwelt’ above the cherubim atop the ark! (ref De.12:11-12, 14:23, 16:11; 2Sm.6:2; 2Ch.6:38; Ps.80:1.) Those feasts were to be kept at no other location or altar; only at the sole place where God’s Name and holy fire was. (Eventually that place was Jerusalem.)
Jsh.22:10-34 although the Israelite tribes east of the Jordan River built a large monument of witness which resembled an altar, no national or festal sacrifices were done there. It wasn’t rebellion or an alternative site.
Fire from God fell elsewhere in the Holy Land on occasion (but not for Day of Atonement or pilgrim feast purposes). Individual common altars were allowed for the private worship of YHVH, if they weren’t made from cut stones (ref De.16:21 & Ex.20:25). Jg.6:19-21 supernatural fire consumed Gideon’s offering in the presence of the Messenger of the Lord. Jg.13:18-21 the messenger of YHVH ascended in the flame of Manóah’s offering. God’s Messenger or Name was there for the above two offerings. (Ge.4:4-5 possibly fire had fallen on Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s.)
1Ch.21:26 fire from heaven fell upon David’s burnt & peace offerings on Mt Moriáh (2Ch.3:1)! In 1Ki.18:36-39, fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s burnt offering at Mt Carmél! (see the topic “Mountaintop Experiences With God”.) In 2Ki.2:11-12, Elijah himself went up to heaven by fire.
But neither Gideon, nor Samson’s father Manoah, not even Elijah, nor anyone in the Old Testament or New Testament was authorized to keep pilgrim feasts away from the city of the national sanctuary altar! see the topic “Feasts of the Lord and the Jews”. Israelites brought their sin & guilt offerings to the sanctuary at pilgrim feast times. All sin & guilt offerings…and most burnt, grain and peace offerings…must be sacrificed at that one altar of holy fire! They were most holy (ref Ex.40:10; Le.2:10, 6:17, 14:13). see “Sacrifices and Burnt Offerings”.
However, at some point prior to King Solomon, the sacred fire from heaven on the central sanctuary altar was no longer kept burning by the priests.
So…heavenly fire fell again on the altar at Solomon’s dedication of God’s Temple (circa 990 BC)! 2Ch.7:1-3 “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.” Fresh fire from God! The glory of the Lord was so great on this occasion, the priests couldn’t stand to minister (2Ch.5:13-14)!
After Solomon’s reign, King Jeroboám of the northern kingdom of Israel disobeyed God by wrongly setting up a false feast in Bethél…apart from the altar of holy fire in Jerusalem. As Jeroboam attempted to offer other fire, his hand withered and his Bethel altar was supernaturally split apart! (ref 1Ki.12:32-33, 13:1-5.) 1Ki.13:4-5 “His hand dried up so he could not draw it back to himself. The altar was split apart and the ashes poured out.” The Lord didn’t authorize His feasts at any location separate from His sanctuary holy fire!
But when the temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnézzar, the holy fire on the altar was again extinguished. The Jews were sent into captivity to Babylon.
Many decades after the captivity, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Persia. Miracle fire (from naphtha) once again burned sacrifices on the altar. ref 2Mac.1:18-35. A wood offering was mandated for Jews returning to Jerusalem, to keep that altar fire burning (cf. Ne.10:34 & Le.6:12).
The Orthodox Study Bible comments on 2Mac.1. “This is a letter from Jews in Jerusalem to Jews in Egypt concerning Hánukkah…which celebrates fire and light.” Hanukkah is the annual 8-day feast in December which commemorates Judas Maccabéus’ rededication of the temple ca 165 BC. Since it isn’t one of God’s pilgrim feasts, the man-ordained Hanukkah (also called the Feast of Lights) may be celebrated away from the city of the sanctuary altar (Jerusalem). This December festival became a simulation of sorts or a substitute for the 8-day October pilgrim Feast of Booths/Feast of Tabernacles (FOT) for Jews living too far from Jerusalem…since keeping a FOT away from the central sanctuary/altar would violate God’s written word. see “Feast of Booths”.
Le.23:39-42 native born Israelites in the Holy Land were required to dwell in booths at the FOT. Some Jews in Egypt went up to Jerusalem for pilgrim feasts, e.g. Ac.2:10. But many Jews in the diáspora never could afford the long journey.
Even Philo of Alexandria (in Egypt) went to Jerusalem only once in his entire life (ref On Providence 2.64, p.755)! Jews aren’t allowed to keep a FOT in Alexandria or Cairo! Zec.14:16-18 keeping an (October) FOT in Egypt would violate God’s written law…it must be kept in Jerusalem only. The 2Mac.1 letter comforted & exhorted those Jews in Egypt to just rejoice in keeping Hanukkah, instead of bemoaning there’s no (authorized) FOT in Egypt!
{Sidelight: Interestingly, from 500–400 BC a Jewish temple for offerings stood at Elephántine in Egypt. And from 170 BC a Jewish temple for offerings stood at Leontópolis/Heliópolis in Egypt, until the Romans destroyed it in 73 AD. It is uncertain whether Is.19:19-20 pertains to one of these temples. Perhaps both were the substitutionary works of religious men?}
Fire also purifies, and it symbolizes the HS. Is.6:1-8 Isaiah’s lips were purified by a burning coal from the Lord’s heavenly altar. Mal.3:1-3 prophesied the Lord (Jesus) would purify as the refiner’s fire. In Jn.5:33-35, Jesus referred to John the Baptizer, a type of Elijah, as a “burning lamp”. Mt.3:11-12 John the Baptizer said that Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The fire relates to purifying, anointing, and destroying.
Ac.2:1-4 the Holy Spirit anointing was given in Jerusalem on Pentecost as tongues of fire. v.14-18 Spirit-filled believers would have dreams & visions and will prophesy!
Fire from heaven was also sent upon the ungodly. e.g. Ge.19:24 fire was sent on wicked Sodom & Gomorrah. 2Ki.1:9-15 fire was sent upon the soldiers who were deployed to capture Elijah.
Ezk.22:20-31 prophesied the fire of God’s wrath upon greedy prophets & priests who are unfaithful to the Lord’s commands and who speak falsely. He.12:29 “Our God is a consuming fire.”
I’ve seen Christian author Tommy Tenney speak a few times. In The Godchasers, 1998, p.1-16, he related his 10/20/1996 experience of witnessing the acrylic pulpit in a Houston church be split in half by a lightning bolt from God! (www.evanwiggs.com/revival/history/penpulp.html) After reading Tenney’s description of the amazing incident, it brought to mind Jeroboam’s altar that split apart in ancient Bethel/Israel (1Ki.13:5)! The split altar of Jeroboam was a powerful sign of God’s disapproval.
Was the split pulpit in that Houston church a sign of God’s disapproval of some people present? Was God’s presence there a sign of His approval of others present? Both? Tommy Tenney indicated that he himself wasn’t as affected physically as some others were. It seems the Houston manifestation caused awe & reverence in the hearts of Tenney and ones close to God…but terrified those who desperately needed to repent. The Lord wants His people to repent of all sin, and to seek His face!
My father told the story of a big tornado which hit eastern Illinois in 1917, shortly before he was born. Some of the cattle were even picked up by the winds and set down in Indiana across the nearby Wabash River! The local rural church was completely demolished by the tornado, all walls blown away. Except…only the pulpit remained intact. It was standing there with the Bible still open to the same page where the preacher had left it the previous Sunday! The word of the Lord endures forever.
Returning to my initial remarks…After I’d arrived to work that morning of 05/23/2006, the annual fire drill was unexpectedly sounded throughout the building a few hours later! It seemed fitting.
May the Lord purify our hearts, and empower us with burning zeal from the Holy Spirit! And the day will come…when we will be able to see His face and His glory in eternity!
Bible Topic Exposition 