Fire

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a two church BBQ. One church was Brazilian. BBQ is their specialty so if you ever receive an invitation to one, take it. In addition, our host took me on a canoe ride where we saw a beaver dam. After dark he built a little fire and several of us gathered around it. Not satisfied with its size, he dumped a lot of wood on top. We had been sitting maybe four or five feet away. As the fire grew hotter, we kept backing up, doing this three or four times. This reminded me of the story in Daniel 3 where Daniel's three friends are thrown into the midst of the fiery furnace. Verse 22 says that the fire was so hot that the men of Nebuchadnezzar that threw in the Israelites were themselves consumed by the flames.
Fire is a common motif found in Scripture. Psalm 104.4 says that God "makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire." (ESV) Exodus relates the story of the burning bush that is not consumed, and the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites by night on their journey. Jeremiah compares the Word of God to fire in 23:29. John the Baptist says that One will come after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. ( Matt. 3:11)
Finally Jesus refers to "hell, the unquenchable fire." (Mark 9:43 ESV) "And if anyone's name was not found in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15 ESV) This is what we, in the church, no longer talk about. "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29 ESV)