why tongues of fire
It was Pentecost
and the disciples waited in prayer
Why exactly God used tongues of fire over the heads of the disciples on Shavuot / Pentecost is what we need to find out, by letting the Bible explain it itself. On this link that is coming up: What is the fire of God – I go through the word fire, which in Hebrew is es or pronounced aysh with strongs H784, if you want to deepen your understanding of what fire is, I recommend checking this out.
Here we will look at the fire part of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, John came to baptize with water, but Jesus came to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
In this article we focus on being God’s house and carrying his Holy Spirit. The entire Pentecost part will be another article and in the article about: What is the fire of God, there will be many of the questions we may have about fire, What is fire, what can go through fire, Why is God a consuming fire, Why does he look like fire, fire tests, types of fire, etc.
At home in God's house
God's holiness is what most distinguishes Him from sinful man.
God’s holiness is the reason why he is a consuming fire, it burns up everything unholy
The Bible uses the word temple most often with the word Beit YHWH or Beit Elohim which means the house of God, the place where God lives.
Or the word Tabernacle in Hebrew: Mishkan = The meeting place with God
Moses was instructed to make a tent – tabernacle after the image he saw in heaven already, it was to be a place where God lives here on earth, a meeting place between God and his people.
The tabernacle is God’s desire to live with us, right in the midst of us. Here we see God’s willingness to be with us, who are otherwise impure by sin. But whom He wants to make clean again, so that it may be possible for us to have close fellowship together.
The book of Leviticus is filled with purification rituals so that it is possible for the priests to enter the holy tent/tabernacle and for the high priest once a year in the Most Holy Place.
Before you can enter the tabernacle there is a fire altar and then a bronze basin with water, where hands and feet are washed, the Hebrew word for the bronze basin with water is: Keeyor which from its root word actually means furnace and is also to cleanse us, so in both places a purification takes place, which is a ritual act to sanctify oneself, to be able to come close to the presence of God, before you as a priest could enter the tabernacle.
The element Bronze is used in all the parts of the courtyard, but not inside the tabernacle, we will not go into depth with bronze here, but I can reveal that it has a connection to copper snakes, fire, something unclean and judgment, When we see bronze in the Bible it is often in connection with judgment. And it is beautiful when you remember the Bible verse John 3:14 which says that just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, so Jesus must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Jesus let all our judgment and disease be punished on him.
In the same way, man is cleansed before he can enter the sanctuary of God, this had to be done so that they would not die when they entered the presence and presence of God.
Now that we have passed through the 2 “fire ovens” in the courtyard, we are ready to enter the Tabernacle. We enter a room where it says:
3 fire elements of gold before the Most Holy Place:
Menorah: The candlestick that was always to burn, it is looked after morning and evening by the priests.
The table of bread, the bread of the Presence: The bread is baked in fire and there are 12 loaves in total, which are eaten and replaced every week.
The Altar of Incense: A special mixture of incense that was to burn constantly and only once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest took some of it into the Most Holy Place.
In the Most Holy Place, there is an Ark of the Testimony: In it are the Ten Commandments, manna from the wilderness journey and Aaron’s rod.
It is in the Holy of Holies that only once a year, blood is sprinkled 7 times on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Testimony, to make atonement for Israel for a year to come.
Stop for a moment and think about all the cleansing rituals we have just looked at, to be able to get close to God’s presence, God is truly Holy and different from our sinful nature.
The curtain that is before the Most Holy Place should also be thought of as having passed (the sword of fire in front of the Garden of Eden and the water of fire / shamayim) the “heavenly curtain” that separates us from God.
When we enter the Most Holy it is:
Back to the Garden of Eden, where we are reunited with God, where we are one with God.
It is the presence of God,
It is the throne of God.
It is heaven and earth united,
It is the ultimate Sabbath day!
So by studying the Tabernacle, we see what a life journey there is for us, to be reunited with God, there is much more too, very much 🙂
But to show that there are quite a few fire elements to go through, it also enlarges our understanding of the proper cleansing that is needed for it to be possible at all to enter the presence of God and not die on the way there.
We are God's house
Pentecost and the new temple with tongues of fire above it
You may be wondering what the house of God has to do with tongues of fire, well quite a lot, let’s take a closer look at it being the temple of God with fire above it.
It is no coincidence that over the Tabernacle in the wilderness the cloud of the Lord was over the dwelling by day and at night there was a pillar of fire above it.
This showed that God had taken up residence in the tabernacle, that God was present in the tabernacle. When the pillar lifted from the tabernacle, God’s people knew that it was time to pack up the tent and move on, where the pillar stopped, they had to set up the tent again. God led his people via the pillar, physical elements of water and fire.
When Solomon’s temple was dedicated, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
Picture it, fire falling from heaven and the glory of the Lord was over the temple
John the Baptist came to prepare the people to become a washed temple that was to be clean, but only Jesus could truly wash them clean and ready to receive the filling of His Holy Spirit.
Jesus says in Luke 12:49 I have come to cast fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled.
So what we see on the Day of Pentecost is a people that looks like a tabernacle with fire above them, like the tabernacle in the wilderness.
God’s Holy Spirit, God’s presence can only dwell in a cleansed house.
1. Our Tabernacle / house, which on Easter has been cleansed in Jesus’ blood = God’s lamb that was sacrificed on the altar.
2. Then on the Feast of Unleavened Bread we also go through a cleansing of 7 days, and if you read Leviticus there are many rituals associated with 7 days and in that way it shows us what is happening.
3. On the Feast of Firstfruits, Jesus rose and the power of death/sin over us was defeated. We are a new and clean Temple.
Jesus tore down the old temple and built a new one in 3 days. He ascended to the throne of God to show the finished work and take His place as the rightful King. May His kingdom come here on Earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus’ blood is continually presented before the Father on His throne and Jesus is our new High Priest.
4. Just as God’s people in the desert received God’s guidance (Torah) so that they could see how to live as God’s people, so on the same day that it is celebrated that the Torah was given, the same day we celebrate Pentecost, 7×7 days later, that was the day we received the guide, not on stone tablets, but God’s own Holy Spirit, now the Torah is written on our hearts, we have received a helper sent from Heaven itself, who will live in us and can always show us the way, the truth and the Life.
The pillar of fire is above us and shows us the way we should go!
Imagine that God Himself will take up residence in us!
God’s Holy Spirit shows us Jesus, we no longer follow a law on stone tablets, but a person who has fulfilled the entire legal requirement that was for us, in order to be in a covenant with God.
Jesus passed the test of fire
The path to the Holy of Holies is now possible.
When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the Tabernacle at the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom.
Just as there is a flaming sword of fire in front of the Garden of Eden that we cannot pass through = (The way back to God’s presence), Jesus now made it possible by going through the ordeal for us. He went through the ordeal and was tested and approved.
Let me close with a fantastic picture from the Bible.
And remember that when you sacrifice an animal on the altar before you can enter the tabernacle, the blood from the animal is first taken into a bowl before it is burned on the altar because otherwise there is no blood to sprinkle.
As we know from when we cook a roast, the blood will evaporate in the fire/heat.
Okay, so we’re ready to look at one of the cool fire stories with Elijah and then a comparison with Jesus.
1 Kings 18:38
King Ahab had sinned by forsaking the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals, so Elijah challenged them by having them meet on Mount Carmel, where 450 Baal prophets and 400 Asherah prophets came.
Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal by saying: If the Lord is God, then follow him, If it is Baal, then follow him. They were to find 2 bulls, cut them up and lay them on the wood without putting fire. Then they were to each call on the name of their God and the God who answers with fire, he is God.
Without putting fire, the prophets of Baal, later in the day, mocking Elijah, started by saying; Shout a little louder, He is a god who may have gone away to go to the “toilet” or perhaps he is sleeping, so they shouted louder, cut themselves with lances and swords, as was their custom, so that the blood flowed down them. But they got no answer.
Then Elijah took 12 stones, built an altar and made a large trench around the altar. He arranged the wood, cut the bull and laid it on the wood.
Got 4 jars of water filled over the bull and the wood 3 times, now the trench was full of water.
In the evening Elijah stepped forward and God answered him from heaven with fire, both the bull, the wood, the stones, the earth were consumed, yes even the water in the trench licked up
Here we see God’s response from heaven, both against the evil that was, God’s anger over sin, and where the sacrifice Elijah had given was completely consumed in God’s anger over sin, He shows who He is. A consuming fire that hates sin. A God who answers with fire.
The work of the cross is great, but have you ever thought about how great it is that Jesus lived a sinless life, He knew no sin, had no sin, but was tempted in all sin, He could never have become our savior if He had not gone through the test of life and in that way be the sinless sacrifice that would bring us salvation. That is GREAT!
Before Jesus was put on the Cross, He was already tested on our behalf, now it was to be tested whether the Sacrifice could be approved by God as the perfect sinless sacrifice, God’s own sacrifice. He shows what it means to die to self and live for God!
When Jesus was put on the fire, as God’s sacrificial lamb, all of God’s wrath came upon Jesus, sin had to be punished and judgment was passed. But the sacrifice was not made worse, no, just think when Jesus was dead, they stuck a sword into his side and out came blood and water.
This sacrifice could not be consumed, He was sinless, He passed the fire test for us, we have our security in Him. He has truly accomplished it.
Only because of Jesus are we clean and a new creation ready to have the Holy Spirit indwell us!
Sin is defeated in every way!
