THE THREE ANGELS’ MESSAGES

14. GOD’S CONSUMING FIRE

GOD’S PUNISHMENT BY FIREREVELATION 14:9-11

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

IS THIS FIRE EVERLASTING?LUKE 17:28-30

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Same punishment: REVELATION 14:9-11?GENESIS 13:13

But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

WHAT WICKEDNESS WAS SODOM & GOMORRAH GUILTY OF?

GENESIS 19:5 [Guilty: Sexual immorality] And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

GENESIS 19:33-35 [Guilty: Incest]And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; …Let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, [and] lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

SODOM & GOMORRAH: GUILTY OF VIOLENCE

GENESIS 19:9And they said, Stand back. And they said [again], This one [fellow] came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, [even] Lot, and came near to break the door.

EZEKIEL 16:49, 50 [Guilty: Covetousness & selfishness] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, …neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw [good].

WHERE DID THE FIRE COME FROM?GENESIS 19:24, 25

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

• Third angel’s message: Fire and brimestone [REVELATION 14:10].

• Third angel’s message: Smoke ascends for ever and ever [REVELATION 14:11].

• Third angel’s message: Wicked being tormented[REVELATION 14:10]

SIMILARITIES: SODOM & THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE?

• Angelic visitations: Messages of warnings prior to the cities destruction

• Messages delivered: Precise order as those of REVELATION 14:9-11?

Illustration: Sodom & Gomorrah probable or possible …REVELATION 14:9-11?

• First: Fire and brimestone descends & destroys the wicked

• Second: Smokes ascend to heaven

DOES THE BIBLE EVER CONTRADICT ITSELF?

JUDE 1:7Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

2 PETER 2:6

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.

HARMONIZATION: BURNING BY ETERNAL FIRE AND REDUCING TO

ASHES?Are the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah still burning

right now?

Have the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah being reduced to ashes?

Fire: Eternal results

HAS THIS ETERNAL FIRE EVER GONE OUT?

DEUTERONOMY 4:23, 24Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, [or] the likeness of any [thing], which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God [is] a consuming fire, [even] a jealous God.• How long has he [God] been a consuming fire?

HEBREWS 12:28, 29Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God [is] a consuming fire.

DWELLERS: FIREPROOF!EXODUS 24:15-17

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

REVELATION 15:2

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire:…

UNRIGHTEOUS/WICKED: GOD’S CONSUMING FIRE

MALACHI 4:1-3

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.

GOD’S CONSUMING FIRE: ROOT NOR BRANCH

MATTHEW 15:13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

JOHN 8:44Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

1 JOHN 3:8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.

CONSUMING FIRE: SUSTAINER

JOHN 15:1, 2I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

GOD’S CONSUIMING FIRE: NADAB & ABIHU

LEVITICUS 10:2And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

• Is the experience of Nadab and Abihu going to be similar to the end-time destruction by fire?

• Were they drunk with wine prior to their destruction?

• Are the inhabitants of earth going to be drunk with wine prior to their destruction?

• Will this allow them to distinguish between the HOLY and UNHOLY?

GOD’S CONSUMING FIRE: VENGENCE ON THE DISOBEDIENT

2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-9

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from

heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

REVELATION 20:9, 10And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

MATTHEW 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels....

PARABLE: SOWER AND THE SEED

–Sower

–Birds

THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE: CHOOSE GOD’S SIDE

REVELATION 6:15-17And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

REVELATION 7:3

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

WHO WILL LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD’S CONSUMING FIRE?

ISAIAH 33:14-16

...Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure.

2 PETER 3:10-14 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

MATTHEW 5:8

Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

ISAIAH 33:17

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

ISAIAH 33:14

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

1 JOHN 3:2, 3

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

HEBREWS 12:28, 29Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God [is] a consuming fire.

THREE HEBREWS BOYS: FIREPROOF CHARACTER

PSALMS 119:9, 11

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed [thereto] according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

A FIREPROOF CHARACTER: FIREPROOF ENVIRON

EPHESIANS 5:25-27Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

METAMORPHOSIS: CREATURES

1. Caterpillar: Butterfly…?

2. Tad pole: Frog…?

3. Chameleon…?

4. Cow…?