Unquenchable Fire

(Last year's fire season I started this post.  I had better finish it and get it posted!) It has only been five days since we fought the biggest fire I have had to fight so far.  More than 100 acres were burned and more than 1,000 planted trees burned.  One person sprained both of his wrists when he landed very badly while trying to jump down from the water truck.
Sabbath morning I was to give the main message at church.  This fire that had just finally burned out the evening before was very, very fresh in each person's mind.  This fire reminds me of many examples that we can learn from.

Saturday morning as we sat around the kitchen table eating breakfast, we discussed what we could have done better.  My family has backpack sprayers that we keep full of water to help cool down the fire line so people can beat out the fire better.  The fire was SO HOT that it was keeping us too far away to be very effective for very long.  We could spray for only moments before we would have to retreat ourselves.  Our hands and bodies were catching way to much heat.  I decided to add another shirt to my "fire clothes", gloves to protect my hands from the heat, and we rounded up some fire helmets which would keep the heat off our faces and heads (or at least greatly reduce it).
Lesson 1: BE READY!  We got all of our supplies together and put them in the truck.  The wind was just too strong to ignore the fact that there were still some smoldering embers still out there.  It wouldn't take much for another fire to spring up.  Even though we were dressed for church, we took our boots, our clothes, our full water packs, and helmets.
Be ye also ready.   How do we be ready everything in spiritual matters?  Have we taken the time to store up and place the necessary supplies for the day's emergencies?  Have we spent time with the Master, taking in His character, love, and assurance?  We certainly will face emergencies throughout the day and need to draw from His sources.  If we don't have them stored up and ready, how can we use them?  We need to "be ye also ready" at all times.

Unquenchable Fire - That term has confused many people for many years.  Many people understand the term to me that it WON'T go out.  Some other people understand the term meaning you CAN'T put it out until it burns itself out.  We had a great example of that with this fire.  With the high winds, difficult terrain, and the extremely dry conditions, we could only fight the fire somewhat, but it was making gains faster than we were able control it.  It was unquenchable.  We could not quench this fire.  It has to burn itself out.  Our only option was to start back burns and allow it to finish itself out with all the fuel in its path, but in a more controlled manner.  That controlled manner was that we started small fires along another fire break where it was headed towards.  The fire was small as we lit it.  As it started to burn away from the break and towards the coming fire it grew larger and larger.  It was burning away from us, not towards the break, where it could have jumped (as it had already jumped three or four roads already.  The fire finally burned itself out, as we could not put it out.  It was a great example of UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.

Which version does the Bible support regarding "unquenchable fire"?  Sodom and Gomorrah were  burned with "unquenchable fire".  Are they still burning?  No.  They burned in a manner that could not be put out until the fire had finished its job of burning everything up.  In the book Malachi, instead of burning for ceaseless ages, the text indicates that those who refuse to accept Jesus will become ashes.  (Mal 4:3)  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.  There are MANY, many scriptures that point to "hell fire" being a solitary even that burns up and burns out.  Nobody in their right mind likes to see anything suffer and burn.  Why would we believe satan's lie about God burning people for endless ages?  No wonder so many people have turned away from a God like that.  My God, the real God, is the God of love.  Fire is very cleansing.  Sin will be burned up and away.  We could never enjoy ceaseless ages of "heaven" if we knew anybody was burning on and on and on.  Anyhow.  Don't take my word for it.  Check out ALL the Bible verses regarding Hell Fire, and pray.  God will lead you into all truth if you ask Him to, and are willing to accept it.  I can't say it better than many others who have put the verses together already.  Check out https://www.helltruth.com/ to get video, audio and reading material based on THE BIBLE, (not tradition, not theory).  (Beware of TRADITIONS.  The Bible gives MANY warnings about those, just one is here: (Mar 7:13)  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.)

Thanks for all the prayers.  This 2017 fire season has been better (we are more ready!)  We have more equipment this year, which had helped very, very much.  We have three backpack blowers, we have changed up the water truck to be more effective, and we have even pulled in the bulldozer on two fires.  We did still have to light another big back-burn though, and that fire still jumped.  That one was unquenchable also!  God gives us so many lessons each day.  I hope I am learning what He is teaching, and I hope that I can share some of the blessings He gives us. 

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Be ye also ready and don't be deceived by tradition.  Almost then ENTIRE world (especially the religious leaders of the day) were not ready when Jesus came the first time.  Do we really think we are smarter today?  Do we think Satan has gotten any less effective at deceiving people?  Could it be that the majority will believe a lie at the end of time just before Jesus comes again?  (Rev 12:9)  "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Luk 18:8)  "I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"


I'm so thankful that we can always trust the Bible - the whole Bible.  He is the Word, the Word made flesh.  I hope you know Jesus (the REAL Jesus as found throughout the WHOLE Bible.)  His is LOVE!  He is wonderful, and He loves you!  I hope you will get to know Him more and more each day, so you are ready to spend eternity with Him starting now!