Hello, John and Doves,
As
the Second Coming of Yeshua HaMashiach grows near, we must put away
grumbling against the LORD, for the time is short and He will not delay
when He comes. [Habakkuk 2:3]
It is written, following the LORD’s judgment of Aaron’s sons,
36And the Lord said to Moses, 37“Tell
Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pull all the incense burners from
the fire, for they are holy. Also tell him to scatter the burning coals.
38Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in the Lord’s presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel.”
39So
Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had
been used by the men who died in the fire, and he hammered them into a
thin sheet to overlay the altar. 40This would warn the Israelites that no unauthorized person—no one who was not a descendant of Aaron—should ever enter the Lord’s presence to burn incense. If anyone did, the same thing would happen to him as happened to Korah and his followers. So the Lord’s instructions to Moses were carried out.
41But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” 42As
the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned
toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the
glorious presence of the Lord appeared.
43Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, 44and the Lord said to Moses, 45“Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.
46And
Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning
coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among
the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord. The Lord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”
47Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. 48He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped. 49But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah. 50Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
Numbers 16:36-50 NLT
Clearly, purifying fire comes from the LORD only.
Witness the words of this song:
Purify my heart
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold
Chorus:
Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/brian_doerksen/refiners_fire.html
And yet, where is the priest when we need to be cleansed right now, in the middle of the night?
Thank God, it is written,
11So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended,
why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in
the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?
12And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. 13For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. 14What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.
Jesus Is like Melchizedek
15This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. 16Jesus
became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging
to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be
destroyed. 17And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
18Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
20This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
“The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow:
‘You are a priest forever.’”
22Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.
23There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
26He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.27Unlike
those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every
day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the
people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the
sacrifice for the people’s sins. 28The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
Hebrews 7:11-28 NLT
And
it is the same Priest-King, Yeshua [“YHVH is deliverance”] HaMashiach
[The Anointed One], who is coming for us, according to the appointed
time [Moed—plural: Moedim http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev3.htm].
Oh, and by the way, 5774 is correct for an absolute counting of the age of the universe to this date [http://www.aish.com/ci/sam/Echoes-of-the-Big-Bang.html#at_pco=smlwn-1.0&at_tot=1&at_ab=per-14&at_pos=0]. Therefore, the Moedim hold true as well.
Back
to the issue at hand: Why is the LORD’s refining fire so
prescribed? Is it really available in the middle of the night?
It is written,
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out.
The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange
the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace
offerings.13Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
Leviticus 6:12-13 ESV
Clearly, the fire should not be put out, because the LORD Himself has kindled it:
22Then
Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he
came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the
peace offerings.23And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.24And fire came out from before the Lord
and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and
when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Leviticus 9:22-24 ESV
Let’s take a look at Isaiah.
4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.5And
I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:4-7 ESV
Enough, Mikey! What in all tarnation does this have to do with Biblical Prophecy?
I thought you’d never ask.
It is written,
The Coming Day of Judgment
1
“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before
me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3He
will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will
purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may
once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
5“At
that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all
sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat
employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who
deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do
not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
A Call to Repentance
6“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Malachi 3:1-7 NLT
Again, it is written,
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8 ESV
~Blessings,
Mike