#356.23

THE BURNING BUSH

The first seven verses of the third chapter of Exodus tells us a phenomenal story about Moses and the burning bush that was not consumed by the flames.

"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 

"And the angel (Heb. malawk: messenger) of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 

"And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 

"And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place whereon you stand is holy ground. 

"Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 

"And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 

"And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land unto a good land and a large land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites."   Exodus 3:1-7.

The fire in the bush is identified as both,  a messenger of the LORD and God Himself. Biblical scholars have said that since the bush was made of wood, it is a type of humanity, and we hold to that view as well. So let us look a bit more closely in this light. We cannot help from noticing that the bush of many leaves, many people, was not consumed, so this particular bush not only represents something holy and beyond natural limitations; but also the many membered body of Christ from whom God speaks. Moreover, that glorious body is seen to have been transformed by the refining fires of God and blazing with His glory. This type is more clear in Romans 8:18-23 where Paul reveals the purpose of those messengers who are transformed, manifested sons of God.

Fire can be a terrible bane, especially to those who are made of wood and have no control over the flames when subjected to them. Such as, when God descended upon Mount Sinai as fire. His presence was shielded from Israel's carnal eyes by the menacing billows of smoke, like the smoke of a furnace. Exodus 19:18. "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." Exodus 24:17..

Boundaries had been set to keep the people back. A message was also sent to warn them against breaking through to gaze, lest the fire should come upon them. There was no harm as long as they kept outside the danger zone. However, when Moses entered into the very heart of it, it didn't singe a hair of his head. He was injured no more than when God stationed Himself in the midst of the flaming acacia bush that burned without being consumed. Not one leaf withered, nor a parched twig singed. As it is with the sons of God, they are not hurt by the second death, the lake of fire; for they are in fact the flaming brimstone that makes up that transforming lake.

For certain God is a consuming fire; but only to certain elements who abide in their natural environment. Notwithstanding, there are things that will not burn, not even in this consuming fire; such as silver, gold, and precious stones. They all can remain in that fire, and there will be no ill to come upon them.

The overcomers, the elect of God, consumes all who are cast into this unquenchable fire of God’s love, as our hearts are ravished and we open our entire being to Him. First, He has entered into us, He becomes a consuming fire. This transforming Godfire, of course, does not consume us; but it certainly consumes carnal minds, evil, and everything contrary to Him.

With that, it can be gladly said that we dwell in God's devouring fire and walk in His everlasting burnings. Isaiah 33:14.

 What a burning! What a burning as all darkness goes up in smoke and flames! At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of things in heaven, and of things in earth, as well as things under the earth. Every tongue will gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Let us now declare, be ye burned oh deplorable earth. Be consumed even to the depths of our being. Any and all of everything that is not in God's image and likeness cease and desist in the midst of His Holy Flames. Therewith, the new seed can be sown in the new earth that will bring for the Kingdom from on High in every quadrant of the earth, inwardly and outwardly.

Let these hallowed words of fire also consume every part and parcel of unsanctified religion that exalts itself unto the heavens but is of the earth, earthy. Only that which is sacred can receive the refreshing rain and dew from Your bountiful heavens. father, if necessary, send forth Your fire-brand judgments like great hail stones of a talent in weight. Also, let each of them fall with Your radiant truth upon your elect and even to the utmost parts of Your creation. And upon wheresoever they fall will grind to powder any vile in us, as well as the whole world. Send your loving judgments until not one atom of the old Adam can be found in any of Your Heavens and New Earth.

Not withstanding, there was an anomaly with the burning bush. It deviated from what would be normal, or expected; therewith, the burning bush was not consumed, which of course, caught the attention of Moses. For how can a bush burn and not be consumed? This was surely the question that caused him to turn aside to see this marvel. So likewise, it will surely be when the burning bush of God's flaming sons is beheld in the wilderness of the world. Those following after God will be astonished and also be drawn to those flaming leaves of Christ's many-membered bush. They, of course, like the one Moses beheld will be a manifestation of the fire of the Lord, and in the same manner, not consumed. Of course, they cannot be harmed by the fire that possesses them round about. For they are His members which cannot be hurt by the flames, especially since they are the flames. We see the same scenario with the Lake of Fire which is comprised of everything and everyone that is Godfire personified!

When the sons of God are manifested, of whom Paul wrote about in Romans 8:18-21, those wonderful people that knew primarily the Law of Moses will surely be the next to also turn aside and see this marvel. In doing so, they will hear the voice of God their Father from that burning bush of many voices resounding as one.

Until now, most of the world has rejected the Lord. They not only have not wanted to hear about God, but much less, they do not want to hear Him for themselves. Not only the world; but many Christians have rejected Him. One example is that the many who do embrace Him are like Israel at the base of Mount Sinai:

"And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." Exodus 20:18-19.

That was no different than reading the scriptures without the anointing of the Spirit, or relying on pastors to preach the letter of the word to them.

As time marches on, not only are more than a few not anxious to hear God for themselves, for their fear of Him has been given over to indifference or traditional idolatry which has been grounded deep in their way of thinking. And when the fiery judgments come upon them, "They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them..." Ezekiel 15:7.

This verse shows how those who refuse the dealings of God by fire will face it later, and they will know that He is the Lord as He rules in the kingdoms of men and sets His face against them. Truly, the creature is not his own savior nor the captain of his own destiny; for God has deemed it otherwise.

Having been falsely taught has caused many to refuse the fire of affliction, even calling it the work the devil. But the godly fires they reject will come to them later, but not only to them, it will eventually come to the world as well. With God's punitive, yet merciful judgment, consider 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 where one man was turned over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh that he might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. That man could not escape the fires of the Lord, and in this case, it was Satan, the man's great adversary that served God's holy purpose.

You see, Satan is subject to God in every facet of his being. There's no such thing as the omnipotent God wringing His hands and trying to figure out a way to defeat this terrible foe. This liar, accuser, and murder from his beginning is as much a tool in His hand as any other of His created beings whether flesh or spirit.

But back to our point of the burning bush, which is typical of the manifestation of the sons of God, they will cause the whole world to come forward to be judged. Those having been born of His Spirit will take off their leather bound shoes that separates and insulates them from the holiness of God, and as it was with Moses after he turned aside, their lives will be changed forever.

You see, to turn aside in the Hebrew means to repent, turn around, reverse direction. And we can count on it to be so with the firstfruits, those at His coming, the end rank of the others, and then all creation. (rf. 1 Corinthians 15:23). This will come to be even if it takes Godfire or averse fire to make it so.

We rejoice that it is the Lord who does all the cleansing, refining and purifying, and we receive it with joyfulness. He has chosen many people in times past, as well as today, to be refined and to overcome all things. It is He in them that touches the core of their being. If they do it on their own, apart from Him, they would be their own saviors. With such, they would have no need of Him.

Surely, this buffeting plays a major part of bringing us to the transfiguration of the sons of God. In the Lamsa translation of Hebrews 5:8 and Matthew 17:2 we read that: "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." "And Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes turned white like light."

Shining as the sun, He manifested the fire of God, His clothes radiated the light of His full glory. And do we think it will be any less after our suffering is finished and our time comes like His was upon the mountain? No difference at all. Like Big Brother, like little brothers!

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:27. His fire is in the form of lightning. In this case of prophecy concerning His coming was in judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70 by Titus' Roman army. Quite a number of those walking and living in Him, believe He was speaking also of our day, which certainly have close similarities.

We are aware that there are cherubim of the Lord with flaming swords that keep the way to the Tree of Life in Paradise as noted in Genesis 3:24. Of course, these cherubim are not ultimately to keep people out of the Garden of God; but only to let those in who have no flesh or carnal nature left in them. No corruption shall enter God's Paradise.

At the end of the age, the sons will be the very fire of God—the express image of His person. As lightning goes from the east unto the west, so the sons shall cover all the earth. Standing as angels of the Lord (similar to Exodus 3 in the burning bush), they shall be instrumental in releasing creation from the bondage of corruption.

 DEVOURING FIRE AND EVERLASTING BURNINGS      

“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 (Hebrew: *ôlâm, age-lasting, for the age) burnings?” Isaiah 33:14.

We see that the question suggests that there is a people who can live in the fires of God, and verse 15 verifies it:

 "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."

We should not fear the holy flames of God; for this is one of the things with which He makes His people overcomers. In one place John the Baptist said that Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and (Grk kai, even) fire, indicating that His Holy Spirit is the same as Fire. Matthew 3:11. Shy not from the fiery trials; for truly, it is by fire He purifies His people and even brings the worst of to Godly sorrow that works repentance unto salvation. Frankly, the fire of God is a great place to be; for it is therein where we dwell with Him, or it will be that which brings to the person a deeper, richer life.

Malachi poses a similar question as that of Isaiah. He asked: "...Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like A REFINER'S FIRE...." Malachi 3:2.

It is no longer a mystery that the appearing of the Lord is in His corporate body of the firstfruits, the express manifestation of His person. These are the ones who can abide in His devouring fire and everlasting burnings. Since they are one with Him, as flames of fire, they are delighted to be in the midst of His glorious GODFIRE!

Elwin R. Roach