As wild fires continue to burn in Arizona and hundreds of thousands of acres are scorched with homes and property destroyed, we mourn for losses but still are reminded of vanity of possessions and the temporal nature of everything physical. There are important Bible lessons that fires remind us about even as they rage in unstoppable fury.   It is worth remembering at these times that the Bible speaks of 2 final fires. These are the very last fires that mankind will ever experience. 

The two final fires in the Bible are the Fire of Hell and the Fire of those who make it to Heaven.

Revelation 20[11]  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [12]  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13]  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14]  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15]  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Fire of Hell is the eternal unending fire waiting for the unrepentant wicked, failures, backsliders and those fallen from grace. This is the fire that makes all other earth fires or pains appear as nothing. There are pains on earth either to succeed ... for indeed success in business, family and in ministry will cost all a price. There are also pains that the careless and slothful suffer and for wrong decisions.  This fire exceeds all these pains and losses.

I Corinthians 9[24]  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. [25]  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [26]  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: [27]  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Proverbs 22[29]  Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men .

Diligence often involves pain and going through fires.  Christian experience involves many fires ...but this final fire is infinitely worse.  There are also pains of failure ...these fires we bring upon ourselves. This final fire is also infinitely worse than this.

Proverbs 20[4]  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Proverbs 19[15]  Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Hosea 8[7]  For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

The Fire of Hell makes all pains of failure pale in comparison.  It makes all efforts and pains to stay on the narrow path appear negligible. A split second  in this fire will cause all who experience it to completely forget every other fire or pain they have ever encountered, watched or heard about.  The Bible reminds us of this fire not to scare us, but to encourage us to know we have been rescued from it ...but must similarly guard our salvation as it is indeed a precious and noble rescue action – not to be trifled with or mocked.  Imagine being trapped in a major fire raging in your neighbourhood and suddenly a fireman comes through and carries you out safe to a hovering helicopter up a ladder to safety.  Would you laugh or mock at him? Would you reject his rescue?  I bet you will only remind him of all the others still in the fire ( your family, loved ones, other neighbours, friends even enemies ) ...you know where they are and plead that they should also be rescued. May we have compassion for the lost and never disdain Christ or those He came to save.

There is also the second final fire for those that make it to Heaven.  This is the fire that will try our works, to see what we have been building on the foundation of Christ.  Is it gold, silver or wood and stubble?  Have we been truly preparing people for heaven or boosting our ego to achieve something else. This fire reminds and encourages us that God will surely reward all things perfectly irrespective of how men recognised or applauded our works.  After we have been rescued from the first fire...this other fire asks “so what did we do for love of our Saviour” This fire is for a period and purpose - not eternal.

Works are not the same ...and the true unknown martyr who has surrendered all is going to see his works tested just as much as those well known icons of faith whose works have already been acclaimed and openly hailed as  great.  This is the final loss that the saved will suffer ... but it exceeds all other earthbound losses to serve God .  This fire makes us weep for regret wishing we believed Him more, climbed higher, sacrificed a little more, gave more and loved Him more.  This is the fire that makes us wish we supported the work of true missions and obeyed God to leave our comfort zones to be of more use to Him.  This is the fire that makes us regret years of being entertained and entertaining others with stories and songs as the perishing cried to be rescued... this is the fire that make us wish we left everything and truly followed Him completely...the fire that makes us regret shallowness and seek the deeper things of God.  We can heave a sigh that we made it – but we are embarrassed at the assessment of our “great” works -documented in bestselling biographies but now burnt and reduced down to a feeble smouldering fig.

I Corinthians 3[11]  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12]  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13]  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. [14]  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15]  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

It is possible to know how this second fire will turn out.  Job knew and was confident although others mocked him and he could say in ...

Job 23[10]  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

I do pray that in God's mercy that the Holy Spirit will comfort all that are hurting from current raging fires and that the fiery devastation ceases.

In summary, every soul will face one final fire.  Which will be yours