COALS OF FIRE
“COALS OF FIRE”
Sunday, April 8, 2018, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his first appearance was to Mary in the garden. When she attempted to embrace him, Jesus spoke to her:
John 20:17: Do not touch me; for I have not yet ascended to My Father…
John 20:19: Then the same day at evening, on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared to the disciples.
John 20:24-26: But Thomas, one of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came. When the other disciples told him they had seen the LORD, we know the famous declaration of Thomas unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. After eight days, Jesus again came to the disciples and Thomas was with them. He invited Thomas to touch his hands and to thrust his hand into his side.
We know that during this eight day period of time, Jesus ascended to the Father because of what He spoke to Mary; and then afterward Thomas was invited to touch him.
During the 40 days after his resurrection, the Lord presented Himself to His apostles many times and in ways which provide unquestionable proof that He is alive. Not only was He seen by them, but He taught them about the Kingdom of God.
One visitation of the Lord was to the apostles on the Sea of Galilee.
In the evening seven of them set out a-fishing on their inland sea: Peter, John, James, Thomas, Nathaniel and two others whose names are not given---possibly Andrew and Philip.
They took a large fishing boat towing a small one behind. (Vs. 8)
These seven fishermen had a disappointing night of it. They had let down their nets during these long hours with no result. In the grey dawn of morning, when nature was still slumbering, they pull their boat toward the shore.
21:4-7: When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, Children, have you any meat? They answered Him, No. And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat to him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
Every detail of the gospel is significant. Here we see two wonders; the sudden, enormous catch of fish; and that the net that held the huge catch did not break.
This is a sign of the salvation of souls and the net is a type of the Church which the disciples had been chosen to build. In the morning the Sun of righteousness shone forth, and the apostolic net was let down on the right side.
21:8-9: The other disciples came in a little boat; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits—100 yards) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they came to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish and bread laid thereon. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; for all there were so many, yet the net did not break. Jesus said to them, Come and dine.
2 Sam 22:13: Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
The coals, the fish, and the bread are all miraculous. Jesus did not perform this miracle out of existing material at hand, as He did when he multiplied the five loaves and two fish in the wilderness (Jn. 6: 9-12). Here He simply creates out of nothing. The Apostles are about to partake of a heavenly meal. These are coals of fire from before the throne of God in Heaven.
Psa. 18: 12-13: At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
The disciples dared not ask any questions, knowing that it was the Lord. Luke records that Jesus ate with them. (Lk. 24:30; 43) John reports this was now the third time Jesus showed Himself to his disciples after He was risen from the dead. (Vs. 14)
In our recent study of Heaven, I have been blessed to read accounts of coals of fire in Heaven from the Throne of God in Heaven.
Richard Sigmund: “As I got closer to the Throne, I noticed an area with a railing. Actually, there were three levels of railings. Humans are not allowed beyond them. The railings are made of gold and some other kind of material that radiates the glory of God and may be the same as the glory of God. Angels stood at the railings.
Around the area were stones that were on fire, living stones shaped like a potato and gave off blue and amber Shekinah glory. They were from the altar of God and roughly two feet in diameter. They looked like they were coals from the altar of God, and on each one of them as a name. My name (Richard Sigmund) was on one of these coals before the altar of God. Again I was instantly on my face before Him. All I wanted to do for all eternity was give glory, honor and praise to God. The feeling was multiplied millions of times over, stronger and stronger, but is the same feeling I have now, on earth, when I am in deep prayer and seeking God.”
When I read this, I had a knowing, much like the knowing I had when I was preaching John 21:8-9 that those coals of fire by the Sea of Galilee were from before the altar of God; and that each one of those coals of fire had the Apostles’ names written in fire.
Jesus fed and commissioned the apostles from the flame of Heaven on that beautiful morning by the sea of Tiberias. Oh Lord Jesus I ask for the blessing of the flame of Heaven and the bread of heaven.
God is the Lord, which has shown us Light or kindled for us the flame.
“In Heaven, one of the order of angelic beings is the Seraphim, who actually have fire coming out of them. They operate in close proximity to the throne and therefore reflect and carry God’s glory. The book of Isaiah, chapters 5 and 6 reveal this heavenly being and how god used them to purify the lips of the prophet with coals of fire. There are also the living creatures that are covered with eyes, even under their wings (Rev. 4:6). They stand at the four corners of the throne and continually proclaim the holiness of God.” (Kat Kerr – Revealing Heaven)
“Many other types of angelic and created beings exist in Heaven; such as the Cherubim with eyes I their bodies and six wings. They stand at the four corners of the Throne (mentioned in Revelation 4) as they declare HOLY, HOLY, HOLY the room begins to shake from the power and authority in their words, Besides the four in the throne room, there are others that God sends over the earth to ‘see’ what is going on. They are the ‘eyes that go to and fro in the earth’ and are continually searching the hearts of men!
…There are some that have facets in their faces and have blue fire coming from their heads. These are able to compress themselves as thin as a sheet of paper and pass over a congregation to release fire from Heaven. If you are ever in a service where one comes, you will be eternally changed by the passion he releases” (Kat Kerr – Revealing Heaven II)
Many years ago, about the time I left Baton Rouge, I experienced a visitation of an angel who touched my lips with a coal of fire.
Isa. 6: “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphims flew unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken from the tongs from off the altar. He laid it upon my mouth, and said, lo, this has touched your lips. And your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”
The revelation of grace shown to Isaiah is as remarkable as that of glory. In the presence of God, the prophet felt unclean. In answer to the prophet’s cry of need, one of the seraphim bears to him a live coal from the altar, and his sin is expiated. It is a wonderful unveiling of truth about God. The center of all adoring worship, He nevertheless hears the sigh of the sinner in his need, and the song of a seraph’s worship ceases in order that the cry of the sinner may be answered.
The prophet is thus cleansed and commissioned. “Your guilt is gone. Your sin is forgiven.
Isa. 6:8: “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
His commission is to prophesy judgment, but also to prophesy the destiny of the Holy Seed. Shortly after my visitation was when I was told to preach Isaiah 6: 8-10l
The prophet was told that despite all of the earnestness of his prayers, prophecies and sermons, which he had delivered from his lips (which had just been touched by a live coal from the altar); still the people of Israel would persevere in their sins, and therefore would certainly be destroyed.
Isa. 6: 8-10: “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, who will go for us? Then said I, her am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes less they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. Then said I, Lord how long? And He answered, “Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate.”
Then Isaiah was told that a tenth, a small remnant of people, would be saved but by fire. A remnant would return and a holy posterity (the Seed of God---the royal Seed – Gen. 3:15) would survive in whom the ultimate hope of God’s people would rest and in whom the Covenants and promises would be realized. Jesus is the SEED of Abraham and David.
I now move this message to a book, God’s Throne, written by Darrell McManus. (Paraphrased)
The cherubim all have an assignment; they can get the coals because they have them. The seraphim use tongs to get the coals. Once they get the coals, then they are able to take them wherever God sends them. The LORD dwells between the cherubims (Isa. 37:16). The cherubim guard at the foot of the throne. (Ez. 10:1).
Ezek. 10:1: I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims, there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. (A sapphire stone is blue which could account for the blue flame described by some modern day prophets who saw the blue flame of fire on the cherubim.)
The seraphim are above the throne in Isaiah’s vision. The seraphim are crying, Holy, Holy, Holy. Seraphim mean “burning one.”
Isa. 6: 3-4: “The seraphim cried one to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. The posts of the door moved at the voice that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”
Isa. 6:7 ...and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.”
In this verse, he distinguishes iniquity from sin. Iniquity is a weakness in our life that keeps sin at the door. It’s what puts us into sin. When the iniquity is gone, the sin will be gone. The Bible talks about the sin that so easily besets us (Heb. 12:1).
2 Sa. 22:9: There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. He rode upon a cherub and did fly; and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
I have been blessed to be taken by vision into the pavilion of darkness around the throne. Another time, I saw the steps leading up to the throne and was lifted into a cloud and saw Jesus as in colossal light and glory.
Nothing the LORD ever shows us about Heaven is for ourselves. It is to reveal the LORD and Heaven to earth. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
That which is in Heaven, Will be Heavenly on Earth
How long will the spiritual deterioration of Isaiah 1-5 go on? Until the complete devastation of the land the removal of its inhabitants to Babylon were accomplished. Thence a remnant would return and a holy posterity (the Seed of God-Gen. 3:15) would survive in whom the ultimate hope of God’s people would rest and in Whom the Covenants and promises would be realized.
In the past twenty years, we can say there has been a falling away in the United States; but it is our great hope that we are now coming into a time when we will see our nation turn back to God. The Lord has preserved a Holy Remnant in the midst of the falling away.
The task before the disciples was to build the Lord’s church. They were not to go around building churches, but ONE Church, His Body. We know they were chosen from the foundation of the earth for this great task. That is why Jesus called them. The Lord’s greater ministry lay beyond the cross. The coals of fire with the Apostles names written in fire had been prepared before they were born.
21:15-17: So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, love you Me more than these? He said to Him, Yea, Lord; You know that I love you. He said to him, Feed My lambs. He said to him again the second time, Simon son of Jonah, love you Me? He said to Him, yea, Lord; You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, love you Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, Love you Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
From these coals of a heavenly flame, Jesus commissions Peter to the task of protecting the entire flock of believers throughout the world. He gives this responsibility to Peter.
Note there is a difference between lambs and sheep, and also between feed and tend. Lambs signify beginners in the faith; sheep those more mature. He who loves Christ has charge of both lambs and sheep. We the church must feed the lambs, and will tend the sheep. This means to apply stricter care for those more mature in faith. Yet, patience and sometimes long-suffering to the lambs.
21:18-19: Verily, verily, I say to you (Peter), when you were young, you girded yourself, and walked where you would: but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not. This spoke He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, Follow Me.
The Lord entrusted all the faithful to Peter’s care. James the Brother of the Lord, received the church at Jerusalem; Peter the church of the whole world. Having spoken thus, the Lord continues; Follow Me, which means walk in My footsteps, imitate Me, and fulfill all My commandments, do as I have done. The Lord defines that the apostles will have separate apostolic ministries.
Ministers of the gospel, what is your commission? Do not allow a spirit of seduction to take over your gifts and callings that you draw people to yourself for fame, name, or money. We must always follow Jesus, revealing him, not ourselves, nor redefining the gospel to glorify ourselves.
Come and Dine –Lyrics by: Charles D. Widemeyer (1907)Jesus has a table spreadWhere the saints of God are fed,He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”;With His manna He doth feedAnd supplies our every need:Oh, ’tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!Refrain:“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”The disciples came to land,Thus obeying Christ’s command,For the Master called unto them, “Come and dine”;There they found their heart’s desire,Bread and fish upon the fire;Thus He satisfies the hungry every time.Soon the Lamb will take His brideTo be ever at His side,All the host of heaven will assembled be;Oh, ’twill be a glorious sight,All the saints in spotless white;And with Jesus they will feast eternally.Oh Lord Jesus, let your church be touched with the coals of fire from Heaven’s Altar. Oh, Jesus, help us to love you so we may follow you.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Churc