Fire & Judgement i)

In former times, before the Lamb of God
Came to redeem all fallen humankind,
With fire and wrath did Yahweh’s anger burn
Against all those opposed to His divine
Will and purpose, to rid them of their sin
And backsliding, and bring them back to Him.
A regal burning, fire from Yahweh’s hands
To cleanse, to purge and restoration bring
To Eden spoilt, the Paradise besmirched
By every evil wrought by Satan’s hands
A tarnish reprehensible now to
Be wiped for evermore and bring about
The serpent’s downfall and his evil host
Whereby they will, in perpetuity
Be tormented with no hope of reprieve
The righteous justice of Yahweh, as seen
In human history, in testaments
Both old and new, the holy, perfect word
Spoken by Yahweh through the prophets and
Seers down the ages before the Incarnate Word
Was born of Mary, blessèd maiden fair.
Such fire was called down on Mount Carmel by
The prophet Elijah to bring to nought
The worship of Baal, hideous design
Satanic invention idolatrous
Still in the mind of that foul serpent who,
Urged on by his nonsensical fancies
Harbours equality with Yahweh still.¹
Yet further back in history, Moses
In blessing the Hebrews with Aaron was
Seen by Yahweh, His glory then revealed
His fire upon the sacrifice was sent
Down on the altar where it consumed all
The burnt offering and the fat portions which
Until that point remained but half consumed.
The people worshipped, faces to the ground
In joy and awe, wonder of wonders shown.²
Upon the threshing floor of Arauhah,
Upon the altar that David had built
To offer burnt and fellowship offerings
To Yahweh, a response by fire was made,
For pleased was Yahweh to the obedience
Of David in response to the command
Made by the angel with a sword unsheathed.³
The temple that King Solomon had built
To bring the holy Ark of the Covenant
Into its sacred resting place, Yahweh
Responding to the prayer of dedication
That Solomon made, the work being complete
Sent fire down upon the offering
And sacrifices made, Yahweh’s glory
Filled the temple, a glory radiant
So as to prevent entry there unto.
The people fell with faces to the ground
And great rejoicing made at such a sight.⁴
What more might we say of this righteous fire
This raging fire of Yahweh, just and true?
Was not the great “I AM” by Moses seen
In flaming bush ablaze but yet unburnt
Commanding Moses to lead the Hebrews
From slavery in Egypt to a land,
A promised land where milk and honey flowed?⁵
In that great exodus from slavery
To freedom in the Promised Land, Yahweh
Led His people with a pillar of cloud
By day, and a pillar of fire by night
To ease their passage over land and sea
And save them from Egyptian tyranny.⁶
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed the word
To unrepentant sinners in Zion
Of terror of the consuming fire which
Burns ever without end, for who can dwell
In the presence of the all-consuming flame?⁷
Isaiah prophesied of a new heaven
And earth which will endure before Yahweh.
The souls of the righteous will worship Him
And look upon the corpses of all those
Who have transgressed against the Holy One.
And those rebellious souls will learn their fate
Death and eternal fire will be their lot
And loathsome be to all who look on them.⁸
No vain hope here, despite the centuries
In which such prophecies were told unto
The people of Yahweh still longing for
Hope and release from their bondage to sin
And of their Messianic Saviour who
In their eyes would deliver them from their
Oppressors, bringing life and peace once more.
The Messiah would come, but not in human power
And might, but in a lowly stable bare
An infant in humility deemed poor
Yet rich in knowledge, power and love divine.
So comes He now to speak and act the truth
To set all humankind free from their sins.


¹ 1 Kings 18:38, ² Leviticus 9: 23-24,
³ 1 Chronicles 21: 18-26,
⁴ 2 Chronicles 7: 1-3, ⁵ Exodus Ch 3,
⁶ Exodus 13:21, ⁷ Isaiah 33:14,
⁸ Isaiah 66: 22-24.