Fire as punishment is an often used image in the Old Testament and in my first post on the subject two weeks ago I began to unpack this subject. Its importance is found in the use Jesus makes of the image and it is probably safe to say that it is from the OT that Jesus got this image from. Before jumping to the conclusion that these passages are a reference to an eternal conscious punishment, however, certain points have to be made.

A figurative picture
First, it would be fair to ask whether all this talk of fire is meant to be taken literally or figuratively. Are the various biblical authors writing about actual fire when it comes to God’s anger or is it that they are comparing his anger to fire and merely painting a dramatic picture to emphasise what a serious issue sin is? The answer will most probably change verse by verse. God’s fiery wrath against Sodom is probably meant to be taken literally (if the story is an historic account, of course!) but in some of the Psalms it’s probably safe to assume that what we have is a dramatic comparison.

Prophetic context
Second, many of the OT passages are context specific and it may not be right for us to carry the meaning over to any other situation. For example, the many references to God’s anger as fire in the prophetic writings – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and some of the Minor Prophets – were meant for a specific audience at a specific time in Israel’s history. Many would conclude that it is not right for us to take these verses out of their context and apply them to other times. It is also important to say that these prophecies of judgement were actually fulfilled. However, they were not fulfilled by fire falling from heaven but by Israel being conquered by a foreign power and whilst it is entirely possible that actual fire was used in the destruction of Jerusalem, for example, this was not some eschatological, eternal fire but one started by a very human enemy.

Historic context
Third and strongly linked to the second point, is that most examples of fire as God’s punishment in the OT are by far examples of God punishing man within history. While an angry God is pictured using fire for punishment (Sodom in Genesis 19 is maybe the prime example) most of these examples are not depicting an eternal punishment but an actual event in a time and place. It is important to note, however, that there are a small number of verses that do refer to an eternal fire or a fire that is never extinguished – Isaiah 66:24 being one such verse. I will deal with these verses as I come to deal with the New Testament passages that quote them.

Before I begin a study of Jesus’ use of this imagery two other key points need to be made about fire in the Bible and I will address those next time.


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