GOD'S PROTECTION IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE TO COME: PART 3- DIRECTION BY FIRE

GOD'S PROTECTION IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE TO COME: PART 3- DIRECTION BY FIRE

Numbers 9v15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Luke 24v49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 2v2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

God's way of direction in our lives, in times of extreme circumstances (especially in the time of trouble to come), is and will be facilitated through us 'being on fire' for Him. In Acts, with Jesus taken from the earth, the disciples had no idea what to do next, all they had was an instruction to wait till they would be 'clothed with power from on high.' This 'power' was symbolised by 'tongues of fire' that separated (seems to imply that it was a whole fire at the start, like the fire over the tabernacle) and rested on each of them. It was from there that their direction, their 'next move' and their next assignment and service for the Lord was revealed, or to put it another way, brought to them (Acts 2v5). This underlines our need to always be in the 'upper room' with the Lord, in order, not just to be lit on fire by Jesus, but also to have it revealed to us what we are to do next, where we are to go next, and also how we are to serve next. Often as Christians we desire for God to point out the exact road we should go, but God is at all times most concerned with our hearts and minds; when these are lit by His Spirit, then whatever path He reveals and directs us too is likely to be the one we chase anyway, as our desires will already be aligned with His. This will be vitally important in the coming time of persecution against the Church, as if we as Christians are desiring earthly paths instead of heavenly, we may fail to choose God's way and so be ensnared and taken by harmful and likely deadly temptations.

There are particular times when we need the direction of God more than other times. In the time to come this will be especially relevant and pertinent. In the Old Testament, the direction by fire that the Israelites received came in the midst of extremely trying times. They had just fled Egypt, which was literally a 'fleeing for their lives' type circumstance, and only had made it out by the miraculous power of God. They were also experiencing what can only be described as 'fleshly deprivation', with what they saw at the time as only bread from heaven, and water from a rock. In short, their worldly 'comforts' had well and truly been taken away, and they were having to heavily rely on spiritual food to get them through. Similarly, now, and especially in the time to come, we will all need to get more and more used to living off of spiritual food, and spiritual fire by the Holy Spirit (the life and desires produced by the Spirit of God) in order to not only spiritually survive the journey that we will be taking, but also so that will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are being led by the Lord, and not be any stray desires in our hearts. Sometimes we do not know our own hearts until they are put to great tests, and we may, just like the Israelites of old, find that the Egypt of the world has more of a place in our hearts than we realise. For many Christians (including myself), it will be a time when, well and truly, God will take the Egypt of the world out of our hearts, praise God! God didn't give this fire to the Israelites when they were in Egypt, neither did He give them this fire when they were in the promised land, but He gave it to them in a time of severe testing and trial (particularly to the flesh), and so will it be in the time to come. Although we are always given the light of the fire of the Spirit to direct, there are times when God increases the grace of such a thing because the need of it becomes so much greater. 

We see similar circumstances of His direction by fire in the New Testament. In Acts 2, the pouring out of the Spirit, symbolised by fire, was also given just after and just before a time of great trial (including persecution). A time just after trial because Jesus had just been crucified, and the disciples scattered under the threat of persecution because of association with Jesus, and a time just before great trial because after the pouring out of the Spirit in Acts 2, persecution broke out against the Church (Acts 8v1). Unfortunately we may see a similar situation in the coming time of trial; when it first comes we may see a 'great falling away', but then thanks be to God, a return of many to the faith because of God's graciousness and mercy, accompanied by a great pouring out of His Spirit, and His Spirit's fire for power and direction for the future trial to come. 

For those that don't at all believe that such a time of trouble is coming, I will explain a short dream that I had in the past. In the dream it was shown to me that angels will begin to appear in Churches before this time of persecution comes (news of angels appearing in Churches was in newspapers. I was asked by someone why this was happening and I replied that it was because persecution was coming). So this will be a sign that will confirm what the Lord has revealed to me that is coming, and by that sign people will know that what I've written about concerning coming persecution to God's people is true.