February 22, 2003
I. Introduction:
A. Results of disobedience
1) Leviticus 10:1-7, “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.”
2) This is one of the instances in the Bible where people faced physical death due to their rebellion against God.
3) In the Old Testament, there was Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who in the wilderness rose up against the authority of Moses and Aaron. (Numb. 16,17).
4) In the New Testament, there was Ananias and Saphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit of God and faced sudden death as a result (Acts 5:1-10).
5) It is a serious matter to tamper in a wrong way with the holy things of a Holy God. When God lays out orders for something to be done in a certain way, it must be followed accordingly.
6) This is one of the tragic scenes of the Bible. It manifests a reckless and careless attitude about spiritual things that provoked an undesirable response from God.
II. Body:
A. Fire in the Bible
1) Fire is associated with God’s presence
a) 1 Kings 18—Elijah at Mount Carmel
b) 2 Chronicles 7:1—Fire fell from heaven after Solomon’s dedicatory prayer of God’s temple
1. “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.”
c) Pillar of fire during 40 years of sojourn in the wilderness
d) Burning bush at Mt. Horeb during the commissioning of Moses
2) Fire is associated with divine wrath
a) Genesis 19—Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
b) 2 Peter 3:12—Destruction of the whole earth at Christ’s Second Coming. “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
3) Fire represents holiness and purity
a) Revelation 3:18, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
b) Zechariah 13:9—Trial by fire. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”
4) Fire represents the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
B. Strange Fire—Definition
1) The word “strange” is taken from the Hebrew word “Zowr”, which means “unauthorized”, “foreigner or stranger.”
2) C.I. Schofield defined it as "using carnal means to kindle devotion and praise."
Strange fire in our churches
a) Some churches put up a big screen to watch soccer after church worship to boost attendance.
b) Playing bingo after worship
c) Tradition of men. Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
3) Unauthorized source of fire than God
a) EGW, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 4A, page 12, “The sons of Aaron did not take the sacred fire from the altar, which the Lord himself had kindled, and which he commanded the priests to use when they offered incense before him. They took common fire and put in their censers, and put incense thereon. This was a transgression of God’s express command, and his judgment speedily followed.”
4) It is the mixing of truth and error.
a) Genesis 3:1-5, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
5) The use of sacred things for ordinary purposes
a) Daniel 5:1-2, “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.”
6) It is called by some commentators as "false worship" and "will worship."
C. Strange Fire—Causes
1) Failure to distinguish between the sacred and the common
a) Leviticus 10:10-11, “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.”
b) Things that God declared as holy
1. Sabbath day
2. Body—temple of the Holy Spirit
3. Tithes and offerings
4. The church
5. Marriage institution
a. Between man and woman
b. Gay marriages is strange fire
c. One church here in Montreal has a big banner in their building that says "We support SAME SEX MARRIAGE."
6. His name--Don’t use His name in vain
7. His law--The Ten Commandments including the fourth
c) Things to do in holy places and holy times:
1. Holy places
c. Prayer. Isaiah 56:7, “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”
2. Holy times
a. Refrain from working. Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
3. Holy name. Don’t use it in vain
d) Example of Belshazzar
2) Indulgence in wine and alcohol
a) EGW, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 4A, page 13, “Aaron’s sons, who officiated in holy things, would not have thus transgressed if they had not indulged freely in the use of wine, and were partially intoxicated. They gratified the appetite, which debased their faculties, and disqualified them for their sacred office.”
b) Leviticus 10:9, “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.”
c) Clouded mind and understanding
d) Wine of the world
1. Wine of materialism
a. We disregard the sacred things of God for the sake material things.
2. Wine of perversion and immorality
a. Substituted the ordinance of God with our own making
b. Widespread immorality
c. Perverted values
d. Redefining marriage
3. Wine of spiritism and the occults
a. Mushrooming of religious beliefs in spirits and the occults
b. Astrology and horoscope
c. Based on immortality of the soul
4. Wine of entertainment
a. Las Vegas—fastest growing city in North America
b. Disneyland and Six Flags—largest drawers of crowd
c. Billion of dollars spent on entertainment
d. Churches are shrinking; ballparks, casinos, and night clubs are expanding
e. Sporting events generate more attendance than all churches combined
5. Wine of apathy
a. Indifference
b. “Come what may!”
D. Strange Fire—Originator
1) Matthew 24:24, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
2) Revelation 13:13, “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”
3) Counterfeit fire
E. Results
1) Brings dishonor to God
2) Brings failure to the work of God
3) Leads people astray
F. Destruction of the strange fire
1) Fire from God’s throne
