FIRE, DIVISION AND UNITY
(mr 01/01/19)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Luke 12:49-53 KJV: I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (50) But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! (51) Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (52) For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. (53) The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Here the Lord Jesus tells us that His coming to the earth will bring a fire, which will cause division in homes and the Church (the house of God (1 Tim.3.15).
The Holy Spirit through Malachi reveals to us that this fire will come with the coming of Christ IN HIS CHURCH in His glory BEFORE His coming for His church in the rapture and the end of the age.
Malachi 3:1 KJV: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (2) But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: (3) And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
The fire of God’s glory that will accompany this coming will cause a division in the Church between those whose works will be refined by the fire and those whose works will be destroyed by the fire.
1Corinthians 3:13-15 KJV: Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Those whose works are of the quality of ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘precious stones’ will be rewarded the manifestation of the glory of God by the power of the Spirit without measure and those whose works are of the quality of ‘wood’, ‘hay’ and ‘stubble’ will be saved BUT lose the reward of the glory.
This situation will cause envy and division in the Church as typified by the division in Israel of the house of Saul (those that suffer loss) and the house of David (those that manifest the glory).
The root cause of the division is dishonesty of heart as the Lord Jesus points out in:
Luke 12:54-57 KJV: And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. (55) And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. (56) Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? (57) Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
2Samuel 3:1 KJV: Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
The good news is the house of David will prevail and ultimately bring unity to the Church to fulfill:
Ephesians 4:13 KJV: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
John 17:20-23 KJV: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (23) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Observe in verse 22 that it is the glory that causes us to be one even as the Godhead is One!
So this unity will be accomplished by God’s divine approval shown by the manifestation of His glory through the Church that has been refined by the fire, like God’s approval of Moses and Aaron by Aaron’s rod which budded
Numbers 17:5-10 KJV: And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. (6) And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. (7) And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. (8) And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. (9) And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. (10) And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
