Fire is important in the Bible in at least four different ways:

(1) Fire is one sign that God is present. Examples of this in the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) are the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses (Exod 3:2); the column of fire that led Israel through the desert at night (Exod 13:21-22); and God’s appearance to Moses and the people on Mount Sinai (Exod 19:18; 24:17-18; Deut 4:11,35-36). In the New Testament, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost is compared with “fiery tongues moving in all directions” (Acts 2:1-4). And when John sees Jesus in Revelation 1:14,15, his eyes look like “flames of fire” and his feet glow “like bronze being heated in a furnace.” The prophets of Israel expected God to appear surrounded by fire (Isa 4:5), to appear in fire (Isa 66:15), or to be seated on a throne surrounded by fire (Dan 7:9-10).

(2) Fire was important in the worship of God in Israel’s temple. The flame that burned on the altar was a reminder that God was always present there (Lev 6:12,13). Fire was used to burn incense or to make offerings (Lev 6:14,15). The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 104:4, describing God and God’s servants in terms of fire (Heb 1:7).

(3) God would use fire to punish wicked people. This was true at Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24,25) and when God punished the clan that stole items from the destroyed city of Jericho (Josh 7:15). Fire is a symbol of God’s anger (Ps 79:5; 89:46), and God will use it to punish sin and evil in the future (Deut 32:22; Isa 50:10,11; 66:15,16; Amos 7:4). The evil powers will be destroyed by fire at the end of the age (Dan 7:11; Mal 4:1). Jesus says that the fire of judgment will fall on the earth and its wicked people (Matt 3:11,12; 13:37-42; Luke 17:29,30). God’s final judgment of the evil world includes punishment by fire (2 Pet 3:7). This is pictured in detail in Revelation (Rev 8:7; 9:18; 11:5; 14:9,10; 19:20; 20:9-15).

(4) God will use fire to purify his people. Often such purifying (or testing) is experienced by facing life’s trials (Ps 66:12; Isa 43:2; 1 Pet 1:7). And God’s judgment in the future will also purify God’s people by fire (Isa 66:15).