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In 1968, an odd song rang over the airwaves called "Fire" by Arthur Brown, or more accurately "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown."
You can hear the song yourself several places on YouTube. This particular page gets all the lyrics correct except for one mistake shortly after the beginning when the subtitles say "saved and learned" instead of the correct "saved and earned": Fire. Putting aside the evocative pageantry in the video that taps the primitive, the music and lyrics seem to jump out of nowhere, even in 2023. The thoughtful listener will wonder just what Brown was singing about. When I first heard the song as a boy, I thought it sounded cool albeit strange. I was impressed by Brown's vocals but wasn't as concerned with the lyrics. When I was a teenager, I revisited the song and realized it sounded eerily like the last chapter in the last book in the Old Testament (Malachi chapter four). So much is missed by people when they're not familiar with the Bible. Not just regarding 'religious' subjects but myriad subjects in life for everyone. In the case of the Fire song, most of what Brown says could easily be interpreted from the point of view of the "God of Hellfire" he imagines to be from the start of the song. The only part that doesn't fit is the gleeful tone in Brown's singing and his bizarre smiling performance. He almost seems to be taking on the role of Satan, who most of us recognize as a destroyer, or at least as an arch adversary, who wishes ruination for all humanity. The problem with that interpretation is that when one considers the whole of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the only person who fits the title of "The God of Hellfire" is the Lord Himself. That statement may confuse some of you. You may wish to point out that God placed the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His promise to never destroy the Earth again with water. But the God of Abraham, Moses and David never said He wouldn't ultimately destroy the Earth. In the Bible there are references to the passing away of the current Earth and a new one being made in its place. The Bible states unambiguously that the Lord will burn the Earth with fire, and that the wicked will be as ashes underfoot, because those who properly fear the Lord will be raised and healed. Why am I talking about this? As the fallen human beings all of us are, most of us maintain a self-destructive delusion that prevents us from pursuing the truth for its own sake. What is that delusion? It is the persistent self-assurance that no matter what we've done, no matter what we truly treasure in life, no matter how many 'mistakes' (sins) we've committed against the Lord, He will understand and forgive us because 'deep down inside' we are basically good, and since we're not serial killers or child molesters we can't be bad enough to 'go to hell.' Then there's the "look at all the good things I've done" self-affirmation. That one keeps most of us blind to the truth of what true justice actually looks like. What's vitally missing in all that subjective sophistry is the reality of Jesus and why He allowed Himself to be arrested, falsely accused, whipped with metal-and-boneshard scourges until skin was ripped off His body, mercilessly nailed to a cross, mocked, blasphemed and ultimately murdered by the very people He came to save. And yet we consider ourselves so evolved, clever and enlightened that we imagine we know what real love is. This life we live is all we know. Our physicists predict multiple dimensions beyond our four (time is the fourth). How many of us have considered what that implies? The conceptual difference between the third dimension and time is so huge it boggles the mind to consider what the fifth dimension might be, much less the tenth. In a purely practical sense, in terms of physics, we are like fish in a pond. But even fish can sometimes jump up above the water and catch a glimpse of the air-breathing universe they can't comprehend. We are not equipped to do even that. Our greatest minds and our most impressive technologies can't allow us to even peer at the greater beyond, much less actually grant us access. To confirm this physical fact of our universe, the Bible says: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9). This is a wonderful thing to hear, as the finality of death causes much anxiety for honest humans, though less anxiety for believers than for those who don't know the Lord. Non-believers have the Great Unknown to consider, while those who love the Lord have an eternity with Him to contemplate. There are some who will resolutely proclaim they are not afraid to die. To discern whether they are lying or not, you need only ask them what they think waits for them at death. Those who think it is the end of existence haven't been paying basic attention to the world they live in. Yes, all humans must die a physical death from this existence. To tell oneself that nothing comes later is merely convenient self-delusion to cover a lifetime of guilt. That particular self-delusion may well be the top motivating factor for atheism and agnosticism. It is far easier to pretend there is no one watching us than to acknowledge we are at the mercy of the One who put this all in motion. Science that pursues truth rather than governmental financial grants does not disprove God, it merely allows us to somewhat understand and recognize aspects of God's creative super-genius. Just as Abel and Cain were siblings who had completely different trajectories in life and eternity, there is a great chasm between the sheep and the goats that will not be bridged by self-delusion. It can only be bridged by a genuine desire to understand one's proper place in the universe. That proper place is not of our design, but the Lord's. Because we are fallen humans full of pride, we typically imagine our own way is best. We devise elaborate plans, concepts, theories, philosophies, doctrines, creeds, politics, cultures, religions, you name it, all to justify whatever it is we subjectively think is the most important. The only problem with all that effort is without being properly grateful to and fearful of our Creator, the King of the Universe, we are utterly wasting our time and merely fooling ourselves. This world has no shortage of people who think they have the inside track on what life is all about. Most of those inside tracks are some form of "this is what I want out of life, and I will justify it any way I can." It's like the intellectual conundrum regarding intelligence. Polls indicate that most people believe they possess above average intelligence. Simple math demonstrates the problem with that common myth. Most people are average, and many people are below average, but you would be hard pressed to find one of them willing to see themselves that way. Referencing the title of this essay, you may now ask, "Why will most of us burn?" Because despite our propensity to minimize our self-serving behaviors that offend the Lord, there is a difference between the sheep and the goats, and no amount of defiant declaration will prevent the goats from being cast into the Lake of Fire on Judgment Day. If you haven't spent any time trying to understand that concept, you'd best stop laughing, scoffing or denying, and get started. Here's more from the Bible to ponder before I end this essay (emphasis mine): Jesus said: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) From the Revelation of Jesus Christ as written down by John: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15) And finally, once again the words of Jesus Himself: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47-50) To those who confidently reject the idea of a God of Judgment, I ask: What justice is there in allowing unrepentant rebels to corrupt the gift of a heavenly eternity reserved for the obedient? It's never been about the impossible goal of earning your way to Heaven, and even a Christian at the beginning of his or her journey already knows it is the Lord's grace, not good works or virtue signaling, that saves us. What it has always been about is a genuine regret for and active repentance of our sins, and the humble recognition that we are no more than image-bearing pieces of a clay pot that the Potter Himself formed with His own purpose in mind. |