Fire, Smoke, Brimstone

Fire, Smoke, Brimstone November 11, 2014

The army revealed by the sixth seal (Revelation 9:13-21) wears breastplates of “fire, hyacinth, and brimstone” (v. 17a) and breathes out “fire, smoke, and brimstone” (v. 17b), with which it kills a third of humanity (v. 18). Hyacinth is an anomaly on the first list, but essentially the army wears the same thing is speaks, and its speech are its weapons. They are clothed in what they speak, and they speak what they wear.

Fire, smoke, and brimstone conjure up the image of sacrifice. This is a sacrificial army, who speak out sacrificial fire and smoke, and turn a third of mankind into living sacrifices. Fire, smoke, and brimstone are also an image of prayer: The smoke of prayer ascends from a burning heart, and the Judge of the earth sends brimstone from heaven.

Three items: It makes us think of other patterns of three. Three zones of creation. Three areas of the tabernacle. Three items in the ark, and three pieces of furniture in the most holy place. Do any of these work?

Perhaps. The tabernacle is divided into the Most Holy place, where Yahweh’s fiery cloud is enthroned; the Holy Place, filled with the smoke of incense offered by the priest who wears hyacinth robes; and the courtyard, where the sacrifices are burned. That matches pretty well.

The items in the ark are the tablets of stone, the rod of Aaron, and a jar of manna, which correspond neatly to the three furnishing of the Holy Place: Manna with the table of showbread; rod with the altar of incense, offered by the priest; tablets with the lampstand, for the Torah of Yahweh is a light. 

And these might correspond to the three part of the angelic armor and weaponry: The fire corresponds to the lampstand, and to the tables of stone; the smoke to the rod and the incense; the brimstone to manna and the table. 

And can we avoid thinking of the great Three, Father, Son and Spirit? The Father is the eternal fire, the Son the cloud of smoke, and the Spirit the brimstone of God. 

Have we made progress here? Perhaps not. Have we taken some joy in floating on the Bible’s sea of mysteries? I have.


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