[The following bible study was given at Marshall, MI on April 22, 2006 by Mike Vinson – amended January 16, 2019 for clarity]

Luk 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

 
Of course the Truth is God’s elect “are not hurt of the second death”.

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The Fire Is Already Kindled

So why have I titled this as I have? It is to show you that though the wording is different, the fire is the same fire.

Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Who is this? Is this someone else? Is this just for those who are to be cast into the lake of fire?

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

For whom is this fire intended? Is it for the Pharisee who looked down on the tax collector?

Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Is “unquenchable fire” for someone else?

Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Do the tares and fire and end of the age refer to someone else?

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

We often read this parable and forget about the one that came just before it:

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one [fowls of the air], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Who is to receive these words?

The parable of the fish of every kind:

Mat 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

Who are the bad fish?

Mat 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mat 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The wicked who are cast into the lake of fire for the purpose of being judged and purified experience the same fire the elect suffered prior to the first resurrection.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.

Who is it that is cast into the furnace of fire? Is that someone else? Look at how this parable ends:

Mat 13:51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

We are in the New. Now let’s go to the Old Testament and see who it is who endures the fire first:

Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
Dan 3:20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Now back to the new:

Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

From where do God’s elect originate? They come “out of her [spiritual Sodom and Egypt – Rev 18:4] my people”.

Dan 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

But surely there was no ‘sweating of blood’ (Luk 22:44) for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This experience was not a cake walk for them. Let’s see what is revealed:

Dan 3:8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
Dan 3:9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
Dan 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, [that] he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, [Is it] true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Dan 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
Dan 3:20 And he commanded the most mighty men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

What is my point? The point being made by Christ is that we go through the same fire, but we go through it first, therefore we are not hurt of the second death – that group in the second resurrection of John 5:29. Until we see ourselves as capable of everything in the old Adam…

– Until we see ourselves as the elder son who despises his father for giving to His prodigal son a ring and a robe:
– Until we see in ourselves the Pharisees who want to stone the woman who is caught doing what they themselves are guilty of doing
– Until we see ourselves as the woman at the well having five former husbands and living in fornication,
– Until we see ourselves as the ninety and nine who consider themselves to be without sin and needing no repentance,
– Until we see ourselves as the Pharisee who looks down on others as mere tax collectors

… we are not yet even to the point of seeing ourselves as the:

– prodigal son,
– the woman caught in the very act of adultery,
– the woman at the well with five former husbands and not married to her present mate,
– the lost sheep or the publican,
– the Pharisee looking down on the tax collector.

Until we have experienced the seals with their four horsemen and their three woes; until we have experienced the seventh seal which is that third woe, which is the seven trumpets; until we have experienced the seventh trumpet which is the seven last plagues; until we see ourselves as making war against the rider of the white horse, we will never have “kept the sayings of the prophecy of this book”.

After enduring to the end we are “not appointed to wrath” because we have suffered our fiery trials first.  “It is through much tribulation that we must enter into the kingdom of God.”

We are not hurt of the second death”. We just have to “endure to the end” of our fiery trials.

We DO receive of God’s “seven last plagues.” We are just to have all the “wood, hay and stubble burned out of us”. We are to have our “gold, silver and precious stones” refined by that fire.

Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

We are not to be hurt of that second-death fire because we are the first to die to our carnal-minded old man in this age in our vessels of clay, overcoming the wicked one so that later we are to be that fire (Jer 5:14, Rev 11:5).

For What Purpose do We Administer the Lake of Fire?

Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.

Should we have been chosen by God to overcome, endure to the end, be raised in that first blessed resurrection and rule with Christ during the millennium, we will also have the blessing of being instruments in bringing all of mankind through their fiery judgment in the lake of fire, through that purifying process, until every last person ever conceived is cleansed and redeemed so that Christ can turn all of His creation over to the Father totally purified.