Mike,

After your most welcome call the other day, I went for another walk in the woods, meditating upon the purpose for this lengthy and grievous trial that I am enduring, and also thanking God that I have you and your family supporting me in prayer.
Since it is tormenting, and I seemingly have no rest day or night, I pondered those verses in Rev 14, wondering why the word “brimstone” was used in connection with the fire. What is the brimstone for?
The Lord led me to Isa 30:33, which opened my eyes a little more. Here, we are told that the “breath” of the Lord is LIKE a stream of brimstone, and we are told that the breath is used to “kindle” (consume) the wood (our dead works).

Isa 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made [ it] deep [ and] large: the pile thereof [ is] fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Breath in Strong’s (among other things) is described as divine inspiration, intellect and understanding.
Grace, as used in 2Co 12:9, is also described as the divine influence upon the mind, which Christ told Paul was all that was needed for him.

2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the breath of God is actually like a first- cousin to grace. Or, the “active” form of grace, the verb form, if you will. It is the consuming fire of God’s influence on our mind, which torments us night and day, that consumes the wood. And so the purpose for these lengthy and grievous trials is explained in Rev. 14:13:

Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Blessed are the dead which die (daily) in the Lord from henceforth, that they may rest from their labours (works which are being consumed by the breath of God, which kindles the fire). We are then left to glory in our weaknesses, because when we are weak, we are then made strong.
And this all prepares us for the harvest in Rev 14:15 which is “ripe” (#3583), meaning dry orwithered. Interestingly, the word “RIPE” is the same Greek word that is used in Heb 11:29 when we are told: By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by “DRY” land.
I would love to have you connect the dots for me whenever you can find the time, concerning this word DRY, which was also used three times in Exo 14 and 15. Whenever I see a word used five times concerning the same event, the Lord is trying to show us something significant. As of right now, I’m not seeing it.
Well, gotta run. God bless you much, Mike. I love having you for a faithful brother. You mean a lot to me.
R____

Hi my faithful brother,

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that nugget about Tophet in Isaiah:

Isa 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

If we cannot see that our wood is being burned out of us now, then we will have it made clear to us later. But it is the part about this being “the breath of the Lord” that I cannot believe that I have never before noticed. The fires of Gehenna and the fires of the lake of fire are the words of God. Here is a verse that just comes out and says so, for all with eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!

You say:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the breath of God is actually like a first- cousin to grace. Or, the “active” form of grace, the verb form, if you will. It is the consuming fire of God’s influence on our mind, which torments us night and day, that consumes the wood.”

All I can add to that statement is that the only form grace has is an active form:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [Greek – paideuo – chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

This is the exact same word used in Heb 12:

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [ Greek – paideuo – chastens] , and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

That ‘grace,’ that “paideuo” is the fire of Tophet, later called Gehenna and the lake of fire. But it is also the exact same “devouring and consuming flame that is burning out all the wood, hay, and stubble in our lives now:

1Co 3:13 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.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [ are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or [ as] a thief, or [ as] an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if [ any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

To know God is to recognize that “our God is a consuming fire.” He is a fire that burns out all the wood, hay and stubble and leaves only the gold, silver and precious stones. But more than that, this fire goes on to even purify the gold, silver and precious stones. That this is a process that takes place in us all is made clear by these words of our Lord:

Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

We have never been taught that there are “branches in Christ that do not bear fruit.” And it is seldom pointed out that even those branches which do bear fruit must still be “purged” so long as they are in these vessels of clay. It is called “dying daily,” and it continues till the physical death of these physical bodies.
All who think otherwise are waiting for a lie to become truth. Only Christ was above sin. We are indeed “like Him” in that we are “counted worthy to suffer with Him.” We are not “like Him” in the sense of being the head of the body or being without sin in this flesh. Sin does not have dominion over us now, but sin never had dominion over Christ. In so many ways we are yet lumpy and uneven, while He was “finely ground flour” every moment of His life. Christ is the “breath of God.” If He is “in us” then we have the breath of God and will one day become that consuming, devouring flame:

Isa 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

How does our “breath become fire which devours us?” “Our breath” is the lies and false doctrines we are. These are but “thorns cut up to be burned up in the fire.”

Isa 33:12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

And who is this fire? It is those who know God and Jesus Christ, who have Christ and His word within them.

Isa 33:13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

I know that you know all of this, but that verse the Lord gave you just fits into all of this, and just one more witness to the truth that God’s elect must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God:

Isa 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

If we know God and Christ, then their word will be in us:

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

But God has shown you that this is all inward and it is all applicable to me. You say:

Blessed are the dead which die (daily) in the Lord from henceforth, that they may rest from their labours (works which are being consumed by the breath of God, which kindles the fire). We are then left to glory in our weaknesses, because when we are weak, we are then made strong.

You then point out that the word ‘ripe’ in Rev 14:15, has the same Greek root translated ‘dry’ in Heb 11:29.

And this all prepares us for the harvest in Rev 14:15, which is “ripe” (#3583), meaning dry orwithered. Interestingly, the word “RIPE” is the same Greek root that is used in Heb 11:29 when we are told: By faith they passed through the Red sea as by “DRY” land.

I am a farm boy, and I am well aware that you will never have “finely ground flour” until the harvest is ripe and dry. Green ears do not make finely ground flour. I attempted to bring this out in my study on the color green. It is this color which typifies what God is doing with this vessel of clay. Until we die to this body of flesh, we cannot be ground to the fine powder we must be made into before God can use us in His service. We are dry only while we are in the depth of the sea and in the lion’s den and in the fiery furnace. We are dry only as we are “dying daily” to the pulls of our flesh.

Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is >ripe.

Thank you for sharing with me more of the mind of Christ in you. I had never known that the words ‘ripe’ and ‘dry’ had the same root in the Greek. That is a very revealing bit of knowledge.
I thank God that he is using you to show to me what it means to be dry and ready for the harvest. My prayer is that God will reap us both for His service in that blessed and holy first resurrection.
I cannot correct you when you are so right on target, but I hope I have said something to help you “connect the dots” as you have certainly performed that service for me.
Mike