Unholy Fire
- Ardith Arnelle `Price
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
The books of Leviticus and Ezekiel describe the temple architectural plan as well as how the Jews were to worship and live before Adonai. Righteous mankind will live in harmony one day and will be surrounded by God’s divine light and power with new concentrated bodies. Transformed men will be established as holy before the face of God, just as the Jewish people were when the temple was built by Solomon. When the fire came down from Heaven, the people worshiped because they were in awe of a Holy and Righteous God who was a consuming fire. The intensity of this event was so awesome; they could not look up to Adonai for they were not worthy. The people had temporally learned to be obedient in the presence of Holy Adonai.
The Levitical priests could not go into the temple because they would have died in the presence of Adonai. Scripture states “that no man can come into the presence of God and live (Ex 33:20).”
The sons (Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10)) of Aaron the Priest were killed by God because they came into His presence with unauthorized fire with an offering that was not sacrificed and purified. They put fire in their censers and added incense then offered it before Adonai. In addition, they had drunk wine in the tent, which put them in rebellion toward Almighty God. They were burned to death in front of their father Aaron with the strange fire that they presented before the Lord. Fire came down from Heaven and consumed the men clothes and all. They had to be dragged out of the “tent of meeting” with their clothes on that were burned.
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Entering the presence of the Holy Father was never considered safe for priests. Historically, priests were only permitted to approach the Holy Father once a year, and even then, they had to undergo purification rituals before entering the Holy of Holies. For Aaron’s descendants to venture beyond the first barrier was essentially risking death. Additionally, they approached in a state of drunkenness and displayed a lack of reverence for who Father God truly is to humanity.
Today, many people fail to show proper respect for God and often take HIS holiness for granted, not realizing that God is a Spirit. As the creator of mankind—formed from the dust of the earth—approaching HIM without reverence is akin to risking immediate spiritual death. The key lesson here is the importance of honoring our Creator and giving HIM the glory He rightfully deserves. Because God is omnipresent, omniscient, and all-powerful, approaching HIM with reverence is essential. To deepen your understanding of these concepts, consider reading this recommended book.
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