Following is a prophetic word from God and his Word.
Come my people, enjoy the lake which refreshes. You shall enjoy the waters thereof, for that is a good and pleasing thing. What? Either that or the lake that burns with fire. This is not a pleasing thing.
There are all sorts of lakes in the world. A lake is a body of water which gathers streams and runoff or possibly comes from underground springs. A fresh water lake is pleasing and useful. A stale or polluted lake is of no benefit. And a lake of fire is harmful. Likewise, a lake of fire gathers fire from runoff and streams of fire and fire from beneath.
You may go thru firery trials of all sorts upon this Earth. Best to go thru firery trials now than to end up in the firery trials of hell. For God tests each person’s intent and issues of the heart. The word of God … is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Some hearts are soft and malleable, others are hard and stoney.
For the soft and maleable hearts, God molds their hearts so as to produce more fruit. There is no bleeding from open sores and the blood that pumps thru their veins gives life and love and longevity. Give and it shall be given unto you: love, patience, perseverence, and many opportunities to further the gospel and reach more people. You see, my son, giving is key to having a heart of compassion. Still waters are best. But running waters also cleanse the heart from all evil. Rushing, turbulent waters are of no use. As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul pants for thee… (Ps. 42:1).
For the hard and stony hearts, God reserves judgement and a certain amount of indignation and strife. For you see, strife breeds strive and contention breeds contention. Give and it shall be given unto you, even the bad and evil works that way but we want to give what is positive and godly.
God says ‘there is never enough strife and contention to quell the evil within your hearts’. Only love can quell the buring desires of strive and contention. Love covers over (hide or veil) a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). But love only covers over sins, it does not get at the root of an evil heart. Peter was referring here to fervent agape love, self-sacrificing love. Sacrifice, which is born of love, is what gets to the roots of sin. And the harder and the more arduous the sacrifice, the deeper you can dig at those roots.
==> Sacrifices in the law, writings, and new covenant
The bible talks about sacrifices in the books of Leviticus and Hebrews. It is interesting to see that Lev. 4:2 says ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them’ then the priests offers a bull for a sin offering. In Lev. 6 intentional sins (trespasses) which are actually against your neighbor require a return of the thing illicitly gotten plus a 20% surcharge. Heb. 10:26 says ‘if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins’. This is not to say we cannot receive forgiveness for past sins (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9, Heb. 8:12).
… repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …
… if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness …
… for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more …
The last statement was borrowed from Jer. 31 which speaks of the new covenant.
Technically any sacrifice which costs you nothing is no sacrifice at all. Covering over sin by itself never gets to the root of the problem. Atonement is another word which literally means reparation for an offense or injury. Just as Nehemiah oversaw the rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem we many times have to repair the breach in our own walls. In Judiasm there is a high day called the day of atonement which is where the high priest makes a sacrifice for the whole nation. Hebrews 7:27 says Christ made an atoment for our sins ‘for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself’. He was our substitute as a sin offering:
Heb. 10:4-7 (Ps. 40:6-8):: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me. (My ears You have opened)
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure (did not require).
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume (scroll) of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’” (and your Torah is within my heart – literally inner parts)
Just like the abyss of Romans 10:7 is equated with the depths of the sea in Deut. 30:13 there is also hidden meaning here when the author of Hebrews equates ‘a body prepared for me’ with ‘ears you have opened’. Our physical bodies are only a shell for the real you dwelling within. Your inner parts, or heart, is what matters. When the Lord opens our ears to understanding then we know our purpose, even our destinies. Our bodies serve our inward parts.
Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:27 ‘I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified’.
Gr hypōpiazō (hoop-o-pee-ad’-zo) literally means to beat your body into subjection.
Throughout church history groups have sought to beat their bodies into subjection with such extreme measures as self-flagellation. During the black plague participants thought this was a way of cleansing the bodies of all sin so as to receive healing for as Peter said ‘he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin’ (1 Pet. 4:1). While I would not advocate self torture as a method to cease from sin there are less severe methods to train the body such as fasting, penance, kingdom work, and time. Yeshua himself had his spiritual ears opened and realized his body was only a means to provide the sacrifice. Death of any kind is the ultimate sacrifice, much less a cruel and agonizing death. In Psalm 40 we hear David’s cry: to do your will and to follow your teachings (Torah). Psalm 119 says ‘thy word have I hidden in mine heart that I might not sin against you’.
==> We need to get at our roots of depravity to be cleansed.
The root of bitterness is one main root. If you have been offended by others and there never seems to be an apology or turning around (repentance) it can fester in open wounds and leave your with sores and even cancer. Sometimes the person who has wronged you has moved away or you have lost contact with them or they are dead so there is no simple way to seek or receive reconcilliation. Try to seek reconcilliation, even an internal release, for you own sakes, not only for their sakes. Pouring on the salve of the oil of gilead can help here. The oil is also the oil of gladness. For if they offened you or hurt you, remember Yeshua was also hurt and offended and he forgave them also. This root says I don’t love them but that is not how we are to be. To get rid of this root requires sacrifice.
The bible says that fresh and bitter water do not mix. James 3:11 says ‘Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?’ If this were true they would mix at the source. The answer to the question is a no. For if they mixed at the source the we would have semi-bitter water instead. Semi-bitter water is like lukewarm water, which is useless. Bitterness pollutes, fresh water refreshes, but semi-bitter waters make a mess. For we have no idea what to do with the water: throw it away or receive it.
The root of rejection is another main root. This root says I am not loved. Remember Yeshua was also despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Is. 53:3). He came to his own but they rejected him (John 1:11). Yeshua was the one to come, the Son of Man and the Holy One of Israel. There is no other, he was also the Prophet. There are no others. There are many prophets in the world today and throughout history. But Yeshua was the prophet to come (John 6:14) and even speaks about the consummation after resurrection from the dead. You too can feel rejection, it is easy to do, especially in ministry. Family can also reject you.
Self-rejection is a close cousin to rejection by others. This root says I don’t love myself. When we reject the notion that we are being perfected we reject the work of Christ in our lives and in our hearts. Matt. 5:48 tells us to be perfect, as our heavenly father is. This is not the notion that we never make mistakes. In 1 John 1:8 it says ‘if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us’. What we are is a work in progress so when we reject his love for us, we reject his gift, the gift of God’s One and Only Begotten Son. For you are all sons and daughters of Christ through his life and devotion and sacrifice. Also, when we reject our destiny and the things which God made us to be we are following a form of self-rejection. Seek that which is above and you shall find your purpose in life.
There are also other roots which feed our main root. Love of money is also called the root of all kinds of evil … but
==> The main root is self
When we are self-seeking, prideful, and egotistical this is fed by our three roots: bitterness, rejection, and self-rejection. For bitterness, rejection, and self-rejection all feed this main root called self. For when we focus on self we loose sight of the great comission which causes us to sacrifice for others. Remember, sacrifice is the key to digging deep and removing bad roots. Love covers over a multitude of sins but when we sacrifice and suffer for our faith we have ceased from sin (1 Pet. 4:1).
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. You say, how is God angry. Yeshua is my friend, my buddy. For he will even join me in hell and bring cool drink to quench my dry and parched throat. Will he? Or will he turn up the heat of the fires 7 times more intense? Nobody knows who the son is except the Father (Matt. 11:27). So beware of your disposition towards God for by grace are we saved (Eph. 2:8), that is unmerited favor.
Rejoice! For today is the day of salvation, the wells of grace still flow. And you can find forgiveness and grace in the hands of Yeshua as you seek his face and work with him.
==> Lakes burning with fire
The lake that burns with fire was created for Satan and his allies, but in particular for fallen angels. Yeshua said, I see Satan fall like fire (lightning) from heaven (Luke 10:18) and with him 1/3 of the angels (Rev. 12:4). The lake which burns with fire is a reference (remembrance) of the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah. For if the king (Bera of Sodom and Birsh) was friendly to Abraham, what happened in that village by the time Lot and his family lived there? The people there had gone from serving the living God to serving Satan. This is how society degerates and sometimes very quickly. Tendencies and beliefs are first established and when acted upon causes the downfall and denigration of society rather quickly.
Holiness unto the Lord is your only response. We need to remember the Torah, various laws, and the great comission. Yeshua recounted to the Pharisees of his day the two greatest commandments: To love the Lord your God with all of the heart, and soul, and life and To love your fellow man as yourself. For the great comission and also the great commandment. To go out into the world and proclaim the love of God in Christ and to tell everyone how great a sacrifice he has done and to not neglect this sacrifice.
The sources of fire for the lake of fire are all around. The center of the Earth is sometimes referred to as the fires of hell. The lower regions of God’s creation are probably more descriptive of the fires below but sheol and the pit are other descriptions. Fires bubble up from below and create streams of fire. This is the visible manifestation of fires below upon the surface of the Earth. Fire when kept below the surface at best makes the Earth warm but once it erupts it destroys. There is a literal hell and lake of fire but we are talking metaphorically in terms of the effects it brings upon people’s lives. Bitterness, rejection, self-rejection and all forms of self promotion must be conquered.
Visibly fires from below outwardly create torment, fear, and anxiety. All works of the flesh are outward manifestations of internal evil. But the root of all sorts of visible fire in people’s lives are pride, selfishness, and ego. We see outwardly what one is burying deep within the soul.
Metaphorically, the fires from within are strive and contention and rebellion in our hearts. Those fully exposed may not be physically dead but are dead unto Christ and useless. Dross settles to the bottom. Fires which erupt from below are the physical manifestations of the evil within one’s heart: wars, strife, murder and other works of the flesh showing up all around those with evil within.
Fire from above relate to those that ally with the powers of the prince of the air. They bring down fires to the Earth and manifest firery rein (vs. rain) upon the Earth. This rain is many times visable within evil and ungodly leaders and those who take charge to boss people around using ungodly methods. Hitler, and Moussilini, and Ghengas Khan, and Stalin are a few examples here.
In the natural asteroids, metorites, and things falling through the atmosphere burn and create streams when falling in sufficient quantities. The rain from these cataclysmic disturbances will make mankind seek shelter underground or cry out to the Lord to stop. Runoff is when the sky drops fire like at Sodom and Gomorrah and streams form in the plains. Evil also tends to stream and gather into rivers and lakes.
You should be like that tree planted by rivers of water (Ps. 1:3), spreading out roots in fertile soil (Jer. 17:8) and manifesting outwardly what the tree produces. If you are planted in good soil and your roots are good then you will produce good fruit (Jer. 24). Remember that in the days of Jeremiah the Lord sent away the ones producing good figs from Israel and left the ones who produce bad figs to remain in the land. Ezekial, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshiach and Abendego were the good fruit people. Remember that sometimes God wants to get you out of a bad situation so pulling you out of your comfort zone, your community, or even your country is the best thing. It may not be the popular thing to do but it is best for you even when you cannot clearly see the outcomes. You should not want to remain when judgement comes. Cleansing of the soul is a necessary first step!
- A big thanks to Troy Henry and his teachings