The Paradox of Fire

Have you ever thought about how much fire is involved with our daily life? Have you ever thought about how bad fire can be yet how good fire can be? Have you ever thought about the spiritual meaning that fire has? Fire can be harmful when used in a harmful way, yet fire can be the total opposite when used correctly. You know how in the spring, summer, and fall (maybe even in the winter), California always has wild fires and the news and media is portraying it as bad? Well, the fires have good and bad effects. Then there’s the fires in the fields of Kansas that some people have never heard of. In this article, I will start off with the bad of the wild fires of California, then move to the good of those fires, next to the field fires of Kansas, and lastly to the spiritual meaning of (wild) fires.

The forest fires cause the lose of many homes and many people’s property’s are destroyed because of the fires. People have to evacuate their homes to another place because the area they live in is where the fire is headed towards. Then, there’s the wildlife that get kicked out of the environment in which they have been living for their entire life. There are many more negative things about the wildfires in this world but nature needs them to survive and reproduce. Yeah, I know that I may sound like I contradicted myself (which is what a paradox is), but I am not.

Did you know that the trees out in California need a layer of ash on the ground to successfully reproduce? It’s true. Also, another thing about the wildfires is that when a tree catches on fire and then falls down, the seeds which were at the top of the tree finally fall to the ground which has a layer of ash. This means that after a few years young new bucks (or I mean trees) will then spark up and a new generation of forest will sprout up and be strong. The wildlife will then be able to come back to a healthier home and survive until the next cycle of forest fire happens.

When I mention Kansas, what comes to your head? A flat state or a state with rolling hills? Well no matter what you think, Kansas is home to rolling hills and when you get on top of one you can see for miles! It’s a beautiful country! Yet Kansas isn’t all just the stuff I mentioned, we have fields in which farmers grow crops and earn their living.

Well, once in a while the fields in which they grow corn, wheat, soy beans, sunflowers, and other crops are taken over by weeds. The farmers then have a couple of options from which they can choose. One of their options is to till the ground. Some of the city slickers might not know what tilling the ground is. Tilling the ground is when a farmer takes a machine, which has multiple blades on it, and rides over the ground. This turns the weeds inside out with the dirt, but the weed is still there and will more than likely sprout back up.

Another option that the farmer has is to set that field on fire. Now you maybe thinking to yourself, “Why would they set the field on fire? Cause what if a strong wind picked up and caused it to go wild? Or is that what the farmers intend to happen?” The reason the farmers set fires to their fields is because of the weeds that sprout up and sink their roots deep into the earth. Well, the deeper the roots the better that crop is and with other plants (or weeds) already in the ground, the crops aren’t going to be any good. Also, the ash left from the fire is a good fertilizer which helps the crops they plant grow stronger and better than normal.

I was reading an article the other day and it said, “Immense fires periodically swept this region [Flinthills region], preventing the invasion of woody plants such as trees.” After reading on in that article I found out that the fires not only help the farmers but they also help the wildlife. You’re probably asking how it helps the wildlife, and that’s because the animals and plants that are native to the Kansas prairies aren’t scared away by the fires. Also, fires help keep out some of the non-native animals and grasses/plants that would destroy the lands. Once the native plants and grasses are gone that means that soil erison is likely to happen which could lead to another Dust Bowl. Overall, the fires in Kansas are controlled fires, which help with the fires not going wild. In fact, just the other day (February 23rd) I was driving and noticed some smoke ahead. I was very curious and missed my turn on purpose just to see what was happening. To my delight there was someone burning their field! Here are some pictures after that person burned it (I didn’t have my camera when they were actually burning it. I really wish I would have).

Isa 6:3-Isa 6:8 says, “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. ⁴And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. ⁶Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: ⁷And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. ⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” The Bible uses fire as an example to purify people and to cleanse things. For example, Isa 6:3-Isa 6:8 tells about Isaiah being purified and cleansed by the live coal, which was taken off the alter with a pair of tongs. The only way it can be live coal is right out of the fire, and then being purged by it so that Isaiah could be sent out to declare the word of the Lord. Mt 7:19 says, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” This is an example, from the Bible, that tells us that every tree that doesn’t produce any fruit should be cut down and then burned. This is like the wildfires in California in which trees that aren’t really producing anything are then burned down and they fall down. It’s good yet at the same time not good.

Mt 13:41-Mt 13:42 says, “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; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” The scriptures before these tell about how the world is a field and the children of God are the good seeds. Also, they tell us that the tares are the children of the wicked one (the devil) and at the harvest (end of the world) the tares will be cast into the furnace of fire (Hell). In that furnace of fire there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. This is just another example of fire being used as a purifying and purging process. It even goes in depth about what people will be doing and what it’ll sound like.

Acts 2:1-2:4 says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Now, I am almost 100% sure that almost everyone who is reading this article has read these scriptures before. We have all heard high winds and have seen some of the destruction that tornadoes can cause. Winds aren’t the best to describe this wonderful event, yet we’ve seen some of the destruction that fires cause, right? But from this article they seem to be pretty goof don’t they? Fire is the best destruction to purify a heart and soul! That’s why God used a visual “cloven tongues like as of fire” to represent the Holy Ghost that burns up all of your sins!

God Bless,
Bradley Hilton