"Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire? Who among _us_ shall dwell in everlasting burnings?" Hear the answer of God, given through his prophet to all His obedient and faithful children: "Though thou walkest through the fires, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee." Again, of His Spirit in a milder form: "Is not my _word_ like fire, saith the Lord?" The prophet answers: "His word was in my heart as a burning fire." Now remember that: "By the _word_ of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth." _And here His word is represented as_ FIRE! In the first book of the Chronicles it is written: "Every man's work shall be tried by fire." And, in the second book of the Chronicles: "And when the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the House, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground, and worshipped and praised the Lord." Thus, no one dared gaze on the brightness of that _glory_, and all bowed "with their faces _to the ground_." Turning to the book of Deuteronomy, we find written: "The Lord thy God is a consuming fire. Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is He that goeth over before thee as a consuming fire. Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He showed thee His great fire; and thou heardest His words out of the midst of the fire." In Leviticus we find written: "And there went out a fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offerings--which, when the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces." Let us contemplate, for a moment, the sacrilege of the attempt at using this element--during the old dispensation--to the consuming of an offering or sacrifice to any other than the _one true and living God_. Turn to the Book of Numbers, and read, "When the people offered incense upon the strange altar, there came down fire from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty who offered the incense. And Nahab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord." Second Kings, vi. 17: "Elisha said, they that be for us are more than they that are against us; he prayed, and God opened the young man's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Thus we see that this element--in its destructive form--is the ready manifestation of God's displeasure. Turn to Exodus, and read,--