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NASB | Luke 9:54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 9:54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?" [2 Kin 1:9-16] |
Bible Question: How can an all-loving God kill people with flames of fire from the sky (Kings) |
Bible Answer: I am not sure where the term "all-loving" comes from. God is love (1 John 4:8,16). But God is also "a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; Hebrews 12:29). God has other qualities in addition to love. These qualities include justice and holiness. All in all, God is a good God and he will not allow sin to permeate his realm. From time to time he arises to punish sin. Also, because he is Sovereign, he will do these things that are right whether or not we understand or agree with him. We should understand that this God of love loved us so much that he allowed the full force of his justice against sin to be meted out on his son. That is what happened at Calvary and it was because he loved us and wanted to take away our sin. Hs love and his justice are both seen in the cross of Christ. So now, since Christ has borne the penalty for our sin, God can show love and forgiveness toward us. We should understand that God does not want to punish us. But he does not want us to sin either. If we sin, there must be punishment for sin. God’s justice must be satisfied. You have seen the severity of God. He did send down fire. I trust you can also see the goodness of God. His disciples watched once when a city declined to receive Jesus. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them”. God has a fire prepared for those who reject him. And it is worse than the fire that fell on those soldiers in the book of 2 Kings. It is a fire that will not stop and the people in it will not die. But the God of justice is also a God of love. He sent Jesus to save us from hell. We can go to heaven if we will accept his salvation. That is love. God does that because he is a God of love. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Luke 9:54 | Author | ||
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henry1000 | ||
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PasserBy | ||
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JCrichton |