Based on God’s Redemption, the Excluding Flame has Become the Indwelling Spirit!

When God created man He had a specific purpose in mind: He wanted man to be in His image and according to His likeness to express Him and represent Him on earth by taking God in as his life and living by Him.

After creating man, God put him in front of the tree of life – a clear indication that God wanted to come into man to be man’s life for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. However, man fell; Satan tricked him, man took from the wrong tree, and because of the fall the whole earth came under God’s curse.

In Gen. 3 we see how the ground was cursed because of man so that it would yield thorns and thistles as man toils and labors on it with the sweat of his brow. Furthermore, man was excluded from God’s presence and the way to the tree of life was guarded by a cherubim with a flaming sword.

Gen. 3:24 says, “So He drove the man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

It seemed that it was now impossible for God to accomplish His purpose in creating man, and it was impossible for man to have access to God and take God in as life since, due to sin, curse came in and man was excluded from the tree of life.

However, in Exodus 3 we see that this excluding flame in Gen. 3 has become the visiting and indwelling fire in the thornbush! Somehow the flame which once excluded man from God’s presence now came to dwell in the man (who is still under God’s curse) and accomplish His purpose in man.

Something must have happened in the meantime for God to come and dwell in man. The answer is in Gal. 3:13-14 where we read that, Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; because it is written, “Cursed is every one hanging on a tree”; in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Hallelujah, because of the redemption of Christ, the excluding flame has become the visiting and indwelling flame, and now we have received the Holy Spirit as the divine fire to dwell in us, burn in us, and accomplish God’s purpose in us! Praise the Lord!

The Excluding Flame in Genesis 3 has Become the Visiting and Indwelling Flame in Exodus 3

There is a connection between Genesis 3 and Exodus 3: both speak of God, man, the thorns, and the fire. In Genesis 3:17-18 the thorn is an indication of man being under a curse because of disobeying God and eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and in vv. 22-24 God set a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

In Genesis 3 man is under God’s curse (thorns) and the flame of fire excludes man from God’s presence and from enjoying God as life. Due to man’s sin, curse came in, and the flame of fire excluded and separated man from God; man no longer had access to the tree of life, which symbolizes God as the source of life.

But praise the Lord that the Bible doesn’t end with Genesis 3:24! Rather, if we read on and get to Exodus 3, we see the same elements there but in a different configuration: the thornbush now is indwelt by the fire, and the thorns are not consumed by the divine flame.

Somehow the excluding flame in Genesis 3 has become the visiting and indwelling fire in Exodus 3. The cursed thorn in Genesis 3 became the vessel of God in Exodus 3, and the divine flame of fire is no longer excluding the thorns but is visiting it and dwelling in it. How can this be?

How can the divine flame of fire which excludes the sinful man from partaking of God as life become the indwelling fire? It is through the redemption of man, typified by the lamb slain and offered to God for fallen man (Gen. 4:4) that the excluding flame can become the visiting and indwelling flame.

The cursed thorn becomes the vessel of God, and the flame of fire becomes one with the thornbush. Now God’s purpose can be accomplished, since Christ’s redemption has opened the way for God to come into man, visit man, and dwell in man to be expressed and represented through man.

Through the redemption of Christ the curse has been taken away and the divine fire can dwell in the cursed thornbush and even be one with the thorn!

The Redeeming Christ took away the Curse and the Spirit as the Divine Fire has been Given to us!

The reality of the picture seen in Exodus 3 and the solution to the problem in Genesis 3 can be seen in Gal. 3:13-14. Sinful man is under God’s curse and he is excluded from God by a flame of fire, God’s holiness. But Christ came and He redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; on the cross Christ became a curse for us, bearing the shame and wearing the crown of thorns on His head.

Now we who believe into Him have His redemption applied to us by faith and we receive the blessing of the gospel: the Holy Spirit as the divine fire! When the Lord Jesus was on the earth He was yearning to cast the fire on earth (Luke 12:49-5), and through His death and resurrection the divine fire – the Holy Spirit – was released and sent to His believers!

On the day of Pentecost the promised Spirit, which was given based on the redemption of Christ which took away the sin and the curse, came upon the disciples in the form of fire (see Acts 2:3-4). The fire which once excluded man from God’s presence now came to dwell on man and in man based on Christ’s redemption.

Hallelujah, this is so wonderful! All those who believe into Christ have the divine fire burning in them; they are a thornbush, yet the divine flame which once excluded them now dwells in them and burns in them!

We need to preach the gospel and tell all men that God has provided a new and living way back to the tree of life through the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:20). Though all men are born in sin, live in sin, and are under God’s curse because of sin, based on the redemption of Christ man can become a vessel to contain God as the divine fire!

The Holy One whose holiness excludes sinners from His presence can come to visit us, stay with us, and dwell in us as the divine fire! Now we, the once-cursed thorns can become God’s dwelling place, and the divine fire can visit us and indwell us to burn in us for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.

We were once totally excluded from partaking of God as life by the rotating sword of flame keeping us away from God, but now the way is open! We can come to the Father through Jesus the Son and partake of the Spirit as the blessing of the gospel and the divine fire burning in us!

Hallelujah, Christ opened the life gate for us all to go in, partake of the riches of the divine life, and receive the all-inclusive compound Spirit as the indwelling flame!

Thank You Lord for Your wonderful redemption which has opened the way for us to partake of God. Hallelujah, the excluding flame has become the visiting and indwelling flame, and the once-cursed thornbush can now be a vessel to contain God as the divine flame! Father, based on the redemption of Your Son, we come forward to You with boldness to enjoy the Spirit as the burning flame indwelling us! Hallelujah, the life-gate has been opened, and sinners can have God visit them, stay with them, and even dwell in them through the redemption of Christ! Praise the Lord!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Exodus, msg. 7, as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (1), week 4 / msg 4, The Corporate Thornbush.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # How should the Lord keep back His sword from blood? / “The soul that sinneth it shall surely die:” / But ah, can Justice make His counsels good? / Can Law bring in the glory from on high? / Grace must provide a Lamb—a Ransom find; / Redeem by One whom death no more may bind. (Hymns #304)
  # To God be the glory, great things He hath done, / So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, / Who yielded His life our redemption to win, / And opened the life-gate that all may go in. / Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, / Let the earth hear His voice; / Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, / Let the people rejoice; / Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, / And give Him the glory; great things He hath done. (Hymns #39)
  # The veil is rent and opened is / A new and living way; / With boldness thru the precious blood, / We come to Thee to pray. / By Thy redemption we may come / Into the holiest place; / Thy Spirit now anointing us, / We touch the throne of grace. (Hymns #771)