Like a Refiner’s Fire Mal.3:2-6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Like A Refiner’s Fire. The Lord Jesus Christ is like a refiner’s fire at his second coming. Our God is a consuming fire [Heb 12] – the unrighteous cannot abide his coming [2 Thes 1:7-8] – yet Israel is special because of God’s covenant with her – so when the Lord returns, he refines Israel instead of destroying her.
A refiner’s fire they would understand because of their manufacture of idols – silver contains chemical additives – when heated to between 800C and 1000C the silver is separated from the other metals [with which it has been mixed] – the fire also separates the gold.
Fuller’s soap cleans sheep wool and makes it white. After it is cleansed, the wool is beaten to make it full – in Mk 9:3 we see that the raiment of the Lord Jesus Christ is perfectly white, whiter than a fuller can white them.
So when Jesus returns:
He refines Israel – silver & gold – see Job 23:10; they are purged like Heb 9:14
He purifies Israel – they offer to him in Ezek 45:17 as a memorial of what he has done for them.
He judges Israel – Ezek 33:20; Matt 19:28.
He preserves Israel – they are not consumed [the burning bush is a picture – Ezek 37:23-27].