Fire before God's throne is a multifaceted symbol, and the fire mingled with the sea of glass is read in that light. The glassy sea stands for God's justice, holiness, and peace, while the fire adds His righteous indignation. God reveals Himself in fire throughout Scripture: the burning bush, Sinai, and Ezekiel's vision of a throne and a figure surrounded by fire. His throne, angels, and even the eyes of the glorified Christ are described as flames, reflecting His glory, which is beyond human comprehension. Fire both purifies and destroys, so God purifies the righteous and destroys the wicked, for "our God is a consuming fire." Isaiah's coal cleansing his lips shows fire as purification, and being tested by God is likened to refining. Jeremiah 5:14 portrays God's word as fire that devours, and 2 Thessalonians 1 shows Christ returning in flaming fire to take vengeance. Prophecies of destruction by fire often simply express that judgment is sure and thorough. Fire also protects, as in the pillar of fire, the chariots of fire around Elisha, and the promised wall of fire around Jerusalem, the Church. In Revelation 15:2 the fire likely corresponds to angels moving like torches and lightning, as in Ezekiel 1, as the seven angels prepare to pour out the last plagues. Yet the saints stand on the sea in victory, singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb. In the Kingdom, fire is no longer destructive but a protective glory over Zion.

Revelation 11:5 says fire proceeds from the Two Witnesses' mouths and devours anyone who wants to harm them, and the emphatic "must be killed" implies inevitability. "Harm" is general, covering any persecution or hindrance of their work, so God lets nothing stop them until their task is finished. Whether the fire is literal or a spoken word that brings lethal judgment from heaven is uncertain, but the Bible's pattern is that the prophet speaks and God does the work. Moses spoke, the earth swallowed Korah's rebels, and fire from the LORD consumed the 250 men offering incense. Elijah called fire from heaven on two captains of fifty and their men, who had come to hinder the prophet's work. Jeremiah 5:14 adds that God's words in a prophet's mouth are themselves fire. Judgment may therefore not fall at once but will eventually catch up with those who refuse the witness, as God's word to Adam and Eve eventually did. Everyone who opposes them will finally be consumed, even Satan in the Lake of Fire. The Greek word for "devours" means "eats down," recalling the dissolving flesh of Zechariah 14:12. As judgment prophets in the Tribulation, rather than ministers submitting to authorities as in the Church Age, they are given this license to destroy. A controlled zeal keeps them within their authority.

God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and His character is fuller than the "meek and mild" Jesus popularly preached; it includes righteous wrath against sin alongside love and mercy. The Day of Trumpets, with its teruwah and shofar, announces that God is drawing near, that His law is the standard of measure, and that a testing judgment is coming. This was foreshadowed at Sinai, where the people trembled while Moses drew near. Joel and Zephaniah picture God leading an army that kills and breaks things in perfect justice, as stored-up wrath finally breaks loose, as Jonathan Edwards described. The God of the Old Testament is the same Christ, the Rock of 1 Corinthians 10, who struck down multitudes in the wilderness. He is unchanged (Hebrews 13:8) and displayed anger in the Gospels, as when He cleansed the temple and said He came to send fire. Hebrews 12 raises the stakes under the New Covenant: those who refuse Him who speaks from heaven will not escape, for He will shake heaven as well as earth, and only the unshakable Kingdom remains. Therefore believers must serve with reverence and godly fear, stay sober and watchful, and put on faith, love, and hope, since God has appointed them to salvation, not wrath, though they could still forfeit it. His "dark side" is never evil; it is justice aimed at bringing mankind into His Kingdom. Joel 2 closes with the remedy: wholehearted repentance toward a gracious God who relents.

God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), dwelling in unapproachable light that no man can see (1 Timothy 6:16). When the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, the cloud was not itself His glory but a shield hiding it, protecting the people from being slain by an emanation of His awesome power. In the same way, a veil protected Israel from the reflected glory on Moses' face after forty days in God's presence. God's true glory, however, lies in His character: His holiness, righteousness, love, mercy, and kindness, as shown when He proclaimed His name to Moses rather than displaying His appearance. The fear of the Lord therefore spans a range from holy terror at power we do not want unleashed on us to loving, reverent awe. Fire from the Lord devoured Nadab and Abihu when they offered strange fire and treated the holy as common, setting an example for all time. Moses' striking of the rock, Uzza's death, Belshazzar's fate, and Judah's captivity similarly show that disrespect for God's instructions brings judgment. Because we are carnal, we need the whole range of that fear, which makes faith operational and leads us to submit exactly as God commands.