Genesis 15:17

The Fire-Pot and the Torch of Fire

There is already quite a bit of enigmatic narrative built around a singular division. The world?, the Church?, the Kingdom?…split in half. The Scriptures explain the fire-pot (Strong’s #8574) and the torch (#3940) of fire as Yahweh’s means of judgment which are the “chiefs of Judah” and “Jerusalem” (a.k.a Builders of the Most High/the Heavenly Bride Jerusalem) who judge the world (1 Cor. 6:2). The right and left are judged:

In the That Hot-one I am placing the chiefs of Judah as a pot of fire in trees and as a torch of fire in sheaves and they have devoured on the right hand and on the left the whole of the peoples round about. And Jerusalem has sat again in her place in Jerusalem. Zech. 12:6 literal

The chiefs are the aluphe אַלּוּף (#441) which comes from the stem word aleph א, to teach/learn, clan, companion, a thousand. They are the right hand:

“Your hand, she is finding to the whole of your enemies; your right hand, she is finding those who hate you. You are setting them like a fire-pot of fire for the time of your faces. Yahweh in his nostril is swallowing them up, and the fire—she is eating them.” Psalm 21:8-9 literal

This same pattern is seen in the judgement of Korah where the Ground underneath them cleaves (Hebrew baqa #1234) in two, opens up, and swallows the whole after which fire comes forth from Yahweh himself and devours 250 men (Num. 16:31-35).

“The whole of them are adulterers, Like a fire-pot burning from a baker, He is ceasing from causing to wake up from kneading dough until his leavening. A hot-one of our king, the princes have made sick a skin from wine, he has drawn out his hand near scorners. For they have brought near like the Fire-pot their heart in their ambush, the whole of the Night their baker sleeps, in the morning he burns like a fire of a blade. The whole of them are growing warm like a fire-pot, and they have eaten their judges, the whole of their kings have fallen [naphal]. There is none in them who call towards me.” Hosea 7:4-7 literal

“For behold, the Hot-one comes, burning like a fire-pot and they have been the whole of the proud and the whole who make wickedness, stubble.” [wickedness is a fem. noun—rishah, #7564, the masc. noun wickedness is resha #7562] Malachi 4:1 literal

“Therefore, thus has said Jehovah: Ye have not listened toward Me to proclaim freedom, a man to his brother, and a man to his friend” Jer. 34:17 literal

The end-time picture of Father-of-Tumult’s vision is starting to come together, but there are still many pieces involved in this puzzle. Jesus himself adds more insight to this prophecy (and also more to ponder) quoting Micah 7:6:

I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were kindled already! But I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and how I am pressed until it should be completed!

Do you think that I came to give peace on the earth? No, I say to you, but rather a division. For from now there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided father against builder and builder against father, mother against built-one and built-one against mother, mother-in-law against her built-one-in-law and built-one-in-law against mother-in-law.” Luke 12:49-53 literal

What does he mean by three against two, two against three? It appears he is speaking of three against three and that there are six in one house. Perhaps two are reunited (Mal. 4:6)…

There are five animals in the vision, two females one male, and two birds. The three animals that faces one another are halved—divided and set in opposition to one another, three against three. Mother-in-law is חֲמוֹת chamot (#2545) to a woman (recall our study on Ham in Gen 10). Another hint: The fire itself is something, in Christ’s mind, that is good. We find this prophetic pattern in another story:

“And Samson is walking and catching three hundred foxes [dogs], and he is taking torches, and causing to turn a tail toward a tail, and is putting one torch between two tails in the Middle.” Judges 15:4 literal

Or how about this one which causes us to think upon something which is swallowed and vomited…

“From his mouth torches are walking; sparks of fire escape; from his nostrils is going out smoke like a blowing pot and reeds.” Job 41:19-20 literal

We see builders and fathers divided (and reunified) in the end-times in the words of Malachi:

“And he has turned back a heart of fathers upon builders, and a heart of builders upon their fathers lest I am coming and I have struck the Earth a ban [utter destruction].” Malachi 4:6 literal

This masculine division is further defined by the messenger Gabriel,

“and he shall go forth in the eye of him [enópios face to face], in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers upon children and disobedient ones, in wisdom of just ones, to make ready to Master, a kinspeople prepared.” Luke 1:17 literal