Thursday 1 November 2018

Casting the Fire of Kingdom upon the World The Gospel of Thomas




10 Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am watching over it until it blazes."


16 Jesus says: "Men indeed think I have come to bring peace to the world. But they do not know that I have come to bring the world discord, fire, sword, war. Indeed, there will be five in a house. There will be three over two and two over three, parent over child and child over parent. And they will stand at rest by being solitaries."


82 Jesus said, "Whoever is near me is near fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom


In saying 16 Jesus does not bring peace upon the world but fire war and the sword so in saying 10 Jesus is speaking about the trouble in his day which would end in 70 CE with the destruction of the temple it is also a prophecy of our own time which will

In Saying 82 fire and the kingdom are equivalent terms just as Jesus is equivalent with the Kingdom so here when he throws fire upon the world we should understand that he has come to reveal the knowledge of the Kingdom upon the world.

Therefore in Saying 82 Jesus is both fire and kingdom and if we compare this with Saying 10 Jesus control the fire that will soon blaze and that fire is identified with Jesus and those with him and the fire is identified with the Kingdom one might therefore re-read Saying 10 as I have thrown the Kingdom on the world to refine it

This is a refiner’s fire, to refine the heart of men for the day of judgement. The knowledge that makes us responsible to the truth comes by faith and faith by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Thus it can make us wise unto salvation by faith in Christ Jesus, for the word of God is beneficial for teaching, for reproving for correction, for disciplining in righteousness. This is the fire of the knowledge of the kingdom of God that saves us 1Cor 3:13-15 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

for our faith is tried with fire 1pe 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

so the forgiveness of sins is to purify the sins of the world with fire. So by listening to Jesus’ words and abiding by them we will overcome our passions. Cp. Saying 7, 8, 9

The fire is also the fire of judgement speaking of the end of the Jewish temple and pointing forward to the end of the age


Fire is a symbol of the spirit-manifestation or God-manifestation for "God is a consuming fire”. Therefore, after we are refined by fire we shall be made like fire just like Jesus is now for Yahweh makes his ministers a flame of fire Psalm 104:4 Who makes his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.

Daniel also saw them in vision. "I beheld," says he, "until the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool' his throne the fiery flame, and his wheels burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the Judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9-10). Whence came all these thousands of the fiery stream? They are all the Sons of Power: Spirits born of the Spirit; Israel's Elohim, or Mighty Ones; who were once Jews and Gentiles in unprofitable flesh: sinners under sentence of death, but justified by an intelligent and obedient faith. These are the Elohim of the Sh'ma Yisraail, the hypostasis of whom is the ONE YAHWEH -- the One Eternal Spirit multitudinously manifested in the Sons of Eternal Power. When these become apparent, "at THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of the Body" (Rom. 8:23) -- the "One Body" -- then will be revealed the Mystical Christ -- the seed of Abraham -- the "Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle; his head and hairs like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if glowing in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters" (Rev. 1:13-15) -- the voice of the redeemed of all kindreds, and nations, and peoples and tongues.

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