Jesus: A Refiner's Fire
But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire
and like fullers' soap.
Malachi 3:2
Jesus is the Refiner’s Fire to judge those who call themselves God’s children. Jesus will return to separate true believers from those who only call themselves Christians. In Malachi’s day, silver ore was crushed into small granules and then ground into powder. Water was poured over the powder to wash away the dross. The remaining silver-like powder was melted in a crucible. The more heat—Refiner’s Fire—that was added, the more lead dross that came to the surface. By blowing hot air over the melted surface, lead dross was blown away, leaving pure silver. When Jesus returns, He will judge all to determine who are His true believers. His breath is the Word of God; it will blow away the dross.
Lord Jesus, I’m not perfect, but I believe in You with all my heart. I love You with all my heart, soul, and strength.
There is much more that looks like silver, though it’s not. In the same way, there are many who look like Christians but are not. Sometimes, we are crushed by persecutions and ground to powder by trials; even then, true believers are not always identified. The water of the Word of God is poured over us in sermons and Bible readings, but even that doesn’t single out true believers. Only the Refiner’s Fire of judgment will identify those who truly belong to Christ.
Lord Jesus, I know in my head that You exist. I know in my experience that I’ve asked You to come into my life. I know in my innate being that I’m Your child. Amen.
Go Deeper: Revelation 20:11-15
Jesus will judge all those who call themselves Christians to determine those who are real.