As Flaming Fire

When Peter asked the Lord about John, the Savior said this: “My beloved has desired that he might do more, or a greater work yet among men than what he has before done. Yea, he has undertaken a greater work; therefore I will make him as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 7:5-6). This is a description of what would become of John the Beloved after the other apostles died. His role is to minister to the people on the earth who will be “heirs of salvation”—in other words, it sounds like he won’t be going to the wicked but rather to those who will receive the gospel and obtain salvation. I didn’t realize until this morning that some of this language is similar to the first chapter to the Hebrews. Paul wrote this, “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:6-8). Here Paul was describing the role of angels and how they will minister and as a “flame of fire.” But Paul was actually quoting the Psalms 104:4 which also states that the Lord “maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.” So, the Lord’s message was the John would be like an angel but living on the earth. Instead of being an angel in heaven who would come down occasionally to minister to the children of men, he would be among them permanently, ministering unto them much more often but with the same purpose as the angels above.

That John and the angels are “flaming fire” is a curious phrase—what does it mean? Perhaps it refers to the fire of the Holy Ghost that is to accompany the servants of the Lord (earthly and angelic). We know that “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost” and so whenever they speak it will be accompanied by the figurative fire of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 32:3). The terms “fire” and “Holy Ghost” often go together in the scriptures. For example, John the Baptist described his mission this way: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). The Lord confirmed this to the Nephites, “And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3 Nephi 9:20). The Savior repeated this idea in this dispensation when He invited those of our generation to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:11). As the Holy Ghost comes upon us it is like fire, giving us light and warmth and purifying our hearts. So perhaps as John ministers to those in the world today, his messages bring that fire of the Holy Ghost to the hearts of the seekers of truth. And so our goal as earthly ministers should be the same—we want to help bring the flaming fire of the Holy Ghost into the hearts of all those that we serve.