The Fire Falls Outside

A Lesson in the Believer's Transformation

What If? - The Final Deception - this is the human temple

For those who have read my end-times articles which mention the human temple, this writing continues that same theme. It is about that very temple of God—the human body, soul, and spirit—and what happens inside it when the “seal” of God is branded upon the heart. This seal is not a mark on the flesh, but a spiritual inscription; a confirmation that the Word (Logos) has been planted, the Spirit has taken residence, and the soul has yielded in obedience. It is the moment when the Logos is no longer simply received, but obeyed—when the inward law becomes active, written not on stone, but on the tablets of the heart. From this place, the transformation begins, and the temple is prepared for glory.

In the beginning

The Logos is the divine reason, will, and expression of God; eternal and unchanging. It is the mind of God revealed, the foundation through which He created all things and by which He makes Himself known to creation. The Logos is not a book or a voice alone, it is God's very thought, intention, and purpose, alive and active. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) It is this eternal will that entered the human realm, not just through speech, but through seed, an invisible, divine deposit that awakens and transforms from within.

The journey of a believer

The journey of a believer begins in this hidden place, where the seed of the Word—God’s Logos—is planted into the human spirit, the “Holy of Holies” of the human temple.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19), and, “You are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you.” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

This is the first awakening, when divine reason and intention penetrate the inner man. Jesus said, “The seed is the word(logos) of God.” (Luke 8:11) This Word is not just knowledge or theology; it is the incorruptible seed from heaven, sown by God Himself into hearts that are ready. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word(logou) of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

Note: While Luke emphasizes the Word as the seed planted, Peter describes the transformation that occurs when this seed takes root—new birth. “Logou” here means “of the Word,” showing that our rebirth flows directly from the eternal Logos itself. These two passages are not separate ideas, but two stages of the same divine process: sowing and rebirth.

The Logos is not merely a message: it is the very essence of God’s will, deposited into the spirit like a divine code, capable of reshaping a person from the inside out. It brings light where there was darkness, order where there was chaos, and direction where there was confusion. As the Logos begins to guide the soul, the believer finds a new hunger—to walk in obedience, to seek truth, and to yield to a will greater than their own.

The Logos is not just the initial spark of awakening—it becomes the very source of daily instruction, the internal command that guides the believer step by step. It is the law written on the heart, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33:

“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

This is how intimacy with God grows: through ongoing communication with the Logos as it speaks within, convicts, leads, and teaches. Paul said,

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God(Rhema).” (Romans 10:17) But hearing alone is not enough. “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)

Rhēma is the daily instruction that flows from the implanted Logos. It is hearing God’s voice, moment by moment, in the secret place. It is the living command, the call to act, the revelation of what must be done now.

Without Rhēma, there is no faith.
Without faith, there is no obedience.
Without obedience, there is no righteousness.
And without righteousness, the seed cannot grow, the oil cannot form, and the fire cannot fall.

True faith responds to what is heard—it walks, it obeys, it moves. And as the believer acts upon what the Logos reveals, they grow in righteousness. This is how the seed continues to mature: through a rhythm of hearing and obeying, through faith demonstrated in action. Every step taken in obedience waters the seed, strengthens the tree, and presses the olive. This is how the temple is built, how the oil is formed, and how the fire becomes possible.

This is not behavior modification; it is spiritual rebirth, initiated by the very presence of God’s eternal mind within us. Yet Jesus made it clear: not all soil receives the seed the same way. In the Parable of the Sower, He explains that the seed is always good, but the condition of the soil (the heart) determines its growth.

“Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts… They on the rock are they, which… receive the word with joy… but in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which… are choked with cares and riches… and bring no fruit to perfection.” (Luke 8:12–14)

Only one kind of soil bears fruit:

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

So while the seed is divine, the soul must become good ground. The Spirit convicts and cultivates, but the human response still matters. True transformation begins when the Logos is welcomed and given space to grow within.

Image

As the seed breaks open and takes root, its life begins to press upward into the soul—into the mind, emotions, and desires—just as a young shoot reaches for the light. This corresponds to the Holy Place in the Temple, where the priest tended the lampstand (illumination), the showbread (communion), and the altar of incense (prayer and devotion). It is here, in the soul, that the Spirit begins the daily work of renewal.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) And Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself… no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” (John 15:4)

At this stage—when the seed has taken root and the soul begins to respond in obedience—the seal of God is set upon the heart. The seal is the divine mark of belonging, placed not at the moment of mere belief, but as a confirmation of a life being conformed to God’s will. “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:13) The seed is alive, the soil is responding, and the soul is turning steadily toward the Logos. This is where God claims the vessel as His own. The seal is not the end of the journey, it is the middle, a sign that transformation is real and that the one bearing it is destined for more: for oil, for fire, for fruit. It is a spiritual branding, declaring that the heart belongs to God, that the law is being written inwardly, and that the soul is maturing in truth. Only a sealed vessel can be trusted with the oil. And only a vessel filled with oil can carry the flame.

As the believer abides in Christ, the life of the seed matures into a full tree, specifically, a cultivated olive tree, whose fruit is not just to be seen but to be pressed. The olive represents the fruit of relationship, and the oil it yields is a picture of the spiritual life formed in secret through obedience and intimacy with God. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the wise carried oil in their vessels:

“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:4) The foolish cried out, “Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.” (Matthew 25:8),

but it was too late. Oil cannot be borrowed. It is produced in surrender and devotion. Without oil, the flame cannot be sustained.

Now the spirit is awakened, the soul is renewed, and the body—the outer court of the temple—is prepared. The body is the lamp, the visible vessel meant to carry the oil and manifest the fire.

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 20:27)

But a candle, though designed to shine, is useless without oil, and oil is powerless without flame. The fire must come, but it only falls on what has been properly prepared.

In the Old Testament, God never sent His fire until the temple was constructed, sanctified, and in order. Then, and only then, He responded with holy flame.

“And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat…” (Leviticus 9:24) “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.” (2 Chronicles 7:1)

Importantly, that fire came outside, on the altar—in the public place, not hidden within. This is the final act of the believer’s transformation: when the body becomes a living altar, and God ignites it with His flame. It is the baptism of fire foretold by John the Baptist: “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11)

This was fulfilled at Pentecost. The disciples had already received the Word. They had received the indwelling Spirit when Jesus breathed on them.

““When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”” (John 20:22)

But in Acts 2:3, the fire fell—“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” The oil within them was ignited. Their altars were ready. The temple was complete. The fire came, not only for illumination but for commission.

Jesus had prepared them for this moment: “But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) They obeyed. And when the fire came, it turned them into visible witnesses of the invisible God. From that day forward, their lives were burning lamps. Their bodies became living sacrifices. Their voices carried weight because they spoke with the fire of God.

Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren… that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) A living sacrifice does not just lie upon the altar—it burns.

And so, the believer’s journey comes full circle:

• From the hidden planting of the Logos in the spirit,

• To the renewing of the soul as the sanctuary of communion,

• To the clothing of the body with holy fire, So that the temple may now fulfill its purpose, to reveal God's presence to the world.

The fire falls outside, because the world must see it. The altar is public. The lamp is meant to shine.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

This is the glory of the believer’s calling: to become a temple of fire, a lamp full of oil, a life prepared—so that when God sends His holy flame, it does not consume in judgment, but ignites a testimony of His love, power, and presence for all to witness.

And so, the believer’s journey comes full circle:

From the hidden planting of the Logos in the spirit,
To the renewing of the soul as the sanctuary of communion,
To the clothing of the body with holy fire—
So that the temple may fulfill its purpose: to reveal God’s presence to the world.

But this journey is not automatic. It is not guaranteed.

At every stage, the seed can die, the tree can wither, or the fruit can fail to form. The heart may grow hard. The soil may become shallow or choked by thorns. The soul may resist renewal. The vessel may remain impure. And the body, though designed to be a lamp, may never burn.

The parable of the sower makes this warning clear: “Some fell by the way side… some fell upon a rock… some among thorns…” (Luke 8:5–7). Only the seed in good soil bore fruit, and even then, it bore with patience (Luke 8:15).

The goal is not just growth, it is fruit.
And not just any fruit, but the olive, the fruit pressed into oil, the kind God can use.

The oil is essential. Without it, the flame cannot rest. Without it, there is nothing for God to ignite. The oil represents the yielded life, produced through intimacy, faithfulness, obedience, and surrender. It is the evidence that the seed matured, the tree endured, and the soul cooperated with the Spirit of God.

This is why the foolish virgins were left outside: their lamps were empty when the Bridegroom came. They may have received the seed. They may have been part of the group. But they bore no oil. And when the time came for fire, they were not ready.

Only the wise, the faithful, the prepared, were ignited.

So the fire that falls in the outer court, that public flame which displays the glory of God, is not for show. It is for those who have passed through every stage of transformation: those in whom the Logos was planted, the soul was renewed, the oil was produced, and the body became an altar of sacrifice.

That fire does not rest on those who begin, it rests on those who endure, who bear fruit, and who carry oil.

For the end goal is not merely knowledge, nor emotion, nor even power.
The end goal is fruit—fruit that lasts, fruit that feeds, fruit that can be pressed and offered.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

This is the believer’s high calling: to be a lamp, full of oil, lit by holy fire, bearing fruit for the glory of the Father.