Like the reasoning of Nadab and Abihu, the Christian church offers “strange fire” by celebrating feasts not commanded by Yehovah and by teaching doctrines that contradict His Word.
This passage teaches us about the enormous responsibility of being representatives of Yehovah before the world.
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered before Yehovah unauthorized fire, which He had never commanded them. Then fire came out from the presence of Yehovah and consumed them, and they died before Yehovah.
Leviticus 10:1–2
Aaron and his sons made a covenant with Yehovah, and for seven days they remained secluded in the Tent of Meeting, learning their responsibilities. It was simply a matter of carefully obeying the Instructions (Torah) of Yehovah.
But the reasoning of Nadab and Abihu proved stronger, leading them to offer something Yehovah had not instructed them to do, and they paid for this reckless act with their lives.
And this is precisely what has been happening for centuries—and what the Christian church still practices today: “offering strange fire” by celebrating feasts not commanded by Yehovah and by teaching doctrines that contradict His Word.
Examples include the observance of Sunday instead of the Shabbat; the celebration of Easter—a name historically associated with fertility worship—along with customs of clearly pagan origin and incorrect timing; the neglect of Yehovah’s appointed feasts such as Sukkot (Tabernacles); and the distortion of Shavuot, replacing it with Pentecost.
In a similar way to Nadab and Abihu, the church believes it has been invested “with power from on high,” and is therefore authorized to offer before the Presence of Yehovah whatever it pleases or judges convenient.
With reasoning such as:
“Since we are a royal priesthood, and what we are doing is not immoral, and besides, most people like it, accept it, and support it, then God must surely be pleased with our initiatives!”
Nothing could be further from the truth. Wake up and come out of the spiritual Babylon that has allowed itself to be contaminated by the “wine of the fornications” of the Great Harlot, as the book of Revelation declares. Return to Yehovah while He may be found, because the time is short and the spirit of deception is more active now than ever before. Make every effort to search the Word for yourself and to obey it without compromise; then you will attain the promises Yehovah has made to His obedient children.