 In such cases, just what does it symbolize or just what does it illustrate? Well, the Bible uses various symbols to illustrate this time of great tribulation in which we're now living. In addition to fire, the prophecies liken it to earthquakes, to storms, to winds, to a great whirlwind, and to a flood. Each of these in its own way illustrates one or another aspect of the great time of trouble which is right now preparing the world for the