Totally nonsense! A Lithium battery CANT EXPLODE! They won't when they are left in a hot car, perhaps if dropped into fire...
And they can would be able to explode when shortened, but to prevent this, EVERY 123 has a fuse in it, which will be activated, when too much current is flowing through (SUREFIRE speaks of "thermal shutdown"...)
So guys, dont be worried, these little beasts are the best of batteries and when not thrown into fire, they wont do any harm to you (or, the much worse, to your flashlight...
).
Bye,
Phantomas2002