The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 1

8/7/2019 The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 1

1/34

THE

LAKEOFFIRE

SERIES

by

L. Ray Smith

Exposing Those Who Contradict

bibletruths.com
http://www.bibletruths.com/http://www.bibletruths.com/


2/34


3/34

CONTENTS

PURPOSE............................................................................................................v

PART I: THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS A BOOK OF SYMBOLS.........1

Five General Scenarios.....................................................................................4Three False Assumptions..................................................................................6

Literal or Symbolic?.........................................................................................6

Biblical Figures of Speech................................................................................8

Parables are Not Literally True Stories.........................................................11

Making the Simple Complicated....................................................................19

Keeping the Simple, Simple...........................................................................21

Physical Fire Versus Spiritual Fire................................................................24

iii


4/34


5/34

PURPOSE

[1]preach with sound doctrine and[2]refute those who contradict it

[Titus 1:9 The New Revised Standard Version]

This site is a ministry of love. We charge for nothing; we have nothing to sell; we ask

for nothing. All we at bibletruths have full-time jobs to support both our families

and this site. The site requires thousands of man hours and thousands of dollars an

nually to operate. It is FREE to all. And our goal is to teach the Truths of God as He

has given us understanding.

There is, however, a two-fold commission in teaching the Gospel of Christ:

...that he[the elders]may be able to[1]entreat with sound

teaching as well as to[2]expose those who contradict(Titus

1:9,Concordant NT).

Unfortunately, many are offended that we wouldexpose those who contra-

dictGods Word. They accuse us of being unloving, unkind, or bad-mouthing Gods

anointed. Untrue. Nowhere do we attack the person or character of those who op

pose Gods Word. So please dont confuse our mission of exposing as an attack on

the character of a person who contradicts Gods Word.

May God richly bless all those who have a real love of the Truth!

Everyone is welcome to copy the material on this site and freely distribute it to

others. You do not need permission from us to do this. All we ask is that you give us

credit and do not in any way, CHANGE, PLAGIARIZE or SELL any material from

bible-truths.com.

L. Ray Smith

v


6/34


7/34

PART I:

THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS A BOOK OF

SYMBOLS

Some time in the last half of the first century AD, the apostle John (whom Jesus

loved) was on the Isle of Patmos when he found himself in spirit on the Lords day.

Among his many remarkable visions he saw this:

Revelation 19:20,And the beast was taken, and with him the

false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he

deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and

them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive

into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev. 20:10,And the devil that deceived them was cast intothe

lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false

prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever

and ever.

Rev. 20:14-15,And death and hell were cast intothe lake of

fire. This is the second death.And whosoever was not found

written in the book of life was cast intothe lake of fire.

Rev. 21:8,But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abomin-

able, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and

idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which

burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Concerning the Second Death, John also has this to report:

1


8/34

2The Lake of Fire SeriesRev. 2:11,He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit

saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt

of the second death.

Rev. 20:6,Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first re-

surrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they

shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him

a thousand years.

And finally this one:

Rev. 14:10,and he shall be tormented with fire and brim-

stone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of

the Lamb.

These are all the Scriptural references in the entire Bible that mention the lake

of fire and the second death.

Theologians and clergymen by the thousands have been telling the world that

this lake of fire is little more than an eternal torture chamber. It is the final HELL

of eternal separation from God accompanied by unfathomable pain, torture, anddespair.

We have been told that there is absolutely no possibility of ever being rescued

from this hellhole of suffering and human misery where there will be wailing and

gnashing of teeth, as real fire barbecues their bodies, and while worms will be eat

ing their flesh. This hideous scene is to continue day and night for trillions of bil

lions of quadrillions of centuries upon centuries for EVER!

We are told that those who will spend eternity in this prison of pain have them

selves chosen to spend eternity there that God doesnt send anyone to hell, butthat people actually choose, themselves, to go there. Even a fool knows that no per

son would ever choose such a fate, but theologians must somehow get God off of the

hook of responsibility, for surely this place exists and will continue to exist for etern

ity they assure us.

Famous TV preachers like John Hagee tell us that every boy and every girl

who dies without knowing Jesus Christ spends an eternity in a city where the fire is

never quenched and the worm dieth not. And Mr. Hagee adds, AND ITS

JUSTICE!

World renowned pastor, educator, and theologian Dr. James Kennedy tells the

world that for a man in India who told a lie, and for a man in the Islands who stole

chickens by night to feed his family, their sins will put them into the tortures of an


9/34

Part I: The Book of Revelation is a Book of Symbols3

eternal hell, even if they never heard of the name of Jesus Christ their only possible

Savior. And Dr. Kennedy adds, HELL IS FAIR!

Does the Word of God actually and literally teach such a hellhole of eternal tor

ture in fire from which there is no redemption ever? Dont be too sure till you have

read this paper and compared it with Scripture. That the Scriptures do speak of a

lake of fire which is the second death there is no denial. However:

What is it?

Where is it?

When is it?

Why is it?

Who will go there?

Is it an actual place?

And How long will it last?

What actually takes place in this lake of fire which is the second death?

Is Johns vision to be taken literally?

Does this lake of fire and second death serve no purpose other than to ventGods frustration and vengeance on most of humanity which He Himself

created?

Would a loving God really create billions and billions of people which He

knew in advance He would torture for all eternity?

If ninety to ninety-five percent (a ballpark statistic used by many theolo

gians) of humanity is destined for this atrocious destiny, how could any

sane personworshipa god who would design and carry out such a vile and

eternal nightmare on so many billions of helpless and weak creatures?

The Scriptures answer all of these questions, and the answers are not even in

the same universe with what has been popularly taught by theologians.

Some have even taught that God and His Saints will actually derive happiness

and pleasure from this fabled eternal torture and misfortune of the majority of all

humanity that has ever lived.

Men are bold and audacious in how they characterize the very nature of God

Almighty. I heard just tonight on one of the major news channels that Saddam Hus

sein enjoys his leisure by watching videos of men being tortured! Most of us shudder

at the very thought of anything so satanic and evil. And yet and YET, many theo

logians (and Christian lay members as well) would put God Almighty and our Lord


10/34

4The Lake of Fire SeriesJesus Christ in the base company of such depraved minds! God have mercy on them

all; they know not what they say!

Five General Scenarios

Lets look at five general possibilities for the interpretation of this lake of fire and

second death.

1. The teaching comprising the largest number of adherents (Christian Fun

damentalists) state that the lake of fire is indeed literal fire, but that the

second death part is figurative or symbolic seeing that its victims never ac

tually become literally dead or even unconscious, but rather they interpret

this second death as separation from God.

Their explanation of their belief, however, contradicts the idea that the lake

of fire is literal. They teach that the lake of fire isliteral firethat burns like

real fire, but they then contradict the literalness of this fire by teaching

that it doesnt actually burn up anything: It just causes INSANE PAIN. But

really, can a fire that doesnt actually burn up physical, material things, be

called a literal fire? And although Ive heard many state that this metaphor

is literal, this group certainly denies the literalness of the second death be

cause they dont believe they ever die and lose consciousness.

It is a physiological impossibility for a literal fire to cause pain on the

nervous system of a person and yet never actually kill them and burn them

up if the fire is applied eternally. Furthermore, real fire does not cause

symbolic or figurative death real fire causes real death.

2. Others (as the Jehovahs Witnesses) teach that both the lake of fire and the

the second death are symbolic and not literal. They believe that this meta

phor is a word picture that does not represent a place or condition of liter

al torment in literal fire. However, they believe that it does picture or rep

resent the total annihilation of all those who are judged and are not gran

ted salvation.

This teaching is certainly billions of times more merciful than the Christi

an fundamentalist theory, however, it too is unscriptural as we shall see.

Not to mention the fact that it would prove our heavenly Father either un

able or unwilling to save most of His own children.

What kind of an eternal example would that be for those who are saved?Does God really teach us to train up a child in the way that he should go

and when he is old he will not depart from it (Prov. 22:6), but that God

Himself is incapable of training His children in the way that they should go

and that most of them WILL DEPART FROM IT?


11/34


Does God really teach us to LOVE OUR ENEMIES while God Himself

HATES OUR LOVED ONES by destroying most of them for all eternity?

This teaching is also blasphemous.

3. Still others teach that the lake of fire is figurative, but that the fire part

of the symbolic phrase lake of fire isliteral firewhich will burn up its vic

tims. So they interpret this as asymboliclake of fire which is made up of

a literal lake and literal fire. And that the second death isliteral deathso

that its victims will be killed by thisliteralfire in aliterallake, which then

becomes asymboliclake OF fire.

However, this group has a unique twist to their teaching. They believe that

when the victims are thrown into the lake of fire, they have already gone

through the white throne judgment and have turned to God, are now right

eous, have accepted Christ as their Lord, but they must die a second time

anyway. Why? I dont know!! I am at a loss as to how Rev. 21:8 would fit

into this theory,

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and

whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, SHALL HAVE

THEIR PART in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is

the second death.

They dont sound too converted to me at this point in time when they enter

the lake of fire.

This group then believes that at the consummation of the ages (just as they

have died a second time), they will be resurrected a second time, but this

time to immortality and life with God in His Family. Though maybe not

quite as blasphemous, this teaching is still unscriptural and foolish.

4. I know of no group who teaches that the lake of fire isfigurative,but that

the second death isliteral.Such a doctrine would be akin to literally drown

ing in symbolic water.

5. And so that leaves one more combination, and that is that the lake of fire is

figurative or symbolicand that the second death is alsofigurative or sym

bolic.I am one of a very tiny group who is of this latter persuasion.

It is the only way that these Scriptures on the lake of fire and the second

death will harmonize and not contradict the rest of Gods Word. Further

more, God plainly tells us in chapter one, verse one, that an angel signi

fied this whole Revelation of Jesus Christ contained in this book. He

SYMBOLIZEDit, for that is what signifies means to make known by

signs, and signs are symbols. Therefore it cant be literal.


12/34

6The Lake of Fire SeriesThree False Assumptions

Fundamentalist Christians are the largest group who hold three bedrock doctrinal

teachings, which are really only assumptions, regarding the lake of fire:

1. The lake of fire part of this verse must positively be taken LITERALLY.

2. This lake of fire and second death are just other terms for HELL.

3. All the wicked, unsaved, and unbelieving sinners will be consciously TOR

TURED in this lake of fire hellhole by having their flesh barbecued FOR

ALL ETERNITY, which is said to be the second death.

Are any of these three assumptions true or Scriptural? Absolutely and unequi

vocally NOT!

In our journey we will clearly see that these verses are NOT to be taken literally,

and they do NOT represent a place called hell, and God will NOT torture anyone for

all eternity.

We will also see from the Scriptures that God never punishes for the sole pur

pose of torturing. God always punishes and chastises for the ultimate purpose of

correcting, righting, amending, changing, fixing, rectifying, redeeming and saving.

That God can and will accomplish these things with every creature in heaven and

earth is fully substantiated by hundreds of Scriptures in His Word.

And there are no Scriptural doctrines or teachings to the contrary. NONE! This

IS the Good News Gospel which precious few on this earth have ever heard. It is

Gods WILL that all mankind be saved (I Tim. 2:4), and Gods will WILL be done

(Matt. 6:10 and Isaiah 46:10-11)!

But seriously, dont these Scriptures (at least in the King James Bible)sound

like the beast, the false prophet, Satan, and all who are not found written in the

book of life will be tortured for ever and ever in the lake of fire and brimstone whichis the second death? Granted, in King James translation, it does definitely sound

that way. But when we remove a few unscriptural assumptions, a few pagan tradi

tions, and a couple of totally mistranslated words, words that never appear in the

Greek manuscripts, we will discover an even more profound love that God has for

His creatures, rather than some monstrous god of eternal hatred which has been

concocted by theologians and promulgated through bad translations for centuries.

Literal or Symbolic?

In many cases it is not difficult to determine whether a verse is literal or not. But,

since we use figures of speech so often we tend to forget that much of what we say

daily isnot literally true.Many of us would hardly be able to carry on a conversation


13/34


if we had to drop out of our vocabulary every word and every phrase we speak that

is NOT LITERALLY TRUE. The English language, as well as all other languages, is

just filled with symbolic and metaphorical phrases.

The first eleven verses of Chapter one in Revelation are an introduction regard

ing where, how, and what John is going to record for us. Much of this introduction

can be taken literally, however, not all. Beginning with verse twelve, we are confron

ted with one symbol after another for the remainder of the entire twenty-two-

chapter-book.

Everything written in Revelation is true, but most is notliterallytrue.

The fact is there are many many truths in the Bible that are notliterallytrue.

Jesussaidthat the bread He gave His disciples at the Lords supper was His

body. Yet, Jesus Himself explains in other places that this was not literally true. He

gave them literal bread, and not His literal physical flesh. What that breadrepres

ented, and symbolized, was indeed, His body but not hisphysical body.

Jesus said that the words that he spoke were SPIRIT (John 6:63). Jesus Christ

changes not. His words are STILL spirit and they certainly were spirit when John

wrote the words of Christ regarding His unveiling or revelation. Just as we physic

ally feed on physical bread for PHYSICAL LIFE, thus also we spiritually feed on Je

sus Christs spiritual body for SPIRITUAL LIFE.

Understand this! Some think that by accepting the Scriptures as they are given

(in the case of Revelation that means AS SYMBOLS), that somehow this spiritual

izes away the teaching. What? It is the spiritual aspect of these symbols that IS

THE REAL THING; THE REAL UNDERSTANDING! Physical things pass away

whereas spiritual things are eternal! The very FACT that this book is written in

symbols is proof positive that the understanding of them is SPIRITUAL and not

physical or literal.

Symbols, metaphors, and parables ARE NEVER LITERALLY TRUE! But they

powerfully demonstrate SPIRITUAL TRUTHS!

This is the second death the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15 and 21:8) is a metaphor

that is no more literal than Jesus taking the breadsaid, Take, EAT. This IS My

body (Mat. 26:26).

Paul did not instruct Timothy to STUDY the scriptures if a mere casual read

ing is all that is necessary to comprehend its many deep and profound teachings. On

the other hand, I believe that those who have studied Gods Word are able to openup much understanding to those who are not called to teach (even babes, or minors

as our Lord stated).

I want to quickly show my readers just how impossible it is to assume most of


14/34

8The Lake of Fire SeriesGods word isliteral.

Again I state: All Gods Word is TRUE, however, much of it is figurative lan

guage which is notliterally true to fact, but rather in what the figurative language of

symbols, metaphors, and parables represent.

If the following section is too heavy for you, just skip to the next heading.

Biblical Figures of Speech

Here are some of the fully substantiated figures of language used in Scripture. I

borrowed many of these examples from an appendix in the back ofThe Concordant

Literal New Testament.

We will begin withFIGURES OF LIKENESSwhich include:

similes(when something islike,orassomething else, it is a simile rather

than a metaphor)

metaphors(where one thing is said to actuallybesomething else) as in,

all lifeisgrass I Pet. 1:24. Therefore, the subject of this paperISa meta

phor andCANNOTbe literal: John says, the lake of fire, ThisISthe

second death (Rev. 20:14), and the lake which burneth with fire and

brimstone: whichISthe second death (Rev. 21:8)

implications

parables(there are many, the shortest one being, Physician, heal Thyself

Luke 4:23)

allegories(as in the two women standing for two covenants, Gal. 4:22-28)

visions(as in a sheet let down from heaven, Acts 10:11-16)

signs(as in the sign of Jonah the prophet, Matt. 12:39)

types(as in Adam corresponding with Christ, Rom. 5:12-21)

shadows(as in the law being a shadow of good things to come, Heb. 10:1) examples(as in the tabernacle vessels being examples of what is in heav

en, Heb. 9:23)

images(as Christ is the image of God, Col. 1:15)

impersonations or personifications(where things are spoken of as per

sons)

condescensions(as where God takes on human attributes)

diminutives(as in little women, heaped with sins II Tim. 3:6)

There areFIGURES OF ASSOCIATIONwhich include:

association or metonymys

appellations(as when a quality or office is used instead of a proper name,

as in Son of Mankind instead of saying Jesus Christ)


15/34


compound associations(as the word of the cross I Cor. 1:18, which has

to do with Christs shameful and agonizing death)

near associations(as in a phrase that is partly literal, Then went out to

Him Jerusalem [that is thepeopleof Jerusalem], Matt. 3:5)

retentions(this one is too complicated to explain, but Ill give you an ex

ample, the tablets of the heart II Cor. 3:3)

circumlocutions or periphrasis(what is circumlocution? Well, its a

descriptive phrase in place of a name in order to emphasize the association.

Examples, the product of the grapevine [though not named is, wine] Matt.

26:29, the city of David [though not named is, Bethlehem] Luke 2:11,

enigmas, and symbols(where a known object or something else is used to

typify something else, or even an intangible quality such as love, power,beauty, etc.)

Here are many of the words from the book of Revelation used asSYMBOLS:

candlesticks

horses

locusts

beasts

birdsanimals

dragons

heads

horns

teeth

tails

eyes

mouths

wings

hair

feet

hands

foreheads

odours

books

gold

seals

crowns

names

cities

book of life

tree of live

water of life

hours

daysmonths

seasons

rod of iron

sickle

bow

blades

swords

reap

harvest

grass

trees

thrones

garments

robes

signs

images

wonders

marks

numbers

vials

hails

songs

winepresses

grapes

winebalances

wheat

barley

oil

eyesalve

pebbles

manna

wreaths

palm fronds

whores

harlots

fornications

keys

doors

temples

synagogues

pillars

rich

poor

blind


16/34

10The Lake of Fire Seriesnations

kings

tongues

Nicolaitans

Antipas

Armageddon

Balaam

Balak

Abaddon

Apollyon

Babylon

Sodom

Egypt

Jezebel

trumpets

winds

rivers

lakes

seas

waters

clouds

floods

mountains

islands

lightnings

voices

thunders

earthquakes

naked

hot

cold

lukewarm

blood

deaths

fire

sulfur

brimstone

smoke

sun

moon

stars

And evenheaven and earthare used as symbols in this great book of symbols.

There are alsoFIGURES OF OMISSIONwhich include:

omitted nouns(as in the wicked [people is understood], the blind

[people], the rich [people], the poor [people], the twelve [apostles isomitted but understood])

omitted verbs(as in incongruous omissions like, Milk I give you to drink

not solid food The omission of to eat is understood, as one does not drink

solid food I Cor. 3:2)

unfinished sentences(the King James usually finishes sentences that

are unfinished in the Greek, such as, As I swear in My indignation, If they

shall be entering into My rest___! Heb. 3:11)

omission or nonsequence (as in These which you are

beholding___there will be coming days Luke 21:6)

I did not include this basic listing of figures of speech in the Scriptures, just to

fill another page. It is most important to understand that the study of the Scrip

tures is not the same as studying a high school or college text book. It is far differ

ent. School text books, as a rule, would not contain even one percent of the figures

that I have presented here. And if we do not have even an elementary understand

ing of these many and varied figures of speech, we will hardly be in a position to

TEACH Gods Word to others.

It is the height of naivety to believe that whenever someone shouts, My King

James Bible SAYS, that what follows will be non-refutable Scriptural proof of

that persons doctrinal preference. Thank God that:


17/34


no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpreta-

tion(II Pet. 1:20).

The Scriptures themselves really do interpret other Scriptures. This is true for

interpreting prophesies and doctrinal issues.

Parables are Not Literally True Stories

The parables of Jesus are certainly true, but they are notliterallytrue. Example:

one cannot possibly put a beam (a large piece of lumber) in or out of ones eye,

Mat. 7:3-5. The moral of this parable is certainly a great truth. The symbols used to

teach that truth (namely a large piece of lumber in ones eye) is, of course, not literally or possibly true. The beamrepresentsa huge character flaw, not foreign matter

in ones eye. Its a figure of speech.

We also use such figures dozens of times a day without even realizing it. We say

such things as Dont cry over spilt milk although we are notliterallyspeaking of

crying, nor are we speaking of milk, but rather of a disappointment that has caused

sadness.

When we show our respect for our countrys flag, we are not even thinking about

respecting a piece of cloth, but rather the nation that the flag represents. A flag is a

symbol that represents a nation. A band of gold is just a band of gold, but a wedding

ring is symbolic of something much larger, something huge, something GRAND!

Who wears the pants in your family? Has the cat taken your tongue lately?

Can you carry a tune in a bucket? Do you follow the spin doctors with their com

mentary on the movers and shakers in Washington, DC? Where do you stand

when the tire hits the road? Do you know for a fact that the early bird gets the

worm? Does a stitch in time save nine? Are any of your friends square? Is it

cool to eat chili on a hot day? Do people turn blue when they are sad? Do cowards

really have a yellow stripe down their back? Are you worth your salt? Do you

know people who are pigeon heads and hot heads? If people realized that silence

is golden, maybe they would stop breaking your ear drums. Do you think that I

am just pulling your leg? And just when will hell freeze over?

All languages have many, many figures of speech that are not literally true. And

God also uses symbols, figures, idioms, metaphors and parables, over and over in

His Word hundreds and hundreds of times!

I know of very few who will believe it, but it is true nonetheless, that Jesus

taught the masses in parables and parables ONLY so that they would NOT under

stand the message He was giving them (See Matt. 13).

Figures, parables, metaphors, and symbols are in many ways like poetry. Take


18/34

12The Lake of Fire Seriesthe phrase, No man is an island from one of my favorite poems. How wonderfully

worded and true are those words?

Or this line, Every mans death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind.

How many unsaved friends do you have? Will YOU not be diminished for all

eternity if they are not saved? Will GOD not be diminished for all eternity if billions

and billions of His creatures are not saved but are rather separated and tortured in

some hell-hole of fire?

Elementary school children are not likely to understand such a poem as No man

is an island. They would say, of course no man is an island, neither is a man a

house or a car or a telephone pole either. Yet this is the same childish mentality that

many theologians use in interpreting Scripture such as the lake of fire and seconddeath.

For all too many, these marvelous Scriptures have no meaning beyond the literal

meaning of the literal words. And so, for most, the Word of God remains a giant en

igma. How sad!

Right now, here in Miami, it is raining cats and dogs. Or is it really? It some

times rains real fish, but cats and dogs? But if it ever does rain cats and dogs,Ill

eat my hat.

Some of these things are extremely elementary and others are extremely com

plex. God told Daniel that thewise will understand. It is not wise, but foolish to in

sist that countless symbols in the Bible are literal.

With that all said, let us now see that most of what is said in this marvelous

book called Revelation is not literal, but symbolic.

My King James Bible says:

The Revelation ofSaint John the Divine.

And then verse one says,

The revelation ofJesus Christ

Which is it? It is, of course, the latter, seeing that the title is merely mans inter

pretation which is obviously wrong. The book of Revelation is a revelation OF Jesus

Christ. It is not just a revelationfromJesus Christ, but a revelationoforaboutJe

sus Christ. It is a revelationof HIM!


19/34


Most of my life I believed that the book of Revelation was a literal prophecy

about events that will happen at the END OF THE WORLD! Prophesies that had

virtually no meaning for those who have lived during the past two thousand years

since it was written. But for most of my life, I WAS IN ERROR!

Now for a most important understanding. Just how was this revelation to John

to be recorded and preserved? Notice it:

and he sent andSIGNIFIEDit by his angel unto his servant

John(Rev. 1:1)

What does it mean to signify? Certainly this prophecy of the revelation or un

veiling of Christ was written down (ver. 19), but it means more than just that. To

signify has to do with signs and symbols. From myWebsters Twentieth Century

Dictionaryp. 1541, first definition of signify:

to make known by signs or words

First definition ofsign:

any symbol thatrepresentsan idea

That which, being external,representsor signifies somethinginternal or spiritu

al.

The synonym for sign is:symbol.

There is no mistaking this language. The book of Revelation is written in SYM

BOLS! So what is written externally, on paper, in symbols, has a SPIRITUAL mean

ing and application.

Let us now see the symbolism of this prophecy. I will pick out some of the most

obvious things that would be impossible to understandliterally.

Notice that in verse ten John informs us that,

I was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lords day

And then he begins to tell us what he hears and sees. Now the very fact that he

was in the spirit on the Lords day conclusively proves that he was notliterally

there! Let us never lose sight of this fact: John WRITES what has been SIGNIFIED

(WITH SYMBOLS) the things that he SEES and HEARS IN A VISION IN SPIRIT!

Beginning in verse twelve John starts to tell us what he saw and heard,

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me his eyes


20/34

14The Lake of Fire Serieswere as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass And

he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went

a sharp twoedged sword

NONE of what I underlined is literal. Have you ever seen a voice? All these

things are symbols that stand for other things. And God immediately gives us proof

positive of this in verse 20,

The mystery[this is not literal it was a mystery until God tells us

that one thing reallymeansor representsanother and DIFFERENT

THING]of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand,

and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars ARE THE

ANGELS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES: and the seven candle-

sticks which thou sawest ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES.

The stars are not literal and the candlesticks are not literal. In the first 20

verses of Revelation we can find eleven statements that are not literal, but rather

symbolic. They represent truths that are presented in symbols. Theliterallanguage

is not theliteraltruth being presented. The statements themselves do not teach us

the truth OF the statements. We must look elsewhere in the Scriptures for the in

terpretation.

Now chapter one was pretty easy as God told us just what some of those symbols

represented. But there are dozens and dozens more symbols in this book of Revela

tion that are not explained in the verses that follow immediately. How shall we un

derstand all those symbols. First of all, without the spirit of God, the answer is we

will never understand these symbols. But guided by Gods spirit, God can show us in

other places in His Word what these mysterious symbols represent. It is God Who

provides us with ears to hear and eyes to see.

Now look at chapter two:

Verse 5, Will God literally punish the church of Ephesus by removing

aliteralcandlestick? NO! Removing a literal candlestick would be no

great loss to anyone. But from what we learned in verse 20 of chapter

one, the candlestick IS one of the churches. So Christ is threatening to

REMOVE THE WHOLE CHURCH, not some piece of furniture or can

dlestick from the building of a church.

Verse 7, Is the tree of life aliteraltree that one literally eats?

Verse 9, Was the church in Smyrnaliterallyin poverty andliterally

rich at the same time? Does synagogue of Satan mean aliteralsyn


21/34


agogue where Satan has a Rabbi teaching the Law to a congregation

every Sabbath day?

Verse 13, Is a name something that oneliterallyholds fast to with

ones hands?

Verse 16, Will Christliterallydo battle by using aliteralsword which

Heliterallykeeps in His mouth? Or do we not read in another place in

Gods word that this sword IS Gods Word? (Heb. 4:12).

Verse 17, Will Christ reward the faithful with aliterallittle white

stone? Cant we see that the stone and the name written in it representssomething else?Something of much greater value?

Verse 20, Was the harlot Jezebelliterallyin the Thyatira church?Lit

eralJezebel died CENTURIES before this book was written by John.

Jezebel in the physical represents or symbolizes a SPIRITUAL condi

tion in the church of Thyatira.

Verse 22, Will ChristliterallythrowliteralJezebel into aliteralbed

where she willliterallycommit adultery withliteralmen?

Verse 23, Will Christ killliteralchildren of theliteralharlot, Jezebel?

Verse 27, Will the saints beat the nations with aliteralrod of iron into

literalsmall pieces like broken pottery?

Verse 28, Will Christ give theliteralmorning star to His saints?

Where would they put it? What would they do with it?

Chapter 3:1, Was the Sardis churchliterallyalive andliterallydead at

the same time?

Verse 4, Were members of the Sardis congregation wearingliterally

soiled clothing?

Verse 7, Is thereliterallya metal key of David that is needed to open aliterallock?

Verse 12, Will Christliterallyturn people into stone pillars in the

temple?


22/34

16The Lake of Fire SeriesVerse 16, Will Christliterallyspit the church of Laodicea out of His

mouth?

Verse 17, Were the members of the Laodicean churchliterallypoor andliterallyblind andliterallynaked without clothing to wear? Are there

not other Scriptures that tell us what it means to be SPIRITUALLY

poor, blind, and naked?

Verse 18, Did Christ try to sell Laodicealiteralgold? What would they

do with the gold? What, pray tell, would Christ do with the money?

Verse 20, Does Christliterallyknock at the doors of our homes andthen come in and eat aliteralhome cooked meal and pecan pie with

us?

Is it necessary for me to go through this entire book verse by verse before we can

fully realize that this book is written in figurative, symbolic, and metaphorical lan

guage?

Lets look at just a few more:

Chapter 4, Was aliteraltrumpet talking with John?

Chapter 5, Is Jesus Christliterallya Lion, an animal?

Chapter 6, Are theseliteralhorses? Do theliteralstars of heaven fall

on the earth? The smallest known stars are a million times larger

than the earth.

Chapter 7, Were angelsliterallyholding back four winds on fourliteralcorners of the earth? I thought the earth is round without

corners? Can oneliterallywash his clothes white in red blood?

Chapter 8, Will an angel cast aliteralmountain burning with fire into

the sea?

Chapter 9, During the fifth trumpet will itliterallybe impossible for

mortal men to die?

Will there beliterallocusts shaped like horses? Locusts thatliterally

have hair like a woman, teeth like a lion, and breastplates of iron?

LOCUSTS with breastplates of iron?


23/34


Chapter 10, Did John eat aliteralbook? That wasliterallysweet in his

taste buds, butliterallybitter in his stomach? Why would anyone eat

a literal book?

Chapter 11, Are Gods two witnesses that prophesy,literallytwo olive

trees and two candlesticks? But if we study Zechariah 4 we can de

termine what is meant by two witnesses.

Chapter 12, Will thereliterallybe a pregnant woman clothed with the

sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of

twelve stars? Was this same woman able toliterallyfly into the wil

derness with wings of an eagle?

Chapter 13, Will there be aliterallamb that will speak like a dragon?

Just how do dragons speak anyhow? Will people beliterallytattooed

with marks (bar codes, swastikas, Social Security numbers, implanted

with computer chips or one of a hundred unscriptural marks being

suggested by fundamentalist prophets) in their hands and on their

foreheads so that men cannot buy or sell ice cream or automobiles

without these marks? Self-appointed prophets of doom havent a clue

as to what this mark of the beast really is or the number of his name. I

have already been barred from buying and selling recently because I

refuse to brandish this mark of the beast!

Chapter 14, Does Babylon cause all nations toliterallydrink of the

wine of theliteralwrath of her fornication? I thought wine came from

grapes not wrath (of course there is that famous novel,The Grapes of

Wrath).

Chapter 15, Are the seven last global plagues and catastrophes really

contained in sevenliteraltiny gold vials or bottles?

Chapter 16, Is Jesus Christ going to return to this earth as aliteral

thief? Will every island and mountain on earthliterallydisappear?

Chapter 17, Will there really be a woman who will ride aliteralscarlet

coloured beast, having seven heads and ten horns. Can whole nations

literallyfornicate with a harlot? But here once more in this chapter

God does reveal to us who this beast is and what the symbolic horns

represent which again proves that ALL OF THESE THINGS are not

literalbut symbolic and represent things other than what is being de


24/34

18The Lake of Fire Seriesscribed.

Chapter 18, Will the entire social, political, and economic system of

the worldliterallycollapse in just one hour because oneliteralcity

(Babylon) is destroyed?

Chapter 19, Will aliteralprostitute corrupt the entire earth? Will a

literallamb marry aliteralwife? Will the King of the universe

really wear clothing dripping withliteralblood? Is Gods wrath alit

eralwinepress? Willliteralarmies of heaven follow Christ to earth

riding onliteralflying horses? No, NONE of these things areliteral!

Any theologian or preacher on international television would be laughed to scorn

if he were to preach a sermon trying to prove that all of the above Scriptures are to

be taken absolutely literally. Such a sermon would be seen as foolish by nearly

everyone. No educated man in the Word of God would ever dare to present anything

so STUPID!

And yet and YET, when we come to verse 20: will aliteralbeast and aliteral

false prophet be cast alive into aliterallake of fire burning with brimstone? How

do these same theologians and preachers answer? They answer: Yes, of course theywill be thrown into a literal lake of fire, because THIS IS LITERAL.

Chapter 20, Will the devil, the false prophet and the beast be cast into

aliterallake of fire and beliterallytortured day and night FOR

EVER AND EVER? And will all those not found written in the book

of life be cast into aliterallake of fire? Answer: Yes, THIS TOO IS

LITERAL, ABSOLUTELY LITERAL, shout our fundamentalist

friends once more.

Chapter 21, And will the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abomin

able, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,

and all liars, be cast into aliterallake of fire burning with

brimstone? Yes, Yes, A THOUSAND TIMES YES, THIS IS SOOO

LITERAL, ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY LITERAL shouts every red-

blooded fundamentalist worth his salt!

Amazing. Absolutely amazing the power of the carnal mind to self-deceive.

Why are fundamentalists totally sure that these verses on a lake of fire are literal?

Well, of course, they arent sure; they just pretend to be sure. They desire with their

whole heart and being that this lake of fire is real fire. Why? Because the eternal

torture of billions of men and women and boys and girls in some fabled hellhole


25/34


doesnt diminish them one iota! They want people who dont believe as they believe

to have their flesh barbecued over fire and brimstone for all eternity. The very idea

gives them great joy. And it makes them proud. They have no love for sinners as God

does. They hate sinners. They hate unbelievers. They love only themselves. Theypronounce CURSES on me for quoting Scriptures that show God will save everyone.

They highly disapprove of God being the saviour of the whole world. They wont hear

of it; they wont have it! They dont approve of a God Who would save everyone by

bringing them to repentance, and purging them, and turning their hearts to God. If

God were to save everyone through the purging of his SPIRITUAL FIRE, then they

could not wag their fingers at all these people sizzling and popping like bacon in a

hot skillet saying, I told you so, I told you so for all eternity. Hussein and Bin

Laden are not the only ones out there with depraved religious minds.

God did not write nineteen whole chapters of Revelation giving us symbol after

symbol and metaphor after metaphor, and then in chapter 20 switch to writing in

literal language with literal meanings.

The book of Revelation was signified by the use of signs and symbols. Signs

and symbols always represent or mean something other than the sign or symbol it

self. We are all familiar with symbols and signs so that we should never be confused

as to what a sign or symbol is or is not. A red and white striped barbers pole is not

a barber shop, neither is it a barber, but it is a sign or symbol that immediately conveys to our understanding what it represents namely a barber shop with a barber.

There are many more Scriptures that will prove that this lake of fire has a much

more benevolent purpose than barbecuing human flesh for all eternity for the sheer

sick and depraved entertainment of Christian Fundamentalists.

Be it known however, that the lake of fire and the second death DO INDEED pic

ture something spiritual that relates to or has some properties of, LITERAL FIRE

and LITERAL DEATH. Without some similar properties, the metaphor would be

meaningless. I have read some extremely complex definitions of a metaphor which

were totally wrong. A metaphor is where one thing is said to BE something else.

Heres a Scriptural example: All flesh is grass (I Pet. 1:24). Thats simple enough.

Now then, is that statement by Peter true? Yes, of course, it is true. Is itliterally

true? No, it is not literally true. Then how do we know for sure what there is

ABOUT this metaphor thatistrue? If a metaphor is not literally true, how is it true

at all?

Making the Simple Complicated

Reading some theories about the meaning of metaphors causes me to think of the

man who when describing the feats of a circus performer stated: He performs feats

of ease with the greatest of difficulty. It is absolutely amazing how theologians can


26/34

20The Lake of Fire Seriesmake relatively easy to understand principles seem most difficult. I will now show

you an exercise of just such grammatical gymnastics. Its just three very short para

graphs, so indulge me and I will try to simplify the whole thing immediately there

after.

Here then is a complicated example from Concordant Studies The Lake of

Firepage 9:

The lake of fire is the second death. That is, the lake of fire is the

cause of, or the agency which produces, the second death. This rep

resents that. The idea is, the lake of fire by figure of association in

which the cause is put for theeffect representsthe second death. This

is a compound figure. That is, it incorporates more than one figure of

speech. In such a case as this, is itself is also a figure of speech. In

stead of its literal significance (which denotes existence), is, as a sym

bolic metaphor, means represent. The concept is this: Part Arepres

entsPart B; thus Part A symbolizes Part B. As a symbol of Part B,

Part A itself has become a figure.

From page 10:

The lake of fire, which, by virtue of being its cause, thus,represents

the second death. In the interpretation of a metaphor, the goal is to

take note of the essential way in which thesymbolicsubject is like the

literalpredicate. Indeed, if in the presence of a symbolic, subject-ex

pression, the meaning of the predicate-expression were itself unknow

able which would be the case if the predicate expression were a fig

ure of speech it would be impossible to note thelikenessbetween the

two.

And finally, from page 11:

When one thing (or things) which represents another thing, is finally

said to be that other thing, whether or not the representative thing it

self is a literal entity, in any case, that which it finally represents con

sists in a literal expression and is a literal entity. (Italics is authors

throughout).

Okay, did you get all that? I want to just borrow a few statements from the above

explanation of a metaphor and see if these things be so or not. Trust me, we will getthrough this quickly:

1. The lake of fire, which, by virtue of being its cause, thus,representsthe

second death.


27/34


2. thesymbolicsubject [the lake of fire] is like theliteralpredicate [the

second death].

3. When one thing (or things) [in this case the lake of fire] which represents

another thing [in this case the second death], is finally said to be that other

thing [the second death], whether or not the representative thing itself is a

literal entity [second death], in any case, that which it finally represents

consists in a literal expression and is a literal entity [a LITERAL second

death].

Keeping the Simple, Simple

Must we all be theologians with a 150 IQ to understand these things? That leaves

me out.

Lets just take a couple of very simple metaphors from the Scriptures and apply

the above conclusions to them. Heres a simple one:

All life is grass(I Pet. 1:24).

Can we apply the first deduction made by the author quoted above? Lets try it:

All life is[that is, REPRESENTS]grass.

No, this is clearly not true, anymore than all life REPRESENTS trees, or all life

REPRESENTS worms, or any other thing! We can certainly use the word repres

ents with reference to metaphors, but not in the way the above author does. It is

wrong to say that the subject of a metaphor represents the predicate, and it is

equally wrong to say that the predicate of a metaphor represents the subject.

Neither is true. However, both the subject AND the predicate TOGETHER, do rep

resent something. And THATS why it is called a metaphor rather than a statement of fact!

What about number 2: The subject of a metaphor issymbolic, while the predic

ate isliteralLets try this out on our sample metaphor:

All [SYMBOLIC] life [the subject] is [LITERAL] grass [the

predicate].

No, that doesnt work either. How in the world can symbolic life BE literal

grass?

And now number 3: Is it true that the subject of a metaphor must represent

something that consists in a literal expression and is a literal entity? Nope. Not

true. All life is not LITERALLY grass! PEOPLE are not grass, ELEPHANTS are not


28/34

22The Lake of Fire Seriesgrass, BIRDS are not grass, FISH are not grass, BACTERIA are not grass, and a

thousand other forms of life are NOT literal grass! Am I going too fast for anyone?

Earlier I stated that most believe one of the following:

The lake of fire is literal and the second death is literal, or the lake of

fire is literal but the second death is symbolic, or the lake of fire is

symbolic (with literal fire) but the second death is literal.

I believe that the lake of fire AND the second death are both symbolic and figur

ative language.

Is it true that one part of a metaphor must be literal or there is no way to under

stand the metaphor? No, that is not true. Let me give you an example that I doubtmany have really meditated on:

Now at their eating, Jesus, taking the bread, and, blessing,

breaks it, and, giving to the disciples, said, Take eat[this

bread], This[bread]IS my body(Matt. 26:26).

The greatest minds in theology have haggled for hundreds of years over this

metaphor that Christ used at the last supper. Does the breadliterallyturn into the

body fleshof Christ when we eat that bread as the Catholic faith demands? What a

silly question. ITS A METAPHOR! And the idea that one of the two parts of a meta

phor must be literal is likewise silly.

In this metaphor, the bread is a symbol. Is there anyone who cannot recognize

that Christ used bread from the table as a symbol of something? Then when used

as a symbol, neither can it be any longer literal. Is there anyone who cannot recog

nize that Christ used His own body as a symbol of something? Then when used as

a symbol it neither can be any longer literal. That being said then, the bread is sym

bolic AND Christs body is also symbolic! Jesus used literal bread from the tableand used the literal words my body. When Jesus picked up the bread and broke it,

no one thought that He was talking about CHEESE! When Jesus said, my body,

no one thought He was speaking of His clothing or His shoes. Everyone at that table

knew what bread was and what Christs body was. However HOWEVER,

Christ used the words bread and my body in a METAPHOR! He said, Take eat,

this [bread] IS My body. That my friends is a METAPHOR! And as a metaphor,

neither the bread nor Christs body is to be takenliterally!I am the BREAD OF

LIFE (John 6:35).

We do NOT eat physical bread to partake of the symbolic or spiritual life-giving

food of Christs body. Nor would we be partaking of spiritual or symbolic bread by

eating Christs literal flesh and blood body. Can we not see that neither part of a

metaphor must always be literal. The bread is used as a symbol because literal


29/34


bread is called the staff of life. Christs body is used in this metaphor because our

spiritual nourishment comes from no other source but Jesus Christ. They say that

we are what we eat. When we partake of the real staff of life the spiritual food of

Christs body, we ourselves BECOME the very body of Christ ourselves!

Heres the Scriptural proof:

I am the BREAD OF LIFE(John 6:35).

For we, who are many, are ONE BREAD, ONE BODY, for we

all are partaking of the ONE BREAD(I Cor. 10:17).

The Jews, then, murmured concerning Him, that He said, IAM the Bread which descends out of heaven.(John 6:41).

I am the living Bread Now the Bread also, which I shall be

giving for the sake of the life of the world IS MY FLESH(John

6:51).

But just as most are totally blind regarding the meaning of Scriptural metaphors

today, they were also ignorant of Christs words when He spoke them:

The Jews, then, fought with one another, saying, HOW THEN

CAN THIS ONE GIVE US HIS FLESH TO EAT?(John 6:52)

They also thought that metaphors were LITERAL! Christ is the Bread that came

down FROM HEAVEN, not the bread that comes from wheat out of the ground.

Christ is NO LONGER flesh and blood. He has been raised with a SPIRITUAL

BODY:

I Cor. 15:44,it is raised A SPIRITUAL BODY.

Besidesflesh and blood CANNOT inherit the Kingdom of God.

We partake of Christs spiritual body, not literal flesh, blood and muscle protein.

If we fight and argue as the foolish Jews did over what part of metaphor must be

literal, we will learn nothing. If we cant understand a simple metaphor as Take

eat, this [bread] IS my body, how will we ever understand The lake of fire which IS

the second death?

I dont wish to belabor this point, but it is of paramount importance and some

times if we would hunger and thirst after righteousness, there is definitely some

labor involved.


30/34

24The Lake of Fire SeriesThe easiest way I know to explain a metaphor is to simply state how metaphors

are used, and it all becomes rather simple. If Peters statement that all life is

grass is notliterally true, then why say it? Why use it? Because when we under

stand metaphors, they speak volumes about a subject in just a very few words much like poetry. All life is grass means that all life is like grass IN CERTAIN

WAYS. Thats it! Thats just how simple it is. Life is like grassin certain ways,in

that it is fragile, easily killed, short-lived, here today; gone tomorrow, etc. But, on

the other hand, ALL life is NOT like grass in certain other ways. Not all life is at

tached to the ground, unintelligent, and colored green! Am I going too fast for any

one?

Physical Fire Versus Spiritual Fire

Without realizing it, those who defend a literal fire in this judgment of God will

have a very hard time showing that anyone can be tormented day and night for

ever and ever in a literal fire. If the fire isliteral,then the idea that anyone could

be tormented for ever and ever is totally impossible! How so? We will see.

Notice who is thrown into this lake of fire:

1. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet These

both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone

(Rev. 19:20).

If the beast and false prophet are humans, then a real lake of fire would

BURN THEM UP making it impossible for them to be tortured for ever and

ever! If the beast and false prophet are supernatural, superhuman, or spirit

in nature, then physical fire CANNOT HARM THEM in any way. So, if the

fire isliteral, it can serve NO useful purpose!

2. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire(Rev. 20:10).

As this is Satan, he is a spirit, and therefore CANNOT be tortured with

REAL FIRE! Real, physical fire has NO effect on SPIRIT! Since God

makes His angels SPIRITS; His ministers a FLAMING FIRE (Psalm

104:4), it isnt likely that the Head of the sinning angels would be the

least bit hurt byliteral fire!

3. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the

books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the

book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which

were written in the books, according to their works. And whoso-

ever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake


31/34


of fire(Rev. 20:12 & 15).

The dead, small and greatare mortals resurrected to judgment and

are still mortal. Therefore physical fire will BURN THEM UP, hence there

can be NO torture or torment for ever and ever.

So now what will our fundamentalist friends do with this evidence? Real, physic

al, literal fires, BURN UP physical bodies! And, real, physical, literal fires CANNOT

burn or harm spiritual bodies! Sorry, but thats just the way it is!

But these verses say that there is fire and that those in it are tormented. So

what kind of fire are we talking about and what kind of torment are we talking

about? First, the fire.

If this lake of fire is not real, physical, literal fire, is there then such a thing as

figurative fire or spiritual fire? Im so glad you asked. As a matter of Scriptural

fact, yes there is such a thing as figurative and spiritual fire. Lets start with the

most profound Scripture regarding spiritual fire. As we all know, God IS SPIRIT

(John 4:24). But have you never read:

For our God IS ACONSUMING FIRE(Heb. 12:29)!

God has shown Himself to be not only a fire, but a CONSUMING FIRE all

through the Scriptures. You will be amazed how often God speaks of fire in bringing

judgment on humanity. ALL IS OF GOD, II Cor. 5:18, Rom. 11:36, Eph. 1:11, etc.

God IS a consuming FIRE.

GodIS this lake of fire!

But since it is not literal fire, what does it burn? What does it consume? It is

the works of the flesh that made sinners of those thrown into the lake of fire in the

first place. And we shall see from the Scriptures that it is these very works of the

flesh that are consumed in this lake of fire. And dont think for a moment that it isnot a most painful and tormenting experience to have ones carnal mind with all its

ungodly passions, thoughts and deeds, burned clean and pure by the consuming fire

of Gods Holy Spirit!

God doesnt change. He will use the same method in the day of judging at the

white throne as He uses on US. Although the intensity will get considerably more

severe for those who blaspheme till the end.

We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). However, that does not purge us

from all our filthy thoughts and deeds. No, there is more. There is also a consuming

FIRE that God uses on us:

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which

is JESUS CHRIST. Now if any man build upon this foundation


32/34

26The Lake of Fire Seriesgold, silver, precious stones, WOOD, HAY, STUBBLE; Every

mans work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it,

because it shall be revealed BY FIRE; and the FIRE shall TRY

EVERY MANS WORK of what sort it is. If any mans work

abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a re-

ward. If any mans work shall be BURNED, he shall SUFFER

LOSS; but[pay close attention to this BIG BUT]BUT HE HIM-

SELF[the one who had his works burned and consumed in Gods con

suming fire]SHALL BE SAVED[What will save him?],yet so AS BY

FIRE(I Cor. 3:11-15)!!!

Ah dear readers, can we begin to understand the workings of God? God con

sumes with fire, the wood, hay and stubble in our lives. The things that dont de

serve to continue. But he REFINES the gold, silver, and precious stones (those doc

trines and godly character traits of Gods spirit that abide the fire). It is figurative

language, it is an analogy, it is a parable, it is metaphorical (where one thing is

called another thing). Our lives have either qualities of character (which are likened

to gold and precious stones, things of value to refine and retain), or gross lacks in

character (which are likened to wood, hay, and stubble and which are not worthy to

retain or preserve).

And just asreal literalfire is used to refine and purify gold and precious metals,

so Gods SPIRITUAL FIRE refines and purifies us from our sinful and carnal

nature. And likewise, asreal literalfire is used to burn up wood and stubble, so

Gods all consuming SPIRITUAL FIRE will consume and burn up all the impurities

in our life. These things MUST DIE. This purging is the SECOND DEATH. And

whether the person God subjects to His consuming fire has many good qualities or

none, the person himself shall be purged, purified, and SAVED BY GODS ALL-

CONSUMING SPIRITUAL FIRE!!! We just read it in Gods Holy Word. How can any

deny it? Every person who has ever lived will be subjected to the cleaning fire of

Gods spirit.

God is the JUDGE (Rev. 20;12). NOT Satan. This judgment throne is WHITE

not black! God judges in righteousness.

He shall judge the world with RIGHTEOUSNESS(Psalm

96:13)

Because He[God]hath appointed a day, in which He will

judge the world in RIGHTEOUSNESS(Acts 17:31)

Next I present a Scripture that many fundamentalists hate. Ill bet if you atten


33/34


ded a fundamentalist church, you never heard a sermon on this verse. We read that

God has appointed a day (a period of time) in which He will JUDGE the whole

world. Revelation 20:10-15 IS THAT DAY OF JUDGMENT! Now we know that

those not found in the book of life will be put into FIRE, and they will be TORMENTED. This is certainly part of this judgment. But it is not literal fire. Literal fire

burns up physical things and literal fire cannot harm spiritual things. So what does

the fire do or accomplish? MUCH!

This judgment in Revelation 20 IS that worldwide judgment spoken of in many

prophecies. But is the purpose of this worldwide judgment to torture people by

burning their flesh in real fire for all eternity? Is that HOW God judges in right

eousness? Absolutely not. We just read where God burns up our fleshly WORKS,

and this is tormenting for sure. But God does not torture our flesh for all eternity.Dont get me wrong, there will be severe chastisements on those who despise God

and His Savior and His Gospel. But out of their ashes will come salvation. Here is

another marvelous Scripture which answers what happens to sinning humanity

when God JUDGES THE WORLD in righteousness.

For he[GOD]bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty

city, he layeth it low, HE LAYETH IT LOW, even to the ground,

he bringeth it even to the dust(Isa. 26:5)

Make no mistake, God will judge the wicked with great severity. However, AL

WAYS FOR A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE:

With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my

spirit within me will I seek thee early: forwhen Thy judgments

are in the earth, THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD WILL

LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS(Isaiah 26:9)!!

There will come a time when those who only knew how to blaspheme the name

of God, will come to LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS. They will not just hear of right

eousness, no, they will actually LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS!

The whole book of Isaiah speaks of judgments on Israel and on the nations. But

the end of all these judgments is SALVATION TO ALL. Notice Isa. 45:22-23,

Look unto me, and BE YE SAVED,ALL THE ENDS OF THE

EARTH: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by

Myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness[asin, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who

WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto the know

ledge of the truth, I Tim. 2:3-4], and shallnotreturn, That unto

me EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE SHALL


34/34

28The Lake of Fire SeriesSWEAR(See also: Phil. 2: 9-11 & I Cor. 12:3).

Gods words will NOT return empty or void. When God speaks, it will be done.

When God wills, it will be done. When God desires, His desires WILL BE DONE:

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient

times the things that are not yet done, saying, MY COUNSEL

SHALL STAND, and I WILL DOALL MY PLEASURE I have

spoken it, I WILL ALSO BRING IT TO PASS;I HAVE PUR-

POSED IT, I WILL ALSO DO IT(Isa. 46:10-11).

Oh the blasphemy of those who teach that Gods most heartfelt desires WILL

NOT COME TO PASS, but will utterly fail!!! Jesus Christ is not the potential Savior

of the world; HeIS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD!!!HE WILL SAVE THE

WORLD!!!

How many self-appointed, bible-thumping, doomsday, fire and brimstone, eternal

torture in hell preachersbelievethese verses in Isaiah? Not one that I know of! Most

Christians have never been taught the Scriptures that I am giving you. These things

are despised by many who call themselves Christian. And yet, Gods Word is FULL

of such statements of Gods salvation to all.

bibletruths.com
http://www.bibletruths.com/http://www.bibletruths.com/

The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 1

Documents