Immortality or Resurrection, William West [best romance books of all time txt] 📗

what they are symbols of. We are given the interpretation in clear plan language. WHEN WE ARE TOLD EXACTLY WHAT THE INTERPRETATION IS IN PLAN LANGUAGE, WE MUST NOT CHANGE THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SYMBOL. THE PREMILLENNIALISTS MAKE A SYMBOL [the thousand years] INTO A LITERAL TIME. THE BIBLE'S INTERPRETATION OF THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN CANNOT BE ACCEPTED BY THEM FOR IF IT WERE, IT WOULD END THE PREMILLENNIAL DOCTRINE. IN THE SAME WAY THOSE WHO TEACH THE LAKE OF FIRE IS HELL CANNOT ACCEPT THE BIBLE'S INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THE LAKE OF FIRE IS, THE SECOND DEATH, FOR TO THEM THE LAKE OF FIRE IS AN ETERNAL LIFE OF TORMENT IN FIRE; THEREFORE, THE SECOND DEATH CANNOT BE DEATH. THE BIBLE'S OWN INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THE LAKE OF FIRE IS NOT ACCEPTED FOR IF IT WERE THERE COULD BE NO HELL.
THE SYMBOLS - - - - - -THE BIBLE'S INTERPRETATION
[1] THE FIELD -------- IS THE WORLD not a farm Matthew 13:38
[2] THE GOOD SEED ---- ARE THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM not a garden Matthew 13:38
[3] THE TARES -------- ARE THE SONS OF THE EVIL ONE not weeds Matthew 13:38
[4] BOWLS OF INCENSE - ARE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS not cereal Revelation 5:8
[5] THE TEN HORNS ---- ARE TEN KINGS not ten trumpets Revelation 17:12
[6] THE WATERS ------- ARE PEOPLES, MULTITUDES, NATIONS not seas Revelation 17:15
[7] THE WOMAN -------- IS THE GREAT CITY not a female Revelation 17:18
[8] SEVEN CANDLESTICKS ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES Revelation 1:20
[9] TEN HORNS -------- ARE TEN KINGS not a band Revelation 17:12
[10] FINE LINEN ------ IS RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS not a tablecloth Revelation 19:8
[12] THE DRAGON ------ IS THE DEVIL AND SATAN Revelation 20:2
[13] 1,000 YEAR REIGN - IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION not a kingdom on earth after the second coming of Christ Revelation 20:5
[14] LAKE OF FIRE ----- IS THE SECOND DEATH not a deathless place of torment. All die once, sinners will die twice Revelation 21:8
The interpretation is ONLY what it is stated to be. The thousand years is the first resurrection. The thousand years and the lake of fire are the two most misused symbols in this book. It is as if God knew they would be misused, and He plainly said what they are symbols of so there could be no excuses to misuse them. Those in Christ are now "kings and priests" [Revelation 1:6]. Are a "kingdom and priests; and THEY REIGN UPON THE EARTH" [Revelation 5:9-10]. Those who are baptized into Christ have been raised with Him; they were dead and now have the life He gives and they live with Him. This is the first resurrection, and those who have a part in it will not be subject to the second death after the judgment. All others are dead in that they do not have the life Christ gives and after the resurrection and judgment they will die the second death. The 1,000 years is symbolic of an indefinite time in which the saints will reign with Christ; the saved reigning with Christ begins after the resurrection of Christ and will last to His second coming.
Strong lists ten Greek words that are translated thousand in the New Testament. Only two of them are used in Revelations.
• Strong's word 5505, "chalias" is used 22 times in the New Testament. Luke 14:31 used two times; Acts 4:4; 1 Corinthians 10:8; Revelations 5:11; 7:4; 7:5 three times; 7:6 three times; 7:7 three times; 7:8 three times; 11:13; 14:1; 14:3; 21:16. In all of the 22 times it is used the precisely number of thousands is stated.
• Strong's word 5507, "chiloi" which Strong says is "plural" and "uncertain" is used eleven times in the New Testament. Thousands (an indefinite plural) of years is a long indefinite period of time having no certain or fixed limit. "Chiloi" is used in 2 Peter 3:8 two times; Revelations 11:3; 12:6; 14:20; 20:2; 20:3; 20:4; 20:5; 20:6; 20:7.
In all four times the second death is used, death is from "thanatos," which is used 118 times in the New Testament. In all 118, death is death, not eternal life with torment, not alive but separated from God, not alive with only a loss of well being.
• "You do proclaim the Lord's death [thanatos] till He comes" [1 Corinthians 11:26].
• "He was sick nigh unto death [thanatos]" [Philippians 2:27].
• "Brother shall deliver up the brother to death [thanatos]" Matthew 10:21].
• "Shall not taste of death [thanatos]" [Mark 9:1].
• "What death [thanatos] he should die" [John 12:33; 18:32].
• "By the death [thanatos] of his Son" [Romans 5:10].
Thanatos always means death, never any kind of life, but today's theology tells us that John's interpretation of the Lake of Fire must be reinterpreted and death changed to eternal life with torment for there could not be death to a soul that cannot die, therefore, John's interpretation of the Lake of Fire being the second death must be reinterpreted to be the Lake of Fire is eternal life with torment.
• Lake of fire - interpreted by John to be the second death.
• Lake of fire - reinterpreted today to be eternal life with torment.
The lake of fire is only a symbol of the real thing [the second death], but many preach and teach it as if there is a real lake of literal fire somewhere but it is not on this earth and this fire will last forever. There is not now or ever will be a lake of literal fire. They must turn it around and make the second death be only a metaphor of the lake of fire, and it is not a real death, for the second death cannot be a real death if the "soul" can never die. They also make the second death be only a metaphor of Gehenna (but only after Gehenna has been mistranslated into "Hell"). They do not seem to be able to make up their minds on whether the second death is a metaphor of the lake of fire or a metaphor of Gehenna after Gehenna has been changed to "Hell."
Changes made by those who say they do not change the Bible.
• The Bible says THE LAKE OF FIRE ------ IS THE SECOND DEATH
• Today many say THE SECOND DEATH - IS THE LAKE OF FIRE
• Today many say THE LAKE OF FIRE ---- IS HELL
• Today many say THE LAKE OF FIRE ---- IS GEHENNA
DEATH WILL END AFTER THE JUDGMENT WHEN DEATH IS DESTROYED. The end will not come unto Christ "shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power for he must reign till he has put all his enemies under his feet, the last enemy that shall be abolished is death" [1 Corinthians 15:26].
• Death will be "DESTROYED" King James Version, New King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, and New International Version.
• Death will be "ABOLISHED" American Standard Version.
The lake of fire, which is the second death [Revelation 21:8], will be abolished, destroyed when the kingdom is delivered up to God [1 Corinthians 15:24-26].
BRIMSTONE AND FIRE IN NON-SYMBOLIC PASSAGES
THE BRIMSTONE AND FIRE OF THE SECOND DEATH. How "fire and brimstone" are used in the Bible and in the Book or Revelation.
Fire and brimstone [sulfur rock] were literally rained on Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:24. THE "FIRE AND BRIMSTONE" THAT DESTROYED SODOM WAS RAINED FROM JEHOVAH OUT OF HEAVEN, NOT FROM HELL, AND THE DESTROYING WAS ON THE EARTH, NOT IN HELL. "Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of Heaven" [Genesis 19:24; Luke 17:29]. Both cities were literally burned up and brought to a total end by the fire and brimstone that rained on them. Fire and brimstone are used six other times in the Old Testament [Deuteronomy 29:23; Job 18:15; Psalms 11:6; Isaiah 30:33; 34:9; Ezekiel 38:22], one time by Christ in Luke 17:29 speaking of the total destruction of Sodom. He said, IF THE DESTROYING WILL BE "AFTER THE SAME MANNER" THEN THE FIRE WILL BE RAINED FROM HEAVEN, NOT BE IN HELL, AND THIS FIRE WILL DESTROY, NOT FOREVER TORMENT THOSE ON WHICH IT IS RAINED. Most believers in Hell put both the brimstone and the fire in Hell, but in every passage in both the Old and New Testament this literal fire and brimstone is always on this earth, IT IS NEVER IN HELL. They must move the brimstone and fire from earth to Hell for they have no scripture which is not symbolic that put it where they want it.
Edom's destruction Isaiah 34:9-10: "Its smoke shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall be desolate; none shall pass through it forever and ever." The fire did go out, and today there is no smoke going up. After the fire went out, it became the home for pelicans hedgehogs, owls and ravens [Isaiah 34:11]. Thorns came up in its fortified towers after the fire went out [Isaiah 34:13]. The fire was not quenched but went out when there was nothing more to burn. The smoke is a symbolic picture showing that the complete destruction was forever.
IT IS ALWAYS A TOTAL DESTRUCTION, NEVER A FOREVER ONGOING TORMENT. Today's preaching of "Hell fire and brimstone" does not fit with the use of fire and brimstone in the Bible. In today's theology the destruction is changed from total destruction into a never ending torment without destruction.
BRIMSTONE AND FIRE IN SYMBOLICAL PASSAGES
Fire and brimstone are used six times in Revelation as a symbol of total destruction, which is taken from its literal use in the rest of the Bible.
• (1) Revelation 9:17 "Out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone." Out of the mouths of horses! This does not sound like the fire and brimstone we are told will be in "Hell?"
• (2) Revelation 9:18 "The third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths" Even most who believes in Hell say this fire and brimstone coming out of the mouth of horses are a symbol of something on this earth before the end of time, something before the coming of Christ and not an eternal torment. Believer's in Hell does not believe that a third part of those in Hell will be killed by the fire and brimstone that comes out of the mouths of horses; they believe no one that is in Hell can be killed. HELL COMING FROM HORSES MOUTHS is a symbolic picture. Does anyone believe this "fire and brimstone" that kills is the Hell-fire that torments as preached by Jonathan Edwards? THEY DO NOT THINK HELL COMES OUT OF HORSES MOUTHS and want to make only a part of the symbolic language be literal and they get to pick what part. Most who believe in Hell believe the first and second occurrences of "fire and brimstone" in Revelation is used figuratively, not literally. They only make it be used literally when it will prove their Hell, and fire and brimstone coming out if the mouth of horses is not what they are trying to find.
• (3) Revelation 14:10. Brimstone used in a symbolic picture of Babylon. A part of the same symbolic picture is smoke in Heaven in Revelation 14:11. See [17] REVELATION 14:11 above. THE BIBLE IS ITS OWN BEST INTERPRETER.