The interpretation of figurative language, metaphors and symbolic passages.
INDEX AND CHAPTER ONE html -- INDEX AND ALL TEN CHAPTERS pdf
Those who believe in the Pagan doctrine of an immortal soul from birth and Hell have no plain statements. That they must reinterpret figurative language, metaphors and symbolic passages into literal statements SHOWS THE WEAKNESS OF THEIR BELIEF, that it is from man and not from God. Parables and figurative language are made to be superior over plain statements. The clear language must be made to agree with what is thought to be said in the symbolic language, therefore, THE LITERAL PASSAGES MUST BE MADE FIGURATIVE TO KEEP THEM FROM BEING IN CONFLICT. Many of the metaphors about the destruction of Israel have been discussed in the first seven chapters. This chapter is a close look at some of the other symbolic passages that must be made into literal statements.
JUDGMENT OF ISRAEL Matthew 21-25
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Many of the passages spoken by John the Baptist and by Jesus about Israel's rejection of Christ and its destruction are misapplied to Hell. Matthew 24 is often misused to prove Israel will be restored, and Christ will return to earth and rule the world forever from Jerusalem and that the saved will forever live on this earth, not in Heaven.
THE JEWS THAT CAME TO JOHN THE BAPTIST. "But when he saw the PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES coming to his baptism, HE SAID UNTO THEM, YOU offspring of vipers, WHO WARNED YOU TO FLEE FROM THE WRATH TO COME? Bring forth; therefore, fruit worthy of repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, WE HAVE ABRAHAM TO OUR FATHER: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to rise up children unto Abraham. AND EVEN NOW THE AXE LIES AT THE ROOT OF THE TREES: every tree; therefore, that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance; but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, BUT THE CHAFF HE WILL BURN UP WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE" [Matthew 3:7-12]. John was the Elijah that was to come [Matthew 17:11; 11:10]. Cutting down a tree or forest is a common symbol of judgment and destruction of cities and nations in the Old Testament [Isaiah 10:34; Jeremiah 46:22-23; 22:7-8; Ezekiel 31:3-14]. If a tree is cut down, there is hope that it will sprout again from the stump [Job 14:7-8; Isaiah 11:1], but when the axe is put to the root there is no hope that the tree will ever sprout again.
Adam Clarke says this is "the desolation which was about to fall on the Jewish nation."
Lightfoot: "By the axe being now laid to the root of the tree, may fitly be understood, first, the certainty of their desolation; and second, the nearness, in that the instrument of their destruction as already prepared, and brought close to them; the Romans that should ruin their city and nation, being already master and rulers over them."
B. W. Johnson: "Think not to say...we have Abraham to our father. They believed that Abraham's race was to be saved, if all else was destroyed...'The axe is laid at the root of the tree.' A sign that the tree is to be cut down. The tree meant is the Jewish nation. Every tree. A fruitless fig tree was afterward made by our Lord to representative of the whole Jewish nation (Luke 13:6)." Also, Matthew 3:10-12 "And with fire. The term fire is used in verse 10, and there means a destroying agency; it is used again in verse 12 in the same sense; it is used in verse 11, also, the intervening verse, and must be used in exactly the same sense as in the other two verses. It cannot mean a curse in verses 10 and 12, and a blessing in verse 11, without a word of explanation. It is strange, therefore, that all commentators should not agree that the baptism of fire is a baptism of trial and suffering. THERE WERE TWO CLASSES BEFORE JOHN. SOME WOULD REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED FINALLY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT; THERE WERE OTHERS WHO WOULD REMAIN IMPENITENT, AND BE BAPTIZED IN THE AWFUL TRIALS THAT WOULD COME UPON ISRAEL" B. W. Johnson, "The People New Testament With Notes," 1889, Gospel Light Publishing Company.
"But the SONS OF THE KINGDOM shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth" [Matthew 8:12]. Even according to those who believe in Hell, no one is cast out of Heaven, BUT WHEN THIS "WEEPING AND THE GNASHING OF TEETH" IS MADE TO BE AFTER THE JUDGMENT IN HELL, IT IS THE "SONS OF THE KINGDOM" THAT ARE CAST INTO THE OUTER DARKNESS. IN TRYING TO PROVE THE OUTER DARKNESS IS HELL, SOME ARE MADE TO BE CAST OUT OF HEAVEN INTO HELL AFTER THE JUDGMENT. If "and yourselves cast forth without" is cast into Hell where those who believe in Hell say the "weeping and gnashing of tenth" will be, THEN THIS MAKES THOSE FROM THE EAST AND WEST GO TO HEAVEN AFTER THE JUDGMENT DAY. THEY HAVE SOME GOING INTO HEAVEN, AND SOME BEING CAST OUT OF HEAVEN AFTER THE KINGDOM HAS BEEN DELIVERED UP TO GOD, THEREFORE, AFTER THE JUDGMENT. This is more than those trying to prove Hell want to prove, for they do not think any will be cast out of Heaven after the judgment and no one who is in Heaven after the judgment will go to Hell so why is this passage used in a way that makes it prove there will be some cast out of Heaven after the judgment?
J. W. McGarvey, Matthew 8:11: "AND I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT MANY SHALL COME FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST, AND SHALL SIT DOWN WITH ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB, IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN [Jesus here predicts the conversion of the Gentiles, since that fact is suggested to him by the faith of this centurion. The east and the west represent the extreme points of the compass in the directions in which the world was most thickly inhabited. But Jesus refers rather to spiritual separation than to geographical distances--Mal. i. 11; Isa. xlix. 19; Jer. xvi. 19; Zech. viii. 22.] 12 But The Sons Of The Kingdom [The child of anything in Hebrew phraseology expressed the idea of special property which one has in the thing specified, as, for instance, children of disobedience (Eph. ii. 2). Jesus here means, then, the Jews, to whom the kingdom belonged by hereditary descent--Rom. ix. 4] SHALL BE CAST FORTH INTO THE OUTER DARKNESS: THERE SHALL BE THE WEEPING AND THE GNASHING OF TEETH. [In this paragraph Christ's kingdom is set forth under the simile of a great feast, a familiar simile with Jesus (Matt. xxvi. 29; Luke xxii. 30). The Jews were accustomed to speak of the delights of the Messianic kingdom as a feast with the patriarchs (Luke xiv. 15), but lost sight of the fact that Gentiles should share in its cheer and fellowship (Isa. xxv. 6). Marriage feasts and other great feasts of the Jews were usually held in the evening. Inside, therefore, there would be joy and light and gladness, but outside there would be darkness and disappointment, tears and bitter self-reproach (Matt. xxv. 10-13). The despised outcasts should be brought in and placed at the festal board, while the long-invited guests-the natural and fleshly heirs of Abraham's invitation-would be excluded (Matt. xxi. 43)" The Fourfold Gospel, Page 272, 1914, Standard Publishing Company.
J. W. McGarvey, Luke 13:28 28: "There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, AND YOURSELVES CAST FORTH without. 29 And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold [little as you may think it], they are last who shall be first, and they are first who shall be last. [A familiar proverb of Christ's (Matt. xix. 30; xx. 10), to be interpreted by such passages as Matt. xxi. 31 and Rom. ix. 30, 31. The Jew who thought the Gentile had no hope at all, and that he himself was sure of salvation, would be surprised to find that his opinion was the very reverse of the real fact as time developed it]." The Fourfold Gospel, 1914, Standard Publishing Company. The Jews were cast forth OUT OF THE KINGDOM, but nothing is said about CASTING INTO "HELL."
B. W. Johnson, Matthew 8:12: "BUT THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM. The Jews, the natural children of Abraham, the 'Father of the faithful,' heirs of the promises made to him. CAST OUT because they rejected the Messiah, in whom all the promises center. INTO OUTER DARKNESS" The People's New Testament With Notes, Gospel Light Publishing Company.
THE THREE TIMES "OUTER DARKNESS" IS USED BY CHRIST [Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30], ARE IN THREE PARABLES, WHICH REFER TO GOD'S DEALING WITH THE JEWS BEING CAST OUT AS GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE. IT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO BE THE LOST IN HELL ARE IN OUTER DARKNESS. THE SEVEN TIMES [Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28] "WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH" ARE USED BY CHRIST ARE ALSO ABOUT THE JEWS BEING CAST OUT AS GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE. IT ALSO HAS BEEN CHANGED TO BE THE LOST IN HELL THAT ARE WEEPING AND GNASHING THEIR TEETH. Although many of the wisest preachers and writers whose writings have stood the test of time like B. W. Johnson, J. W. McGarvey, Adam Clarke, Lightfoot, H. Leo Boles, Barnes, R. C. H. Lenski and many others say the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is speaking of the Jews being rejected as God's chosen people, some still misuse this as did Stephen Wiggins in the Firm Foundation, 2006, Page 6. Gehenna is not even in any of the same passages. If he did any study, it would be difficult to believe he did not know the weeping and gnashing of teeth has no reference to "Hell." Is this not just a desperate attempt to find a passage that teaches eternal torment?
SIX PARABLES CONDEMNING ISRAEL
[1]. ISRAEL, THE FRUITLESS FIG TREE [Luke 13:6-9]. "And he spoke this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. And he said unto the vinedresser, behold, these three years I came seeking fruit on this fig tree, and found none: cut it down; why does it also cumber the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; BUT IF NOT, YOU SHALL CUT IT DOWN." Barren national Israel would be cut down. "And seeing a fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only; and he said unto it, Let there be no fruit from you hence forward forever." [Matthew 21:18-19].
[2]. THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS [Luke 16:19-31] See "Part Two" of this chapter.
[3]. THE TWO SONS [Matthew 21:28-32]. "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will, sir; and he did not go. And he came to the second and said the same thing. But, he answered and said, I will not; yet he afterward regretted it and went. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, the latter. Jesus said to them, Truly I say to YOU the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before YOU. For John came to YOU in the way of righteousness and YOU did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe him; and YOU, seeing this, did not ever feel remorse afterward so as to believe him."
[4]. ISRAEL, THE HUSBANDMAN [Matthew 21:33-45]. "Hear another parable: there was a man that was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandman, and went into another country. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandman, to receive his fruits. And the husbandman took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner. But, afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, they will reverence my son. But the husbandman, when they saw the son, said among themselves, this is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth out to the vineyard, and killed him. When; therefore, the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto these husbandman? They say unto him, HE WILL MISERABLY DESTROY THOSE MISERABLE MEN, AND WILL LET OUT THE VINEYARD UNTO OTHER HUSBANDMEN, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons, Jesus said unto them, did you never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner: this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes? THEREFORE SAY I UNTO YOU, THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU, AND SHALL BE GIVEN TO A NATION BRINGING FORTH THE FRUITS THEREOF. And he that falls on this stone shall be broken to pieces: BUT, ON WHOMSOEVER IT SHALL FALL, IT WILL SCATTER HIM AS DUST. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, THEY PERCEIVED THAT HE SPOKE OF THEM" Israel was scattered as dust in A. D. 70 when no Jews were left in Jerusalem or the country around it. Most millennialists admit that this refers to the Jewish rejection of Christ. THE KINGDOM WAS TAKEN FROM THE JEWS AND GIVEN TO THE GENTILES AT THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. Millennialists say it will be taken from the Gentiles and given back to the Jews.
[5]. THE MARRIAGE FEAST Matthew 22:1-14: "And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again, he sent out other slaves saying, Tell those who have been invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast. But, they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. BUT, THE KING WAS ENRAGED AND SENT HIS ARMIES, AND DESTROYED THOSE MURDERS, AND SET THEIR CITY ON FIRE. Then he said to his slaves, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast. And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But, when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." The Jews killed the prophets God send to them, and they and their city were destroyed and the Gentiles were brought into the kingdom.
[6]. THE NARROW DOOR Luke 13:24-30 "Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and has shut the door, and begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not where you are; then shall you begin to say, we did eat and drink in your presence, and you did teach in our streets; and he shall say, I tell you, I know not were you are; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, WHEN YOU SHALL SEE ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB, AND ALL THE PROPHETS, IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND YOURSELVES CAST FORTH WITHOUT. AND THERE SHALL COME FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST, AND FROM THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH, AND SHALL SIT DOWN IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. AND BEHOLD, THERE ARE LAST WHO SHALL BE THE FIRST, AND THERE ARE FIRST WHO SHALL BE LAST" This is about the coming rejection of Israel and the Gentiles being accepted into the kingdom of Heaven, which is the church. Not about some being cast out of Heaven, which is what it would be if the weeping and gnashing of teeth were in Hell. ISRAEL WAS THE "SONS OF THE KINGDOM" ["children of the kingdom" King James Version] THAT WAS CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS, NOT THOSE WHO NEVER BELIEVED. THE JEWS, WHO WERE THEN THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM, WERE CAST OUT OF THE LIGHT AND ARE NO LONGER GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE, INTO THE DARKNESS OF THE WORLD WITHOUT THE LIGHT OF GOD'S REVELATION. "O JERUSALEM...BEHOLD YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE" [Luke 13:34-35]. Those who believe in Hell leave out the rest of what Christ said in the next two versus when He says the Gentiles will come into the kingdom, and verse 30 the Gentles who were last become first. If this were after the judgment, the Gentiles would be coming into the kingdom in Heaven after the judgment.
"Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you [the Jews], and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" [Matthew 21:43].
WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH are both used in the Old and New Testament.
1]. WEEPING for miseries and grief, both for personal miseries and as a nation [too often to list them: use any good concordance]. It is used in the New Testament the same way it was in the Old Testament. See Matthew 2:18; Mark 5:28; Luke 7:38; 8:52: John 11:33; 20:11 Acts 9:39; 21:13; Philippians 3:18 and James 5:1. The weeping is the Jews when they see Israel being cast out as God's chosen people, and Jerusalem and the Temple being destroyed, and the end of their national identity See Matthew 24, Daniel 9 and 10.
2]. GNASHING OF TEETH shows anger and rage, and is used in both the Old and New Testament. "They hiss and gnash the teeth" Lamentations 2:16, See Psalms 35:16; Micah 3:5. Used the same way in the New Testament. "And they gnashed on him with their teeth" [Acts 7:54]. Those who stoned Stephen were angry with him, not in pain; they were not dead and in Hell, they were alive and on this earth. If gnashing of teeth were in Hell, as many teach it is, who are they going to gnash with their teeth? Does anyone believe some in Hell will be angry with others in Hell and gnash them with their teeth? The gnashing of teeth is their anger and rage towards those doing the destroying [the Roman army], and maybe even toward God for letting it happen. GNASHING OF TEETH IS BECAUSE OF ANGER OR RAGE. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF THE PERSON DOING THE GNASHING OF HIS OR HER TEETH ARE BEING TORMENTED IN HELL. IN THE BIBLE GNASHING OF TEETH IS ALWAYS BECAUSE OF ANGER IN BOTH THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENT. IT IS MISUSED TODAY TO SHOW TORMENT IN "HELL."
Weeping and gnashing of teeth are two different things, which are sometimes both found together, but most often are not together. Neither one ever occurs in the same passages with hades or Gehenna. That either one or both will be in Hell is an assumption that is preached over and over. Could an immaterial, invisible part of a person gnash its teeth?
THE CENTURION GENTILE Matthew 8:5-13: "And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lying in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And he said unto him, I will come and heal him. And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. And when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, NOT IN ISRAEL. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: BUT THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE CAST FORTH INTO THE OUTER DARKNESS: THERE SHALL BE THE WEEPING AND THE GNASHING OF TEETH. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go your way; as you have believed, [so] be it done unto you. And the servant was healed in that hour." After seeing the faith of this Gentile, Jesus says the Gentiles will sit in the kingdom and the sons [Jews] will be cast forth. The same as at the marriage feast (above), the Jews, because they rejected Christ as their king was cast out of the kingdom. The church, not Israel, is now God's kingdom. Those who teach Hell read the prophecies of Christ about the judgment of Israel in AD 70 and move the weeping and gnashing of teeth to Hell after the Judgment Day is over. They have not found one passage that says anything about the lost after the judgment. Nothing can happen to nothing. After the second death there could be nothing said, for there will be nothing to say anything about. There is a first death, a resurrection from the first death, then the second death, but nothing is said about a third life after the second death. They need something to prove their Hell, and try to make it look as if weeping and gnashing of teeth could only be in Hell; although both weeping and gnashing of teeth are used throughout the Old Testament and those who believe in Hell do not believe weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Old Testament have any reference to a time of punishment after the Judgment Day, but they assume that in the New Testament both are used in reference to punishment in Hell after the judgment day. Weeping and gnashing of teeth has a reference to Hell only when they want or need them to.
WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH: God says the "wages of sin is death," not an eternal life of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Hell and will go on forever, for there is no death for the soul that cannot die. We would never be able to know that this weeping will be in Hell unless:
Some of the words used by Christ to describe the Jews: blind guides, hypocrites, murderers, adulterous, transgressors, faithless, perverse, fools, generation of snakes. "O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM...BEHOLD, YOUR HOUSE (the temple Christ had just left) IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE" [Matthew 23:38].
B. W. Johnson, Matthew 23:33-39. "The People's New Testament With Notes" Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1889.
"That which Israel seeks for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened" [Romans 11:7]. Whatever Israel did not obtain, THE ELECT HAD OBTAINED IT AT THE TIME PAUL WROTE THIS. It is not something that will be obtained after the coming of Christ by Israel or anyone. How is anyone saved today, Jew or Gentile? By the Gospel. I was saved when I heard the Gospel and obeyed it. All that are saved are saved in the same way. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is THE POWER of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes, TO THE JEW FIRST and also to the Greek" [Romans 1:16]. Neither a Jew nor a Greek can be saved without believing and obeying the gospel. Today a nation cannot be saved as a nation (Israel or any other nation). All the individuals must believe and obey the Gospel. There is no other way. "But if SOME OF THE BRANCHES were broken off, ["some of the branches," plural, are individuals Jews, not "some of the nations"] and you, being a wild olive, was grafted in among them [among some of the branches, the Jews that believed and were not broken off]...Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith...for if God spared not the natural branches [individuals Jews], neither will he spare you [individuals Gentiles, not nations]. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell (individuals, not nations), severity; but toward you, God's goodness; otherwise, you also shall be cut off. And they [individuals Jews] also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in" [Romans 11:17-24]. Many of the believers in the early church were Jews. Paul was a Jew, and he said, "Even so than at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace [at the time Paul was writing this and today some Jews believed]" [Romans 11:4]. Salvation is always available to Jews or Gentiles if they will accept Christ. The law was only a shadow of that which was to come. Israel cannot be restored as a nation without restoring the shadow, including restoring animal sacrifice, etc.
There is an individuality " about the Christian religion that cannot be dispensed with. Those who accept Christ must do it as individuals, not as a nation. Each one must come to Christ on his own individual faith. He can come in no other way. In this way he can come now; and this is the only way a Gentile, or anyone else can come. The Jews were broken off for unbelief, and they must come in faith. This opportunity they have now, and have always had--they need not expect, or wait for any thing more." Dr T. W. Brents, Gospel Sermons, Page 329, 1918, Gospel Advocate Publishing Co.
"Woe unto you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So you are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they kill them, and you build their tombs. Therefore, also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute; that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, MAY BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, IT SHALL BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION" [Luke 11:47-51].
[1] THE LORD'S LAMENT OVER JERUSALEM WHEN HE WAS ON THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM: In Luke 19:41-44 When Jesus drew nigh Jerusalem He wept over the city and tells His disciples of the destruction of it in which His language is similar to Luke 21:5-33. "And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, If you had known in this day, even you, the things which belong unto peace! But, now they are hid from your eyes. FOR THE DAYS SHALL COME UPON YOU, WHEN YOUR ENEMIES WILL THROW UP A BANK ABOUT YOU, AND SURROUND YOU, AND HEM YOU IN ON EVERY SIDE, AND WILL LEVEL YOU TO THE GROUND AND YOUR CHILDREN WITHIN YOU; AND THEY SHALL NOT LEAVE IN YOU ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation" [Luke 19:41-44 New American Standard Version].
[2] IN AN ADDRESS TO THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEE AT JERUSALEM: In Matthew 23 Jesus gives seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees [Matthew 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27 29] and ends the address with "Verily I say unto you, ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem that kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not! BEHOLD, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE" [Matthew 23:36-38]. In Matthew 24:34 He again says, "THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, TILL ALL THESE THINGS BE ACCOMPLISHED." All the woes in Matthew 23 and all the signs of Matthew 24 were to come upon that generation, before that generation passed away.
"ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION" Christ used "generation" twenty-five times IN REFERENCE TO THE JEWS OF HIS DAY, nine of the twenty-five are in Matthew [Matthew 11:16; 12:39; 12:41; 12:42; 12:45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:24]. "But first he (Christ) must suffer many things and be rejected of THIS GENERATION" [Luke 17:25; also Mark 8:12; 8:12; 8:38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 7:31; 9:41; 11:29; 11:30; 11:31; 11:32; 11:50; 11:51; 16:8; 17:25; 21:32]. "Genea," the Greek word from which "generation" is translated never means "race" as the millennialists contend that it does in Matthew 24:34.
"THIS GENERATION" The generation of Jews in the time of Christ.
If "this generation" means "this race" as some millennialists teach, are there forty-two "races" spoken of in Matthew 1:1-17?
The use of "YOU" clearly identified the "generation" Jesus was speaking to in Matthew 24. When speaking to His disciples Jesus said:
[3] THEN AN ADDRESS TO HIS DISCIPLES ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES OVERLOOKING JERUSALEM: Matthew 24:1-51. There have been thousands of speculations made on Matthew 24 over the centuries, and it is perhaps been abused more than any other passage.
THE CONTEXT OF MATTHEW 24: It is in the midst of passages about Israel.
Matthew 24:1-2 "And Jesus went out from the temple, and his disciples came to him TO SHOW HIM THE BUILDINGS OF THE TEMPLE, but he answered and said unto them, see you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, THERE SHALL NOT BE LEFT HERE ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER, THAT SHALL NOT BE THROWN DOWN." The stones were the "buildings of the temple." THESE WORDS ARE THE REASON FOR THE QUESTIONS BY HIS DISCIPLES AND THE REASON FOR THE DISCOURSE THAT FOLLOWED. The purpose of this discourse was not to give His disciples signs of His coming at the end of the world but signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, to warn believers in that generation of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and to give them a sign for them to flee from the destruction coming in their lifetime. "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is nigh" [Luke 21:20; Matthew 24:15].
Matthew 24:3 "And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us":
The disciples, thinking of what the Lord had said, asked two questions, which they supposed both would be at the same time. When shall THESE THINGS You speak of be and what shall be the sign that THESE THINGS are about to come to pass? NEITHER IN WHAT CHRIST SAID OR IN THE QUESTIONS THE DISCIPLES ASKED IS THERE ANY REFERENCE TO THE SECOND COMING OR TO A GREAT TRIBULATON THOUSANDS OF YEARS AFTER "THESE THING." AT THE TIME THEY ASKED THESE QUESTIONS THEY DID NOT BELIEVE OR KNOW THAT JESUS WOULD BE PUT TO DEATH OR THAT HE WOULD BE GOING BACK TO HEAVEN AND COMING A SECOND TIME. THE DISCIPLES STILL THOUGHT THE CHRIST WOULD RESTORE THE EARTHY KINGDOM OF ISRAEL JUST AS ALL THE JEWS DID.
A) SIGNS OF THE THINGS THAT WERE TO COME TO PAST THAT CHRISTIANS WERE TO WATCH FOR.
Matthew 24:4-15: "And Jesus answered (His answer was to the questions they had asked about the destruction of the temple, not about His second coming) and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But, all these things are the beginning of travail. Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of many shall wax cold. But, he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come. When; therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand)."
B) NATURAL DISASTERS TO ISRAEL AND ROME.
"When Christ was born, there was a universal peace in the empire...From the time that the Jews rejected Christ, and he left their house desolate, the sword did never depart from their house, the sword of the Lord was never quiet, because he had given it a charge against a hypocritical nation and the people of his wrath, and by it brought ruin upon them." Matthew Henry, Matthew 24:6. Zondervan Publishing House, 1721.
Dr. Philip Schaff says there is scarcely another period in history so full of corruption, vice, and disaster as the six years between Neronian persecution in A. D. 64 and the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, History Of the Christian Church, New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.
FOR MANY YEARS EARTHQUAKES, FAMINES, WARS, PESTILENCES HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN MAKE INTO A SURE SIGN THAT THE END IS AT HAND BY MANY WRITERS OF FICTION.
C) PERSECUTION FIRST FROM JEWS AND THEN ROME. THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.
D) THEN COMES THE END OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL.
E) INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNING TO THE DISCIPLES Matthew 24:17-20. "Let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house: (18) and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak. (19) But woe unto them that give suck in those days! (20) And pray you that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a Sabbath; for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world (aion-age) until now, no, not ever shall be. (22) And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (23) Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe it not. (24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (25) Behold, I have told you beforehand. (26) If; therefore, they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not. (27) For as the lightning comes forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. (28) Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world (aion-age) until now, no, not ever shall be." Some believe this is speaking of the Jewish age, not all time. Not of the destruction of the flood before the Jewish age and not speaking of any war after the end of the Jewish age. Daniel 12:1 says, "And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time." They believe Daniel vision was about Israel and Michael was speaking only of Israel and should be understood as "since there was a nation of Israel." It is believed to be speaking only of the wars and captivities of Israel. I am not persuaded this is the right view, but it may be something that needs be looked into for the Greek says "from the beginning of the age" not "the world."
"For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" [Luke 21:22]. Jeremiah ends his prophecy made in Gehenna [valley of Topheth] outside of Jerusalem with, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words'" [Jeremiah 19:15].
(a). "Let him that is on the housetop not go down." Most first century houses in Jerusalem had flat roofs, and a person could travel from one housetop to the next. Today there are almost none with flat roofs and what few there may be would not be useful as a roadway to the gate of the city.
(b). Not on the Sabbath. The gates would be closed, and no one would be able to leave the city. Today there are no gates. The Law forbids going more than a Sabbath day journey, which is less than a mile, and others Jews might have stopped them for breaking the Law.
(c). Not in the winter. Travel would be hard then but not today with today's ways of travel.
(d). "For the days shall come upon you when your enemies shall cast up a bank about you, and compass you round, and keep you on in on every side" [Luke 19:43-44]. Then the common way that was used by the Romans to take a walled city was to build an embankment next to the wall for the army to walk up to the top of the wall. Today's cities, not even Jerusalem, do not have walls as they would be useless with modern planes and explosives.
(f). "And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." After Jerusalem was completely destroyed, the cities of Israel that had not been destroyed before Jerusalem was also destroyed. If the Roman army had kept going, the fateful Jews beyond the mountains where Christians had fled to would have also been destroyed. This would make no sense when it is applied to the second coming of Christ as it is by many millennialists.
Luke 21:24 "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." In A. D. 70 all the Jews that were in Israel that was not killed were led captive into all the nations. The siege of Jerusalem was at the time of the Passover when millions were within the walls of the city.
"Of the Jews destroyed during the siege, Josephus reckons not less than ONE MILLION AND ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND, to which must be added, above TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN THOUSAND who perished in other places, AND INNUMERABLE MULTITUDES WHO WERE SWEPT AWAY BY FAMINE, AND PESTILENCE, AND OF WHICH NO CALCULATION COULD BE MADE. Not less than two thousand laid violent hands upon themselves. Of the captives the whole was about NINETY-SEVEN THOUSAND." George P. Holford, "The Destruction of Jerusalem." He also says that at this time bands of robbers and murderers plundered the other towns and slew the resistance of many of the towns.
"No history can furnish us with a parallel to the calamities and miseries of the Jews:-rape, murder, famine, and pestilence within: fire and sword, and all the horrors of war, without. Our Lord wept at the foresight of these calamities; and it is almost impossible for any humane person to read the relation of them in Josephus without weeping also." Adam Clarke, Commentary on Matthew.
"The destruction of Jerusalem was more terrible than anything that the world has ever witnessed, either before or since. Even Titus seemed to see in his cruel work the hand of an avenging God." C.H. Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew, Page 412.
"And indeed the multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another was a horrible sight, and produced a pestilential stench, which was a hindrance to those that would make sallies out of the city, and fight the enemy: but as those were to go in battle-array, who had been already use to ten thousand murders, and must tread upon those dead bodies as they marched along, so they were not terrified, nor did they pity men as they marched over them." Josephus, The Wars Of The Jews Or The History Of The Destruction Of Jerusalem, Book VI, Page 1. This is only a small sample of the pages in Josephus's history of the destruction of the Jews as a nation, of the wars of the Jews with the Romans before, during, and after the destruction of Jerusalem, of the famines, pestilence and earthquakes through out all Israel unto the entire nation was destroyed. It is not for those with a weak stomach.
"The Roman leaders endeavored to strike terror to the Jews and thus, cause them to surrender. Those prisoners, who resisted when taken, were scourged, tortured, and crucified before the wall of the city. Hundreds were daily put to death in this manner, and the dreadful work continued until, along the Valley Jehoshaphat and at Calvary, crosses were erected in so great numbers that there was scarcely room to move among them. So terrible was the visited that awful imprecation uttered before the judgment seat of Pilate: 'His blood be on us, and on our children Matthew 27:25'" The Great Controversy. The nation of Israel sowed a cross and reaped thousands of crosses.
"Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another" [Matthew 24:2]. Titus wanted to save the temple and give command that it be not destroyed, but Christ had said it would be. It was set on fire against the command of Titus, and the gold melted and ran down into the foundation stones, and the soldiers dug up the foundation stones looking for the gold. Not one stone was left. In Luke's account of this [Luke 19:41-44] he says the temple would be even with the ground. After the destruction of Jerusalem one could not know by looking at the spot that the temple had been on it. A Moslem Mosque, called the Dome of the Rock, is now on the spot where the temple was.
"Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them." Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews" 10.11.7.
IN THEIR BOOKS OF FICTION THE MILLENNIUM TRIBULATION IS OFTEN BASED ON MATTHEW 24 WHICH DID COME IN A. D. 70 BEFORE THAT GENERATION PASSED AWAY [MATTHEW 24:34]. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world (aion-age)." The purpose of this discourse was not to give his disciples signs of His coming at the end of the world but signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, to warn believers in that generation of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and to give them a sign for them to flee from the destruction coming in their lifetime. [Matthew 24:21]. Millennialists say, "Not so Christ, the great tribulation in the Millennium will be much greater then the tribulation at the destruction of Jerusalem and Israel.
"Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together" Matthew 24:28.
"I wonder and can any understand these words of pious men flying to Christ, [in the rapture] when the discourse here is of quite a different thing: they are thus connected to the forgoing: Christ shall be revealed with a sudden vengeance; for when God shall cast of the city and people, grown ripe for destruction, like a carcass thrown out, the Roman soldiers, like eagles, shall straight fly to it with their eagles (ensigns) to tear and devout it." John Lightfoot, Matthew 24:28 "A Commentary on Matthew."
NOT JERUSALEM ONLY BUT ALL THE NATION OF ISRAEL WAS DESTROYED, AND ALL THE LAND THAT WAS THE NATION OF ISRAEL WAS TAKEN OVER BY OTHER PEOPLE. THE NATION OF ISRAEL CAME TO AN END. The Jewish religion was centered round and totally dependence on the sacrifices which could only be performed at the Temple and only by the Levitical priesthood. Both came to an end and have not been restored to this day.
Matthew 24:29-31: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30) and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Matthew 24:1-28 is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem. Then in the next verse Christ says, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days" and gives a list in verses 29-31 of things that are to happen then, immediately after the destruction, not at His second coming. Then in verses 32-44 He gives us the parable of Israel the fig tree in which His coming was "nigh, even at the doors." These verses are highly symbolic of something that took place immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem. In symbolic language the sun is a great ruler on this earth, and the stars are lesser rulers. There were no rulers or teachers in Israel immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem and all the cities of Israel. All was darkness for Israel. "And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn" (see Matthew 10:23 where the coming of Christ is in judgment on Israel). In the next parable, Christ is "nigh, even at the doors" and "this generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished." Though not literally, Christ did come in judgment in the destruction of Jerusalem. If this were at the judgment when all will be raised from the dead for judgment by Christ, I find it difficult to see how any could think that He will not give forth His light at the Judgment, and what then are the stars that shall fall from Heaven? If verses 30 and 31 were speaking of the second coming, they would be out of place for the second coming was not "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (verse 29) and not in the "generation that shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished" (verse 34). Many teach that the things in Matthew 24 are events that are happening today, but if so, there would some very old people be living today.
The "great tribulation" of Matthew 24:21 is now past history, not something still to come. "But IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THESE DAY the sun shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" [Matthew 24:29]. Jesus used the same symbolic language to describe the fall of Israel that Isaiah used to describe the fall of Babylon [Ezekiel 32:7-9] and is commonly used in the Old Testament. "For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light" [Isaiah 13:10]. Luke adds, "And upon the earth distress of nations" [Luke 21:21]. There is no way to get around the sun being darkened was immediately after the tribulation Christ was speaking of, which was in A. D. 70; not a tribulation yet to come after the second coming of Christ. MOST MILLENNIALISTS MAKE THE SUN BEING DARKENED BE THE GREAT TRIBULATION; THEY MOVE THEM BEING DARKEN FROM IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION AND MAKE THEM BEING DARKEN BE THE TRIBULATION.
Matthew 24:30: "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven." "In Heaven" is where the Son of Man is, not where the sign would appear. What did appear was the destruction of Israel. The sign proves that the man Israel rejected is the Lord and is the ruler over all nations, and He has the power to destroy the nations that reject Him.
In speaking of God's coming in judgment on Egypt Isaiah says, "The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt" [Isaiah 19:1; also Jeremiah 4:13; Ezekiel 30:3-4]. This is not God literally riding a cloud into Egypt, but is figurative language of His coming in judgment on Egypt. When they saw Jerusalem destroyed, they were seeing Jesus coming in judgment on that city. Jesus told the high priest, "YOU SHALL SEE THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN" [Mark 14:62]. The high priest did not literally see Jesus in Heaven, but he and all Israel did see the coming of Jesus in judgment on Israel.
"The signs in the heavens, the darkening sun and falling stars, refer to the falling of Jewish dignitaries, casting down of authorities and powers, long established, and signified the darkness that settled upon the Jewish state, the sun of the Hebrew temple was darkened, the moon of the Jewish commonwealth was as blood, the stars of Sanhendrin fell from their high seats of authority...The sign of the Son of man in the heaven was a signal, the evidence of divine visitation and intervention in the downfall of the Jewish authorities and in all the transpiring events. The mourning of all the tribes of the earth refers to the lamentation of the Jewish families all over the world because of the destruction of their city and their temple and their state. The coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven is not a reference to the second coming of Christ but to the coming foretold by Jesus to Caiaphas in Matthew 26:64: 'Hereafter shall you see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven.' Jesus told Caiaphas that he would see it, he would be living witness to these event" Foy E. Wallace Jr., "The Book of Revelation" Page 354.
"And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn." When their country was destroyed, the Jews that were in other parts of the earth would mourn. The word translated "earth" is "gee" and in the King James Version is translated "land" forty-one times, "ground" eighteen times and "country" two times. "Gee" is translated land in Matthew 2:6; 2:20; 2:21; 4:15; 9:26; 11:24; 14:34; 27:45; Mark 4:1; 6:47; 6:53; 15:33; Luke 4:25; 5:3; 5:11; 5:24; 8:27; 14:35; 21:23; John 3:22; 6:21; 21:8; 21:9; 21:11; Acts 7:3; 7:4; 7:4; 7:6; 7:11; 7:29; 7:33; 7:36; 7:4013:17; 13:19; 13:19; Hebrews 8:9; 11:9; Jude 5. "Gee" is translated "ground" in Matthew 9:29; 13:8; 13:23; 15:35; Mark 4:8; 4:20; 4:26; 8:6; 9:20; 24:35; Luke 8:8; 8:15; 22:44; John 8:6; 8:8; 12:24; Acts 7:33. "Gee" is translated "country" in Matthew 9:31 and Acts 7:3. Had it been translated "land" in Matthew 24:30, "And then shall all the tribes of the land [gee] mourn" most of the confusion would not have existed. See Zechariah 12:11-12.
"And he will send forth His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other" [Matthew 24:31]. Still speaking in figurative language Jesus is saying He will send His messengers into all the world with His Gospel and gather them to Him in His kingdom, the church. Just as there was not literally a "great trumpet" that was heard in Egypt and Assyria [Isaiah 27:13], there was not literally a "great trumpet" after the fall of Jerusalem. "And they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other," is figurative language meaning from all over the earth, just as is "from east and west, and from north and south" [Luke 13:29 also see Matthew 24:14]. All the saved "His elect" are now gathered together in His kingdom, the church.
Those in the first century would understand "blood, fire, vapor and smoke" to be used as it was in the Old Testament [Acts 2:19; Joel 2:28-32], but would never have understood it to be referring to a nuclear war as many millennialists apply it. Christ used the symbolic language of the Old Testament as it was used in the Old Testament, as those hearing Him would have understood, not something in today's newspapers.
Literally, that day was an ordinary day. The moon was not literally turned into blood, but spiritually it was an earth shaking day. Even the Millennialists who say all scripture must be interpreted literally do not believe the moon will ever literally be turned to blood.
THE SON OF MAN SEEN COMING IN HIS KINGDOM "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING in His kingdom" [Matthew 16:28]. The parallel passage in Mark says, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power" [Mark 9:1]. His kingdom came in Acts 2; therefore, Christ was seen coming in His kingdom in power and glory in A. D. 30. Christ came both in the coming of His kingdom and in judgment on Israel, but neither one was a visible coming as the second coming will be that all, both the living and the dead will see. The problem many have when they read Matthew 24 is that they see only His second coming and therefore must interpret much of Matthew 24 to be speaking of the end of time. Neither His coming in His kingdom in A. D. 30, nor His coming in judgment on Israel in A. D. 70 was the second coming when the saved will put on immortality and forever be with Him.
COMING OF CHRIST BEFORE HIS DISCIPLES HAD GONE THROUGH THE CITIES OF ISRAEL. Matthew 10:16-23. "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; and before governors and kings shall you be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what you shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what you shall speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you. And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, You shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come."
"After the destruction of Jerusalem seventeen hundred Jews who surrendered at Macherus were slain, and of fugitives not less than three thousand in the woods of Jardes. Titus having marched his army to Caesarea, he (Titus) there, with great splendor, celebrated the birthday of his brother Domitian; and according to the barbarous manner of those times, punished many Jews in honor of it. The number who was burnt, and who fell by fighting with wild beasts, and in mutual combats, exceeded two thousand five hundred." G. Holford, The Destruction of Jerusalem.
Adam Clarke lists some that were killed at other places. "By the inhabitants of Caesarea, above 20,000. At Scythopolis, above 13,000. At Ascalon, 2,500. At Ptolemais, 2,000. At Alexandria, 50,000. At Joppa, when taken by Cestius Gallus, 8,400. In a mountain called Asamon, near Sepporis, above 2,000. At Damascus, 10,000. In a battle with the Romans at Ascalon, 10,000. In an ambuscade near the same place, 8,000. At Japha, 15,000. Of the Samaritans, on Mount Gerizim, 11,600. At Jotapa, 40,000. At Joppa, when taken by Vespasian, 4,200. At Tarichea, 6,500. And after the city was taken, 1,200. At Gamala, 4,000, besides 5,000 who threw themselves down a precipice. Of those who fled with John, of Gischala, 6,000. Of the Gadarenes, 15,000 slain, besides countless multitudes drowned. In the village of Idumea, above 10,000 slain. At Gerasa, 1,000. At Machaerus, 1,700. In the wood of Jardes, 3,000. In the castle of Masada, 960. In Cyrene, by Catullus the governor, 3,000. Besides these, many of every age, sex, and condition, were slain in the war, who are not reckoned; but, of those who are reckoned, the number amounts to upwards of 1,357,660, which would have appeared incredible, if their own historian had not so particularly enumerated them." Clarke's Commentary on Matthew. The unknown number that was destroyed throughout the country by pestilence, famine, earthquakes and robbers throughout the reign both before the destruction of Jerusalem, during the destruction, and the years after it must be added to this. Also, Adam Clarke says most of those taken captive "above seventeen years old were distributed through the Roman provinces, to be destroyed in their theaters by the sword, and by the wild beasts."
"'In the reign of Adrian,' say Bishop Newton, 'nine hundred and eighty-five of their best towns were sacked and demolished, five hundred and eighty thousand men fell by the sword, in battle, besides, an infinite multitude who perished by, famine, and sickness, and fire; so that Judea was depopulated, and an almost incredible number of every age and of each sex, were sold like horses and dispersed over the face of the earth' - (Newton, vol. I, Page xviii.) The war which gave rise to these calamities happened about forty-four years after the destruction of Jerusalem" G. Holford, The Destruction of Jerusalem.
"Therefore, behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that it shall no more be called Topheth, not the Valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury. And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away. THEN WILL I CAUSE TO CEASE FROM THE CITIES OF JUDAH, AND FROM THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, THE VOICE OF MIRTH AND THE VOICE OF GLADNESS, THE VOICE OF THE BRIDEGROOM AND THE VOICE OF THE BRIDE; FOR THE LAND SHALL BECOME A WASTE" [Jeremiah 7:32-34].
John Calvin, "For within fifty years the city was destroyed and the temple ruined, THE WHOLE COUNTRY WAS REDUCED TO A HIDEOUS DESERT." "Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelist, Matthew, Mark, and Luke." All Israel, the whole nation, not just the temple was totally destroyed, "reduced to a hideous desert."
David Chilton, "'Let Him be Crucified! Let Him be Crucified! His blood be on us, and on our children!' the apostates had cried forty years earlier (Matthew 27:22-25); and when it was all over, more than a million Jews had been killed in the siege of Jerusalem; close to a million more were sold into slavery throughout the empire, and whole of Judea lay smoldering in ruins, virtually depopulate." "The Great Tribulation" 1987, Dominion Press.
Josephus says, "The countryside, life the city, was a pitiful sight, for where once there had been a multitude of trees and parks, there was now an utter wilderness stripped bare of timber; and no stranger who has seen the old Judea and the glorious suburbs of her capital, and now beheld utter desolation, could refrain from tears or suppress a groan at so terrible a change. the war had blotted out every trace of beauty, and no one who had known it in the past and came upon it suddenly would have recognized the place, for though he was already there, he would still have been looking for the city" The Jewish War.
"The Dead Sea too was filled with corpses which the river (the Jordan River) carried down to it by the thousands" Josephus.
"And except these days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" [Matthew 24:22]. If the war had gone on it would have reached beyond Israel unto Pella and other cities in the mountains where many Christians were that had left Israel; but it was stopped before it reached them. "No flesh" will be saved at the second coming. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" [1 Corinthians 15:50]. That the days were shortened and some flesh was saved proves this is not speaking of the second coming of Christ.
[4] HE (CHRIST) IS NIGH, EVEN AT THE DOORS: Matthew 24:32-44. "Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is nigh; (33) even so you also, WHEN YOU SEE ALL THESE THINGS, KNOW YOU THAT HE IS NIGH, EVEN AT THE DOORS. (34) VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, TILL ALL THESE THINGS BE ACCOMPLISHED. (35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (36) But of that day and hour knows no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only. (37) And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. (38) For in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, (39) and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. (40) Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left; (41) two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. (42) Watch; therefore: for you know not on what day your Lord comes. (43) But know this that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to broken through. (44) Therefore be you also ready; for in an hour that you think not the Son of man comes." This makes it clear that all Jesus had said before this applies to the destruction of Jerusalem and not to His second coming for "this generation" has long ago passed away. "ALL THESE THINGS" are the things He has just told them. When they saw the signs coming to pass, they know that the end of the temple and Israel was at hand. Although we are to watch and always be ready, we are not given any signs, as they were, that we can see and know that His coming is soon, not even that it will be in our lifetime or in the next thousand or ten thousand years. Commentaries on verses 35-44 are divided on whether this is speaking of the coming of Christ in judgment on Israel or His second coming. It seems unlikely to me that He would have changed from speaking of judgment on Israel in verse 34, then His second coming in verse 35, and back to judgment on Israel in verse 40 with nothing to show He changed. He was speaking to His disciples at this time [Matthew 24:1], and telling them they were to watch for the signs He gave them of His coming in judgment on Israel. We are given no signs to watch for but are always to be ready for His second coming.
"ALL THESE THINGS" Is things before 70 A. D., not at the second coming of Jesus. Luke says, "But when THESE THINGS begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draws nigh" [Luke 21:38]. This redemption draws nigh to those of that generation. It was a redemption from the persecution of the Jews. "This generation shall not pass away, till ALL THINGS be accomplished" Luke 21:32. Not the redemption of the U. S. from Russia or any other redemption today.
Matthew 24:34 is a key to understanding all that came to pass before it, all that has been said up to this point must come before "this generation" would pass away. Not at the second coming of Jesus at the end of the world. A generation is about 40 years. It is the same "generation" spoken of in Matthew 23:36.
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." He had assured them that the end of Jerusalem was coming, now He assured them that His word would come to pass, that the heavens would end and the earth would pass away but not His word; the end of Jerusalem was sure. He may be speaking of the end of the Jewish heavens and earth, the end of their nation, not the end of the world. They did not know the season when the end would come but was told to pray that it be not in the winter season nor did they know the day but were told to pray that it not be on a Sabbath Day. "But watch you at every season, making supplication, THAT YOU MAY PREVAIL TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME TO PASS, and to stand before the Son of man" [Luke 21:36; Matthew 24:42-44; Mark 13:35-37]. The Christians did watch and did escape all these things, all the things He has just warned them about that were coming to Israel; but no one will escape the judgment to come.
Just as Noah warned of the destruction of the world but did not give the exact time and all went on with their lives and did not pay attention to the warning, the warning of Christ was not heeded by the Jews and the end came when they were not looking for it. As in the flood only the evil was destroyed and the righteous saved, the unbelieving Jews were destroyed and the believers were saved; "two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left." The righteous would be left.
JOSEPHUS, the Jewish first century historian, recorded concerning the year 70, "Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did not attend, nor give credit to the signs that were so evident and did so plainly foretell their future desolation; but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see, or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them." Josephus, who was not a Christian, understood these signs to be related to the soon-coming judgment. This coming in judgment was fulfilled in the destruction of the temple, the city of Jerusalem, and all the nation of Israel.
JOHN LIGHTFOOT (1859) "This generation shall not pass. Hence, it appears plain enough that the foregoing verses are not to be understood of the last judgment but, as we said, of the destruction of Jerusalem." (A Commentary of The New Testament, Volume 2, Page 320).
JOHN WESLEY (1754) "This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was; for the city and temple were destroyed thirty-nine or forty years after."
MATTHEW HENRY "As to these things, the wars, seductions, and persecutions, here foretold, and especially of the ruin of the Jewish nation; 'This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled (Mt 24:34); there are those now alive that shall see Jerusalem destroyed, AND THE JEWISH CHURCH BROUGHT TO AN END." One Volume Commentary on the Whole Bible.
JAMES D. BALES "And the destruction of the whole Jewish economy was the fulfillment of the rest of it (Joel's prophecy of the last days Acts 2:16-21). If there was one thing the Jew felt sure of it was that Jerusalem was the favored city of God, that its future supremacy among the nations was as certain to come as the sunrise. Its sacrifices would always be acceptable offered on the altars by the sons of Levi. Now we see the national life of Israel forever ended; the temple forever closed; the sacrifices become useless; the priesthood forgotten; and Israel no more to God than any other nation...If you could think of a pious Jew having gone to sleep three years before Christ was crucified and then wakened in a few years after the destruction of Jerusalem, what an utter bewilderment he would have! All that he supposed to be permanent was gone, and in place of it a company of men preaching God's love to all men, worshiping in all places, and claiming earthly dominion in none. He would well say this in indeed what Joel said to us." The Hub Of The Bible Or Acts Two Analyzed, Page 70, 1960.
[5] ISRAEL THE UNFAITHFUL SERVANT: Matthew 24:45-51. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? (46) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. (47) Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he has. (48) But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord terries; (49) and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; (50) the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expects not, and in an hour when he knows not, (51) and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Like all parables, all that are in them are not to be taken literally. They teach a lesson which is the main point of the parable. The point of this one is that Israel had been unfaithful and a judgment was coming.
[6] UNPROFITABLE SERVANT - OUTER DARKNESS: Matthew 25:30; 8:12; 22:13. IT WAS THE "UNPROFITABLE SERVANT" AND "SONS OF THE KINGDOM" THAT WERE CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS, NOT THE ONES WHO NEVER BELIEVED, NOT THE LOST FOR THEY WERE NEVER IN THE KINGDOM. The Jews who rejected Christ were cast out of the light, no longer to be God's chosen people, into the darkness of the world without the light of God's revelation. Christ said many [the Gentiles] shall "came from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." This says nothing about there being outer darkness in Hell. Fire and darkness do not go together. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" [Luke 13:33-34]. Their house without God in it is darkness.
[7] THE WRATH IS COME UPON THEM TO THE UTTERMOST: "And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children!" [Matthew 27:25]. "For you also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and please not God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: BUT THE WRATH IS COME UPON THEM TO THE UTTERMOST" [1 Thessalonians 2:14-16]. This was written about A. D. 53, just a few years before the destruction of the nation of Israel in A. D. 70.
[8] MORE TOLERABLE: Christ spoke of the Day of Judgment for lands or cities. More tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for the cities that did not receive those He sent out [Matthew 10:14-15, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:10-12]. More tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum [Matthew 11:21-24, Luke 10:10-12]. WHEN ARE CITIES AND NATIONS JUDGED? WHEN IS THEIR DAY OF JUDGMENT TO BE? "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades" [Matthew 11:23]. It was a great city but would go down to hades-the grave. Today, there are only a few ruins of Capernaum. They went from greatness (exalted to heaven) to non-existence (hades-the grave). Individuals, not nations and cities will be judged at the judgment at the second coming of Christ. Matthew 24 is of the judgment of Jerusalem [Matthew 23:36-38]. ALL THESE CITIES HAVE HAD A DAY OF JUDGMENT AND WERE BROUGHT DOWN TO THE GRAVE. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT FOR THEM IS PAST. The destruction of Sodom was quick and soon over. The destruction of Jerusalem, which saw and rejected Christ was long and drawn out with much more suffering, therefore, much less tolerable. The Day of Judgment for a city or a nation is the time when God will cause it to be destroyed. The Old Testament is full of God's judgment of cities and nations. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES THAT REJECTED CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES WERE WORSE (Matthew 24:21) THAN THE DESTRUCTION OF THOSE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. "These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand...And as you enter the house, give it your greeting. And if the house is worthy, let your greeting of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace return to you. And whoever does not receive you, not heed your word, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But, beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But, when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, YOU SHALL NOT FINISH GOING THROUGH THE CITES OF ISRAEL, UNTIL THE SON OF MAN COMES" [Matthew 10:5-23]. He did come in a judgment on these cities and though all were destroyed, the destruction of Old Testament cities was much less terrible than was the destruction of Israel and her cities. Christ coming in judgment on a city or nation in the Old Testament or the New Testament is not the second coming of Christ when the saved will put on immortality.
[9] DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM: Luke 23:27-31. When Jesus was being led to be crucified "there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of whom men who bewailed and lamented him. But, Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never give suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" Even at the time of His death the sufferings and the great tribulation that were coming to Israel was on His mind. See Hosea 19:7-8 where they cry to the mountains to cover them in the destruction of Samaria, which is an Old Testament expression of wanting to escape destruction.
[10] "YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE" [Matthew 23:38; Luke 13:35] God left the temple. "And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" [Matthew 27:51]. As it is sometimes said today when an entertainer has finished, "God has left the building." After they put to death their saver, God gives them forty years to repent, but the book of Acts is a history of the "generation of vipers" persecuting and putting to death those who God sent to save them. They brought upon themselves a retribution of such severity that it was as if they had killed all the prophets God had sent to turn Israel from their sin [Matthew 23:34-35].
IS MATTHEW 24:36 A "TRANSITION TEXT?" Many think Matthew 24:36 is the "time text" or "transition text" where Jesus changes from the destruction of Israel to the second coming at the end of the world. Luke gives this view a problem. In his discourse to the disciples a few days before His discourse at Jerusalem, Luke put both the "two women" [Luke 17:35-36] and "as it was in the days of Noah" [Luke 17:26-27] before this "time text" [Luke 17:37]. If this were the "transition text" Matthew put both after the "transition text" and Luke put both before Matthew 24:27, "Where the body is there will the eagles also be gathered together" [Luke 17:37]. "Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together" [Matthew 24:28].. Luke also used "that day" in reference to the destruction of Israel, not of the second coming [Luke 17:31, Matthew 24:17].
Luke 17:11 "On the way to Jerusalem." - Matthew 24:1 After they were leaving.
"The coming of the Son of man" both before and after the "Transition Text"
The A. D. 70 doctrine that all the passages which speak of the second coming were fulfilled in A. D. 70 is not true. It is not my intentions to go into this doctrine; therefore, I will give only two of many passages that could be used. "So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation" [Hebrews 9:28] and "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also" [John 14:2-3]. No one went to the place Christ went to prepare in A. D. 70 and no one will go to it before the resurrection.
SUMMARY:
WAS A. D. 70 THE SECOND AND FINAL COMING OF CHRIST? OR IS THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND THE JUDGMENT OF ALL YET TO COME?
Preterit Eschatology, also called Realized Eschatology, Fulfilled Eschatology, Covenant Eschatology, and the A. D. 70 doctrine is the doctrine that:
There was revelation given in the Old Testament on the establishment of the kingdom [Micah 4:1] and the resurrection of Christ was given in types and shadows as Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness [John 3:14]; which few if any understood, but the doctrine of the resurrection, life, and immortality, which Christ taught, were new. The words, resurrection, immortal, and immortality are not in the Old Testament in the King James Version or the American Standard Version. The resurrection was new to the heathen world, which believed in an immortal soul that had no need for a resurrection. The first coming of Christ, His suffering and rejection, His death and resurrection were told about in the Old Testament; but there is noting about His second coming in it. The second coming of Christ, the resurrection, the judgment of all at His second coming and the promise of life after death in Heaven was new to the New Testament.
THE NEW TESTAMENT CLEARLY TEACHES THAT THE SECOND COMING, THE RESURRECTION OF ALL, AND THE JUDGMENT OF ALL HAS NOT COME. All the lost will awake from the dead and the saved will awake to eternal life at the same time. IT WILL BE A RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, NOT AS REALIZED ESCHATOLOGY TEACHES, DEATH IS ONLY A CHANGE FROM ONE KIND OF LIFE TO ANOTHER KIND OF LIFE, WHICH WOULD NOT BE A RESURRECTION AND WOULD MAKE A RESURRECTION IMPOSSIBLE.
John 5:28-29: "For an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." ALL, both the good and the evil will BE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD IN THE SAME HOUR, NOT SOME OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS APART FROM A. D. 70 TO NOW AND STILL COUNTING; AND NOT CHANGED FROM ONE FORM OF LIFE TO ANTHER FORM OF LIFE AT DEATH WITHOUT A RESURRECTION.
Philippians 3:20-21: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." Our body being transformed into conformity with His body is at His coming from Heaven, not at our death. Christ does not come from Heaven ever time a person dies. That there will be a resurrection and judgment of all at the second coming of Christ is discussed throughout this book and in the review below.
Dawson says, "I think West inadvertently gives the Old Testament's teaching of the subject short shrift. You can be a good guy and do that because I've done exactly the same thing." Below is an examination of how he thinks I give the Old Testament teaching of the resurrection short shrift.
Some point to restoring of the nation of Israel as a nation as being a resurrection, but the restoring or resurrection of Israel as a nation is not the resurrection of the New Testament. It is not the resurrecting of a person to eternal life or immortality. Not even the resurrection of a nation to immortality or to eternal life. IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING THE RESURRECTION TAUGHT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. "Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life" [Ezekiel 37:5] is speaking of a nation being restored as a nation, the people that were alive but in captivity being restored to their land and coming to life as a nation, this is not of the resurrection of a single person that was dead; there is nothing in it about anyone or any nation being given immortality. THE RESURRECTION TAUGHT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS NOT THE RESURRECTION OF A NATION (RESTORING THAT NATION ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME) BUT IS THE RESURRECTION OF INDIVIDUALS TO ETERNAL LIFE AND THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. There is nothing in 1 Corinthians 15, or any of the New Testament about the resurrection of "fleshly bodies" at the coming of Christ. No one put on immortality in A. D. 70, and no one's corruptible (fleshly) bodies were changed to incorruption, and all that were living in A. D. 70 died, death was not "swallowed up in victory" [1 Corinthians 15:54] as it will be at the coming of Christ. IF PAUL WERE NOT SPEAKING OF A RESURRECTION THAT WILL COME AFTER THIS LIFETIME, THEN WHEN HE SAID, "THEN THEY ALSO THAT ARE FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST HAVE PERISHED" THEY HAD PERISHED (depicting a process that had pass before Paul wrote this, not "an on going process." They had perished - died before he wrote, not were perishing - dying at the time he wrote) [1 Corinthians 15:18]; he was speaking of some that had died past tense that were dead present tense in about A. D. 57, but still would be raised, future tense, with a spiritual body at the coming of Christ. PAUL WAS NOT SPEAKING OF A RESURRECTION THAT HAD PASSED OR THAT WAS TAKING PLACE AT THAT TIME, BUT OF THE RESURRECTION TO LIFE AND IMMORTALITY THAT WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTO THE COMING OF CHRIST. At the coming of Christ, all the saved that have died ("fallen asleep") "the dead in Christ shall rise" and the living saints will be changed and both at the same time shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and shall "ever be with the Lord" [1 Thessalonians 3:14-17]; this did not happen in A. D. 70, and those who are fallen asleep are not yet with Christ. PAUL SAYS THE RESURRECTION OF THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP IN CHRIST, AND PUTTING ON IMMORTALITY BY THOSE WHO ARE LIVING WILL BOTH BE AT THE SAME MOMENT, BOTH IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE. REALIZED ESCHATOLOGY SAYS, "NOT SO PAUL, THE RESURRECTION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINT WAS IN A. D. 70, BUT THERE WILL BE NO RESURRECTION FOR US AS WE WILL BE CHANGED AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH, BOTH ARE NOT IN THE SAME MOMENT." IF ALL WERE TRANSFORMED (RECEIVES A "SPIRITUAL BODY" IN WHICH THEY WILL DWELL IN IMMEDIATELY AND ETERNALLY AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH) NOTHING IS RESURRECTED; THERE WOULD BE NO RESURRECTION FOR ANYONE AFTER A. D. 70. ACCORDING TO THEM, THE ONLY RESURRECTION IN THE BIBLE WAS AT A. D. 70 AND IT IS PASSED. THERE WILL BE NO RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT DAY FOR ANYONE. "Faithful is the saying: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him...Hymenaeus and Philetus; men who concerning the truth have erred, saying the resurrection is past already" [2 Timothy 10-19]. ISRAEL WAS NOT DELIVERED IN A. D. 70, BUT WAS JUDGED AND DESTROYED. THERE IS NOTHING IN 1 CORINTHIANS 15, MATTHEW 24, OR ANY PASSAGE ABOUT ISRAEL BEING RESURRECTED OR RESTORED IN A. D. 70.
On page 6 he says, "Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life" Ezekiel 37 refers to the death of Israel, then says, "West is absolutely right that the word 'resurrection' isn't there, but what word should we call the process whereby Israel was dead, and God's purpose was to bring them to life." He needs to see that when the Old Testament speaks of restoring or resurrecting a nation to life as a nation that would die again, it is not speaking of the resurrection to eternal life of even one dead person. Not one dead person was restored to life and given immortality. There is no promise that anyone would ever be given immortality in the Old Testament. No nation, not even Israel, will ever be given immortality; but the saved individuals of all nations will at the resurrection. HOW CAN HE NOT SEE THAT THE RESURRECTION OR RESTORING OF ISRAEL AS A NATION FOR ONLY A SHORT TIME IN EZEKIEL 37 IS NOTHING LIKE THE RESURRECTION OF INDIVIDUALS TO IMMORTALITY PAUL WAS SPEAKING OF IN 1 CORINTHIANS 15? When Israel was restored as a nation after the seventy-year captivity in Daniel, it was not even the same individuals in "the resurrection" of the nation that was in Israel before the captivity from which the nation was resurrected. One group of Jews went into the captivity and Israel died as a nation, another group of Jews came out of the captivity and Israel were restored or resurrected as a nation; not one dead Jew was resurrected. The many restorations of Israel as a nation from captivity in the Old Testament, which was one hundred percent physical earthly restoring of a nation, is not the resurrection to eternal life for those who are in Christ, not the resurrection OF THE DEAD in 1 Corinthians 15. NOT ONE DEAD PERSON WAS RESURRECTED TO ETERNAL LIFE IN ANY OF THE RESURRECTIONS OR RESTORING OF ISRAEL AS A NATION; THERE IS NOTHING SAID IN ANY OF ISRAEL'S RESURRECTION AS A NATION ABOUT ANY PERSON EVER BEING GIVEN IMMORTALITY.
Page 89 : "'We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed' Here's a time statement. When Paul said, 'We shall not all sleep,' he affirmed that not all of those in Corinth were going to die physically before the resurrection happened" Samuel G. Dawson. IF PAUL WERE SAYING NOT ALL WOULD DIE PHYSICALLY BEFORE THE RESURRECTION HAPPENED IN A. D. 70, THEN HE WAS ALSO SAYING ALL THOSE IN CORINTH AND ALL LIVING CHRISTIANS WOULD BE CHANGED FROM PHYSICAL BODIES TO SPIRITUAL BODIES WHEN THE RESURRECTION DID HAPPEN IN A. D. 70. LIVING CHRISTIANS WAS NOT CHANGED AT THAT TIME, AND BOTH CHRISTIANS AND NON CHRISTIANS STILL HAD PHYSICAL BODIES AFTER A. D.70 JUST AS THEY DID BEFORE IT, AND ALL STILL HAVE PHYSICAL BODIES TODAY. THIS TEACHING WOULD HAVE MADE THE CHURCH ON EARTH GO OUT OF EXISTENCE ON EARTH IN A. D. 70. NO ONE WILL HAVE THE SPIRITUAL BODY BEFORE THE RESURRECTION. Read this "time statement" in the context, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" [1 Corinthians 15:51-53]. The "time" is when "the trumpet shall sound." At the sound of the trumpet, "the dead shall be raised incorruptible" AND "we shall be changed," BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD IN THE SAME MOMENT, BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD IN THE SAME TWINKLING OF AN EYE, BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD AT THE SOUND OF THE SAME TRUMPET. ALL LIVING CHRISTIANS WILL BE CHANGED FROM PHYSICAL BODIES TO SPIRITUAL BODIES IN THE SAME MOMENT THE DEAD ARE RESURRECTED WITH SPIRITUAL BODIES. If this had happened in A. D. 70, there would have been no Christians for the Romans to put to death. He changed, "and we shall all be changed" to "not all of those in Corinth were going to die physically before the resurrection happened" with nothing happing to them in A. D. 70, with nothing happing to them at the time of the resurrection, nothing "in the same moment." If I understand him, he says the living Christians in Corinth were not going to be changed "in the same moment" but each one changed in a different moment, the moment of their death, which for many of them would not be in A. D. 70; and each Christian is changed to a spiritual body at a different moment than all other Christians. On page 57 he again changed "we shall all be changed in a moment" to the Old Covenant faithful being taken from the unseen Hadean state into the presence of Christ in the twinkling of an eye. It seems that Paul's "we" must be changed to "them." "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we (them?) shall all (only all of "them," not "we") be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump" [1 Corinthians 15:51]. Does he think the first "we" is us but the second "we" them? If the first "we" is "them," some of the "them" did not all sleep, then some of the Old Covenant faithful was alive in when Paul was writing this in A. D. 67 or 68, alive before A. D. 70.
"We that are alive." It is believed that Paul was put to death in about A. D. 67 or 68. If Christ did come in A. D. 70, Paul is not in the "we that are alive" at His coming.
"But, some one will ask, How are the dead raised? And with what manner of body do they come?" [1 Corinthians 15:35]. Paul was reassuring the Corinthians that the Corinthians that had "fallen asleep in Christ" had not perished, that their hope of the resurrection did not depend on them being alive at the time of the resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:18-19]. Dawson says, "Who were these 'dead ones?' They were the same Old Covenant dead ones Paul discussed throughout the chapter." HE SAYS, "WHEN WE CHANGE WHO THE 'WE' WAS, WE TOTALLY MISS THE TIME ELEMENT IN PAUL'S TEACHING." THEN HE CHANGED THE "WE" FROM "WE" TO "THEM"; HE CHANGES FROM THE ONES PAUL WAS WRITING TO AT CORINTH ABOUT THOSE IN CORINTH WHO HAD FALLEN ASLEEP "IN CHRIST" TO THOSE WHO HAD BEEN DEAD FOR MANY YEARS; HE CHANGED THE "WE" TO ABRAHAM AND ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS. He "totally miss the time element in Paul's teaching" by changing the "we" from those who were alive at the time Paul was writing to "them," to those who had been dead for many years The "dead ones" are the Corinthians that had fallen asleep in Christ, not Old Testament saints who are not even mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. On pages 85 -88 he attempts to make the "natural body" be Old Testament Israel and the "spiritual body" be the new Israel; when he makes Israel be the "natural body" and the church be the "spiritual body," he takes the resurrection of the dead out of I Corinthians 15. In about A. D. 57, 13 years before A. D. 70, he has the old Israel "being sown a natural body, it is being raised a spiritual body." Paul said, "And as WE HAVE borne the image of the earthly (Adam, 15:45 a natural or earthly corruptible body), WE SHALL also bear the image of the heavenly (Christ, a spiritual incorruptible body)" [1 Corinthians 15:49]. He changes the "we have borne" to "is being sown" and "we shall also bear the image" to "is being raised." Then changes "we" (us) to "it" (Israel).
On page 77 he says, "Literally, Paul asked, 'How are the dead ones being raised?'" 1 Corinthians 15 was writen about 13 years before A. D. 70, - 13 years before he says Christ came, 13 years before he says the Old Covenant saints were raised he has Paul asking, "How are the dead ones being raised?" Did he forget that he had used " then they that are Christ's at His coming" and applied it to the resurrection of the Old Covenant faithful? Did he forget that he had applied, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we (them-Old Testament saints-Dawson) shall all (them-Old Testament saints-Dawson) be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump" [1 Corinthians 15:51]. Yet, he has them being raised 13 years before the moment, before the twinkling of an eye. On page 85 he says, "Literally, it is 'it is being sown a natural body, it is being raised a spiritual body'" If he is not saying Old Covenant saints were being sown with a natural body and being raised with a spiritual body about 13 years before he says Christ came a second time, about 13 years before he says the resurrection occurred. Does he really believe Old Covenant saints were being sown with a natural body in about A. D. 57 when Paul was writing this? "Presently 'is being raised'" is used on page 91 and throughout the 110 pages. He puts "is being raised" in quotation marks. Paul said, "Shall be raised incorruptible" [1 Corinthians 15:52]. "Presently 'is being raised'" is in no translation but his and then it puts the resurrection as taking place 13 years to soon for the Realized Eschatology view that the resurrection took place in A. D. 70.
On page 99 he quarts Christ saying 6 times of those who believe Him, "I will raise him up at the last day" [John 6:39; 640; 6:44; 6:54; 11:24; 12:48]. Which one does he believe? That the Old Testament faithful was being raised in A. D. 57 when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians or "at the last day" which he says was in A. D. 70? Christ is saying this to ALL THAT BELIEVED HIM, not just to the Jews that believe Him. Dawson says the Old Covenant had a last day but the New Covenant will not have a last day. Christ was not speaking of the last day of the Old or the New Covenant. He was speaking of the last day of the earth, "The day of the Lord" spoken of in 2 Peter 3:10 (see "The Day Of The Lord" below). Both John and Revelation (and other New Testament books) were written after A. D. 70.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49: On page 87 he changes the "natural" and "spiritual" to the Old Testament faithful being changed "from natural to spiritual as the result of the gospel" and this is in about A. D. 57 when Paul said this, before A. D. 70, which he says is when the second coming of Christ was, and before when he says the resurrection of the Old Testament faithful ones did take place. How he could think that "the first man Adam became a living soul" is speaking of the Old Testament faithful is beyond my understanding. There is nothing in this passage about Adam being Israel. "Then the Lord God formed man (Adam) of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his (Adam) nostrils the breath of life; and man (Adam) became a living soul" [Genesis 2:7]. Adam was the first man, not the nation of Israel. Adam was the natural man made "of the earth," not Israel. Both Adam and Christ (when He was on earth) were "a man," Israel was a nation. Christ is (present tense) "the second man is of heaven" [1 Corinthians 15:47]. By pointing out that this is present tense, he is saying that "the second man is of heaven" cannot be Christ, that the "second man" of heaven is the Old Testament faithful ones. If this is not what he is saying, then I cannot understand what he is saying; is he not saying that Christ is not of heaven, present tense in A. D. 57; is he not saying the Old Testament faithful ones was "the second man of heaven" 13 years before their resurrection in A. D. 70? This seems to me to be nothing more than a desperate attempt to make the resurrection be passed even if he has to use something that was, present tense, 13 years to soon for it to be speaking of something that was to be, future tense, in A. D. 70.
On page 92 and others pages, it seems to me that he basis his whole argument on all that believes the resurrection is yet to come must also believe the resurrection is to be "a physical resurrection out of the dust." He is taking what some men teach and making it be the teaching of the Bible for his argument depents on it. THERE IS NOTHING IN 1 CORINTHIANS 15 ABOUT "A PHYSICAL RESURRECTION OUT OF THE DUST." HE IS ATTEMPTING TO PROVE THIS IS SPEAKING OF THE RESURRECTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS JUST BECAUSE IT IS NOT SPEAKING OF THE RESURRECTION OF BODIES OUT OF THE DUST. TRY AS HARD AS I CAN, I CANNOT SEE HOW HE SEES THE RESURRECTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS JUST BECAUSE IT IS NOT SPEAKING OF EARTHLY BODIES WHEN THERE IS NOTHING IN THE CHAPTER THAT SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS OR ISRAEL. It could not be said any clearer that it is "sown in corruption (a physical body of dust) it is raised in incorruption (NOT a physical body of dust)" [1 Corinthians 15:42]. HE MAKES A PHYSICAL RESURRECTION A MUST FOR HIS ARGUMENT, BUT THERE IS NOTHING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THAT TEACHES A PHYSICAL BODY OF DUST IS TO BE RAISED AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. He repeatedly accused others of believing in "a physical resurrection out of the dirt, although we can't read that interpretation back into Isaiah," but then on the same page (page 92) quotes Isaiah, "Your dead shall arise. Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise, You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" [Isaiah 26:19]. Then says the resurrection of those lying in the dust sounds identical to Daniel 12:2, which says, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake." When he said no serious student of the prophets believes a physical resurrection of a physical body is depicted in Isaiah 25 he was right. Just as Ezekiel's valley of bones coming to life, a physical resurrection, in Ezekiel 37 is figuratively language of the nation being restored to life as a nation, Isaiah 26:19 is figuratively language of a physical resurrection of the dead who had turned to dust, Israel is the dead nation that is being restored to life from the dust and would live again as a nation. Neither one is teaching the resurrection to eternal life that is taught in the New Testament. Nevertheless, he attempts to somehow use Isaiah to prove Paul was not speaking of the resurrection of the dead at the coming of Christ but Paul was only speaking of the resurrection of the Old Testament faithful in A. D. 70.
"But thanks be to God, who gives US the victory through OUR Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be YOU steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as YOU know that YOUR labor is not vain in the Lord" [1 Corinthians 15:57-58, American Standard Version]. Throughout chapter 15 Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about THEIR resurrection, not the resurrection of Israel.
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" [1 Thessalonians 4:13-17]. THE CHRISTIANS WHO WERE ALIVE IN A. D. 70 WERE NOT AT THAT TIME CHANGED FROM PHYSICAL TO SPIRITUAL BODIES. I do not believe Dawson believes they were. I believe he was not trying to prove anyone alive was changed to a spiritual body in A. D. 70, but was trying to prove the Old Testament saints were resurrected and changed in A. D. 70, and after that time all saints are changed at the time of their death; not "caught up TOGETHER with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." He is trying to prove there was one resurrection of all the Old Testament faithful in A. D. 70, then many resurrections, a resurrection at the time of death of each faithful. If this is not what he is trying to prove, them I cannot understand what he is saying.
WHEN DID THE OLD COVENANT END? At the death of Christ or in A. D. 70?
"Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: AND HE HAS TAKEN IT OUT OF THE WAY, NAILING IT TO THE CROSS; having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day" [Colossians 2:12-15]. I know of no way anyone could say any clearer that the Law of Moses was blotted out and nailed to the cross AT THE DEATH OF CHRIST, not in A. D. 70. This was written by Paul when he was in prison at Rome, about A. D 62, was before Realized Eschatology says the Old Covenant Law ended. The message of Hebrews, which was written before A. D. 70, is that the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant with a new and better sacrifice, a new priesthood, new sacraments, a new tabernacle or temple [John 1:14; John 2:19; Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21].
Preterits tell us that there was an over lapping of the two, that the Old Covenant was not nailed to the cross; and it did not end unto A. D. 70.
Dawson used "The abomination of desolation" [Matthew 14:15; Daniel 9:27] to prove the resurrection took place in A. D. 70. Christ came in judgment on Israel at that time just as He did in judgment on nations in the Old Testament. I cannot understand how he gets a resurrection out of "The abomination of desolation," or as Luke puts it, "When you see Jerusalem compassed with armies" [Luke 21:20]. Luke then adds, "Then know that her desolation is at hand." The "Abomination of desolation" was the armies that DESTROYED Jerusalem, not restored it. Christ came in judgment on Israel at that time just as He did in judgment on nations in the Old Testament.
Christ came in judgment on Israel at that time just as He did in judgment on nations in the Old Testament.
Israel was destroyed in the Jewish war with Rome which last for years and ended in A. D. 70. JUDGMENT DID COME ON ISRAEL IN THAT GENERATION [Matthew 23:36], AND ISRAEL WAS DESTROYED IN THIS JUDGMENT, BUT THERE IS NOT ONE THING SAID ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF ANYONE OR ANY NATION; NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THE NATION WAS DESTROYED. A resurrection in A. D. 70, the only resurrection there will ever be had to have been at that time for realized Eschatology to be true; it is based entirely on a resurrection that is not in the Bible.
"The Galatian letter is an indignant protest against and refutation of Judaizing teachers" B. W. Johnson, The People's New testament With Notes, Volume 2, Page 163. Speaking to Jews [Galatians 2:14-15] Paul said, "Even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law" and "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you are fallen away from grace" [Galatians 2:16 and 5:4]. This was written in about A. D. 57 when the law would have been in effect, and keeping the law would have justified if there had been an over lapping of the two unto A. D. 70.
Sam and I have been in communication with each other a few times by e-mail, and I have thought of him as being a friend that I have not seen in person; I think the things he had written in the past are among the best books I have. He says on page 2, "I'm certainly not disparaging Robert, as he's only saying what most of us tacitly believe, that the subject of the resurrection is predominantly (or even exclusively) a New Testament subject. I believed the same thing until 2005 myself." My prayer is that he will see that Realized Eschatology is not the truth before it is too late.
The A. D 70 doctrine says "all things" have been fulfilled: "John speaks of 'all thing' (19:28); Luke speaks of 'all things' (Acts13:29); Mark speaks of 'all things' (13:20); Luke again speaks of 'all thing' (24:44); Peter speaks of 'all thing' (1 Peter 4:7). What you need to notice is, the 'all things' of these passages have different things in mind. Because Max claim the 'all thing' in Matthew 17:11 is the same as the 'all things' in Acts 3:21 he is forced to the absurd view he told us of in a former proposition, viz., The Baptist was Elijah if they accepted him to be, otherwise he wasn't! But look: In John 19:28 Jesus knew all things were fulfilled and so he asked for a drink and died. Now 'all things' were not literally completed but the passage says 'all thing.' Obviously the 'all things' of that passage has a specialized reference. In Acts 13:29 we are more explicitly told that when they had 'fulfilled all things that were written of him' they took him down from the cross. Now clearly the 'all thing' here has a specific standpoint for you know there were other things written of Jesus -- his resurrection for example. See how each writer will have his own standpoint? Jesus said John has already ('Elijah is come already' -- Matthew 17:21) come and had ...'restored all things.' But if John had restored 'all things' it must have a specialized meaning there. Because Max refuses to admit the the same expression may mean different things be believe the Church was 'Elijah.' How dose that grab you? So what we do experience with Max? He gets a concordance and gathers together all the passages having the same phases and lists them and sits back smiling as if he had proved his point! The point I am making is abundantly clear CONTEMPORARIES MAY USE THE SAME EXPRESSIONS AND MEAN DIFFERENT THING!" Jim McGuiggan, "The McGuiggan-King Debate" Pages 171-172, Parkman Road Church of Christ, 1975.
ISRAEL HAD NOT OBTAINED, BUT THE ELECT HAD [Romans 11:7]. Paul was put to death in Rome before A. D. 70, yet he said the elect had obtained what Israel had not. What had the elect obtained? Being grafted in the olive tree - being accepted by God as His chosen. Israel was not grafted in in A. D. 70, it was totally destroyed then.
All this in one day, the day Christ comes. The day of the Lord.
[1] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
[2] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IN THE LAST DAY
[3] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED IN THE LAST DAY
[4] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE FINAL JUDGMENT.
Millennialists must divide the judgment into two parts. If it is shown that the judgment of both those in Christ and those who are not in Christ is one judgment of both at the same time and on the same day, not separated by a thousand years, it makes their view not be possible. In the passages above the judgment, it is not a broken judgment with the two parts a thousand years apart.
[5] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE LOST [2 Peter 2:12; 3:7].
"BUT WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL COME IN HIS GLORY, AND ALL THE ANGELS WITH HIM...HE SHALL SEPARATE THEM ONE FROM ANOTHER, AS THE SHEPHERD SEPARATES THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS...AND THESE [the goats] SHALL GO AWAY INTO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT: BUT THE RIGHTEOUS [the sheep] INTO ETERNAL LIFE" [Matthew 25:46]. NO THOUSAND YEARS BETWEEN THE GOATS AND THE SHEEP. BOTH ARE AT THE SAME TIME. BOTH ARE, "WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL COME IN HIS GLORY." PREMILLENNIALISTS CANNOT EXPLAIN AWAY THIS PASSAGE AND MANY OTHERS THAT DO NOT FIT WITH THEIR VIEW.
[6] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE SECOND DEATH - used four times only in Revelation. Another way of saying the total destruction of the lost. [See The Second Death in chapter two].
[7] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - DEATH WILL BE ABOLISHED "Then comes the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the father; when he 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 15:24-16]. For all that overcomes and "shall not be hurt of the second death" [Revelation 2:7] there will be no more death. Many Premillennialists believe Christ is not now reigning and will not reign unto the thousand years when He will reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem, at which time many of them believe all the saved will be in Heaven and will not return to earth unto after the thousand years. Is there anyway that death being abolished in the day of the Lord not be a problem for them?
[8] THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE SAVED FOREVER WITH THE LORD.
[9] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE KINGDOM WILL BE DELIVERED UP TO GOD. "Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's AT HIS COMING, THEN COMES THE END, WHEN HE DELIVERS UP THE KINGDOM TO THE GOD AND FATHER, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For HE MUST REIGN until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death" [1 Corinthians 15:24-26].
[10] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - CHRIST WILL BRING THE LAWLESS ONE TO AN END BY THE APPEARANCE OF HIS COMING. "Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...as that the day of the Lord is just at hand...for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of lawlessness be revealed, the son of destruction...And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his coming; even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power" [2 Thessalonians 2:1-9]. Who or whatever the lawless one is; he will end on the day of the Lord. Some Premillennialists believe the lawless one to be the "Antichrist." If they were right, CHRIST WILL BRING TO AN END ON THE DAY OF THE LORD, ON THE DAY OF HIS SECOND COMING, NOT A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER THE DAY OF THE LORD. Some believe him to be the pope. If so, Christ will bring him to and end THAT DAY. Whatever "the lawless one" is, Christ will bring him or it to and end ON THE DAY He comes. If "the lawless one" is the "Antichrist" as many Premillennialists believe, the "Antichrist" will come to an end on the day of the second coming of Christ. WHAT EVER OR WHO EVER THE LAWLESS ONE IS, CHRIST WILL BRING IT TO AN END ON THE DAY OF HIS COMING. IT OR HE WILL NOT EXIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER THE COMING OF CHRIST. IF THERE WERE A MILLENNIUM, THE LAWLESS ONE COULD NOT BE IN IT.
[11] ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT - WRATH OF GOD. A day of wrath, not seven years or a thousand years of wrath. "And to you that are afflicted rest with us, AT THE REVELATION OF THE LORD JESUS FORM HEAVEN with the angels of His power in flaming fire, RENDERING VENGEANCE TO THEM THAT KNOW NOT GOD, AND TO THEM THAT OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS; WHO SHALL SUFFER PUNISHMENT EVEN ETERNAL DESTRUCTION from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might, WHEN HE SHALL COME TO BE GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS, and to be marveled at in all them that believe...IN THAT DAY" [2 Thessalonians 1:7-10]. "Eternal destruction" for the lost is "in that day," is the same day "when he shall come to be marveled at by them that believed."
"Wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God...but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worked evil...in the day when God shall judge the secrets of man" [Romans 2:5-16 American Standard Version].
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. A man that has set at naught Moses law died without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, think you, shall he be judged worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified and unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that said, vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, and again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" [Hebrews 10:26-31].
"And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this comes judgment" [Hebrews 9:27].
"But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that you sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no will precede them that are fallen asleep, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, and with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that anything be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes open them, as travail upon a woman with child: and they shall in no wise escape. But you brethren, are not in darkness, that day should overtake you as a thief" [1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5].
IN THIS PASSAGE THE DAY OF THE LORD IS CALLED:
"Where is the promise of His coming...But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men...But the day of the Lord will come as a thief: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up" [2 Peter 3:4-13].
All on the same day. There is no thousand years [365,000 days] or seven years after any of the above. They are all on "that day." "Inasmuch as he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained" [Acts 17:31]. Those who believe and teach Premillennial doctrines must deny the clear teaching on the Bible on the day of the Lord.
[12 ] ON THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH AND THE HEAVENS WHICH WERE MADE FROM NOTHING AND WILL RETURN TO NOTHING. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" [Matthew 24:35; Psalms 102:25-27]. "By which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief: in which the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men...But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; IN THE WHICH THE HEAVENS SHALL PASS AWAY WITH A GREAT NOISE, AND THE ELEMENTS SHALL BE DISSOLVED WITH FERVENT HEAT (The elements are all the things of which the earth is made, the air, the water, etc. These shall be dissolved, burned up), AND THE EARTH AND WORKS THAT ARE THEREIN SHALL BE BURNED UP. SEEING THAT THESE THINGS ARE THUS ALL TO BE DISSOLVED" [2 Peter 3:7-11].
WORLD - 2 Peter 3:6 is from "kesmos" Wigram page 430. Kesmos is in the Greek about 185 times and in the King James Version it is translated "world" all but one time in 1 Peter 3:6 where it is translated "adorning." It is used to mean this planet earth, never the Jewish age from Moses to A. D. 70.
Kesmos is never translated "age." Peter is not speaking of "the end of the age [arion]" as Matthew is in Matthew 24:3.
EARTH - 2 Peter 3:7; 3:10; 3:13 is from "gee" Wigram page 116. Gee is in the Greek about 242 times and is translated "earth" about 284 times, "land" 39 times, "ground" 18 times, "country" 2 times, and "world" 1 time. It is used to mean this planet earth or some particular part of this earth.
ALL THE WORLD
UNLESS SOME PARTICULAR PART OF THE EARTH IS NAMED.
IN 2 PETER 3, NOTHING IS SAID A PARTICULAR PART OF THE EARTH, NOTHING ABOUT ISRAEL.
2 PETER 3:7 IN EIGHT TRANSLATIONS
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Does hades have a good side and a bad side? This parable is one of the most used scriptures to prove a person has a part of him that goes to Heaven or Hell or that this part of a person goes into a holding place unto the resurrection. If it were a literal story and not a parable, as many believe it is, it would be both in conflict with and a contradiction of the belief that all go to Heaven or Hell at death.
Many realizing that the Orthodox teaching that a person goes to Heaven or Hell at death is not from the Bible, and no one will be in Heaven before and without a resurrection and judgment, knew they had to have an intermediate place that is not Heaven or Hell, a third place to put their immortal soul from death unto the resurrection. Is the best they can do is to try to make a parable into a true story, making Abraham's bosom into a holding place unto the resurrection? In doing this, they must set aside the plain teaching on death and the resurrection as if they did not exist. Making this into a real story and not a parable may be a life or death struggle with them, for the Bible gives them nowhere for the living soul to be living in before the resurrection, no other place, and they need to make this into a real place. If they do not, they have living souls with nowhere for them to be living in before the resurrection and judgment. They cannot have them in Heaven or their Hell unto the resurrection; but they must have somewhere to keep them. They cannot even agree among themselves, for some say it is a parable, and some say, "No it is a true story." Many that think it is a parable will use it as if it were a true story. They say it teaches the same thing either way. "Notes On The Parables Of Our Lord" by R. C. Trench is ranked as one of the best on the parables. He not only says this is a parable, but on page 17 says parables are not to be made the first sources to teach a doctrine. To go from the clear to the obscure has been recognized as the law of Scriptural interpretation, but this has been forgotten by those looking for an argument to sustain a weak position, and often invent for themselves support in parables. On page 162 Trench says it is most important to keep in mind that this parable has as it's central thought the rebuke of unbelief. Nevertheless, this parable is used as the first and only source to teach a doctrine that is not found in any other part of the Bible.
Some that believe in Hell often point to Luke 16 to prove there is torment after death; but when pushed, most of them will admit hades is not Hell; but they need to prove there is torment in Hell and therefore use the torment of the rich man in hades in this parable and hope in some way to transfer the torment in hades to torment in Hell. EVEN IF THIS WERE A TRUE STORY AND NOT A PARABLE, IT MAY PROVE THAT THERE IS TORMENT BEFORE THE RESURRECTION; BUT IT WOULD PROVE NOTHING ABOUT WHAT WILL BE AFTER THE RESURRECTION, OR THAT THERE WILL EVEN BE A HELL AFTER THE RESURRECTION; yet, Luke 16 is one of the most used passages to try to prove there is a Hell and there is torment in it even though there is nothing about Hell in the parable. They are desperately looking for proof of Hell, which they cannot find. It says nothing of Heaven. Hell, or a soul. The complete silence of the scriptures about the dead being anywhere before the resurrection other than the grave is a deathblow to the doctrine of an immortal soul. THOSE WHO MAKE THIS PARABLE INTO A LITERAL STORY AND ARE TRYING TO PROVE THE ABRAHAM'S BOSOM VIEW, OR TO PROVE HELL, USE IT TO PUT ASIDE HUNDREDS OF PLAIN PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.
This is the last in a series of five parables all spoken to the Pharisee and Scribes in this speech.
Five "a certain" in a row.
The objection of some is that it is not called a parable. Less than half, only 11 of the 26 parables in Luke are called a parable. The three parables before this one are not called parables but no one questions them being parables. The objection of others is that parables do not use proper names. "And he took up his parable, and said, 'From ARAM has BALAK brought me, the king of MOAB from the mountains of the East: come, curse me JACOB, and come, defy ISRAEL'" [Numbers 23:7]. Not one but FIVE PROPER NAMES are used in one parable. "SATAN" [Mark 4:14] and "THE SON OF MAN" [Matthew 13:37] are used in parables.
If one attempts to explain all the elements as though they are literal, the difficulties of making this be a true story will be seen. In the parable:
[A] THE RICH MAN is an allegory of the Jews who were rich in God's blessing. Israel was spiritually rich [see Romans 9:3-5]. All Luke 16 is on the subject of stewardship. The Jews failed to share with the Gentiles giving them only the crumb, and most of the Jews failed to believe in Christ. The Gentiles were spiritually poor. This parable is a satire condemning the Jewish nation, the Scribes, and Pharisees. Christ used one of their own uninspired fables, which those He was speaking to would know about [see Josephus and others], which He changed only slightly as the base of this parable to show the end of the Jewish nation as God's chosen people. See Matthew 21:43-45; 24:2; Luke 13:28; Matthew 23:1-39. Throughout much of the Old Testament, Israel did not obey God and rejected Christ, therefore, was rejected by God. They are no longer His chosen people. Their torment was being without God and rejected by Him, and as a nation Israel is dead and in hades, the grave. As long as they reject Christ, there is no comfort for them, no water to cool their tongue [Luke 16:24].
A picture of the rich Jews and the poor Gentiles is given in Matthew 15:22-27. "And behold, a Canaanitish women came out from those borders, and saying, have mercy on me, O Lord...But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the house of Israel. But, she came and worshipped him saying, Lord, help me. And he answered and said, It is not good to take the children's [Israel's] bread and cast it to the dogs [Gentiles]. But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." He gives her the crumbs and healed her daughter.
"And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth" [Matthew 8:11-12]. "Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" [Matthew 21:43]. "O Jerusalem...your house is left unto you desolate" [Matthew 23:37-38].
"Odunaomai" [Used only four times in the New Testament, Wigram, Page 524] is translated "tormented" in the King James Version in Luke 16:24 and 25, but is translated "in anguish" both times in the American Standard Version. It is used only two other times and was translated "sorrowing" in the King James Version, when Mary said to Christ "and I have sought thee sorrowing [odunaomai]" Luke 2:48 and when Paul told the elders at Miletus that they would see him no more, "sorrowing [odunaomai] most of all for the words which he had spoken" Acts 20:38. THE ANGUISH (or sorrowing - not torment) OF THE RICH MAN WAS ISRAEL BEING REJECTED BY GOD AS A NATION. This parable is about those who were rich in God's blessing and those who were poor in God's blessing. "Ptokos" is used thirty-four times in the New Testament and is always translated "poor" except in Galatians 4:9 and in this parable where it is translated beggar in the King James Version, but changed to poor in the New American Standard.
Dr. Gill, an orthodox Protestant who believed in the intermediate state of the dead, in his commentary of Luke says, "The rich man died: It may also be understood of the political and ecclesiastical death of the Jewish people, which lay in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, and of the temple, and in the abolition of the temple worship, and the whole ceremonial law: a Loammi was written upon their church state, and the covenant between God and them was broken; the gospel was removed from them, which was as death...their civil power and authority, were taken away from them by the Romans." Space will not permit the many orthodox writers who say the same.
[B] LAZARUS is the Gentiles, the people in spiritual poverty who had only the crumbs of God's blessing [see Matthew 15:21-26], but become the seed of Abraham-the church. Lazarus [the Gentiles] becomes rich in God's blessing by the Gospel. Christ says, "The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" [Matthew 21:43]. "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ" [Galatians 3:14]. See Matthew 8:11-12; Luke 8:28' Acts 8:46; 26:23; Romans 2:28-29; 9:3-5; 9:8; 3:26-29; 4:28; Philippians 3:3; Romans 11:7; Ephesians 2:12-13]. IN THE PARABLE LAZARUS (THE CHURCH) IS NOW IN ABRAHAM'S BOSOM WHERE THE JEWS ONCE WERE. "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise" [Galatians 4:28]. "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the spirit of God" [Philippians 3:3]. "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart" [Romans 2:29]. "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" [Galatians 3:29]. Paul calls the church "a new creation" "the Israel of God" [Galatians 6:15-16]. EVER PERSON WHO IS NOW A CHRISTIAN IS THE SEED OF ABRAHAM AND AN HEIR OF THE PROMISE MADE TO ABRAHAM.
[C] "ABRAHAM Galatians 3:6-22; Romans 9:8. The blessing of Abraham came to the Gentiles through the Church. Israel does not now by birth have the blessing of Abraham, therefore are "in anguish, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." Israel is not now in covenant relationship with God. The Church is now the "sons of Abraham" [Galatians 3:7]. "So then they that are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham: [Galatians 3:9]. Israel has been "broken off" or "cast off" [Romans 11]. THE CHURCH IS NOW "THE ISRAEL OF GOD" [Galatians 6:16; also 1 Peter 2:9-10; Hebrews 12:22].
[D] THE GULF: The rejection of Christ cut Israel off from Abraham and the blessing of God. One cannot reject Christ and worship God. Without believing in Christ and His resurrection, there is a gulf between God and Israel. One cannot go back to the Law as some Jews in Paul's time tried to do. As long as they reject Christ, there is not "a drop" of spiritual comfort for them in Christianity. Those that believe in Christ can give no comfort, no hope of salvation to them that do not believe whether they are Jews or Gentiles. The Law of Moses, which Israel gloried in, died at the death of Christ. "Having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross" [Colossians 2:14]. "Be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage" [Ephesians 2:11-22]. Also Acts 15:24. We cannot cross the gulf and go back to the Law [Galatians 5:1]. "That which Israel seeks for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it" [Romans 11:7]. The only way any person can become a child of God today is by being born again. The Law is dead and will never be restored. The nation of Israel can never be restored. The only way any Jew could ever again be a child of God is to believe the Gospel and be baptized into Christ. "By their unbelief they (branches-plural, Jews, not nations-plural) were broken off" and Gentiles (not Gentiles nations) were grafted in. "And they (individual Jews) also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them (branches - plural Jews - not plural nations of Israel) in again" [Romans 11:17-24].
The rich man [Israel] went to the grave [hades]. Israel is no longer God's chosen people. Lazarus, the Gentiles believers go to Abraham's bosom [into a covenant relationship with God], not to the grave. Abraham's bosom is not a division of [one side of] the grave [hades]. Many draw a circle and make one side of it be where the rich man is and the other side where Lazarus is with a gulf between the two sides. This circle is in the back of most Bibles printed by Star Bible and Tract, and in many other books printed by members of the church of Christ.
[E] THE FIVE BROTHERS: Christ was telling the Pharisees and scribes they would not believe even when He rose from the dead. [See Trench "Notes On The Parables" Page 162]. Judea and his five brothers became six of the twelve tribes. Some believe five brothers are used to identify the rich man as Judea to the Pharisees to whom He was speaking this parable.
In the parable Abraham tells the rich man that if their own scriptures cannot convince them of their error, neither would they be persuaded if one rose from the dead.
Making this a true story and not a parable
This parable has elements that could not be true in a true story.
[1] If this is not a parable, and if the rich man and Lazarus are real people, THEN ABRAHAM IS ALSO A REAL PERSON, BUT NOW IN THE PLACE OF A GOD. Is he a God? No, for this is a parable, not a true story. IF IT WERE A TRUE STORY IT WOULD MAKE ABRAHAM, NOT GOD THE SOURCE OF REWARD AFTER DEATH. GOD OR CHRIST IS NOT MENTIONED IN IT. "The element of Abraham presiding over paradise forces one to seek an analogy" Coffman, "Commentary On Luke" Page 385. Lazarus in the bosom of the God Abraham can have no parallel in reality; it is a parable, not a true story. It cannot be both. It cannot have both an allegorical and a literal meaning. If it did, how would one be different than the other? If taken literally, Abraham is put into a position of being a God, which he never was, is not, and never will be.
[2] MANY REGARD THIS AS A PARABLE, BUT THEY REASON AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS FROM IT AS THOUGH IT WERE A LITERAL TRUE STORY. They go both ways as it suits them. "No reason why Luke 16:19-31 should be viewed only as a parable" Csonka, Guardian Of truth, January 5, 1995, Page 16. He says it is a parable, but thinks it is also a true story both at the same time! It could not be both, and he says it is a parable. It cannot, as many say, "mean the same thing" if it is a parable that it would if it is a true story. IT MUST BE 100% A TRUE STORY OR 100% A PARABLE. It cannot be a mixture of the two. IF IT IS A LITERAL TRUE STORY, EVERY DETAIL MUST BE TRUE AND HAVE A LITERAL TRUE MEANING. Those who say it is a true story find parts of it that will not fit into their views [what they believe]; and always try to make these parts be a metaphor or parable. Abraham's bosom had literally turned to dust long before Jesus gives this parable. If his bosom is used symbolical and is not his literal bosom, the rest of the account must also be symbolic and it is not the literal experience of the two men after they died. Part of it cannot be a symbolic parable, and part of it literal. It must all be a parable or all literal. In a metaphor, one part of it is never figurative with another part literal. If "Abraham's bosom" is figurative, then Lazarus in his bosom must also be figurative and not a real person, otherwise, a real person would be in a figurative bosom. We cannot make any part of a metaphor be a literal statement just because we want it to be, or we need it to be to prove something we want to prove. If "Abraham's bosom" is a real place, where is Abraham? In his own bosom! Adam Clarke says, "Let it be remembered, that by the general consent of all, (except the basely interested,) no metaphor is ever to be produced in proof of a doctrine. In the things that concern our eternal salvation, we need the most pointed and express evidence on which to establish the faith of our souls," Notes on Matthews 5:26.
[3] This is the only parable in which some try to make an allegory literal, but only the parts of it they want to be literal for they do not want the whole story to be literal. It would teach things they do not believe. It would teach that the many [the poor] will be saved, and that few [the rich] will be lost. What about Abraham? He was very rich. It is not said the rich man was evil or sinful, just rich; but those who teach innately immortal have a real person in torment before the judgment, before he is judged and found guilty. It is not said Lazarus was good and faithful, or even that he knows of God, just that he was poor, as are millions; but being rich is not sinful, and being poor will not save. NOT ONE GOOD THING IS SAID ABOUT LAZARUS AND NOT ONE BAD THING ABOUT THE RICH MAN. There is nothing negative said about the rich man and nothing positive about Lazarus in their lifetime, but they have Lazarus who they say is a real person being rewarded before being judged.
[4] It would teach that the rich man, who would then be in a supernatural state [not of this earth] and therefore, most likely have a much greater knowledge of supernatural things than we now have, that he would believe or know that the dead could come back to earth and teach the living. This is not what most believe, but it would greatly support the spiritualist who says they can call the dead back.
[5] What bodies would the rich man or Lazarus have when their earthly body was still in the grave? They will not have a "spiritual body" unto the resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:44]. Do disembodied spirits that have no body, who are "immaterial, invisible" Vine, have human body parts? The rich man has "eyes" and "tongue." Lazarus has a "finger." Abraham has a "bosom." Is there a third kind of body, which has these earthly parts? What would a "spirit" or "soul" which does not have an earthly body want with water? Only in speaking in a metaphor can it be said that God or any spiritual being has a human part, or to want water. How could an "immaterial, invisible part of man" have body parts or want water if this were a true story and not a parable? It would make this "immaterial, invisible part of man" very material.
[6] If the rich man were a real person in torment, God would be unjust to be tormenting him without his knowing why. If he knew why he was being tormented, he would have known that Lazarus could not come to take his torment away by bring him water.
[7] The rich man wanted Lazarus to go to his brothers "from the dead." How could Lazarus "go to them from the dead" [Luke 16:30] or "rise from the dead," [Luke 16:31] if he were not dead but were alive in Heaven or Abraham's bosom?
Al Maxey: "To fabricate a theology of disembodied spirits and Hadean holding sells and everlasting torture of the wicked from this passage is an unconscionable abuse of biblical interpretation and should be rejected by all disciples intent upon discerning and declaring Truth rather than perpetuating the tedious tenets of paganistic Tradition" Reflections, Issue #28, April 4, 2003.
Adam Clarke: " Let it be remembered that by the consent of all (except the basely interested), no metaphor is ever to be produced in proof of a doctrine. In the things that concern our eternal salvation, we need the most pointed and express evidence on which to establish the faith of our souls" Note on Matthew 5:26.
R. C, Trench: "The parables are not to be made first sources of doctrine. Doctrines others wise grounded may be illustrated, or even further confirmed by them; but it is not allowable to constitute doctrines first by their aid. For from the literal to the figurative, form the clearer to the more obscure, has ever been recognized as the law of Scripture interpretation. This rule, however, has been often forgotten, and controversialists, looking around for arguments with which to sustain some weak position, often invent for themselves supports in these" Notes On The Parables Of Our Lord, Page 17,1948.
Luke 16:19-32 -- Very similar -- Isaiah 14:9-20
SUMMARY: THE THREE CONFLICTING VIEWS. THREE DIFFERENT GOSPELS Galatians 1:6-9.
Which one do you believe? All three cannot be true. Many who believes the dead go to hades to be with the rich man in torment or to be in "Abraham's bosom" also believe and teach the soul goes to Heaven at death to "be with the Lord." They seem not to be able to see that they are making the dead go to Heaven or Hell at death and, therefore, they have made this, which they teach as a true story impossible. No one could be in "Abraham's bosom" and in Heaven simultaneously. How many of the three conflicting gospels do you believe? Does the orthodox view not know what the orthodox view is? DO THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE ABRAHAM'S BOSOM VIEW FORGET THAT THEY TEACH NO ONE WILL BE IN HEAVEN BEFORE THE JUDGMENT? YES, THEY ALMOST ALWAYS DO AT FUNERALS.
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The interpretation of figurative language, metaphors and symbolical passage. The symbolical pictures of Revelation versus a literal interpretation. All the literal passages in the Bible which use words like death, die, destruction, life, they insist on interpreting only one word figuratively in these passages, not the whole passage, until they come to a book that is figurative, then they insist on interpreting the figurative as being literal. It is a hopeless cause that requires such poor handing of God's word.
A SYMBOLICAL PICTURE [Revelation 6:9]. To understand this scripture we must keep it in the context. John was seeing a vision of what was to come to pass hereafter [Revelation 4:1]. When we read the symbolism of Revelation, we must remember that the figure symbolizes something that is a word picture and is not to be taken literally. We must look for what is symbolized and not make the symbol into something real or literal. The red horse of Revelation 6:3 is not a literal or real red horse. John did not see a literal or real vision of what heaven is actually like when he saw a view of horses in Heaven or souls under an altar. None of the symbols can be taken literally. THE FIFTH SEAL IS FIGURATIVE JUST AS THE OTHER SEALS WERE. SOULS ARE NOT LITERALLY LIVING UNDER AN ALTAR. THAT SOME MUST MAKE THE SYMBOLIC SOULS INTO LITERAL SOULS UNDER A LITERAL ALTAR SHOWS THE WEAKNESS OF THEIR BELIEF. Even those who believe souls go to their eternal abode in Heaven at death do not believe any of them are now living in a prison under an altar.
Souls under the altar crying out in Revelation 6:9 is similar to Abel's blood that "cries unto me from the ground" [Genesis 4:10]. Both are figurative and not literal. The fifth seal is only one of six seals in this vision, and cannot be made literal while the others are figurative. Is the 5th seal literal, but the 6th one figurative? Read all six. The 5th seal is taken out of context. Souls under an altar are no more literal than white, red, black, and pale horses running around in Heaven are. Like the horses, they are part of a symbolic picture. But when you take at look at the seven seals, they are all of things on this earth, not things that are in Heaven. IN THE SYMBOLIC PICTURE(S), THINGS OF THIS EARTH ARE SEEN IN HEAVEN THAT ARE NOT LITERALLY THERE. There are not literally horses in Heaven. Souls under the altar is an allusion to the Jewish altar on which their sacrifices was offered, not to an altar in Heaven. If this symbolism were made literal, not even those who believe we have a part of us that lives after the death of the body believes what this passage would say, that an immortal immaterial part of a person lives under an altar that is on this earth.
"That the blood of the sacrifices was poured out at 'the base' of the altar [Lev 4:7,18,30 et all.]. Therefore, when the blood was poured out, it was the life that was being offered. The 'souls' [psuchas], which John saw beneath the altar was the lives of those who had been sacrificed for Christ." Homer Hailey "Revelation," Baker Book House, Page 194. The life is in the blood, which was under the altar. Psukee is translated "life" about as much as it is "soul." Lives would be a better translation of psukee than "souls?" Surely, no one thinks John literally saw them living under the altar on which they were killed and that this altar is now in Heaven.
"The souls of this altar scene are represented as the sacrifices of life in the aggregate slain for the word of God...the souls under the altar: as the figurative altar of this vision signifies martyrdom, the phrase under the altar describes the scene of defeat. The cause for which they were offered was represented as being despised and defeated. But it was temporary, because the same souls were removed from beneath the altar of chapter 6, and elevated to the thrones in chapter 20, signifying the resurrection of the cause for which they had died." Foy E. Wallace "The Book Of Revelation," Wallace Publications, 1966, Page 150.
The Protestant version of Hell is that the lost are now in Hell being tormented more than anything we can know, but it has the saved, that Protestants teach are now in Heaven, are now under an altar, and are now wanting more torment on those who they believe are now being tormented in Hell. What would you think of some you now know seeing many being tormented by some one asking to see more torment? To make this passage literal to prove torment in Hell makes those in Heaven be more heartless than any living person and makes them be completely without any love. They would be seeing the agony and hearing the crying in unceasing anguish and asking for more.
A LITERAL ALTAR IN HEAVEN? There cannot be literal souls on a symbolic altar. If the souls are literal, then the altar must also be literal; when one part of the vision is made literal, there is nowhere to stop without making the whole vision literal. What sacrifice is made on this literal altar in Heaven? If the altar were literal, then there would be literal death in Heaven to have a literal sacrifice on the literal alter with the literal souls under it. What is the reason for the sacrifice? Not for sin, for there is none in Heaven. Who is making the sacrifice? Do angels have a reason to make a sacrifice? Are souls in Heaven confined to the area under the altar? See Genesis 4:10 and Hebrews 12:24. The blood of the sacrifice was poured at the base of the altar. The life was in the blood [Genesis 9:4, Deuteronomy 12:23]. Just as the blood of Abel cried out from the ground for justice [Genesis 4:10], the blood of these who were sacrificed for Christ cries out for justice. It will come at the judgment. This is symbolic of something on this earth before the judgment, not a literal picture of Heaven. Many would make the saved be under the altar in the blood, some for thousands of years, just to prove a person has a soul that can never die. But, the altar in Heaven is no more literal than: (1) Jesus having a literal sword coming out of His mouth. (2) A church is a literal lamp stand. (3) False religion is a literal harlot riding a beast.
SYMBOLIC PICTURES: Revelation 6:9; 14:9-11 are symbolic pictures of events that happen in time just as the other symbolic pictures around them are of events that happen in time. To put an altar for sacrifice or smoke from burning flesh in Heaven is absurd. Just as absurd as making Revelation 12:1, "A woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" into a literal woman would be. Her head would need to be much larger than the sun to hold a crown with twelve suns in it. They are symbolic pictures and not literal or real events neither at the judgment nor after it. The end of time is not described unto near the end of the book. [See Hailey and Wallace below]. To prove "Hell," the symbolic pictures of these in time judgments [judgments that take place on the earth before the Judgment Day] are taken out of context and moved unto after the end of the earth after the Judgment Day and placed in Hell even when there is no revelation that "Hell" exists. Those who believe in Hell think these symbolic pictures of in time judgments in Revelations are one of their strongest proofs of Hell. Peterson says, "The book of Revelation paints some of the most graphic pictures of hell found in the Bible" Page 93. He takes the visions out of context and makes them be literal by making all the judgment pictures in the book be torment in Hell after the Judgment Day is over. He ends up with such absurd things as Heaven being always full of smoke from the burning bodies of those in Hell. ALTHOUGH IT IS AGREED BY MOST THAT NO DOCTRINE CAN BE PROVED BY THE SYMBOLIC PICTURES OF REVELATION, YET "THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT" IS CONSTANTLY QUOTED AS PROOF OF ENDLESS TORMENT. THE FACT THAT BELIEVERS IN HELL CAN PROVE THEIR HELL ONLY BY USING SYMBOLIC PASSAGES, METAPHORS, AND PARABLES; AND MUST USE THESE TO SET ASIDE PLAIN PASSAGES THAT SAY THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, THE LOST DIE, PERISH, ARE DESTROYED SHOWS HOW UTTERLY GROUNDLESS THEIR BELIEF IN HELL IS. Most of those who believe the "Abraham's bosom" version of Hell also use this passage and put the lost in Hell before the judgment even when they say none will be there unto after the judgment. THE CLEAR STATEMENTS ARE THE TRUTH, NOT THE MISUSED SYMBOLIC PICTURES. The Bible does not say yes and no to the same thing. It does not prove both the affirmative and negative. A symbolic picture does not prove the opposite of a clear statement. A symbolic picture of smoke in Heaven does not prove "the wages of sin is death" to be "the wages of sin is eternal life burning in torment" with the smoke of their burning going into Heaven for all eternity.
Like most if not all the symbolic pictures in Revelation, this language is taken from the Old Testament and is speaking of judgments on this earth, not in Hell. On the judgment of Edom in Isaiah 34:5-17 it is said, "It shall not be quenched NIGHT OR DAY; IT SMOKE SHALL GO UP FOREVER." John says, "AND THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT GOES UP FOR EVER AND EVER; AND THEY HAVE NO REST DAY AND NIGHT." Both are symbolic language speaking of an in time temporal punishment on this earth, not of eternal torment in Hell.
Summary: A CONTRADICTION TO THEIR OWN BELIEF. In an attempt to find their belief in the Bible, many make the symbolic picture of souls under the altar literal, but when they do, it does not say what they want it to say.
A drowning man will desperately grab at anything to try to keep his head above water. They have no plain statement [no boat to save them] that teaches men have an immortal inter part that is not subject to death, therefore, they grab at any symbolic language or parable.
"Some persons have turned to the Book of Revelation and hung over its sublime imagery, as if these were literal descriptions of our eternal home; but we must remember that this is a book of symbols, and that this fact will not permit a strict adherence to the letter in seeking the meaning of its glowing visions. Revelation does not aim to teach us, as some have thought, that the ceaseless employment of heaven is eternal singing or praising, but that it is an abode of rapturous joy of which song and praise are the natural expressions. Nor are we to conclude that the heavenly city is literally paved with gold and fenced in with jasper walls and pearly gates, but that it is a splendid and glorious home beyond anything that mortal eye has ever seen." B. W. Johnson, Christ and the Future Life, 1891.
Commonly accepted rules: (1) A symbolic passage cannot overturn the teaching of a passage that is not symbolic. (2) A symbolic passage cannot be used to build a doctrine on.
OLAM in the Old Testament: "Age, age-lasting, olam" Robert Young, Young's Analytical Concordance To The Bible, Page 310. OLAM (olamim-plural) in the Hebrew Old Testament is translated everlasting in the King James Version and others, but does not mean without end as eternal in today's English does.
Olam is used repeatedly where it means an age but cannot mean everlasting. To go into them would take many pages. Look up "ever" in any good concordance or Wigam, pages 907-910, Old Testament. A few of them - 1 Samuel 13:13; 2 Samuel 7:13,16,25, 26, 29; 1 Kings 2:33; 2:45; 9:5; 1 Chronicles 17:12, 14, 23, 27; 22:19; 28:4, 7; 2 Chronicles 8:5; Psalms 89:4; Ezekiel 37:25.
AION (a noun - the plural is aions) and AIONIOS (the adjective form of aion) in the New Testament. Like Olam in the Old Testament, Aion in the New Testament is also used repeatedly where it means an age but cannot mean everlasting. One example is Colossians 1:26.
Why did none of the translation use "forever"? It was obvious to them that God had kept this mystery hidden for ages but not for eternity.
(C). "WORLD" [Greek-aion]. It had to be obvious to the translators that there are more than one aion, but they hid this from their reader by translating it "this world" and "the world to come." A PERIOD OF TIME (An Age) IS CHANGED TO A PLACE (World) in the King James Version.
In the above there are past age(s), the present age, and age(s) to come. There are not worlds past, present, and future. We speak of "the Stone Age," "the Iron Age." etc. Age (aion), century and year are all periods of time. The world is a place. HOW DID THE TRANSLATORS GET A PLACE FROM A WORD THAT MEANS A PERIOD OF TIME? HOW DID THEY GET "WORLD" FROM "AION"? Eternity has no beginning; therefore, they could not translate it forever so they change a word that means a period of time that has a beginning and an end to a place. Most translations used "age(s)." If aion means forever, what did the translators do when they came to Matthew 24:3? Did they translate it "the end of forever"? No, they could not have an end to eternity; therefore, they change aion to "world." In the Greek "world" is from "kosmos" not "aion." Were they not being less than truthful with their readers? Just as truthful as they were in the Old Testament where "olam" is translated "world" in Psalms 73:12. Despite the fact that they have translated "olam" into "everlasting" repeatedly, they could not have the ungodly prosper for "forever." An aion (age) in Matthew 24:3 is not a place, not a world.
(D). PLURAL is changed to SINGULAR. When the King James translators translated aions into "worlds" [Hebrews 1:2; see Ephesians 2:7; Colossians 1:26] they left it in the plural, but when they translated it "forever and ever" they changed it to the singular. They could have plural worlds, but they could not have a plurality of forevers. Their Hell must last forever (singular), not forevers (plural), and not just UNTO the age of ages.
HOW DO THEY KNOW "HELL" IS EVERLASTING? NOT ONE OF THE FOUR WORDS TRANSLATED "HELL" IN THE KING JAMES VERSION IS USED WITH EVERLASTING (AION). NOT ONE OF THEM IS SAID TO BE EVERLASTING OR AGE LASTING.
Aeon is used of past ages, the present age, future ages, and in the plural about two thirds of its occurrences in the Bible. Therefore, there MUST be more than one age. It follows that eternity is not an acceptable meaning of this Greek word. There cannot be past eternities, a present eternity, and future eternities, neither can there be plural eternities. An aion (age) is a long period of time that has a beginning and an ending, but it is not eternity which has no beginning or ending. There are more than one aions, but there can be only one eternity.
In the Bible there is the Patriarchal dispensation (age), and the Law of Moses age [Luke 1:70; Romans 12:2; Colossians 1:26], and the Christian dispensation (age). It is applied to the Jewish dispensation (age) that has ended. See Hebrews 9:26; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Matthew 24:3; Luke 1:70. In this age the good seed and the weeds are together, but at the end of this age (the Christian dispensation) the weeds will be "collected and burned up with fire" [Luke 13:40 New Revised Standard Version]. This age will end at the coming of Christ. Eternal life will be given in the age to come [Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 20:35; Ephesians 1:21; 2:7; Hebrews 6:5].
AION and AIONIOS: When both the singular and plural are used together in one passage there must be more than one aion. A plural eternity is an impossibility. Therefore, it must refer to periods of time (ages). Unless an age means all of time, there must be another part(s) of time (another age or ages); therefore, an age is not forever or eternity as the English word "eternity" is used today.
The word "eternal" was first put into the Bible when the Latin Vulgate Version of Jerome was translated into English. There is no word in the Hebrew or Greek Bible that corresponds to the English word "eternal." If the first English translation had came directly from the Hebrew and Greek, it is unlikely that "eternal" would have ever been in it. Jerome was inconsistent in way he put eternal into his translation, Nevertheless, his inconsistencies were translated into English and most later translations copied.
The superlative degree:
UNTO the ages of ages could only mean the time that is before the ages to come, BEFORE HEAVEN, not forever. NOT DURING OR THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. This torment, whether it is literal or figurative torment, IS ONLY SAID TO BE "UNTO THE AGES OF AGES" WHICH IS BEFORE MANY BELIEVE ANYONE WILL BE IN HELL. IT ENDS AT THE TIME THEY SAY HELL WILL BEGIN. IT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT TORMENT NEITHER LITERAL TORMENT OR FIGURATIVE TORMENT IN THE "AGES OF AGES." When the Greek says, "unto the ages of ages," it is not "forever and ever." This is just another attempt of the translators to put an eternal place of torment in the Bible where there is not one.
THE AGES TO COME: "UNTO the ages of [the] ages" [Revelation 1:6; 2 Timothy 4:18; etc.] Does eternity have ages? "Who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come (aion, a noun - the AGE to come) eternal (aionios, the adjective form of aion) life" [Luke 18:30; Mark 10:30]. Eternal life will be given at the judgment after the end of the Christian Age [Romans 6:22; Galatians 6:8; Titus 1:2]. Christ was speaking of life in eternity after the judgment when He said, "and in the age to come." Paul speaking to those in the Christian age, those who were made alive together with Christ, those that were saved by grace. Ephesians 2:4-6 says "That IN THE AGES (aions) TO COME he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
There may be no way we can know, but it is possible that there was a time before God made anything, where there was just God, was one age. Then after He made Heaven and all was perfect was another age. After Satan and other angels sinned was another age, and things we know nothing about could be the beginning and ending of ages. There is no way we can know something God has not revealed to us, and it is unreasonable to think that we with our limited knowledge could know even the hem of the garment when it comes to knowing what an infinite God has done and will do throughout all eternity. "Unto the ages of the ages" may mean that eternity after the judgment will have "ages." There is no man in Heaven now but the saved will be in Heaven after the judgment. That could be the beginning of an age that will be followed by other ages. God does not change, but there is no reason to believe that after the judgment He will just sit and do nothing that could be the end of one age and the beginning of another. In all of time we know anything about, God has used ages, and there is no reason to believe He cannot or will not use them in eternity. When all the saved of mankind are in Heaven will that not be one change from what Heaven is now? And there could be others changes later. I do not believe He is a sleeping God who woke up one day and made the world in six days and went back to sleep. What He will do throughout eternity is beyond my imagination and as He has not revealed it, no one can know, but eternity is a long time and it is not reasonable to believe He is now sleeping and will not frequently do many things as great or greater than making the earth. Things that will be the beginning of new ages.
If, as many teach, "aion" did means "forever" or "eternity" then there would be past eternities, present eternities, and future eternities to come, both singular and plural.
In the Bible there are:
The Greek is "unto the aions of the aions." It is not "ever + ever," not one "ever" added to another "ever" as in the King James Version. It is ages that last UNTO, not a plural of eternities which none can end. "Forever and ever" is a contradiction of itself. There cannot be more than one infinite eternity. Not more than one forever. There cannot be eternities after eternities. An age will fit into eternity, but eternity will not fit into an age. It is infinitely bigger. Neither can one eternity fit into another eternity, or two eternities exist at the same time. Neither can one eternity come after the end of another eternity.
Old Testament - "from olam to olam" [from age to age] is used eight times
"Ages" long periods of time followed by more long periods of time might have been the nearest concept the early Hebrew people had to "eternity" as we understand the word "eternity" today. CAN "OLAM" OR "AION" EVER MEAN ETERNAL AS THE WORD IS USED TODAY? Endless is not inherent in either of the two words and in over 90% of the times they are used it is unquestionably that they mean a limited time - a time that has ended or will end. When they are applied to God [as in Exodus 3:15; Genesis 21:33] and things that are intrinsically endless, some say it takes on a meaning not inherent in the word itself but from the thing that is endless, but it is more likely that God was speaking to them using the only words that they would understand, words with nearest concept the early Hebrew people had to "eternity."
Marvin R. Vincent, "Word Studies In The New Testament" Note On Olethron Aionion (eternal destruction). "The word always carries the notion of time, and not of eternity. It always means a period of time. Otherwise it would be impossible to account for the plural, or for such qualifying expressions as this age, or the age to come. It does not mean something endless or everlasting. To deduce that meaning from its relation to aei is absurd; for, apart from the fact that the meaning of a word is not definitely fixed by its derivation, aei does not signify endless duration. When the writer of the Pastoral Epistles quotes the saying that the Cretans are always (aei) liars (Tit. 1:12), he surely does not mean that the Cretans will go on lying to all eternity. See also Acts 7:51; 2 Cor. 4:11; 6:10; Heb 3:10; 1 Pet. 3:15. Aei means habitually or continually within the limit of the subject's life. In our colloquial dialect everlastingly is used in the same way. 'The boy is everlastingly tormenting me to buy him a drum.' In the New Testament the history of the world is conceived as developed through a succession of aeons. A series of such aeons precedes the introduction of a new series inaugurated by the Christian dispensation, and the end of the world and the second coming of Christ are to mark the beginning of another series. Eph. 1:21; 2:7; 3:9,21; 1 Cor 10:11; compare Heb. 9:26. He includes the series of aeons in one great aeon, 'o aion ton aionon, the aeon of the aeons (Eph. 3:21); and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews describe the throne of God as enduring unto the aeon of the aeons (Heb 1:8). The plural is also used, aeons of the aeons, signifying all the successive periods which make up the sum total of the ages collectively. Rom. 16:27; Gal. 1:5; Philip. 4:20, etc."
AIONIOS the adjective of aion is used 71 times in the New Testament.
[1] ETERNAL [Aionios] LIFE: About 43 times to the everlasting or eternal life Christ promised to those who obey Him. "In the world [age - aion] to come eternal [aionios] life [zoee]" Mark 19:30. "What shall I do to inherit eternal [aionios] life? Luke 18:18. In hope of eternal [aionios] life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the age [aion] began" Titus 1:2. Also in Matthew 19:16; 25:46; Mark 10:17; 10:30; Luke 10:25; 18:30; John 3:5; 3:16; 3:36; 4:14; 4:36 5:24; 5:39; 6:27; 6:40; 6:47; 6:54; 6:58; 17:2; 17:3; Acts 13:46; Romans 2:7; 5:21; 6:22; 6:23; Galatians 6:8; 1 Timothy 1:16; 6:12; 6:19; Titus 3:7; 1 John 1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11; 5:13; 5:20; Jude 21.
Related terms [other ways of saying eternal life].
[2] ETERNAL GOD: (1) "Everlasting [aionios] God" [Romans 16:25]. (2) "Power everlasting"[aionios] [1 Timothy 6:16]. (3) "Called us unto His eternal [aionios] glory" [1 Peter 5:10].
There are other words that teach an endless duration that are applied to God and the saved that are never applied to the lost.
[A] "Unto the ages" eiv touv aiwnav Wigram ("The Englishman's Greek Concordance" Page 19). Footnote in American Standard Version "Gr. unto the ages." Alfred Marshall in "Parallel New Testament In Greek And English" translates eiv touv aiwnav "unto the ages."
[B] "Unto the ages of [the] ages" eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn is used twenty-one times in the New Testament, seventeen times it is applied to God or Christ, one time to Satan, one time to worshipers of the beast, one time to the great harlot, and one time to those who are in the book of life.
[1] to [17] The seventeen times "unto the ages of the ages" that are applied to God or Christ from Young's Literal Translation. In the same way that saying God is the God of Israel does not mean He is not also the God of the other nations, to say He is now the God of this age does not mean He was not the God of all the other ages that have been before, and the God of this age, and will not be the God of all ages that shall come after this age. God is the God of the ages, all the ages, past, present, and future. There are three main ages that covers all the time of this earth. (1) The Patriarchal Age: From Adam to the giving of the Law, when God spoke directly to men, mostly to the fathers. (2) The Law Age: From the giving of the Law to the death of Christ. (3) The Christian or Church Age: From Christ to the end of the world. These ages are often subdivided into smaller ages, for example, the Law is often divided into the Judges, the Untied Kingdom, the Divided Kingdom. How many ages there might have been before the earth and how many there will be after it ends we have no way of knowing but the Bible speaks often of "ages to come" after this Christian Age [Ephesians 2:7]. After the end of the earth there will be ages.
These passages may simply be saying "as long as this creation (age) last, God will be its God." Christ will reign as king and priest in the kingdom unto He has abolished all rule and authority, unto he has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death [1 Corinthians 15:20-28]. As long as this age lasts, He will reign "unto the ages of ages." At the end of this creation, Christ "shall deliver up the kingdom to God...then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all" [1 Corinthians 15:24-28]. "The word always carries the notion of time, and not of eternity, it always means a period of time." Marvin R. Vincent, "Word Studies in the New Testament"
Satan knows his end is coming at the end of this age, at the end of this creation, and is being tormented day and night as long as there is day and night, as long as this age last by knowing his end is near. "The Lord knows how to ...keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment" [2 Peter 2:9] which will be "to the age of the ages."
Death and the grave will last only "to the age of the ages." After the end of this creation (age) they will not exist. Saying God is the God of this creation from its beginning unto it end is not to say He was not God before its beginning and after its end. He is the God of this age and all other ages. Revelation 7:12 Saying, "Amen, the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power, and the strength, [are] to our God to the ages of [the] ages. Amen." Also for all ages that have been and will come after the end of this creation (age).
I think this is saying that after this world ends that God will not forever be doing nothing, but that He will forever be doing things that have a beginning and an end as great as the creation of this earth, and its end. There will forever be things that have a beginning and an end, forever ages. Just as angels may see this creation, the saved will maybe see the things God will forever be doing. The lost, the dead will forever miss all this. O that I may live in such a way that I will live and forever see the great things God will be forever doing in all the ages to come. We sometimes think of God to small for we think of Him as only having to do with our world, our creation; and in all eternity before He made this world we think He did nothing and will do nothing after the end of this world. As great as that would make Him, it still would make Him small in comparison with what He is, and His power small in comparison with what it is.
"Unto the ages of [the] ages" eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn. The other four of the twenty-one times.
[18] REVELATION 14:11 "Unto the ages of [the] ages" is applied one time to worshipers of the beast: "And the smoke of their torment doth go up TO ages of ages; and they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image, also if any doth receive the mark of his name." Footnote in the American Standard Version, "Gr. UNTO the ages of the ages." This smoke goes up UNTO the ages of ages, not without end IN the ages of ages.
SMOKE IN HEAVEN Revelation 14:9-11: A symbolic picture of a judgment in the time of Emperor worship or pagan Rome, It is a picture of the destruction of these powers on this earth, not of their torment in Hell after the coming of Christ. If this passage were literal, who would worship a beast with seven heads? How many have you ever seen with the mark of this seven headed beast on their forehead? That some would make everything about the beast be a symbolic picture unto it comes to the punishment of those with his mark on their forehead, but then change from symbolic to literal shows how desperate they are for anything that may support the doctrine of Hell. According to this passage, the torment referred to is occurring on this earth for it is while they are worshiping (present tense) the beast and while there is "day and night." WHERE IS HELL? If this passage were literal and is made to be literal picture of Hell, then Hell would be on this earth and those in it would not have died, but the smoke of the torment of those still living on the earth would go from the earth and fill Heaven with smoke. This passage speaks of a limited number when they are living on the earth, only those who worshiped the beast, not all the lost who will not be living on the earth. Young's literal translation of the Bible translates this action in the present tense as "bowing" (ie. worshiping). These people have no rest while they are still worshiping the beast, while on earth.
In Revelation 18:21 John says there will be a time when Babylon "shall be found no more at all." Revelation 19:3 says the smoke of Babylon goes up for ever and ever [ UNTO the ages of ages]. "Smoke has aptly been said to be the formless relic of an object that has been consumed or decomposed, by the action of fire. It is but a relic, a vestige, an emblem, a lingering trace of the passing, the drifting aftermath that remains from AN OBJECT THAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED. A perpetual smoke may, therefore, will stand for a perpetual reminder before the universe of an irreparable ruin that has taken place, a burning up that has accomplished its allotted purpose, The same inspired portrayed, it is to be ever remembered, declares that God will 'consume,' 'devour,' 'destroy,' cause to 'perish,' and 'blot out' all the wicked. That dread transaction, or operation, involves and constitutes the 'second death.' The perpetuity intended is not, therefore, of the torment, but of the death following thereafter and caused thereby" Leroy Edwin Froom, The Conditionalist Faith of Our Father: The Conflict of the Ages Over the Nature and Destiny of Man, Volume one, Page 409.
Even if Revelation 14:9-11 were literal, it would not be depicting torment, but the aftermath of the destruction just as the smoke of Sodom that Abraham saw depicted of the total destruction of Sodom. The ascending smoke is a sign of the destruction that has taken place, a destruction that had been completed. Those in Sodom were dead when Abraham saw their smoke ascending. When a city or a person has been turned to smoke, the destruction is past, not forever ongoing. If the smoke were literal, the ascending smoke of Revelation 14 would show their destruction has taken place, not that they are undergoing torment. The ascending smoke seen by Abraham became the basis of much of the language of destruction found in the Bible. It is a sign of an utter destruction that is passed, not of eternal torment. Genesis 19:24-28; Isaiah 34:9; 66:24; Jeremiah 17:27; Ezekiel 20:45-50; Revelation 14:9-11; 18:9; 18:18. Much of the symbolism in Revelation can be understood by the way it is used in the Old Testament. In Daniel, "beast" is used to represent a great political empire.
If this is a literal worshiping of the beast and image given by John and a literal receiving a mark on the forehead, few, if any would be guilty today. Have you ever seen anyone with this mark on his or her forehead? I have not. The smoke of their torment is a symbol just as are the wine and the cup. "The smoke of their torment" cannot be made literal without making the other symbol in the passage literal, which those that use it to teach eternal torment are not willing to do.
THOSE WHO WORSHIP BABYLON BEFORE THE JUDGMENT MUST BE CHANGED UNTO THOSE IN HELL AFTER THE JUDGMENT. Those who believe in Hell take it out of context and make Heaven be literally full of smoke from the burning bodies of those in Hell after the Judgment Day, and this smoke has been changed from those who worship Babylon BEFORE THE JUDGMENT and has been made to be coming from all the unsaved who are in Hell AFTER THE JUDGMENT even though this judgment scene in Revelation 14:9-11 takes place on this earth before the judgment. Those who believe in Hell say it will last forever, and the burning will last forever; therefore, Heaven will be full of smoke forever. SMOKE COMING FROM BABYLON BEFORE THE JUDGMENT MUST BE CHANGED TO SMOKE COMING FROM ALL THE LOST IN HELL AFTER THE JUDGMENT
It is the evidences of this destruction, which is symbolized by smoke that will last "unto the ages of the ages," and not evil world powers being tormented forever. In Isaiah 34:10 the smoke from Edom will go up forever. Hailey says, "A constant reminder of the punishment for sin." "Edom is not burning today, and Heaven is not literally full of smoke. It is the everlasting remembrance of God's victor over evil that is symbolized by the smoke." A Commentary On Isaiah" Page 290, 1985, Baker Book House. Their "everlasting smoke" is that they will be forever remembered with disgrace and contempt.
This passage speaks of a judgment that takes place in time before the coming of Christ and the judgment day on those who worship the beast and receive his mark. Whether the beast is pagan Rome or the papal power, it is only a small part of those who are not in Christ. It says nothing about all the lost in John's time or today, and nothing about any of the lost going to Hell. It is not the judgment at the coming of Christ for all the lost will be in that judgment. Those who believe in "Hell" do not believe anyone will worship the beast nor receive the mark of his name after they are in Hell. If the powers of this world are cast alive into Hell and tormented forever, then the evil powers of this world will exist forever, but even those who believe in Hell do not believe evil world powers will exist forever and be tormented in Hell.
Some say, "O. K., if we must put the smoke of Hell in Heaven forever to have our Hell, then we will take this symbol out of context, make it literal, and fill Heaven with the odor from the burning bodies of most of mankind forever."
Smoke in Heaven in chapter 14 is a vision of the fall of Babylon the great and her worshipers. In chapter 18 the kings of the earth weep and lament over Babylon when they see the smoke of her burning. "Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come" [Revelation 18:10]. And in verse 21 "THUS WILL BABYLON, THE GREAT CITY, BE THROWN DOWN WITH VIOLENCE, AND WILL NOT BE FOUND ANY LONGER." Then in 19:3 "And a second time they said, 'Hallelujah!' HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER" ("Unto the ages of the ages" eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn). It is clear that this is a vision of a judgment that takes place in time, a judgment on Babylon, not the judgment at the coming of Christ.
The same apocalyptic language is used in Isaiah of the judgment of Edom. "IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED NIGHT OR DAY; ITS SMOKE SHALL GO UP FOREVER" [Isaiah 34:10]. Edom's fire was not quenched "night or day" [Isaiah 34:10], but it did go out, and Edom became a place for wild creatures [Isaiah 35:11-15]. "Day and night" means there is no let up, no break until the end. The fire of Edom did not burn in the day and go out at night, but it burned "day and night" until there was nothing more to burn. The outcome of the unquenchable fire that burned "day and night" was permanent destruction, not burning forever. "From generation to generation it shall be desolate" [Isaiah 34:10] not "from generation to generation it shall be burning." A person suffering from cancer will suffer "day and night" until the end. "Day and night" does not mean "forever." Examples where "day and night" were temporary and means continued day and night as long as they existed but have ended. Isaiah 34:10; Acts. 9:24; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 3:10. BOTH BABYLON AND EDOM ARE NATIONS, NOT PERSONS THAT ARE BEING JUDGED, AND I KNOW OF NO ONE THAT BELIEVES NATIONS WILL BE IN HELL. YET, THEY USE THIS PASSAGE THAT PROVES SOMETHING THEY DO NOT BELIEVE WHEN THEY MAKE IT LITERAL. They change it from nations before the judgment to people after the judgment and then say they do not believe in changing the Bible.
Those who believe in Hell use 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9 to prove Hell is away "from the presents of God" and that death, the wages of sin is separation from God. Yet they make REVELATION 14:10-11 be literal to prove Hell. In doing so, they make Hell be in Heaven "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." Even those who believe in Hell do not believe that any will be tormented in Heaven forever, but when they make this torment be literal torment, they make it literally be in Heaven, not Hell. WHERE DO THEY THINK HELL IS? AWAY "FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD" OR "IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD." THE SAME PEOPLE SAY BOTH.
[19] REVELATION 19:3 "Unto the ages of [the] ages" is applied one time to the great harlot: "And a second time they said, `Alleluia;' and her smoke doth come up to the ages of [the] ages" See notes above on [18] REVELATION 14:11.
[20] REVELATION 20:10 "Unto the ages of [the] ages" is applied one time to Satan: "And the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night to the ages of [the ages]." See olam and aion above-forever and ever eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn-unto the ages of ages - [18] REVELATION 14:11.
The "lake of fire" in which the Devil is cast is used five times, all five in the Book of Revelation.
[1] LAKE OF FIRE: First time it is used. Revelation 19:20 The beast and the false prophet-two world powers are cast into the lake of fire. The beast, which is the great heathen world power of that day, the Roman Empire, and the false prophet. "These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire." Those that worshiped the beast were not thrown alive into the lake of fire but were killed with the sword, which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse, "and all the birds were filled with their flesh." The fire was no more literal fire than the birds are literal birds. It is a symbolic picture of total destruction, the end of the beast and the false prophet (world powers). THOSE WHO MAKE THIS LITERAL HAVE A LITERAL BEAST BEING BURNT IN A LITERAL LAKE OF FIRE. ONLY THE BEAST AND FALSE PROPHET WHERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. THE REST (those who people worshiped the world powers) WERE KILLED [not tormented] AND EATEN BY BIRDS. WHEN SOME MAKE THIS LITERAL TO PROVE THERE IS A HELL, IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE HELL THAT IS TAUGHT TODAY, NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE HELL THEY ARE TRYING TO PROVE. When something is not taught in the Bible, no passage that is misused to prove it will prove it. They want to make only the lake be literal, but all others things in this passage, the beast, the sword, the birds, etc. must be symbolism for if they were literal, they would not fit with today's Hell. Why do they use this passage to try to prove Hell when it is nothing like they say Hell will be? It puts a beast alive in Hell and leaves the people that they say will live forever in Hell not in the lake of fire [not in Hell], but they are dead and are eaten by birds, not alive and tormented in Hell. THE "HELL" THAT IS PREACHED TODAY DOES NOT HAVE A BEAST THAT IS ALIVE IN IT, AND DEAD PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT IN HELL BEING EATEN BY BIRDS.
The lake of fire is used only in the Book of Revelation and is a symbolic picture taken from this earth. Literal fire will not exist after the end of this age [1 Peter 3]. Anything cast into a literal lake of fire would be totally destroyed, not tormented forever. It is a symbol of total destruction, not of eternal torment, not something that will exist after the destruction of the earth. To have their Hell in this passage, they must mix symbols and literal together in the same passage and only they can tell us what part is literal, and even then they cannot find anything that is close to the Hell that is preached today in it.
Homer Hailey "Revelation, An Introduction And Commentary" Chapter 19, Baker Book House. "The beast is the great heathen world power of that day, the Roman Empire" Page 387. Then on page 388 he says "These 'two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone,' where the harlot had already met her fate, being 'utterly burns with fire'...Because of the expression, 'cast alive,' some writers have concluded that these two are literally individuals who will appear in person before the end of time. But this does not necessarily follow; for 'being cast alive into the lake' indicates that up to the actual time when they were cast into the lake of brimstone and WERE BROUGHT TO FINAL DESTRUCTION by His mighty power and judgment, these two personified forces of political and spiritual power were actively fighting against the Lamb. The Roman Empire and emperor worship backed by the imperial power were now BROUGHT TO A FINAL AND COMPLETE END, never to rise again" On the same page he says "The Roman power and the paganism which it supported ARE NOW DESTROYED FOREVER. The vision of Daniel is fulfilled [Daniel 7:11], AND IN THIS DEFEAT AND DESTRUCTION IS REVEALED THE DESTINY OF ALL SUCH POWERS THAT SHOULD EVER ARISE TO FIGHT AGAINST GOD AND HIS KINGDOM. This is God's guarantee to victory to the saints who lived then and to all who would come after them, even until the end of time. 'And all the birds were filled with their flesh' completes the symbolism of verses 17-18. Not a vestige of the anti-Christian forces were left; THE DESTRUCTION WAS COMPLETE." And on page 398, "The devil, man's great deceiver from the beginning, now reaches his final doom and eternal end. First, he was cast down to the earth [12:9], then into the pit of the abyss [20:3], and now into the lake of fire and brimstone, his ultimate end." When he gets to Revelation 20:11 he says, "THUS FAR IN THE BOOK SEVERAL SCENES OF JUDGMENT HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED, BUT NONE DEPICTED THE FINAL JUDGMENT" Page 399
Foy E. Wallace, Jr. says the lake of fire is a figurative description of complete destruction and annihilation of all persecuting powers opposed to the church [Page 434], and then of the complete destruction and annihilation of Satan, and all who are not in the book of life. "The ones who had part in it [the lake of fire] came to the same end as the persecuting beast-a figurative description of complete destruction and annihilation of all persecuting powers opposed to the church whose opposition was crushed." Wallace says. "ONE OF THESE PASSAGES CANNOT BE CONSIDERED MORE OR LESS LITERAL THAN THE OTHER-BOTH WERE FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS WHICH SIGNIFIED THE UTTER END OF THE PERSECUTING AUTHORITIES OF HEATHENISM AGAINST CHRISTIANITY. The phrase cast alive into a lake of fire was equivalent to burned alive, AND IT SYMBOLIZED COMPLETE DESTRUCTION. The signal triumph of the cause of truth represented by the burning alive of the beast and the false prophet did not symbolize the destruction to the Roman Empire, but of the persecutions waged by the emperors, which the beasts represented. THE LAKE OF FIRE WAS NOT LITERAL ANY MORE THAN THE BEAST WAS LITERAL. NEITHER WAS SUBJECT TO LITERAL APPLICATION, BOTH WERE FIGURATIVE. THE BEAST SYMBOLIZED THE PERSECUTING POWER OF THE ROMAN EMPEROR: AND CASTING HIM INTO A LAKE OF FIRE SIGNIFIED THE COMPLETE DEFEAT OF THE HEATHEN POWER HE REPRESENTED IN THE WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH " The Book Of Revelation, Page 397.
Of the final judgment in Revelation 20:14-15, Hailey says, "'He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death' [2:11]; those that overcome had part in the first resurrection [20:6]. Thus far the harlot, the beast, the false prophet, Satan, and now death and Hades, HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THEIR END IN THE LAKE OF FIRE...There remains only one group to be dealt with: those not found written in the book of life...Of this second death, Alford writes, 'As there is a second higher life, so there is also a second and deeper death. And as after that life there is no more death, so after that death there is no more life'" Page 403. Death and hades are nonliving things. They have no life, thoughts, or feelings. They can be destroyed and "brought to a final and complete end," but it would not be possible to torment them. They can no more be tormented than a rock, but both will come to an end. Both will be made not to exist.
A. M. Ogden says the lake of fire in Revelation 19:20 is symbolic of God's fire of destruction coming upon the Roman Empire and its pagan religions that were the persecutor of the church. Page 354.
Both Wallace and Arthur Ogden say, "The holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband" [Revelation 21:2] is the kingdom of God, the church of Christ; and not a vision of Heaven; but is a vision of the church, the bride of Christ.
B. W. Johnson on Revelation 19:20 says, "Here the false prophet, both symbols of the same power, is cast in the lake of fire. THE SYMBOL INDICATES UTTER DESTRUCTION. WHAT IS CAST INTO THIS LAKE IS SEEN NO MORE."
Frank Walton says it is not a literal lake of fire. It symbolizes the total defeat of heathen powers that war against the church. Florida College Lectures 1994, Page 176.
Jim McGuiggan in his commentary on Revelation 19:20 says he believes the lake of fire stands for the utter defeat of the enemy.
These commentaries are some of the best, if not the best, and they all say the lake of fire is symbolic of destruction or death, not of eternal life in torment. If Revelation 21 is a symbolic picture of the church on earth as the bride of Christ, or if it is a symbolic picture of the church in Heaven, in either case the lake of fire is symbolic and not a real place. John clearly says in Revelation 21:8 that it is symbolic of the second death. Many who believe in Hell are forced to admit that in Revelation 19:20 "The lake of fire" is symbolic, but insist the same lake of fire in chapters 20 and 21 is a real literal lake of fire.
"FALSE PROPHET" IN HELL BEFORE THE JUDGMENT: On page 169, Peterson says the "false prophet" [Revelation 19:20] are thrown alive into it and are still there a thousand years later. Then he says Revelation 20:14 speaks of all human standing before God at the Last Judgment. By making symbols literal, he changed nations [false prophets] into people and puts people into Hell before they are judged at the Judgment Day.
"DEVOURED" not "TORMENTED" Even if they make the symbolical language literal, it would teach God would destroy His enemies, not torment them. "And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them" Revelation 20:9. The Bible language does not suit today's teaching.
[2] LAKE OF FIRE: Second time it is used. Revelation 20:10 The devil is cast in with the beast and the false prophet. Nothing of the physical realm could live in a lake of fire. It is a symbolic picture of destruction, not of torment. Just as any living thing of the earthly realm we know, if it were cast into a lake of fire it would be totally destroyed, a symbolic picture of the devil being cast into it would be a picture to us of his total destruction, for if the devil were a flesh and blood being, he would be totally destroyed by a literal lake of fire. The devil, the beast, false prophet, death, the grave, and all that are not in the book of life will be totally destroyed. After the resurrection and judgment, no one will be of the physical realm and could not be tormented by a literal lake of fire that is of the physical realm. A literal lake of fire could not torment a spiritual being and could have no effective on Satan or a "soul" as the word is used today. The devil who is a being not of the earthly realm, a being of the spiritual realm, is cast to the lake of fire along with two earthly things, the beast and the false prophet. It is a symbolic picture of their destruction, not a literal casting of beings or two realms into a literal lake of fire, which is of this earthly realm. Things of the earthly and spiritual realms can be mixed in symbolic pictures, but not in reality. If the lake of fire were of the earthly realm Satan could not be cast into it, and if it were of the spiritual realm, the beast and the false prophet could not be cast into it. In Revelation 20:15 and 21:8, John interpreted the figure or symbol he used and said the symbolic picture of the lake of fire is in reality the second death. THE LAKE OF FIRE WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON SATAN THAT IT WILL HAVE ON DEATH. "AND DEATH SHALL BE NO MORE" [REVELATION 21:4]. If it is the end of death, then it is the end of Satan. It is a symbolic picture of the end of both.
SATAN'S MINISTERS: The ministers of Satan, like Satan, shall have an end. "WHOSE END shall be according to their works" [2 Corinthians 11:15].
REVELATION 20:10 IS A SYMBOLIC PICTURE OF THE END OF SATAN, OF HIS BEING ABOLISHED (DESTROYED), NOT TORMENTED FOREVER. Hebrews 2:14 IS A LITERAL STATEMENT OF HIS END. "That through death he might BRING TO NOUGHT (nothing) him that has the power of death, that is, the devil" [American Standard Version]. God made the world and all that is in it out of nothing. It will go back to nothing. Satan also will be brought to nothing. "So that through death he might DESTROY the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" [New Revised Standard Version]. In Hebrews 2:14 "nought" [nothing] is translated from "katargeo" which is translated ABOLISHED, VANISH AWAY, BRING TO NAUGHT, DO AWAY WITH, DESTROY, BE DONE WAY, AND CEASED.
A DEATH BRUISE TO THE HEAD OF SATAN: The serpent of Genesis 3 is not said to be Satan but most all believe it to be Satan working through the serpent, which was "more crafty than any beast of the field" [Genesis 3:1]. With the first lie, the devil brought death into the world and became the murderer of Adam and Eve, therefore, the murderer of all their seed [John 8:44]. He sinned "from the beginning" [1 John 3:8]." "He [Christ] shall bruise you [Satan] on the head, and you [Satan] shall bruise him [Christ] on the heel." See Romans 16:20. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown says, "Thus, fatal shall be the stroke which Satan shall receive from Christ" Commentary on Genesis 3:15. "The terminology of this verse is such that it cannot apply to anything in heaven or upon earth except the long spiritual conflict between Christ and Satan" J. B. Coffman, Commentary on Genesis 3:15. A wound to the heel is not fatal. Satan wounded Christ by sin and death, which he is responsible for being in the world. It made the death of Christ necessary, but Christ rose from the dead and in doing so bruised the head of Satan [Hebrews 2:1]. There is much in Genesis 3:1-15 that seems not to apply to Satan. "On your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life" etc. All of Genesis 3:1-15 seems to be spoken of the serpent and not of Satan, yet does anyone believe the first lie and the fall of man came through a reptile and not through Satan. In some way, Satan seems to have used the serpent and part of the curse is against the serpent for being used. Did the serpent or any other animal have the power to speak or was it Satan speaking through it? God did speak through an animal [2 Peter 2:1]. It looks as if Satan did. See 2 Corinthians 11:3. Christ said the devil "is a liar, and the father of lies' [John 8:44]. Albert Barnes on John 8:44, "He was a murderer from the beginning. That is from the beginning of the world, or the first records there are of him. This refers to the seduction of Adam and Eve. Death was denounced against sin Genesis ii.17. The devil deceived our first parents and they became subject of death, Genesis iii. As he was the cause why death came into the world, he may be said to have been a murderer in that act, or from the beginning."
Revelation 20:7, which may be symbolic language and not intended to be taken literally says, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Also see Revelation 12:9.
It is difficult to know what John meant by much of the symbolic language he used in Revelation, but even more difficult to understand if it is made to be a literal non-symbolic passage, yet many use a symbolic passage as the base of their faith and make it override many clear passages.
[3] LAKE OF FIRE: Third time it is used. Revelation 20:14 Death and hades cast into the lake of fire. If death and hades are annihilated in the lake of fire, all who are not found written in the book of life must also be annihilated. IF ALL WHO ARE NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE ARE NOT ANNIHILATED, DEATH IS NOT ABOLISHED [1 Corinthians 15:26]. THE SAME THING HAPPENS TO ALL THREE [death, hades, and those that do not have their name in the book of life]. THEY COME TO AN END. "And death shall be no more" [Revelation 21:4].
HELL CAST INTO HELL [Revelation 20:14 King James Version]. I have often heard in sermons that the lost will forever be tormented in the lake of fire. Most who believe in Hell teach the lake of fire is Hell, but in the King James Version Hell is cast into the lake of fire, both cannot be the same place, but both Catholics and Protestants believe they are the same place. Both believe the lake of fire is Hell. For both the Catholic and Protestant versions of Hell, Hell being cast into Hell presents an absurd problem. Casting Hell into Hell is another blunder made by the King James Translators trying to put Hell into the Bible, but most other translations have corrected this blunder. Dr. C. Campbell on Revelation 20:14 says, "If we interpret Hades, 'hell,' in the Christian sense of the word, the whole passage is rendered nonsense. Hell is represented as being cast into hell...THE PHRASE 'CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE' IS A FIGURE OF UTTER DESTRUCTION. IT IS SIMPLY SAYING 'DEATH AND HELL WAS DESTROYED.'"
DEATH IS ALSO CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. [Revelation 20:14] Will the lake of fire be the end of death but not the end of Hell? Or will death be forever tormented in the lake of fire, which many say is Hell? Death cannot be tormented; this is a symbolic picture of the end of all three, death, hades and the wicked? DO SOME THINK THE LAKE OF FIRE WILL ABOLISH DEATH BUT TORMENT PEOPLE?
"AND HELL DELIVERED UP THE DEAD" Revelation 20:13 THE KING JAMES VERSION HAS HELL BEING EMPTIED BEFORE THE JUDGMENT, But, most who believe in Hell do not believe that any in Hell will ever get out ["and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them" Revelation 20:13 King James Version]. Many believe that no one will be in Hell unto after the Judgment Day to be "delivered up," but they use this passage to prove the lost will go to Hell after the Judgment although it will be emptied and cast into the lake of fire before the Judgment. IN THE KING JAMES VERSION THE JUDGMENT IS AFTER HELL HAS BEEN EMPTIED. NOT ONLY IS HELL EMPTIED BEFORE THE JUDGMENT, BUT ALSO SOME THAT WERE IN IT BEFORE IT WAS EMPTIED WILL EVEN BE FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, AND THOSE TAKEN OUT OF HELL ARE NEVER PUT BACK INTO IT. According to the King James Version, the Judgment will not take place unto after all that are in Hell have been taken out, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and HELL DELIVER UP THE DEAD WHICH WERE IN THEM; AND THEY WERE JUDGED every man according to their works" [Revelation 20:13]. In trying to put a place of eternal torment in the Bible by mistranslating, they made the Bible teach something that they did not believe and most today that believe in Hell do not believe. Most newer translations have also corrected this blunder, but unfortunately this has done little or nothing to correct any of the many Protestant versions of Hell.
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 15:24-20].
[4 and 5] LAKE OF FIRE: Forth and fifth times it is used. Any not in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire [Revelation 20:15]. Lake of Fire is the second death [Revelation 21:8].
What is cast into the lake of fire?
THE THOUSAND YEARS AND THE LAKE OF FIRE. In the New Testament many symbols are used and many of them we are told just 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 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. TO THEM, THE LAKE OF FIRE IS ETERNAL LIFE OF TORMENT IN FIRE. IT 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
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 He 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 list ten Greek words that are translated thousand in the New Testament. Only two of them are used in Revelations.
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 separated from God but alive, not just a loss of well being but alive.
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.
The lake of fire is only a symbol of the real thing [the second death], but many preach it by far the most, and they preach and teach it as if it is a real lake of fire somewhere but it is not on this earth and this fire will last forever. There is not now or ever will be a real lake of fire. They must turn it around and make the second death be only a metaphor of the lake of fire, and not a real death, for the second death cannot be real 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.
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].
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].
THE BRIMSTONE AND FIRE OF THE SECOND DEATH. How "fire and brimstone" are used in the Bible and in the Book or Revelation.
BRIMSTONE AND FIRE IN NON-SYMBOLIC PASSAGES.
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.
[21] REVELATION 22:5 "Unto the ages of [the] ages" is applied one time to those who are in the book of life: "And night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign to [TO or UNTO] the ages of [the] ages." No matter what view you have, this may be one of the most difficult passages in the Bible.
That aion means forever when it is used with reference to the life of the believer, and that it takes on a meaning of unlimited time that is totally different than its meaning is without precedent with any other word. I understand that this dual definition came about by learned and faithful believers trying to explain some difficult passages, but it seems to me that it makes more problems than it helps. If God in His revelation to us used a word to sometimes mean a limited time with a beginning and an end and at other times used the same word to mean an unlimited time without beginning or end, how could anyone know when it was one and when it was the other?
I do not know what word would best translate aion and olam but it is obvious that forever or eternal with the meaning that eternal has today is a total mistranslation. Three days [Jonah 2:6] or a lifetime [Exodus 21:6] is not eternally
Whatever view you take, this is in a book of symbols that are difficult to understand and it is unwise to base any doctrine on the interpretation of symbols, and less than unwise to make the interpretation of symbols over rule the plain statements of the Bible.
Fire is always used for destruction. It is never used for torment.
Fire is never used by God to torment, but for destruction. "Gather his wheat [the saved] into the garner, but He will burn up the chaff [the lost] with unquenchable fire" Matthew 3:12. Tares and bad fish are burned to get rid of them, NOT TO TORMENT FOREVER, OR AS SOME SAY "TO BURN IN HELL FOREVER" Matthew 13. Some teach the exact opposite that the chaff will be tormented forever; but not burned, not consumed and destroy as the farmer does the chaff.
When tares are cast into a furnace of fire they are burnt. Like the chaff that is totally consumed in the furnace, there is no suggestion of life beyond the burning in the lake of fire.
CONSUMED OR NOT CONSUMED: Those who believe a person has a soul that is immortal also believe a person's soul can never be consumed. How is consumed used in the Bible. Is a consuming fire one that burns up (consumes) or one that forever burns without burning up (without consuming)? Why would God use "consumed" if a person has a soul that cannot be consumed?
Those who teach the sinner will be tormented forever in Hell use:
As was said at the first of this chapter, those who believe in the Pagan doctrine of an immortal soul from birth and Hell have no plain statement. That they must make figurative language, metaphors and symbolic passages into literal statements, WHICH SHOWS THE WEAKNESS OF THEIR BELIEF, that it is from man and not from God. They must make parables, and figurative language be superior over plain statements. What is clear language must be made to agree with what they think is said in the symbolic language.
Universalist believes that all will end up saved. They believe no one will end up in Hell, that it is not possible for anyone, the worst person that ever lived, to not go to Heaven. Whether death is death or if death is only separation, they believe no one will die or be forever separated from God; therefore, there is no death, no wages of sin, no second death after the Judgment Day. There seems to be some who believe in a universal salvation mixed in many denominations, also there are Universalist groups like the "Tentmakers" with the one thing all have in common is the belief in universal salvation. There seems to be two kinds of Universalist. [1] Some who do not believe in any kind of Hell and that all sins are paid in full in this lifetime. [2] Some who believe there will be a Hell but a very different Hell than the Protestant versions for it will last only for an "age," and will be more of a disciplinary character than punishment. Both destroy the character of the sinner and make them saints. They do much writing to prove the word that is translated everlasting, eternal, forever, age, and world in the King James Version, is from the Greek word "aion," which means "age." In Matthew 24:3 the King James Version says, "end of the world," but the New King James Version, New American Standard Version, New International Version and many more say "end of the age." They have written hundreds of pages to prove that "aion" means "age," and their purpose was to prove that Hell will last for only an age. They may be right in their translation of aion, but not one of the repeatedly times "aion" is used says anything about Hell, aion is not used in the same passage with any of the four words translated Hell in the King James Version. Without proving there is a Hell, and without "age lasting" (aion) being used with any word translated Hell, they make Hell be "age lasting," with a beginning and ending but not everlasting. They have immortal souls in their "age lasting" Hell without proving all the lost will be immortal and live forever after the judgment. They believe all those in the age lasting Hell will be saved when the age is over.
FOR UNIVERSALISM TO BE TRUE, THEY MUST PROVE:
Gary Amirault, a Tentmaker Minister in an e-mail to me says, "Most universalists I know who believe in 'age-during correction,' do NOT see it as God torturing people in a literal lake or anything like that, they see it as simply correcting or teaching them further." If they call it Hell or something else, they still have a place where the all the lost to go after the judgment for an "age." They have made Hell into an age lasting place where the all the lost are corrected and then go to Heaven. What if some would not repent then? Will God make them repent against their will? [1] THEY MUST PROVE THAT THERE IS SUCH A PLACE [2] THAT THE LOST WILL BE THERE FOR ONLY AN "AGE," [3] AND THAT ALL WILL REPENT. G. Jessup says "We can be sure there will be judgment, punishment, corrections, or whatever kind of 'attitude adjustments' necessary for the unbelievers according to their works, and for some it could be very long and painfully excruciating: but forever?" He did not give one passage from the Bible to prove this "attitude adjustment," and I cannot find where they try to prove it in any of their writing. Maybe the reason they do not is that they know there is no proof. If they had proof, I am sure they would use it in bold print. That there will be a second chance after death is opposed to what is taught in the Bible.
THEIR BIG PROBLEMS:
PROTESTANTS CHANGED THE SECOND DEATH INTO ETERNAL LIFE IN HELL FOR ALL THAT NEVER BELIEVED IN GOD. UNIVERSALIST CHANGED THE SECOND DEATH INTO A RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN FOR ALL THAT NEVER BELIEVED IN GOD.
THEIR USE OF "ALL" This seems to be their main argument. "But what it really says is IN CHRIST...ALL A-L-L ALL shall be made ALIVE! Then each of the ALL in his own order" (from one of their web pages, "CAN THIS BE TRUE?"). They ask questions like: God will have all to be saved [1 Timothy 2:4]. Can His will be thwarted? Jesus came to save all [John 12:47]. Will He succeed? Jesus is the savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Why don't you believe it? And many more like these. Their thinking seems to be that Christ came to save ALL; and if He does not do it in this lifetime, then He must save all who are not saved in this lifetime after the resurrection. This would be great if it were true, but nothing is said about anyone being saved after his or her death. They know that most do not believe in Christ in this lifetime, therefore, they MUST make ALL believe at some time after death. What will happen after death? Christ says "For the hour comes, in which ALL that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of LIFE; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of JUDGMENT" [John 5:28-29]. There is nothing said about anyone being saved after death. The lost are raised to judgment, not to life. "NOW is the acceptable time: behold, NOW is the day of salvation" [2 Corinthians 6:2]. God loves ALL, and Christ died for ALL, but ALL will not come to Him. He made a person where he or she could choose to or choose not to. Their teaching is that God will show His love to them in a way that ALL [even Satan] will love Him. To so overpower the freewill of a person is the same thing as making them love Him when they could not help it. It would be the same thing as taking their freewill away. This "attitude adjustments" must be strong enough to overpower the most evil; therefore, they are made to believe even against their will. They make up this "attitude adjustments" because they must have it if ALL are to be saved. It is not in the Bible.
UNIVERSALIST TEACHING OF ALL WILL BE SAVED makes much of the Bible be foolishness, vain babbling, meaningless, or just an out right lie. It makes:
Will Jesus save everyone? Gary Amorality in an E mail to me June 15,1999, says "You've taken a big step out of Hell, but you still leave Jesus as a sinner. He didn't accomplish what He came to do...save the world. If He fails in His mission, He can't be the Messiah."
HOW DOES HE THINK JESUS IS A SINNER? He said, "But you still leave Jesus as a sinner." Jesus had no sins of His own and even if He saved no one, not one person, He had no sins, and not giving eternal life to those who do not believe in Him does not make Him a sinner as Gary Amorality said it would.
UNIVERSALIST says God is a God of love, and He will not kill any. All will be saved. They overlook the fact that He is also a just God, and sin must be paid for with death [Romans 6:23]. The death of the sinner is just if it be death in this life, or the second death at the judgment for ALL who has not had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ; for ALL have sinned, and therefore, it is just for them to receive the wages of their sin. If they have not had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ, raised with Christ in baptism, the sinner will die. Death is sure and just for them. Throughout the Old Testament, God destroyed those who rejected Him, as in the flood, or ordered the destruction as with the Amalekites. He never tormented His enemies. He destroyed them; their life ended. Death is the way God dealt with His enemies then, and the way He will deal with them at the judgment. He will destroy them with death, the second death, not torment them forever or for an age.
Universalist may think this cruel, but it is justice, not cruelly. God would not be God if He were not just? If He had no law, which has a penalty for not keeping it, He could not rule and, there would be no sin. There is sin, and its penalty is death.
"In the first place we complain of its relative novelty. It does not appear in the history of doctrine until the beginning of the third century. Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Irenaeus, all the first fathers of the church are Conditionalists. Not one of them taught Universalism. Merely the first slight traces of the doctrine are contained in the writings of Clement of Alexandria." E. Petavel, D. D., The Extinction Of Evil, Page 90, 1889.
Note: Many in the Church of God and Congregation of God also teach there will be "an opportunity for salvation" after the resurrection, but unlike the Universalist, they believe some will reject it, and for them there will be the second death, not torment in Hell.
THIS GOD SLANDERING DARK AGE DOCTRINE OF HELL MAKES GOD EVIL, CRUEL, SADISTIC, AND FIENDISH. By some unknown and twisted reasoning it is assumed that for God to be just He must forever torment the lost for His justice demands this. From the first sin, God's sentence to Adam was not eternal torment but death. Throughout the Bible, the sentence for sin is always death, not torment. "The wages of sin is death." That His justice demands that He must forever torment the lost is without any foundation in His word. To put it pure and simple, it is a doctrine of man and it makes God evil, cruel, and fiendish.
If a man should put a single person that had raped and killed his wife in a dark pit, and torment him day and night for ten years, most would condemn him to the hottest part of "Hell." Yet, some teach that God made mankind, knowing that most of them would be lost, and many millions would never hear His word; yet He will torment them worse than anything we can imagine, not for ten years; but time without end. It will be God doing the tormenting. God will be the one who makes the fire and keeps it burning forever. Satan or the evil ones will not be tormenting themselves. Many try to justify God for doing more than any man can do, and being more cruel and sadistic than the most evil man could ever be by saying we cannot understand the evil of sin. The God of the Bible is a God of love and justice. Not as many make Him: sadistic, fiendish, cruel, evil, and in character much like Satan. In the Hell that is preached today no one will be corrected by the torment; therefore, it can only be sadistic? Adams says, "If this does not correct the sinner, and no one else is to derive benefit from the torturing, then only God can be the one who gains anything from that torture."
"To torment a child that dies without ever knowing anything about God or His word forever day and night with a torment worse than any pain we can have on this earth would not be 'justice,' but sadistic. What kind of a person could love a God who was tormenting his wife and children with more pain than anyone has ever had in this life? When we are in Heaven, do you think we will be singing of God's love and mercy while He is cruelly tormenting most of mankind and many you now love, your wife or husband, your father and mother, your child, your friend? Is there a greater perversion of Scripture than to attribute such characteristics to God? Is it reasonable to believe that the righteous in their glorified state can be indifferent to, and unaffected by, the endless sufferings of countless millions of their fellow beings; among whom would probably be found parents, children, husbands, wives, etc.? Is it possible that they will be destitute of deprived of qualities which are considered most lovely and godlike in this life; viz., piety, sympathy, compassion, commiseration for others' woes, etc.? Will insensibility to the woes of the wretched ever become a virtue? Will that which is a vice in this life, become a grace in the glorious future life?" From a web page by "Ron" which is no longer on the net.
Today, many think that the electric chair or hanging of a person who has killed many is inhumane though it takes only a few seconds; but these same people see no inconsistency in believing it is just for God to torment the same person, even if that person has never heard His word, with a torment which they say is much worse than the few seconds would be and will not last only for a few seconds but for an endless eternity.
THE CALVIN GOD, which is believed by many, worships a God many times more evil, more cruel and sadistic than any heathen god. Before the Calvin God made the world, He chose to make most of mankind to be lost before He made them. He even made it impossible for them to believe, but will torment them forever for not believing. The torment by the worshipers of heathen gods soon end with death of the ones being tormented; but Calvinism teaches God made most men, many millions, just so He could torment them without end for eternity "for his good pleasure." According to Hell fire Calvin teachers, this torment will be many times worse than any torment by the worshipers of heathen gods; and will never end in the death of those being tormented. How could any person who has an ounce of compassion, love and worship such a God?
Those who believe in the Calvin God say God chose you before he made the world to be saved or to be lost. If you are one of the few chosen to be saved, even if you live in the most out of the way place in the world and never know of God or Christ, when the time comes for you to be saved, you will be. You can do nothing about it. You cannot say no. If you are one of the many he chose to torment forever, there is no use to send preachers to you. There is no use for you to read the Bible or do anything. There is nothing you or anyone can do. You were made by God just because He wants to torment you forever, and He will. Such a God is like a very rich ruler who torments a thousand people "for his good pleasure" and enjoyment, and chose you to make rich and happy. He would not be worthily of your love, but only your contempt. To destroy the evil, either in this lifetime or at the judgment is one thing; but to make them be evil before they were born, and then torment them without end with more pain than they can know in this lifetime for being what he made them to be is not justice. He would be an unjust and evil God. He made them evil and gave them no chance not to be, and then torments them for being what He made them be. If you put a person who worked in a store in the electric chair for unknowingly short changing a person one cent, your injustice would not equal that of a God that made one person just so he could torment that person forever. Many say He did this with most of mankind. Most are filled with grief when a loved one or friend has some sickness that makes them suffer even when they know the suffering will soon end with death. Yet, they worship a God who they believe will take pleasure in the suffering of billions without end; and not only will he take pleasure in it but he will be the one that is tormenting them and making them suffer and he made them just so he could torment and make them suffer.
John Kent, "For were a woman to commit a crime against her husband, and he punishes her by holding her hand in the fire until the flesh burned off the bones, he would be pronounced one of the most cruel beings in the world; and if he were to escape justice, he would be hunted as a wild beast; and when brought to trial and condemned, he would be pronounced worthy of thrice the punishment that the law could inflict. And he would have been tried and condemned by men, most of whom, perhaps, believed that God would take that same woman, for that same crime that she had committed against her husband, and put-not only her hand, but her whole self into a Lake of Fire and Brimstone;-not for half an hour-not for a day-not for a year-nor for ten thousand years only, but for all Eternity. Also, that this Burning of her in a Blazing Hell would be so agreeable to the determination of the Almighty that no pity could be excited, no mercy shown; but that there, in that Lake of Fire she should gnash, and groan, and wail Eternally. Oh! How horrid the picture! And what a terrible crime, even in the light of their own actions, to charge God with such cruelty!" "Eternal Burning, A SCANDAL AGAINST THE ALMIGHTY" 1879.
Leroy Garrett, "That God would rise the wicked and give them immortality only to torment them in a devil's hell unendingly is both gross and vulgar, even blasphemous. Such a God is not the one described in the Bible...If the God of heaven subjects innumerable billions to unending and indescribable torment, it can only be seen as the one infinite horror." Restoration Review, November, 1990.
Al Maxey, "My opponent will make an effort to try and demonstrate that our loving, compassionate, merciful God will be content with nothing less than the perpetual, never diminishing, horrific torture of the vast majority of mankind. Not only is that not what the Scriptures teach, it has the distinct disadvantage of portraying our God as a Monster the likes of which the human mind cannot even conceive. It is to proclaim a God foreign to the inspired revelation. Thus, it is a mockery of Truth and a blasphemy against Deity." Maxey-Thrasher Debate on the Eternal Destiny of the Wicked by two ministers of the church of Christ at: http://www.zianet.com/maxey/MxThrshr.htm - I recommend this debate to all members of the church of Christ of which he is a member, and to all who want the truth.
Thomas Thayer, "Paganism in its worst forms has never surpassed, if it has equaled, the savage and terrible descriptions which have been given by Christians of their God. The character ascribed to Him; the dreadful wrath and vengeance with which He is moved; the cold and malignant purpose of creation in regard to million of souls; the stern severity and gloom of His government; the horrible and never-ceasing tortures which He will inflict on His helpless, children-all this, and much more of like character, defies the power of language to set it forth in its true light, or to present it in a manner adequate to its shocking revolting reality." "The Origin And History Of The Doctrine Of Endless Punishment."
I. D. Williamson, "What, then, is the doctrine of endless misery? Stripped of all its drapery, it is no more or less than this: That a large part of the human family are doomed to suffer the most intense and indescribable torments as long as God shall exist, without the least hope or possibility of being benefited by their sufferings. In some part of this beautiful universe, God has prepared an awful, dismal, burning hell, and there countless myriads of human beings shall weep and groan, unpitied and unrelieved, while ceaseless ages shall roll; and when ten thousand times ten thousand years shall have passed, they shall have as long to suffer as if their sufferings had but just began. And, then, to think of the number of the lost to remember that there are on this earth not less than eight hundred millions of human beings, and that out of these there are not more than fifty millions that can be saved, upon the broadest system of partialism; and that, by consequence, there must be more than seventy thousand souls going down to hell every day; and, then, to think of generations that have past, and reflect upon the vast and countless multitudes that must be congregated in that huge reservoir of tears and woe; the very thought bears the lie upon its front. The degree of the punishment outrages all ideas of proportion between guilt and punishment, and the number of the victims shocks all feelings of humanity or mercy. It makes the universe a theater of cursing and blasphemy, rather than a field for the display of the boundless perfections of a merciful and benevolent Creator." An Examination Of The Doctrine Of Endless Punishment, 1860.
Spurgeon, one of the greatest of Baptist preachers, says, "When thou driest, thy soul will be tormented alone; that will be a hell for it; but at the day of judgment thy body will join thy soul and then thou wilt have twin hells, thy soul sweating drops of blood, and thy body suffused with agony. In fire exactly like that which we have on earth, thy body will lie, asbestos like, forever unconsumed, all thy veins roads for the feet of pain to travel on, every nerve a string on which the devil shall forever play his diabolical tune of hell's unutterable lament." From his sermon "The Resurrection of the Dead." Like most who believe God will forever torment many billions, he must have some revelation that is not in the Bible to tell him about their suffering. In his day most orthodox Protestants believed the Devil would be doing the tormenting, but today most orthodox Protestants think he was wrong, that God is the one who will be doing the tormenting. The man made "Hell" is forever changing. What was orthodox in his day is no longer orthodox. For many Baptists his truth is no longer truth.
Ebenezer Erskine in "The Judgment" "How shall the adulterer satisfy lust when he lies on a bed of flames? The swearer shall have enough of wounds and blood when the devil shall torture his body and rack his soul in hell. The drunkard shall have plenty of his cups when scalding lead shall be poured down his throat, and his breath draw flames of fire instead of air."
Samuel Hopkins, "The works of Samuel Hopkins, D.D." Page 458. "The smoke of their torment shall ascend up in the sight of the blessed forever and serve as a most clear glass always before their eyes to give them a constant, bright, and most affecting view... THIS DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE CHARACTER AND GLORY WILL BE IN FAVOR OF THE REDEEMED, AND MOST ENTERTAINING, AND GIVE THE HIGHEST PLEASURE TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, AND RAISE THEIR HAPPINESS TO INEFFABLE HEIGHTS. SHOULD THIS ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AND THIS FIRE BE EXTINGUISHED, IT WOULD IN A GREAT MEASURE OBSCURE THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN AND PUT AN END TO A GREAT PART OF THE HAPPINESS AND GLORY OF THE BLESSED." What kind of sick man could get the highest pleasure from seeing a cruel God doing his cruel work on billions and even on many he knows and loves? He makes the saints in Heaven be deprived of qualities God has given to us, sympathy, pity, love for others, caring for others; and made them to be cruel monsters that delight in the pain of others, and loves to hear the groans of those they now love, and the groans of the countless millions of the lost.
Henry Ward Beeches speaking of Michael Angelo's painting, The Last Judgment says, "Let anyone see the enormous gigantic coils of fiends and man; let anyone look at the defiant Christ that stands like a superb athlete at the front, hurling his enemies from him and calling his friends toward him as Hercules might have done; let anyone look upon that hideous wriggling mass that goes plunging down through the air-serpents and man and beasts of every nauseous kind, mixed together; let him look at the lower parts of the picture, where with the pitchforks men are by devils being cast into cauldrons and into burning fires, where hateful fiends are gnawing the skulls of suffering sinners, and where there is hellish cannibalism going on-let a man look at that picture and scenes which it depicts, and he sees what were the ideas which man once had of Hell and of divine justice. It was a night-mare as hideous as was ever begotten by the hellish brood it-self; and it was an atrocious slander on God...I do not wonder that men have reacted from these horrors."
Jonathan Edwards, "The world will probably be converted into a great lake or liquid globe of fire, in which the wicked shall be overwhelmed, which will always be in tempest, in which they shall be tossed to and fro, having no rest day or night, vast waves and billows of fire continually rolling over their heads, of which they shall forever be full of a quick sense within and without; their heads, their eyes, their tongues, their hands, their feet, their loins and their vitals, shall forever be full of a flowing, melting fire, fierce enough to melt the very rocks and elements; and, also, they shall eternally be full of the most quick and lively sense to feel the torments; not for one minute, not for one day, not for one age, not for two ages, not for a hundred ages, not for ten thousand millions of ages, one after another, but for forever and ever, without an end at all, and never to be delivered."
Benson, "He will exert all his divine attributes to make them as wretched as the capacity of their nature will admit...They must be perpetually swelling their enormous sums of guilt, and still running deeper, immensely deeper, in debt to divine and infinite justice. Hence after the longest imaginable period, they will be so far from having discharged their debt that they will find more due than when they first began to suffer." He has God charging interest on the debt of the suffering sinner owes Him at such a high rate that the sinner gets more behind as time goes on.
Dr. E. Beecher says it "involves God, his whole administration, and his eternal kingdom in the deepest dishonor that the mind of man or angel can conceive, by the violation of the highest and most sacred principles of honor and right, and on the scale of infinity and eternity" Page 225. "The human mind cannot be held back from abhorring such a theory, except by the most unnatural violence to its divinely inspired convictions of honor and right" Page 306, Conflict of the Ages.
WHAT KIND OF JUSTICE IS THIS? To fill many books with the most harrowing descriptions of torment would not equal the torment we are told that God will give to just one person for all eternity. After someone who never knows of God in his lifetime on earth has been in torment in Hell for not believing in God for trillions times trillions of years, we are told they will still have eternity with not one second less time to suffer. Those who believe in Hell say, "It is justice." My question to them is how do they know it to be justice? Where did God tell this to them? It being justice is something they had to make up to try to justify their heathen Hell even if they make God be much more evil than Satan.
DO YOU WONDER WHERE IN THE BIBLE THEY FOUND THINGS LIKE THE DEVIL POURING SCALDING LEAD DOWN THE THROAT OF A PERSON AND MANY THOUSANDS OF LIKE THINGS? THE ANSWER IS THAT THEY ARE IN THE SAME PASSAGE WHERE THEY FOUND HELL AND THE SAME PASSAGE WHERE THEY FOUND THE NAME OF HELL. THEY FOUND THEM IN THE TEACHING OF MEN, NOT THE BIBLE.
THE CAUSE OF ATHEISM AND STUMBLING IN MANY Matthew 18:6. A DOCTRINE THAT MAKES ATHEISTS: "As a child, Robert Ingersoll heard a preacher proclaim the doctrine that God subjects sinners to unending torment in hell. Ingersoll decided that if God were like that, then he hated Him. Later he wrote of this belief that it 'makes man an eternal victim and God an eternal fiend. It is the one infinite horror. Below this Christian dogma, savagery cannot go.' There are substantial moral and logical difficulties in believing in a God who tortures His enemies forever. Like Ingersoll, thousands of thinking men have turned away from such a God" Tim Crosby in Ministry.
E. Petavel, D. D., "The lamentable results of the Platonic doctrine may be seen in the theology of a Tertullian and an Augustine,--theology called orthodox.--which makes the God of love an Executioner whom innumerable victims will curse eternally. Such a doctrine is a burden even to its adherents. It has drawn from them admissions, which we are bound to record. Henry Rogers declared that 'for his part he would not be sorry to see every child die at the age of four years.' Albert Barnes admits, with a soul full of anguish that he cannot understand why there are men destined to suffer forever. 'The Gospel,' says Isaac Taylor, 'fills us with a universal sympathy which sometimes make us regret that it must be true in all its teaching.' Calvin himself cannot refrain from confessing that the decree of God concerning sinners seems to him horrible ('decretum horrible fateor'). In a word, the traditional dogma conducts to pessimism by making evil eternal. What has been the result? Extremes meeting, the doctrine of eternal suffering has led to Universalism. More or less secretly many of the partisans of the traditional dogma, unable to hold it any longer, have quitted their position, to embrace the hope of a universal salvation; while others wander in the penumbra of eschatological skepticism." The Extinction Of Evil, Page 78, 1889.
God has been made so cruel, and this doctrine is so unthinkable that it has probably created more atheists, and caused more weak believers to fall away than any other false teaching. The dread of Hell has caused misery and metal anguish to countless millions and INSTEAD OF THE HORROR OF HELL TURNING MANY TO GOD TO ESCAPE ETERNAL TORMENT, MANY MILLIONS HAVE BEEN TURNED AWAY FROM SUCH AN UNJUST GOD. The doctrine of Hell is one of Satan's best tools to turn many away from Christ. Do you want to give an account to God at the judgment for teaching it? No heathen religion has a God as unjust and fiendish as many "Christians" make their God. Edward White says, "It cannot be denied that the frightful doctrines on the future of humanity...supported by the general authority of nearly all Christendom for at least fourteen centuries, are regarded with contemptuous skepticism by the bulk of the existing male population of Europe, who assigns these articles of 'the faith' as the chief reason for their ever extending and fierce revolt against Christianity" Life In Christ, Page 65, 1878. GOD IS NOT A GOD OF TERROR, A CRUEL AND EVIL BEING THIS DOCTRINE MAKES HIM TO BE. DO YOU THINK HE WILL SAY TO THOSE WHO TEACH HE IS UNJUST, "WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT...ENTER YOU INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD" [Matthew 15:21]?
DILEMMAS OF THEIR OWN MAKING: The doctrine of Hell puts those who teach it in dilemmas from which they have no way out.
Annihilationism is God giving people freedom to choose not to accept Christ and the life He died to give them. Their not-accepting Christ and life means they have chosen to accept death. God gives them their choice, and lets them pay the wages of their sin, death, for they have chosen not to let Christ pay it for them. He is a just God, not a cruel sadistic God who will torment forever. Some say, "God is a God of justice and sin must be paid for, or God would not be just." Yes, but being sadistic is not justice in anyone's book, and the very fact that He is just would not let Him cruelly and sadistically torment anyone forever without end. The wages of our sins were paid by the death of Christ. Those who have not been baptized into His death will pay for their own sins in the second death, not by having scalding lead poured down his or her throat for all eternity. God made all out of nothing and has the right to send any back to nothing. Sending those back to nothing who choose to not give Him the worship He is entitled to is His right and there is nothing cruel about it. They have the life He has given to them and have chosen to live it for themselves. Jeremy K. Moritz at: http://www.inplainsite.org/html/torment_or_annihilation.html says most feel if a farmer cultivates a breeding ground for cows that these cows are born only because he cultivated them. Without the farmer the cows would not have come into existence (they would not have had the time, the life that they did have) Most feel that he is entitled to have them mercifully put to sleep and take the meat. But on the other hand, if the farmer feels that by giving the cows life entitles him to torture them every moment of their life, that farmer would be regarded as a cruel, sadistic man and abhorred by most.
Many have tried to lessen the cruelty in a number of ways. [1] Perhaps the most common one is to make Hell be only in the mind of the lost. Billy Graham said, "I have often wondered if Hell is a terrible burning within our hearts for God, to fellowship with God, a fire that we can never quench." This does not help any and maybe makes it crueler. Mental pain is as bad and sometimes worse than physical pain. God tormenting most of mankind by making them live in mental pain for eternity would not make Him any less cruel. [2] Some have tried to justify this cruelty by saying the punishment must fit the crime. If a person commits a crime against a person he or she does not know, it is not as bad and the crime would be if committed against his or her mother. For centuries many of the best thinkers in the orthodox churches have tried to find a way to justify Hell. I think the best they have done is to say the same crime/sin committed against an infinite God demands an infinite punishment, and God would not be just if He did not torment all sinners forever; they have tried to make it look as if He has no way out and must torment in Hell. What new revelation do they have that makes God be wrong when He said, "The wages of sin is death"?
Throughout the Old Testament, God destroyed His enemies, Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood, drowning in the Red Sea, etc. He did not torment them forever. The Bible does not teach it is the character or nature of God to torment the lost.
Not only is Hell an addition to the Bible but also is many times more cruel than anything the pagans ever even thought of. Because for most it is something that is far away and not something they can see now, I do not think they can see how cruel they are being too most, or how cruel they are making God be. Because it is not something that is now real to them, they are able to tell themselves "it is justice." If the Hell they teach was real and they could look over into it and see God tormenting most of mankind in the terrible way they now teach that He will be doing, they would be terrified of such an evil being as they say their God is. HOW CAN ANYONE NOT SEE THIS?
The doctrine of an immortal soul that cannot die and must forever be tormented is the most heartless doctrine any person ever believed. BELIEVING IN HELL IS AS HEARTLESS AS ANY PERSON CAN BE, AND IS LOVING AND WORSHIPING THE MOST CRUEL, SADISTIC AND FIENDISH OF ALL GODS. If being created in the image of God means mankind cannot die but must forever be tormented, then being in the image of God is a curse for most of mankind. It would have been better for them to be as animals are. All things that "are" were made by God. If Hell did exist, it could only have been God that thought it up and made it.
DO THOSE WHO TEACH THE DOCTRINE OF HELL REALLY BELIEVE IN HELL? The plain inference is that they do not believe in it. They see some of their family, their friends, those they work with or live next door, that they say are going to Hell at death, but do little or nothing about it. If they really believe in Hell when they see unsaved people they know and love dying all around them, why do they do so little to save them? They seem to care more about what is on television than they do about the eternal torment of those they say they love, and countess millions of others
Summary: THE REAL ISSUE IN THE DOCTRINE OF HELL IS THE NATURE OF GOD. IS HE A GOD OF LOVE AND MERCY OR IS HE A CRUEL, SADISTIC, AND FIENDISH GOD TO MOST OF MANKIND AND MADE THEM JUST SO HE COULD TORMENT THEM AND GIVE THEM NO CHANCE TO NOT BE TORMENTED AND WILL NOT LET THEM DIE? THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN SUCH A GOD MUST DEFEND EVERLASTING TORMENT AND THE GOD WHO MADE MOST OF MANKIND KNOWING THAT HE WOULD TORMENT THEM FOREVER; AND ACCORDING TO THE CALVIN AND JONATHAN EDWARDS VERSIONS OF HELL, THIS GOD WOULD DELIGHT IN IT AND, ACCORDING TO CREEDS, AUGUSTINE, SPURGEON, AND MANY OTHERS, THOSE IN HEAVEN WOULD FIND DELIGHT IN SEEING THOSE IN HELL BEING ROASTED IN FIRE. SUCH A GOD AND HEAVEN CANNOT BE DEFENDED. A GOD WITH SUCH VINDICTIVENESS IS A TOTALLY CONTRADICTION TO THE GOD WHO WOULD HAVE ALL MEN COME TO REPENTANCE. God is not an eternal prison keeper who torments all that are in His prison. When I gave up the evil God of Hell, and believed in the true God; it brought a peace and joy I never believed possible. I now worship a God who is worthy of being loved and worshiped.
THE FATE OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN CHRIST
THE FATE OF THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST AFTER THE RESURRECTION.
Some ask. "An eternity in Heaven doing what?" I ask them, "An eternity on earth doing what?" I have not seen anywhere that they say what they think we will be doing on earth for an eternity. Take whatever they think there will be to do on earth for eternity and multiply it by a 100, or 10,000, or even by 100,000 and you will not have all that we will be doing in Heaven for an eternity. All the best of this earth will be gone. There will be no marriage, therefore, no family life [Matthew 22:30]. No sea [Revelation 21:1] therefore, nothing that has to do will the sea, no boating, no fishing, no sunset over the water, etc. Multiply the beauty of earth by 100,000 or more and you still will not have the beauty of Heaven.
LIFE ON THIS EARTH - versus - LIFE IN HEAVEN
There are three major views of the fate of the lost after death. There may be many variations on each, not to over simplify, but I think all the variations will be on one of the three.
A SUMMARY OF WHERE THE DEAD ARE. Four views on what happens at death, each one is in sharp conflict with the other three and makes them not possible. Yet, the same preachers put the dead in three places simultaneously.
"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten...for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you go" [Ecclesiastes 9:5-10]. "His breath goes forth, he returns to the earth: in that very day his thoughts perish" [Psalms 146:4]. "So man lies down and rises not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep" [Job 14:12]. If you read God's word and you still believe a person now has an immortal soul; and is not subject to death, there is no human language God could use to tell you otherwise. You have believed men and Satan, and will not hear God.
There is nothing hard to understand about the nature of a person or the fate of the wicked. It takes much help from theology to not understand the clear teaching of the Bible. Much help to make many believe Satan's lie over God's word. Much help for anyone to not be able to see the simple truth when he or she reads the Bible.
COULD GOD HAVE GIVEN HIS REVELATION ABOUT THE FATE OF MANKIND AFTER DEATH IN A WAY THAT ALL COULD UNDERSTAND IT? THE ANSWER IS YES. HE COULD AND DID CHOOSE WORDS, PARABLES, SYMBOLS, AND METAPHORS THAT CLEARLY TEACH THE DEATH OF, NOT THE TORMENT OF THE LOST. THE UNSAVED DIE, PERISH, ARE DESTROYED, AND ARE LOST. THE OBEDIENT ARE SAVED FROM DEATH, AND GIVEN LIFE AND IMMORTALITY AT THE JUDGMENT. GOD COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT ANY CLEARER. IF YOU THINK HE COULD HAVE, TRY TO SAY IT ANY CLEARER. The words and expressions are used that put the truth beyond all possibility of question. Eternal life with torment would not be death.
BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF, WITH GOD, AND GO TO HIS WORD WITH HONESTY, LOVE, AND REVERENCE. Can pagan teachings, which are promoted in the name of Christ, result in knowledge of the truth, which can save?
DO YOU WANT TO DIE? THE BIBLE LITERALLY MEANS WHAT IT SAYS, "THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH." Do you want to face God's wrath at the judgment and be found not fit to live? Do you want to know that the second death will be an eternal end of you? If not, then: Hear and Believe [Romans 1:16; Hebrews 11:6]. Repent [Luke 13:5]. Die to sin, and through baptism be buried and raised to walk in newness of life with Christ [Romans 6:1-23; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38 John 3:5]. "For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death (through baptism), we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" [Romans 6:5]. "God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has the life; he that has not the Son of God has not the life." [1 John 5:11-12]. Live faithfully unto death, and receive the crown of life and immortality at the resurrection [Revelation 2:10; 1 Corinthians 15:52-55; John 5:21]. "But they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead...neither can they die any more: for they...are sons of God" [Luke 20:35]. "It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing you thrust it from you AND JUDGE YOURSELVES UNWORTHY OF ETERNAL LIFE, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" [Acts 13:45-48]. THE QUESTION IS NOT WHERE WILL YOU SPEND YOUR ETERNITY, BUT WILL YOU HAVE AN ETERNITY.
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who WILL transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory" [Philippians 3:20-21]. "To him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God" [Revelation 2:7]. THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD TOTALLY DESTROYS THE DOCTRINE OF AN IMMORTAL SOUL FROM BIRTH. IF ANYONE HAD A SOUL THAT WAS ALIVE AND IN HEAVEN, IT COULD NOT BE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD, IT WOULD HAVE NO NEED OF THE RESURRECTION.
"But now has Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But, each in his own order: Christ the first fruits; then they that are Christ's at his coming." Could Paul have been any more specific? ONLY THROUGH THE RESURRECTION WILL ANYONE HAVE LIFE AFTER DEATH.
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