Immortality or Resurrection by William West (philippa perry book txt) 📕

Hell after the coming of Christ, after this earth does not exist. 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 alive before the resurrection. Young's literal translation of the Bible translates this action in the present tense as "bowing" (i.e. worshiping). These people have no rest while they are still worshiping the beast, while on earth. WHAT IS NOT SAID IS THAT THEY ARE TORMENTED FOREVER BUT THE SMOKE FROM THEIR TORMENT (THE AFTERMATH OF DESTRUCTION) GOSE UP FOREVER, EVIDENCE THAT GOD HAS ALREADY DESTROYED THEM.
N. W. Allphin said smoke symbolizes the effects or evidences of fire and the evidences of this destruction will never end, "Visions Unveiled, or The Revelation Explained" Page 168, 1985, Star Bible Publications.
"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, well 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.
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 forever and ever [UNTO the ages of ages].
1. Babylon “shall be found no more at all” Revelation 18:21
2. “Voice of harpers…heard no more at all” Revelation 18:22
3. “Craftsman…found anymore at all” Revelation 18:22
4. “The voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all” Revelation 18:22
5. “A lamp shall shine no more at all” Revelation 18:23
6. “Voce of bridegroom…shall be heard no more at all” Revelation 18:23
• Being “found no more at all” clearly means Babylon will not exist forever in eternal torment
• Babylon is fallen [Revelation 18:2]
• Burned up with fire [Revelation 18:8]
• The "smoke of her burning" was seen [Revelation 18:18]
If this were 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 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. SMOKE COMING FROM BABYLON BEFORE THE JUDGMENT MUST BE CHANGED TO SMOKE COMING FROM ALL THE LOST IN HELL AFTER THE JUDGMENT
Adam Clarke "Her smoke rose up. There was, and shall be, a continual evidence of God's judgments executed on this great whore or idolatrous city; nor shall it ever be restored."
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.
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 beast (Emperor worship or pagan Rome) and her worshipers. In chapter 18 the kings of the earth weep and lament over Babylon (probably symbolisms for Rome that would not be understood by those persecuting them and cause more persecution) 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 resurrection and 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.”
“Angels who through the ages had watched the unfolding and revealing of God’s eternal purpose and the conflict between good and evil, now see the consummation of the purpose and final consequence of evil” Homer Hailey, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, page 310.
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 in the presence of the angels and Christ, not in Hell. WHERE DO THEY THINK HELL IS? AWAY "FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD" OR "IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD." THE SAME PEOPLE SAY BOTH.
THE LAKE OF FIRE
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 beast is a literal beast and the birds are literal birds that eat the literal flesh of literal people. 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