I thought there used to be a sub-forum for Essays, maybe not. However, I wrote this the other day, and thought it would fit here.
Twelve Gates To The End Of Time
In the very last pages of the Bible, we get a description of the New Jerusalem, including this tidbit:
"And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there." Revelation 21:25, KJV
No night, always day, and gates open all day – it sounds like they will never be closed. OK, but what about all those dogs and suchlike?
"For without [outside] are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore-mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Revelation 22:15, KJV
No worries! God takes care of that:
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15, KJV
A few verses later, we are told who fails to get listed:
"But the fearful [cowardly], and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelation 21:8, KJV
Now we know who goes into the Lake of Fire, and what happens to them: death, just the second death. Torture, suffering and punishment are not mentioned, except for the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet. This is how things stand at the end of the Revelation, the end of the Bible.
Does the Bible mention something later than this?
Yes! We see the End in I Corinthians 15:
"...in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death...then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." I Corinthians 15:22-28, KJV [emphasis added]
Understand what is said here: Death is destroyed. Think that through – if anyone is still dead, then Death has not been defeated, has it? But Death has been defeated, for it is so stated in the verses above. Then, all must be alive at that point in time, and after. Follow? Sure enough, verse 22 says just that: "...in Christ shall all be made alive." All those poor souls who got tossed into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment must emerge alive, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego!
No, I do not know the mechanism or the timetable. I do not know HOW the wicked will be cleansed, refined and redeemed by the Lake of Fire. I do know this, and the Bible says it is so: those sent to the flames do not stay there for ever and ever – no, they get a reprieve, so that God can become ALL in all.
The Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet also go to the Lake of Fire, "...and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10 They are going to be tormented even more when they see the departure of those they surely expected to share the Fire with them forever and ever!
DD 19April2018
I myself believe that the word "tormented" is a mistranslation simply because it comes from the idea of a "touchstone" which is an item to test purity of metal
And since I also believe that all chastisement is of a corrective nature with God, I believe this is the context it should be taken in because I also believe that Gold is a representation of wisdom
And I also believe that the words used "the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet" are representations of what the heart, the mind and the spirit "were" before going through the purifying process in wisdom, which I also believe is a picture of "the beginning" and "the end" seen at the same time.
and it is because of the revealing of how ignorant man was of the ways of God that we can glorify Him in all things for bringing us out of that ignorance
my :2c:
Amen! Good essay! :thumbsup:
When I read Revelation 22, I get the sense of it's a closing.. kind of if we are (living) stones of His temple (being built up into a spiritual priesthood) then does that make the city, all? I'm thinking it does.. and to Him, it exists now.. and after the signing off on the vision (like it too is a letter) mentions those still, at the time of writing, outside the city.. :dunno: There's a couple of other things I sense and read that way too.. All part of the Word's mystique.. (imo, :2c: )
Quote from: jugghead on April 21, 2018, 12:29:24 AM
I myself believe that the word "tormented" is a mistranslation simply because it comes from the idea of a "touchstone" which is an item to test purity of metal
And since I also believe that all chastisement is of a corrective nature with God, I believe this is the context it should be taken in because I also believe that Gold is a representation of wisdom
And I also believe that the words used "the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet" are representations of what the heart, the mind and the spirit "were" before going through the purifying process in wisdom, which I also believe is a picture of "the beginning" and "the end" seen at the same time.
and it is because of the revealing of how ignorant man was of the ways of God that we can glorify Him in all things for bringing us out of that ignorance
my :2c:
Amen! :iagree: ...I also ( :2c: ) see
"the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet" collectively, and in the world..
The ones thrown alive into the LoF in Rev 19, the beast and false prophet, I believe are institutions of man active at the time of Jesus' return.. the beast, being the "big" (or bigger) one of Rev. 13(1-10) a world body, and the false prophet/teacher, to be that
strange theory which has caused western civilization, once called
Christendom, to fall away from the faith. (The
strong delusion, able to say the false prophet began as a man.. became more, and has many modern miracles and wonders up its sleeve.. lots of 'em coming up on the world stage today..
theHarvest-gathering all in Christ[store house of Holycity/Jerusalem Above.The fire burns[consumes]tares[evil spirits]and chaff[man's dust body]the wheat[man's spirit
is seperated from his clay vessel[chaff]sown in in weakness and corruption.Just as the floodwaters of Noah seperated those bound in sin[body under going death]]
and the end came as world destroyed by the flood,so,too..we have the texts of judgement of this world stored up for fire.[the Princeof this world's works are evl]
Jesus breaks up[ironrod/clay vessel]up and destroys the 'wicked works of the devil in man's flesh".on the threshing floor..after tares removed/chaff seperated. that
man's spirit[wheat] may be raised up in power and incorruption.
the end of all flesh is come! flesh and blood can NOT inherit...so,when He says..Come,ye who are blessed..inherit the kingdom prepared for you........it will not be man in
fleshly form...but...the just[ified] spirits of men made PERFECT[youMust be perfect]
Psalms 12;6 and the Words of the Lord are flawless[perfect].like silver refined in a furnace of clay,purified seven times..
The PERFECT-I[eye]ON..eaon..
man's spirit is the 'lump' his fleshly clay body has bore the corrupt image[sin/evil/wickedness]sin entered and thus all men.........
...and just as we have all bore the image of the corruptible,so,too,shall we all bear the image of the incorruptible.
Mt 13;40-43.........weeds removed..everything that CAUSES SIN.[weakness,corruptibility].and all who do evil[satans messengers/princeof this world whose 'works' are evil]
no'NIGHT"there...satan and demons areNight[works of darkness] the nght comes when 'no man' can work. The angels asked theLord..'fromwhence comethe tares?"
and He replied..'an enemy hath done this in thenight" man's corruptible flesh 'knows' evil..as the seed fruit of wicked works the adversary doesin his flesh..and known
as 'sin in the flesh" TOKOGA-EVIL" Because Jesus was without sin..He could say...the princeof this world comes andhe has nothing in me.
the adversarial spirit/satan and his..the origin of the lie...liar/thief/murderer/man-killer....go back tothe garden.
satan anddemons are rebels..believe andtremble[fear]consortwith Babylon[whore] make idols[false gods presenting themselves as angels of light such as Baal/hellfire
doctrines]dogs return untovomit....cast out of heaven unto earth..where they continue their wicked works of the devil..even though confined unto this
earth[prison]until final sentence.satan slandered God,lied and decieved allin Adam/Eve unto thier death/stole the dominion of the earth..... satantook the bodyof the
serpent in the garden...possesed the bodies of beasts and men...entered Judas and had the heir put to death,tempts both God and men...accuses both God and man
going about tempting trying accusing deceving lying and murdering. God has put up with much long-suffering this entity..in order to make known the riches of His mercy
unto man[vessels of mercy prepared for glory].
fire purifies fields of weeds/tares/seeds by consuming them and thier ability to re-seed. we wllbe sanctified[HOLY] when He sets us apart[seperates us] from these profane
and utterly consumes all our adversaries. the doors are open unto man to enter inunto that Kingdom[New Heaven/earth]prepared from the beginning.because Jesus
is the door..and all men are to be made into new creatures[creation] bearing the image of the incorruptible. But,He said,I will show mercy unto whom I show mercy[man]
and those excluded[offspring of viper/tares/satans ]shallknowHis wrath and be utterly consumed. But ye sons of men shall not be consumed..because of His great love.
The TOL has no death,no sin,no liar,slanderer,murderer,corruption..it is a state of immortal/incorruptible perfection of man's spirit in the perfected image of God as His sons.
this is our inheritance and Kingdom without end.Let Us Make Man In Our Image and Likeness.HIS WORD WILL NOT RETURN UNTO HIM VOID.And so..the Wordof God
come in the flesh....and just asthe pattern son..is no longer known after the flesh..neither shall we be.
Isaaih43;2 Fear not! ForI have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name,you are mine.When you pass through the waters I will be with you...and when you pass
through the rivers they will not sweep over you,when you walk through the fire you will not be burned,the flames will not set you ablaze...v 6 bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth.everyone who is called by My name,whom I created for My glory!whom I formed and made.
v12 I have revealedand saved and proclaimed-I and not some foreign God among you.
Unless the Lord had left us a SEED.......[spirit of son] we would have become just like Sodom and Gomorrah[consumed of fire]
Good News of great joy unto all men,today unto us a son is given. O'what that proclamation meant..man recieve mercy and not utterly destroyed with satan andhisdemons.
O'Immanuel! GOD WITH US!!! :2c: