Immortality or Resurrection (Updated) by William West (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

dead go immediately to Heaven or Hell after
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 AND HAVE
THE DEAD LOOKING DOWN AT THEIR OWN FUNERAL.
PART THREE
THE SYMBOLIC PICTURES OF REVELATION
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, it is insisted that
one word be interpreted only figuratively in these passages, not the whole passage, until
they come to a book that is figurative, then it is insisted that the figurative be interpreted
as being literal. It is a hopeless cause that requires such poor handing of God's word.
THE FIFTH SEAL - SOULS UNDER AN ALTAR
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 after the time
he was writing [Revelation 4:1]. When we read the symbolism of Revelation, we must
remember that the figures symbolizes something that is a word picture and are not to be
taken literally. We must look for what is symbolized and not make the symbols 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 THE
SYMBOLIC SOULS UNDER AN ALTAR MUST MADE INTO LITERAL SOULS
SHOWS THE WEAKNESS OF THIS BELIEF. Even those who believe souls go to their
eternal abode in Heaven at death do not believe souls are now living in a prison under an
altar, but they are desperate for any passage to prove we now have in immortal soul that
goes to Heaven or Hell at death that they make it literal even if the souls must be living
under an altar, even if it puts a literal altar in Heaven.
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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 IS 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 a real 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 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?" The
blood of the sacrifice was poured at the base of an 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 symbol picture is taken from something on
this earth before the judgment, not a literal picture of Heaven. Surely, John did not
literally see them living under the altar on which they were killed and that this altar has
been moved from earth where they were killed to 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 with
more torment than anything we can know, but it has the saved that Protestants teach are
now in Heaven 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 of unceasing anguish and asking for more.
SYMBOLIC PICTURES
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
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sacrifice is made on this literal altar in Heaven? If the altar were literal, then there would
be literal death in Heaven, for to have a literal sacrifice on the literal alter there must be a
literal death of what is sacrificed. 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. This 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.
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; they are not literal or real events not at the judgment or 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 said, "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. 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," but after it did it work it went out and the land
became a desert inhabited by jackals and other wild things. 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
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temporal punishment on this earth, not of eternal torment in Hell. If “the smoke of their
torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night” were literal, THE
TORMENT AND SMOKE WOULD NOT BE IN HELL BUT IN HEAVEN, “IN THE
PRESENCE OF THE HOLY ANGELS AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LAMB”
[Revelation 14:10]. “Day and night” has to do with time, not eternality; the American
Standard Version say, “Greek, ‘unto the ages of ages’” which would put the smoke in
time and end when time as we know it ends. When it said the smoke would be going up
“unto the ages of ages” is saying the smoke will be going up in time and will end with
time; there is no hint that it will go up throughout the “ages of ages.” “Unto” a given
time “the ages of ages” is not forever.
“In the clause ‘they have no rest day nor night who worship’…is the present participle denoting
they have no rest day nor night while they are worshipping” Charles Welch, The