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

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: The third time it is used is in Revelation 20:14 where 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
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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 new translations, including the New King
James Version, have 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?
[1] The BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET, which are symbols of two world powers,
two nonliving things [Revelation 19:20].
[2] THE DEVIL cast in with the beast and the false prophet [Revelation 20:10].
[3] DEATH AND HADES, two more nonliving things are cast into the lake of fire
[Revelation 20:14].
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[4] AND ALL WHO ARE NOT IN THE BOOK OF LIFE [Revelation 20:15].
• FOUR NONLIVING THINGS that can come to an end but cannot be tormented. I
know of no one that believes world powers will forever be tormented in "Hell."
(1) The beast [symbol of a world power] (2) The false prophet (3) Death (4)
Hades [the grave].
• TWO LIVING (1) The devil (2) Any not in the book of life. For them the wages
of sin is death, not the death of the body that comes to all, but the second death.
IT IS THE BOOK OF LIFE – NOT A BOOK OF REWARDS
The book of life is not a book or rewards for soul that cannot die, not a book of
rewards for souls that have life and cannot be dead. THE SECOND DEATH is not just a
loss of well-being, a loss of privilege, pleasure, or a reward; the second death is death, not
life with torment; death is the reverse of life, death is not life.
The book of life is in seven passages.
• Revelation 3:5: He that overcomes will not have his name blotted out of the book
of life.
• Revelation 13:8: The beast given authority over all that dwell on the earth all
worship the beast that do not have their name in the book of life.
• Revelation 17:8: The beast will go into destruction and all that dwell on the earth
whose name has not been written in the book of life shall wonder.
• Revelation 20:12 and 20:15: There is to be a judgment with all the dead standing
before the throne of God, the great and the small. At this judgment any not found
written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. It
is either or, either your name is in the book of life or it is not. If it is not then it
will be the second death. It is life or death, not a reward or punishment. “I will
give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that
overcomes shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My
son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and
fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the
lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death” [Revelation
21:6-8]. LIFE OR DEATH, NOT LIFE IN HEAVEN OR LIFE IN HELL, NOT
LIFE WITH A REWARD OR LIFE WITH PUNISHMENT.
• Revelation 21:27: Nothing unclean, only those that are written in the Lamb’s
book of life shall enter in the holy city.
• Revelation 22:19: Any that adds to or takes from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the “tree of life, and out of the holy
city, which are written in this book.” “The tree of life” in this passage seems to be
the same as “the book of life.”
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 BY THEM FOR IF IT WERE, IT WOULD END THE
PREMILLENNIAL DOCTRINE. IN THE SAME WAY THOSE WHO TEACH THE
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LAKE OF FIRE IS HELL CANNOT ACCEPT THE BIBLE'S INTERPRETATION OF
WHAT THE LAKE OF FIRE IS, THE SECOND DEATH, FOR TO THEM THE LAKE
OF FIRE IS AN ETERNAL LIFE OF TORMENT IN FIRE; THEREFORE, THE
SECOND DEATH CANNOT BE DEATH. THE BIBLE'S OWN INTERPRETATION
OF WHAT THE LAKE OF FIRE IS NOT ACCEPTED FOR IF IT WERE THERE
COULD BE NO HELL.
THE SYMBOLS - - - - - -THE BIBLE'S INTERPRETATION
[1] THE FIELD -------- IS THE WORLD not a farm Matthew 13:38
[2] THE GOOD SEED ---- ARE THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM not a garden Matthew
13:38
[3] THE TARES -------- ARE THE SONS OF THE EVIL ONE not weeds Matthew
13:38
[4] BOWLS OF INCENSE - ARE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS not cereal Revelation
5:8
[5] THE TEN HORNS ---- ARE TEN KINGS not ten trumpets Revelation 17:12
[6] THE WATERS ------- ARE PEOPLES, MULTITUDES, NATIONS not seas
Revelation 17:15
[7] THE WOMAN -------- IS THE GREAT CITY not a female Revelation 17:18
[8] SEVEN CANDLESTICKS ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES Revelation 1:20
[9] TEN HORNS -------- ARE TEN KINGS not a band Revelation 17:12
[10] FINE LINEN ------ IS RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS not a
tablecloth Revelation 19:8
[12] THE DRAGON ------ IS THE DEVIL AND SATAN Revelation 20:2
[13] 1,000 YEAR REIGN - IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION not a kingdom on earth
after the second coming of Christ Revelation 20:5
[14] LAKE OF FIRE ----- IS THE SECOND DEATH not a deathless place of
torment. All die once, sinners will die twice Revelation 21:8
The interpretation is ONLY what it is stated to be. The thousand years is the first
resurrection. The thousand years and the lake of fire are the two most misused symbols in
this book. It is as if God knew they would be misused, and He plainly said what they are
symbols of so there could be no excuses to misuse them. Those in Christ are now "kings
and priests" [Revelation 1:6]. Are a "kingdom and priests; and THEY REIGN UPON
THE EARTH" [Revelation 5:9-10]. Those who are baptized into Christ have been raised
with Him; they were dead and now have the life He gives and they live with Him. This is
the first resurrection, and those who have a part in it will not be subject to the second
death after the judgment. All others are dead in that they do not have the life Christ gives
and after the resurrection and judgment they will die the second death. The 1,000 years is
symbolic of an indefinite time in which the saints will reign with Christ; the saved
reigning with Christ begins after the resurrection of Christ and will last to His second
coming.
Strong lists ten Greek words that are translated thousand in the New Testament. Only
two of them are used in Revelations.
• Strong's word 5505, "chalias" is used 22 times in the New Testament. Luke 14:31
used two times; Acts 4:4; 1 Corinthians 10:8; Revelations 5:11; 7:4;