Day of Christ

The Day of Christ begins with the appearing (the epiphaneia) and kingdom (basileia ) of Jesus Christ (2 Tim.4:1) and the blazing forth of the glory of the great God, even our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). This is when the hope of the calling of the Mystery is realized. This is when our faith gives way to sight. This is the next event on God's prophetic clock. This is when Christ Jesus, in His role as the Head of the high calling, convenes [calls into session] His Ecclesia (Church) which is His Body. As the Great Convoker, He, alone, calls His Ecclesia into session. This marks His assumption of sovereignty over the nations. Those who have been memberd into “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” will either be raised out from among the dead, or will be changed from mortal to immortal, and will take their place, or station, in His Government. Concurrently with the many events taking place when Christ Jesus assumes sovereignty over mankind and the nations, the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will actively and aggressively restrain evil (John 16:7-13). People who sin will die for their own sin (Jer. 31:30). The Spirit will hinder transgressions because man’s conscience will have been quickened (made alive). The Day of Christ is synonymous with all of the above, including the Kingdom of God, and comes before the tribulation and the second coming (Parousia) of Christ. During the Day of Christ, heaven and earth will be governed by Christ Jesus from His heavenly Throne. This dispensation is set in contrast to the Millennium or the Day of the Lord. To say the two are the same is to say that “one-plus-one equals one.” Most all Christians realize that the Day of the Lord (i.e. the Tribulation and the Millennium) begins with revolution, bloodshed and violence which will be an unprecedented event in all of human history. The Old Testament has a lot to say about this Day—the Day of the LORD. Isaiah speaks about the Lord's imposition upon the world of His Millennial Rule; “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with wrath, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord will be many” (Isa. 66:15-16). Psalm 50:3 says; "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him." Psalm 97:3; “A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about.” These verses relate to Jesus Christ Personally returning to earth to put an end to the nation’s revolt against His Rule from heaven (2 Thess. 2:1-12). When the Kingdom of God comes to Israel, it comes silently, “without observation” (Lu.17:22). It will not come suddenly or dramatically. Its’ coming is likened; “as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mk. 4:26-28). When the Kingdom comes, it comes without calamity with no harm being done to anyone. Notice a much overlooked passage; “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory” (Matt.12:19-20). Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4 which informs us that the Kingdom (i.e God’s Government) begins with the Gentile nations. Israel will not be a nation at this time. They will still be scattered, or dispersed, among the nations. While ruling over the nations, the Lord begins His work of re-gathering the Jews. Over time, He leads them back to the Promised Land ─as believers. No unbelieving Jew will be brought back to Palestine; no, not one! The unbelieving will remain scattered among the nations. [This brings up the question; ‘What about the Israel that now is?’ All we’ll say for now is; the present Israel is not of God’s doing. When He brings them back, there will be no disputes regarding borders or whose land it is]. “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezk.20:38). If words have any meaning, then we must conclude that something begins silently, mysteriously, without observation, without strife, without Christ being heard, and without damage being inflicted. On the other hand, something else begins (i.e. the Lord’s Day) with a colossal display of vengeance, wrath, and cataclysmic punishment which will be openly displayed. It is a contradiction to insist that the two descriptions relate to the beginning of the same event. In plainer words, the Prophetic Word informs us that there is coming the Day of Christ which is another term for the coming Kingdom of God. We are met with a non-Scriptural term, The Millennium, which relates to the 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth. The Biblical term for this is the Day of the Lord. It is essential to distinguish between the two. The Holy Spirit does. We should do so, also. If we force all truths connected to the Day of Christ into the Day of the Lord, the result is utter confusion. Not only that, but we rob the Lord Jesus Christ of His Day of Exaltation. During the Day of Christ, He will draw, or compel, all men unto Himself. He will be exalted from the earth as every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. His Day begins with His “appearing and Kingdom,” and He begins to judge the quick and the dead. (2 Tim.4:1). This is when the glory of the great God, even Jesus Christ our Savior, blazes forth (Titus 2:13). Isaiah speaks of this event in 40:5; “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” and at the same time. What is seen is the glory of the LORD, not the LORD descending from Heaven; to this, Numbers 14:21 agrees; “But truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” When the Kingdom comes, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters covers the sea” (Hab.2:14). The Psalmist says; “And blessed be His glorious Name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory” (72:19). The world will experience the revealing of His Glory without Christ Jesus leaving His Heavenly Throne. The shining forth of the glory of God takes place before the Day of the LORD. It is noted in Isaiah's vision that the seraphim see Christ's Day and say; “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the earth is full of His glory.” During the Day of Christ, the “times of refreshing comes from the presence of the LORD.” All things are rejuvenated while the Heavens retain Christ (Acts 3:19-21). The pristine, pre-Noah flood conditions will be re-created (Isa. 65:17; 66:22). When the Day of Christ begins, all of mankind will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and realize that Jesus Christ is LORD! Christ will begin His benevolent rule of the world. Then, He will begin converting His ancient people, Israel. Read Ezekiel 20:23-33, and notice how the Lord begins a work in their hearts and will lead them back into the Holy Land as a Christ-believing people. As the Day of Christ draws to a close, the restraints of the Spirit are gradually withdrawn.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Peace On Earth Goodwill To Men

Plainer Words Online
                                                       By
Tom L. Ballinger

December 17, 2014    

PLAINER WORDS ON … PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TOWARD MAN

    “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone  round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”(Luke 2:8-14).
   
   This passage of Scripture is largely ignored except at Christmas time. There are, however, profound truths embodied in the message delivered to the shepherds, beyond the fact that the Savior is born in the City of David.
   Encapsulated in the good tidings that were announced to the shepherds with great joy, it was “for all people,” not just for Israel. It was for every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. After the initial announcement of the Angel of the Lord concerning the birth of the Savior, suddenly, there appeared a multitude of heavenly hosts (angels) saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
    This is the first New Testament announcement of the coming Kingdom of God (i.e., the Pre-Millennial Kingdom). The Angel of the Lord and the multitude of heavenly hosts proclaimed the time in which the Lord, alone, would be exalted. The coming Day [the Day of Christ] will be when every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil.2:10-11). This refers to the time when the Kingdom of God becomes a reality in the earth.  The disciples were told to pray for this event, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt.6:10). This magnificent Day follows the present Dispensation of Grace.
    When the Kingdom comes, Christ will assume sovereignty over the earth and will begin His manifest reign over the nations, and the affairs of mankind.  His Kingdom in the earth is not, now, in place.  However, one day it will be a reality.  When His will is done on the earth, there will be “peace on earth.” 
    Isaiah speaks of this peace in Verse 4 of Chapter 2, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
    Micah says the same in 4:3; “And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
    When the Kingdom comes, there will be “peace on earth.” Weapon systems will be destroyed. “Defense” contractors will turn their production facilities into that of producing plows and tractors. Military academies will be closed. Nations will no longer teach how to wage war. Universal peace will be the order of the day.  For two-thousand years, God has been displaying His grace to the world. He has not been exercising His government, or His judgments in the world. He has been dispensing Grace.  Wrongs will, one day, be addressed when His Kingdom comes. During the Dispensation of the Grace of God, He is not, overtly, manifesting His “good will toward men.”
    When the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God actually comes into being in the earth, all mankind will know, without a doubt, that He is dispensing “good will toward men.” Acts 3:19-21 says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”       This tells us refreshing times, that is to say, exhilarating, invigorating, stimulating, and healthy times shall come from the presence or Face of the Lord, and all things shall be restored.  The world will be restored to a holy and happy state. It could be said; Paradise will be restored.
    Hunger and starvation will disappear. To this, the Prophets agree. God will cause the desert to rejoice, and “blossom like the rose” (Isa.35:1-2). Water shall break out in the wildernesses, and “streams in the desert” (Isa.35:6).  When the Lord exerts His regenerating power in the earth, the earth will yield her increase (Ezk.34:27).  Psalm 85:12 says, “Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.”
     In the astonishing passage of Amos 9:13, there is further evidence of God’s “good will toward men:” “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall over-take the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the  hills shall melt.” In plainer words, the earth will yield her increase year around. Food stuffs will abound.
    The animal kingdom will undergo a radical change as God demonstrates His “good will toward men.” Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid [young goat]: and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”  The lion, in the Day of Christ, shall eat straw like the ox, and poisonous snakes and reptiles will no longer be a threat (Isa.11:6-7).
    Physical handicaps, birth defects, sicknesses, diseases, and plagues will disappear from the earth. Excellent health will be the standard. The blind shall see. The deaf shall hear. The tongue of the dumb shall sing. The crippled shall leap like a deer (Isa.35:5-6). Psalm 67:2 speaks of these benefits as, “Thy saving health among all nations.”
    Sorrows and sighing “shall flee away” (Isa.35:10). “...and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard... nor the voice of crying” (Isa.65:19).
    Another benefit for mankind will be that God will instantly answer prayer, “And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isa.65:24).
     “Good will” from God “toward men” will, also, be demonstrated during the times of “restitution of all things,” by Divine guidance and direction being given to men, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa.30:21).
     Mankind’s life span shall be greatly increased, much like that of the people prior to the universal flood of Noah's time. Isa.65:20-22:  “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old  man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed... They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isa.65:21-22).
      These are the blessings of Heaven which mankind will enjoy upon the earth, when the Lord Jesus Christ begins to “judge the quick and the dead at His Appearing and Kingdom”  (2 Tim. 4:1).
     The good news of the coming Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God is that the Lord Jesus Christ will bring all of His resources to bear for the benefit of mankind.
      The Christmas message will really be meaningful to those whose trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who live, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). When this happens, it will truly be peace on earth and the Lord will truly show good will toward men. Today, He shows only grace toward men. Thankfully, He is dispensing Grace, not Judgment. If it were judgment, Ephesians 2:8 would not be available to us; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

It was one night in February 1963 that I realized my goodness wasn’t enough to meet God’s Standards for salvation—realizing this Truth I bowed down in our bathroom, believing Ephesians 2:8,9,&10, and asked to be saved for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the belief the Lord gave me, and it secured my destiny and settled where I’d spend my eternity.

(This Christmas essay by Tom Ballinger was first issued on Wednesday, November 19, 2003).

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tom and Gloria Ballinger

The Web site for our Bible Studies has over 375 issues:
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Tom L. Ballinger
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Lancaster, Texas 75146


Friday, November 21, 2014

The Coming of The Lord

WHEN HE SHALL COME

I desire to say, and to have it on record, that I believe in the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. I believe this because it is declared in the Word of God. I believe this as an individual and would hold it to be the truth even if I were the only one on earth who did so. There is no compulsion from any other source that requires me to believe this. It is not the creed of any group with whom I fellowship. I believe this just because it is written that, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). In fact, I hesitate not at all to make the boast that there is no man on earth who believes any more strongly than I do in the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ to the earth. I am a believer; believing is my business; it is my way of life; and I do not stumble at any detail, once I can settle in my mind that it is what the Word says.

Furthermore, I believe that this personal and visible return of Jesus Christ is with the purpose in view that He shall be personally present upon the earth for a thousand years. I do not agree with those who make everything of Christ’s coming and little or nothing of His personal presence. The fact of His presence is the important truth, not the journey that brings Him back.

I believe that His thousand-year personal presence will be a thousand-year parousia. A personal presence is not necessarily a parousia. Most men who have studied this word have terminated their studies prematurely, and they have finished with the erroneous conclusion that this word means naught but personal presence. While this is the basic idea in it (a parousia is not possible apart from a personal presence), yet, a personal presence may or may not be a parousia. (See Issues No. 24 and 25 for full examination of this word.)

My firm belief in the personal return and presence of Christ does not include all the ideas connected with it that have been concocted by the emotional and illogical preachers of prophecy. I have no time at all for the thousand-and-one events, past and present, that have been set forth as signs that the return of the Lord is imminent. Neither do I believe the oft-repeated idea that the Christians of the first century expected the return of Christ before death would overtake them. If this had been their expectation, they would have had to have been led to expect it by the Holy Spirit; and this theory could only point to the conclusion that He led them wrong. While many passages are cited to prove that the first followers of Christ expected His return at any moment, I believe that all such passages have been misinterpreted, misunderstood, and misapplied. Some, like 1 Cor. 1:7 which is constantly used, have been mistranslated.

The Bible does not teach the possibility of the Lord Jesus returning to the earth today, tomorrow, this week, or this year. If He did return today, it would make a shambles of God’s own revealed order of events. This order of events may not be crystal clear in all its details, but the main events are clear enough to establish the truth that many things must precede the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.

For example, Elijah must come first and restore all things (Matt. 17:11). This is not an independent event, as it follows God’s assumption of sovereignty; and the work of Elijah is all done within the time period of the kingdom of God. Furthermore, in due time, a "man of lawlessness" must be unveiled who will seat himself in "the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4). Since this one will be destroyed by the blazing forth of His parousia, it is evident that the parousia cannot take place until the "temple of God" has been rebuilt. Israel’s great new temple will be rebuilt in the kingdom of God.

It has, for more than a half-century, been my purpose to know and to believe all that the Bible teaches concerning the return and personal presence of Jesus Christ. Most things revealed are very pleasant and easy to believe; but some things declared are not so pleasant; yet, these must also be believed. For example, it is my conviction that 2 Thess. 1:7-10 refers to His actual coming in person to be present upon the earth. Here we read:

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 2 Thess. 1:7-10.
I have examined this passage in the original Greek, looked at it in at least twenty versions of the New Testament, and consulted many writers, wondering if someone had found a way of translating or interpreting this passage that would ameliorate this exceedingly drastic punishment that will be visited upon "them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ." The search has been in vain, for the words here are plain and highly expressive. This passage describes the fate, not just of unusually wicked men, but of ignorant men and those disobedient to the gospel, "when He shall come."

From all this, it is evident that if the second coming of Christ takes place while the world is in its present state of darkness and disobedience, then the overwhelming majority of living humanity will be exterminated. This is such a radical action, that I, for one, cannot justify it on the part of God, the One Who so loved the world that He gave His Son for its salvation.

However, let there be a long period of time when men live under the beneficent effects of divine government (Psalm 67:4), of divine enlightenment (Psa. 97:4), of the manifestation of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:4 - see note 1 below), of an unveiled Christ (1 Cor. 1:7 - see note 2 below), of a world filled with "the knowledge of God" (Isa. 11:9) — then if they shut God out of their thoughts and refuse to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, any punishment visited upon them would be just and right.

If Jesus Christ were to come back tonight, it would completely upset the divine timetable, scramble the Word of God, and make impossible the fulfillment of at least a hundred glorious promises that God has made concerning Israel and the nations. There are today upon the earth about 13 million Jews, whose chief characteristic for 1900 years has been their rejection of every claim concerning Jesus Christ, both as to His mission and message. What would happen to them if Christ should return today? Would not Israel as a living people be destroyed? How then would God fulfill all the glorious promises He has made to them? Consider, for example, the promise made concerning them in Ezekiel 34:11-15:

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. Eze. 34:11-15.
When this prophecy is linked up with two more of like nature in Ezekiel 20 and 28 (note 20:30, 42, 44; 28:25; 34:27), it will be seen that Israel comes to know the Lord as the result of all this beneficent activity in their behalf.

The truths declared in the prophecies of Israel’s restoration and that declared in 2 Thess. 1:7-10 are so opposed to one another that they are mutually exclusive. If Jesus Christ came back to earth today, the event described in 2 Thess. would make impossible the fulfillment of these prophecies.

The divine vengeance of 2 Thess. 1:8 is of such nature that divine justice would require that certain other things must be true before it can be righteously executed. Remember, this vengeance is not the penalty of those who have lived their lives in sin and disobedience. It is the portion of those who know not God and who obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, before this divine vengeance could be righteously executed, there would first of all need to be an unquestioned opportunity given to every living man to know God. Since this divine vengeance concerns only those who are living upon the earth "when He shall come," they should at least be treated equally with the Pharisees of whom the Lord said: "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father" (John 15:22, 24).

Once such an opportunity is given to men to know God, then any punishment meted out to those who know not God would be fully deserved and its justice cannot he questioned. How thankful we should be that there is to be a long period of time before the second coming of Christ when the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together (Isa. 40:5). This will be in the kingdom of God, a period time that precedes His return to the earth.

NOTES

The word "appear" in the KJV is from the Ck. phaneroO and should be translated "be manifested."
The word "coming" in the KJV is from the Ck. apokalupsis, "unveiling."

http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb066.htm

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Just What Is The Parousia Part 1 and 2



THE "PAROUSIA" IN MATT. 24

(Originally published 10 Dec. 80)

It amazes me how men who profess to be students of the Word of God can treat the word parousia as if it always means "coming," acting as if this definition were a foregone conclusion, and using it as if it were the only meaning it could possibly have. Such practices reveal superficial consideration and a complete lack of objectivity. Their reason for attaching this misleading meaning to this important word is based upon the fact that the King James translators rendered it by the word coming in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurrences. They should face up to the fact that in doing this they actually erased the glorious truth of the parousia of Jesus Christ from the New Testament.

Many students have been surprised to find that the word parousia is not just another name for the glorious journey that Jesus Christ will make when He returns to earth, but that it is the Biblical term, the actual divine description for the personal presence of Jesus Christ upon the earth for a well-defined period of a thousand years. Two important studies in this truth will be found in SEED AND BREAD, Issues No. 24 and 25. These will be supplied to any reader on request.

As has already been suggested the word parousia is found twenty-four times in the Greek New Testament. It is translated "coming" in twenty-two of these and in two it is rendered "presence" (See 2 Cor. 10:10 and Phil 2:12).

It is a well known fact that when one’s creedal position becomes so fixed that it is not subject to any change, then there is no possible room for any further truth that may come forth from the careful study of the Word of God. It was this situation that caused the theologians who arose after the reformation to adopt the position that everything that was germane to God’s truth had been brought forth by the reformers and that nothing needed to be changed or additions made. So, even though the very word parousia spoke loud and clear of a time when Jesus Christ would be personally present upon the earth, they had no time or place for this in their tight theological system.

The translators of the King James Version were amillennialists, and in harmony with this view the word parousia was incorrectly translated "coming" in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurences. The plain facts in the case caused them to yield to the truth in the two occurences already mentioned. No doctrine was at stake in these two passages.

In previous studies it has been shown that according to the elements of this word, New Testament usage, Classical Greek usage, Septuagint usage, and the occurrences in the papyrus, the word parousia, when used of beings, means a personal presence when one is present because of who or what he is and what he does in view of his position. Furthermore, it must be noted that a personal presence is not necessarily a parousia if the one present is not there in relationship to his position and service.

Some years ago an incident happened that well illustrates this. I was in the hospital recovering from a major operation. A doctor came in to see me, but his presence in my room could not be described as a parousia. He was a physician, but he was not there to perform any service that a physician usually performs. He was there because he was my friend and had come to bring me a gift to help in the expenses which I faced. Soon after he left another doctor came in to see me, and his personal presence could be properly described as a parousia. He was there officially to perform the services that a doctor would be expected to do.

The Greeks had two words for personal presence. The word pareimi which meant a personal or actual presence and nothing more, and the word parousia which was a technical term and meant a personal presence when one was officially present to perform official duties.

The first four occurrences of parousia in the New Testament give us very valuable information concerning this word and the event it describes. Most of this is lost to the average reader due to misinterpretation and misapplication. These four occurrences are all in one chapter, Matthew 24. In the third verse we learn that the twelve disciples came to the Lord Jesus privately and asked the question: "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of your parousia, even the consummation of the eon?"

In Issue No. 25, I dealt with the rule of Greek grammar that fully justifies this translation. This was further expounded in Issue No. 122, and it can be stated simply as follows: "When kai, the copulative ‘and’ connects two nouns of the same case, and if the definite article precedes the first noun and is absent from the second noun, the latter noun always refers to the same person, place, or thing that has been set forth in the first noun."

This rule applies to the two nouns found in the question asked by the apostles (parousias and sun teleias). They were asking about one thing, not two things. The first noun has the definite article, the second noun does not, even though it is found in Stephen’s text. Careful investigation has shown it to be an interpolation, and it is excised by nearly all editors.

The eon here of which they are speaking is the kingdom eon, that pre-advent time of divine government that prepares mankind for the personal presence of Jesus Christ. All the divine actions of the kingdom of God consummate in the parousia. There can really be no doubt but that the word sunteleia means a coming together of all the actions and operations that are moving toward a desired goal or end. This is why the word consummation is used to translate it. The word here is not telos, the actual end; but sunteleia, the act of completing to produce a desired goal or end.

There is nothing in the disciples question about the "coming" of Christ. How could there be when He was then present with them? Their question concerns the sign (singular) of His parousia, and this is defined by them as being ‘‘the consummation of the eon."

In answer to their question the Lord begins with a warning saying:

"Take heed lest any one mislead you" (24:4). This admonishment was given because the parousia of the Lord Jesus will not become a reality without a great struggle of deception and opposition on the part of Satan and his cohorts. He will well know that the time of his casting out is drawing near and his wrath is arising because he knows he has but a short time. See Revelation 12:12. The development and the outcome of this fierce struggle is set forth in the balance of Matthew 24.

The Lord declares to them that many shall come in His name (that is, in His character) saying, "I am the Messiah" and many shall be deceived by them. However, not one of them shall be able to produce "the sign of the Son of man in heaven" (24:30), a sign which no one now knows and will not know until it appears, but when it does appear the wise and prudent will recognize it and know and understand that the Lord Jesus has left His place in heaven and is on His way to the earth for a parousia that will last for a thousand years. Could this sign be a complete replay of the vision Ezekiel saw and recorded in chapter one of this prophecy? It could very well be. How thrilling it would be to stand with our Bibles open and see this great drama played out in the skies and every detail following the script to the very letter. I, for one, will gladly go through the great tribulation just to see this.

The Lord Jesus told them further that there would be battles and reports of battles (not wars), nations arising against nations and governments against governments, also that there would be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. These He declares are "the beginning of sorrows,’’ a statement that has no meaning unless there has been a complete absence of all such calamities for a long period of time. All these things have been happening and been prominent upon the earth ever since the entrance of sin. They were happening when the Lord spoke these words and have been commonplace ever since. Thus, it is most illogical for men to cry "signs of the times", "the beginning of the great tribulation," "Armageddon is coming", every time a war, famine, earthquake, or pestilence occurs. Let us be done once and for all with this "Chicken Little" attitude.

When we understand the prophesied flow of events set forth in the definite time periods of the New Testament (See Issue No. 23 and Issue No. 129) we will realize that all such things as false messiahs, false apostles, hot and cold wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have ceased under the long period of God’s benevolent government of the earth, a government of the Lord Jesus from heaven which precedes the events of Matthew 24. The rigid restraints and swift punishments that will characterize His rule (Psa. 67:4) will keep all such things from happening. But when in God’s time and purpose these restraints and the Restrainer Himself (God’s Holy Spirit) is taken Out of the way (See Issues No. 113 and 114) evil men and conditions will appear and these will be highly significant.

It is my firm conviction that the ninth verse of this portion will never be acted out until after the twelve apostles have been raised from the dead and have reigned long as judges upon the twelve thrones promised to them by the Lord (Matt. 19:28). Those who rebel against God’s government will center their hatred on these twelve men, who will find safety in taking God at His word and fleeing to the mountains when they see the supreme sinful act of the "abomination of desolation," of which Daniel speaks.

Only in their mountain refuge will they be safe. So if while there anyone comes and says "Lo, here is Christ or there" they are not to believe it. If any say He has appeared and is in the desert; they are not to believe it, if any say He has returned and is in a secret room in Jerusalem, they are not even to listen to him. Following this He says: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia of the Son of man be" (24:27).

From these words of our Lord we know of a certainty that His parousia and the coming that produces it will be sudden, dramatic, and public. The idea of a secret coming or of a secret personal presence is unknown to the Word of God. Neither can such be found in I Thess. 4: 14-17. In this passage Paul declares that those who are alive and remain unto the parousia of the Lord shall not precede those who are dead. These dead are the martyrs of the revolt against the kingdom, first seen in Matt. 24:9. He further declares: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 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 which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

There is nothing secret about this, and it is plain He is not coming to take saints to heaven. He is coming to be on earth in a one-thousand year parousia. Those who are caught up simply go forth to meet Him, and they will return with Him to be present with Him throughout His parousia. My prayer is that all who name His name shall so live that when He is made manifest we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him in His parousia.

http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb133.htm

SEED & BREAD Number 25: NEXT

THE PAROUSIA OF THE LORD JESUS

In the pre-recorded history (prophecies) of the future benevolent services which the Lord Jesus Christ will yet perform for mankind, one of the most important is that which will be accomplished in His thousand year parousia. Having established in Issue No. 23 the meaning of the Greek word parousia, I shall henceforth use it as an English word in the confidence that my readers will understand that by it I mean a personal presence when one is present because of who or what he is and what he does in view of this.

The great truth of the parousia of the Lord Jesus is unknown and unrecognised by most readers of the English Bible since the word is not found there. It is wrongly translated "coming" in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurrences. It is the parousia of Jesus Christ that will prepare and qualify mankind for the place he will have and the services he will perform in the new heaven and new earth. Under that new order the tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them and they will be His people and He will be their God (Rev. 21:3). Not even that long term of school in the kingdom of God will fully prepare men for this position and service. We will yet need the learning and discipline that comes from Christ being personally present because of Who He is and what He will do.

When we consider that the event which is commonly called "the rapture" is one that is related to the parousia, and which so many are saying is the next event in God's prophetic program, it causes us to realise the need for an objective study of the parousia of the Lord Jesus.

It is in Matthew 24:3 that we find the first mention of this great event. The Lord's twelve apostles came to Him privately upon the Mount of Olives and asked the question, "What will be the sign of your parousia, even the consummation of the eon?"

The eon here is the kingdom eon, that pre-advent time of divine government that prepares mankind for the parousia of Jesus Christ. The eon consummates in the parousia, and it is the consummation of that eon. In justification of the above translation I would cite the following:

There is a rule of Greek grammar which is as follows. When two nouns in the same case are connected by the word kai (and), and the second noun lacks the definite article, then the second noun refers to the same person or thing as the first noun and is a definition of it. An example of this will be found in 1 Cor. 15:24 where Paul speaks of "God, even the Father" (Theo kai patri).
This rule applies to the two nouns found in the question asked by the apostles (parousia and sunteleia). They are asking about one thing, not two things. The parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ is the consummation of the eon -- not this present evil eon, but the glorious eon of the day of Christ, that eon of divine government which is next to come upon the earth.

I am fully convinced that the word sunteleia means a coming together of all that is necessary to produce a desired goal or end, so I have used the word consummation to translate it. The word here is not telos (the actual end) but sunteleia, the act of completing to produce a desired result.

It will help us to fix the meaning of sunteleia in our minds if we will remember that the consummation of a woman's pregnancy is the birth of a living child. A child born dead would be the end of her pregnancy but it would not be the consummation of it. The goal would not have been reached.

There is nothing in this passage about the coming of Christ. How could there be when He was then present with them? The disciples' question concerns His parousia, which they further describe as being "the consummation of the eon". As said before, the eon spoken of here is the eon of the kingdom of God. The consummation of the kingdom eon is the parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, His parousia will not be ushered in without a great struggle of opposition on the part of Satan. The developments and the outcome of this struggle are set forth in the ensuing portion of Matthew 24.

In answer to their question the Lord sets forth certain significant events that will precede His parousia. They asked for the signs of it and this is what He gives to them. These are:

Men coming in His character claiming they are the Anointed One,
Battles and reports of battles,
Nation rising up against nation and government against government,
Famines,
Pestilences, and
Earthquakes.
And since these things have always been prominent in the earth from the time of the entrance of sin (they were prominent when the Lord spoke these words and have been prominent ever since) the logical mind will wonder how they can possibly be signs of the nearness of His parousia.

The answer is that they cannot be and it is illogical to cry "signs of the times" every time a famine or earthquake or pestilence occurs. However, when we understand the flow of events set forth in the time periods of the New Testament we realise that these things have ceased under God's government which precedes these events and the parousia. The rigid restraints (Isa. 30:31) and the swift punishments that will characterise the government of God will keep all such things from happening. But when these restraints are lifted and the restrainer Himself (the Holy Spirit) is removed, evil men and evil conditions will again appear and be highly significant. It should also be apparent that the great drama that is written out in detail in Matthew 24 can never be acted out until the twelve apostles have been raised from the dead and are in their positions as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. These words and warnings were spoken to them, and not to us. Nevertheless, all readers are cautioned, "Whoso readeth, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15).

The actual period of time being dealt with here is the seventieth week, a seven year period, of Israel's seventy weeks as revealed in Daniel 9. This seven year period is divided into two parts and it is the last three and one-half years that makes up "the great tribulation". This begins the great struggle for it in the middle of the week that Satan is cast down to earth, raging with great wrath because he knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12).

It is then that all the governing people in Israel ("them which be in Judea" Matt. 24:16) must flee to the mountains. This will be an orderly migration, a work of faith, and the apostles will be in absolute charge. They are to take nothing, since the same Lord who fed and clothed their murmuring fathers in these same mountains for forty years can certainly supply the needs of this righteous band for forty-two months.

It is the presence of Satan, the great deceiver, upon the earth, that makes this to be a time of affliction such as has never been before. But they are safe in their divinely appointed place in the mountains and the forces of antichrist do not dare to go in and bring them out, so they spend their time marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem. This is the time when "Jerusalem shall be trodden of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". See Eze. 30:2, Luke 21:24, Rev. 11:2. But it seems they begin to look foolish marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem when the ones they seek to capture and destroy are in the mountains. And it is when they assemble at Megiddo in preparation for turning into the mountains that the Lord comes and fights against them. This is the battle of Armageddon, in which not one life is lost except those who are in revolt against Israel and against God's government. Remember that the "man of sin" is destroyed by the blazing forth (epiphaneia) of His parousia (2 Thess. 2:8).

In answering their question concerning the signs of His parousia He warns them to disregard all declarations that He has returned to the earth and is in the desert or hidden away in some secret chamber in the city, thus to avoid all stratagems that would lure them out of their divinely appointed place of safety. He then states with absolute finality:

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the parousia of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:27.)
From this we know that His parousia will be sudden, dramatic, and public. The idea of a secret parousia is unknown in the Word of God.

As the Lord continues His message He declares that it is "immediately after the tribulation of those days" that they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24: 29, 30). This is the coming that results in His parousia.

One evident fact that will be apparent to all who examine the four occurrences of the word parousia in Matthew 24, is that it is an event that comes after the great tribulation and not before. It cannot be moved around to suit the whims of faulty prophetic schemes. It is also seen to be one definite event. Any attempt to make two parousias will not stand the test of Scripture.

One of the most important references to the parousia of the Lord is found in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 where Paul prefaces his declaration by saying, "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," which indicates a new revelation not made by anyone before. He continues by saying that those who are alive and remain unto the parousia of the Lord shall in no wise be a step ahead of those who are asleep. He declares that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the chief messenger, and with the trump of God. This is His coming, His coming in order to be personally present. As He descends those who are then "dead in Christ", a martyred group who gave up their lives in the great tribulation, will be raised and these with the living shall be caught up with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. It is wrong to twist this into the idea that He is coming to take these people to heaven. He is coming to be personally present upon the earth and here to accomplish all the great works that His many offices indicate. He is not coming to govern. After the kingdom experience those who still need government have not acquired the maturity that is necessary for a place on earth when He is personally present in view of all that He is and all that He will do.

The words of the scoffers who ask, "Where is the promise of His parousia?" (2 Pet. 3:4) are tantamount to saying, "There is no promise of a parousia in the Bible." The amillennial school of interpretation is doing this today. They are a sign that we are in the closing days of this dispensation. Don't listen to them.

http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb025.htm



Parousia... What Does it Really Mean?



THE "PAROUSIA" IN MATT. 24

(Originally published 10 Dec. 80)

It amazes me how men who profess to be students of the Word of God can treat the word parousia as if it always means "coming," acting as if this definition were a foregone conclusion, and using it as if it were the only meaning it could possibly have. Such practices reveal superficial consideration and a complete lack of objectivity. Their reason for attaching this misleading meaning to this important word is based upon the fact that the King James translators rendered it by the word coming in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurrences. They should face up to the fact that in doing this they actually erased the glorious truth of the parousia of Jesus Christ from the New Testament.

Many students have been surprised to find that the word parousia is not just another name for the glorious journey that Jesus Christ will make when He returns to earth, but that it is the Biblical term, the actual divine description for the personal presence of Jesus Christ upon the earth for a well-defined period of a thousand years. Two important studies in this truth will be found in SEED AND BREAD, Issues No. 24 and 25. These will be supplied to any reader on request.

As has already been suggested the word parousia is found twenty-four times in the Greek New Testament. It is translated "coming" in twenty-two of these and in two it is rendered "presence" (See 2 Cor. 10:10 and Phil 2:12).

It is a well known fact that when one’s creedal position becomes so fixed that it is not subject to any change, then there is no possible room for any further truth that may come forth from the careful study of the Word of God. It was this situation that caused the theologians who arose after the reformation to adopt the position that everything that was germane to God’s truth had been brought forth by the reformers and that nothing needed to be changed or additions made. So, even though the very word parousia spoke loud and clear of a time when Jesus Christ would be personally present upon the earth, they had no time or place for this in their tight theological system.

The translators of the King James Version were amillennialists, and in harmony with this view the word parousia was incorrectly translated "coming" in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurences. The plain facts in the case caused them to yield to the truth in the two occurences already mentioned. No doctrine was at stake in these two passages.

In previous studies it has been shown that according to the elements of this word, New Testament usage, Classical Greek usage, Septuagint usage, and the occurrences in the papyrus, the word parousia, when used of beings, means a personal presence when one is present because of who or what he is and what he does in view of his position. Furthermore, it must be noted that a personal presence is not necessarily a parousia if the one present is not there in relationship to his position and service.

Some years ago an incident happened that well illustrates this. I was in the hospital recovering from a major operation. A doctor came in to see me, but his presence in my room could not be described as a parousia. He was a physician, but he was not there to perform any service that a physician usually performs. He was there because he was my friend and had come to bring me a gift to help in the expenses which I faced. Soon after he left another doctor came in to see me, and his personal presence could be properly described as a parousia. He was there officially to perform the services that a doctor would be expected to do.

The Greeks had two words for personal presence. The word pareimi which meant a personal or actual presence and nothing more, and the word parousia which was a technical term and meant a personal presence when one was officially present to perform official duties.

The first four occurrences of parousia in the New Testament give us very valuable information concerning this word and the event it describes. Most of this is lost to the average reader due to misinterpretation and misapplication. These four occurrences are all in one chapter, Matthew 24. In the third verse we learn that the twelve disciples came to the Lord Jesus privately and asked the question: "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of your parousia, even the consummation of the eon?"

In Issue No. 25, I dealt with the rule of Greek grammar that fully justifies this translation. This was further expounded in Issue No. 122, and it can be stated simply as follows: "When kai, the copulative ‘and’ connects two nouns of the same case, and if the definite article precedes the first noun and is absent from the second noun, the latter noun always refers to the same person, place, or thing that has been set forth in the first noun."

This rule applies to the two nouns found in the question asked by the apostles (parousias and sun teleias). They were asking about one thing, not two things. The first noun has the definite article, the second noun does not, even though it is found in Stephen’s text. Careful investigation has shown it to be an interpolation, and it is excised by nearly all editors.

The eon here of which they are speaking is the kingdom eon, that pre-advent time of divine government that prepares mankind for the personal presence of Jesus Christ. All the divine actions of the kingdom of God consummate in the parousia. There can really be no doubt but that the word sunteleia means a coming together of all the actions and operations that are moving toward a desired goal or end. This is why the word consummation is used to translate it. The word here is not telos, the actual end; but sunteleia, the act of completing to produce a desired goal or end.

There is nothing in the disciples question about the "coming" of Christ. How could there be when He was then present with them? Their question concerns the sign (singular) of His parousia, and this is defined by them as being ‘‘the consummation of the eon."

In answer to their question the Lord begins with a warning saying:

"Take heed lest any one mislead you" (24:4). This admonishment was given because the parousia of the Lord Jesus will not become a reality without a great struggle of deception and opposition on the part of Satan and his cohorts. He will well know that the time of his casting out is drawing near and his wrath is arising because he knows he has but a short time. See Revelation 12:12. The development and the outcome of this fierce struggle is set forth in the balance of Matthew 24.

The Lord declares to them that many shall come in His name (that is, in His character) saying, "I am the Messiah" and many shall be deceived by them. However, not one of them shall be able to produce "the sign of the Son of man in heaven" (24:30), a sign which no one now knows and will not know until it appears, but when it does appear the wise and prudent will recognize it and know and understand that the Lord Jesus has left His place in heaven and is on His way to the earth for a parousia that will last for a thousand years. Could this sign be a complete replay of the vision Ezekiel saw and recorded in chapter one of this prophecy? It could very well be. How thrilling it would be to stand with our Bibles open and see this great drama played out in the skies and every detail following the script to the very letter. I, for one, will gladly go through the great tribulation just to see this.

The Lord Jesus told them further that there would be battles and reports of battles (not wars), nations arising against nations and governments against governments, also that there would be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. These He declares are "the beginning of sorrows,’’ a statement that has no meaning unless there has been a complete absence of all such calamities for a long period of time. All these things have been happening and been prominent upon the earth ever since the entrance of sin. They were happening when the Lord spoke these words and have been commonplace ever since. Thus, it is most illogical for men to cry "signs of the times", "the beginning of the great tribulation," "Armageddon is coming", every time a war, famine, earthquake, or pestilence occurs. Let us be done once and for all with this "Chicken Little" attitude.

When we understand the prophesied flow of events set forth in the definite time periods of the New Testament (See Issue No. 23 and Issue No. 129) we will realize that all such things as false messiahs, false apostles, hot and cold wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have ceased under the long period of God’s benevolent government of the earth, a government of the Lord Jesus from heaven which precedes the events of Matthew 24. The rigid restraints and swift punishments that will characterize His rule (Psa. 67:4) will keep all such things from happening. But when in God’s time and purpose these restraints and the Restrainer Himself (God’s Holy Spirit) is taken Out of the way (See Issues No. 113 and 114) evil men and conditions will appear and these will be highly significant.

It is my firm conviction that the ninth verse of this portion will never be acted out until after the twelve apostles have been raised from the dead and have reigned long as judges upon the twelve thrones promised to them by the Lord (Matt. 19:28). Those who rebel against God’s government will center their hatred on these twelve men, who will find safety in taking God at His word and fleeing to the mountains when they see the supreme sinful act of the "abomination of desolation," of which Daniel speaks.

Only in their mountain refuge will they be safe. So if while there anyone comes and says "Lo, here is Christ or there" they are not to believe it. If any say He has appeared and is in the desert; they are not to believe it, if any say He has returned and is in a secret room in Jerusalem, they are not even to listen to him. Following this He says: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia of the Son of man be" (24:27).

From these words of our Lord we know of a certainty that His parousia and the coming that produces it will be sudden, dramatic, and public. The idea of a secret coming or of a secret personal presence is unknown to the Word of God. Neither can such be found in I Thess. 4: 14-17. In this passage Paul declares that those who are alive and remain unto the parousia of the Lord shall not precede those who are dead. These dead are the martyrs of the revolt against the kingdom, first seen in Matt. 24:9. He further declares: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 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 which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

There is nothing secret about this, and it is plain He is not coming to take saints to heaven. He is coming to be on earth in a one-thousand year parousia. Those who are caught up simply go forth to meet Him, and they will return with Him to be present with Him throughout His parousia. My prayer is that all who name His name shall so live that when He is made manifest we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him in His parousia.

http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb133.htm

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Even Devils Tremble For Good Reason

Satan's end

http://www.bibleresearch.org/articles/a9pws.htm
It is also important to understand the enormity of what had taken place during Jesus' life and at his death. During this time, God the Father was the only eternal and immortal being in existence.

CAN SPIRIT-BEINGS DIE?

The Bible says that God the Father and Jesus Christ are immortal and the Father controls who is given eternal life and immortality. Presently the only immortal spirit-beings are God the Father and Jesus Christ. Although many people believe that all spirit-beings are immortal because they are composed of spirit, this is not true. As Jesus explained the punishment that will be given those who refuse to live righteously after they are called to salvation, he reveals the punishment reserved for Satan and other evil spirits:

Why is a fire prepared for Satan and the evil spirits under his control? It makes no sense to prepare a fire to cast evil spirits into unless they can be harmed by this fire.

Verse 36 does not say angelic beings are immortal. It just says that the resurrected saints will be in a condition similar to the angels. However, unlike the angels who have eternal life which can be destroyed, people who participate in the first resurrection are given immortal life as sons of God. Because these children of God are immortal, they have life that springs forth from itself which never dies or decays and is not dependent on any other source to sustain it; therefore, they cannot die (1.Tim.1:17, 6:12-16, Heb.2:9:10; 1.Cor.15:50-56).

Angels are not immortal spirit-beings; they are eternal beings, which have their life sustained by the power of God. Eternal life can be terminated, which is documented by the many scriptures that show the destruction of evil spirits.

In verse 24, the English word destroy is a translation of the Greek word appolumi, which means 'to destroy fully', 'complete destruction', 'to perish', or 'to die'. This same word is used many times to describe the utter destruction of individuals and places (Matt.10:28, 12:14, 21:41; Lk.17:29). All of these examples of the word apollumi are used to convey utter or complete destruction. Both the Hebrew and the Greek words for destroy mean 'the destruction and cessation of existence'.

The question the demon asks is important because it tells us three essential facts about evil spirits:

Evil spirits know they can be destroyed.
Some evil spirits know they are going to die for their rebellion.
Jesus has the power to destroy evil spirits.
SATAN'S PUNISHMENT

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev.20:1-3 KJV). See also Isa.24:21-22.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb.2:14 KJV). See also 2.Thes.2:8.

In verse 14, the English word destroy is a translation of the Greek word katargeo, which comes from the root argeo, which means 'to render entirely useless.' It can also mean 'to abolish', 'to cease', 'to vanish away', or 'to utterly destroy'. Christ will utterly destroy Satan.

There is nothing in the Greek word katargeo that indicates anything other than destruction; it does not show that Satan will continue to live. Indeed, it indicates he will be utterly destroyed. Verse 14 also shows that Jesus has the power to destroy Satan.

“And I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity [lawlessness] was found in you. By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezk.28:14-16 KJV).

“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I will cast you to the ground, I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you. You have defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold you. All they that know you among the people shall be astonished at you: you shall be a terror, and never shall you be any more” (Ezk.28:17-19 KJV). Note: A more correct translation of the last part of verse 19 is, “You shall never be a terror anymore.”
http://www.triumphpro.com/satans-true-fate.htm

SATAN'S FATE

         Will SATAN Be Tormented For
                           All Eternity?

                                 Revelation 20:10 seems to indicate that Satan the devil
                                 will be punished for ever and ever, for all eternity, since
                                 he is a spirit being.  Yet some claim God will destroy
                                 the devil and the demons in the lake of fire.  What is
                                 the real truth?  What is Satan's fate, and the fate of the
                                 demons?  Will they perish?  Or will they burn forever in
                                 hell?  Or will they be cast into outer space to roam "outer
                                 darkness" forever?  Here is the PLAIN TRUTH!

                                                 WILLIAM F. DANKENBRING

         What will be the fate of Satan the devil, and his demons, who rebelled against God aeons ago and sought to depose Him from His throne and take over the Universe?
                               
         Some think that since God created Lucifer as an angel, a spirit being, that God boxed Himself in a corner and cannot destroy him, but can only punish him forever -- and ever and ever and ever, time without end.  As evidence of this, they point to Revelation 20:10, where we read:  "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone [sulphur], where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."  What does this verse really describe?  Is this proof of never-ending punishing?  Is it evidence that God will create a never-ending lake of fire which will burn throughout all eternity, its main function to cause indescribable suffering and pain and torment to the devil for ever and ever?

         This theory, which is commonly believed, has a major flaw, however.  It pictures God as being short-sighted, not seeing the end from the beginning, and as being terribly cruel, vindictive, and indifferent to excruciating suffering!

         Do we really think God was so short-sighted that He did not realize from the beginning that even a spirit being could go astray and break His commandments and become incredibly rebellious and wicked?  God knew from the moment He made the angels free moral agents, that they could decide to rebellion against Him.  Therefore it stands to reason that He would have made provision from the beginning for the possibility of rebellion among any or some of His created angels!  That is, from the very beginning He must have known that one or more of His angels, having free moral agency and independent choice, could choose to disobey Him and flout His eternal laws and ways.

         In the book of Job we read:  "Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints [holy ones, which can include angels, certainly]; yea, the heavens  [where angels dwell] are not clean in his sight" (Job 15:15).  In another passage, we discover, "Behold, he put no trust in his servants [angels]; and HIS ANGELS he charged with folly " (Job 4:18).

                                                  Testimony from the Book of Job

         In addition, "yea, the stars [angels -- see Rev.1:20] are not pure in his sight" (Job 25:5).  God was never deceived; He knew from the very beginning that creating beings with free moral agency and the capacity for independent thought demanded that such beings also have the capacity to rebel and turn against Him!  Therefore, there can be no doubt that He made adequate and righteous provision for such a possibility from the very beginning!

         What, then, is God's solution to the "rebellion problem"?  Is it eternal burning and torment in a "lake of fire"?  For a finite act of rebellion, would God be constrained to exact an infinite  penalty?  For an act which occurred in a finite or limited space of time, would He be compelled or forced to punish interminably, forever and ever?  Do Satan and his demons possess immortality, and therefore their punishment requires eternal punishing and torment?

         Or, can angels themselves, by the power of God, be put to death?

         It is an axiom that the Creator is always more powerful than His creation.  A builder can destroy or tear down anything that he builds or constructs.  In fact, experience teaches us that it is always much easier to destroy  something than it is to build something in the first place!  Consider:  It takes a real craftsman and cunning builder to build a beautiful home; but any fool can take gasoline and matches, and destroy such a building!

         Many have assumed  that Satan and his demons are eternal spirit beings, and therefore cannot be destroyed, or ever be put "out of their misery."  They "assume" that such beings are "immortal."  But is this true?  The apostle Paul wrote plainly, of God, "who is the blessed and only Potentate [only true independent Power], the King of kings, and Lord of lords:  WHO ONLY  HATH IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen or can see:  to whom is honor and power everlasting" (I Tim.6:16).

         If only GOD has true immortality, then this means no angel has it!  That is, no angel has independent, eternal "self-existence" with true self-inherent immortality!

                                                             Can Angels "Die"?

         Some may wonder why Jesus then said that of those in the resurrection, that they "cannot die any more:  for they are equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:36).  Does this mean angels cannot "die" because they are immortal spirit beings?  Let's not read into  this verse our own pre-determined belief!  All it says is that angels of God IN HEAVEN (see the parallel passage in Matthew 22:30), who did not rebel against God, who proved themselves to be loyal, cannot "die" a natural death!  This means that since they proved themselves loyal to God, He will ALLOW them to live forever, and they will not die.  It does not state here, however, that God could not destroy any being if He chose to do so, and terminate the life of that rebellious being!

         The principle of Scripture which governs God's punishment for all SIN is found in Romans 6:23, where we read:  "The WAGES of SIN is DEATH; but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom.6:23).  Sin by definition is lawlessness or rebellion against God (I John 3:4).

         The penalty of sin, in the Court of Heaven, is simply DEATH -- not burning and torment forever and ever and ever, ages without end!  In fact, no being can have eternal life apart from God Himself -- except as a "gift" from God!  And anything God "gives," He can take back if the recipient proves himself to be rebellious and unworthy of the gift!

                                                          The Penalty of Sin

         This is why we read in the book of James, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:  the DEMONS ALSO BELIEVE, AND TREMBLE " (James 2:19).  This is why a number of demon spirits who possessed a human being in Capernaum said to Christ, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?  art thou come to DESTROY us?  I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:24; see also Luke 4:24).  The same word translated "destroy" here is found in Matthew 10:28 where Jesus says, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him who is able to DESTROY BOTH soul and body in hell."  Jesus also used the word in Luke 6:9 where He asked, "Is it lawful on the
sabbath days to do good, or to do evil?  to save life, or to DESTROY it?"  The Greek word for "destroy" in these verses is apollumi  which means "to destroy fully," and is translated in various places as "destroy, perish, die, lose, mar" (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, #622).
         
         The fact that a spirit being can be destroyed, or killed, should not really surprise us.  Remember, God Himself, the Logos, the Word, literally BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us (John 1:1-2, 14).  Then, as Jesus Christ, our Saviour, He DIED on the cross, for our sins.  Thus a spirit being literally became flesh, and died.  Only because He was later resurrected by the Father did His life resume once again!  Think about that.  What is to keep God from likewise, with His awesome power, from converting the spirit-body of Satan the devil and his demons into destructible, combustible, flammable material?

                                                                Aeonian Fire

         Jesus said in a parable about the wicked, that He will one day  say to them, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS" (Matt.25:41).  Here the final fate of the rebellious angels is described.  But what is "eternal fire"?

         The word "eternal" here is the Greek "aeonian" and means "age-lasting."  It is the same word used in Jude where the apostle writes that Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed in a fiery destruction, "suffered the vengeance of eternal [aeonian] fire" (Jude 6).

         Is that fire still burning up Sodom and Gomorrah today? If you were to visit the southern end of the Dead Sea in the land of Israel, today, would you see the smoke still rising and the flames still smoldering, and burning, of Sodom and Gomorrah?

         Of course not.  An "aeonian fire" does not refer to a fire that never goes out!  After this "aeonian fire" completely destroyed and obliterated those ancient cities, it burned itself out when there was nothing else left to consume!  However, the EFFECT of that ancient fire is eternal.  Even so, God has specifically prepared the final "lake of fire" or Gehenna for the destruction of the devil and his demons, and the wicked among mankind who do not turn from their wickedness.  It will likewise burn itself out, when it has accomplished its mission of destruction!

                                              The Greek Word for "DESTROY"

         God's Word does not contradict itself.  The Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).  In Hebrews Paul tells us Jesus Christ will "DESTROY him who holds the power of death -- that is, the devil" (Heb.2:14).  The Greek word used here is kartageo [#2673 in Strong's Concordance], from the root kata  meaning "down,"
and argeo  meaning "to be idle," from argos  which means "inactive, unemployed, useless."  It means "to be (render) entirely idle (useless); ABOLISH, CEASE, DESTROY, DO AWAY, BECOME (MAKE) OF NO EFFECT, FAIL, BRING (COME) TO NOUGHT, VANISH AWAY, MAKE VOID."

         This same Greek word is used of the coming beast, or Antichrist, of whom Paul writes, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and DESTROY by the splendor of his coming" (II Thess.2:8 NIV).  The King James Version has this verse, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall DESTROY with the brightness of his coming."  This same Greek word is used in Corinthians, where Paul again writes, "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food -- but God will DESTROY them both" (I Cor.6:13, NIV).

                                              The Awesome Fate of Satan Revealed

         Satan's miserable fate is described in the Old Testament, where Isaiah writes, "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!  You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!  You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly . . . I will make myself like the Most High.  But you are brought down to the GRAVE, to the depths of the PIT" (Isa.14:12-15).

         Ezekiel the prophet describes this personage in greater detail.  He writes, "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You were in Eden, the garden of God. . . . You were anointed as a GUARDIAN CHERUB, for so I ordained you.  You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.  You were blameless in your ways from the day you were CREATED till wickedness was found in you."

         God goes on, describing this celestial being who turned to sin, saying, "Through your widespread trade you were filled with VIOLENCE, and you SINNED.  So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O GUARDIAN CHERUB, from among the fiery stones.  Your heart became PROUD on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.  So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. . . So I made a FIRE come out from you, and it CONSUMED YOU, and I reduced you to ASHES on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.  All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a HORRIBLE END and will be NO MORE" (Ezek.28:12-19).

         This is a very clear prophecy of the coming FATE of Satan the devil!  What could be more clear?   He will be turned into ASHES!  He will be consumed by a FIRE!  He will exist, or "be," "NO MORE"!

         Moffatt translates this passage as follows:  "By the greatness of your guilt, by the crimes of your commerce, you have profaned your sacred position; therefore have I made you SET FIRE TO YOURSELF, WITH FLAMES THAT CONSUME YOU,AND REDUCED YOU TO ASHES ON EARTH in the sight of all who behold you.  All who know you among the nations shall be APPALLED at you -- YOUR FATE IS AWFUL, there is NO FUTURE for you" (Ezek.28:18-19, Moffatt).

                                                      Revelation 20:10 Explained

         However, what about Revelation 20:10?  Notice what this verse REALLY says!  The New International Version has this verse more clear than the King James Version. Notice!  "And the devil, who deceived them, was THROWN into the LAKE OF BURNING SULPHUR, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  THEY will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

         What does this verse really  say?

         Notice!  First of all this verse does not just describe Satan who will be "tormented day and night."  It says "they."  The Englishman's Greek New Testament makes this plain.  So this fate is also speaking of the beast and false prophet, mortal men, not spirit beings!  Yet we know that the incorrigibly wicked do not have immortal souls. They will be BURNED UP in Gehenna fire!

         Malachi the prophet records, "Surely the day is coming; it will BURN like a furnace.  All the arrogant and every evildoer will be STUBBLE, and that day that is coming will SET THEM ON FIRE, says the Lord Almighty.  Not a root or a branch will be left to them.  But you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. . . Then you will TRAMPLE DOWN the wicked; they will be ASHES under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things, says the Lord Almighty" (Mal.4:1-3).

                                                       The Age-Ending FIRE

         This age-ending "fire," then, will convert the bodies of all the wicked to ASHES -- including that of Satan the devil.   The apostle Peter wrote of this tremendous fire. He said, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a ROAR [have you ever heard a "roaring fire"?]; the elements will be DESTROYED by FIRE, and the EARTH and EVERYTHING IN IT will be laid bare ["burned up," says the KJV].  Since everything will be DESTROYED in this way [including Satan and the demons], what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  That day will bring about the DESTRUCTION OF THE HEAVENS BY FIRE, and the elements will melt
in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (II Pet.3:10-13).

         In that great inferno, that awesome, mind-boggling holocaust, even the stars and galaxies will be destroyed, purified by fire, and then re-created once again in a new Universe!  But during that awesome blaze, the wicked will perish, consuming away into smoke and ashes,  including Satan the devil and his demonic rebellious spirits.

         Right now they are trembling, being "held for judgment" (II Pet.2:4-5), awaiting that punishment, which will extinguish their very existence!  We read, "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home -- these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the Great Day" (Jude 6).

         Here again is that word "everlasting."  Again, it is the Greek "aeonian," which means "age-lasting."  Obviously, the demons are held in these chains UP UNTIL their day of Judgment -- not "forever."

         What, then, does Revelation 20:10 refer to when it says Satan, the beast, and false prophet, will be "tormented day and night for ever and ever"?  Notice, speaking of all the wicked who worship the coming beast and his image, the apostle John also writes, "If anyone worships the beast and his image . . . he, too, will drink of the wine of GOD'S FURY, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.  HE WILL BE TORMENTED WITH BURNING SULPHUR in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest  day or night  for those who worship the beast and his image" (Rev.14:9-11).

         What does this mean, since eventually all the wicked will be consumed away into smoke and ashes?

         Can you begin to imagine the torment and anguish that all the wicked will sense, and feel, as they stand before God's Judgment seat?  Can you comprehend the awesome feeling of impending doom they will experience, as they hear their sentences being delivered, and as they see the fiery lake, and the approaching flames which will engulf and destroy and annihilate them?

         Indeed, they will be tormented "forever" -- until they die!  Until they lose consciousness, and perish!  Remember, the Greek word "aeonian" can and often means "age-lasting," or "so long as the conditions exist."  Similarly, in the Old Testament God said that a man could be another man's slave "forever" -- that is, until his DEATH, or until he ceased to exist.  God says the heathen in the land could be the bondmen of Israel "for ever" (Lev.25:46, KJV).  The New International Version has God saying
to Israel, "you can make them slaves FOR LIFE."  See also Deuternonomy 15:17.

         The King James translates the Hebrew "olam" as "FOREVER," but the New International Version has "for LIFE."  The Hebrew word means "concealed, ie., the vanishing point."  It can mean eternal, everlasting, perpetual, or till out of mind, till vanished, gone,  lasting, long time.

         What, then, about Revelation 20:10?  Obviously, the wicked will be tormented, and in torment and anguish, gnashing their teeth, FOR LIFE -- that is, UNTIL THE MOMENT OF DEATH! -- till they VANISH AWAY and are GONE!  Day and night, their final penalty of sin will hang over them, tormenting them, until their judgment arrives, and their fate beckons, and they are finally CONSUMED in the flames which destroy them!
                                                     
         They will experience the same sort of anguish and torment which grips murderers on "Death Row," as they wait until their final moment of judgment, and their rendezvous with the electric chair, and that final surge of electricity jolts their flesh and burns and terminates their life!  They will hang in torment as long as God allows, until that final moment comes.

                                                       The Greek Word "Eis"

         Thayer's Greek English Lexicon shows that the word "for" in Revelation 20:10 is actually the word "eis" and would more properly be translated as "to, toward, or into."  The Greek word "eis" is a preposition and denotes "entrance into, or direction and limit:  into, to, towards, for, among."  It can simply be rendered "to" or even "towards," Thayer says, "as if it indicated merely MOTION TOWARDS A DESTINATION."  Says the Lexicon, "If the surface only of the place entered is touched or occupied, eis,  like the Latin in,  may  (often) be rendered on, upon, (sometimes by unto . . . to mark the LIMIT REACHED, or where one sets foot."  The Lexicon adds, the word "eis" has the sense  "of motion into the vicinity of a place; where it may be rendered to, near, towards."  On the next page, you will see the Thayer's Lexicon's definition of this Greek word, showing how the word is used and its meanings.
         Therefore, the punishment of Satan, his demons, and all the wicked, will last up to a point, up until the limit or destination is reached -- that is, total annihilation and termination of being, the end of life itself.  In this case, the usage of the word eis shows that the torment of Satan will be up to the beginning point of "eternity," that is, the New Heavens and New Earth, which will be created AFTER this present system is totally consumed in a final fiery holocaust.  In that and-ending, final conflagration, Satan and his demons will also be "terminated" -- destroyed -- and left utterly abolished, cancelled out, obliterated.  They will be destroyed completely, till nothing is left, as Malachi says -- "neither root nor branch."  The smoke of their torment will rise up "to" the
beginning of the new Age to Come -- as God re-creates the Universe!

         Consider this analogy.  An earthly traveler goes along a road and comes to the outskirts of a city.  He comes to a sign marking the city limits.  The sign says "Welcome to Pocatello, Idaho."  He has reached the city.  He has come to Pocatello.  He has been proceeding toward it, and now he has reached it -- but he has not entered INTO it.  He has reached the edge of the city ("eis"), but he has not gone into it or through it or passed through to the center or gone on through to the other side!

         Even so it is with the Greek word "eis."  In Revelation 20:10, where it describes the fate of Satan and the beast and false prophet [remember, the Greek says "THEY" all suffered the torment], this word means they suffered UP TO THE THRESHOLD OR EDGE OF "FOREVER."  IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY WILL SUFFER THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY, but up to the "edge" or outer limits of eternity.  They will suffer up to the BORDER of eternity, at which point their suffering, anguish and torment will cease because they themselves will "cease" to exist -- they will die, be destroyed, suffer total annihilation.  When the elements melt with fiery heat, and the stars and galaxies, and everything physical, is destroyed, the wicked also -- including Satan and his demons -- will likewise be destroyed.

                                                New Heavens and a New Earth!

         The apostle Peter wrote clearly, "But the day of the lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein [including the DEVIL AND HIS DEMONS] shall be BURNED UP.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation [conduct] and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevetheless, we, according to his promise, look for a NEW HEAVENS and a NEW EARTH, wherein dwelleth RIGHTEOUSNESS" (II Pet.3:10-13).

         At that time, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will fulfill the prophecy and "DESTROY him that had the power of death, that is, the DEVIL" (Hebrews 2:14).  At that time, all who rebel against God, all who have chosen the way of Cain and the path of Balaam, will perish.  As David wrote in the book of Psalms, "Or, I say, though you are gods, all sons of the Most High, YET, LIKE MERE MEN, YOU SHALL DIE, you shall DIE LIKE A DEMON " (Psalm 82:6-7, Moffatt translation).

         Jesus Himself said the wicked among men would PERISH along with Satan and his demons.  He declared, "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory, and all nations will be gathered in front of him; he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, setting the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. . . . Then he will say to those on his left [the goats, symbolizing the wicked among men], 'Begone from me, accursed ones, to the eternal fire which has been prepared FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS"  (Matt.25:31-41, Moffatt).  This final age-ending fire will destroy all the wicked, root and branch!

         Notice!  This fire is SPECIFICALLY and ESPECIALLY prepared for -- who?  Not the human beings who sin, but "for the devil and his angels"!!!  This great holocaust will be ignited precisely in order to destroy SATAN and his demonic hordes who followed him in rebellion!

                                                Roam the Universe Forever?

         Some have thought that Satan and his demons will only be temporarily punished in the lake of fire, but then their fate will be to be cast into the outer "darkness" of the remote regions of the universe, where they will as "raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; WANDERING STARS, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13).

         However, notice carefully.  This verse is categorically not speaking of the fate of Satan or wicked angels.  Rather, the context is clear.  The apostle Jude is talking about wicked MEN -- false teachers and false prophets, like Cain and Balaam!  He says, "Woe unto them!  for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward . . . These [evil men] are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, TWICE DEAD, plucked up by the roots" (Jude 11-12).

         Notice!  These evil men are "twice dead."  That means they will suffer the SECOND DEATH, which is the lake of fire!  As we read in the book of Revelation, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  THIS IS  THE SECOND DEATH" (Rev.20:14).
       
         Thus this passage in Jude describes false teachers who inveigle their way into the Church of God, and seduce members to follow them!  It is not even remotely discussing the final fate of Satan the devil or his demons.  These false teachers are compared to "wandering stars" today, in that they wander from place to place, seducing, deceiving, and misleading people.  Their eventual "fate" will be "blackness of darkness forever" -- that is, to have their lives snuffed out in the lake of fire, and to be totally unconscious and dead, forever!