Revelation 20:14

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Why a "lake" of fire? Of the commentators we have consulted, none make any reference to this particular word, its meaning, and the reason for its use. The Greek word translated as "lake" is limne. Parkhurst says that the word indicates a lake of standing water, as opposed to a running stream, and is so called from lian menein, "remaining very quiet"; so the Latin, stagnum, a pool. Schrevelius reads limne, a port, harbor, haven, station, refuge, accusative limena; as if lian menei, because there the ships rest safely; hence limenarches, a harbor master. Limne occurs in the LXX in Psalm 107:30, "haven," Psalm 107:35; Psalm 114:8, "a standing water," Song of Solomon "fish pool" (Song. 7:4). The word occurs in the N.T. ten times and is always translated "lake." Apart from the five references in the Revelation, the remainder occurs in Luke 5:1-2, Luke 8:22-23, Luke 22:33, the lake of Gennesaret, elsewhere called the Sea of Galilee, and the sea and lake of Tiberias, and in the O.T., the sea of Chinnereth.

In Luke 8:22-23 "the lake" is associated (1) with the storm that threatened the lives of the disciples, and which the Saviour "rebuked," and (2) the place where the swine, possessed of demons, were choked. In every place, a lake of water is intended, which makes it strange that a "lake of standing water, a haven, and a harbor" should burn with "fire and brimstone." There is only one other set of references that may have some bearing, and these are found in the Apocrypha.

Difficult as it may be for us to understand, at the sounding of the sixth trumpet, four angels are let loose, which had been bound in the great river Euphrates (Rev. 9:14). How could a river hold angels? In the article entitled "The Bottomless Pit," we show the connection that exists in Scripture between "The Abyss", "The Sea," and "The Deep" of Genesis 1:2. That connection must be kept in mind here. In the 2nd book of the Maccabees, 12:1-9 we have the following record:

"The men of Joppe also did such an ungodly deed; they prayed the Jews that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into that which they had prepared, as though they meant them no hurt, who accepted of it according to the common decree of the city as being desirous to live in peace, and suspecting nothing: but when they were gone forth into the deep, they drowned no less than two hundred of them.

When Judas heard of this cruelty done unto his countrymen, he commanded those that were with him to make them ready. And calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against those murderers of his brethren, and burnt the haven ("lake") by night, and set the boats on fire, and those that fled thither (or from the fire) he slew. But when he heard that the Jamnites were minded to do in like manner.. he came.. and set fire on the haven and navy, so that the light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem two hundred and forty furlongs off."

We Gentiles have never had impressed upon our hearts, minds, and memory the exploits of the Maccabees. Were we to have had a revelation written especially for English-speaking people, it might use a mixture of figures; it might speak of a fat boy carved in stone, a monument in New York Harbor, and refer to Cheese Burgers and Fries, and the sin of gluttony; but it is very unlikely that a Chinese reader, or come to that, some readers nearer home, would make sense of this oblique reference to the great San Francisco fire! So, the essentially Hebrew atmosphere of the Book of Revelation not only draws freely upon Old Testament imagery but contains an allusion to uncanonical or traditional happenings that may never find a place in a respectable commentary written for English readers. It may be that the "lake" of fire, before the Judgment of that day, had been a "haven" for those evil beings, the Beast and the False Prophet, and it had been "prepared for the Devil and his angels" as the place of their final destruction. Nothing definite can be adduced from what we have presented, but we have at least given the term employed something more than a casual glance.

We have seen in Scripture the promise to the overcomer that such would not have their names blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). We must now devote some attention to the parallel promise given to the overcomer in the church of Smyrna: "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death," and this second death, together with the Book of Life and the lake of fire, figures prominently in the Judgment of the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15). The choice of the word "hurt" by the A.V. translators may have been influenced by such passages as "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt" (Dan. 3:25). "So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him" (Dan. 6:23).

In contrast with the three who were not "hurt" in the furnace is the fate of the men who stoked the fire (Dan. 3:22), and in contrast with Daniel is the fate of those who accused him (Dan. 6:24). The word translated "hurt" in Revelation 2:11 is adikeo, which is so rendered in eight other passages in the Apocalypse, and twice translated "unjust" in Revelation 22:11. The overcomer in Smyrna, being a believer, had no need to be told that he would not be Cast into the lake of fire, but that he should not be "Hurt" by it, a different matter altogether. From what we have already seen, it will be recognized that a wider survey of the references to "fire" and its implications is called for. Matthew 5:22, coming in the Sermon on the Mount, has reference to disciples and not to the ungodly outside world. It is set in a form of progression, the penalty keeping pace with the offense thus:

"Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of The Judgment: and Whosoever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of The Council: but Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of Hell Fire."

The "Council" here is the Sanhedrin. Raca is a word like "empty-head," and "Hell Fire" here is Gehenna.

"But what was there more grievous in the word "fool" than in the word "Raca"? Let King Solomon be our interpreter, who, everywhere, by a "fool" understands a wicked and reprobate person, foolishness being opposed to spiritual wisdom. "Raca" denotes indeed, "morosity" and lightness of manners and life; but "fool" judgeth bitterly of the spiritual and eternal state" (Lightfoot).

While we can recognize a series of degrees in these actions and that they are accompanied by corresponding degrees of punishment, it still seems to be inexplicable that for saying raca, a man was amenable to the Sanhedrim, but for saying fool, the offender was in danger of "hell fire." Put into modern terms, we could read;

The first offense would be liable to a fine imposed by a magistrate. The second offense might lead to prison and a term of imprisonment.

The third offense to a punishment of inconceivable horror, far worse than that of being beheaded or hanged.

If we turn to Matthew 25, we shall face a similar problem. There, at the Second Coming, The Lord, the nations of the earth gather before Him, and they are judged on one issue only, namely, the way in which they have treated His "brethren."

In one section, The King says:

"Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34).

To the other, The King says:

"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41).

The kindness shown to The Lord's brethren was not intentionally rendered to The Lord, as the astonished inquiry of Matt. 25:37-40 will show. The lack of kindness was not intentionally withheld from The Lord. Yet, one group goes "into everlasting life," which is equated with The Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. The other group goes "into everlasting punishment," which is equated with "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Let us observe: the inheritance was actually prepared for one group, but the other entered a punishment not originally "prepared" for them but for the devil and his angels. If from these verses we are to gather that failure to visit the brethren of The Lord in prison merits everlasting punishment and everlasting fire in the sense of a traditional "Hell," then all argument is at an end. We stand appalled but helpless before a power beyond our own, but whether we stand assured of its utter and unquestioned righteousness, each one of us alone can answer. Before we leave these unhappy nations to their awful lot, would it not be well if we knew the word used by The Lord for "punishment" here? There is a choice of at least four words:

Ekdikesis "the punishment of evildoers" (1 Pet. 2:14). 

Epitimia "suffered . . . is this punishment" (2 Cor. 2:6). 

Timoria "sorer punishment" (Heb. 10:29).

These words are not found in Matthew 25. The word employed there is kolasis, "a pruning" (Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon). The one other occurrence of kolasis is in 1 John 4:18, "torment." Kolazomai is translated as "punish" in Acts 4:21 and 2 Peter 2:9. The first meaning of kolazomai given in Liddle and Scott is "curtail, dock, prune," and secondly to castigate, keep within bounds, correct, punish. Kolasis is used with dendron "trees" in the sense of pruning. Turning to the usage of the word kolasis in the LXX, we read in Ezekiel 18:30, "I will judge you O house of Israel, saith the Lord, each one according to his way: be converted, and turn from all your ungodliness, and it shall not become to you the punishment of iniquity."

Again, in Ezekiel 44:12-14, The Levites, because of their departure and ministry of idols, became "a punishment" of iniquity to the house of Israel, with the consequences that these Levites could no longer draw near nor approach the holy things, but they shall bear their reproach (atimian "no honor" see usage in 2 Timothy 2:20-21) and take a lower service. This is understandable, but to translate the word kolasis as equivalent to everlasting torment in hell is impossible. Before concluding this matter in Matthew 25, let us get a little light by turning to Hebrews 6. It will, we trust, be conceded that for Israel to "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame" is a deeper sin than neglecting to visit the Lord's brethren in prison. Yet, while there is reference to "burning" as a consequence, it is remedial.

"For the earth . . . which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned" (Heb. 6:7-8).

The "earth" here is a piece of land under cultivation. The word "rejected" is adokimos, "disqualified" having failed the test, and it is not cursed, but "nigh unto" cursing. The burning, which is its end, burns up the "thorns and briars" but does not destroy the land itself but rather benefits it. It is comparable to the "pruning" of a tree. Suppose we allow the gentler meaning of the term in Matthew 25; then, in that case, the nations who failed will go away into an age-long pruning, thereby missing the glory of the Millennium but benefiting from its administration and correction.

Let us examine the Scriptures as to the usage of "fire" to indicate the Holiness and the Presence of God before we go further in our search.

Fire and the Holiness of God
"Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).

These words refer back to Deuteronomy 4:24 and Deut. 9:3. This fire turns both ways. Its flame scorches the covenant people who provoke the Lord to jealousy, and the flame destroys the enemies of His people. The association of fire with the presence of The Lord, irrespective of sin or wrath, is the burden of many references.

"The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire" (Exod. 24:17). This fire devoured Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:2) as it consumed the murmurers in Numbers 11:1. Deuteronomy 5 is full of references to this association of fire with the presence of the Lord, and in Ezekiel 8:2 fire is associated with the appearance of the Lord there.

"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" asks Isaiah 33:14. God Himself is a consuming fire. It must follow that saved and lost must, if in that sacred Presence, alike be affected by its searching character, the believer being able to answer the challenge of Isaiah 33:14 "who shall dwell with everlasting burnings" because clothed in the asbestos (the Greek word is found in four passages) covering wherein they are accepted in The Beloved. This glorious immunity, being theirs, is found "in Christ," not having their own righteousness as a protection but the righteousness of God, which is by faith. These selfsame believers, however, who are thus immune from the searching flame of The Divine Presence may have with them and about them "works" which by their very nature cannot stand the test of fire and so are mercifully shriveled as they draw near. We must now pursue this aspect as it impinges eventually on the interpretation we must put upon the "lake of fire" in Revelation 20 and elsewhere. We have used the word asbestos in its modern meaning; in the N.T., it refers to the unquenchable fire, not to the nonburnable material (Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43-45 and Luke 3:17).

Fire and the Redeemed
(Their perfect exemption, protection, and standing in Christ.)

Let us take the illustration found in Daniel 3. The overweening pride of Nebuchadnezzar left the three friends of Daniel no alternative but to disobey his commands, even though the consequence of disobedience was to be cast into a "burning fiery furnace." To ensure their destruction, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that the furnace be heated seven times more than was needed, and so vehement was its flame that the men who took up the faithful three were themselves instantly slain. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, though they "fell down bound" in the midst of such a fiery furnace, were seen walking unscathed together with one like unto the Son of God, and, as Nebuchadnezzar admitted, "they have no hurt." What is meant by having "no hurt" is made clear in Daniel 3:27:

"These men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."

That is what we meant when we used the word asbestos for the perfect immunity of the believer "in Christ." They are an anticipation of those who shall not be "hurt" by the second death. Isaiah assured the "redeemed" of this immunity when he wrote:

"When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" (Isa. 43:2).

Just as we find Daniel pondering over the writings of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:2), we can readily believe that the three friends found all the encouragement they needed in the precious words of Isaiah 43:2 when facing the ordeal of fire set by Nebuchadnezzar.

Again, as space is limited, we have no need to "prove" to the Spirit-taught believer this blessed position of complete immunity demonstrated by Daniel 3 and prominent in Isaiah 43 as being equally true of all believers. We, therefore, turn our attention to the second division of this aspect of truth.

Fire and the Redeemed
(The test of faith and of works).

"The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7).

Here, it is not salvation that is under the test; it is the "trial of faith." The Greek words dokimion, "trial," and dokimazo "tried" have reference to the testing of metals; indeed, the LXX of Proverbs 27:21 uses dokimion to translate the word "a fining pot" or a "crucible," and Job said, "When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Peter again speaks of "the fiery trial" that was about to try some of his readers (1 Pet. 4:12). Paul writing to the Corinthians makes it very clear, that those who are building upon the One Foundation, namely Christ, while never in danger of "being lost," might "suffer loss" as over against "receiving a reward," and uses the trial by fire to illustrate his teaching.

"Now if any man builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abides which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; But He Himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

Here, "works" are in view, and "works" only. When examining the character of the Millennium, we drew attention to the words of The Saviour to the seven churches, "I know thy works," and how they were linked with Revelation 20:12, "The dead were judged... according to their works." First, to every one of the seven churches, the Saviour said, "I know thy works," and so dominant is this reference to "works" in these two chapters (Rev. 2 and 3) that we find the Greek word ergon occurring fourteen times. It is to one of these churches made up of the redeemed that the overcomer (Rev 2:11), a promise fulfilled in Revelation 20:6, for there those who "reign" with Christ for the thousand years are said to be blessed and holy; they are said to be priests of God and of Christ, and "On Such the second death hath no power."

Every one of these seven churches is linked with the Millennial Kingdom by either the promise to the overcomer, the warning to the slacker, or both. Let us see this for ourselves.

Ephesus            Promise Paradise . . . Rev. 2:7 and Rev. 22:2
Smyrna             Promise Not hurt of the second death . . . Rev. 2:11 and Rev. 20:6.

Pergamos        Promise         New name . . . Rev. 2:17 and Rev. 19:12
Threat              Fight, sword, mouth . . . Rev. 2:16 and Rev. 19:15

Thyatira           Promise Rod of Iron . . . Rev. 2:27 and Rev. 12:5
Threat              Kill with death . . . Rev . . . 2:23 and Rev. 20:15

Sardis              Promise  Not blot out . . . Rev. 3:5 and Rev. 20:12.  
Philadelphia   Promise  New Jerusalem . . . Rev. 3:12 and Rev. 21:2  
Laodicea         Promise Sit in Throne . . . Rev. 3:21 and Rev. 20:4

If "the second death" be the doom that awaits the wicked dead, what congruity is there between the Position "priests of God and of Christ" and the Promise "on such the second death hath no power" (Rev. 20:6)? Anyone with the slightest knowledge of The Gospel of Grace, knows that "there is. . . no condemnation" possible for the believer in Christ. Now, this second death is equated with "the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14-15) and so falls within the bounds of our present inquiry. This "lake of fire" is mentioned in five passages in Revelation and in several other passages by implication.

"The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worship his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20).

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are (or were), and shall be 'tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).

"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev. 20:14).

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things . . . but the fearful . . . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:7-8).

The first thing we must note is that in Revelation 21, the doom of those spoken of in Rev. 21:8 is said to be exclusion from the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:27). Let us make sure of this.

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).

"And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27).

Someone who was timid, who had flinched under the dreadful persecution of the time of the Beast and False Prophet--this one who fell and against which sin Paul even warned Timothy (2 Tim. 1:7), he has his part in the "lake of fire," whereas anyone that was defiled was excluded from the Heavenly Jerusalem. Yet this, while it sounds odd enough, will be seen more strange for in one verse, the abominable and "All" liars are destined for the "lake of fire," while in the corresponding verse, "Anything . . . that worketh abomination, or maketh a lie," is excluded from the Heavenly Jerusalem. Surely, if the Scriptures are inspired, this means that the reference to the "lake of fire," the reference to the "second death," the reference to the "Book of Life," and the reference to the entry into the "Heavenly City" are to be read together. This "lake of fire" is said to have been "prepared" for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) in contrast with The Kingdom that had been "prepared" for those who received The Lord's commendation (Matt. 25:34); the "Bride" also is prepared for her husband (Rev. 21:2). In each case they are exceptional, and cannot be spread wider than the contexts will allow. This dreadful "lake of fire" had not been "prepared" for any other than the Devil and his angels, but if anyone yielded to the pressure or the temptation of the last days so as to ally himself with the Devil and his emissaries, he could be "hurt" of the second death, he would find that the fire that destroyed the enemy, could also burn up his fleshly "works," and he could "suffer loss" even the loss of the Heavenly City, yet "he himself could be saved so as by fire."

Closely connected with all this is the question, to what does the Book of Life refer? Does it speak of the redeemed or a special company from among the redeemed? Let us see. For our present study, we shall attempt no distinction between the Greek words biblion, a little book, and biblos, a book. The first reference is found in Philippians 4:3, which relates to service. Had the Book of Life appeared in Ephesians and Colossians, we might have thought that it was tantamount to the choice of the believer before the foundation of the world, but Philippians is the Epistle of service. It opens with a reference to bishops and deacons, and it urges the believer to "work out" his salvation; it holds out a "Prize" and even tells us that the Apostle Paul, who was sure of his Salvation and Hope, was not at the time as sure of the Prize as he was at the end of his course (Phil. 3:11-14 and 2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Earlier in Philippians, Epaphroditus "was nigh unto death, not regarding his life" in service to the Lord, and Paul himself had taken the view of life: "Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by Life or by Death." It is, therefore, fitting that those who thus lost their lives for Christ's sake should find them in this Book of Life, the book of martyred saints who, in their several spheres, will "reign" with Christ. This passage in Philippians is the only reference in the N.T. to the "Book of Life" except those found in the Book of Revelation. Now, the Book of Revelation traces the career of the over-comer throughout the great tribulation to the throne, and it is this Book that contains all the other references to the Book of Life.

"I will not blot out his name out of the book of life" (Rev. 3:5).

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8).

"And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 17:8).

"And I saw the dead (i.e., "the rest," Rev. 20:5), small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life" (Rev. 20:12).

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).

"And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27).

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part: (1) out of the book of life, and (2) out of the Holy City, and (3) out from the things written in this book" (Rev. 22:19).

Some authorities read "The Tree of Life" here. While the margin of the R.V. reads in Revelation 13:8, "written from the foundation of the world in the book . . . slain," it still retains in the text the order "in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and this should give us pause, lest in sweeping aside a difficulty, we also remove an index of its meaning. By referring to Luke 11:50-51 we shall see that "the blood of Abel" was the first to be "shed from the foundation of the world," and this suggests that the "Lamb's book of life" contains the names of all those who have suffered martyrdom for the faith since the first martyrdom of Abel. Incidentally, this reference disposes of the suggestion that "before the foundation of the world" refers to the future, for if we go back as far as Genesis 4, for the period "from" the foundation of the world, the period indicated in Ephesians 1:4 Must be earlier still. Abel especially sets forth the conditions we find ruling in Revelation, for it was Cain, who was of "that wicked one," the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), that shed the first martyr's blood. It is the Dragon, "that old Serpent", the Beast, the False Prophet, and their followers who shed the blood of the overcomers in the time of the end.

"And they overcame him

(1) by the blood of the Lamb,
(2) and by the word of their testimony;
(3) and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11).

and at the end of the chapter, we see the Dragon makes war with the remnant of the woman's seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17).

We have already referred to those who apostatize on the day of Tribulation, who draw back unto perdition, who "fall away" and crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, who are likened to the earth which produces thorns and briars and is (1) "rejected," is (2) "nigh unto" cursing, (3) whose end is to be "burned" (Heb. 6:6-8). Now "rejected" is the Greek word adokimos, derived from a word which means to test or to try a metal. Peter uses it for the "trial" of faith and of the unashamed workman "approved" by Paul. Adokimos is the word translated as "castaway" in 1 Corinthians 9:27, meaning "disqualified" so far as the "crown" is concerned. "Nigh" unto cursing is not the same as being actually cursed, even as Bethany was "nigh" unto Jerusalem but actually two miles distant. When a field that is full of weeds is "burned," the weeds are destroyed, but the field abides and is the better for it.

Enough, we believe, has been brought before the reader to enable him to see that the Book of Revelation deals with a particular class and calling; its terms of judgment, although awful, are limited by their contexts and taken with the alternative of reigning and overcoming, cannot be lifted out of these contexts and applied to the believer of the present dispensation, or to the ungodly and un-evangelized world of all ages. To be "nigh" unto cursing, to be "hurt" of the second death, to have one's name "removed" from the Book of Life, which apparently contains the names of all overcomers since the death of Abel, to be "excluded" from the heavenly city, all pertain to the people of God who find themselves in the dreadful three and one-half years of the domination of the beast, and which give us a picture of the Millennial reign, that must be retained. Let us rejoice that there will be some who will endure that time of terror and who will consequently "Live and reign with Christ a thousand years."

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

It is not uncommon to hear unbelievers scoff about heaven, especially when they are told it is a prepared place for a prepared people according to Bible teaching terms.

Precious few accept God's terms for immortality and new life in The Resurrection. They stumble at it, and their reaction is in the cynical retort, which goes something like this: "While you Christians are pushing clouds around looking for one another, all us sinners will be having a real good time down below!"

Very little is said in the Bible about Heaven and the new Resurrection Life. We are led to believe that it will be so wonderful that we would not be able to begin to comprehend its Glory even if it were fully described for us now.

However, let us examine the subject with a few pertinent questions:

Who will go? The teaching of tradition (which is not in accord with Scripture) is that all saints of all dispensations will be included in the first resurrection. A great number of believers find their theology in hymn books. One such is titled, "When we all get to Heaven," But the Scriptures teach that Heaven is the peculiar Hope of The Body of Christ as taught in Ephesians. Some believers will be raised for citizenship in the New Earth. This will be their "heaven" or, more accurately, Paradise. Others will have a residence in the New Jerusalem as their heaven.

When will it be? We believe that the members of The Dispensation of The Mystery, which is The Church of The One Body of Christ, will realize their Hope first (Colossians 3:4). And this will happen about the time that God reverses the decree of Acts 28:28. After what is known as The Tribulation God will begin raising the dead . . . "Every Man In His Own Order" (1 Corinthians 15:23). This completely cancels out the idea of one great general resurrection. Believers will realize their particular Hope in Resurrection when their sphere of blessing is ready for habitation.

Why? Why does God bother to condescend to save and purify through the cleansing blood of His Son our poor, weak, and sinful humanity? Eternity will reveal and unfold the answer best. But a good answer can be found in Ephesians 1:12, "That We Should Be To The Praise Of His Glory."

 I'm just wondering, is there any mathematical basis or computation regarding the number of the Beast, 666?

666 is "the number of a name" (Rev 13:17-18). When the name of The Beast is known, its gematria (Hebrew gimatria - the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase) will doubtless be found to be the number 666. But this number has, we believe, a far deeper reference to and connection with the secret mysteries of the ancient religions, which will be again manifested in connection with the last great apostasy.

Many names may be found, the numerical value of whose letters amounts to 666. We have a list of about forty such gematria in Scripture. Most names calculated to their Gematria value by men are ridiculous since instead of the gematria being confined to Hebrew and Greek (as it should be and which have no Arabic or other special signs for figures), the principle is foolishly extended to names in English, French, and other modern languages, on the assumption that they would have been spelled in exactly the same way; whereas we know that names both of persons and places are not simply transliterated in various languages. It is absurd, therefore, to attempt to take words from the modern European languages which use Arabic figures.

Gematria is not a means by which the name is to be discovered, but it will be a test and a proof by which the name may be identified after the person is revealed.

If six is the number of secular or human perfection, then 66 is a more emphatic expression of the same fact, and 666 is the concentrated expression of it; 666 is, therefore, the trinity of human imperfection, the culmination of human pride in the independence of God and opposition to His Christ.

The number, however, has to be computed (Hebrew pseephizo according to Strong's means - to use pebbles in enumeration, that is, to compute or count); see Revelation 13:18. It is interesting to note that the number 8 means Resurrection and Regeneration thus a new beginning and the word Jesus in Gematria to 888.

666 was the secret symbol of the ancient pagan mysteries connected with the worship of the Devil. It is today the secret connecting link between those ancient mysteries and their modern revival in Spiritualism, Theosophy, etc. The efforts of the great enemy are now directed towards uniting all into one great whole. The newspapers, television, and Internet, both worldly and religious, are full of schemes as to such a union. To be "Woke" and "Unified" in the many good humanitarian causes of social justice and equity is the call of today. There are societies for the re-union of Christendom and Conferences for the re-union of the Churches, which are all parts of the same great movement. They are becoming the beginnings and show the signs of the coming Apostasy where man, not God, is worshiped. During this age, "Separation" from good to what is Righteous is God's Word for His people and is the mark of Christ, while "union" and "re-union" are the movement and mark of the Beast.

The number 6 was stamped on the old mysteries. The great secret symbol consisted of the three letters SSS because the letter S in the Greek alphabet was the symbol of the number 6. Alpha = 1, Beta = 2, Gamma = 3, Delta = 4, Epsilon = 5, but when it came to 6, Stigma was introduced. Not the sixth letter Zeta ­but Stigma, a different letter, a peculiar form of S. Now the Greek word stigma means a mark, but especially a mark made by a brand as burnt upon slaves, cattle, or soldiers, by their owners or masters; or on devotees who thus branded themselves as belonging to their gods. It is from stizo to prick or brand with a hot iron. Hence, it came to be used for scars or wound prints, and Paul thus used it for his scars, which he regarded as the tokens of his sufferings, the marks which he bore on his body for the sake of his Lord and Master, and marking him as belonging to the one who had bought him (Gal 6:17).

This letter "S" is connected, not with "salvation," but with judgment, and is associated with "blood and fire," which, in Joel 2:30-31, is given as one of the awful signs "before the great and terrible day of the Lord come."

Apostasy is before us. The religion of Christ has, in the past, been opposed and corrupted, but when it once comes, as it has come in our day, to be burlesqued, there is nothing left but judgment. There is nothing more the enemy can do before he proceeds to build up the great apostasy on the ruins of true religion and thus prepare the way for the coming of The Judge.

It is remarkable that the Romans did not use all the letters of their alphabet, as did the Hebrews and Greeks. They used only six letters: D, C, L, X, V, and I. And it is still more remarkable, and perhaps significant, that the sum of these amounts to 666:­

1. D = 500

2. C = 100

3. L = 50

4. X = 10

5. V = 5

6. I = 1
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         666

It will be seen from this that the number 666 is very far-reaching and is filled with a meaning deeper, perhaps, than anything we have yet discovered. One thing, however, is certain, and that is that the triple 6 marks the culmination of man's opposition to God in the person of the coming Antichrist.

A further illustration of the significance of this number is seen in the fact the Duration of the old Assyrian empire was 666 years before Babylon conquered it.

Jerusalem was trodden down by the Roman Empire exactly 666 years from the battle of Actium, BC 31, to the Saracen conquest in AD 636.

There are three men who stand out in Scripture as the avowed enemies of God and of His people. Each is branded with this number 6 that we may not miss their significance:

1. Goliath, whose height was 6 cubits, and he had 6 pieces of armor; his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron (1 Sam 17:4-7).

2. Nebuchadnezzar, whose "image" he set up,** and was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad (Dan 3:1), and which was worshipped when the music was heard from 6 specified instruments,*** and

3. The Beast, whose number is 666.

** We must distinguish the "image" that he set up from the "man" of whom he afterward dreamt. The proportions are not the same. The height of a man is to his breadth, not as Dan. 10:1. Some have therefore thought that this "image" may have been an obelisk. But as the word for "image" denotes a form or likeness, it may have been like the form of a man standing on a pedestal of which the height was included. The pedestal is probably 24 (6x4) cubits, and the image is 36 (6x6).

*** The numerical value (by gematria) of the words in Daniel 3:1, which describe the setting up of this image, is 4662. The very figures are significant, but still more so are the factors of this number, 4662 = 7 x 666.

In the first, we have one six connected with the pride of fleshly might.
In the second, we have two sixes connected with the pride of absolute dominion.
In the third, we have three sixes connected with the pride of Satanic guidance.

The Talents of Gold brought to Solomon in a year were 666 (1 Kings 10:14). But this perfection of money-power was only "vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecc. 2:8, Ecc. 2:11; compare 1 Tim 6:10).

As to the triple number 666, we have already seen that while one figure (6) is significant, two figures (66) are still more so, and three figures (666) seem to denote the concentration or essence of the particular number.

We see further examples of this in:

Jesus, 888, the dominical number;

Sodom, 999, the number of judgment;

Damascus, 444, the world number;

The beast, 666, the number of man.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you," 888;

The Lord God made, 888; etc., etc.

"The children of Adonikam" who returned from the Captivity (Ezra 2:13) numbered 666. Adonikam means the lord of the enemy. This is suggestive, even though it may be vague.

The number 666 has another remarkable property. It is further marked as the concentration and essence of 6 by being the sum of all the numbers that make up the square of six! The square of six is 36 (6², or 6x6), and the sum of the numbers 1 to 36 = 666, i.e., 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666.

They may be arranged in the form of a square with six figures each way so that the sum of each six figures in any direction shall be another significant trinity = 111.

6 32 3 34 35 1

7 11 27 28 8 30

19 14 16 15 23 24

18 20 22 21 17 13

25 29 10 9 26 12

36 5 33 4 2 31 

Additional Gematria:
It is remarkable that the numerical value of the "Song Of Moses" (Exo. 15:1-18) is 41626, which is the product of the significant factors 13 x 42 x 70.

On the other hand, if we compare "the Song of Moses and of the Lamb" in Revelation 15:1-5, the remarkable value is 9261, which has the remarkable factors 33 x 73.

If this study interests you, we would like to offer you the FreeBook, Number In Scripture.

A Believer's Question

I am looking for your interpretation of James 5:14, anointing of the sick by an elder.

God Bless your beautiful heart, and thank you for your question. We at Believer.com believe the Scriptures:

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

So all Scripture is God's Word and must interpret itself. To find the True meaning of a verse, one must be clear as to whom it is written, or many errors will result. Today, the greatest errors taught stem from a failure to find to whom a section of the Bible is addressed for what was true for one group or given calling of God would be inappropriate for another. As an example, if The Church today were practicing animal sacrifice, it would show they had no understanding of the ultimate sacrifice for sin, The Lord Jesus Christ, and would do harm to the Gospel.

The Epistle of James is addressed to the twelve tribes;

James 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Therefore, James 5:14 cannot apply to the present dispensation of God. Those who say otherwise will have many difficulties to solve. Who are the elders? If they are ministers or church officials, how many of these can offer the prayer of faith? The whole atmosphere of the Epistle is Jewish in the period of the last days.

We hope this helps, and God Bless you,
The Believers