A STUDY OF BIBLICAL PROOFS OF THE ETERNAL SUFFERING OF
THE UNSAVED
Updated - 5/21/10
This is a sad subject.
However, if we want truth we must be willing to face whatever the Bible teaches.
There are many more proofs of
the conscious resurrection or conscious awaking of the unsaved at Judgment Day.
It is suggested to examine those studies first.
Below are a series of verses
that show that the character of the punishment for sin includes perpetual
conscious suffering of the unsaved.
Various arguments are made to
try to thwart the material in this study. The web site provides responses to
these arguments. The reader is invited to examine the responses to the various
arguments that are made to try to thwart the material in this study.
PLEASE EXAMINE THE
RESPONSES TO THE VARIOUS ARGUMENTS MADE FOR ANNIHILATION
One question that comes into our minds
is how can it be just to punish the unsaved with conscious affliction that goes
on forevermore?
One
thing we have to keep in mind is that we must trust in God and His Word, the
Bible as we read about in Proverbs 3:5-6:
5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Because
our minds are corrupt and imperfect, we do not completely understand perfect
justice. Therefore, God tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6, and in other passages, to
trust His Word and not our “own
understanding”. Whatever God does is perfect and just. We may not
understand why it is perfect and just, but this is because we are sinful and
God is perfect. To find out what God plans, we must study the Bible.
One
thing the Bible teaches is that at Judgment Day the unsaved will still not
repent and turn to God. We see this teaching in the following verses:
Revelation
9:20-21:
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed
by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should
not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of
wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor
of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Revelation
16:9 And men were scorched with great
heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and
they repented not to give him glory.
Revelation
16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
We
can wonder why the unsaved have to suffer forevermore. One thing to note is
that even when Judgment Day comes, the unsaved will not repent and turn to God.
When the unsaved are cast into the lake of fire, it is not that they are
turning to God in repentance. They are still in rebellion against God and angry
at God. We see the anger of the unsaved at Judgment Day in these verses:
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast
out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him
hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into
outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the
kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is
come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them
that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy
the earth.
The
phrase “gnashing of teeth” signifies
great anger. We see this same idea in Acts 7:54:
When they
heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their
teeth.
In
Acts 7:54 the Jewish leaders are very upset with Steven after his long sermon
in which God was condemning the Jews for never turning to God. Right after this
sermon, because the Jews were so angry they stoned Steven and killed him. Their
anger was so great. This is the same phrase that God uses to describe the
unsaved at Judgment Day.
It is difficult to understand why the
punishment for sin includes perpetual suffering. However, we should keep in
mind that our minds are sinful and not faithful. Also, even when Judgment Day
comes, the unsaved will not turn to God in repentance, but rather will have
great anger against God.
Now,
we will look at a series of passages where the Bible teaches that the
punishment for sin includes perpetual conscious suffering.
1. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and
ever.
We
read two verses that talk about the smoke of the torment of the unsaved:
Revelation
14:11 And the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation
19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And
her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Revelation
14:11 talks about the “smoke of their torment”.
Some
argue that this is not the “smoke” from the unsaved, but rather it is somehow
“smoke” from God.
However,
to put that question to rest, in Revelation 19:3 God clearly says “her smoke”.
This is talking about the unsaved church people. Revelation 19:3 makes it clear
that the smoke comes from the unsaved.
How
do we understand what it means that “her smoke rose up for ever and ever”?
The
answer is the same as for any passage. We must compare Scripture with Scripture
to understand what God is teaching.
God
gives us help in Jeremiah 5:14.
We
read there:
Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye
speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this
people wood, and it shall devour them.
Here,
God defines His word, the Bible as “fire”. The words of the Bible are
what God put in the mouth of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 5:14 agrees with Hebrews 12:29
where God says that He is a “consuming fire”.
We
read a similar verse in Revelation 11:5. We read there:
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of
their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he
must in this manner be killed.
In
Revelation 11:5 God talks about the true believers. The “fire” that
proceeds out of their mouth is the word of God, which is typified by fire in
these verses. It brings judgment upon the unsaved, those hurting the true
believers.
In
Jeremiah 5:14 God typifies the unsaved as “wood”.
Here
are a few more verses in which God typifies the unsaved as “wood”:
Psalm
83:14-15:
14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the
flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make
them afraid with thy storm.
1
Corinthians 3:12-15:
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 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.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
2
Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there
are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of
earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
In
talking about the word of God, or God Himself as “fire” and the unsaved
as “wood”, God is directing us to a physical analogy to teach a
spiritual truth. We have to look at the physical analogy to learn what the
Bible is teaching.
When
we put wood on a fire, it produces smoke that rises up.
Some
time after that wood is completely burned up, the smoke from that wood cools
down and the stops rising.
Once
the wood is gone, after some time, it’s smoke stops ascending. The smoke from
the wood does not ascend forevermore.
However,
in Revelation 14:11 & 19:3, God is telling us that the smoke from the
unsaved continues to rise forevermore.
This
means that the wood must still be in the fire.
God
is using an analogy of wood on a fire to teach us that the unsaved will be in
the lake of fire forevermore. They will still exist in the lake of fire
forevermore.
If
the unsaved are burned up, then in time their smoke would cool off, using this
figure. Once smoke cools off, it stops ascending.
There
are various arguments made to try to refute what the Bible is teaching.
A.
People say “These verses don’t actually say that the unsaved are tormented
forevermore”.
Actually,
God has written the Bible in a way that He expects us to think through what He
is saying. God does not allow us to “play dumb”.
For
example, God expects all of the believers to leave the churches. God gives this
command in the form of verses like Matthew 24:15.
We
read in Matthew 24:15:
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:)
When
we study Matthew 24:15 with the help of the rest of the Bible, we learn that
this verse is giving the command that the believers must leave the church once
we get to the Great Tribulation.
However,
Matthew 24:15 and other verses that give the same command are not written in a
simple way. These verses do not say “When we get to the Great Tribulation
then you must leave the church”.
No,
God has written Matthew 24:15 and other similar verses in a way so that we must
study the Bible to learn that God has commanded the true believers to leave the
church in our day.
God
expects the believers to understand Matthew 24:15 and similar verses
sufficiently and obey the command to leave the church.
The
true believers are not allowed to “play dumb” and say “Well, there is no direct
verse in the Bible that says that we must leave our church”.
No.
God expects that we will read verses like Matthew 24:15 and understand that
when we have come to the Great Tribulation, we must leave the church.
God
does not allow us to “play dumb” and say “I won’t leave until I read the direct
statement ‘you must leave your church’”.
Likewise,
God says concerning the unsaved “her smoke rose up for ever and ever.”
in Revelation 14:11 & 19:3.
The
statement “her smoke rose up for ever and ever.” is easier to understand
than Matthew 24:15.
To
understand this phrase in Revelation 14:11 & 19:3, all we have to do is
look at a piece of wood burning in a fire.
Once
that wood has been completely burned up, the smoke from that wood dissipates. Finally, that smoke cools off and
stops rising.
In
Jeremiah 5:14 God defines that the unsaved are “wood” and His word is
“fire”.
God
also instructs that the unsaved will be “tormented by fire”.
We
read:
Revelation
14:10 The same shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation
20:10 And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
In
these verses, God defines that fires of God’s wrath include being “tormented”.
The family of words translated “torment” always indicate conscious affliction.
The
language of “her smoke rose up for ever and ever” is more direct than the
command to leave the church found in Matthew 24:15 and other verses.
God
is telling us to look at wood and fire to understand the nature of God’s wrath
upon the unsaved.
When
wood is burned in a fire, it produces smoke. Sometime after the wood is
completely gone, the smoke cools and stops rising.
However,
in Revelation 14:11 & 19:3 God is teaching that the smoke will continue to
rise forevermore.
Therefore,
there is no other possible conclusion than that the wood, or the unsaved,
remain in the fires of God’s wrath forevermore.
B.
People say that the phrase “for ever and ever” does not mean forevermore.
We
read this phrase in two important verses:
Revelation
19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And
her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Revelation
20:10 And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Both
of these verses have the phrase “for ever and ever”. It is argued that
this phrase does not really mean forevermore.
However,
we have to study the Bible to answer this question.
God
has established the principle that we are to compare Scripture with Scripture
to understand what God is teaching. This is taught in 1 Corinthians 2:13.
The
phrase translated “for ever and ever” in the original Greek text of
Revelation 19:3 & 20:10 is found more than 15 times in the New Testament
and in every case it is used to speak about God or the true believers that go
on forevermore.
Here
are a few verses with the same Greek phrase translated “for ever and ever”
in Revelation 19:3 & 20:10:
Philippians
4:20 ¶ Now unto God and our Father [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews
13:21 Make you perfect in every good
work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation
7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our
God for ever and ever. Amen.
Is
it certain that God receives glory and honour forevermore?
Yes.
It is certain that God receives glory and honour forevermore.
That
is how God defines this Greek phrase translated “for ever and ever”.
By
following the Biblical principle of comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can
know that the phrase “for ever and ever” found in Revelation 19:3 and
20:10 has to go on forevermore.
For
more information on this question, please see the study on if “for ever and
ever” is really forevermore?
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY: IS
“FOR EVER AND EVER” REALLY FOREVERMORE
God
has told us that the smoke of the torment of the unsaved will rise forevermore.
God is pointing us back to verses like Jeremiah 5:14 where He typifies the
unsaved as wood put in the fire of God’s wrath.
Once
that wood is fully burned up and gone, then after some time, the smoke from the
wood will stop rising.
However,
God says that the smoke of the torment of the unsaved will never stop rising.
Therefore,
God is teaching us that the unsaved will be afflicted in the lake of fire
forevermore.
2. The Bible teaches that once the unsaved are fully
burned up and gone that the fires of God’s wrath will go out. HOWEVER, SINCE
THE FIRES NEVER GO OUT, THE UNSAVED WILL ALWAYS BE IN THEM.
We
read a number of verses that indicate that the fires of God’s wrath will burn
forevermore. They will never go out:
Jeremiah
17:4 And thou, even thyself, shalt
discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to
serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a
fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
Matthew
18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot
offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for
thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two
feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Matthew
25:41 Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the devil and his angels:
Mark
9:43-48:
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it
is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it
is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out:
it is better for thee to enter into the
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
God
has given sufficient verses so that we can know that the fires of God’s wrath
will burn forevermore. They will never be quenched.
It
is argued that Jude 7 teaches that the fires of God’s wrath will not burn
forevermore. However, that is in error.
There
is a translation error in Jude 7 that is causing misunderstanding. A detailed
study of this verse has been prepared to show what the Bible is really teaching
by that verse.
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY ON JUDE
7
So,
if we examine the Bible carefully, we do fine that the fires of God’s wrath
will burn forevermore. They will never be quenched.
This
does not mean that there is literally a fire burning forevermore. God Himself
is the “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29) that burns forevermore in the sense
that His anger burns forevermore.
Nevertheless,
the Bible is clear that the fire of God’s wrath does burn forevermore. It is
never quenched.
However,
it is argued that the unsaved are “burned up” in those fires and cease to
exist. It is said that the fires burn forever, but the unsaved have ceased to
exist.
Does
the Bible provide any help in verifying this theory?
Yes.
It does.
We
read in Proverbs 26:20:
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so
where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
We
must remember that the book of Proverbs are parables using earthly
illustrations to teach Gospel truths.
There
is the earthly illustration, but the real truth that God has is the Gospel
teaching.
To
understand what God is teaching in Proverbs 26:20, we have to search for the
Gospel truth.
The
“wood” that God has in view are the unsaved. This is the same Hebrew
word “wood” that we found in Jeremiah 5:14 to describe the unsaved.
We
read there:
Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye
speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this
people wood, and it shall devour them.
The
unsaved are the “wood”.
We
look at Jeremiah 5:14 and other similar verses in the study above.
In
Proverbs 26:20 the “fire” is the fire of God’s wrath. We read about the
fire of God’s wrath in Mark 9:43-48:
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it
is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it
is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out:
it is better for thee to enter into the
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
In
Mark 9:43-48, God is insisting that the fires of God’s burn forevermore. They
never go out.
In
Proverb 26:20 God is stating a very important Gospel truth.
In
this verse, God is teaching that once the wood is gone, the fire will go out.
We
must look for the Gospel truth. The Bible shows that the unsaved are the
“wood”. The “fire” is the fire of God’s wrath.
Proverbs
26:20 is teaching that once the unsaved, the wood, are gone, then the fires of
God’s wrath will go out.
However,
Mark 9:43-48 and other verses teach that the fires of God’s wrath will never go
out.
Therefore,
if we follow the Bible, we are forced to accept the conclusion that the unsaved
will never be gone. They will never cease to exist. They will always remain in
the fires of God’s wrath.
This
is a sad conclusion. However, if we want truth, we have to follow the Bible.
The
Hebrew word translated “goeth out” in Proverbs 26:20 is often translated
“quenched”.
2 Kings 22:17
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods,
that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands;
therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be
quenched <03518>.
2 Chronicles 34:25 Because they have forsaken me, and have
burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all
the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this
place, and shall not be quenched <03518>.
Isaiah 1:31
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they
shall both burn together, and none shall quench <03518> them.
Isaiah 34:10
It shall not be quenched <03518> night nor day; the
smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie
waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
Isaiah 66:24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have
transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire
be quenched <03518>; and they shall be an abhorring unto
all flesh.
Jeremiah 4:4
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your
heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth
like fire, and burn that none can quench <03518> it, because
of the evil of your doings.
Jeremiah 7:20
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall
be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of
the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not
be quenched <03518>.
Jeremiah 17:27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow
the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of
Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof,
and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched <03518>.
Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD;
Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of
the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none
can quench <03518> it, because of the evil of
your doings.
Ezekiel 20:47
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour
every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be
quenched <03518>, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein.
Ezekiel 20:48
And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be
quenched <03518>.
We
see a number of verses with this same Hebrew word translated “goeth out” in
Proverbs 26:20.
In
these verses, God is insisting that His anger or the fire of His anger shall
not be “quenched” or shall not “goeth out”. God is certainly making that point.
But,
the question is raised, will the unsaved remain in the fires of God’s wrath or
will they be burned up?
Proverbs
26:20 provides the answer.
Once
the unsaved are burned up and gone, then Proverbs 26:20 declares that the fires
of God’s wrath will be “quenched” or will “goeth out”.
However,
God insists that those fires will never go out.
Therefore,
Proverbs 26:20 gives the undeniable conclusion that the unsaved will exist
forevermore in the fires of God’s wrath. God declares that the unsaved in those
fires are “tormented with fire” (Revelation 14:10, 20:10).
The
second part of Proverbs 26:20 agrees with and confirms the first part of
Proverbs 26:20.
We
read again in Proverbs 26:20:
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so
where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
The
second statement talks about a “talebearer”. The “talebearer”
refers to the unsaved. We see this same Hebrew word used in the following
verses:
Proverbs 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer <05372> separateth chief
friends.
Proverbs 18:8
The words of a talebearer <05372> are as
wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 26:22 The words of a talebearer <05372> are as
wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Unsaved
man brings tales of wrong gospels or he whispers gossip that separates friends.
The
words of the unsaved are “wounds” to his fellow man because he brings wrong
gospels and wrong ideas that lead people under the wrath of God.
The
Hebrew word translated “strife” in Proverbs 26:20 is also used in these verses:
Proverbs 26:21 As coals are to burning coals,
and wood to fire; so is a contentious <04066> man to kindle
strife.
Jeremiah 15:10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me
a man of strife and a man of contention <04066> to the whole earth!
I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet
every one of them doth curse me.
Habakkuk 1:3
Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance?
for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise
up strife and contention <04066>.
In
Jeremiah 15:10 and Habakkuk 1:3 we read about the “strife” or “contention” that
the prophet had to endure.
Why
did the prophets have to endure “strife” or “contention”?
Because
there is a great “strife” or “contention” between God and unsaved man because
of his sin. The sin of man has led to this great strife between him and God.
Proverbs
26:21 ties this Hebrew word translated “strife” or “contention” to the fire of
God’s wrath.
Man’s
sin has kindled the fire of God’s wrath and has caused the “strife” between God
and man. The “strife” between God and man identifies with the fire of God’s
wrath against sin.
We
saw that the Bible teaches that the fire of God’s wrath burn forevermore. That
means that the anger of God against sin remains forevermore. In the same way,
the “strife” between God and man because of man’s sin remains forevermore.
The
second part of Proverbs 26:20 confirms what the first part teaches.
We
read again in Proverbs 26:20:
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so
where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Just
as the fire of God’s wrath will never be quenched, God’s anger or the strife
because of man’s sin never ends. Therefore, the second part of Proverbs 26:20
is saying that the talebearer, the unsaved, will remain.
In
other words, if the unsaved, represented by the “talebearer” ceased to
exist, then the strife over sin would cease. However, the Bible says that the
fire of God’s wrath will never end. That means the anger or strife never ends.
Therefore, the talebearer, the unsaved must remain.
So,
the second part of Proverbs 26:20 confirms the teaching of the first part, that
the unsaved will continue to exist throughout eternity future.
3. Psalm 83:17 declares that God will trouble the
unsaved for ever.
We
read in Psalm 83:17-18:
17 Let them be confounded
and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18 That men may know
that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over
all the earth.
In
verse 17 the word “confounded” means to be ashamed.
We
also read in verse 17 that the unsaved will be “troubled”. This Hebrew
word translated “troubled” is always used for conscious affliction. The
unsaved will be shamed and experience conscious affliction (be troubled) for
ever.
Below
are all of the verses with this same Hebrew phrase translated “for ever”
in verse 17:
Psalms
92:7 ¶ When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of
iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
Psalms
132:12 If thy children will keep my
covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also
sit upon thy throne for evermore.
Psalms
132:14 This is my rest for ever: here
will I dwell; for I have desired it.
Isaiah
26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for
in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Isaiah
65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for
ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and
her people a joy.
From
1 Corinthians 2:13, we know that God defines words and phrases by how He uses
them in other parts of the Bible.
Psalm
92:7 talks about the destruction of the unsaved. That is forever. Everyone
agrees that the destruction of the unsaved is truly forever. The only question
is if it is a continuous destruction that goes on forever or a destruction that
lasts forever.
2
Thessalonians 1:8 confirms that the unsaved will experience “everlasting
destruction”. Therefore, we know that the “for ever” of Psalm 92:7
is truly forevermore.
The
remaining verses, Psalm 132:12, 14, Isaiah 26:4, and Isaiah 65:18 are all
talking about God’s salvation. God has promised that His salvation and
blessings to the true believers are forever. We know that is truly forevermore.
We
can see that God always uses this particular Hebrew phrase translated “for
ever” found in Psalm 83:17 to describe something that truly goes on
forevermore. Therefore, based upon 1 Corinthians 2:13, we know that the shame
and troubling of the unsaved truly continues forevermore, according to Psalm
83:17.
This
word “troubled” is always used to indicate conscious experience. It
could be either emotional or physical affliction.
Here
are some example verses with this word:
Genesis
45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren,
I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer
him; for they were troubled <0926> at his presence.
Judges
20:41 And when the men of Israel turned
again, the men of Benjamin were amazed <0926>: for they saw that
evil was come upon them.
1 Samuel 28:21 And
the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled <0926>,
and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put
my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto
me.
Ezra
4:4 Then the people of the land weakened
the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled <0926> them in
building,
Job
4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and
thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled <0926>.
Psalms
6:3 My soul is also sore vexed <0926>:
but thou, O LORD, how long?
All
of the above verses are speaking of a conscious affliction. They cannot refer
to something done to bones or dust.
Everywhere
God uses this Hebrew word translated “troubled” in Psalm 83:17 it always
indicates conscious affliction. Therefore, based upon 1 Corinthians 2:13, God
is defining this Hebrew word translated “troubled” as a conscious
affliction.
In
verse 17 the word “yea” is the word most commonly translated “and”.
The second part of verse 17 is giving more information the punishment of the
unsaved.
God
says they will perish or die. From the study on the Biblical definition of life
and death, we can know that the Bible teaches that for mankind death, which is
perishing, is to be separated from God.
Unsaved man is eternally separated from God and all of His blessings.
That is a horrible troubling.
Please see the study on the
Biblical definition of life and death for more information
Psalm
83:17-18 and other verses teach that this separation from God results in a
continuous affliction for the unsaved throughout eternity future. That is why
the second death is defined with the word “torment” rather as cessation of
existence (Revelation 14:10, 20:10, 14).
This
ties into the continuous “perishing” described in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The
word “perish” in Psalm 83:18 is the Hebrew “abad” and it appears 4 times in
Deuteronomy 28 (verses 20, 22, 51 and 63). In each of these verses the Hebrew
word “abad” is in the “infinitive”. The infinitive describes an on-going action
and gives no completion. These verses should be translated with the phrase
“until you are perishing”, describing an on-going perishing. The language of
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 describes an on-going perishing of conscious affliction.
Let’s
continue with Psalm 83:18
The
word “men” has been improperly added in verse 18. The word “men” is not in the
Hebrew text. Verse 18 must be translated “that they (the unsaved in verse 17)
may know that thou …”. Or, more accurately is to translate it “that they shall
know that thou …”.
That
is, when the unsaved are suffering in the lake of fire, they will finally know
that Jehovah is God. The fact that they will “know” that Jehovah is God does
not mean that they have become saved. God also uses this language to speak of those
that remain under the wrath of God (Ezekiel 30:19, 25, 26, 32:15).
In
Psalm 83:18 the translators were confused about how someone could perish and
then know that Jehovah is the most high. The reason is that they did not
understand that for mankind “death (or perishing) = separation from God, who is
life”, so they put in the word “men”. However, that word is not in the Hebrew
text.
Psalm
83:18 should be translated:
That they may know that thou, whose name
alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
This
is speaking about the unsaved in verse 17. They will finally know that Jehovah
God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus, is the true God.
Psalm
83:17 is clear that the unsaved will be “troubled”, consciously afflicted,
forevermore. Verse 18 adds that in the lake of fire the unsaved will finally
know that Jehovah is the most high over all the earth.
4. Revelation 20:10 declares that the
Some
of the material found in this section is developed more fully in the 10 proofs
of the conscious resurrection of the unsaved.
PLEASE THE STUDY OF 10
PROOFS OF THE CONSCIOUS RESURRECTION OF THE UNSAVED
We
read in Revelation 20:10 concerning the lake of fire:
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
God
says that those that are cast into the lake of fire shall be “tormented day
and night for ever and ever”.
We
read in Revelation 20:15:
And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.
There
are two important facts about the lake of fire:
1.
All of the unsaved throughout time, beginning at Cain, must be cast into the
lake of fire.
God
says in Revelation 20:15 that whosoever was not found in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire. That includes the unsaved all the way back to Cain.
Cain was not written in the book of life. Therefore, Cain also must be cast
into the lake of fire.
The
Bible does not say that the remains of the unsaved are cast into the lake of
fire. It says that those people will be cast into the lake of fire.
In
Revelation 20:10 we read those cast into the lake of fire are “tormented”. This
family of words translated “torment” always signifies conscious affliction,
conscious experience.
Revelation
14:9-10 gives the same message that all of the unsaved, all of those not
written in the book of life, must be tormented (afflicted) with fire, (God, who
is a consuming fire).
We
read in Revelation 14:9-10:
9 And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath
of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Therefore,
the unsaved must “awake” to consciousness for these verses to be fulfilled.
Therefore,
the Bible is teaching that all of the unsaved, all the way back to Cain and
forward, will be cast into the lake of fire and experience conscious
affliction.
2.
The lake of fire cannot be a physical fire, like that described in 2 Peter
3:10.
Also,
we know that the lake of fire is not a physical fire nor it is the fire that
will burn up this universe when the “elements shall melt with fervent heat”
(2 Peter 3:10). That is, because man cannot be “tormented day and night”
in a physical fire. Those cast into a physical fire go unconscious in a few
seconds or minutes. They cannot be “tormented day and night” in a
physical fire.
We
read in Revelation 20:10 that the unsaved “shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever”.
This
is an interesting phrase because it talks about the unsaved being tormented “for
ever and ever”.
This
phrase “for ever and ever” can be shown to truly mean forevermore. It is
argued that this phrase does not mean forevermore. However, when we check the
original Greek text translated “for ever and ever” in Revelation 19:3
and 20:10, we find that everywhere this same Greek phrase is used, it is always
talks about God or glory to God or something related to the eternal kingdom of
God.
We
know that God, His glory and His kingdom do truly go on forevermore. So, we can
know that the Greek text translated “for ever and ever” in Revelation
19:3 & 20:10 truly means forevermore. A study has been prepared on this
question.
DOES THE PHRASE “FOR EVER
AND EVER” REALLY MEANS FOREVERMORE?
When
we compare Scripture with Scripture, we find that the Greek phrase translated “for
ever and ever” in Revelation 19:3 & 20:10 truly does mean forevermore.
However,
Revelation 20:10 has the phrase “day and night” added in.
It
is argued that this phrase “day and night” limits the duration of the
torment to this world existence.
However,
God did add in “for ever and ever”.
It
is argued that this phrase “for ever and ever” signifies that
forevermore the unsaved cannot come back to any consciousness or something like
that.
However,
Revelation 20:10 is not talking returning to consciousness. This verse is
talking about those being tormented, a conscious affliction.
Actually,
we can to go back and examine the phrase “day and night” and ask an
important question:
Does
this phrase “day and night” limit the duration to this world’s existence?
To
answer this question, we have to remember that God uses terms like “day”,
“night”, “light”, “darkness” not only to speak of this world, but also to speak
of spiritual truth.
Here
are some example verses:
John
3:19 And this is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
John
12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a
little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness
come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Acts
26:18 To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them
which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
1
Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness.
John
9:4 I must work the works of him that
sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
In
the above example verses, we see the terms “light”, “darkness”, “day” and
“night” used in a spiritual or figurative sense. In the above verses those
terms cannot be understood in a literal or physical way.
God
does use terms like “light”, “darkness”, “day” and “night” to represent
spiritual truth.
However,
does God use the phrase “day and night” to represent something that is not
limited to this world’s existence?
Consider
3 verses with the phrase “day and night”:
Isaiah 34:10 It
shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever:
from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it
for ever and ever.
Revelation 7:15
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night
in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.
It
is assumed that when we see the term “day and night” that the event
described comes to an end when this world comes to an end. However, is that
really true?
We
must remember that God uses figures from this world to describe spiritual
truth. For example as we saw above, Jesus says that the “night” comes when no
man can work (John 9:4). He is using “night” to point to a spiritual truth, not
a physical statement about the position of our side of the earth with respect
to the sun.
God
also talks about the new moons and the sabbaths in the new heaven and new earth
(Isaiah 66:22-23). The new moons and the sabbaths require the passage of “day
and night” cycles. Isaiah 66:22-23 is an example where God is using references
to the time keepers of this world to speak about things that will occur in
eternity future. We will look more at Isaiah 66:23-23 later on in this study.
Let’s
consider the 3 verses above that use the term “day and night”
Isaiah
34:10 describes the fires of God’s wrath that shall not be quenched “day and
night”. In the original Hebrew it says “day and night”.
Actually,
from Jeremiah 17:4, Mark 9:43, 44, 45, 46 & 48 and other verses, we learn
that the fires of God’s wrath shall never be quenched. They shall burn
forever.
So,
the fires of God’s wrath described in Isaiah 34:10 shall not be quenched night
nor day and that goes on forever. They shall not be quenched forever.
So,
in Isaiah 34:10 the term “day and night” does not limit duration to this
world’s existence. The fires of God’s wrath shall not be quenched, day and
night, and that goes on forevermore. The
fires of God’s wrath shall never be quenched.
Let’s
compare Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 14:11. We read in Revelation 14:11:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth
up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation
14:11 says that the unsaved “have no rest day nor
night”. From this statement one might assume that the unsaved will
have rest once this world comes to an end. However, this language is parallel
to Isaiah 34:10 that says that the fires of God’s wrath “shall not be
quenched night nor day”.
From
Isaiah 34:10 we might assume that the fires of God’s wrath will be quenched at
the end of this world. However, as explained above, that is not true. Other
verses teach that the fires of God’s shall not be quenched forever.
So,
the phrase “shall not be quenched night nor day” in Isaiah 34:10 is not
a proof text that the fires of God’s wrath shall be quenched at the end of the
world. In the same way, we cannot conclude from the phrase “have no rest day nor night” in Revelation 14:11
that they unsaved will finally have rest when this world comes to an end.
In
fact, we can put Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 14:11 together. The fires of God’s
wrath shall not be quenched “day and night” and that goes on forever. The
unsaved have no rest “day and night”. Because of Isaiah 34:10, we know that the
phrase “day and night” in Revelation 14:11 gives no proof that rest comes when
this world ends.
Isaiah
34:10 teaches us that the phrase “no rest day nor night” in Revelation 14:11
does not limit the duration of “no rest” to this world’s existence.
Now,
let’s consider Revelation 7:15, which says:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve
him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them.
Revelation
7:15 describes the believers in heaven serving Christ. The setting of
Revelation 7:9-17 is heaven with the 24 elders and the 4 beasts (living
creatures). If we examine these verses carefully there is nothing in them that
confines them to this world’s existence nor to the duration of this world.
The
temple in Revelation 7:15 is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We read about The
Lord Jesus as the temple in John 2:19-21. The believers will be before the
throne of God serving Him day and night in His temple (the Lord Jesus)
forevermore. The believers will never cease to serve God in His temple (The
Lord Jesus) forevermore.
If
we examine the context of Revelation 7:15 with the help of Revelation 21:1-4,
we see that it includes eternity future.
We
read in Revelation 7:14-17:
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Let’s
compare that to Revelation 21:1-4:
1
¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and
be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
The
context of Revelation 21:1-4 is eternity future. In verse 1 the present heaven
and earth have passed away and there is now a new heaven and earth.
We
see parallel language between Revelation 7:15-17 and Revelation 21:1-4.
In
Revelation 7:15 God says that He shall dwell among the true believers. In
Revelation 21:3 God says that He will dwell with the true believers.
In
Revelation 7:17 God says that He shall wipe away their tears. God says the same
thing in Revelation 21:4.
There
is no language in Revelation 7:9-17 that limits the context to this present
world. In fact, all of the promises of God given in Revelation 7:15-17 will
continue forevermore.
Therefore,
we cannot say that the phrase “day and night” in verse 15 limits the
passage to this world. Everything in this passage continues on forevermore.
In
Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 7:15 God is using the term “day and night” to
describe something that is going on continuously and goes on for evermore. Therefore, the term “day and night” does not
necessarily limit the duration to this world’s existence.
Here
are some example verses which use the term “day and night” with the sense of a
continuous action:
Joshua
1:8 This book of the law shall not
depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that
thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
1
Kings 8:29 That thine eyes may be open
toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou
hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer
which thy servant shall make toward this place.
1
Kings 8:59 And let these my words,
wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our
God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of
his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
Nehemiah
1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and
thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray
before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and
confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee:
both I and my father’s house have sinned.
Psalms
1:2 But his delight is in the law
of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalms
32:4 For day and night thy hand was
heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
Psalms
42:3 My tears have been my meat day and
night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
These
are some sample verses that use the term “day and night” in the sense of
something that is going on continuously.
So,
in Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 7:15 we have the term “day and night” used to
describe something that goes on forever. With the help of other verses that use
the term “day and night”, we can understand that this term can signify a
continuous action. Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 7:15 are talking about things that
go on “continuously” and we know from other passages that they will go on
forever.
Therefore,
when we read Revelation 20:10, the term “day and night” is not a proof text
that the event described stops at the end of this world. We have two examples of
the term “day and night” describing things that go on forever. In the same way,
the “day and night” of Revelation 20:10 does not limit the duration to this
world’s existence.
The
assertion that the torment of Revelation 20:10 comes to an end at the end of
this universe is really ignoring the last part of this verse, “… for ever and
ever”. God put that into the verse, we cannot ignore it. The answer given is
that this is saying that the unsaved can never come back to a right
relationship with God does not have any Biblical support. Revelation 20:10 is
talking about tormenting, a conscious affliction. It is not simply talking
about the condition of being under the wrath of God.
God
uses other terms from this universe to describe things that go on forever.
We
read in Genesis 1:14:
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of
the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days, and years:
We
read this verse and assume that God is limiting terms like “day and night”,
“days”, “years”, etc. to describe the passage of time in this world, and most
of the time this is true.
However,
this verse does not mean that every time we see these terms, “day and night”,
“days”, “years”, that the event described ends at the end of this world’s
existence.
For
example, we read in Zechariah 14:16:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that
is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from
year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of
tabernacles.
This
verse is using parabolic language to describe the new heaven and new earth for
the believers.
The
same Hebrew phrase translated “year to year” in Zechariah 14:16 is also
used in Deuteronomy 15:20 and 1 Samuel 7:16 to describe events that occurred
from year to year in this world:
Deuteronomy
15:20 Thou shalt eat it before
the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou
and thy household.
1
Samuel 7:16 And he went from year to
year in circuit to
Zechariah
14:16 describes something that goes on in eternity future using the term “from
year to year”.
God
talks about “years” along with the “day and night” in reference to this world’s
time keepers in Genesis 1:14. However, Zechariah 14:16 is talking about
eternity future. This verse shows that God is not limited to using terms like
“day and night”, “days”, “years”, etc. to only to refer to this world’s time
keepers.
We
read in Isaiah 66:23:
And it shall come to pass, that from one new
moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah
66:23 is talking about eternity future in the new heaven and new earth. In this
verse God is again using time figures from this world to speak about eternity
future. Each of these references has a symbolic meaning, but not a literal
meaning like they do in this world.
Here
God refers to the passing from one new moon to another. That is a passage of 29
or 30 days in this world. God also refers to the passing from one sabbath to
another. That is a passage of 7 days in this world. Back in Genesis 1:14 God
talked about “days” in connection with the time keepers of this world. However,
that does not mean that God is limited in His use of the term “days” to only
speaking of this world. Isaiah 66:23 shows that God can use figures from the
passage of time in this world to describe things that will go on in eternity.
This shows that God can use terms like “day and night” to speak of events in
eternity also.
We
read in Psalm 21:4:
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it
him, even length of days for ever and ever.
Here
God talks about a length of days, for ever and ever. The promise to the
believers is “life”, which is God Himself and all of His blessings for ever and
ever. God uses the term “days” (plural) going on for ever and ever. Again, God
is taking a figure that is used to refer to this world and applying into
eternity future to speak of something that will go on forever. A day is
composed of one “day and night” cycle.
It
does not mean that there will be literal days or “day and night” cycles in
eternity future. Rather, God is using terms taken from this world and applying
them in a symbolic way in eternity future. Therefore, when we read about “day
and night” it does not mean that the duration in view is necessarily limited to
this world. Rather, God is using a figure, like he uses “days”, “from year to year”,
“from one new moon to another” or “from one sabbath to another” to represent
something in eternity. For the term “day and night” it can be shown that this
term has the sense of “continuously”.
We
read an interesting verse in Psalm 121:6:
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by
night.
This
verse is a promise of God’s protection for the true believers.
If
we think about this verse, it has nothing to do with the sun and moon of this
universe nor does it have anything to do with “day and night” of this universe.
The
reason for that is because the Gospel makes no promise for protection in this
world. If a country has a drought or famine, the true believers in that country
will suffer along with the unbelievers. If there is no rain and the sun is
beating down in a land, then all the people of that land suffer. That includes
both the true believers and the unbelievers. As the physical sun smites the
unsaved of that nation, it also smites the true believers of that nation.
This
verse can only refer to spiritual protection. In this verse, the four words,
“sun”, “moon”, “day” and “night” cannot be understood in a physical way. We
have to look at them from a Gospel perspective. The “sun” refers to the Lord
Jesus. The “moon” refers to the law of God, the Bible. If we are saved, the
Lord Jesus, as the judge, and the law of God, will not come against us. They
will not smite us.
Also,
this verse is not saying that we have protection from Christ, as the judge,
during the day and the law of God during the night. If we are saved, we have
protection from Christ, as the judge, at all times.
No,
rather, day and night, at all times or continuously, we are protected from the
wrath of God. It is not that we are protected during literal day and night. The
true believer’s protection by God is continuous and it goes on forever. The
believer’s protection is a continuous protection for ever.
On
the other hand, for the unsaved, they will suffer continuously, day and night,
the wrath of God, forevermore, according to Revelation 14:10 & 20:10.
The
above verses show that God uses terms taken from the time keepers of this
world, like “day and night”, “year to year”, “days”, “from one sabbath to
another”, to speak about things that will occur in eternity future. The
presence of these terms is not a proof that the events described are limited to
the duration of this world.
Let’s
apply this learning from the verses above and consider Revelation 20:10 again.
We read there:
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
In
this verse, God talks about being tormented. God also makes reference to “for
ever and ever”.
God
is talking about tormenting for ever and ever.
However,
the argument is presented that the term “day and night” limits the tormenting
to this world. The argument is that the term “day and night” cannot apply to
something beyond this universe’s existence.
However,
God has shown that this argument is not valid. God has given two verses, Isaiah
34:10 and Revelation 7:15, in which the term “day and night” is applied
to something that goes on forevermore. God has also given other verses, like
Psalm 21:4, Isaiah 66:23 and Zechariah 14:16, in which He uses other figures of
time taken from this world and has applied them to eternity future.
Therefore,
the term “day and night” does not limit the duration to this world. Rather, God
uses this term at times to refer to something that is going on continuously. We
will see more confirmation of this truth later in this study.
Since
God uses the term “day and night” in Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 7:15 to
describe something that goes on forevermore, then the same term in Revelation
20:10 can describe something that goes on forevermore.
In
fact, God has put the term “for ever and ever” in Revelation 20:10, so that we
know that it describes something that goes on forevermore.
We
might consider an important question:
Why
does Revelation 20:10 include the phrase “day and night”?
One
possible answer is to make the Bible more difficult to understand or to provide
a testing program.
In
regards to very important doctrines, God often writes verses in ways that
create a testing program.
For
example, a very important doctrine is that Christ did all of the work, took all
of the action for us to become saved.
Yet,
we read verses like Acts 16:31, which says:
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts
16:31 and other verses appear to teach that we can do something to get
ourselves saved. However, if we study the whole Bible, we learn that this is
not true.
Likewise,
the end of the church age and the command for believers to leave the church are
very important doctrines.
We
must understand the parabolic language that God gives in order to come to truth
on this doctrine.
For
example, we read in Matthew 24:15:
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:)
Matthew
24:15 is actually a command to the believers to leave the churches once we get
to the Great Tribulation. However, God has written this verse in a more
difficult way.
Likewise,
Revelation 20:10 is teaching that all of the unsaved will be tormented
(afflicted) continuously forevermore. However, by including the phrase “day
and night”, it gives an opportunity to try to ignore the last part of the
verse, “for ever and ever”.
However,
when we factor in Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 7:15, we know that the term “day
and night” does not limit the duration to this world’s existence.
The
term “day and night” is used to refer to things that continue forevermore. They
when Revelation 20:10 says that the unsaved will be “tormented day and night
for ever and ever”, we cannot ignore that fact that God includes “… for
ever and ever”.
Consider
the teaching of Isaiah 34:10 and Mark 9:45 concerning the fire of God’s wrath.
We read in those two verses:
Isaiah
34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor
day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it
shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
Mark
9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it
off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be
cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Isaiah
34:10 says that the fire of God’s wrath is not quenched “day and night”. Mark
9:45 says that the fire of God’s wrath shall never be quenched.
Putting
the Isaiah 34:10 and Mark 9:45 together, God is effectively says that the fire
of God’s wrath shall not be quenched “day and night forevermore”. This
is saying the same thing as Revelation 20:10.
We
can know that the “day and night” of Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 do not refer to
this world’s existence.
We
read in Revelation 20:11-15:
11
¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
In
Revelation 20:12 we read about the dead that stand before God. These are all of
the unsaved. Then in verses 14 & 15 we read about these unsaved being cast
into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is described in Revelation 14:9-11 and
Revelation 20:10.
However,
Revelation 20:11-12 shows us that in this vision the unsaved stand after
this present world has passed away. We can see this by examining Revelation
20:11-12 along with Revelation 21:1-2. Let’s look at those passages now:
Revelation
20:11-12:
11
¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12
And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation
21:1-2:
1
¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.
In
Revelation 21:1 he sees a new heaven and a new earth.
Also,
Revelation 21:1 tells us that the first heaven and the first earth have already
passed away. They are not in this vision.
We
can know that the first heaven and first earth are passed away because we read
in the same verse that he saw a new heaven and new earth. 2 Peter 3:10-13
indicates that God will first destroy this heaven and earth and then create a
new heaven and earth.
Then
in verse 2, he saw the body of believers, the holy city coming.
So,
we know that Revelation 21:1-2 teaches that he saw a new heaven and new earth
and that the former heaven and earth were already passed away.
Revelation
20:11-12 has parallel language to Revelation 21:1-2.
In
Revelation 20:11 he saw God sitting on a throne. Verse 11 also indicates that
the first heaven and earth fled away and that there was no place found for
them. The Greek verbs translated “fled away” and “was found” are all in the
past tense.
This
means that they have been destroyed. Then, in verse 12 he saw the unsaved
standing before God. In this vision, the unsaved are standing before God after
this present world is gone.
There
is parallel language between Revelation 20:11-12 and Revelation 21:1-2.
Just
like the holy city, new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven after the first
heaven and first earth have passed away, in the same way, the dead, the
unsaved, stand before God after the first earth and first heaven have passed
away.
Therefore,
the setting of Revelation 20:11-15 is after all this world has passed away.
That
means that the unsaved are cast into the lake of fire after this world has
passed away. Therefore, the “day and night” of Revelation 14:11 & 20:10
cannot refer to the “day and night” of this world.
This
prompts another question:
To
what do the “day and night” in Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 refer?
The
first point is that we already saw in Psalm 21:4, Isaiah 34:10 & 66:23,
Zechariah 14:16 and Revelation 7:15 where God uses terms like “day and night”,
“length of days”, “year to year”, “from one sabbath to another”, “one new moon
to another”, to speak of things that go on forevermore in eternity future.
We
can answer this question by examining other passages with the words day and
night.
A.
We read in Deuteronomy 28:66-67:
66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;
and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it
were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear
of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which
thou shalt see.
In
Deuteronomy 28:66 God talks about affliction coming upon the unsaved “day
and night”.
Deuteronomy
28:15 declares that the afflictions of Deuteronomy 28:16-68 will come upon all
that sin, that is upon all of the unsaved. This chapter contains many verses
that speak of conscious affliction.
With
the phrase “day and night” in Deuteronomy 28:66, God is tying the
conscious affliction of this chapter into verses like Revelation 14:11 and
20:10.
Deuteronomy
28:66-67 help to provide one definition for the phrase “day and night”. In the
case of this chapter, God uses this phrase to speak of an on-going, or
continuous affliction. That is how God uses the phrase “day and night” in
Isaiah 34:10, Revelation 7:15, 14:11 & 20:10.
We
have already looked at verses that use the phrase “day and night” in the sense
of something that is on-going or continuous. Deuteronomy 28:66 uses this same
phrase to speak of the on-going or continuous enduring of God’s wrath. That
ties into Revelation 14:11 and 20:10.
For
more information about Deuteronomy 28, please see the study on the 10 proofs of
the conscious resurrection of the unsaved.
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY ON
THE 10 PROOFS OF THE CONSCIOUS RESURRECTION OF THE UNSAVED
B.
We read about day and night in Isaiah 28:17-19:
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and
righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies,
and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be
disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall
take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and
it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
Isaiah
28 is talking about God’s wrath against His people. It includes at least all of
the unsaved church people during the Great Tribulation. In reality, it is
speaking to all unsaved church leaders throughout the New Testament era.
In
Isaiah 28:18, God talks about an “overflowing scourge” that will “trodden
down” the unsaved.
The
word “scourge” is also translated “whip” in 1 Kings 12:11 &
14, and in other places. It always has to do with conscious affliction.
In
Isaiah 28:18 God is stating that the unsaved church leaders, at least those
during the Great Tribulation, will be “trodden down” by an “overflowing
scourge”, which is defined in the Bible as a conscious affliction. Many of
these church leaders have died during the past 21 years of the Great
Tribulation and have never experienced affliction as spoken of in Isaiah 28.
Then,
in the next verse, in Isaiah 28:19, God describes more about that “overflowing
scourge” that will come upon the unsaved. Again, God is using the figure of
“day and night” to speak of something that is going on continuously. The phrase
“morning by morning” emphasizes the continuous nature of the affliction.
So,
we see in Deuteronomy 28:66-67 and Isaiah 28:19 that God picks upon this theme
of “day and night” to speak of a continuous affliction that finally must come
upon the unsaved. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 is speaking about all of the unsaved.
When
we put the above passages together, we see that Revelation 20:10 says that the
unsaved will be consciously afflicted by God and that will go on forevermore.
The
term “day and night” is a testing point, but when the Bible is carefully
studied, we learn this phrase does not limit the duration to this world, but
rather teaches a continuous affliction.
5. God declares that the conscious affliction of the
wrath of God will be upon the unsaved for ever in Deuteronomy 28:46.
We
read in Deuteronomy 28:45-46:
45
¶ Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and
overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the
voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he
commanded thee:
46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and
for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
In
Deuteronomy 28:15-68, God describes many curses that come upon those that sin.
We
read in verse 15:
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken
unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and
his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come
upon thee, and overtake thee:
Verse
15 teaches us that if we break any of the commands of God, then God will bring
the curses of Deuteronomy 28:16-68 upon us.
Deuteronomy
28:15-68 is directed to all of the unsaved, just like Deuteronomy 28:1-14 is
directed to all of the saved.
There
are many verses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 that speak of conscious affliction that
anyone who sins must experience. For example:
27
The LORD will smite thee with the botch of
28
The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of
heart:
34
So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35
The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that
cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own
body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath
given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall
distress thee:
55 So that he will not give to any of them of
the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him
in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee
in all thy gates.
57 And toward her young one that cometh out from
between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall
eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness,
wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
The
above verses teach that all of the unsaved will receive conscious affliction
among the curses that they must receive.
For
a more detailed study of Deuteronomy 28:15-68, please see the study of the 10
proofs of the conscious resurrection of the unsaved.
PLEASE THE STUDY 10 PROOFS
OF THE CONSCIOUS RESURRECTION OF THE UNSAVED
Therefore,
we can know that Deuteronomy 28:15-68 declares that the unsaved must receive
conscious affliction because of their sins. These are part of the curses of God
for sin.
Then,
God describes more about these curses in verses 45-46.
We
read again in Deuteronomy 28:45-46:
45
¶ Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and
overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the
voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he
commanded thee:
46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and
for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
In
verse 45 God says that all these curses will come upon all of the unsaved. We
read that it will be “till thou be destroyed”.
The
way that phrase is written sounds like a completed destruction. However, in the
Hebrew language this word is not written in the past or perfect tense. It is
written in the “infinitive” which describes a state of being or on-going event.
It is not a completed event.
That
is why the translators put the word “be”, however when we read the above
phrase, the correct meaning is not clear.
A
more accurate and clear translation would be “until destroying you”.
Verse
45 is saying that all of the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 will come upon the
unsaved so that through them, God will be “destroying” the unsaved.
That
is, Deuteronomy 28:15-68 is describing the “destroying” of the unsaved
that God has in mind. A careful reading of this passage will show that it is
describing a continuous on-going “destroying” of the unsaved.
Then,
in verse 46 God is giving more information about these curses that will come
upon the unsaved. These curses include curses of conscious affliction.
These
curses will be upon the unsaved for a sign and a wonder.
These
curses will also be upon the “seed” of the unsaved.
The
“seed” could include the biological children of the unsaved. This is because
unsaved parents bring their children up in their same wrong gospels. In most
cases, the children continue to follow those wrong gospels and come under the
same wrath of God that their parents come under.
Another
possibility for the “seed” of the unsaved are their students.
For
example, the Apostle Paul referred to Timothy as his “son” (1 Timothy 1:2,
1:18, 2 Timothy 1:2, 2:1). Timothy was not the biological son of the Apostle
Paul. Rather Timothy was his “son in the faith”. Paul was mentoring and
teaching Timothy in the Gospel.
In
the same way, the unsaved, to some degree, mentor and teach others in their
wrong gospels. In that sense, those people become their “seed” or “son”.
That
is another possible answer to their “seed” in verse 46.
Now,
we must ask another important question: How will long will the curses in
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 be upon the unsaved?
God
teaches in Deuteronomy 28:46 that these curses, including the curses of conscious
affliction, will be upon the unsaved “for ever”.
In
Deuteronomy 28:46 God is teaching that the unsaved will endure conscious
affliction forevermore. The curses that will be upon the unsaved include those
of conscious affliction.
The
Hebrew phrase translated “for ever” in Deuteronomy 28:46 is used a
number of times in the Bible and always refers to something that truly goes on
forevermore. It either refers to the
Below
are some example verses with the same Hebrew phrase translated “for ever”
in Deuteronomy 28:46:
2
Samuel 7:13 He shall build an house for
my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2
Samuel 7:16 And thine house and thy
kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be
established for ever.
1
Kings 2:33 Their blood shall therefore
return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon
David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there
be peace for ever from the LORD.
Psalms
48:8 ¶ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in
the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
Ezekiel
37:25 And they shall dwell in the land
that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and
they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince
for ever.
God
has given many examples tying this phrase to mean forevermore.
Therefore,
God teaches in Deuteronomy 28:46 that the curses of His law, including those of
conscious affliction, will be upon the unsaved forevermore.
6. Isaiah 34 indicates that the unsaved will be
dwelling in the
The
language of Isaiah 34 is a parabolic description of the lake of fire like other
passages are a parabolic description of heaven.
Isaiah
34 is talking about the wrath of God. Notice that God uses language like He has
already destroyed the unsaved. We read in verse 2:
For the indignation of the LORD is upon all
nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed
them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
In
verse 3, God continues this parabolic description of the wrath of God upon the
unsaved. We read:
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink
shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with
their blood.
The
language here is of a dead body cast out of a grave and stinking.
The
last phrase, “mountains shall be melted with their blood” gives a big
clue that God is speaking in parabolic language. Mountains are not literally
melted with blood. Therefore, we should consider that all of verse 3 could be
parabolic.
We
should also keep in mind that God uses the stinking corpses or dry bones to
represent the unsaved (John 11, Ezekiel 37:1-14). Remember God put the words in
Martha's mouth that he "stinketh" in John 11:39. God is referring to
unsaved people in this world. So, God can use very awful language to describe
the condition of the unsaved in this world.
For
more Bible verses that show that God uses “dry bones” and “corpses” to
represent unsaved man in this world, please see the study that examines the
question if at Judgment Day, will the unsaved be cast out of their graves as
literal corpses that the birds will eat?
AT JUDGMENT DAY WILL THE
UNSAVED BE CAST OUT OF THEIR GRAVES AS LITERAL CORPSES THAT BIRDS WILL EAT?
So,
when we look at verse 3 we can see the resurrection of the unsaved.
We
read "Their slain also shall be cast out". The "slain"
are the unsaved that are already dead in sins, both in body and soul (Romans
7:9-11, 8:10, 1 Corinthians 15:29, Ephesians 2:1,5, 1 Peter 4:6, Revelation
20:12).
Here
are two verses that talk about the unsaved of this world as already “slain”:
Ezekiel
37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto
the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live.
Romans
7:9-11:
9 For I was alive without the law once: but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was ordained
to life, I found to be unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
deceived me, and by it slew me.
In
Ezekiel 37:9, God is calling all of the unsaved as “slain”. The unsaved
are represented by “dry bones” in Ezekiel 37:1-14.
In
Romans 7:9-11, God is declaring that all mankind is dead and that God “slew”
all mankind the day that Adam sinned.
Going
back to the unsaved at Judgment Day, we read in Isaiah 34:3 that the unsaved
are "cast out" of their graves. This could be referring to
fact that they will awake to consciousness in their bodies (Daniel 12:2). This
language is also covered in the study “At Judgment Day, will the unsaved be
cast out of their graves as literal corpses that the birds will eat?”. The link
for this study is given above.
For
more proofs of the conscious resurrection of the unsaved, please see the study
of the 10 proofs of the conscious resurrection of the unsaved.
PLEASE THE STUDY 10 PROOFS
OF THE CONSCIOUS RESURRECTION OF THE UNSAVED
The
next part of verse 3 reads "their stink shall come up out of their
carcases". The "stink" ties back into John 11:39. The
unsaved “stink” before God because of their sins.
So,
Isaiah 34:3 could very well be talking about the resurrection of the unsaved to
consciousness. They are still "slain", that is dead, both in
body and soul, like they were when they were in this world. They are the
"dead" in Revelation 20:12. They are still "stinking
corpses" as was represented by Lazarus. For more information, please see
the study on the Biblical definition of “life” and “death” for mankind.
Please see the study on the
Biblical definition of life and death for more information
We
read in verses 4 to 6:
4 And all the host of
heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a
scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the
vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
5 For my sword shall be
bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people
of my curse, to judgment.
6 The sword of the LORD is
filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of
lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a
sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
Verse
4 is very parallel to Revelation 6:13-14. Both indicate that we are at the very
end of the world, when Christ comes.
Verses
5 & 6 are parabolic language, but they point the finger at the local
congregations. They are represented by Idumea or
Starting
in verse 9 God introduces the figure of fire. He talks about "burning
pitch". When we see fire in connection with God's wrath, we should
remember that it points us to God as the consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). God is
not a physical fire, but as fire brings great pain and destruction, so God
brings great pain and destruction upon the unsaved.
The
destruction that God brings upon the unsaved is described in Deuteronomy
28:15-68. For more information about Deuteronomy 28:15-68, please see the study
of the 10 proofs of the conscious resurrection of the unsaved. The link is
given above.
We
read in verses 9 and 10:
9
¶ And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into
brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the
smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie
waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
These
are key verses, but we have to look at them carefully.
Verse
9 talks about “brimstone” and “burning”. These are references to
the fire of the wrath of God.
Then in verse 10, God continues to talk about the fire of His wrath. God says
that this fire shall not be "quenched". It says that it will
not be quenched "night nor day". In the Hebrew text, it literally
says “day and night”.
The
next phrase in the verse talks about the smoke going up forever. Smoke going up
forever requires a fire that burns forever.
We
want to remember that the fire and smoke are not literal. God is the consuming
fire. God is not a literal fire. Rather, the fire and smoke point to God who is
pouring out His wrath.
The
fact that the smoke goes up forevermore teaches that the fire of God’s wrath
burns forevermore.
We
might think that the phrase "night nor day" limits the
duration to this world's existence. However, we have to remember that God
defines His own terms. We see this because in Mark 9:43-48 God says the fire,
the same fire as in Isaiah 34:10, will never be quenched.
Isaiah
34:10 says that the fire of God’s wrath shall not be quenched “day and night”.
This verse is effectively saying that those fires are burning “day and night”.
However,
Mark 9:44-48 and Jeremiah 17:4 says that the fire of God’s wrath shall not be
quenched forevermore. It shall never be quenched.
So,
Isaiah 34:10 says that the fire of God’s wrath will not be quenched “day and
night” and that goes on forevermore based upon Mark 9:44-48, Jeremiah 17:4
and other verses.
Putting
the verses together, we conclude that the fire of God’s wrath is not quenched “day
and night” forevermore.
Therefore,
through Isaiah 34:10, along with Mark 9:44-48 and Jeremiah 17:4, God is
teaching that He can use the term “day and night” to speak of something that
goes on forevermore. The term “day and night” does not limit the subject to
this world’s existence.
So,
we learn an important truth. That is, when God talks about "no rest day
nor night" in Revelation 14:11 or “tormented day and night” in
Revelation 20:10 or "not quenched day nor night" in Isaiah
34:10, that does not mean that the subject of these verses is limited to this
world's existence.
God
does use figures of the passage of time or the time keepers of this world in
reference to eternity. We saw that in a previous study.
In
Isaiah 66:22-23 we read:
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed
and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from
one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come
to worship before me, saith the LORD.
In
verse 23 he talks about the ceremonial law. But, God also talks about the
passage of time. We read "from one new moon to another". This
phrase is not only talking about the new moons. It is also talking about the
passage of time. It says "from … to … ". That requires the passage of
time; 29 or 30 days or day and night cycles.
This
is also true for the next phrase "from one sabbath to another".
The phrase "from … to …" requires the passage of 7 day-night cycles.
We
know that there are no day-night cycles in eternity. However, God is
establishing the precedence that He uses these terms in talking about eternity.
We
saw the same thing in Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve
him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them.
As
discussed above, a careful examination of Revelation 7:9-17 shows that there is
nothing in that passage that ties it into this world. However, we have seen
passages where God uses the term “day and night” in the sense of
something that is going on continuously.
The
definition of "continuously" fits perfectly as an explanation for
"day and night" in Isaiah 34:10, Revelation 7:15, and 14:11.
Going
back to Isaiah 34:10, we read:
It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke
thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste;
none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
To
summarize, we know from Mark 9:43-48 and other passages that the fire of God’s
wrath shall never be quenched. The fire of God’s wrath is not a literal fire.
Rather, it means that God’s wrath shall never be quenched and God identifies
His wrath with a “consuming fire”.
So,
the phrase “not be quenched night nor day” does not limit the duration of the
fire of God’s wrath to the existence of this universe.
The
fact that the fire continues to burn forevermore is confirmed by the next
phrase. The smoke goes up for ever. Here, God is using a physical analogy to
teach a spiritual truth. We have to look at the physical analogy to understand
the spiritual truth.
If
we put out a physical fire, does the smoke go up for ever?
No.
Over time, the smoke dissipates and disappears. Also, once the fire is out, the
smoke cools down and stop rising. Smoke only rises because it is hotter than
the nearby air. However, once the fire goes out, the smoke cools down and stops
rising.
Therefore,
the fact that the smoke rises forevermore, means that the fire is burning
forevermore.
This
is a further encouragement that when we see the term “night and day”,
especially in connection with the future of the believers (Revelation 7:15) or
the unbelievers, it does not limit the duration to this world’s existence.
Generation
to generation
We
wonder what the phrase "from generation to generation" in
Isaiah 34:10 means?
It
does not fit well for the final 5 months; because that is not enough time for
one generation to develop.
Below
are a few more passages that use the figure "from generation to
generation" in parallel with forevermore.
Isaiah
34:17 And he hath cast the lot for them,
and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever,
from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
Isaiah
51:8 For the moth shall eat them up like
a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be
for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
Daniel
4:3 How great are his signs! and
how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
Daniel
4:34 And at the end of the days I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned
unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that
liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his
kingdom is from generation to generation:
Notice
how God uses this figure of "from generation to generation" in
parallel with forever.
So,
this verse talks about God's wrath and a fire that burns forever. If we have
any doubt about Isaiah 34:10-17 talking about forever, we read in verse 17 that
it shall be possessed for ever.
God
ties the phrase “from generation to generation” to “forevermore” in the above
verses, thereby defining this phrase as a figure of speech representing
something that goes on forevermore.
We
will see several proofs in Isaiah 34:10-17 that it speaks of an eternal
dwelling place for the unsaved in the lake of fire.
The
last part of verse 10 says “none shall pass through it for ever and ever.”
This means that no one will ever be able to pass out of lake of fire. This word
“pass through” is used for passing into and out of a place. For example,
we read in Genesis 32:22:
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and
his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over <05674> the
ford Jabbok.
This
is talking about Jacob and his family “passing over” the ford Jabbok. That is,
they entered and exited the river. This verb is frequently used to describe the
“passing into” or “passing out” of something.
Here
are a few more examples:
Genesis 12:6 And Abram passed through <05674> the land unto the place of Sichem, unto
the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Here,
Abram went from one land into Sichem. He left the land that he was in.
Genesis 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour
in thy sight, pass not away <05674>, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Here,
Abraham is asking that the three men, who represent God, not to leave him.
These
are a few examples of how this word “pass through” can mean “pass out of” or
“leave”.
The
phrase “none shall pass through it for ever and ever” in Isaiah 34:10 is
not indicating that no one will be in the lake of fire. Rather, it indicates
that once men are cast into the lake of fire, there is no way to get out of it.
There is no way to “pass out” or to “leave” the lake of fire.
This
is parallel to Luke 16:26 in which God is represented by Abraham who is telling
the rich man that there is no way for anyone to pass between heaven and hell.
We
read in Luke 16:26:
And beside all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Once
we end up in the lake of fire there is no way out of it.
The
phrase "none shall through it for ever and ever" in Isaiah 34:10 is a
teaching a key point that for those that end up in the lake of fire, they will
never be able to get out.
Let’s
look at little more at Isaiah 34:17. We read there:
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath
divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation
to generation shall they dwell therein.
In
verse 17, the “it” that the unsaved will possess is the dwelling place of the
lake of fire, which is what God is describing in verses 11-17.
We
will go through verses 11 to 17 and show how they all are talking about the unsaved.
God
says that the unsaved will possess this place, the lake of fire, for ever. The
Hebrew word translated “for ever” in Isaiah 34:17 is the standard Hebrew
word translated this way. It is used to describe the believer’s inheritance of
the new heaven and new earth. For example we read in Genesis 13:15
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed for ever.
The
“land” to which Genesis 13:15 refers is the eternal
Just
as the believers will possess the new heavens and new earth for ever, sadly,
the unsaved will possess the lake of fire as a dwelling place for ever. God
ties these two durations together by using the same Hebrew phrase.
In
fact, God uses this same word “possess” found in Isaiah 34:17 in talking
about how the believers will “possess” the new heaven and new earth for
ever in the following 2 verses:
>Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit <03423> the land, and dwell therein for ever.
>Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all
righteous: they shall inherit <03423>
the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I
may be glorified.
In
these two verses the word “possess” is translated “inherit”, but it is the same
Hebrew word that is used in Isaiah 34:17 to talk about how the unsaved will
“possess” the lake of fire “for ever”.
So,
just as the believers will inherit or possess the new heavens and new earth as
their dwelling place forevermore, Isaiah 34:10-17 uses parallel language to
indicate that the unsaved will possess the lake of fire as their dwelling place
forevermore.
Going
back to Isaiah 34:10, we read there:
It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke
thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste;
none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
The
word translated "shall lie waste" has to do with being under
the wrath of God or being desolate. We find the same word in Isaiah 49:17. We
read in verses 16 to 18:
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers
and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18
¶ Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together,
and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely
clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee,
as a bride doeth.
The
same word is in verse 17. Isaiah 49:16-18 is talking about salvation. Before
salvation, we were "wasted".
So,
this word "waste" in Isaiah 34:10 indicates that the unsaved
will be waste or desolate. They are desolate without the Lord Jesus and His
salvation. It does not mean that they don't exist. The people in Isaiah
49:16-18 existed, but they were “waste” without the Gospel.
We'll
see confirmation of that later.
Isaiah
34:10 is talking about a waste or desolate place, a place from which no one
will ever be able to leave.
Then
we read the next verse, Isaiah 34:11:
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it;
the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it
the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Now
God talks about unclean animals. For example, the cormorant, the owl and the
raven were all listed back in Leviticus 11 as unclean animals. The unclean
animals listed in Isaiah 34:10-17 represent the unsaved.
One
argument that is given is that these unclean animals listed in Isaiah 34
represent literal animals and not the unsaved. If we examine Isaiah 34:10-17
carefully, we find a number of proofs in that passage that the unclean animals
listed in it cannot represent literal animals. Rather, that they must represent
the unsaved. Please see the study: “What do the birds of Isaiah 34:10-17 represent?”
WHAT DO THE BIRDS OF ISAIAH
34:10-17 REPRESENT?
As
we go through this study, we will show some additional proofs that the unclean
animals of Isaiah 34:10-17 must represent the unsaved and cannot represent
literal animals.
Verse
11 says they shall “dwell” there. The unsaved, represented by the
unclean animals will dwell in this spiritual waste place, that is burning
pitch, which is talking about the lake of fire.
Isaiah
34:11 shows us that the lake of fire cannot be the burning up of the universe
described in 2 Peter 3:10-12. One cannot “possess” or “dwell” in a literal
fire. He will be burned up in a few seconds or minutes.
Isaiah
34:11 also says that the unsaved will "possess" it. This will
be their possession for a dwelling place. This word “possess” is the same
Hebrew word translated “possess” that we see in verse 17 where God says that
the unsaved, represented by those unclean birds, will possess the lake of fire
forever.
When
we read about the unclean animals, representing the unsaved,
"possessing" and "dwelling", it means that they must exist.
You cannot possess or dwell somewhere if you don't exist.
Let’s
look again at Isaiah 34:11. We read there:
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it;
the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it
the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
There
is other interesting language in this verse.
We
read about "stretching out the line of confusion."
The
word "line" can be the rule that is followed. It is used to
refer to the Bible in Isaiah 28:10 & 13:
Isaiah
28:10 For precept must be upon
precept, precept upon precept; line <06957>
upon line <06957>, line <06957> upon line <06957>; here a little, and there a
little:
Isaiah
28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto
them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line <06957> upon line <06957>, line <06957>
upon line <06957>; here a little,
and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be
broken, and snared, and taken.
The
Bible is the true "line" or law.
To
"stretch out the line" can be the application of the line or
that law to the accomplishment of something. For example we read in Isaiah
44:13 about the making of an idol:
The carpenter stretcheth out <05186> his rule <06957>; he marketh it out with a line; he
fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it
after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain
in the house.
Here
is a physical illustration. The carpenter is stretching out his line or rule in
the building of something. A spiritual example is found in Zechariah 1:16:
Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to
Here
the line is the Bible. God is applying His law, the Bible, in building the
spiritual
But
in Isaiah 34:11, where God is talking about the lake of fire, it is a
"line of confusion". That word "confusion" is often
translated "vain" or "vanity". It is also used to describe
a world under the wrath of God. We read in Jeremiah 4:23.
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without
form <08414>, and void; and the
heavens, and they had no light.
We
read this same language in Genesis 1:2.
So,
in the lake of fire, the unsaved will be in complete vanity; in complete
futility. That is the line or law that they are under.
In
the last part of Isaiah 34:11 we read about "stones of emptiness".
This word "emptiness" is the same word "void"
in Jeremiah 4:23 that we just cited.
Instead
of having Christ as their "stone"; their rock of strength. In
the lake of fire, the unsaved will have a void or empty stone. They will have
no strength.
Isaiah
34:10-17 is describing this awful dwelling place for the unsaved.
The
question is: How long will the unsaved there?
Do
we get further information about how long they will "dwell" there?
We
read in Isaiah 34:17:
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath
divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation
to generation shall they dwell therein.
In
verse 17, God is still talking about these unclean animals; that is, God is
still talking about the unsaved. In verses 11 to 17 God describes this awful
dwelling place that the unsaved must be in.
How
long will the unsaved be there?
Verse
17 says they shall "possess it for ever". This is the same word
"possess" that we saw back in verse 11. Dominate ways this word
"possess" is also translated are "inherit",
"heir" and "possession".
In
order to possess something forever requires two things:
1.
The existence of the possessor, that is the unsaved, forever.
2.
The existence of the thing to be possessed, that is the lake of fire, forever
We
see further indication along this direction by the phrase "from
generation to generation shall they dwell therein."
This
cannot be the final 5 months, because that time period is too short for one
generation to pass into another. Actually, we saw from Isaiah 51:8, Daniel 4:3
& 34 that God links the phrase "from generation to generation"
with forevermore.
We
see further indication the unsaved will be existing in the lake of fire
forevermore. They will "possess" it just like the true
believers will possess the new heavens and new earth. We see this word "possess"
used in connection with believers' eternal inheritance. In these verses below
this Hebrew word translated “possess” in Isaiah 34:17 is translated “inherit”:
Genesis
15:7 ¶ And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur
of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
Psalms
25:13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and
his seed shall inherit the earth.
Psalms
37:11 But the meek shall inherit the
earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Just
as the true believers will "possess" the new heavens and new
earth forevermore, Isaiah 34 indicates that the unsaved will "possess"
the lake of fire forevermore.
Likewise,
two things are required for the true believers to "possess"
the new heavens and new earth forevermore:
1.
The believers have to exist forevermore.
2.
The new heavens and new earth have to exist forevermore.
We
see the same truth with the word "dwell". The true believers
will "dwell" in the
Psalms
15:1 ¶ <<A Psalm of David.>> LORD, who shall abide in thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell <07931>
in thy holy hill?
Psalms
37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so
shalt thou dwell <07931> in the
land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Isaiah
65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out
of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall
inherit it, and my servants shall dwell <07931>
there.
Sadly,
the unsaved will "dwell" in the lake of fire forevermore.
In
order to fulfill these statements, it is necessary that the both the saved and
the unsaved exist forevermore. It is also required that their dwelling place
exists forevermore.
Isaiah
34:12-17 give a parabolic description of an eternity in lake of fire. We will
not go through this passage in detail, but rather we will cover it in enough
detail to demonstrate the above statement; namely, that this passage is
describing, in a parabolic fashion, the eternal dwelling place of the unsaved.
We
read in verse 12:
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but
none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
The
translation of the first part of the verse is difficult; however, literally it
goes like this, "nobles and there is none there of the kingdom they
shall call". Or, you could read it this way, "They shall call
nobles and there is none there of the kingdom".
The
word "nobles" can use used to refer to the unsaved or to the
saved. In Ecclesiastes 10:17 we read this word:
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is
the son of nobles <02715>, and
thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Here,
the “nobles”, plural, actually refer to God Himself. Christ is the king
and He is the son of God, the nobles.
In
Isaiah 34:12, the "kingdom" is the kingdom of God; now in eternity.
Back
in Isaiah 34:12, they are calling to the nobles. The "they" are the
unsaved in lake of fire represented by the unclean animals. They, the unsaved
are calling to the nobles, that is God. But, God will not come to them.
This
is like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man is
trying to call to God, represented by Abraham, to obtain some mercy. But, there
is no mercy coming from God. In the same way, the nobles, representing God, are
not coming to help in Isaiah 34:12.
By
using the word “nobles” in verse 12, God has put a key clue that the unclean
animals of Isaiah 34:10-17 cannot represent literal animals, but rather, must
represent the unsaved.
The
Hebrew word translated “nobles” is used 12 other times in the Bible and
is always translated “nobles”. Here are a few examples:
1 Kings 21:8
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his
seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles <02715> that were in
his city, dwelling with Naboth.
Nehemiah 2:16
And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as
yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles <02715>, nor to the rulers,
nor to the rest that did the work.
Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy
king is the son of nobles <02715>, and thy princes eat
in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
In
every usage, this word refers to people or God Himself, the chief “noble”. This
word is never used to speak about animals. We remember from 1 Corinthians 2:13,
that God defines words by how He uses them in the Bible.
Therefore,
God is defining that this word “nobles” refers to either mankind or God
Himself. Literal animals do not speak or call out to people or God. Therefore,
literal animals do not call out to “nobles”, which can be only God or
mankind.
Rather,
people call out to “nobles” which are other people or God.
Sadly,
It will be the unsaved at Judgment Day, people, that will be calling out to the
most “noble”, God Himself, for mercy, but there will be no mercy.
The
second part of the verse says "and all her princes shall be nothing."
This
word "nothing" is translated in a variety of ways, including
"ends", "no", "none", "not", etc.
Probably the best fit comes from it's usage in Psalm 77:8 where we read:
Is his mercy clean gone <0656>
for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
Using
Psalm 77:8 for help, we could read the second part of Isaiah 34:12 as "and
all her princes shall be clean gone."
The princes, representing the true believers now in heaven, are
completely gone from the unsaved.
The
translation "gone" fits well with the first part of the verse. There
is no answer to the call, because all of the princes, the true believers are
gone. They have been separated from the unsaved, and now the unsaved are in the
lake of fire. God will not answer their call. There are no believers to bring
the Gospel.
It's
parallel to Luke 16:26 where it says there is a great gulf between hell and
heaven and no one can pass between them.
In
Luke 16, Abraham is speaking to the rich man. However, we know that is not a
literal conversation. It is parallel to Luke 13:24-29. The conversation in Luke
13:24-29 is pointing to the fact that the unsaved will know that they have been
left behind. In the same way, the rich man in hell will know that he is stuck
there forevermore.
There
is another possibility for how to understand this phrase, "and all her
princes shall be nothing."
This
same Hebrew word translated “nothing” in verse 12 is also found in these
verses:
Isaiah 40:17
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to
him less than nothing <0657>, and vanity.
Isaiah 41:29
Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing <0657>: their molten images
are wind and confusion.
This
same Hebrew word translated “nothing” in Isaiah 34:12 is found in Isaiah
40:17 and 41:29. These verses help provide a definition for this Hebrew word.
In
Isaiah 40:17, God says that all of the nations of the world are counted to Him
“less
than nothing”. This does not mean
that these nations do not exist. Rather, it means that in comparison to the
greatness of God, the nations of the world are “nothing”.
In
the same way, the unsaved in the lake of fire will be “nothing” in the
sight of God. They will exist, but they will be like the nations. They will be
“nothing” in comparison to God. They will be vanity.
Isaiah
41:29 speaks of the idols that unsaved man makes. To God, their works are “nothing”.
Their works, their idols exist, but God values them as “nothing”.
According to Isaiah 34:12, God will value the unsaved in the lake of fire the
same way.
In
Isaiah 34:12 the unsaved in hell are calling out for mercy, but that time has
past.
So,
verse 12 is really parallel to Luke 16:26 and teaches that those in hell can
never receive any help from God nor from heaven.
We
read in Isaiah 34:13:
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and
brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and
a court for owls.
Here
we see "thorns", "nettles" and "brambles".
These tie back into Genesis 3 when God brought the curse upon the earth. So,
these identify with that which is under the curse of God. The lake of fire will
be a place that is under the curse of God.
The
words "palaces", "fortresses", "habitation"
and "court" refer to dwelling places. Again, God is indicating
that the lake of fire will be place of existence or place for dwelling.
The
words "dragons" and "owls" are unclean
animals. These refer to the unsaved that will be dwelling in the lake of fire.
Verse
13 indicates that the unsaved will have an eternal dwelling habitation and they
will be there and they will be cursed.
We
read in verse 14:
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the
wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech
owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
This
verse is also difficult. It talks again about unclean animals and that which is
desolate.
This
word "satyr" is mostly translated "kid" or
"goat". A lot of the time it is used to refer to a kid that was
sacrificed which refers to the Lord Jesus. However, in two verses it is used to
talk about satan or his people. We read:
Genesis
27:11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his
mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy <08163>
man, and I am a smooth man:
Daniel
8:21 And the rough <08163> goat is the king of Grecia:
and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Esau
is a picture of the unsaved; particularly the church people at the end of time.
The rough goat in Daniel 8 is the devil.
So,
the "satyr" here is another word for the unsaved dwelling in the lake
of fire.
These
unsaved in the lake of fire will "meet", a word used for a
significant or important meeting, and "cry" or call to each other.
This implies some kind of interaction. We don't have any more information about
this from the Bible, so we cannot further develop this now. But, this verse is
confirming that the unsaved have existence in the lake of fire.
Next,
we read that these unsaved will "rest" and will find a "place of
rest". This is very interesting because these words normally have to do
with salvation.
However,
God does use these words in a slightly different way occasionally. We read:
Ruth
1:9 The LORD grant you that ye may find
rest <04496>, each of you
in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their
voice, and wept.
Ruth
1:9 uses a slightly different word, but it's basically the same word. Here the
idea is that these women will find a resting place with their husband, so to
speak. Once they are married, they will be settled. This is not talking about
salvation, but rather about being settled in a dwelling place.
Genesis
8:4 And the ark rested <05117> in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Proverbs
21:16 The man that wandereth out of the
way of understanding shall remain <05117>
in the congregation of the dead.
Ezekiel
5:13 Thus shall mine anger be
accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest <05117>
upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have
spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.
In
these 3 verses, we have the verb form of the same word. In these verse, the
ark, the unsaved man and the fury of God, each in a sense, have a dwelling
place in which they have settled.
Normally,
the word "rest" has to do with salvation. However, as we look at how
this word "rest" and it's derivatives are used occasionally, we see
that it means to settle into a dwelling place, like a permanent place. That
fits perfectly the rest of this passage that teaches that the unsaved have a
permanent, eternal dwelling place in the lake of fire.
Let's
go back to Isaiah 34:14. We read there:
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet
with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his
fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of
rest.
Two
phrases were underlined in this verse. Each of these phrases is only 1 Hebrew
word.
Because
Isaiah 34:10-17 talks about various animals, the KJV translators added the
phrase “wild beasts” two times, but this phrase is not in the Hebrew
text.
The
first Hebrew word refers to people of the desert. The desert that God has in
view is the lack of the waters of the Gospel. Unsaved mankind is in the desert
without the Gospel. He does not have the “waters of the Gospel”.
The
second Hebrew word is used more than 30 times in the Bible and is normally
translated “isles” or “islands”. This word is never used to speak
of animals. However, it is frequently used to refer to the peoples of the
world.
Here
are some sample verses with this Hebrew word translated “wild beasts of the
island”, but it should be translated “islands”:
Isaiah 41:1
Keep silence before me, O islands <0339>; and let the people
renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us
come near together to judgment.
Isaiah 41:5
The isles <0339> saw it, and feared; the ends
of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Isaiah 42:4
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the
earth: and the isles <0339> shall wait for his law.
Isaiah 60:9
Surely the isles <0339> shall wait for me,
and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and
their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of
Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
When
we examine all of the uses of these two Hebrew words, which are underlined
in Isaiah 34:14 above, we find that they are never used to speak about animals.
Rather, they speak about mankind. God defines words by how He uses them.
Neither
of these two Hebrew words is ever used to refer to animals.
These
two Hebrew words are used to refer to mankind. The second Hebrew word is used
more than 30 times in the Bible to speak about mankind throughout the world,
throughout the “islands” or “continents”.
God
has put two Hebrew words in verse 14 that are never used to speak of animals.
They are used to speak of mankind. Therefore, God is directing that we are to
understand Isaiah 34:10-17 is speaking about unsaved mankind and not literal
animals.
The
KJV translators hid this truth by adding the phrase “wild beasts”.
We
read in verse 15:
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and
hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered,
every one with her mate.
The
first part of the verse talks about the great owl making her nest. This again
ties into a dwelling place. For example, we read this same verb used in Psalms
104:17:
Where the birds make their nests <07077>: as for the stork, the fir
trees are her house.
The
context is that the birds have a dwelling place.
God
is using different words in this passage to indicate that the unsaved will be
“dwelling” in the lake of fire. They will exist in this place. This language is
parabolic in nature, but the teaching of the unsaved existing and dwelling in a
place called the lake of fire is emphasized in these verses.
The
translators had difficulty with the next words in this verse. We read in the
next part of the verse:
and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow:
It
sounds like the raising of young. But, how could that be in the lake of fire?
The
word "lay" is normally translated "escape" or
"deliver".
The
word "hatch" is normally translated "cleave", "break
up", "divide", "rent", "break through", etc.
So,
this passage does not have anything to do with the bearing of young.
The
next phrase, "gather under her shadow", is a good translation.
The Bible uses the word "shadow" to talk about God's protection for
the believers as we read:
Psalms
17:8 ¶ Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow <06738> of thy wings,
Psalms
57:1 ¶ <<To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he
fled from Saul in the cave.>> Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful
unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow <06738> of thy wings will I make my
refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
For
the true believer, God is the protection. However, notice in Isaiah 34:15, the
great owl, the unclean animal representing the unsaved, are under their own
shadow. In the lake of fire, there is no protection from God. The unsaved have
to try to have their own protection.
But,
how can we understand this first part of verse 15?
We
read there:
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and
hatch, and gather under her shadow:
The
great owl represents the unsaved in the lake of fire. They have their nest.
This is their dwelling place.
Next,
the word "lay" is "escaped" in the past tense. Normally, it
is used for escaping from trouble. The word "hatch" is translated in
relationship to people as "breaking through" or "breaking
out" in the following verses:
2
Samuel 23:16 And the three mighty men
brake through <01234> the host of
the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was
by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless
he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.
2
Kings 3:26 And when the king of Moab saw
that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that
drew swords, to break through <01234>
even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
1
Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake
through <01234> the host of the
Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by
the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would
not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,
Isaiah
58:8 Then shall thy light break forth <01234> as the morning, and thine health
shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the
glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
>
>
In
these verses, it communicates the sense of "breaking out".
So,
the first part of verse 15 is like this. The unsaved have a dwelling place in
the lake of fire. There, they have tried to "escape", to somehow get
out of there. They have tried to "break through" the barriers to get
out. They are under their own "shadow", their own protection.
However,
what happens next?
We
read in the rest of the verse:
there shall the vultures also be gathered
But,
they shall be "gathered". They will not get away. This is the way
that we have to understand this portion of verse 15.
This
verse is like Luke 16:26:
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on
me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool
my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
The
rich man is looking for some way to lessen the punishment in the lake of fire.
Yet, the answer comes that there is no way to reduce it.
The
unsaved have a dwelling place in the lake of fire; but they try to
"escape" and to "brake through". That is, they are trying
to escape the sufferings of hell somewhat. But they shall be gathered. There is
no escape.
Now,
let's consider the last part of verse 15. It will help us confirm our
understanding of the first part. We read:
there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one
with her mate.
The
Hebrew word translated "vulture" is also found in Deuteronomy
14:13. It was an unclean animal. Like the other unclean animals in this
passage, it represents the unsaved.
Verse
15 says that the vultures "shall be gathered". This is a
passive verb, indicating that God is taking the action. God will gather all of
the unsaved into the lake of fire.
The
last part of verse 15 says "every one with her mate". This is a very
important phrase in the Hebrew text. It is used here in verse 15 and in verse
16. However, the translation in our English Bible is not very good.
The
Hebrew word translated “every one” is normally translated “woman” or
“wife”. Also, the word “mate” is also translated “neighbour” or “evil”.
This
last part of verse 15 could be translated this way, “woman with her neighbour”
or “woman of her evils”.
However,
the best translation for the context is probably “woman of her evils”.
No
matter which way we translate this phrase, the important point is that the
exact same two word Hebrew phrase is used in both verse 15 & 16. By doing
this, God is tying the discussion of the unsaved in verses 11 to 15 with the
eternal suffering described in verses 16 and 17.
We
will see this point more fully developed as we continue in this study.
The
word “woman” in the phrase “woman of her evils” ties into Romans
7:1-4 in which God indicates that every unsaved person is represented by a
woman who is married to the law of God. The unsaved are guilty before their
husband, the law of God, for committing adultery. Every time the unsaved sin,
they are committing adultery against their husband, the law of God.
In
that sense, the unsaved in the lake of fire are “women”.
The
reference to a “woman” also ties into Revelation 17 & 18 in which
the unsaved church people together are referred as an adulteress “woman”.
We read in Revelation 17:1-6:
1
¶ And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked
with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the
great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have
committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk
with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the
wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names
of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a
golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name
written, MYSTERY,
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I
wondered with great admiration.
This
“woman” represents the unsaved church people.
Finally,
all of the unsaved are adulteresses. We read in James 4:4:
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a
friend of the world is the enemy of God.
We
are adulterers and adulteresses because we have violated our husband, the law
of God, as we read in about in Romans 7:1-4.
Our
sin is “evil” in the sight of God.
So,
ultimately, all unsaved mankind is represented by a “woman of her evils”.
All
unsaved mankind are represented by an adulteress woman, because we have
violated our husband, the law of God (Romans 7:1-4).
Let’s
look again at Isaiah 34:15 with the help of this information and a more
accurate translation. We read there:
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and
hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, woman
of her evils.
This
is a very important verse with this key Hebrew phrase “woman of her evils”.
In
this verse God is talking about the unsaved as unclean birds. God mentions the
“great owl” and the “vultures”. These unclean birds represent the
unsaved.
Together,
all of the unsaved are called a “woman of her evils”.
We
can use this learning to help us understand the next verse, verse 16.
Let's
look at verse 16. We read there:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded,
and his spirit it hath gathered them.
The
"book of the LORD" is the Bible.
Notice
how God is insisting in this verse that He will carry out what He has said in
Isaiah 34. We should not ignore this passage by saying that it is a parable and
that we can't draw any clear conclusions from it. God insists that it will come
to pass.
The
translation “none shall want her mate” was not the best possible
translation.
The
word "want" is mostly translated "number",
"visit" or "punish".
The
words “none” and “her mate” are actually the exact same two word Hebrew phrase
contained in the previous verse and are most accurately translated “woman of
her evils”.
The
word "number" was used for numbering the children of
A
more accurate translation of the phrase is “They did not number woman of her
evils”
The
“they” refer to the 3 persons of the God head, spoken of in the previous part
of the verse as the LORD.
The
verb “number” is in the active voice. It should be “they did not number”.
It is not in the passive voice, which would be “they were not numbered”.
In
the “active” voice, the subject is doing the action. In the “passive” voice,
the action is being done to the subject.
To
download the Hebrew font used on this page, right click the link below. Select
‘Save Target as’, then use the Control Panel in Windows to install the font.
We
see the active voice for this verb “number” in the two verses below with same
spelling of the Hebrew word translated “number”:
Isaiah 34:16
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall
fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his
spirit it hath gathered them.
Nubq awh wxwrw hwu awh yp-yk wdqp al htwer hsa
hrden al hnhm txa warqw hwhy rpo-lem wsrd Isaiah 34:16
Numbers 26:64
But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the
priest numbered, when they numbered the children of
ynyo rbdmb larvy ynb-ta wdqp rsa Nhkh Nrhaw
hsm ydwqpm sya hyh-al hlabw Numbers 26:64
Numbers
26:64 has the same verb spelling, except without the word “not”. In that verse,
it talks about Moses and Aaron and how “they numbered” the people.
In
the same way, Isaiah 34:16 is most accurately translated with “they did not
number” because it has the word “not”. The word “they” refers to the three
persons of the God head.
Therefore,
verse 16 is best translated this way:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail. They did not number woman of her evils: for my
mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
The
“they” are the three persons of the God head, spoken of as the LORD earlier in
the verse. God did not number the unsaved among His elect.
In
the first part of the verse, God says “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD
and read. No one of these shall fail.”
God
is insisting that these truths are written in His book, the Bible.
Then,
in the next part of the verse, we read “They did not number woman of her
evils” The verb “numbered” is in the past tense and it is active
voice.
Then,
God uses the same phrase in the Hebrew language that he used in verse 15, which
is best translated “woman of her evils”.
This
phrase “woman of her evils” refers to all of the unsaved talked about in
verse 15 as the “great owl” and the “vultures”.
Collectively,
all of the unsaved together are referred to “woman of her evils”.
God
talks about these same unsaved people in verse 16 by using the same Hebrew
term, “woman of her evils”. By using the same Hebrew term in both
verses, God is tying the two verses together.
Let’s
compare Isaiah 34:15 & 16 with the Hebrew text and the more accurate
English translation:
15
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather
under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, woman of her evils.
htwer hsa twyd wubqn Ms-Ka
hlub hrgdw heqbw jlmtw zwpq hnnq hms 15
16
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall
fail. They did not number woman
of her evils: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath
gathered them.
Nubq awh wxwrw hwu awh yp-yk wdqp al htwer hsa hrden al hnhm txa warqw hwhy rpo-lem wsrd 16
Please
note the connection God is making between verse 15 and 16 by using the same
Hebrew phrase, more accurately translated “woman of her evils”, in both
verses.
In
verse 15, God talks about the unsaved using the names of unclean birds like
“vultures” and the “great owls”. Then, at the end of verse 15, God collectively
defines them all, that is, all of the unsaved, as a “woman of her evils”.
So,
in verse 15, God establishes the definition that the unsaved in the lake of
fire are a “woman of her evils”. This ties back into the language of
Romans 7:1-4, James 4:4 and Revelation 17:1-6 that we examined earlier.
Then,
God carries this term for the unsaved as a “woman of her evils” into
verse 16.
In
verse 16 God indicates He “did not number woman of her evils”. The “woman
of her evils” represents all of the unsaved, as defined in the previous
verse, verse 15.
This
indicates that God, (who is the “they” in verse 16), did not number the unsaved
in the lake of fire in His elective program. God talks about His elective program
in the next verse, verse 17, using the figure of “casting the lot”.
Therefore,
by the careful usage of the same two-word Hebrew phrase best translated “woman
of her evils” in both verses 15 & 16, God has tied the phrase “they did not
number”, to the unsaved, indicating that the unsaved were not numbered in God’s
elective program.
We
also learn another proof that the unclean animals of Isaiah 34:10-17 cannot
represent literal animals.
The
presence of this two word Hebrew phrase, best translated “woman of her evils”,
provides another key proof that the unclean animals in Isaiah 34:10-17 cannot
represent literal animals. Rather, they must represent unsaved mankind.
Let’s
examine verses 15-17 with the correct translation:
15
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather
under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, woman of her evils.
16
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall
fail. They did not number woman
of her evils: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath
gathered them.
17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his
hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from
generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
As
we saw earlier, the presence of this two word Hebrew phrase, which is
underlined in verses 15 and 16 shows that the unclean animals in verses 10-15
will “possess it for ever”, that is will possess the lake of fire
forevermore.
Verse
15 defines the unclean animals, collectively, as a “woman of her evils”.
Then,
in middle of verse 16, God continues to talk about this “woman of her evils”.
At the end of verse 16, God says that “his spirit it hath gathered them”. The “them” refers to the “woman of her
evils”. We read a similar statement at the end of verse 15 about gathering,
“there
shall the vultures also be gathered, woman
of her evils”.
Then,
in verse 17, God continues to talk about the “woman of her evils” and
says that “he hath cast the lot for them”. The “them” again
refers to the “woman of her evils”. The casting of the lot refers to the
fact that God has made the choice. God has chosen those that He has planned to
save and those that He has decided not to save.
Then,
God continues in verse 17 to say “his hand hath divided it unto them by line”.
The “it” is the lake of fire described in verses 10 to 15. The “line”
refers to the Bible, the law of God. The Bible is the “line” by which
God measures everything. The “them” continues to be the “woman of her
evils”.
Then,
verse 17 continues to say “they shall possess it for ever”. The “they”
continues to refer to the “woman of her evils”. The “it”
continues to be the lake of fire that God has been describing in verses 10 to
15. God says that they shall possess it “for ever”. We already examined
this language and found that the Hebrew phrase translated “for ever” is
same that we find in Genesis 13:15 and other verses that are used to describe
the inheritance of the believers that is also “for ever”.
God
defines words by how He uses them. How ever long the believers will inherit the
We
have seen that verses 16 & 17 teach that this same “woman of her evils”
will possess the lake of fire forevermore.
This
shows that the unclean animals in verses 10-15 cannot represent literal
animals. Literal animals cannot exist forevermore.
However,
mankind can exist forevermore. Isaiah 34:10-17 teaches that the unsaved will
possess the lake of fire forevermore.
The
two word Hebrew phrase found in both verses 15 & 16 ties the unclean
animals to those that will possess the lake of fire forevermore. Literal
animals will not exist forevermore.
However,
mankind can exist forevermore. Therefore, we know that the unclean animals in
Isaiah 34:10-17 cannot represent literal animals, but must represent unsaved
man.
We
will now examine an argument that has been made.
It
is argued that verse 16 should be translated with the phrase “they were not
punished” indicating that the rest of verse 16 and verse 17 are talking
about the elect. However, the way that God has written verse 16 shows that this
is not possible.
It
is argued that verse 16 should be translated this way:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail, they were not punished: for my mouth it hath
commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Nubq awh wxwrw hwu awh yp-yk wdqp al htwer hsa hrden al hnhm txa
warqw hwhy rpo-lem wsrd 16
The
corresponding Hebrew text is also underlined.
The
problem with this proposed translation, is that two important Hebrew words have
been left out of it.
The
proposed translation leaves out the two Hebrew words translated “woman of
her evils”. These same two Hebrew words are found in the previous verse,
verse 15.
If
we include all of the Hebrew text in the translation, then it would have to
read this way if we use the translation “punished”:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail, a woman of her evils, they were not punished: for
my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Nubq awh wxwrw hwu awh yp-yk wdqp al htwer hsa hrden al hnhm txa warqw hwhy rpo-lem wsrd 16
The
corresponding Hebrew text is also underlined.
The
way that God has written this verse in the Hebrew clearly defines to whom the “they”
refers. The “they” are the unsaved, who are collectively called by God,
“woman of her evils”.
The
reason that the translation above sounds funny is because the verb in question
is in the “active” voice and not the “passive” voice.
In
the “active” voice, the subject is doing the action. In the “passive” voice,
the action is being done to the subject.
Translating
the verse with the proper “active” voice, as required by the spelling of the
Hebrew verb, we obtain:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail, they did not punished a woman of her evils: for my
mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Because
the voice for this verb is “active”, the “they” refers to the 3 persons of the
God head.
However,
we know that this proposed translation using the translation “punished” is not
possible. The unsaved, collectively called “a woman of her evils”, will be
punished. The Bible teaches that the unsaved are “punished” for their sins.
Because
God has put the two-word Hebrew phrase into this verse that is also found in
verse 15 and is best-translated “a woman of her evils”, we know that the
translation of the Hebrew verb in question cannot be “punished”. Otherwise,
this verse would be saying that the unsaved are not “punished”, but the rest of
the passage talks about the punishment of the unsaved. Also, the Bible insists
that the unsaved are “punished” for their sins.
Therefore,
the correct translation for this verb cannot be “punished”. Rather, the correct
translation is “numbered”. The translation “numbered” is the most
common way this Hebrew verb is translated.
So,
we are back to a Biblical translation of verse 16 as:
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one
of these shall fail, they did not number a woman of her evils: for my
mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
God
is saying that the 3 persons of the God head, “they”, did not “number” the
unsaved, “a woman of her evils”, in God’s elective program.
This
theme of God's elective program and numbering of the believers is picked up in
the next verse.
The
translation of the rest of verse 16 is fine. It emphasizes that the statements
in Isaiah 34, as well as in the whole Bible, are from God Himself.
God’s
spirit will gather them into the lake of fire.
God
finishes up this account with verse 17 where we read:
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath
divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation
to generation shall they dwell therein.
The
first part of the verse, "And he hath cast the lot for them",
ties into God's elective program. The fact that the lot is cast means that God
makes the decision as to who will become saved and who will not become saved.
When
God decided who He would elect to salvation, He effectively decided who He
would not elect.
Everyone
deserves the wrath of God because everyone sins. The “line” refers to
the law of God. God divides his eternal inheritance according to His law; His
sovereign choice. Those that end up in the lake of fire were not chosen by God
to be saved. The lot of cast; God made the decision. He had mercy upon whom He
had mercy. God divided His inheritance according to His will.
Everyone
has rebelled against God and deserves the wrath of God.
Those
in the lake of fire were not chosen by God for salvation. His "lot"
and His "inheritance" was for another.
The
last part of the verse, "they shall possess it for ever, from
generation to generation shall they dwell therein" teaches that those
who are cast into the lake of fire will "possess" it forever.
Two
things are required to "possess" something forever.
1.
The possessor has to exist forever.
2.
The possession, or place, has to exist forever.
God
uses the parallel language of dwelling there from generation to generation.
When we looked at Daniel 4:3, 4:34 and Isaiah 51:8 we saw that this term
"from generation to generation" is used by God in the same setting as
"forever". It is parallel to the word "forever.”
In
this passage, we see that God has painted a parabolic picture describing an
eternal dwelling place for the unsaved which in other places is known as the
lake of fire. The passage indicates both the conscious existence of the unsaved
and the existence of their dwelling place.
Both
the believers and unbelievers eternal dwelling places are described with
parabolic language.
We
might think that Isaiah 34:10-17 uses parabolic language so we can ignore it.
However, when we read about the believers' dwelling place in Revelation 21
& 22, we read about rivers, gates, a tree, a city, etc. Those chapters have
a lot of parabolic language also. However, we know that the believers do have
an eternal dwelling place, an eternal possession. Only, it is described with
parabolic language. In the same way, Isaiah 34:10-17 describes in parabolic
language the eternal dwelling place, the eternal possession of the unsaved.
Let’s
consider some additional information that God gives in verse 17
We
read the phrase “his hand hath divided it unto them by line”. The “it” refers back to something in this
passage. The only “it” in this passage is the lake of fire.
We
read in verse 17:
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand
hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from
generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
The
“it” in the above phrase is in the Hebrew text. The “it” is a
pronoun and has to refer to something established in this passage. The only
thing established in Isaiah 34 is the lake of fire. This whole chapter is
focused upon judgment. Nothing is focused upon salvation. There is nothing in
this context that points to heaven.
If
the passage had said something like “his hand hath divided heaven unto them by
line” that would be a point. However, God put the word “it” in the text. The
word “it” is a pronoun and must point back to something in the context.
We
also read the phrase “they shall possess it for ever”. The “it” is established by context. This
phrase ties back to verse 11.
In
the above phrase again we again see the word “it”. This pronoun is in the
Hebrew text also. The “it” must point to something established in this passage.
We are not free to assign the “it” to whatever we want. The only “it” defined
is the lake of fire.
In
verse 11 we read that “the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it”. The “it” is the lake of fire that the
unsaved will possess. Verse 17 points back to these same unclean birds and the
same “it” which is the lake of fire. It is the same Hebrew word translated “possess”
in both verses 11 & 17. It is one context. Verse 17 says that these unclean
birds, representing the unsaved, will possess the lake of fire forever. There
is no other “it” established by this context“.
We
cannot isolate a verse from it’s context. There is one theme for this passage.
The
end of verse 17 has the word “therein”.
This
word “therein” is in the Hebrew text and is used to refer to a place
that has been described. For example this same Hebrew word is translated as
“it” in verse 10 in the phrase “none shall pass
through it”. This Hebrew word is also translated “in it” in verse 11
in the phrase “the raven shall dwell in it”.
In both of these verses the “it” refers back to something being described in
this passage.
Checking
other uses of this word “therein” also confirms that this word is used
to refer some place that has been described in the passage. The only place
described in this passage is the lake of fire.
Therefore,
when God says that they shall dwell “therein”, God is talking about
dwelling in some place that He has described. The only place described is the
lake of fire.
In
verses 16 & 17, we have 3 significant pronouns: “they”, “it”
and “therein”. They all point to the passage at hand. We are not free to
decide to what we think they should refer. We must let the Bible direct us and
the only direction the Bible provides is that they refer to the unsaved and the
lake of fire. The whole context of Isaiah 34 is the wrath of God being poured
out upon the unsaved. There is nothing in this passage referring to believers
or salvation.
A
phrase taken out of context
It
has been suggested that Isaiah 34:17 is talking about the true believers.
However,
we have seen many proofs thus far that all of Isaiah 34:10-17 can only be
speaking of the unsaved and the lake of fire.
If
we assign the “they”, “it” and “therein” in verses 16 & 17 to something not
established in the passage, then we are forcing our ideas upon this passage. We
could do this to many verses and change the meaning. For example we read in
Isaiah 40:31:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This
whole verse is talking about the believers. However, if we use the above
methodology, we could say that half of the verse is talking about the believers
and other half of the verse is talking the unsaved.
We
could say that this portion “they shall run, and
not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” is
speaking about the unsaved.
This
Hebrew word translated “run” in Isaiah 40:31 is also used in 2 Samuel
15:1 to speak about the 50 men that Absalom prepared to “run” before
him. Absalom, a unsaved man, was preparing his army of unsaved men to do his
business and finally to attack his father David, a true believer. This word “run”
is also used in Psalm 59:4 to speak about how the unsaved “run” to make
the lives of the believers difficult. These unsaved, in their sinful actions,
do not become “weary”, but rather that continue to “walk” in
their evil ways. This word “walk” is used in Proverbs 1:11 to speak of
the unsaved that “come” to do sinful things. These unsaved don’t “faint”
but continue in those ways.
This
approach of isolating part of a verse from it’s passage can yield the
conclusion that the first half of Isaiah 40:31 is talking about the true
believers, but the second half of the verse is talking about the unsaved.
However,
this approach is abusing the Scripture. But, this is what we do when we take
the pronouns “they”, “it” and “therein” in Isaiah 34:16 or in any verse out of
their context.
At
the end of verse 16, God says “his spirit it hath
gathered them”. This word “gathered” is the same Hebrew word
used in verse 15 to speak of the unsaved. In verse 15 it is used in the passive
voice, “be gathered”. In verse 15 it
says that the unsaved will be gathered into the lake of fire. But, verse 15
does not specify who or what will gather them. Then, in verse 16 God says that
He is the one that hath gathered them. Verse 16 ties back to verse 15 and
provides further explanation.
Casting
the lot refers to both the elect and the non-elect
The
casting of the lot focuses upon the fact that God has chosen who will become
saved and thus He has also chosen who He will pass over and not save. For
example we read about this in Proverbs 16:33:
The lot is cast into the lap; but the
whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
This
ties into Romans 9:15 where God insists that “I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy”.
The
fact that the lot points to God making the choice for both who will be saved
and thereby whom God will pass over and not save is shown in Nehemiah 11:1:
And the rulers of the people dwelt at
It
is God deciding who are the tenth that live in
Another
example is when the soldiers cast the lot for Jesus’ garment. Jesus’ garment is
a picture of the robe of salvation. The lot indicates that God made the
decision who received the garment, a picture of salvation. The soldier that
received the garment is a picture of someone that God has chosen to salvation.
The soldiers that did not receive the garment are a picture of the non-elect
who God has chosen to pass by and not save.
The
lot points both to those whom God has chosen to save and those whom God has
chosen to pass over and not save.
Let’s
us summarize an important teaching in Isaiah 34:
In
Isaiah 34:10-17, God describes the unsaved as unclean birds dwelling in and
possessing the lake of fire. A careful examination of this passage shows that
these unclean animals cannot represent literal animals, but must represent the
unsaved. In verse 17, Regarding the unsaved in the lake of fire, God says “they
shall possess it for ever”.
In
Isaiah 34, God is teaching that the unsaved will exist forevermore in the lake
of fire enduring the wrath of God.
It
is a sad truth, but we must proclaim what the Bible teaches.
7. Their worm dieth not.
We
read several verses in which God says that the worm of the unsaved does not die:
Isaiah
66:24 And they shall go forth, and look
upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
Mark
9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.
Mark
9:46 Where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.
Mark
9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.
God
carefully combines the statement about the worm not dying with the fact that
the fire is not quenched.
It
is said that the fact that their worm does not die means that the shame of the sin of the unsaved is never removed. It
is said that the unsaved have ceased to exist, but their shame remains.
To
make this point, verses like the following are cited:
Job
25:6 How much less man, that is a
worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
Psalms
22:6 But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
In
Job 25:6 the “worm” emphasizes something that is the “lowest of the low”.
Unsaved man who is under the wrath of God is the “lowest of the low” in his
standing before the righteousness of God.
We
also read in Job 25:6 that the “son of man” is a worm. This probably points to
the Lord Jesus, who became the “lowest of the low” when He emptied Himself of
His glory and paid for the believers’ sins.
The
Lord Jesus is speaking in Psalms 22:6. He became the “lowest of the low” to pay
for the believers’ sins. Also, we see the word “reproach”, which means shame,
and we see the word “despised”.
Here,
God identifies the worm with reproach, shame and being despised or rejected.
The
above verses, Job 25:6 and Psalm 22:6, apply to the unsaved cast into the lake
of fire. However, Mark 9 and Isaiah 66 don’t talk about the unsaved being
worms. Rather, they indicate that “their worm” shall not die.
The
teachings of Job 25:6 and Psalm 22:6 are consistent with the conditions of the
unsaved.
However,
Job 25:6 and Psalm 22:6 focus upon the unsaved as “worms”. But, Mark 9 and
Isaiah 66 do not talk about the unsaved as “worms”.
Mark
9 and Isaiah 66 talk about “their worm”. They are not saying that the unsaved
are worms. Rather, they talk about “their worm”. In Isaiah 66:24 and Mark
9:44-48, the “worm” is not the unsaved. Rather, God talks about “their worm”.
That is, there is a worm associated with the unsaved, but the unsaved are not
the worm itself.
For
a more accurate Biblical understanding of verses in Mark 9 and Isaiah 66 that
talk about “their worm” we should search out other verses that talk
about “worms” in connection to the unsaved.
Let
us begin our examination of what God could mean by “their worm” in Acts 12:23.
We
read in Acts 12:23:
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him,
because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the
ghost.
This
is talking about King Herod. The people were worshipping him like a god after a
speech he gave.
Then
we read in this verse that God smote him and he was eaten by worms.
In
Acts 12:23 God talks about worms in the sense that they are eating the unsaved.
Acts
12:23 helps us to get started with understanding the phase “their worm” of the
unsaved because Herod had his worms that eat him up.
In
Job 24:20 God also talks about the worms eating the unsaved.
We
read there:
The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly
on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a
tree.
Here
we read about the worms eating the unsaved.
God
picks up on this theme of the worms eating the unsaved in Isaiah 51. We read
about that in Isaiah 51:8. Let’s examine the context to understand better what
God is teaching.
We
read in Isaiah 51:4-8:
4
¶ Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall
proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation
is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon
me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look
upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the
earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in
like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not
be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men,
neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
8 For the moth shall eat them up like a
garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be
for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
Notice
the reference to the worms eating the unsaved in verse 8.
Before
examine verse 8 carefully, let us look at this passage to clear up some
confusion that poor translation could cause.
In
verse 6 we read that “the heavens shall vanish away like smoke”.
Then,
later in the same verse we read that the unsaved “shall die in like manner”.
Since
the phrase “vanish away” sounds like annihilation, we can jump to the
conclusion that Isaiah 51:6 teaches the annihilation of the unsaved.
However,
for truth, we always have to check out how the original Hebrew word of the Old
Testament or Greek word of the New Testament is used in other parts of the Bible.
The
Hebrew word translated “vanish away” in Isaiah 51:6 is not used much in
the Bible. It is mostly used in the noun form as “salt”.
In
Exodus 30:35, we find this same Hebrew word translated “vanish away” in
Isaiah 51:6.
We read in Exodus 30:35:
And thou shalt make it a perfume, a
confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered <04414> together, pure and holy:
In
Exodus 30:35 it is translated “tempered”. This is talking about the
making of the perfume for the tabernacle. The word “tempered” here means
“heated”.
Normally,
to make a perfume you have to mix the items and apply heat to form a consistent
perfume.
With
the help of Exodus 30:35, we learn that we could read Isaiah 51:6 to tell us
that the heavens will be “heated”. That is, they will be burned into smoke, as
Isaiah 51:6 says. This agrees with 2 Peter 3:10-11 that describes the burning
up of the universe at the end of time.
The
unsaved will die in “like manner” to the burning of the universe in some ways,
but not in every way. Just like Psalm 1:3 says that the believer is “like” a
tree in some ways, but not in every way.
There
is some similarity between the burning up the universe and the dieing of the
unsaved, but there are some differences also.
Just
like there are similarities between the true believer and a tree as indicated
in Psalm 1:3. However, there are differences between true believers and trees.
Isaiah
51:6 says that the universe will be burned into smoke. However, that smoke
won’t rise forevermore. The universe will be completely destroyed and a new
universe created. The smoke of the burning of the universe will not rise
forevermore.
However,
the smoke of the unsaved, the smoke of their torment, will rise forevermore
(Revelation 14:11, 19:3). Please see the beginning of this study for more
explanation.
The
unsaved are cast into a fire, the lake of fire. However, that is not the same
fire of 2 Peter 3:10-11. The unsaved cast into the lake of fire will be “tormented
day and night …”.
Those
cast into a physical fire, like that described in 2 Peter 3:10-11, are not “tormented
day and night …”. Those cast into a physical fire go unconscious in a few
seconds or minutes. They are not “tormented day and night …”.
Therefore,
the lake of fire cannot be the burning of the universe described in 2 Peter
3:10-11. There are more proofs of this truth discussed in other studies.
Yes,
the unsaved die in like manner to the heavens being heated into smoke. However,
in the case of the unsaved, their smoke will ascend forevermore.
For
the unsaved, according to the Bible, “to die” is to be separated from God, who
is life. This is explained in the study of the Biblical definition of “life”
and “death” for mankind.
PLEASE THE STUDY OF THE
BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF “LIFE” AND “DEATH” FOR MANKIND
Isaiah
51:6 gives another illustration for the death, or eternal separation from God,
who is life, that the unsaved must experience. God uses the illustration of the
earth “shall wax old like a garment”.
The
becoming old or wearing out of a garment is a continuous process. It gradually
wears out. The same is true for the earth. It is gradually wearing out.
This
is parallel to the dieing, or eternal separation from God, that the unsaved
must endure. It is parallel to the language of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 that
describes a continuous affliction.
So,
if we examine Isaiah 51:6 carefully in the light of verses like Psalm 1:3, we
find that it is not teaching annihilation.
Let’s
return to our examination of the word “worm”.
Regarding
the worm, we read about that in verse 8.
We
read about two small creatures eating the unsaved. The moth and the worm.
Isaiah
51:8 identifies better with the term “their worm”. The focus of Isaiah 66:24
and Mark 9:44-48 is not that the unsaved are “worms”. Rather, that “their worm”
is present forevermore.
In
Acts 12:23 God talks about unsaved King Herod being eaten by worms. That is a
historical picture of being under the wrath of God.
Then,
in Isaiah 51:8 God applies that idea to all of the unsaved.
God
picks up on this theme of worms in Job 7:5. We read there:
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my
skin is broken, and become loathsome.
Job
is a picture of the Lord Jesus as He was suffering the wrath of God to pay for
the believers’ sins.
In
describing His wrath, God uses the figure of being “clothed with worms”.
Job
was not literally clothed with worms, but God is building upon the picture of
Acts 12:23.
The
worms ate the body of king Herod, who was under the wrath of God.
God
picks up this figure in Job 7:5 to point to the Lord Jesus Christ, who was
enduring the wrath of God.
In
Job 7:5, God is using the figure of being “clothed with worms” to represent the
enduring of the wrath of God. The figure is that those worms are eating away at
the unsaved person. Just like, the worms ate king Herod.
Once
king Herod was all eaten up, those worms left king Herod and finally died.
However,
In Isaiah 66:24 and 3 times in Mark 9:44-48, God insists that “their worm”
shall not die. That means, those worms will be continuing to feed on the
unsaved.
God
is pointing to a physical analogy. Once the worms finishing eating what is
available, they run out of food and finally die.
But,
in this parabolic description of the unsaved enduring His wrath, God says that
the worms will not die. Referring back to the physical illustration, the worms
continue to have something to feed on.
Since
the worms are called “their worm” of the unsaved. These worms identify
with the unsaved. God is teaching that the unsaved will remain forevermore as
food for “their worm”.
If
God had said that the unsaved were worms, like He said that the Lord Jesus was
a worm in Psalm 22:6, then we could conclude that this is teaching that about
the shame or reproach of the unsaved.
But,
God did not say that. God talks about the unsaved and “their worm”.
The
term “their worm” ties into Acts 12:23, Isaiah 51:8 and Job 7:5.
The
worms are eating the unsaved in this figure. King Herod was literally eaten by
worms as an illustration. Isaiah 51:8 promises that the unsaved will be eaten
by worms. Job, who represents the Lord Jesus, was covered by worms. If worms
cover someone, they are eating him.
Job
7:5 provides key proof that we are to look at the teaching of being eaten by
worms as a parable.
We
read in Acts 12:23 about the worms eating king Herod. This account may cause us
to focus upon the worms eating the unsaved in a literal way.
However,
when we read Job 7:5, we can see that this language is parabolic. Job was not
literally covered by worms.
Rather,
by the language of Job 7:5, God is tying into the language of Isaiah 51:8, Acts
12:23 and the language “their worm dieth not” found in Isaiah 66:24 and
Mark 9:44-48.
When
we put Mark 9 and Isaiah 66 together with Job 7:5 and Isaiah 51:8, God is
effectively saying that the worms will eating the unsaved forevermore. God is
teaching that the unsaved will exist forevermore under the wrath of God, like
the Lord Jesus, pictured by Job, was under the wrath of God.
Job
was a picture of the Lord Jesus enduring the wrath of God.
As
a very graphic figure of His wrath, God is using the figure of being eaten by
worms or being covered by worms. If worms are covering someone, that means that
they are eating him.
To
be eaten by worms is not the actual experience of the wrath of God. Rather, it
is a figure that God is using to give some description of the wrath of God.
We
have to consider what God means by the phrase “their worm dieth not”
that God uses 4 times in Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:44-48.
Let’s
consider king Herod in Acts 12:23. Once his body was eaten up, his worms went
away and finally died.
However,
for the unsaved, God talks about “their worm”. God identifies the worm
with the unsaved themselves. It is not that these worms ate up the unsaved and
then went away. These worms remain as “their worm”.
Also,
these worms “dieth not”.
That
means this worms continue to eat the unsaved as we read in Acts 12:23 and
Isaiah 51:8. These worms continue to cover the unsaved as we read in Job 7:5.
God
is pointing to the physical figure. Once the worm eats up the person, then it
runs out of food and dies.
By
using the phrase “their worm dieth not”, God is tying the worms to the
unsaved. By studying Job 7:5, Isaiah 51:8 and Acts 12:23, we learn that “their
worm” is eating the unsaved. The worm is “their worm”. Therefore, it
remains identified with the unsaved. Also, the fact that their worm “dieth
not” means that their worm continues forevermore. What is “their worm”
doing forevermore? Job 7:5, Isaiah 51:8 and Acts 12:23 indicate that “their
worm” is eating them.
With
the help of Job 7:5, Isaiah 51:8 and Acts 12:23 we can see that God is teaching
by the phrase “their worm dieth not” that the unsaved continue to exist
forevermore experiencing the wrath of God.
This
is language to indicate that the unsaved will forever experience the suffering
as described in the context of Job 7:5 and Isaiah 51:8. Acts 12:23 is giving an
illustration to help us understand the other passages.
God
has given Isaiah 14:11 so that we can understand the worms covering the unsaved
is speaking of enduring the wrath of God and not the literal eating of corpses.
We
read in Isaiah 14:11-12:
11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and
the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover
thee.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations!
Isaiah
14 is talking about Satan. We can see that in verse 12 in which God makes
reference to “O Lucifer”.
Satan
is a spirit being. He does not have a body that can be eaten by worms.
Therefore, the language about being covered by or eaten by worms must be a
parable describing conscious enduring of the wrath of God.
We
read in verse 11 concerning Satan, “the worms cover thee”. This ties
into Job 7:5 which is talking about the wrath of God that the Lord Jesus
endured. The Lord Jesus consciously endured this wrath of God.
Satan,
being a spirit-being without a body, cannot be literally covered by worms.
Therefore,
we can know that the language “the worms cover thee” is not referring to
the literal eating of a body. Rather, it points to the enduring of the wrath of
God.
Satan
will have to endure the wrath of God, as indicated by the phrase “the worms
cover thee” in Isaiah 14:11. The Lord Jesus had to endure the wrath of God
for the believers’ sins as indicated by the same phrase in Job 7:5.
Also,
the unsaved will have to endure the wrath of God by the reference to being
eaten by worms found in Isaiah 51:8, 66:24 and Mark 9:44-48.
The
phrase “eaten by worms” shows that the unsaved still exist to endure.
Herod existed while he was being eaten by worms in Acts 12:23.
The
fact that “their worm dieth not” shows that the worm will remain
identified with the unsaved and will continue to feed off of them forevermore.
They will exist forevermore, because “their worm” will be there to feed
off of them.
8.
JEREMIAH 49:33 TEACHES THAT THERE WILL BE A DESOLATE
We
read in Jeremiah 49:33
And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and
a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of
man dwell in it.
This
verse is talking about “Hazor”.
We
read about “Hazor” in Joshua 11 in verses 1, 10, 11 & 13. It was one
of the cities of
When
God talks about various cities in the Bible, God is talking to people and not
to a literal city of brick and mortar nor is God talking to a piece of land.
For
example, we read about the “holy city, new Jerusalem” in Revelation
21:2. This city is called the bride of Christ. A literal city of brick and
mortar is not the bride of Christ. Rather, people, the true believers, are the
bride of Christ.
When
God talks in Jeremiah and in other books about His judgment upon various
cities, God is not talking about literal cities of brick and mortar, nor is God
talking about a piece of land. Rather, God is talking to and about people.
God’s
wrath is not upon literal cities nor is it upon pieces of earth. Rather, God’s
wrath is upon people for their sin.
We
see a good illustration of this in Jeremiah 6:8. We read there:
Be thou instructed, O
God
is talking to “
God
is talking to people. It is people that must be “instructed”.
He
is telling them that if they are not “instructed”. That is, if they
don’t repent of their sins and start obeying God, then God says; “my soul
depart from thee”. God will abandon them.
Next,
God says what they will become. They will be “desolate”. Mankind is “desolate”
without God indwelling and energizing him.
God
says that the people will be “a land not inhabited”.
This
is an important point. The people themselves are the “land”.
When
God talks about these various cities, God is not talking about piece of earth
as the “land”. The people themselves are the “land”.
This
subject is covered in much more detail in the study of the phrases “no man
shall abide there” or “it shall never be inhabited”. Please see that study for
more information.
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY OF
PHRASES LIKE “NO MAN SHALL ABIDE THERE” OR “IT SHALL NEVER BE INHABITED”.
Therefore,
when God talks about “
In
Jeremiah 49:33, “Hazor” represents the actual unsaved people themselves. It
does not represent church buildings or a piece of land. “Hazor” is the people
themselves.
Let’s
now resume our examination of Jeremiah 49:33 with that fact in mind.
We
read there:
And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and
a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of
man dwell in it.
Jeremiah
49:33 talks about Hazor being a “dwelling for dragons”.
Frequently,
God uses “dragons” and other unclean animals to represent the unsaved.
We see that in the following verses that use this same Hebrew word translated “dragons”:
Deuteronomy 32:33 Their
wine is the poison of dragons <08577>, and the cruel venom of asps.
Here,
God is talking about false gospels. They are the “poison
of dragons”, that is, the “poison of
the unsaved”. The unsaved, with their wrong gospels, represented by
“wine”, are poisoning themselves and others.
Isaiah 27:1 In that day the
LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon <08577> that is in the sea.
Ezekiel 29:3 Speak, and
say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of
Egypt, the great dragon <08577> that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is
mine own, and I have made it for myself.
In these two verses we see the word “dragon” used to
represent the devil. He is the head of the unsaved.
Isaiah 34:13 And thorns
shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof:
and it shall be an habitation of dragons <08577>, and a court for owls.
We have prepared a detailed study of Isaiah 34. It is included
above. In that study, we show that the “dragons” of verse 13 and the
other unclean animals in Isaiah 34 represent the unsaved.
Isaiah 35:7 And the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the
habitation of dragons <08577>, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Isaiah 43:20 The beast of
the field shall honour me, the dragons <08577> and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and
rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
Isaiah 35:7 and 43:20 speak of God’s salvation plan. There will be
those that were unsaved, that were represented by “dragons”, that will
become saved.
We
have seen several verses in which the word “dragons”
in Jeremiah 49:33 is used to represent the unsaved.
On
argument made is that the unclean animals of Isaiah 34 and other passages, like
Jeremiah 49:33, do not represent the unsaved, but rather are literal animals.
The Isaiah 34 study above shows proofs why the unclean animals in Isaiah 34
must be the unsaved and cannot be literal animals. Please see that study above.
We
have also prepare a more detailed study that examines this question. Please see
the study “What do the birds of Isaiah 34:10-17 represent?”
WHAT DO THE BIRDS OF ISAIAH
34:10-17 REPRESENT?
Let’s
look at Jeremiah 49:33 again. We read there:
And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and
a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of
man dwell in it.
Now
that we understand that the “dragons”
represent the unsaved, we can see that Jeremiah 49:33 is an interesting verse
because it seems to have contradictory language. On the one hand, it talks
about Hazor being a “dwelling for dragons”, which presents the unsaved,
but on the other hand, it says that no “man” nor “son of man”
shall abide or dwell there.
There
are a number of verses like Jeremiah 49:33 that declare that “no man shall
abide there” or “it shall never be inhabited”. We have prepared a
detailed study on how God uses phrases like these.
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY OF
PHRASES LIKE “NO MAN SHALL ABIDE THERE” OR “IT SHALL NEVER BE INHABITED”.
We
will present a summary here. Please see the above study for more information.
Let’s
start by looking at Isaiah 13:19-22. We read there:
19 ¶ And
20 It
shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to
generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the
shepherds make their fold there.
21 But
wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of
doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And
the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons
in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her
days shall not be prolonged.
In
Isaiah 13:19-22 we find some similar language to that which is in Jeremiah
49:33.
In
Isaiah 13:20, we see that “It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in
from generation to generation”.
This
is similar language to Jeremiah 49:33. Therefore, Isaiah 13:19-22 can help us
understand verses with this kind of language.
This
language of verse 20 may seem to teach annihilation. If the place is not
inhabited and it is not dwelt in, then we would assume that all of the people
have been annihilated.
However,
we have to read on. Let’s look again at the next two verses; 21 & 22. We
read there:
21 But
wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of
doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And
the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons
in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her
days shall not be prolonged.
Verses
21 & 22 continue the description.
The
place is not vacant.
There
are “wild
beasts”, “doleful creatures”, “owls”,
“satyrs”, and “dragons” in that place. The word “dragons” is the same Hebrew word that we find in Jeremiah 49:33. We read the
same future tense language of “shall dwell there”, “shall cry” and “shall dance there”.
These
unclean animals represent the unsaved. Above we gave the link to the study
“What do the birds of Isaiah 34:10-17 represent?” This study gives a number of
reasons why we know that the unclean animals in Isaiah 13:21-22, 34:10-17 and
similar passages cannot represent literal birds, but must represent the
unsaved. Please see that study for more information.
Then,
how can we understand Isaiah 13:19-22?
On
the one hand, verse 20 says that
How
do we understand this?
Jeremiah
6:8 provides a starting point for understanding.
We
read in Jeremiah 6:8:
Be thou instructed, O
The
word “inhabited” is the same Hebrew
word in the phrase “It shall never be inhabited <03427>” in Isaiah 13:20.
So,
there is a clear connection between the “inhabit” of Isaiah 13:20 and of
Jeremiah 6:8.
In
Jeremiah 6:8 God is talking to “
Jerusalem
in Jeremiah 6:8 and in many verses, represents the people of God themselves,
not a church building nor a literal city of brick and stone. God is speaking to
and about people, not a physical, literal city. This is also true of Hazor and
other cities in the Old Testament.
In
Jeremiah 6:8 God is telling them that they have to repent and turn away from
their sin. They must be “instructed” in the truth of the Bible and they
must begin obeying God.
If
they do not repent and starting obeying the Bible, God will bring judgment. God
says that “lest my soul depart from thee”.
God says that He will abandon them.
What
happens when God departs from them?
We
read in the next part of Jeremiah 6:8 that “lest I make thee desolate, a land not
inhabited”.
When
God leaves His people, they become “desolate”. Mankind is “desolate” without God indwelling and energizing him.
A
desert is desolate because it lacks water. Man without God is desolate because
he lacks God’s guiding, energizing and blessings.
Jeremiah
6:8 declares that the people of God themselves are the “land”.
In
Jeremiah 6:8, the “land” is not this physical earth. Rather, the people
themselves are the “land”. When God abandons His people, they become a “desolate
land”.
Jeremiah
6:8 is not teaching the annihilation of the people of God because it says that
God will make them a “land”. If they are a “land”, then they have existence.
Notice
the next key statement. God will make His people a “land not inhabited”.
The
unsaved people of God become “a land not inhabited by whom?”
Jeremiah
6:8 tells us that God Himself will “depart” from them. God is the one that will
no longer “inhabit” them.
While
man is in this world, he is under great blessings from God. God cares for him
and is good to him in many ways (Matthew 5:45, Acts 14:17). Man is in God and
moves in God (Acts 17:28). This is true for unsaved man also.
However,
once Judgment Day comes, God completely “departs” from unsaved man, to
use the language of Jeremiah 6:8. God will make His unsaved corporate people,
and unsaved man in general, a “land” that is not “inhabited” by
God.
Jeremiah
6:8 helps us to understand how God uses the idea of “not being inhabited”. God
uses that to mean that God Himself is not inhabiting the unsaved anymore. At
Judgment Day, God completely “departs” from the unsaved.
We
have to read the Bible very carefully to make sure that we understand correctly
what God is saying by following the rule of 1 Corinthians 2:13 to compare
Scripture with Scripture.
It
is easy to read a phrase like “a land not inhabited” and get a mental picture of the land or the earth
without any person and think of annihilation, but that is not what God is
saying in Jeremiah 6:8.
God
is not saying that this earth is “a land not inhabited”. No, rather, God is saying to his corporate unsaved
people that “I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited”.
The
unsaved people of God are the “land”. This is like the eternal people of
God in Revelation 21:2 that are called the “holy city”. A city is also a
land.
In
Jeremiah 6:8 God says that He will make His unsaved people a “land”. They do
exist. But, God shall make them a “desolate, a land not inhabited”. They exist, but God does not “inhabit” them.
Jeremiah
17:5-6 teaches the same truth. We read there:
5 ¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the
man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth
from the LORD.
6 For
he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh;
but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land
and not inhabited <03427>.
Jeremiah
17:5-6 is talking about an unsaved person.
In
verse 6 the word “heath” is
translated “destitute” in Psalm 102:17.
Those that remain unsaved are like the “destitute in the
desert”. They do not have the waters
of the Gospel.
Verse
6 continues to say that the unsaved “shall inhabit the parched places”. That is, the unsaved shall inhabit places where
there is no Gospel. The “salt land”
again refers to a place under the wrath of God.
Notice
the last part of verse 6. It says “and not inhabited”. Verse 6 seems like a contradiction. How could
someone “inhabit” a place that is “not inhabited”?
Verse
6 seems like a contradiction until we factor in what Jeremiah 6:8 and other
verses teach. The unsaved will “inhabit” the lake of fire, a parched place, without the gospel that is “not inhabited” by God.
The
Hebrew word in the phrase “not inhabited”
is the same Hebrew word that we find in Jeremiah 6:8 that refers to the fact
that God will not “inhabit” the
dwelling of the unsaved. God will completely abandon the unsaved at Judgment
Day.
There
are more verses with phrases like “no man shall abide there” or “it
shall never be inhabited” that help us to understand how God uses these
kinds of phrases in the Bible. We have prepared a detailed study on how God
uses phrases like those.
PLEASE SEE THE STUDY OF
PHRASES LIKE “NO MAN SHALL ABIDE THERE” OR “IT SHALL NEVER BE INHABITED”.
Now,
we can continue our study with the help that Jeremiah 6:8 and other verses
provide as to how to understand what Jeremiah 49:33 is teaching.
We
read again in Jeremiah 49:33:
And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and
a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of
man dwell in it.
We
notice that the word “and” is in italics. A check of the Hebrew
text shows that the word “and” is not in the original Hebrew and does
not belong there. Also, most of the time, the Hebrew word translated “desolation”
is translated “desolate” and used as an adjective.
The
word “desolation” or “desolate” is describing the phrase “dwelling
for dragons”. God is saying that Hazor shall be a “dwelling for dragons,
desolate” or a “desolate dwelling for dragons”.
Therefore
a more precise translation of Jeremiah 49:33 is:
And Hazor shall be a desolate dwelling for dragons for
ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
With
the help of Jeremiah 6:8 and other passages, we have learned that the phrase “there
shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it” means that
God will not dwell among the unsaved anymore. Once we get to Judgment Day, God
completely abandons the unsaved.
The
name “Hazor” is the name of a city of
We
read that Hazor shall be a “dwelling for dragons”. We saw that the word
“dragons” is used to represent the unsaved.
Hazor
represents the unsaved. They are a “dwelling for dragons” because the
unsaved people themselves are represented by “dragons” in the Bible.
The
unsaved people themselves are a “dwelling for dragons” because they
themselves are unsaved. They themselves are called “dragons” in the
Bible.
The
unsaved people themselves are a dwelling for the unsaved, because they themselves
are unsaved.
The
word “desolate” or “desolation” modifies the phrase “dwelling
for dragons”. God is saying that Hazor shall be a “desolate dwelling for
dragons” or it shall be a “dwelling for dragons, desolate”.
How
long will Hazor be a “desolate dwelling for dragons”?
God
says that it will be a “desolate dwelling for dragons” forever.
God
says that Hazor shall be a “desolate dwelling for dragons for ever”. God
is saying that there will be a “dwelling” and it will go on “for ever”.
This is a very important point.
The
city, “Hazor”, like many other cities in the Bible, represents the unsaved
people themselves. The unsaved themselves are the “desolate dwelling for
dragons” because they themselves are represented by “dragons”.
Jeremiah
49:33 focuses upon the fact that there will be a dwelling place for the unsaved
forevermore. The unsaved themselves are the dwelling place and they will be in
the lake of fire. The lake of fire is described in Isaiah 34 in more detail.
Does
this Hebrew word “for ever” really mean forevermore?
The
argument is raised at times that the phrase “for ever” does not really
mean forevermore. Is this true? How do we know?
In
1 Corinthians 2:13, God teaches that we are to examine how God uses words and
phrases in the Bible to understand what God is teaching.
We
learn what God means by this phrase “for ever” by examining how God uses this
same exact phrase in the Hebrew language in other parts of the Bible.
We
find this same Hebrew phrase translated “for ever” in Jeremiah 49:33 in
these verses:
Genesis
13:15 For all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
God
is talking to Abraham. The “land” that God gave to him was not the
The
“land” that God will give to Abraham is the new heavens and new earth.
Abraham will truly receive that forevermore. That will never come to an end.
Just like the true believers will receive the “land”, the new heavens and new
earth forevermore, Hazor shall be a desolate dwelling for dragons forevermore.
It is the same Hebrew phrase “for ever”.
Deuteronomy
29:29 The secret things belong
unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of
this law.
Do
the truths revealed by God belong to the true believers, both parents and
children, forevermore? Yes, they do. The truths revealed concern God’s
wonderful salvation. Those are truly forevermore. They never come to an end.
The truths of God’s law, like the promises of salvation, carry on into the new
heaven and new earth forevermore. In the same way, Hazor shall be a desolate
dwelling for dragons forevermore.
1
Samuel 1:22 But Hannah went not up; for
she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned,
and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there
abide for ever.
Hannah
is talking about her son, Samuel. Will Samuel appear before the LORD and abide
there forevermore? Yes. Samuel will abide before the LORD forevermore. Samuel,
along with all the true believers in heaven, are right now abiding before the
Lord in heaven. That will never come to an end.
1
Samuel 3:14 And therefore I have sworn
unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged
with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
Will
the iniquity of the unsaved not be purged forevermore? Yes. The sin of the
unsaved will never be purged by sacrifice or offering. That goes on
forevermore.
2
Samuel 7:13 He shall build an house for
my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
God
is talking to David about his son. The Son in view is the Lord Jesus. Will the
throne of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus be established forevermore? Yes. The
Psalms
48:8 ¶ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in
the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
Will
the city of
Psalms
90:2 Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting
to everlasting, thou art God.
God
is forevermore. Just like God is forevermore, Hazor shall be a desolate
dwelling for dragons (the unsaved) forevermore.
Ezekiel
37:25 And they shall dwell in the land
that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and
they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their
prince for ever.
The
David in Ezekiel 37:25 is the Lord Jesus. David is another name for the Lord
Jesus. The true believers shall dwell in the
Exodus
12:24 And ye shall observe this thing
for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
This
is talking about the Passover. The Passover was a ceremonial law that came to
an end in 33AD when Christ hung on the cross.
One
can argue that the “for ever” came to an end in 33AD. However, the
Passover ceremony was to be observed “for an ordinance”. The word “ordinance”
means law and it is talking about the Bible, the law of God.
The
people of
The
Passover ceremony was “for an ordinance” of God’s salvation. That
salvation is “for ever” for the true believers. The Passover ceremony
was only a ceremony. The observing of the ceremony came to an end in 33AD.
However, when it was observed, it was observed “for an ordinance to thee and
to thy sons for ever” because the ordinance or law of salvation is forevermore.
God
put the “for ever” in this discussion of the Passover because it pointed
to something that was very important and something that is forevermore.
2
Samuel 12:10 Now therefore the sword
shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and
hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
In
2 Samuel 12:10, this same Hebrew phrase is translated “never”. Through
Nathan the prophet, God is talking to David about his sin.
Will
the sword not depart from the house of David forevermore?
Yes.
It will not depart from house of David forevermore. The house of David included
some unbelievers. The sword is the Bible, the law of God. It is against the
unsaved forevermore.
Nehemiah
13:1 ¶ On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the
people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should
not come into the congregation of God for ever;
In
this case, the Ammonite and the Moabite represent those that remain unsaved.
The congregation of God represents the
When
we examine this Hebrew phrase translated “for ever” in Jeremiah 49:33
throughout the Bible, we find that it always means forevermore.
If
we try to say that this Hebrew phrase does not mean forevermore, then we are
saying that God and His Kingdom will not abide forevermore as we read about in
Genesis 13:15, 2 Samuel 7:13, Psalm 48:8, Psalm 90:2, Ezekiel 37:25 and other
verses. However, we know that God and His kingdom will abide forevermore.
Just
as God and His kingdom will abide forevermore, so by this using this same
Hebrew phrase in Jeremiah 49:33, God is saying that “Hazor”, which represents
the unsaved people themselves, will be a “desolate dwelling for dragons (the
unsaved themselves) forevermore”.
In
summary, we have seen 8 groups of passages that show that the unsaved continue
to exist consciously forevermore under the wrath of God.
Even
though this is a very unpleasant truth, denying what the Bible teaches does not
change the truth.