I read 3 things here:
(1)The beast (Anti Christ) and the false prophet have been in the Lake of Fire since Rev. 19:21, one thousand years earlier. They have not burned yet!
(2) They will be tormented forever and ever. This is the same Greek word used to describe the eternal blessings of the redeemed and the eternal nature of God. If it means eternal, and forever and ever in one case, it sure means the same in the other.
(3)Those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior will be cast in the same lake of fire. Since Anti Christ and the false prophet are men, I must assume that it is possible for all men to be tormented forever and ever.
You sound like one who spiritualizes Revelation, e.g. "tormented" doesn't really mean tormented, and the flames of hell are just a symbol. Let's assume that's right. All symbols are poor representations of a larger reality, so if the flames/eternity of hell are symbolic, you know the "real thing" would be much worse.
Worst case, join a Seven Day Adventist Church. You'll be surrounded by people who think like you do. But I hope you never have a reason to remember this discussion!
I heard one guy on the radio discussing the “eternal fire”. Long story short - he came to the conclusion that this “fire” is the presence of God. He had some special word for the shining “energy” mentioned in the Old Testement but I forget what it was. But the same thing that Moses protected his eyes from, the pillar of fire, etc. The idea that in the end - God’s total power and total holiness will be shining everywhere.
And that is good for those that believe and love God. Not so much if you hate God - to be in the total, overwhelming presence of something/someone that you hate.
Seems to me that there are some problems with this idea. But I thought it was an interesting take on it.
—You sound like one who spiritualizes Revelation, e.g. “tormented” doesn’t really mean tormented, and the flames of hell are just a symbol—
That would be incorrect. I do believe there is symbolism, to be sure, but I tend to be a literalist. But Revelation is a very unique book, as any shcolar who teaches on the subject will tell you. There is clearly a LOT of symbolism there compared to most of the bible.
Regarding the three things:
—(1)The beast (Anti Christ) and the false prophet have been in the Lake of Fire since Rev. 19:21, one thousand years earlier. They have not burned yet! —
The wording there is sketchy (strongs G928). There is a question about the tense of the text regarding their presence there. Also, regarding their “not burned yet”, see my notes on eternity in the next part.
—(2) They will be tormented forever and ever. This is the same Greek word used to describe the eternal blessings of the redeemed and the eternal nature of God. If it means eternal, and forever and ever in one case, it sure means the same in the other.—
A couple of things here. First, we are talking about “eternal” or “eternity” and what that actually means. I’ve used the phrase “Time is a current that flows in an ocean called “eternity”. When I look at the description of eternity in its various uses in the Bible, it sounds almost like a place “outside of time” as we know time. Again, the bible’s discussion of it is a bit like talking about the color “red” to people who only see in black and white. Second, Satan is very different from man, as you pointed out
—(3)Those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior will be cast in the same lake of fire. Since Anti Christ and the false prophet are men, I must assume that it is possible for all men to be tormented forever and ever.—
I think one could make that assumption. I also think one could assume that when they are thrown into the lake of fire they would be consumed.
Thing is, I don’t think any position on a major tenet of Christianity should be placed on a single verse, and I also confess that when discussing end times prophesy and eternity that I can not claim to have the only correct understanding of it. But when taken with the context of what I understand of God’s personality and what the words “death” and “life” mean, I don’t see how those that do not receive eternal life will remain alive. They will be, well, dead.
Did you read the article to which I posted?