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Today’s Devotional, Year 3 – January 9

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Eternal Torment?

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Part 32:

“And Their Smoke Rose Up Forever?”

To read part 1, click here…September 8th (Eternal Torment? Part 1)

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“And the smoke of their torment

ascends up for ever and ever:

and they have no rest day nor night,

who worship the beast and his image,

and whosoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation 14:11

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SMOKE RISING UP FOR EVER AND EVER…

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“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night.”

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Now it is time to fully address this passage from Revelation 14, which speaks of smoke rising for ever and ever. The above verse from Revelation 14 sounds as if it is the last word on the subject of “eternal torment”. Every unbeliever will be tormented forever and ever. And the smoke of their eternal torment will rise for ever.

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But is this the last word on this subject? Of course not! The Bible was written by God to be one whole doctrine. It must ALL be studied. One or two or even a dozen verses do not end the discussion on these more difficult questions. God always has more to say on these confusing issues. And the subject of what happens to unbelievers is of great concern to God.

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magnifying glass – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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ANOTHER ‘SMOKE-RISING-FOREVER’ PASSAGE

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So let’s explore this idea of smoke ascending up for ever and ever.

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Just listen to this passage, and how it ends up… “Come near, ye nations, to hear…For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He has utterly destroyed them, He has delivered them to the slaughter…And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll…For My sword shall be bathed in heaven… For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance…and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; THE SMOKE THEREOF SHALL GO UP FOR EVER:” Isaiah 34:1-5, 8-10.

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Ah-ha! So here we have another “smoke rising forever” passage! And so this above passage gives us further insight into the meaning of Revelation 14, which says… “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night.”

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Church Burning – Burning Man – 2013 – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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READ ON A LITTLE FARTHER…

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Okay, so if we stopped right here, we would have a picture of a fiery planet, after God’s final judgment, in which fire would endlessly burn, and the smoke would rise up forever and ever. Correct? But if we keep reading, a completely different outcome is presented. So let’s keep reading this passage from Isaiah as it continues to describe this Post-Judgment Earth…

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”It (the land of Zion) 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…and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls…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. 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…they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.” Isaiah 34:9, 10, 15, 16 (shortened for brevity)

What happened? Where are all the screaming multitudes? Where’s the fire?

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Now the above verse speaks of the day of God’s vengeance. More than merely Zion, it speaks of desolation and destruction of the Earth. It speaks of the smoke ascending up for ever and ever. It speaks of the land laying desolate…for ever and ever!

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Athene cunicularia -Colorado Desert, California, USA – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic. 2.0

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WHERE ARE THE SCREAMING MULTITUDES?

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So, the obvious question is: how does this passage fit into the entire scenario of God’s ultimate judgment upon earth? Where are all the screaming people?

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Well, it says here, that they were all utterly destroyed! Just listen again to this same passage from Isaiah 34… “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”. Does this passage say the people of the world will be endlessly tormented? No, it says they are “utterly destroyed”. Death. And it says here that the fire goes out as well, and becomes re-populated by the beasts of the field and the birds of the air.

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But it also says, “THE SMOKE THEREOF SHALL GO UP FOR EVER:” God has purposely hidden the answer to Revelation 14 here in Isaiah 34. The smoke of their torment may ascend for ever and ever, but the inhabitants have already been “utterly destroyed”. So the smoke here on Judgment Day rises for ever, in spite of the fact that the wicked have previously been utterly destroyed, and the fire has previously been extinguished.

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Granted, this passage has some difficult language. But the point is, you just cannot assume that Revelation 14 is speaking of endless torment. Endless smoke rising? Yes! But not endless torment. God has expanded on Revelation 14, here in Isaiah 34. And now it becomes clear that this verse from Revelation 14 has nothing to do with this unbiblical idea known as “Eternal Torment”!

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Boreal pine forest 5 years after fire, 2011-07 – Wikimedia – public domain

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DON’T IGNORE ISAIAH, CH. 34

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And this is the point of this above passage from Isaiah 34: that even though there is smoke rising for ever and ever, there is nobody being tortured here. Is there? Were there people tormented? Oh yes. Revelation 14 makes that abundantly clear! But they were finally destroyed. Isaiah makes that clear. Then the fire goes out. And then it talks of the various beasts and owls, like the one in this photo, which will live there… 

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Listen once more…“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. Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate:”

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And so this passage ends with a happy ending, saying that all these creatures will re-populate the Earth after God’s judgment…“And none shall lack her mate”!

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Thus, we begin to understand that when smoke “ascends for ever and ever”, it doesn’t mean that those enemies of God will be tormented for ever and ever. Tormented? Yes! But not tormented endlessly!

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Notice that the land is now desolate. And notice that “none shall pass through it for ever and ever”. And yet this land will be a home for various unclean beasts and owls. But where is all this so-called “Eternal Torment”? Where are all those humans being tormented for ever and ever? They are nowhere to be found! And yet the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever!

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Picture-Spotted Eagle Owl Yawning – Wikipedia – public domain

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ANOTHER “FOREVER AND EVER” BIBLE PASSAGE

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But back to the subject of smoke rising forever.

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Listen carefully to this next passage, speaking of that Mystery City, Babylon… “And he (the angel)…saying, Babylon the great is fallen…Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. And the kings of the earth…shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying…in one hour is thy judgment come…And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!…for in one hour is she made desolate…And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all…AND HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOR EVER AND EVER.” Revelation Ch. 18 & 19:3 (condensed)

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From this passage, we see that Mystery Babylon, a spiritual city, comprised of all the apostate Christian organizations which have persecuted God’s true Church through the ages (see the article, “The woman Of Revelation 18” ).

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1-HOUR JUDGMENT

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Finally comes her Judgment Day. But notice that her punishment comes in one hour. And yet, the smoke of her torment rises up “for ever and ever”.

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So where’s the eternal torment? This spiritual city is cast into the sea. This is spiritual language to indicate that these apostate Christian organizations were to be cast into the sea; the sea representing the world (see Revelation 17:15). It is found “no more at all…for in one hour is she made desolate”.

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In other words, the apostate church was cast out of God’s kingdom, causing the apostate church to be totally separated from God; totally amalgamated with the world and its secular ideologies and worldly philosophies. This is why we witness so much of the worldly compromises within the church-world today: apostate religious programs, celebrities, sports, comedians, joking preachers, ethnic/cultural-traditions/segregation, worldly music, bingo and other gaming nights, immodest attire, etc.… 

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ABOVE PICTURE – The wicked woman harlot city, Babylon, the apostate church-world, as she rides the Beast, the antichrist world-system – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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DEEPER TRUTHS LOCKED UP IN PARABLES

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And yet, in spite of her destruction coming in one hour, the smoke of her burning, “ascends up for ever and ever”. And so, we begin to see this phrase, “smoke ascends up for ever and ever”, now taking on an entirely different connotation. As already stated, so many try to interpret these spiritual concepts as though they are to be understood literally.

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But they are spiritual…“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1st Corinthians 2:14.

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Those who are of the apostate Church, the “Jerusalem which is now, and is in bondage with her children” just cannot understand the deeper, allegorical truths, which God has locked up from their understanding.

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To these, Jesus says… “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand…Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear My Word.” Matthew 13:13 & John 8:43

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Yes, so many of today’s teachers and theologians are void of God’s Spirit, rendering them incapable of discerning the “Hidden Manna” so often hidden within the allegories, parables, types and shadows which comprise so much of Scripture.

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ABOVE PICTURE:

Brooklyn Museum – The Pharisees Question Jesus – James Tissot – US Public Domain – Wikimedia

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SMOKE & FIRE: LITERAL OR FIGURATIVE

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Listen to this very extreme description of God’s wrath…“Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth. There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind.” Psalm 18:7-10

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Now this above passage presents a picture which is very seldom discussed to any great degree. And no wonder! How can we deal with such a scenario as this? Just listen to the concepts described here! Are the foundations of the hills going to literally be shaken because of God’s wrath? Or literal smoke coming out of God’s nostrils, and actual devouring fire coming out of His mouth? Or literal coals kindled by that fire? And what about God literally riding on a cherub? or does He literally fly on the literal wings of the wind?

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The question to be asked is this: “Is this language to be understood literally or figuratively?” Is the fire coming out of God’s mouth literally going to kindle coals? Is God going to literally ride on a cherub, and on the wings of the wind?

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Well, one thing is for certain. This passage is a difficult one, to say the least!

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Michelangelo – Wikipedia – public domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to prepare myself to stand in the coming evil months ahead. Help me to be fully armored…

Marines at Prayer by Alex Raymond – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Mark of the Beast & Seal of God” or you can also read… January 26th (Buying & Selling The Gospel)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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LOCATING THE DRAGON

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The Dragon Constellation can be located by finding Orion in winter months. The Dragon is to Orion’s left, and the Dragon’s mouth is right next to Orion’s shield. This Dragon’s mouth is the V-like constellation The Hyades Cluster, which is the very same constellation that comprises the head of Taurus the Bull. In other words, Hyades is also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. And Hyades is the mouth of this Dragon.

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The tip of the Dragon’s tail is composed of that star-cluster known as The Pleiades. The Pleiades is actually in the shape of a lion’s furry tassel tip of his tail. The sketch below shows this Pleiades as the tail tip.

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Now with aid of a dark starry night, you may begin to connect this mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are very well-defined with stars. The front legs are made partially of Taurus. The back legs and rear fin are made of the Cetus Constellation. But the long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark starry night. The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus. This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail). The Wave of Water is primarily composed of the Constellation Auriga. The are two more less bright stars which are closest to the Dragon’s mouth. These two dimmer stars are also part of this Wave of Water.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… The Dragon of Revelation 12 Constellation or you can also read… Flood Waters of Satan-Introduction

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TOMORROW:

January 10 . . . . Our Minimum Daily Requirements! Part 2: “Part-timers Need Not Apply!”

Vitamin Display – by Mark Buckawichi – for Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

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