Psalm 21:9
Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow
them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
Isaiah 30:27
Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden
thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring
fire:
Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the
LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy...
Zephaniah 3:8
Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for
my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with
the fire of my jealousy.
Malachi 4:3
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear
him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Mark 9:47
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the
kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell (Gehenna)
fire:
Luke 3:9
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
John 15:6
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Hebrews 10:26-27
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour
the adversaries.
Revelation 11:5
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.
Revelation 20:9
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about,
and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
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.
The metaphor of decaying, worm-eaten corpses, suggests the bad odour that is associated with decay; perhaps it is a symbol of shame and dishonour.
Revelation
14:19-20
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth,
and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even
unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The metaphor of a winepress in Revelation 19 pictures the complete subjection of humanity to God. It is paired with the metaphor of a sacrifice, but those who eat of the sacrifice are the birds. Several metaphors are used for describing the judgement. These are not descriptions of literal events, but the symbols need to be interpreted.
The marriage between Christ and the church is the occasion for the marriage supper, when there is a great "sacrifice."
Revelation 19:7-9
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper
of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation
19:17-18
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the
fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the
supper of the great God;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty
men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men,
both free and bond, both small and great.
Revelation 19:21
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The angel standing in the sun calls the fowl of the air to the sacrifice, where they may eat the flesh of men. The sun is a symbol of the gospel in Revelation, as the woman in Revelation 12:1, who represents the church, is clothed with the sun. There is a "sacrifice" connected with the gospel, as everyone who believes the gospel is a "living sacrifice" to God, and the works of the flesh are "mortified." In the prophecy, "flesh" is symbolic, and represents the works of the flesh. Thus it is the flesh that is offered to the birds, while the people are being turned to God.
Jeremiah 25:33
And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the
other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they
shall be dung upon the ground.
Ezekiel 39:17-22
And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to
every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side
to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of
Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
Revelation 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone.
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.
Revelation 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
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 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 25:30
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life
eternal.
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.
Revelation
14:9-11
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in
his hand,
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:
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.
Copyright © 2007 by Douglas E. Cox
All Rights Reserved.