Kesäkuun 15. 1974 ilmestyneessä englannikielisessä Vartiotorni-lehdessä on sivuilla 381-384 loppukoetuksen jatkoartikkeli:
The ”Lake of Fire” and Its Purpose. Kirjoittaja tekee jo heti otsikossa lainausmerkeillä selväksi, että tulijärveä ei tule kuvitella todelliseksi, vaan kuvaannolliseksi, eli vertauskuvalliseksi. Katsotaanpa sitten tätä artikkelia (tätä ei ilmeisesti ole julkaistu suomenkielellä, väritys lisätty):
Who or what goes into the “lake of fire”? Among the things mentioned are the “wild beast” and the “false prophet.” Death and Hades are put into this “lake.” We also read that the Devil (and along with him his associate demons) is hurled into the “lake” after his final attack on God’s sovereignty.—Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14.
A SYMBOL
In examining these texts we readily see that the “lake of fire
” is not a literal pool of flame. The “wild beast” is symbolic, as earlier shown in Revelation chapter 13, the “image” of it being described in chapter 17, where we are told that the seven heads of the “beast” represent seven ‘mountainlike’ kingdoms. These are understood by Bible commentators to be the seven world powers of Bible history. The five that had “fallen” were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. The one that “was” at the time the apostle John wrote was Rome. The seventh has proved, from historical events, to be the Anglo-American World Power.—Rev. 17:9, 10; compare Daniel chapter 8.
Similarly the “false prophet” is not a person, but is a system or an organization. A “prophet” claims to have inspired information for the direction of others. A “false prophet” would mislead others, to turn them away from God and toward false worship. What does this “false prophet” do to accomplish such purpose? He is shown in another guise in Revelation 13:11-17 as a two-horned “wild beast.” As such he is depicted as performing in front of the seven-headed “wild beast” the signs with which he misleads “those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image.”—Rev. 19:20.
Since the “wild beast” and the “false prophet” are symbolic, the “lake of fire” is necessarily symbolic.
Vt-lyyrikko esittää, että Ilmestyskirjan peto ja väärä profeetta ovat vertauskuvia ja tästä syystä tulijärvikin on vertauskuva. Lyyrikon viittaaman raamatunjakeen (19:20) mukaan peto sekä väärä profeetta kyllä lingotaan tuliseen järveen elävinä, ovat siis eläviä vertauskuvia?
Further supporting this conclusion is the fact that the abstract thing, “death,” is also hurled into the “lake of fire.” Death cannot be literally burned.
Lisätueksi tulijärven kuvauksellisuudesta lyyrikko esittää, ettei kuolemaakaan voi polttaa kirjaimellisesti tulessa. Ja sen jälkeen viitataan Saatanan ja demoniensa palamattomuuteen:
Moreover, the demons are thrown into the “lake.” These are angels, spirit persons. Being spirit, they cannot be hurt by literal fire, which is a physical product of chemical combustion. In fact, we read often of spirit persons manifesting themselves to humans in a flame.—Ex. 3:1-5; Acts 7:30; Judg. 13:20; Ps. 104:4; Dan. 7:9, 10.
Tässä vaiheessa on herännyt jo muutamia kysymyksiä, mutta mennäänpä eteenpäin. ”NO CONSCIOUS TORMENT” -väliotsikon jälkeen jatkuu taiteilu Raamatun tekstin ja Vt-liturgian välillä:
Those in the “lake of fire” do not have life. Their names are not written in any “book of life.” And life is life, whether spent in pleasure or in suffering pain. Accordingly, there is no consciousness or feeling of pain or suffering in the “lake of fire,” because there is no life there at all. Why, then, does the Bible speak of the Devil, the “wild beast” and the “false prophet” as being “tormented day and night forever and ever” in this “lake”?— Rev. 20:10.
Lukija ei ehkä vielä tässä vaiheessa havainnut ongelmaa, joten jatketaan:
It is because they are under the torment of restraint. When Jesus was on earth, the demons entreated him not to order them to go away into the “abyss.” (Luke 8:31) In a parallel account of the same incident, the demons asked Jesus: “Did you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” (Matt. 8:29) This being put into the “abyss” will be a “torment” because it will be a restraint.
Satan and his demons are, therefore, to suffer the “torment” of restraint by being hurled into the “abyss” just prior to the thousand-year reign of Christ. They will be restrained from all activity during that thousand years. Then they will be loosed after the thousand years end. (Rev. 20:7; compare Revelation 11:7; 17:8.) After the final attack on God’s sovereignty, the Devil and his demons are hurled into the “lake of fire,” where they suffer the “torment” of everlasting restraint, without letup, in the “second death.” They are completely annihilated, never to appear again. Moreover, all that they accomplished, all their works, will be erased from the universe.—1 John 3:8.
Viimeistään tässä vaiheessa pitäisi herätä miettimään. Demonit olisivat tuhatvuotiskauden loppuun piinattuna, koska heidän tekemisensä olisi rajoitettua. Toisessa (siis kuvaannollisessa) kuolemassa demonit eivät olisi tietoisessa tilassa, eivätkä siis piinattuna yötä päivää ikuisesti. Kun sitten luen tämän loppukaneetin, niin en tiedä mitä pitäisi ajatella koko sekasotkusta:
The truth that this being put into the “lake of fire” does not mean conscious pain of torment is shown in that the “wild beast” and the “false prophet,” both symbolic of systems or organizations, are spoken of as being “tormented day and night.” But systems or organizations cannot suffer pain. The “lake of fire” annihilates, destroys them. They are restrained from operating, forever. Never will such wicked organizations rise up to dominate or disturb mankind.
Löytääkö joku tästä kaikesta loogisen ja uskottavan totuuden ja jos, niin mikä se mahdollisesti on?