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Q
"You claim that after the
wicked are judged they will be
destroyed. How do you explain Luke
13:28, which seems to say that they
will remain alive iñ a condition of
deprivation and misery? 'There shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when ye shall see Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob, and all the proph–
ets, in the kingdom of God, and you
yourselves thrust out.' Putting Mat–
thew 13:42 together with this verse,
we see it means being cast into the
lake of tire."
G.P.,
Winter Haven , Florida
A
Scriptures similar to Luke
13:28 are found in Matthew
8:12; 22:13; 24:51 and 25:30. Mat–
thew 8:12, in fact , is simply Mat–
thew's version of Luke 13:28. But
the symbolism used in this verse ,
rather than tire, is "outer dark–
ness." The symbolic natl)re ot the
expression is obvious because lit–
eral darkness and literal tire are
incompatible. Other passages,
however, such as Revelation 20:14-
15, indicate the tire is literal, and
34
that it totally destroys those who are
engulfed by it. Those with Christ,
the saved, will be in an " inner" si tu–
ation (as symbolized by "Abra–
ham's bosom"-Luke 16:22), while
the damned are in an "outer" situ–
ation, away from God and Christ,
without spiritual light and all that
light symbolizes (see
1
John 1:5-7;
2:8-11; Rev. 21 :11, 23). ·
Now notice that the condition de–
scribed as " weeping and gnashing
of teeth" is not an eterna! situation.
Rather it is indicative of the immedi–
ate and temporary emotional state
ot those who have heard their judg–
ment pronounced. Some are vio–
lently, malignantly angry. They
gnash their teeth. Others are im–
mersed in self-pity. But this condi–
tion does not continue long. Those
tinally condemned to the second
death, the lake ot tire, will quickly
be annihilated and will never be re–
membered again . For more on this
subject, send tor the free booklet /s
There a Real He// Fire?
Q
" How do you fast? What is the
proper method, how long do
you do it, and should you drink any
water?"
Mildred D.,
Dalias, Texas
A
Fasting is abstaining from
tood-and usually water, too
(Ex. 34:28)- when the objectives
are spiritual. Biblical examples
show fasting is for the purpose of
getting close to God; humbling the
selt and becoming attuned to the
will and purpose ot God in order to
receive His torgiveness, merey, de–
liverance, help and strength to help
others in a proper manner (see lsa.
58). Most ot these examples ot tast-
ing are in connection with momen–
tous events, unusual times of trial
and need, repentance and repudia–
tion ot wrongdoing, and tervent
seeking of God's will.
Jesus fasted before His tempta–
tion by Satan the devil (Matt. 4:1-4).
Meses fasted betore receiving
God's laws (Ex. 34:28). Jehosha–
phat and all Israel tasted when
threatened with conquest and sub–
jugation
(11
Chron . 20). The
Ninevites tasted when tacing exter–
mination (Jonah 3). Daniel tasted at
a crucial point during the captivity
when it was time for God's inter–
vention and deliverance (Dan. 1
O).
David tasted while his tirst child by
Bathsheba lay critically ill
(11
Sam.
12). Cornelius tasted as he sought
God diligently (Acts 10)-and he
became the tirst Gentile Christian.
The elders tasted and prayed for
guidance before ordaining Paul
(Acts 13:3).
Aside trom one special day (Lev.
23:27-32; Acts 27:9), the Bible
basically leaves it to each individual
to determine when, how often, and
how long to tast. Jesus predicted
that His servants would tast (Matt.
6:17; 9:14-15). When tasting for
spiritual reasons, the time normally
spent in preparing and eating meals
can be devoted to prayer and medi–
tation. Merely abstaining from food
by itselt serves no spiritual pur–
pose-prayer and spiritual con–
templation go hand in hand with
tasting.
Many people have difficulty tast–
ing, especially for more than a day
at a time. Also, some who have cer–
tain medical problems may need to
drink water or truit juices in order to
maintain their health during a fast.
So it is recommended that a physi–
cian 's advice be sought before
starting a tast, especially if there are
any health problems.
.
Another tacet ot tasting (not men–
tioned in the Bible) is the " health
tast." There is a great diversity ot
opinion among medica! authorities
about the hazards or benefits ot
fasting for health. We do not make
any recommendations in this regard
except to suggest that competent
medica! guidance be sought betore
going on any prolonged fast for
health reasons.
The
PLAIN TRUTH August.September 1977