Me neither.
I’m not ashamed of the scriptures describing multiheaded beasts either.
You should not be.
I would be ashamed of thinking a multiheaded beast meant a pleasant team of serving deaconesses. That is taking the meaning of something symbolic as so obviously OPPOSITE in character as to what it implies.'
That I would be ashamed of changing the character of what is implied because what is implied is so hated by you.
The stretching and straining to include one's own concept in something the Bible is conveying which is obviously diametrically different from one's preferences, is shameful.
Everybody can see you are inserting your own ideas trying to make them God's idea.
@divegeester
I agree with you. Neither of us is ashamed of some unusual symbolic usage of word pictures.
We may have legitimate disagreement over how much of the word picture is literal and how much not literal.
We can argue over changing the overall character what seems to be being conveyed.
What is not easy to argue is to make the character opposite of what is apparently being conveyed.
A multihead beast out of the sea may be interpreted a number of ways. Biblically speaking we should go back into the Bible and see how such a picture was used before. That is our best guide.
Probably a multiheaded beast out of the sea in the end times doesn't stand for four pleasant gentle deaconesses singing barbershop quartets.
A lake of life where we are told the Devil, the false prophet, the antichrist go to to be tormented day and night forever and ever, probably many verses latter doesn't stand for non-existence as a punishment.
"Well, lets add a few billion people to make it unthinkable."
That apparently does something for you.
It doesn't change anything for me.
"Lets add a few billion more people screaming."
Doesn't do much to change what is being communicated to me. Maybe it does for you.
"Lets add a few billion people who are babies and retarded and still born and never heard of the New Testament and were good people and were turned off and away from Christianity by mean nuns and mean priests and add that that is all some Christians like to talk about and add that I love it and am blood thirsty and eager to see my enemies suffer and add that Jesus and His angels having nothing else to do but eat popcorn and giggling in delight at the whole horrible scene, and add, and add, and add and add and do all we can to make the prospect absolutely morally insane by human standards."
That does something to persuade you.
It doesn't have the same effect on me.
And it might be ADDING to God's word.
You might be adding your theological ideas to force the verse to mean more than what we are told about the revelation.
So I just take what is written and don't try to stoke up on it to alter or improve what is written. It simply says -
" And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:15)
God told me -
Don't take away.
Don't add.
(Revelation 22:18,19) .
I know you won't agree, but there it is for you to mull over.
You have your freedom of conscience to view final judgment in those terms.
We've discussed it before and I have no further comment at the moment.
Don't feel the urge to prod or taunt me to argue. I'm ok with you having an annihilationists' viewpoint which I can't share.
All of this, and you miss the big point of Rev. 20.
Revelation 20:14 KJV
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The lake of fire is the second death. After being cast into it, one ceases to exist.
Suzianne, you responding to me or Divegeester?
I think Divegeester already has that understanding. You talking to me?
I like the way you weigh in on the subject because you have never been belligerent about it as far as I can recall.