Page 62 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

every action to his prophets (Amos 3:7, Eph 3:9, Col 1:26, Rev 2:17, 5:4). The
Word contains figures of speech and difficult sayings i.e. things hard to understand
(2 Pet 3:16).

The fact that the penalty of hell does not apply (Mat 5:29- 30) to Christians, who
are not under the Law, is pointed out by the fact that those, Christians, who do not
keep Christ’s two great commandments (Mat 5:19), which are yet part of the law
(Mat 5:18-19), will not be in hell but the ‘least in the kingdom of heaven’ (Mat
5:19). Failure to keep the Law, for those under it (Gen 2:17, Jam 2:10, Rom 10:4),
however results in condemnation as a default i.e. hell (Mat 5:29, 30) but this is
over-ridden by the salvation prime principle of the unsaved, unpreached (or not
properly preached) dead going to the spiritual ‘Prison’, or to Heaven whichever is
appropriate (Luke 16:22-23), for exposure to the gospel (1 Pet 3:19, 4:6).

God sometimes uses the word ‘shall’ not as a prophecy but as a commandment to
Israel (Ex 12:15, Judges 13:5).

In the Word there is no sensible distinction to be drawn between ‘figures of
speech’ or ‘expressions’, or indeed between these and the rest of the Word for the
whole Word is a parable (Psalm 78:2). An expression, which I use as the umbrella
term, is something which, whilst it can be literally true, i.e. people do occasionally
sleep with their fathers (1 Kings 2:10), is not literally true in the overall context of

the Word. A much better term in the context of the Word is parable (Psalm 78:2).
In the Word an ass speaks (Num 22:28), factually true, dry bones come alive
(Ezekiel 37:10), factually true but in the context of the resurrection time (Ezek
37:12), a sea is parted (Ex 14:21), factually true, a woman is made from a rib (Gen
2:21), factually untrue, trees clap hands (Isaiah 55:12), factually untrue, and so on.
To impose our arbitrary rules of logic and thereby classify these events to
determine which are expressions is not sensible (Isaiah 55:8, 1 Cor 2:13-14). The
important point is that by the Spirit and the context of the Word we must discern
whether the usage is literal, factual, truth or not (1 Cor 2:13-14). We must be bold
and believe that God will guide us rather than, in fear, seek security in our
grammatical or linguistic rules and or human logic (Rom 14:23).

Examples of ‘expressions’ or ‘figures of speech’ are the ‘nostrils’ of God (Ex
15:8), his ‘right hand’ (Ex 15:6) and the hearts melting (Joshua 7:5). Other
examples include: (2 Sam 17:10 - ‘lion’, ‘melt’, 1 Kings 5:3 - ‘soles of his feet’).
An expression and a ‘figure of speech’ is used in 1 Kings 2:10 (‘slept’ instead of
‘body laid’). Other expressions include referring to whether God's hand had
'waxed short' (Num 11:23), or men being swifter than eagles or stronger than lions