Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/324

 Throughoui: the Scriptures, lortft, when used symbol* ically, represents society i mountains represent kingdoms; heavens, the powers of spiritual control, sea$> the restless, turbulent, dissatisfied masses of the world. Fire repre- sents the destruction of whatever is burned tares, dross, earth (social organization), or whatever it may be. And when brimstone is added to fire in the symbol, it intensifies the thought of destruction; for nothing is more deadly to all forms of life than the fumes of sulphur.

With this thought in mind, if we turn to Peter's sym- bolic prophecy of the Day of Wrath, we find it in perfe& accord with the above testimony of the prophets. He says : " The world that was, being overflowed with water, perished. [Not the literal earth and literal heavens ceased there, but that dispensation or arrangement of things, existing before the flood, passed away.] But the heavens and the earth which are now [the present dispensation] by the same word [of divine authority] are kept in store, reserved unto fire." The fadl that the water was literal leads some to believe that the fire also must be literal, but this by no means follows. The temple of God once was of literal stones, but that does not set aside the fa<S that the Church, which is the true temple, is built up a spiritual building, a holy temple, not of earthly material. Noah's ark was literal, too y but it typified Christ and the power in him which will replenish and reorganize society.

"The Day of the Lord will come as a thief m the night [unobservedly], in the which the heavens [present powers of the air, of which Satan is the chief or prince] shall paag away with a great [hissing] noise, and the elements shall

��literal an interpretation of the figures, parables, symbols and dark say- ings of eur Lord and the apostles and prophets. Following up the saate error, these claim that there will be no Mountains and' seas after this tare, failing to see that all these, as well as the fire, are symbols.

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