The Lake of Fire.4
Biblical Figures of Speech
Here are some of the fully substantiated figures of language used in Scripture. I borrowed many of these examples from an appendix in the back of The Concordant Literal New Testament.
We will begin with FIGURES OF LIKENESS which include:
similes (when something is like, or as something else, it is a simile rather than a metaphor) metaphors (where one thing is said to actually be something else) as in, "all life is grass" I Pet. 1:24. Therefore, the subject of this paper IS a metaphor and CANNOT be literal: John says, "...the lake of fire, This IS the second death" (Rev. 20:14), and "...the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which IS the second death" (Rev. 21:8) implications parables (there are many, the shortest one being, "Physician, heal Thyself" Luke 4:23) allegories (as in the two women standing for two covenants, Gal. 4:22-28) visions (as in a sheet let down from heaven, Acts 10:11-16) signs (as in the sign of Jonah the prophet, Matt. 12:39) types (as in Adam corresponding with Christ, Rom. 5:12-21) shadows (as in the law being a shadow of good things to come, Heb. 10:1) examples (as in the tabernacle vessels being examples of what is in heaven , Heb. 9:23) images (as Christ is the image of God, Col. 1:15) impersonations or personifications (where things are spoken of as persons) condescension's (as where God takes on human attributes) diminutives (as in "little women, heaped with sins" II Tim. 3:6)
There are FIGURES OF ASSOCIATION which include:
association or metonymy's appellations (as when a quality or office is used instead of a proper name, as in "Son of Mankind" instead of saying Jesus Christ) compound associations (as "the word of the cross" I Cor. 1:18, which has to do with Christ’s shameful and agonizing death) near associations (as in a phrase that is partly literal, "Then went out to Him Jerusalem (that is the people of Jerusalem)", Matt. 3:5) retention's (this one is too complicated to explain, but I’ll give you an example, "the tablets of the heart" II Cor. 3:3) circumlocutions or periphrasis (what is "circumlocution"? Well, it’s a descriptive phrase in place of a name in order to emphasize the association. Examples, "the product of the grapevine (though not named is, wine)" Matt. 26:29, "the city of David (though not named is, Bethlehem)" Luke 2:11, enigmas, and symbols (where a known object or something else is used to typify something else, or even an intangible quality such as love, power, beauty, etc.) Here are many of the words from the book of Revelation used as SYMBOLS:
| candlesticks | horses | locusts | beasts | birds |
| animals | dragons | heads | horns | teeth |
| tails | eyes | mouths | wings | hair |
| feet | hands | foreheads | odours | books |
| gold | seals | crowns | names | cities |
| nations | kings | tongues | Nicolaitans | Antipas |
| Armageddon | Balaam | Balak | Abaddon | Apollyon |
| Babylon | Sodom | Egypt | Jezebel | book of life |
| tree of live | water of life | hours | days | months |
| seasons | rod of iron | sickle | bow | blades |
| swords | reap | harvest | grass | trees |
| thrones | garments | robes | signs | images |
| wonders | marks | numbers | vials | trumpets |
| winds | rivers | lakes | seas | waters |
| clouds | floods | mountains | islands | lightnings |
| voices | thunders | earthquakes | hails | songs |
| winepresses | grapes | wine | balances | wheat |
| barley | oil | eyesalve | pebbles | manna |
| wreaths | palm fronds | whores | harlots | fornications |
| keys | doors | temples | synagogues | pillars |
| rich | poor | blind | naked | hot |
| cold | lukewarm | blood | deaths | fire |
| sulfur | brimstone | smoke | sun | moon |
| stars |
And even heaven and earth are used as symbols in this great book of symbols.
There are also FIGURES OF OMISSION which include:
omitted nouns (as in "the wicked (people is understood)," "the blind (people)," "the rich (people)," "the poor (people)," "the twelve (apostles is omitted but understood)) omitted verbs (as in incongruous omissions like, "Milk I give you to drink not solid food" The omission of "to eat" is understood, as one does not "drink solid food" I Cor. 3:2) unfinished sentences (the King James usually finishes sentences that are unfinished in the Greek, such as, "As I swear in My indignation, If they shall be entering into My rest_!" Heb. 3:11) omission or non-sequence (as in "These which you are beholding_there will be coming days..." Luke 21:6)
I did not include this basic listing of "figures of speech" in the Scriptures, just to fill another page. It is most important to understand that the study of the Scriptures is not the same as studying a high school or college text book. It is far different. School text books, as a rule, would not contain even one percent of the figures that I have presented here. And if we do not have even an elementary understanding of these many and varied figures of speech, we will hardly be in a position to TEACH God’s Word to others.
It is the height of naivety to believe that whenever some one shouts, "My King James Bible SAYS... ", that what follows will be non-refutable Scriptural proof of that person’s doctrinal preference. Thank God that:
"...no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation" (II Pet. 1:20).
The Scriptures themselves really do interpret other Scriptures. This is true for interpreting prophesies and doctrinal issues.