Your questions are good ones, but some are hard to answer. I expect we could trust the original word of God, but it's hard to know what it is without trusting, to some degree, those texts and translations. I expect we can trust those fairly well, and thus we can have these conversations.
In regard to your assurance that death is the absence of life, can the absence of something be thrown? [Rev 20:14 KJV] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Perhaps these words are pictorial--giving us an image of death being completely destroyed. I'm ok with that, but it brings up an issue. First, I think you would say that all those that were dead before, that hadn't been resurrected already, were resurrected, right? Else John wouldn't have seen the small and great STANDING before God, right?
So then, if they were dead, and then were resurrected, and then are thrown into the lake of fire, are they dead again after that? Are they dead in the same way--in an "absence of life" kind of way?
If so, why were they resurrected? Was it for judgment, to determine if they should die? Remember that they were already dead, and thus had been judged worthy of death once before.
So if they are judged worthy of death once more, does it seem to you that they are being punished twice for the same crime/sins? Or do you think this judgment is one that is about something else?
Being part of a ministry that believes that it is possible with prayer, right believing and the right dividing of the word of truth we can have the understanding of God's original intent for us as given in His written word, the written logos.
Can death be cast into a lake?
Well, good question.
Have you read Psalm 18:2 and asked "is God literally referring to himself as David's rock?"
Is God some rock that David kept in his pocket or in his shepherd's bag? Obviously not.
Or is God some huge rock like the rock of Gibraltar that is unmoveable? Well, which big rock is He?
Can we go there and see him/it?
Clearly God is speaking, not literally, but figuratively.
That is God uses figures of speech to call attention to certain truths.
Likewise is God literally a horn? In this culture that would be a ram's horn. Where is that horn? Is it lost? Can I use it at a football game?
Again, clearly God is not speaking literally, God is not literally a horn. It is a figure of speech
Joshua 11:4
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Judges 7:12
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
How many grains of sand are there by the sea? I think that I have read that there are trillions of grains of sand.
Is those two passages literal? Obviously not. But by using the figures of speech simile (a comparison using the word like or as) and the figure of speech hyperbole (exaggeration) we learn more than a simple number could convey, we also learn about the possible emotional realities of the situation as well as the fact there were a great many.
Jesus as a prophet of God spoke what God told him to speak.
When Jesus Christ referred to himself as the bread of life, was he literally referring to himself a loaf of bread? No, obviously not.. but he does refer to himself as a staple food in the diet of that culture one basic source of nutrition for the people of that culture and time
Likewise he is our spiritual bread, a source of spiritual and soul nutrition for our lives
There is a figure of speech that exchanges one for another.
For instance, the result for the source.
For instance, God's word, the written logos is referred to as the word of life in Philippians 2
Is the words on the page of your Bible literally life? How about when you speak God's words to another are my your words literally life? No, but they do represent and give life to those who believe them. Why because of who the author of those words is, God himself who is the author or source of life. His words represent Him who is the author of life
Hebrews 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Who has the power of death?
a. God
b. the devil
If you get rid of the one who has the power of death by casting him into the lake of fire, you eliminate the
source of death and by doing so you eliminate death
There is a second death.
this death comes after the resurrection of the unjust.
Interestingly, they will be in the presence of God who they rejected and/or claim did not exist.
That was an evil choice on their part to reject God who gave all life.
Since evil is destructive and self destructive, they will simply reap what they have sown, they will die as the result of having chosen evil which is destructive and self destructive.
The wages of sin is death Romans 6:23
