15.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
    cast into the lake of fire.

This series of events, as far as it pertains to the doom of evil men, ends properly with verse 10, where the combined powers of wickedness are represented as being cast into the lake of fire.  This last event, however, is in the present scene more fully described.  It is fitting that the judgment scene should be more fully described; for with this chapter we have the last special history of the powers of evil given.  Many times we have been led up to the time of the final overthrow of all the powers of wickedness, but the manner in which that great event occurs has not been perfectly detailed.

Here we have another illustration of that principle of symbolic language laid down in the beginning—­that objects and events whose nature forbids their symbolization appear under their own names or titles and their description must of necessity be literal.  The appearance of the great God must be considered an actual event; for, as clearly shown, he can not be symbolized, neither can he appear as the symbol of some other object, from the fact that there is no other object of analagous nature of which he could stand as the representative.  The resurrection of itself is an event of such a peculiar nature as to forbid its symbolization.  What is there analagous to it which could here be employed?  There are, perhaps, analagous changes in the vegetable and animal kingdoms; but symbols drawn from that quarter would indicate some political change instead.  Paul may, indeed, speak of the decay and the growth of seeds to illustrate the resurrection; but the decay of a seed does not symbolize the death of a saint, neither does its germination symbolize his resurrection.  Nor is there any change that can do it.  There is the same necessity of speaking of the resurrection in its literal meaning as there was of representing the spirits of the martyrs under their own appropriate titles.

The earth and the heaven fleeing away from before God’s presence so that no place is found for them, must be understood as describing the literal dissolution of this world when Christ comes; for it is clear from the Scriptures that such an event will occur at that time.  Peter says that “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Pet. 3:10.  Nothing can be found to symbolize perfectly such a mighty event; hence it appears as a literal description of the final catastrophe of this old world.