Lake of fire vs bottomless pit

 

Fire and Brimstone in the Presence of the Lamb (Revelation 14:9-10)

This passage occurs later in Revelation, where John sees Mount Zion, the 144,000 and the Lamb (Revelation 14:1-5). 

1. A first angel proclaims "an eternal gospel" to those on earth, calling all to worship because "the hour of his judgment has come" 
2. A second angel declares the fall of Babylon (Revelation 14:8), and 
3. A third angel outlines the terrible nature of the judgment to come (Revelation 14:9-11)

"⁹  And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 
'If anyone worships the beast and its image 
and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 
¹⁰  he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, 
poured full strength into the cup of his anger, 
and he will be tormented³⁰ with fire and sulfur 
in the presence of the holy angels 
and in the presence of the Lamb.'" (Revelation 14:9-10)

The inhabitants of earth have heard the gospel, and have been warned of the fall of the world powers (Babylon = Rome, etc.). Now they hear the terrible punishments that come upon those who refuse to repent -- those who follow the broad path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13) and love the world and all its allurements (1 John 2:15-17), allowing their lives to be marked with the mark of the "beast" (Revelation 13:16-17), the mark of the Antichrist, Satan's puppet.

Drinking the wine of God's wrath is an allusion to judgment from the Old Testament.³¹ Torment with fire and sulfur (brimstone) is also an image from the Old Testament closely associated with volcanic eruptions.

"The LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven." (Genesis 19:24)

I expect that the ancients were aware of the sulfur pools and eruption sites around the Dead Sea, since that land sits astride one of the most active earthquake faults in the world at the junction of two tectonic plates, the Arabian plate on the east and the Sinai sub-plate on the west. Perhaps you've seen and smelled sulfur in the volcanic vents at Bumpass Hell at Lassen National Park, or the Sulfur Caldron at Yellowstone National Park, or the sulfur springs at Ethiopia's Dallol volcano. Sulfur and fire, fire and brimstone are portents of great cataclysms and judgments.³²

Revelation closes with the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20) and then all who are guilty before God being thrown into "the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8; cf. 20:14-15). 

Reconciling Judgment with the God of Love

These are terrible pictures of suffering and agony! How does this fit with a God of love? The famous twentieth-century skeptic Bertrand Russell explained that the primary reason he could never believe in Jesus was that Jesus "so clearly believed in the wrath of God." He called it "the one profound defect in Jesus' character."

I'm sure I can't give a full answer to such objections. But three thoughts come to me.

1. Jesus. Jesus is quite clear about the reality of final punishment, "hell," the "hell of fire," "eternal fire," and "hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'"³³ If we believe in Jesus, then we believe and accept what he teaches as truth. You can't call Jesus a "great teacher" and then edit out from his teachings whatever you find fearful and distasteful. What profound wisdom allows you to judge him? Paul declares in Athens:

"[God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice 
by the man he has appointed. 
He has given proof of this to all men 
by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:31)

2. Punishment. There is an ongoing debate concerning public policy regarding criminal punishments. On one side are those calling forretribution. Let them pay for their crimes! Another group promotes rehabilitation for criminals so they can find jobs and be productive members of society (hence, the hopeful term "reform school"). A third group emphasizes deterrence -- stiffer sentences to deter future crime by fear of the punishment ("three strikes," robbery with a gun, etc.). 

When we look at Judgment Day, we're talking about the final judgment, the final punishment. So rehabilitation is a moot point.

If we believe in a God of justice -- and that is certainly how he is portrayed in the Old and New Testaments -- then not to punish injustice is unrighteous. There must be some consequence for crime, for sin, or God is unjust -- a squishy uncle you can manipulate, who'll never follow through with what he says he'll do.

Stiff punishments are only a deterrent if you believe they will actually be carried out. Thus fear of punishment can keep us in line, can be a deterrent if we believe they will actually be delivered. The Old Testament especially notes the difference between those who "fear God" and those who don't. God-fearers don't have to be constantly terror-stricken, but they believe in Final Judgment -- and that affects their actions. For those who don't believe strongly in final judgment, it has little effect on their behavior.

I think you could make an excellent case that the terrible punishments of Judgment Day in the Book of Revelation have certainly deterred many from worse sins. Who are we to criticize God for being too harsh?

3. Love. Some people, such as Bertrand Russell, speak as if they would never punish so harshly! But Western world's embrace of love derives directly from the teachings of Jesus! Are you claiming to be more loving than the One who taught us to love? And remember, God has provided a way out of punishment by providing the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The cost of this love is his own Son. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, 
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

We have all been "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3). Those who put their trust in him are saved, forgiven, no matter what sins they have committed. It is truly amazing grace! What can be more loving than that? Those who reject the Savior, reject Life itself.

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; 
whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, 
but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36)

Combining Wrath and Love

How do we combine the concepts of wrath and love? We understand some of this, since we know that normal earthly parents become angry with their disobedient children, rebuke them sharply, and punish them for their own good. But our heavenly Father has to deal with children who do not fear him and who live their lives in conscious independence from and rebellion towards God.

We may not be able to fully wrap our minds around "the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:15-17) and eternal torment "in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:9-11). But perhaps believing they are true will "put the fear of God in us" and have two effects:

1. That we may take seriously our obedience to the Lamb who is Jesus (Hebrews 12:25-29), and
2. Be thankful that, because of him, we "will not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

We ponder the paradox of the Lamb -- the tension between the Lamb who is slain for our sins, and the wrath of the Lamb on Judgment Day. 

Prayer

Jesus, we know that we don't deserve to be saved. We know that "while we were yet sinners" you did for us. We have passed from death to life. Thank you that in your righteous judgment against sin, you saved us from wrath by interposing your own body on the Tree. In your loving name, we pray. Amen.

Day 7 Meditation (Revelation 6:15-17; 14:9-11). What is the purpose of the punishment meted out by the Lamb? Retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence? Why is having a Lamb (Jesus) exacting justice more troubling to us than the idea of Almighty God acting justly? How important to a rounded understanding of Christ is the Messiah of judgment?
https://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/1881-day-7-wrath/

Endnotes

(References and Abbreviations)

[29] Orgē, BDAG 720, 2.

[30] "Tormented" is the future tense of the verb basanizō, "to subject to punitive judicial procedure, torture," then, "to subject to severe distress, torment, harass" (BDAG 168, 2b).

[31] Psalm 60:3; 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15-17.

[32] See also Psalm 11:16; Deuteronomy 29:23; Ezekiel 38:22; Luke 17:29; Revelation 19:20; 21:8.

[33] Mark 9:47-48; Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:8-9; 23:33; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 12:5.

John equates the second death with the Lake of Fire, the final judgment of the incorrigibly wicked, those whose names are not found in the Book of Life. While these events occur after the Millennium, the Lake of Fire is also shown to exist before the Millennium (Revelation 19:20). Whether this means the Lake of Fire exists throughout the Millennium—perhaps as a vivid reminder of God's judgment—or it is manifested only at the endpoints is not clear.

The Book of Life, mentioned twice in this passage, is first used in Exodus 32:32-33 where Moses beseeches Godto forgive Israel after the Golden Calf incident: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” The Lord responded, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

In Psalm 69:28, David pleads for God's help regarding his enemies: “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” He may have been referring to this same book when he wrote, “And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16).

In a scene reminiscent of Revelation 20:12-14, Daniel describes the future judgment of the Beast with books being opened, and the Beast being thrown into flames (Daniel 7:10-11). In another prophecy of the same general time, Daniel 12:1-2 records:

At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Emphasis ours throughout.)

In Philippians 4:3, Paul urges the Philippian congregation to “help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.”

In the letter to the church at Sardis, Jesus promises that those who overcome will not have their names blotted out from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5). Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 show that those who are not written in the Book of Life will be deceived and influenced by the end-time Beast. Being written in the Book of Life grants entrance into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27), while “tak[ing] away from the words of the book of this prophecy” will result in God “tak[ing] away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:19) Clearly, having our names in this Book makes all the difference, both in the time of the end and in our final judgment!

The subject of hell is seldom taught or preached these days, even in fundamentalist churches. Most people believe that hell is only for monsters of wickedness such as Adolph Hitler, not for themselves. A recent authoritative poll found that: 

"Majorities of about two-thirds of all adults believe in hell and the devil, but hardly anybody expects that they will go to hell themselves."¹

But they are wrong! Most people will go to hell. Jesus Christ said so! 

I don't like to say such a thing, and would not dare to except for the fact that Jesus Christ said it, and people desperately need to know how not to go to hell. After all, it was He who said that a place of "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels"would also be the place of the "everlasting punishment" of multitudes of people (Matthew 25:41,46) in an age to come. 

This place of everlasting fire is also called "the lake of fire." Wherever and whatever it is, hell will not be located on (or in) the earth. This present earth is to be destroyed by fire (II Peter 3:10) and to have "fled away" (Revelation 20:11) before God creates the new heavens and the new earth. Since the "beast" and the "false prophet" are said to be cast into the lake of fire beforethis earth's destruction, whereas Satan is said to be thrown into it after that destruction (Revelation 19:20; 20:10), the fiery lake must be located away from the earth. One suggestion is that it could be somewhere on a star (after all, stars are actually vast lakes of fire) far, far away from the earth. 

More important than its location will be its occupants. The "devil and his angels" will be there, Jesus said, but also all those men and women whose names are "not found written in the book of life" (Revelation 20:15). 

And who are these? "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8). 

Probably most "good people" would agree that "murderers, and whore-mongers" deserve hell—but "the fearful, and unbelieving, . . . and all liars"? Would that not include just about everyone? 

In the antediluvian world, we are told that "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Genesis 6:12). During the period of God's greatest blessings in Israel, that wisest of men, Solomon, had to acknowledge that "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The apostle Paul agreed that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one"(Romans 3:12). And even Christ Himself said that "there is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18). "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil" (Habakkuk 1:13), and so cannot allow even one unforgiven sin into heaven. It begins to look as if the lake of fire will have many, many occupants after all! 

There is a way to escape hell, of course, but not many people are willing to go that way. None other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said that "narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"(Matthew 7:14). At the same time, He said also that "broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13). 

Please note that the man who said these things was not only the God who created all of us, but also the one who has provided the way out of escape from hell, and who will be our final Judge—and He has said that most people will stay on the broad road leading to the lake of fire! Most of these undoubtedly will be men and women who assume they are "good" and are not expecting to go to hell when they die. But consider several specific categories of people who are in such danger. 

(1) First there are those who don't believe in hell, or any religion at all. 

"According to recent surveys, 39 percent of Americans—111 million of us—belong to no church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious institution . . . an unprecedented 14 percent of Americans tell pollsters that they are atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, or simply disinterested in religion. That's about 40 million Americans. . . ."²

That's in America! In Europe, the percentages of those who don't believe would be greater. These people are all headed for hell, because Jesus said: "if ye believe not that I am He, [that is, God], ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1, 53:1; also note Romans 1:22). 

(2) Then, there are the billions of people who believe in false religions. Many are "good" people. Nevertheless they are all lost and bound for hell. They all reject Christ and "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Remember that Jesus Himself said: "I am the way, . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Most of them know His claims and have either rejected or ignored them. Those who follow the Koran, for example, know that, even though Mohammed accepted Christ as a prophet, he denied repeatedly that He was the unique Son of God, that He died for our sins, and that He rose from the dead. Jesus said: ". . . he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). Mohammed therefore is a lost sinner, and so are all those who believe him rather than God in Christ. 

(3) There are also many who profess to be Christians but will eventually be sent to the lake of fire. "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy [that is, not only from the final book of the Bible, but in context, the words of Scripture as a whole], God shall take away his part out of the book of life . . ." (Revelation 22:19). In addition to these sober words of warning to those who would tamper with the inspired words of the Bible, it was also Jesus who said: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? . . . and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22-23). 

We might well ask as did the disciples when Jesus said that it was "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. . . . Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:24-25). The fact is, however, as Jesus said: "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). 

God has made our salvation possible and easily available through the incarnation, substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, and glorious victory over death in the bodily resurrection, of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. What we could never earn by good works, He has provided as a free gift! "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). 

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). Paul calls this magnificent offer "the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (I Timothy 1:11), so how could anyone refuse such a gift of divine love? 

But aren't there other ways to be saved? What about Buddhism and Islam and other philosophical systems that seem to make good sense? No: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12). 

As Paul pointed out long ago to the intellectuals at Athens, all such questions should have been settled by the bodily resurrection of Christ. "God . . . now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). 

Only Jesus Christ, of all men who ever lived, has shown that He has the power to defeat our greatest enemy, death. Therefore, He is God, and we will do well to believe both His warnings and His promises. Would anyone dare call Him a liar by insisting on some other way? There could be no greater sin, and those who commit this sin will undoubtedly remember it forever there in their fiery prison. 

But what about those who have never heard about the Savior and His great gift of love? The fact is everyone knows enough to be saved, if he will act on the light he has. Jesus Christ, the Creator is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" For those who will act on whatever light they have—whether in the evidence of creation or the witness of conscience or whatever remnants of truth may have been preserved in their particular religion—then God will presumably send whatever additional light is needed to enable belief unto salvation. The Scriptures provide the experience of Cornelius as a case in point (Acts 10). Most men, however, fail to act on whatever light they may have, and God says they are "without excuse"(Romans 1:20). 

No doubt some receive more light than others and the Bible teaches that there will be degrees of reward in heaven and degrees of punishment in hell (note, for example, Luke 12:42-48), but the one great divide between heaven and hell is one's response to Christ's great sacrifice and gift of love. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). 

Endnotes

1. "Harris Poll," The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2003, Skeptical Inquirer (vol. 27. July/August 2003), p. 5. 
2. Promotional Brochure for the Council for Secular Humanism.

Cite this article: Henry M. Morris, Ph.D. 2004. The Lake Of Fire. Acts & Facts. 33 (4).

The Devil's Destiny

The destiny of Satan the devil, our adversary, is the lake of fire. Satan's fourth and final war to wrest control of the universe from God will take place at the end of Jesus' Millennial (1,000 year) reign on earth.

After his efforts, yet again, fail miserably he will grabbed and cast into the lake (Revelation 20:10). His self-centered life will end and he will never be remembered (see Isaiah 65:17). The Bible reiterates this fate of non-existence three times in two verses discussing the penalty Lucifer will ultimately receive (Ezekiel 28:18 - 19).

Incorrigibly wicked humans will also be perfectly annihilated in the flames of the lake. The end time Beast and False Prophet, two humans inspired and possessed by the devil, will be the first to receive God's judgment by fire. During Jesus' Second Coming they will be arrested and cast, alive, into this place of perfect destruction (Revelation 19:20).

God will also use the lake, before He creates a new heaven and earth where only righteousness dwells (Revelation 21:27), to deal with the issue of sin among humans. He will do this either as a part of what Scripture refers to as the second resurrection period or as a distinct third resurrection.

The Ultimate Penalty

All those humans who have committed the unpardonable sin will be brought back to life, judged, and executed. They are those who willfully and with full knowledge have hardened themselves to oppose righteousness. Their "reward" for rejecting God's perfect love will be to perish a second time, known as the second death, in the lake (Revelation 20:11 - 12, 15). Its flames will permanently end their lives without any possibility of a future resurrection.

The last thing thrown into the lake of fire will be death (1Corinthians 15:26, Revelation 20:14). God, after death itself is removed from occurring again, will also use flames to cleanse the entire universe (2Peter 3:11 - 13, see also Revelation 21). He will then create a new heaven and earth, as well as a New Jerusalem, where he can eternally enjoy his righteous children.

When the Bible text says thus, it means that the Beast and the False Prophet will not experience physical death before entering the spiritual realm. They will be alive on Earth and Jesus Christ (at His Second Coming) will suddenly pick them up physically and toss them right into the Lake of Fire. In other words, there will be no burial for either, and thus no bodily trace of them left on the planet. They will not defile the Earth once the Second Coming occurs; namely, their graves will not even be here to corrupt the Promised Land.

These two men, the Beast (Antichrist, political leader) and the False Prophet (religious leader), will have deceived the world for the seven years leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Now, they will experience the wrath of God, eternal judgment, in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone (Sulfur).

Even after 1,000 years in the Lake of Fire, they will still exist. They will notbe consumed, for the fire will preserve them! Look at Revelation 20:10: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet ARE, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” You will notice in the earlier nine verses that 1,000 years have passed since the close of chapter 19 (our study’s opening verse). Stated another way, it is a millennium later that Satan himself meets the fate of the Beast and the False Prophet. They three, along with all of God’s other enemies (unsaved mankind and fallen angels), will “be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” There is no ended punishment; it is a literal eternity of suffering, full consciousness! If you want to see the human element added to the Lake of Fire, look at verses 11-15.

Perhaps this may help you better understand the Beast and the False Prophet being cast alive into the Lake of Fire. Remember, there are other people who do not die in Scripture. For example, Elijah never died physically—he was caught up alive into Heaven (2 Kings 2:11). Neither did Enoch die physically—he too simply went to be with God (Genesis 5:23-24). Members of the Church the Body of Christ who are alive at the Rapture (future) will never experience physical death either (1 Corinthians 15:51-54—“we shall not all sleep [die physically];” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17—“we which are alive and remain… we which are alive and remain…”). As Elijah, Enoch, and the living Church the Body of Christ meet eternal bliss without enduring physical death, so the Beast and the False Prophet meet eternal damnationwithout experiencing physical death!

Aren’t there warnings about fire in the New Testament?
Whenever we read a biblical passage, there’s always a key question – Is this supposed to be taken literally? Or is this mentioned as a symbolic depiction of something else?
For instance, Jesus says the grass of the field is daily thrown into the fire (Matt 6:30 NIV). Does that mean there’s a plant-hell? No, he just uses this symbolic language to indicate the short lifespan of plants. Fire is symbolically used across the Bible to denote death – eternal destruction. Not eternal torture.

2) We studied Sheol/Hades earlier. Which other word is translated as hell in the New Testament?
It’s Gehenna. It's translated as hell 12 times. If Gehenna denotes hell, we can actually book a flight and go to hell! Intrigued?
Yes, it’s a real place in Israel. That’s why translations like YLT render it as Gehenna instead of hell. When Jesus says ‘the fire in Gehenna’, it’s like a New Yorker saying ‘the water in Brooklyn’.

3) Where exactly is Gehenna?
The Valley of Hinnom, named Gehenna in Greek, lies just outside the city of Jerusalem. During Jesus’ time, it was the city’s garbage burner. Its fires were kept continually burning(an everlasting lake of fire!) to fully consume all things dumped there. Brimstone used to be added to fuel the incineration. It ensured total destruction.

4) Was any living thing ever permitted to be thrown into Gehenna?
Not at all. Never! God's Law to Israel prevented torture of any kind to any creature.
Apart from garbage, animal carcasses (dead dogs) and dead bodies of some vile criminals (those who were denied an honorable burial) were thrown into Gehenna.
There they got burnt up i.e. destroyed. No living thing, not even an animal, suffered any torture there.

5) So what was the symbolic meaning of Gehenna?
Old Jerusalem’s lake of fire at Gehennaillustrated the God-assured destruction of the impure entities of this earth in the future, to prevent pollution of the New Jerusalem that would symbolize God’s obedient people. Scriptures directly explain this figurative burning of wicked components in a lake of fire as the Second Death - final destruction (Rev 20:14).
It’s described as the ‘fiery indignation which shall devour [destroy] the adversaries’ (Heb 10:26-27).

6) Could we look at an example where Gehenna is used?                    
‘Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]’ (Matt 10:28 NASB) - Just like the lifeless dead bodies of the criminals in Jerusalem were cast into GehennaValley to be destroyed.

• No torture. Only complete destruction. Jesus used the same Gehenna in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:22). The Gehenna Valley was not far from where Jesus uttered these words.
• Those who heard him would not think for a moment that he was saying all who reject him were to be tortured forever. And no one reading his words today would ever think of such an idea were it not for the background of distorted Dark Age interpretations that have crept into Christendom.

Gehenna Valley – The Curious Case of the Undying Worms

7) Jesus says in Gehenna ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched’ (Mark 9:47-48 NIV). Many assume that it must be only in a mystic hell that worms don’t die even in fire. Isn’t that the case?
Only those who know Jesus’first century Gehenna Valleywill know the true meaning of this phrase.

• Even today, we know that fire is kept continually burning in city waste burners. In the same fashion, fires were kept burning (not quenched) in the GehennaValley of that time.
• But, why did the worms not die?Because while the fires used to burn at the bottom of the Gehenna Valley, it was in the vegetation that lined the slopes of the valley that the worms thrived. And these worms do not die because they were maggots that eventually turn into flies!

8) What does Jesus signify with all these in terms of the Gehenna Valley?
Dead bodies thrown into GehennaValley would be destroyed by the fires burning below. The ones that might get stuck in the slopes would be consumed by worms. Bodies dumped into Gehenna would be destroyed one way or other without fail. Likewise, sinners cannot escape destruction is the point Jesus is making. No living person was ever burnt alive or eaten alive by worms in Gehenna!

Gehenna’s Everlasting Fire – What’s everlasting?

9) Is the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 20 and eternal fire in Matthew 25:41 related to Gehenna?

• Revelation says those not found worthy of life are to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). Fire, as always, is used as a sign of destruction. The lake of firesymbol is drawn from the real Gehenna Valley of Jerusalem. The trial of the Kingdom age of judgment (Rev 20:1-4) will be a time of examining and separatingthe righteous sheep (who obey Jesus) from the goats (who disobey) (Matt 25:31-46). More on this here.
• The disobedient will meet utter destruction in everlasting fire(Matt 25:41). This everlasting fireis derived from Jerusalem’sGehenna where fires were kept continually burning (everlasting). The everlasting adjective applies just to the fire. It does not mean anyone will burn eternally. Fire burns and destroys.

The Fate of the Beast & An Error ‘Forever’

10) Doesn’t Revelation 20:10 talk about the beast and false prophetbeing tormented forever in the lake of fire?
We know this verse is full of symbols (There is a beast!). The previous verse Rev 20:9 shows individuals who join Satan being destroyed in fire. So this Rev 20:10 doesn’t refer to humans. The beast stands for the political powers of the world - governments and authorities. The false prophet represents false religious systems.
But how can institutions be tormented? These worldly systemsoperating against the precepts of God today are to be destroyed by undergoing financial, social and religious difficulties and pains.
The ‘forever’ is a mistranslation. The root Greek word aionion means age-lasting i.e. to continue till the end of the age when they would be utterly destroyed in the [symbolic] lake of fire.

Hell Thrown into Lake of Fire – Say What?

11) Does the Bible have a direct definition of the lake of fire anywhere?
As a matter fact, Revelation defines it explicitly! It says the lake of fire is the second death (Rev 20:14) i.e. complete destruction. 
That's a plain and straightforward scriptural declaration.
20:14 also says death and hell (HADES) are to be cast into the lake of fire! Many ask - Aren’t hell and lake of fire the same? 
Now that we understand better, we know it means there would be no more death and grave (HADES) then! Being cast into the lake of fire shows the symbolic end of death and HADES.

Our earth as we know it now and our atmospheric heaven will pass away. In its place we will be getting a new earth and a new atmospheric heaven. There will no longer be any more seas. 2/3 of the earth is now water. With all of the sea waters being taken out, we will have more land space in which to accommodate everyone.

2.  There will no longer be any more night. It will be daylight all the time. There will no longer be any sun or moon to shine their light. The Bible says that we will no longer have any need of the sun or the moon because the glory of God will now be illuminating the earth!

3.  There will no longer be any more death in any way, shape, or form. The curse of Adam and Eve will have finally been broken and completely done away with. In the Millennium Kingdom, as good as it is going to be, there is still going to be physical death for those humans who survive the Tribulation and enter into it physically. Though many of them will live long lives, they are still going to have to physically die.

In addition to any kind of death being taken out, there will also be no more pain since we will all have brand new, glorified, spiritual bodies. The Bible says that all sorrow, pain, crying, and death will be fully taken away. Every tear will be wiped away.

There will be no more sickness or disease! Our new, glorified, spiritual bodies will no longer age, corrupt, die, or be subject to any kind of disease or illness ever again.

4.  All things will be made brand new. I do not think our imaginations can even begin to conjure up or imagine what this verse is trying to tell us.

5.  God the Father Himself will now be coming down to our earth to live and dwell with all of us forever and ever.

The Bible says that we will no longer need the temple that will be in Jerusalem in the Millennium Kingdom, as both God the Father and Jesus Christ will now be the Temple Themselves!

The Bible says that the tabernacle of God will now be with men, that we will dwell with Him, that we will be His people, and that He will be our God forever and ever.

6.  In the Millennium Kingdom, Jesus will be ruling this entire earth from the city of Jerusalem. It will be God’s capital. However, in the New Heaven and New Earth, we will be getting a New Jerusalem.

The Bible says that this new holy city, which will be coming down direct from heaven itself, will be like a square. It’s length will be as great as its width. Bible Scholars feel that this city may literally be 1500 miles wide. It will be huge! This new city of Jerusalem will literally be descending down from Heaven itself and will be coming direct from God Himself.

The Bible says that its walls are constructed of jasper and the city will be pure gold like clear glass. It says that the foundations of the walls will be adorned with all kinds of precious stones – the first foundation being jasper, the second foundation being sapphire, the third foundation being chalcedony, and the fourth foundation being emerald, etc.

The Bible goes on to state that there are 12 of these foundations and that each foundation is made with a different beautiful element. This is all described in Revelation 21:19-20.

There will be 12 gates with each of the gates being made of solid pearl. The streets of this city will be pure gold. Each of the 12 gates will have an angel on it. There will be 3 gates each to the north, south, east, and west.

Since all of the bad and unsaved people will have already been taken out, there will be nothing left that will be able enter into this holy city that will defile it or cause any type of abomination to occur in it. As a result, the gates to this holy city will always be open.

Now here are the Scripture verses specifically telling us all of this.

The Scripture Verses

1.  This first verse will tell us that our earth and heaven as we know it now will pass away, and in its place we will be getting a New Heaven and a New Earth. This verse also tells us that there will be no more seas on this new earth.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had PASSED AWAY. Also there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1)

2.  This next verse tells us that the tabernacle of God will be coming down from heaven onto this new earth and that God Himself will literally be dwelling with all of us. It says that He will be our God and that we will be His people.

This verse also tells us that God will be wiping away every tear, and that there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain ever again. It then ends saying that all of the old and former things will now pass away, which will now make everything completely brand new!

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:3-5)

3.  This next verse tells us that there will be no more temple because God and Jesus will now be the temple Themselves. It also tells us that we will no longer have the sun or moon because God Himself will be illuminating the earth with His glory. And with God totally illuminating the earth with His glory, there will be no more night. The gates of the New Jerusalem will also be open to all of the nations.

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb its light.

And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21: 22-27)

4.  This next verse tells us that there will be no more Adamic curse and once again, states that there will be no more night. It says we shall be able to see at least the face of Jesus, and that we shall reign with God and Jesus forever and ever.

“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:3-5)

5.  Now here are the two specific verses about the city of New Jerusalem that will be coming down from heaven from God the Father and what it will be like.

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

And she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its breadth … And the construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” (Revelation 21:10-21).

Conclusion

As bad as things are going to get in the future, and possibly in the near future for all of us, each Christian has to keep their eyes on the final end.

We will first be getting 1000 years of perfect peace in the Millennium Kingdom that Jesus will be setting up with Him being the sole supreme King and Ruler of this earth. And then we will receive the final and ultimate end which will be the New Heaven and New Earth – where God the Father Himself will literally be coming down to live with all of us forever and ever.

This New Heaven and New Earth is going to be beyond anything that our imaginations can even begin to conjure up. The above Scripture verses only give us a partial vision and partial knowledge of what we are all going to end up with in this new heavenly environment.

One of the most amazing things about the Bible is all of the knowledge and information that is contained in it telling us exactly what is in store for all of us in the future. When you put all of these verses together like you would pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, the knowledge and revelation comes through loud and clear.

God the Father is telling us exactlywhat He has in store for all of us in the future so we can all properly prepare ourselves to receive it.

I will end this series of articles on this subject with one last thought:

Things are going to get bad, and I mean really bad in the coming years!

The Bible is telling us exactly what is going to happen and why it is going to happen.

But to each of you whose hands this series ofend times articlesmay fall into, just remember one thing – God will win in the end, and the Millennium Kingdom and the New Heaven and New Earth will be the final reward for all of you who hold fast to your faith in the Lord during these very trying times.

Keep your eyes on this final and glorious end with the New Heaven and New Earth.

It will help keep you from being overcome by any major fears if we start to enter into these end time events. Jesus has already told us in the Book of Revelation that those who are the overcomers in this life will be the ones to rule the nations of the world with Him in these coming eras.

Do not ever lose sight of this fact if all of these end time events end up occurring in our lifetime.

1. All three passages link the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth, which, he says always refers in the NT to the torment which will be experiencedforever in hell (actually, the lake of fire). 
2. There can be no sadness or grief in heaven; hence these outer darkness passages must refer to hell. 
3. The expression sons of the kingdom naturally refers to unbelieving Jews.
4. The improperly dressed person at the wedding represents an unbeliever who is pointing to his own works (his garments) as to the reason why he should get into the kingdom.
5. The third servant in the Parable of the Talents represents an unbeliever who has not served God in his lifetime. This is seen in the fact that he did not know the Lord. 
6. The most natural explanation of these texts is that they refer to hell. 

Michael Huber wrote a great article on the outer darkness (see here). Zane Hodges and I have written (see here) on this as well. In this blog I will merely respond, briefly, to Keathley’s six main arguments. 

I find all his arguments to be unpersuasive for these reasons:

1. The expression weeping and gnashing of teeth is not a technical expression that refers to hell. If it were, then it would not appear in Judgment Seat of Christ passages. Of course, Keathley thinks that Matt 25:14-20 refers to both the Judgment Seat of Christ, for the first two servants, and then 1,000 years later, the Great White Throne Judgment for the third servant. But neither of those judgments takes place in hell. Keathley fails to discuss the parallel parable in Luke 19:11-27in which the three servants are judged first and then Jesus says, “But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). The enemies are clearly not the same as the three servants. Indeed, the enemies are not even at the judgment of the servants. They need to be transported to Christ for judgment (“bring here those enemies”). This is an insurmountable problem for Keathley’s view unless some unbelievers are called servantsand are judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ and other unbelievers are called enemiesand are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. 
2. John says that believers who fail to abide in Christ will shrink back in shame before Christ (1 John 2:28). Shame is emotional pain. While I think the Bema occurs on earth after the Tribulation, not in heaven during it, the point is still the same. At least some believers will experience emotional pain at the Bema. 
3. The expression the sons of the kingdom only occurs one other time in Matthew. There it clearly refers to born again people: “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one” (Matt 13:38). It is true, of course, that the Lord might use the same expression in two different ways. But there is no evidence that is true in this case. In addition, Matthew is the one quoting the Lord each time, and he gives no editorial comment indicating that a change in meaning took place. 
4. The improperly dressed wedding guest is in the wedding. The only way to get into the wedding was to accept the invitation to the wedding (Matt 22:9-10). The parable is clear that most people rejected the invitation. Compare John 1:11-12. That the guest is in the wedding shows he is a believer. There is no hint in the parable that he was suggesting he should get into the kingdom because of his works. He certainly wasn’t touting his garments as worthy of praise. In fact, the Lord says, “he was speechless” (contra Matt 7:21-23). 
5. The third servant in the Parable of the Talents is at the Judgment Seat of Christ with two other servants who are rewarded believers. If he is not a believer, why is he at the Bema? And what would it mean to say that each servant was given a sum to invest “according to his own ability” (Matt 25:15). Do unbelievers have spiritual gifts and abilities? Are unbelievers given a stewardship by the Lord? The parable shows that the third servant knows the Lord. He knows the Lord would hold him accountable. He responds by doing nothing, evidently thinking he is taking the safe route. But the idea that he does not know the Lord is contrary to the passage. 
6. The most natural explanation of these texts is the outer darkness is a figure for shame and sadness at the Bema. It does not refer to a literal place. It certainly doesn’t refer to Hades or to the lake of fire.

Then fire came down from heaven

“They” in verse 9 are the armies of Satan, which surround Jerusalem. But fire descends from heaven and consumes them. We have seen references to heavenly fire in other passages:

• The Lord sends burning sulfur to destroy the wicked inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
• Fire comes down from heaven to consume a burnt offering, its wood and stones, and even a trench of water around it in the days of Elijah as he squares off against the false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18).
• Fire again rains down from heaven on several occasions to destroy the messengers sent to Elijah by King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1).
• James and John ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that rejects the Messiah, but He rebukes His followers and leads them to another place (Luke 9:51-55).
• The two witnesses in Revelation 13 are able to call down fire from heaven.
• And here in Revelation 20 fire destroys the enemies of God.

Fire often is a sign of the presence of God and highlights His purity, holiness, and wrath.

 A consuming fire

Our God is a consuming fire. He resides in unapproachable light. Moses must take off his shoes on the holy ground before the flaming bush in which the Angel of the Lord appears. A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night protect the Israelites from their enemies, keep them from sunstroke by day and provide warmth by night. The Angel of the Lord causes fire to come from a rock upon which Gideon has placed a meal of goat, broth, and unleavened bread in a gracious act to prove His providence.

On the Day of Pentecost, tongues as of fire light on believers; they are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in languages they previously have not known. Paul tells us our works will be tried by fire, burning off the dross but purifying the good works (1 Cor. 3:11-15). In Revelation we see seven flaming torches before the throne of God in heaven, representing the seven-fold Spirit of God (Rev. 4:5).

Other passages could be cited, but the point is that when fire comes down from heaven it is for a holy purpose – to provide for God’s people, to vindicate His righteousness, to purify the righteous deeds of the saints, or to destroy the wicked. Ultimately, believers may rest in the fact that our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). His flame does not harm us except to purify us, yet it obliterates the wicked – and it is in the holiness of God’s fire that unbelievers must endure for all eternity, forever aware that their sin is an affront to a holy God.

Perhaps fire is the most accurate description of hell – not the fires of Islam’s hell that melts skin off the body, only to be replaced forever and ever, but fires that cast inescapable shadows on the wall of eternity, showing the wicked their grotesque sin and never allowing them to escape it. Just as the smell of smoke clings to a body in fire, the stain of sin, like a shadow, never leaves the soul of the unbeliever.

The fire from heaven in Rev. 20:9 consumes the wicked in the presence of the righteous. God’s work of preserving His own and preparing judgment for the rebellious is not always visible to us. In fact, His ways often are unknown to us. But here we see plainly the swift, precise, and complete separation of the righteous and the unrighteous.

Have you ever been to the Dead Sea? If not, put it on your wish list – it is well worth the travel. The Dead Sea, lying 1,300 feet below sea level, is the lowest and most mineral-rich body of water in the world. Its 34.2% salinity makes it one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. The Dead Sea depth is 304 meters (997 feet), which makes it the deepest hyper-saline lake in the world. A significant landmark, too salty to sustain any marine life, the Dead Sea is famous for the water’s mysteriously buoyant qualities which allow people to float across the top of the water, without needing to swim. The special features of the Dead Sea don’t end there: the lake’s waters are a light turquoise-blue color and it is surrounded by golden brown hills; here and there, bright white salt crystals jut out of the water. The mineral-rich water and mud of the Dead Sea are believed to have numerous benefits for the body, especially for skin, respiratory and arthritic conditions. For this reason, many people visit the Dead Sea every year to get special treatments at the spas surrounding it; they are joined by tourists who visit the area for its beauty, uniqueness, and luxurious spa resorts.

The Dead Sea in Biblical times

As well as being famous for its numerous health benefits and year-round warm climate, the Dead Sea also contains a profound heritage and has played an important role throughout the history of the peoples of the area. The sea is mentioned numerous times in the bible and has long been associated with mysticism, wonderment, and religious significance in the Biblical era.
It is most commonly referenced when describing the borders to the land of Israel. However, it is also very notable in its own right. Various names are used to refer to the Dead Sea in the Bible, including ‘Salt Sea’, ‘Sea of Arabah’, and ‘Eastern Sea’.

The Dead Sea is mentioned in the Bible – it was famous even during that period. Several different sects of Jews used to lives in the caves near the Dead Sea. The most famous of these were the Essenes, who have left us the original Bible scrolls – but more on them later. The area of Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea, which is a nature reserve today, is believed to be the area where the Biblical David, king to be, hid from King Saul when the latter came after him with the purpose of killing him. Another very well-known Biblical story that took place in the vicinity of the Dead Sea is the story of Lot’s wife.  But the salty lake at the lowest elevation on Earth is probably best known for the story of Masada that has become a symbol of resistance against oppression, and Masada has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lot’s wife – a pillar of salt

Perhaps the most famous time that the Dead Sea is mentioned in the bible is during the Biblical story that references the Dead Sea is that of Lot’s wife. In the Bible, Lot, the nephew of Abraham, chose to settle in a stretch of land near the kingdom of Sodom, just north of the Dead Sea. Sodom and neighboring kingdom Gomorrah were notorious for being places of wickedness and vice. Over the years, Lot became a respectable member of Sodom, married a Sodomite, and was appointed mayor of the city; his daughters, too, married men of Sodom.  However, God was angry with the people of Sodom, and, wishing to destroy this place of sin, sent Lot two angels to warn him of his plan. Lot, who inherited the traits of hospitality from his uncle Abraham decides to welcome two travelers into his home. Unbeknownst to him, these travelers are actually angels sent by God to destroy Sodom and the surrounding region. When they hear that Lot was hosting guests, the residents of Sodom surrounded his house, angrily demanding that they are released from his protection. The angels then revealed their true nature to Lot, urging him and his family to flee the city before the incoming apocalypse. However, they caution Lot and his wife not to turn back and watch the city’s destruction. According to the biblical narrative, Lot’s wife decided not to heed the angel’s warning, and when she turned back to survey the city’s destruction, God turned her into a pillar of salt. To this day, a tall pillar standing near the Mount of Sodom is known as “Lot’s Wife”.

Mount Sodom, a salt rock plug, is located in the South-East corner of the Dead Sea. Its slopes are covered with formations of salt that appear to look like pillars. The pillars are often referred to and pointed out as “Lot’s wife” in reference to the biblical tale.

Dead Sea Bible Prophecy

The Dead Sea is mentioned in the prophecy of the Seer Ezekiel. The Book of Ezekiel recalls how he foresaw a time when the Dead Sea would be transformed from saline waters that cannot host life into freshwaters teeming with sea life. He prophesized that ‘’Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish because this water flows there and makes the saltwater fresh… Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail.”

The prophet Zechariah also echoed this same prophecy centuries later. He predicted that “living” water would soon flow where today the water is salty.

These prophecies are often interpreted as follows. According to the biblical narrative, the Dead Sea region was once vibrant, filled with life, and watered. It was only after God rained down fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah did the area become a wasteland, and the sea became a hyper-saline salt lake. However, in the messianic era, once mankind repents, the region will return to its original status.

Dead Sea Scrolls

One of the most significant biblical archaeological discoveries of the modern era and a finding that cemented our understanding of the Dead Sea’s biblical history was the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls are believed to had been written by the Essenes (although some researchers argue other Jewish groups, or even ancient priests, might have created them). The scrolls are a collection of 981 manuscripts, written between 150 BC and 70 AD, some of which were later included in the Hebrew Bible canon as well as in extra-biblical and deuterocanonical manuscripts. 

Where were the Dead Sea Scrolls found?

The scrolls were discovered in the Qumran Caves, which are located near the northern bank of the Dead Sea, by Bedouin shepherds in 1946-47. In the 1950s the caves were excavated by a team of researchers, and the scrolls have been studied ever since.  Today the scrolls are housed in the Shrine of the Book, an impressive edifice at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Masada

Although not a biblical story, the fortress of Masada which is just a few KMs from the Dead Sea is one of the region’s most prominent historical sites. Masada was a fortress King Herod built on a hill overlooking the Dead Sea, the remains of which can still be seen today.

In 70 AD, a group of Jewish zealots fled to Masada following the destruction of the Second Temple. In 73 AD, the Roman X Legion came after them; the Jewish zealots rebelled against the Roman occupation of Judea. After Jerusalem was captured, the rebels besieged themselves in the fortress of Masada which was formerly used by King Herod. After a two-year siege, the rebels were eventually defeated – rather than surrender, they collectively decided to commit suicide.

Today the fortress is a famous heritage site in the Dead Sea region. Tens of thousands of tourists visit the fortress which sits on top of a mountainous plateau, to pay homage to the gallantry of the Jewish rebels and experience how they defiantly lived in the fortress, surrounded by Roman garrisons.

The name Gehenna comes from a deep narrow ravine south of Jerusalem where some Hebrew parents actually sacrificed their children to the Ammonite god, Molech, during the time of the kings (II Kin. 16;3; II Chron. 28:1-3; cf. Lev. 18:21; I Kin. 11:5,7,33). This pagan deity is also referred to as Malcham, Milcom, and Moloch in the Bible. This valley later served as the city dump and, because there was continual burning of refuse there, it became a graphic symbol of the place of punishment for the wicked. It was named the “Valley of Hinnom,” which translated into Greek becomes Gehenna. The passages where the word is found in the New Testament plainly show that it was a commonly used expression for Hell by that time. The word is found twelve times in the Scriptures, being used eleven times by the Lord Jesus and once by James. When we consider the context, it is clear the Lord used this word in reference to the place of everlasting punishment for the wicked dead and not to the city dump.

Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire, might be referred to as the future, or final, Hell because it is where all of the wicked from all ages will finally end up. Satan, the fallen angels, and all of the lost of mankind will reside in torment there forever and ever.

SHEOL/HADES: THE PRESENT HELL

Scripture passages in which Gehenna is used should be distinguished from those using Hades, which refers to a place of temporary torment that we might refer to as the immediate, or present, Hell. What we mean by this is that, at the time of death, the souls of the lost go directly to Hades, where they suffer in torment until the time of the Great White Throne Judgment when they will be resurrected and cast into the Lake of Fire. The souls of all the lost who have already died are presently there and those who die in their sins immediately go there to join them.

Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament word Sheol. The Greek and Hebrew words speak of the same place, the present Hell. However, this is problematic because Sheol has been translated “grave” as often as it has “hell” and some have mistakenly taught that Sheol and Hades are only references to the grave rather than Hell. This erroneous teaching leads to the denial of the existence of an immediate or present Hell. The false doctrine of soul-sleep, and other ideas that teach the unconscious state of the dead between death and resurrection, spring from this error.

The common word for “grave” in the Old Testament is queber. Of the sixty-four times it is used, it is translated “grave” thirty-four times, “sepulcher” twenty-six times, and “burying place” four times. Queber is used five additional times as part of a place name, Kibroth-hattaavah, which means “graves of lust.” As we said earlier, Sheol is found sixty-four times, being rendered “grave” thirty-one times, “hell” thirty-one times, and “pit” three times.

A comparison of how Sheol and queber are used reveals eight points of contrast that tell us that they are not the same thing.

1. Sheol is never used in plural form.Queber is used in the plural 29 times.
2. It is never said that the body goes to Sheol. Queber speaks of the body going there 37 times.
3. Sheol is never said to be located on the face of the earth. Queberis mentioned 32 times as being located on the earth.
4. An individual’s Sheol is never mentioned. An individual’s queber is mentioned 5 times.
5. Man is never said to put anyone into Sheol. Individuals are put into a queber by man (33 times).
6. Man is never said to have dug or fashioned a Sheol. Man is said to have dug, or fashioned, a queber(6 times).
7. Man is never said to have touched Sheol. Man touches, or can touch, a queber (5 times).
8. It is never said that man is able to possess a Sheol. Man is spoken of as being able to possess a queber (7 times). (These eight points of comparison are adapted from “Life and Death” by Caleb J. Baker, Bible Institute Colportage Ass’n, 1941).

From the differences between how Sheol and queber are used in Scripture, it is obvious that they are not the same thing. The Greek word Hades in the New Testament would fit into the Sheol column of our chart, strongly indicating that it is the same thing as Sheol. Hades is used eleven times, being rendered Hell ten times and grave once.

Words associated with queber are quabar and qeburah. Quabar is a verb meaning to bury or to be buried and qeburah is a noun meaning a grave or place of burial. The use of these related words helps to reinforce the difference between queber and Sheol, as they clearly have to do with the grave as a burial place, while Sheol does not.

EXAMPLES SHOWING THAT SHEOL IS NOT A BURIAL PLACE

1. After selling Joseph into slavery, his brothers stained his coat with blood and used it to convince their father that he had been killed by a wild animal (Gen. 37:26-36). Jacob’s sons and daughters tried “to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, `for I will go down into the grave (Sheol) unto my son mourning’. Thus his father wept for him” (v. 35).

From Jacob’s words it is clear that he fully intended to eventually be reunited with his son in a tangible way. Obviously then, he did not simply have in mind the idea of joining him in burial as he believed that Joseph’s body had not been buried at all, but was eaten by an animal (v. 33). This being the case, it was impossible for Jacob to think he would join Joseph in burial. Obviously, he looked forward to being reunited with him in the place of the departed dead, not in burial. The word rendered grave in this passage is Sheol, the abode of the souls of those who have died.

2. After Jacob died, Joseph had his body mummified, a process that took forty days, then took him back to Canaan for burial (Gen. 50:1-14). When we add to that the thirty days of mourning (Gen. 50:2-4), and the time it took to travel to Canaan for the funeral (Gen. 50:5-13), we see that it was several weeks after Jacob was “gathered unto his people” (Gen. 49:33) before his body was placed in the cave that served as his burial place. Considering that he had been dead for well over two months before his body was buried and that the Scriptures state that at the time he died he was “gathered to his people” (Gen. 49:33) is telling. This shows that at the time of physical death, when “he yielded up the spirit,” his soul immediately departed his body to be with Isaac and Abraham. This cannot be a reference to his body being gathered together with their bodies, as that did not take place for over ten weeks. This is strong proof that Sheol does not mean a burial place for the body, but is the place where the souls of the departed reside.

3. That communication takes place in Sheol/Hades tells us that something other than a burial place is in view. In Isaiah 14:4-20, we find the prophet foretelling the eventual defeat and death of the king of Babylon. The nation that would eventually send Judah into captivity will itself be defeated and its mighty king will find himself among “the chief ones of the earth…the kings of the nations” (Isa. 14:9) who preceded him in death. These are the kings of nations that he had conquered with the sword and ruled over with a cruel hand (Isa. 14:6). These same men will serve as a welcoming committee for this once great “world ruler” when he arrives in Sheol/Hades. In mock surprise, they will ask this once powerful king, “Art thou also become weak as we? Are thou become like unto us?” (Isa. 14:10). They then taunt him by pointing out that the pretentious display of magnificence that he had demonstrated as the king of Babylon now meant nothing (Isa. 14:11).

All of those who find themselves in this section of Sheol/Hades, like the king of Babylon and the kings who greeted him, will be faced with the reality of how helpless and hopeless they are. One of the boasts these kings make against him is that, while their bodies have been placed in their respective tombs, or graves, he was not honored by a respectable burial, “But thou are cast out of the grave (queber) like an abominable (despised) branch…thou shalt not be joined with them in burial” (Isa. 14:18-20). Obviously, if his body was not in any grave at all, he was not simply joining them in burial.

What we see here is this man going into Sheol, while at the same time his body is cast out of its grave. Obviously then, Sheol cannot be the grave here as the body and soul are in different places, the soul going to Sheol while the body remains unburied, or outside of the grave (vs. 20) to be infested by maggots (vs. 11). It is true that this is a prophetic passage; and there are various opinions as to the identity of the person in view here (verses 12-15 are commonly thought to refer to Satan, the power behind the Gentile kings). But, regardless of who this prophecy is about, or whether it has already been fulfilled or not, does not change the fact that Sheol and the grave are to be regarded as different places in this passage of Scripture.

4. In the case of Samuel and Saul, we find another example of the Scriptures making a distinction between Sheol/Hades and the grave. In his conversation with King Saul, Samuel, whom the Lord had sent back from the dead to deliver a message to Saul, said that Saul and his sons would be with him the next day (see I Sam. 28:15-19). As foretold, Saul and his sons did die the next day while in battle with the Philistines (see I Sam. 31:1-6). However, their bodies were not buried the next day, so they did not join Samuel in the grave but their souls went down to Sheol/Hades where the person, or soul, of Samuel was. As it is said that Samuel “came up” it seems obvious that he went back down after speaking with Saul (I Sam. 28:8,11,14). As for the bodies of Saul and his sons, their remains were not buried for several days. As Samuel had said, they died the next day (I Sam. 31:1-6). But it was the day after they died that their bodies were taken by the Philistines and hung on the wall of Beth-Shan (I Sam. 31:7-10). After hearing of this, valiant men from Jabesh-Gilead went by night and removed their bodies, took them to Jabesh, burned them, and then buried their bones. All this took place at least three days after Saul had died, and probably longer. Saul and his sons joined Samuel in Sheol/Hades the day they died and the flesh of their bodies was burned with only their bones being placed in a grave several days later. Obviously Sheol/Hades and the grave are not the same thing, nor are they in the same place.

The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus that is found in Luke 16:19-31 gives us the record of a remarkable conversation that took place in Hades between the Rich Man and Abraham. Obviously, these two men could not have had this conversation at all if Sheol/Hades is only a place where dead bodies are buried. First, there could be no communication between lifeless, decaying corpses and second, Abraham’s body, which was buried in the cave of Machpelah over 1800 years earlier, had long since decayed. Also, the rich man’s body, regardless of whether it had decayed or not, would not have been buried in the burial cave of Abraham. From the context, it is obvious that these men were in the place of departed souls rather than a burial place.

There are some that contend that this is a parable that never actually took place and deny that it could have ever taken place. To these, who usually hold to a position of soul-sleep or the eradication of the soul at death, we answer; the Lord said that it did take place. Besides, as we have already pointed out, a parable by definition is a “true to life” story. To have meaning, it must be a story that could have actually taken place whether it ever did or not.

DEATH AND SHEOL

Death and Sheol/Hades are linked together at least thirty-three times in the Scriptures. In these, we see a general distinction between the “outward man,” which is the body and the “inward man,” which is the soul (cf. II Cor. 4:16). In this sense, death, or the grave, claims the physical part of man, the body, while Sheol/Hades claims the separated, spiritual part of man, the soul. This is exactly the meaning of Psalm 16:10: “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell (Sheol); neither will Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.” In his Pentecostal address, Peter left no room for doubt that this was a prophetic pronouncement concerning the time between the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and His resurrection. First, he quoted Psalm 16:8-11 (Acts 2:25-28) and then made direct application of verse 10 to Christ (Acts 2:31). Not only was the Lord Jesus’ soul not left in Sheol/Hades, but neither was His body left to rot in the grave. That Peter used Hades, the place of Sheol, in this quotation shows that they are identical in meaning.

Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ is exceptional because He had the power not only to lay down His life on our behalf, but also to take it up again (Jn. 10:17,18). This is not so of any other man, as the Psalmist points out when he asks, rhetorically, “What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave (Sheol)?” (Ps. 89:48). Because of the curse of sin, all of mankind faces the reality of physical death. None can evade it by their own power, nor can any man or woman escape from Sheol/Hades on their own. We know that since the Cross the souls of those who die “in Christ” do not go to Sheol/Hades, but to heaven. However, this is through the merit of Jesus Christ and His power, not their own. For those “in Christ,” death has no sting and Sheol/Hades has no victory because their body and soul will be united in a resurrection unto life (see I Cor. 15:19,20,51-57). This is as certain as the fact of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. This is not so for those who die without Christ for they face a resurrection unto judgment, which is referred to as the “second death” (Rev. 20:13,14; 21:8).

Psalm 89:48 speaks of the time when the soul is separated from the body. The body is given over to death where it will decay, while the soul is assigned to Sheol/Hades to await the final judgment. It is clear that the body and soul of the lost will be reunited at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved dead, when “death and Hades” will deliver up the dead that are in them. That is, their bodies will be raised from the grave, or death, and reunited with the soul, which will come out of Sheol/Hades to be judged by Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne (see Rev. 20:11-15; cf. Jn. 5:28,29).

When the Lord Jesus said that “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mat. 12:40), He was saying that He would spend the time between His death and resurrection in Sheol/Hades. We know from Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:25-32 that the Lord’s soul, which was made an offering for sin (Isa. 53:10), was in Sheol/Hades, and we know from Matthew 12:40 that He was in the heart of the earth, which is where we believe that Sheol/Hades is located.

When we speak of the heart of something, we are not referring to that which is superficial or only skin-deep. Symbolically, the heart signifies the innermost character, feelings, or inclinations of a man. The heart is also used when referring to the center, or core, of something. For example; it is sometimes said, “the heart of a watermelon is the best part,” meaning that the center part of the watermelon tastes better than the part closer to the rind. If we say that we have a “heart-felt desire” for a particular area of ministry, we would be speaking of a yearning to do the Lord’s work that comes from our innermost being as opposed to a superficial desire based on the emotions of the moment. When used figuratively in the Scriptures, the word “heart” is used in a similar fashion, thus the heart of the earth gives reference to something much deeper than a simple place of burial for a man’s body barely under the surface of the earth. That it is said that before His ascension the Lord Jesus first descended “into the lower parts of the earth” (Eph. 4:9) affirms this. In a Psalm of thanksgiving for being delivered from death, David makes reference to this by distinguishing between Sheol/Hades (rendered grave in the KJV) and Queber (rendered pit in this passage) (Ps. 30:1-3).

In Ezekiel we find prophecies against the kings of Assyria (Ezek. 31) and Egypt (Ezek. 32) that indicate that Sheol/Hades is in the center of the earth. In these two chapters it speaks of the fall of these mighty kings, who in death ended up in the underworld with those who have gone before them. We do not have the space here to give extensive commentary on these two chapters. But we do want to point out that in regard to both kings it is said that in death they would go “to the nether parts of the earth…with them that go down into the pit” (see Ezek. 31:14,16,18; 32:18,24), the “nether parts” being the lower regions of the earth. We should take note that in chapter thirty-one it is being pointed out to Pharaoh that just as the king of Assyria, who was greater than he was, had died and gone into the underworld, so would he.

In chapter thirty-two we find a prophecy, given in the form of a lamentation, foretelling Pharaoh’s defeat by the king of Babylon (Ezek. 32:1-16). This is followed by a lamentation over the multitude of Egyptians who would be slain by the Babylonians (Ezek. 31:17-31). We have pictured for us those of the nations who preceded them, welcoming Pharaoh and his host as they arrived in Sheol/Hades by taunting them. They point out that the Egyptians had thought themselves to be invincible because of their strength and fame among the nations. But now they were just like the great nations who had gone before them, their individual souls being confined to Sheol/Hades while their bodies decay in the grave.

“The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell (Sheol)…” (Ezek. 32:21). The “strong among the mighty” spoken of here refers to the men who had been the kings and leaders of the different nations that are mentioned in this passage: Asshor, or Assyria (v. 22), Elam (v. 24), Meshech and Tubal (v. 26), Edom, her kings and her princes (v. 29), the princes of the north and the Zidonians (v. 30). This passage shows that while those of each group mentioned are in their respective burial places, their quebers, they are at the same time all together in “the pit,” which is an expression that is sometimes used for Sheol/Hades (vv. 18,25,29). These are similar examples as that found in Isaiah 14, which we have previously looked at.

While we have not exhausted the subject by looking at every passage that Sheol is found in, it is clear from these examples that Sheol is not simply the grave but is located at the center of the earth and is the abode of the souls of the unrighteous dead who are awaiting their resurrection unto condemnation. It is equally clear that those in Sheol/Hades are not in an unconscious state of existence but are quite aware of what is going on around them. There is memory, recognition, and communication there.

TARTARUS

The Apostle Peter used the word Tartarus in reference to “the angels that sinned” that God delivered to Sheol/Hades to await judgment (II Pet. 2:4). This word, which is translated “hell” in the KJV, was used in Greek mythology to refer to the place of punishment for the most wicked. It is not clear if Peter was using this word in reference to Sheol/Hades in a general way or if he was referring to a specific compartment of Sheol/Hades where a certain class of fallen angels are confined awaiting final judgment. Either way, this passage teaches that there is a place of confinement in which a particular group of beings are being held until the time of their judgment. This is consistent with the overall Biblical teaching about the existence and purpose of Sheol/Hades.

PARADISE

While Paradise is not now a part of Sheol/Hades it will be mentioned here because it was located in Sheol/Hades at one time. Before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ everybody who died went to Sheol/Hades, which was at that time divided into at least two compartments. One was a place of torment while the other was a place of blessing, which was referred to as Abraham’s Bosom (Lk. 16:22-25). As we mentioned before, Tartarus may be a specific place in Sheol/Hades.

We know that Jesus Christ went “into the lower parts of the earth” (Eph. 4:9), that is to Sheol/Hades, “in the heart of the earth,” for three days and nights while his body was in the grave (Mat. 12:40). The Lord Jesus told the repentant thief that he would join Him in Paradise that same day (Lk. 23:42,43). This tells us that Paradise was located in Sheol/Hades at that time. We believe that this was the same place referred to as Abraham’s Bosom in Luke 16. However, after Jesus Christ rose from the dead He ascended to the Father, taking the saints who were in Abraham’s Bosom to heaven with Him. Thus, He took “captivity captive” (see Eph. 4:8-10).

That Paradise was moved to heaven is confirmed to us by the Apostle Paul who speaks of a man who was “caught up into Paradise” where he “heard unspeakable words” (II Cor. 12:3,4). With Jesus Christ’s work complete, the believers who had been confined to Sheol/Hades were now taken to Heaven to wait in God’s presence until the time of their resurrection to enter His Kingdom on Earth. Since that time, at death all believers go to Paradise in Heaven to await the time of their resurrection. This is true whether they belong to the Kingdom Church of the future or the Body of Christ Church of the present Dispensation of Grace.

THE GRAVE

We have already looked at the word queber, the most common word for grave, or a burial place, in the Old Testament, and have shown that it is not the same as Sheol. As previously stated, of the sixty-four times it is used it is rendered “grave” thirty-four times, “sepulcher” twenty-six times, and “burying place” four times. Two other words that are used for a burial place in the Old Testament are Shah-ghath and Qeburah. 

Shah-ghath: This word is translated “grave” once (Job 33:22). It is rendered “ditch” twice, “destruction” twice, “corruption” four times, and “pit” thirteen times. This word speaks of something that man can dig (Ps. 94:13; Prov. 26:27) and is used in reference to a hole into which a man can fall (Ps. 7:15; Prov. 26:27), and a hole used as a trap (Ps. 35:7). It is a place where the physical body suffers destruction through the corruption of decay (Ps. 16:10; 49:9; 55:23). The basic meaning is that of a hole of some kind that man digs for a particular purpose. Generally, it is used of a burial place, i.e., a grave.

Qeburah: This word is related to queber and means a grave or burial place. It is used of various types of graves and is found fourteen times and is translated “grave” four times, “sepulcher” five times, “burial” four times, and “burying place” one time.

In the New Testament we find three more words that refer to the grave, taphos, mnema, and mnemeion.

Taphos is used seven times and is translated “sepulcher” six of those and “tomb” once.

Mnema is used seven times, being rendered “tomb” twice, “grave” once, and “sepulcher” four times.

Mnemeion is the most common word for grave in the New Testament. It is used forty-two times, five times as “tomb,” twenty-nine times as “sepulcher,” and eight times as “grave.”

The grave is a place where the physical remains of those who have died are deposited. It can be a hole in the ground, a cave, or a specially prepared vault or other place used for interment. The soul and spirit having departed the body at death, there is no consciousness of life in the grave. It is a place of corruption that serves to point out man’s need of a Savior. The soul of man lives on after physical death and will always remain in a conscious state of being. The unsaved go to Sheol/Hades to await their resurrection unto condemnation while the redeemed go to heaven to await their resurrection unto life (see Jn. 5:25-29).

PRACTICAL APPLICATION FOR TODAY

A proper understanding of what the Bible teaches about Hell, Sheol, Hades, and the Grave dispels confusion over what happens to the soul at the time of physical death and guards against being led astray by those teaching the false doctrines of soul-sleep, eradication of the soul, the universal reconciliation of mankind, and the annihilation of the lost. All of these erroneous doctrines are of Satan, used of him to dishearten believers and blind the lost to the reality of the cost of spurning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our thinking, and therefore our life on a day-to-day basis, is influenced by what we believe. While some of the false doctrines mentioned above are diametrically opposed to each other, they still have one thing in common. They subvert the truth of the immortality of the soul.

Caspar Peucer, a famous fourteenth century astronomer and physician, who also researched and documented the volcanoe eruptions at Heklafell wrote some very frightening information in his research findings. Peucer, claims (as others) that “fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth”could be heard “for many miles. . .” as these volcanoes erupted:

“Out of the bottomless abyss of Hekla fell, or rather out of Hell itself, rise melancholy cries and loud wailings, so that these can be heard for many miles around . . . there may be heard in the mountain fearful howling, weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

And Caspar Peucer is not alone. There are others who believe they have heard “cries and screaming” coming from volcanoes. Most have tried to ignore the obvious. Some simply explain the “sounds of hell” to some rational meaning. But they are there. . .

“The fearsome noises that issued from some of their volcanoes were certainly thought to be the screams of tormented souls in the fires of hell below“.
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

Inside this earth, this very moment, there are millions of lost, tormented souls — burning, weeping, and wailing— without any hope whatsoever! ”

– (Terry Watkins, http://www.av1611.org)

Bible verses that relate hell to mountains/volcanoes

The bible does indeed relate hell to mountains in some of the following verses

The following verse of the bible relates the fire of hell directly to volcanoes. We can say that the foundation of a volcanic mountain is the volcanic activity taking place under it. The bible here says that a fire shall burn in the lowest hell and set fire the foundations of the mountains. What else could this mean except a volcano? Judge for yourself my dear reader!

Deuteronomy 32:22

“For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains“- KJV

According to the account of Jonah who was swallowed by a fish for three days, the bible does indicate that Jonah was not just in the belly of the fish but also went elsewhere. His body did remain in the belly of the fish for three days but his spirit seems to have gone somewhere else, in fact to hell according to what he explains himself. He says that God heard him out of the belly of hell. He adds that he went to the bottom of mountains and the earth with her bars was about him forever. He probably tasted eternity in hell. This again suggests hell to be at the bottom of mountains or at least part of it.

Jonah 2:1-7

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I , and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Then I said, I am cast out thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains, the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast though brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.-KJV

From the above account you can see that Jonah went to the belly of hell and to the bottoms of the mountains. Hell and bottom of mountains (volcano?) are related in one way or another.

GROANING HEARD AT HEKLA VOLCANO

In the article posted in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, you find a witness who says that fearful underground groaning were heard at Hekla volcano as it was about to erupt.

Cambridge advanced learner’s dictionary defines the word groan as “a deep long sound showing great pain or unhappiness”

Whether the groaning heard just when the Hekla volcano was about to erupt was of tormented souls in hell brought near to the surface of the earth by the volcano or not is yours to decide, my reader.

Hekla and an Icelandic Horse        Hekla, 1970.

Photo source (www.wikipedia.org, Tekla)     photo source (www.symonsez.files.wordpress.com, photo source)

Fearful underground groaning was heard just before Hekla volcano erupted on September 2, 1845 according to an anonymous source. Volcanoes could be a proof that hell exists and is located inside the earth.

HEKLA

Hekla is a stratovolcano located in the south of Iceland with a height of 1,491 metres (4,892 ft). Hekla is one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874. During the middle Ages, Icelanders called the volcano the “Gateway to Hell.”(Italicized and bolded for emphasis)

Hekla is part of a volcanic ridge, 40 kilometers (25 mi) long. However, the most active part of this ridge, a fissure about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) long named Heklugjá, is considered to be the volcano Hekla proper. Hekla looks rather like an overturned boat, with its keel being in fact a series of craters, two of which are generally the most active.

The volcano’s frequent large eruptions have covered much of Iceland with tephra and these layers can be used to date eruptions of Iceland’s other volcanos. 10% of the tephra produced in Iceland in the last thousand years has come from Hekla, amounting to 5 km³. The volcano has produced one of the largest volumes of lava of any in the world in the last millennium, around 8 km³.

The fearful underground groaning

Hekla was dormant for more than sixty years prior to 1845, when it suddenly burst forth on September 2 at 9 am:

After a violent storm on the night of the 2nd of September in that year, the surface of the ground in the Orkney Islands was found strewn with volcanic dust. There was thus conveyed to the inhabitants of Great Britain an intimation that Hecla [sic] had been again at work. Accordingly, tidings soon after arrived of a great eruption of the mountain. On the night of the 1st of September, the dwellers in its neighbourhood
were terrified by a fearful underground groaning, which continued till mid-day on the 2nd.(italicized and bolded for emphasis).Then, with a tremendous crash, there were formed in the sides of the cone two large openings, whence there gushed torrents of lava, which flowed down two gorges on the flanks of the mountain. The whole summit was enveloped in clouds of vapour and volcanic dust. The neighbouring rivers became so hot as to kill the fish, and the sheep fled in terror from the adjoining heaths, some being burnt before they could escape. On the night of the 15th of September, two new openings were formed — one on the eastern, and the other on the southern slope — from both of which lava was discharged for twenty-two hours. It flowed to a distance of upwards of twenty miles, killing many cattle and destroying a large tract of pasturage. Twelve miles from the crater, the lava-stream was between forty and fifty feet deep and nearly a mile in width. On the 12th of October a fresh torrent of lava burst forth, and heaped up another similar mass. The mountain continued in a state of activity up to April 1846; then it rested for a while, and began again in the following month of October. Since then, however, it has enjoyed repose. The effects of these eruptions were disastrous. The whole island was strewn with volcanic ash, which, where they did not smother the grass outright, gave it a poisonous taint. The cattle that ate of it were attacked by a murrain, of which great numbers died. The ice and snow, which had gathered about the mountain for a long period of time, were wholly melted by the heat. Masses of pumice weighing nearly half a ton were thrown to a distance of between four and five miles.^[30]

—Anonymous, 1872

(Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org, “hekla”)

References:

1. Watkins,Terry.Th.d “the place of hell” www.av1611.org ,retrieved 19^th March 2011,http://www.av1611.org/hell_place.html
   
2. “Hekla”, www.wikipedia.org , retrieved 22^nd March 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla
   
3. “volcanic gases and their effects”, www.volcanoes.usgs.gov, retrieved 22^nd March 2011, http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php

Joel 2:30

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

-=-

Acts 2:18-20

                                                              New King James Version

18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

-=-=-=

DLim: The revelation is talking of volcano eruption of massive scale on Earth.

Hot lava runs like blood bleeding.

The volcanic smoke can obscure the sun and sky producing darkened sun and blood moon.

This is why prophesy preachers pay much attention in their watch and preaching to volcanic eruptions in our day and age. It is part of prophetic preaching to preach about volcanic eruption.

We are warned and admonished of the need to face sin and repent before the soon coming great and awesome day of the Return and Wrath of the Lord God Almighty.

Leave Sin. Embrace Jesus.

Preach repentance!

-=-=-

-=-=-=- Volcanic eruption and the darkening of the sun is powerful vision that can be seen and detected even on fake news as the evil-doers are unaware of its significance, while information about Covid agenda is blocked by fake news.

-=-=-=-

1. Revelation 4:5

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

1. Revelation 8:5

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

Revelation 11:19

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

-=-=- With great volcanic eruption is lightning and thunderings and earthquake.

Revelation 16:18

And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.

-=-=-=-

Acts 2:17-21

              New Revised Standard Version

17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

    and your old men shall dream dreams.

18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

        and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show portents in the heaven above

    and signs on the earth below,

        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

20 The sun shall be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood,

        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

-=-=-=-

DLim: We are talking of the last days here! Since the first preaching of the Apostle of Jesus it has been the last days. We are talking of 1 continuous period in history called “the last days”.

Many like to trivialize the period of the first Apostles calling them the early church as if they are underdeveloped comparing with our modern times.

DLim: God declares(present tense. We are living in the present time and not in the future).

DLim: This is a charismatic passage in which the Spirit of God is poured out upon all flesh, all races; and not just BLM.

Anti-charismatics have apostate in teaching that the charismatic gifts especially the power gifts have ceased. They teach Cessationism to this day. They twist scriptures, the revelation of God, to suit their own purpose, agenda, and lacking.

How powerful is seeing vision and dreaming dreams? They are ordinary daily events. I dreamed dream yesterday. No big deal.

Acts 2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

        and they shall prophesy.

DLim: Christians, believers of Jesus, are slaves(doulos) of God instead of servants. You do not get a salary. You are not hirelings. God does not state the exact day for each to get a pour out of His Spirit. We can expect however prophesy outside of the Bible from time to time in these last days. Cessationism must be ousted. Heretics must be exposed.

DLim: There are revelation we just do not know how to interpret and need patience to be inspired to understand their meanings and direction.

It sometimes take time to understand the elements in our dreams and visions. We can talk about them and wonder what they mean.

It is pride and stupidity to claim you always have the skill and knowledge of the matter concern.

Those who lied need to seek God and the brethren for forgiveness.

Acts 2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above

    and signs on the earth below,

        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

20 The sun shall be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood,

        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

DLim: We are taught and directed by scripture and Jesus(through spiritual encounter, dreams and visions) to focus on the present times, what is happening now and what we need to deal with now, instead of focusing on the future, the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

The physical signs of volcanic eruption and earthquakes point us to the very present time, a time of many crises and traps. We have civil wars, wars, evil influence, logistic failure, disinformation, famine and plagues, taxation, inflation, unemployment, extreme heat(including fires and arson) and cold, poisoning(including chem trail, clot juice, satanic solution), robots(including scanners, surveillance, robocops, military robots, robot swarms, and nanobots), ETs, UFOs, demons, possession(including soul transfer technology), false leaders(including Obama and Biden), tyranny(including Covid lockdown, unpaid leave, and passports), lies and fake news(including Media, social network, governmental news outlet, subliminal messages, suggestion, and gossip).

DLim: Apostasy has occurred. Many have turned to worshipping of all kinds of Jews. Many have turned to believe in teachings of Rabbinic Jews in their Oral Torah, unbiblical stuff.

Many teach ideas of lunar eclipse and solar eclipse, teaching that lunar eclipse refers to trouble for Israel and solar eclipse points to trouble for the gentiles. In fact many gentiles and gentile nations experienced trouble at lunar eclipse.

Many have turned to observing Jewish festivals and holidays, working to point out those solar and lunar eclipses that fall on Jewish festivals and holidays have special significance instead of observing the time mark of volcanic eruptions with lightning and earthquakes, and note prophesies concerning them and their location.

They have turned to doctrine of demons and sinners.

Many have been turning to human roots, Nephilim roots, for their historical links and justification, instead of patiently and humbly waiting on the Lord for supernatural events and direction. Many have turned to Naturalism, Liberalism, and Communism(even godless Communism!).

Many have turned to worship secular government, secular laws, experts, posers, and the elite, even Nephilim and fallen angels posing as aliens, ETs. 

Many are promoting injection of clot juice, satanic solution. Many have turned to zombies not able to think and reason much. These we must admonish, expose, and alienate. Sound the shophar. Raise the red flag. Erect godly standards.

Beware of spies, zombies, reporting Christians to evil authorities for them to be murdered, beheaded, tortured, defamed and imprisoned.

Have your own prayer closet and pray in solitude. Be prepared to leave secularized, twisted, demon-filled churches, ministries, and institution.

We bind evil, wickedness, darkness and evil spirits in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, God and Savior, casting and chaining them to hell and outer darkness.

Acts 2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

DLim: Salvation is made easy by Jesus Christ. You have to believe in Jesus instead of working for academic Degrees first and then attain decades of research and ministry experience. 

This does not mean attaining to the prizes God had prepared for our lives is easy or even automatic. 

Getting into heaven by the blood covering of Jesus Christ is one thing and it is by the Grace and Mercies of God. Getting praises and rewards of life including mansions, domain, and clowns in Heaven demands Godward attitude and life-style blessed by the Grace and Mercies of God Almighty. Love is not blind. Love has righteousness as well. God does not always give out of blindness. Christians ought not be blind in their attitude, lives and life-style.

DLim: In order to call on the Name of the Lord Jesus, one must know the Name and what it signifies. So, we must preach Jesus Christ zealously, prayerfully, waiting for opportunity to speak out and reach out. And the Holy Spirit knows the best timing, and grants ability to do the right things. Thanks be to God.

Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death's Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings. Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, "considered all religion "hocus-pocus" and death nothing more than a painless extinction". But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming — descending down into the flames of hell: 

"Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end."
Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!" . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before."
(Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door,(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3).

Dr. Rawlings said, no one, who could have heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell!

The Bible continually warns of a place called hell. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. And over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ! 

In Luke 16, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of hell:

22 . . . the rich man also died, and was buried; 
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes,being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:22-28)

HELL IS A PLACE OF FIRE

The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME." 

In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."

Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE."

THE BIBLE GIVES THE LOCATION OF HELL

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He descended into hell. In Acts 2, Peter is speaking, verse 31, " . . . seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in HELL" 

When Jesus Christ died His soul went into hell. 

And in Matthew 12:40, Jesus Christ says:

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH. "

The Bible is clear — Hell is inside the earth!

Ephesians 4:9, says of Jesus: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH."

On page 85 of Beyond Death’s Door, Dr. Rawlings writes patients who described hell said, ". . . this place seems to be UNDERGROUND or WITHIN THE EARTH in some way."

Scientist and Bible teacher, Henry Morris also agrees the Bible plainly teaches that hell is in this earth:

"So far as we can tell from Scripture, the present hell, is somewhere in the heart of the earth itself. It is also called 'the pit' (Isa. 14:9, 15: Ezek. 32:18-21) and 'the abyss' (Rev. 9:2). . .
The writers certainly themselves believed hell to be real and geographically 'beneath' the earth's surface. . .
To say this is not scientific is to assume science knows much more about the earth's interior than is actually the case. The great 'pit' [hell] would only need to be about 100 miles or less in diameter to contain, with much room to spare, all the forty billion or so people who have ever lived, assuming their 'spiritual' bodies are the same size as their physical bodies."
(Henry M. Morris, The Bible Has the Answer, p. 220)

The Birmingham News, April 10, 1987 had an article entitled "Earth's Center Hotter Than Sun's Surface, Scientists Say". The article stated that scientists have recently discovered, "THEEARTH'S INNER CORE HAS A TEMPERATURE OF OVER 12,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!" 

Have you seen pictures of a volcano erupting, spewing a lake of fire from inside the earth — consuming everything within miles just from the heat? When Mount St. Helens erupted in May 18, 1980, it was described by reporters, "when HELL surfaced upon the earth." The book, Volcanoes, Earth's Awakening (p.91) describes an erupting volcano as "descent into HELL". 

Thousands of years ago, the Bible described a place called hell in the heart of the earth that matches exactlywhat science is discovering. 

YES! THERE IS A PLACE CALLED HELL!

In Numbers 16, the Bible gives the account of people falling into hell alive!

"And THE EARTH OPENED HER MOUTH, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive INTO THE PIT, and the EARTH CLOSED UPON THEM:"Numbers 16:32-33

Caspar Peucer, a famous fourteenth century astronomer and physician, who also researched and documented the volcanoe eruptions at Heklafell wrote some very frightening information in his research findings. Peucer, claims (as others) that "fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth"could be heard "for many miles. . ." as these volcanoes erupted: 

"Out of the bottomless abyss of Heklafell, or rather out of Hell itself, rise melancholy cries and loud wailings, so that these can be heard for many miles around. . . there may be heard in the mountain fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth." 
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

And Caspar Peucer is not alone. There are others who believe they have heard "cries and screaming" coming from volcanoes. Most have tried to ignore the obvious. Some simply explain the "sounds of hell" to some rational meaning. But they are there. . .

"The fearsome noises that issued from some of their volcanoes were certainly thought to be the screams of tormented souls in the fires of hell below".
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

Inside this earth, this very moment, there are millions of lost, tormented souls — burning, weeping, wailing —without any hope whatsoever!

In Mark 9:46, Jesus Christ says about hell: "Where THEIR WORM dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Jesus said explicitly — THEIR worm — not a worm, or the worm — but THEIRworm. The Bible teaches that Christians will one day have a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Could it be, as some Bible students teach — that men and women in hell take on the form of their father, Satan (John 8:44)? In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as a red dragon. Could Jesus Christ be referring to the body lost men and women will have for eternity?

The earth’s crust on land is normally 50 miles thick. You’d have to go down 50 miles before the edge of the fire. But in parts of the ocean floor, the earth’s crust is less than a mile thick.

Scientists recently discovered cracks on the ocean floor where fire was leaking out. Do you know what they found around these fire-breathing vents in the crust? Eight-foot long worms, found no other place in the world! The book, The Deep Sea, by Joseph Wallace (p.39), reads, "Perhaps the strangest of ocean creatures recently discovered are Riftia, the giant tube WORMS. Measuring up to 8 feet in length, the worms are ONLY FOUND NEAR DEEP SEA VENTS."

And Jesus Christ said, "Where THEIR WORM dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Have you read Isaiah 66 where the Lord Jesus Christ is quoting Mark 9:46? 

Look at the context and time period of Isaiah 66:22-24:

Isaiah 66:22-24:
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The "new heavens and new earth" of Isaiah 66:22 matches Revelation 21:1. This occurs AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement of Revelation 20:10-15! The references to "carcases"; "their worm"; "their fire" (vs 24) — is AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement of the LOST people! The reference to ". . the men that have transgressed. . ." are the LOST people AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement.

And at this point — they have received their NEW BODY! Notice what Isaiah says, the saved people shall "LOOKupon the CARCASES of the men that have transgressed. . ." It's worth mentioning that a "carcase" is not always a "DEAD body". For instance, two times the Bible specifically uses the term "dead carcase" (Deut. 14:8 and Ezek 6:5). If a carcase is ALWAYS a "dead" body, then why say "dead" carcase? And there's NOTHING in the context of Isaiah to imply these "men that transgressed" are "dead".

In fact, Isaiah clearly says, "their worm shall NOT DIE". Even in our language, we refer to a living body as a "carcase". For example, "Get your carcase [body] in here". Why is that important? Because when the saved people in Isaiah 66:24 are "looking upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed" — And do you know what they are SEEING? "Their worm"! The "carcase" they are seeing is "their WORM that shall not die". The end of Isaiah 66:24 is a frightening endorsement of this interpretation. What the saved people are viewing Isaiah says is , ". . . an abhorring unto all flesh". And my friend, that is not JUST a normal flesh body they are looking at! It is something that will send chills screaming through your soul at the horror. And it will happen! 

And it will happen TO YOU if you die without the Lord Jesus Christ!

Even though the world tries to extinguish the cries and reality of hell — the truth of hell echoes throughout our world. We desperately pretend to cover our ears and igonore the "screams, the weeping, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth" but it is there. . . And we know it. We refuse to accept such a place exist. But it is there. And we know it.Nothing we can do, nothing we can say, can erase the horror of hell from our minds. 

It is there. And we know it.

National Geographic magazine truthfully titled their story on Volcanoes "Going To Hell". When PBS did a series on The Savage Earth, one episode was titled "Hell's Crust: Our Everchanging Planet". Everything we know. Everything we observe. Echoes the truth of a place called hell. 

It is there. And we know it.

Revelation 14:10 says, " . . . and he shall be tormented with fire andBRIMSTONE . . ." And Job 18 describes the " . . . PLACE of him that knoweth not God" (vs 21), in verse 15 as, " . . . BRIMSTONE shall be scattered upon his habitation." Do you know what brimstone is? It's sulfur. And do you know where sulfur or brimstone is found? INSIDE THIS EARTH! According to the book Volcanoes by Pierre Kohler (p. 43), when Mt. St Helens erupted in 1980 — 150,000 tons of sulfurous gas was ejected! Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written over 3,000 years ago, and yet Job knew what science wouldn't know for years — inside this earth is BRIMSTONE!

Nature magazine recently discovered (July 2002) what the Bible knew over 3,000 years ago. Inside this earth is "fire and brimstone":

"Volcanoes may be more like hell than anyone realized. Eruptions disgorge streams of molten sulphur, the brimstone of evangelical preachers, which burns up before it can be preserved for posterity, new research in the journal Geologyshows".
(Nature, Science Update, July 22, 2002)

Click here to view an incredible National Geographic Macromedia Flash clip on Volcanoes with the intro "FIRE. . . BRIMSTONE. . . HELL ON EARTH. . VOLCANOES" Note: You will need the ability to play MacroMedia Flash to view 

The cover of Discover magazine, August 2002, asks the question — "What's Really at the Center of the Earth?". I know what's REALLY in "the center of this earth". Jesus Christ told us. Over and over. There is a lake of fire — with millions of people burning, weeping, screaming, wailing, gnashing of teeth".

READ THE FOLLOWING!

". . . they dig into hell . . ." Amos 9:2

The following article appeared in the Finland newspaper, Ammenusastia

"As a communist I don’t believe in heaven or the Bible but as a scientist I now believe in hell," said Dr. Azzacove. "Needless to say we were shocked to make such a discovery. But we know what we saw and we know what we heard. And we are absolutely convinced that we drilled through the gates of hell!" Dr. Azzacove continued, ". . .the drill suddenly began to rotate wildly, indicating that we had reached a large empty pocket or cavern. Temperature sensors showed a dramatic increase in heat to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit." "We lowered a microphone, designed to detect the sounds of plate movements down the shaft. But instead of plate movements we heard a human voice screaming in pain! At first we thought the sound was coming from our own equipment." "But when we made adjustments our worst suspicions were confirmed. The screams weren’t those of a single human, they were the screams of millions of humans!"  The following is a recording that claims to be the actual sounds of hell from the above article.  Are these the actual sounds of hell? Listen and you decide. . .  Sounds From Hell MP4 Format

HELL IS A PLACE OF TORMENT

Jesus says of the man in Luke 16:

23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in TORMENTS. . . "
24 ". . . for I am TORMENTED in this FLAME."
28 ". . .PLACE OF TORMENT."

It is humanly impossible to comprehend the Bible description of hell. Nothing on earth can compare with it. No nightmare could produce a terror to match that of hell. No horror movie could describe it’s fright. No crime scene with all it’s blood and gore could begin to match it’s horror. 

It will be beyond anything humanly imaginable!

The Bible warns in Psalm 9:17, you will not only be in hell — you will BE TURNED INTO HELL! You will literally BE HELL!

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psalm 9:17

YOU will see HELL. . .
YOU will smell HELL. . .
YOU will breathe HELL. . .
YOU will hear HELL. . .
YOU will feel HELL. . .
YOU WILL BE HELL. . . 

The Bible describes it as weeping(Matt 8:12), wailing (Matt 13:42), gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:50),darkness (Matt 25:30), flames (Luke 16:24), burning (Isa 33:14), torments(Luke 16:23), everlasting punishment!Jesus Christ says in Matthew 25:41, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels."

In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

HELL IS FOREVER!

All who enter hell — abandon all hope! 

The horror of hell — for even one second is unbearable — but FOREVER!

Jesus says in Matthew 25:41: ". . . Depart from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING fire, . . ." 

Rev. 14:11: "The smoke of their TORMENT ascendeth up for EVER AND EVER: and they have NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT."

Just look how the Bible warns of the eternity and permance of hell! 

everlasting fire ’ Matthew18:8, 25:41
everlasting punishment ’ Matthew 25:46
everlasting chains ’ Jude 1:6
eternal damnation ’ Mark 3:29
eternal judgment ’ Hebrews 6:2
eternal fire ’ Jude 1:7
unquenchable fire ’ Matthew 3:12
the fire that never shall be quenched ’ Mark 9:43, 44, 45, 46, 48
fire unquenchable ’ Luke 3:17
mist of darkness is reserved for ever ’ 2 Peter 2:17
the blackness of darkness for ever ’ Jude 1:13

My friend, I have searched my Bible, from cover to cover. . . I have studied every occurrence of hell in my Bible — and I can not find one verse, not one word of HOPE for someone in hell! NOT ONE WORD! The rich man in hell in Luke 16 never even asks to get out — He knew there was no way out!

OH MY FRIEND – HELL IS FOREVER AND EVER!

What could possibly be worth eternity in hell? No wonder Jesus Christ warned so much about hell! No wonder Jesus said in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?"

Jesus Christ took hell very serious. . .

Jesus Christ says in Mark 9:43-47, 

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Jesus Christ took hell so serious — He could say without the slightest hesitation — to remove your eye, cut off your hand or foot, if that would keep you out of hell!

If hell is not real — Jesus Christ was the most deceived man that ever lived!

I’ll challenge anyone to read the words of Jesus Christ and tell me they are the words of a deceived man! 

Jesus Christ knew exactly what He was talking about!

How did Jesus describe hell?Jesus Christ spoke more on hell than any other subject.
Just look at how Jesus described hell:

WHAT JESUS CHRIST SAYS ABOUT HELL!
"fire"	Matt 7:19, 13:40, 25:41
"everlasting fire"	Matt 18:8, 25:41
"eternal damnation"	Mark 3:29
"hell fire"	Matt 5:22, 18:9, Mark 9:47
"damnation"	Matt 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47
"damnation of hell"	Matt 23:33
"resurrection of damnation"	John 5:29
"furnace of fire"	Matt 13:42, 50
"the fire that never shall be quenched"	Mark 9:43, 45
"the fire is not quenched"	Mark 9:44, 46, 48
"Where their worm dieth not"	Mark 9:44, 46, 48
"wailing and gnashing of teeth"	Matt 13:42, 50
"weeping and gnashing of teeth"	Matt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30
"torments"	Luke 16:23
"tormented in this flame"	Luke 16:24
"place of torment"	Luke 16:28
"outer darkness"	Matt 8:12, 22:13
"everlasting punishment"	Matt 25:46

WHAT IF JESUS IS RIGHT?

Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this THE JUDGEMENT:"

it is appointed unto man once to die . . .and one day — YOU will die . . .

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments . . .

As you leave your body — you realize something is happening. You hear a sound. . . getting louder and louder. . . screaming . . .weeping. . . wailing. Terror and fear beyond anything you could imagine overtakes you. "This can’t be happening!" you scream. Your nostrils are filling with the awful stench of burning souls. Your face ignites from the heat. Flames are now blazing from your eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth — every opening in your body, flames are roaring out. Your body is sizzling and crackling from the flames. 

Your body is now madly thrashing and convulsing from the horrible pain. "Why don’t I die?", you scream. You begin weeping and gnashing your teeth with the millions. "When will this pain stop?" But you know it will never stop. . .

The darkness is so terrifying, it begins engulfing you. You feel something moving in the darkness. . . something horrible is happening. "No! No! This can’t be happening"you scream — as your worm is emerging. 

You begin cursing the day you were born. You scream — "Oh God, why didn’t you warn me?"— but you remember the preacher pleading with you to receive Jesus Christ. You remember reading that gospel tract. You cry — "God don’t you care?" — but you remember John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,. . ." "God is a God of love — He won't allow this", you cry — but you remember John 3:36, ". . . he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

And you soon realize, that Jesus Christ was right!

There is a place called hell.

AND YOU ARE THERE — FOREVER!

---

But God is a God of LOVE. . . Why would a GOD OF LOVE send me to hell? Yes, God is a GOD OF LOVE — but God is also a HOLY GOD. A HOLY GOD demands payment for sin. Otherwise God would NOT and could NOT be HOLY.

Because God is holy — sin MUST be condemned. Joshua 24:19 says, ". . he is an HOLY GOD;. . . he will NOT forgive your transgressions nor your sins."

BUT FRIEND I HAVE GOOD NEWS!

God does NOT want you in hell

Hell was not made for man. Matthew 25:41 says, hell was, ". . . prepared for the devil and his angels:"

Because God is a GOD OF LOVE, and He LOVED YOU so much, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die a cruel death on a cross to pay the price a HOLY GOD demands for your sins.

Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

God does not send someone to hell. You choose hell when you reject Jesus Christ. When you refuse God's love gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. . .

YOU CHOOSE HELL!

Millionaire Ted Turner, said in an interview, "I’m looking forward to dying and being cast into Hell. That's where I belong." You say — he’s a fool! But friend, when you say "No"; to Jesus Christ and His payment for your sin — you are saying the same thing! You’re telling God — I don’t need Jesus Christ — I’ll pay for my sins in hell!

If you reject God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ 

ONE DAY YOU WILL BE IN HELL!

Dr. Rawlings has watched as thousands of people depart into eternity. Most people think they'll somehow "sneak" into heaven, but Dr. Rawlings claims most people descend into the flames of hell!

Jesus Christ gave a solemn warning in Matthew 7:21-23

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. . . MANY will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

If it was for a few days, a few months, a few years or even a million years, but to be tormented — FOREVER! You will despair of ever having any deliverance! You will beg for death itself to come and take you away! You will curse the day you were born! Revelation 14:11 says, "The smoke of their TORMENTascendeth up for EVER AND EVER: and they have NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT."

What could possibly be worth eternity in hell?

No wonder Jesus Christ said in Mark 8:36:

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"Mark 8:36:

God has something far better than words can describe for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9 says:

". . . Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."I Corinthians 2:9

Friend, there is a place called hell! And, if you continually refuse God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ — just as sure as you live and breathe — ONE DAY YOU WILL WAKE UP IN HELL! 

Don't wait until you die to find out the truth about Hell! Tomorrow may be too late! Proverbs 27:1 says, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow: for thou KNOWEST NOT what a day may bring forth."

Three people die every second, 180 every minute, since you started reading this — 2000 more people have gone into eternity! An automobile accident. . . A heart attack. . , A stroke. . .One thing is CERTAIN — you will DIE — today. . . tomorrow . . . a week. . . a month . . . a year. . . 5 years. . . 10 years. . . 20 years. . . 50 years — ONE THING IS CERTAIN —" . . .it is appointed unto man once TO DIE . . ."

DON'T BE CAUGHT DEAD WITHOUT JESUS!

You may have made some terrible mistakes in your life. There may be some things in your life you would give anything to be able to change. But friend, I assure you — if you die without Jesus Christ — it'll be the worst mistake you could possibly make!

Has there ever come a time and a place in your life, when you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

If not, you are on the way to hell!

Don't let anyone convince you that when you die it will be all over! The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27:

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this THE JUDGMENT." Hebrews 9:27

Revelation 20:15 says:

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." Revelation 20:15

If you've never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, bow your head this minute and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.Don't put it off another second!

NOTHING'S WORTH TAKING THE CHANCE!

It's simple to be saved ...

• Realize you are a sinner.
  
  

  "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:10
  
  "... for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"Romans 3:23

• Realize you CAN NOT save yourself.

  "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; ..." Isaiah 64:6
  
  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, ..." Titus 3:5
  
  

• Realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins.

  "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, ..." 1 Peter 2:24
  
  "... Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," Revelation 1:5
  
  

• Simply by faith receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

  "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" John 1:12
  
  " ...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."" Acts 16:30,31
  
  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
  
  

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SAVED?

Pray this prayer, and mean it with all your heart.

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless you save me I am lost forever. I thank you for dying for me at Calvary. I come to you now, Lord the best way I know how, and ask you to save me. I now receive you as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;" 
Hebrews 2:3

Dallol: Hell on Earth

Kristine De Abreu

Multicoloured pools of Dallol. Photo: Shutterstock

There is a hell on Earth. A melting pot of all things toxic and harmful to humans lies near Ethiopia’s border with Eritrea, bubbling, volcanic, and acidic that can kill you in an instant if you don’t watch your step. It’s called Dallol, and it’s part of the Danikil Depression — itself no paradise.

At 125m below sea level, the Danakil Depression is one of the lowest places on Earth. (By comparison, Death Valley is only 86m below sea level.) The Danikil lies at the centre of major volcanic and tectonic activity. For thousands of years, the Arabian, Somali and Nubian Plates have tugged it in opposite directions. This has produced some of the most unusual geological features ever seen. Nightmarish in some ways, but dream-like and surrealistically beautiful in others.

Salt and lava-heated groundwater react to produce electric colors. Photo: Shutterstock

Hottest place in the world

This region also has the hottest year-round temperatures in the world. It can reach 50˚C and average 35˚over 365 days. Its annual rainfall is as low as 100mm. Unlike normal deserts, it does not even cool off at night. 

All water on the ground, except that in brine or sulphur pools, has completed evaporated over time. It is hard to believe that the Red Sea once covered this region. But centuries of volcanic eruptions and wholesale evaporation from the searing heat have left behind nothing but salt deposits and pans as far as the eye can see. 

The salt deposits belong to a vast network of hydrothermal fields called Dallol. These fields connect to the main volcano a subterranean lava lake. Hot springs, sulphur springs, toxic lakes, and geysers are only a handful of wonders in this region. The salt has formed into pillars of remarkable shapes, variously described as “artichoke-like”,  “mushroom-like”, “water lilies, flower-like crystals, egg-shaped crusts, and pearl-like spheres.” 

The colors come from various iron oxides

The heat and magma react every moment with salt, water, sulphur, carbon dioxide, hundreds of minerals. In some places, extremophile organisms thrive in this harsh environment. The multicolored pools of red, yellow, green, orange and blue come from volcanically heated groundwater carrying salts to the surface. This salt reacts with minerals like gypsum, hematite and sylvite. It eventually evaporates to leave behind these pools and pillars of breathtaking color. 

In the sulphuric waters themselves, even extremophiles cannot survive. The water temperature is about 100˚C while the pH is below zero. It is even more acidic than the battery-acid crater lake of Maly Semyachik, which we covered last week.

Dead animals and insects litter the ground after mistakenly drinking from these pools.

The hellish landscape of Dallol. Photo: Shutterstock

It is only fitting that such a site becomes a hub of research into other planets, particularly Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa. Researchers from the University of Bologna and the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas found it likely that some of Dallol’s extremophiles may exist on the Red Planet. 

The salt takes on many unusual forms. Photo: Shutterstock

As barren as it is, salt mining used to thrive. In the 20th century, salt had immensely high value. The local Afar people, who have built a resistance to the heat, used to walk through Dallol to the salt mines at Lake Afar to extract blocks of salt from the pans. That industry, like the place itself, is dead now.

Still, in a typical year, some adventurous tourists come to see this alien world within our world. Because of political unrest, as well as the natural dangers of Dallol from the carbon dioxide-laced air and the acidic hellscape, everyone must have a guide. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it is easy to break through an eggshell-thin crust of salt into acidic waters lying beneath.

It is quite ironic that a dead zone on this planet is the key to finding life on others. Who knows? Dallol may help us explore the far corners of our universe sooner than we think.

described in Virgil’s Aeneid and also nearby is a cave of Baiae which also represented a location of an oracle of the dead. These “navels of the earth” were places where one could access the underworld and commune with the dead.

From http://www.italysvolcanoes.com/. Geologic map showing locations of Lake Avernus, the mythical location of the Oracle of the Dead, Cuma (location of Cave of the Sibyl) and Baiae. Black lines are faults.

Entrance to the Cave of the Sibyl

Necromanteion

An excavated area near the Acheron River was the location of a temple to Hades, the god of the underworld, and the oracle of the dead. The Acheron was also a legendary entrance to Hades, being one of the five rivers that flowed through the underworld. Kroonenberg describes that this area around the Acheron has since silted up and doesn’t look like it was described over a thousand years ago. Long ago, in spring, locals could hear a deep lowing coming from below the ground in the Acherusian swamps as though a bull had been locked in a dungeon. The roar was made by waters traveling through the subterranean openings, but it was not heard after the swamps were drained. The sound supposedly led people to believe that Hades was close by underground.

Seven Gates of Hell

Many additional surface “portals” to hell show up in modern legends. The myth of the “Seven Gates of Hell” has been cobbled together organically by mashing up ideas about ancient Mesopotamian gates of hell, seven as a magic number, and places where you can open an entrance to hell via some occult ritual. Several mundane locations have accrued a spooky reputation in this way. In the Internet age, they became prime places to go “legend tripping” – a way for young people to test the limits of courage. None of these places have genuine supernatural “energies” but the power of storytelling is very strong.

In Stull, Kansas, a private cemetery became associated with a hidden stairway to hell, much to the dismay of the local townspeople. 

Similarly, the concocted legend of the gates to hell in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania continues to annoy residents. The idea of a strange and creepy-looking physical gate spawned a fictional story of hidden gates appearing at the site of an asylum that burned down. If you stepped through each gate, you would go straight to hell. The name of the township might also have been a catalyst for the story but Hellam Township was not named after hell. There was never an asylum or a fire here. It’s a very silly story without any basis in reality, but that doesn’t stop people from trying to find it.

Some other so-called “gates to hell” are even sillier. Local kids, it seems, gave the name to drainage tunnels in Clifton, New York, and Columbus, OH.  The Devil’s gate in Los Angeles County, California is also the location of a drainage tunnel but at least this location comes with a more interesting story about American physicist and occultist Jack Parsons attempting to open a portal to hell. And, more impressively, the nearby rock face formed a mimetolith that looked like the characteristic profile of Satan.

Modern view of the Devil’s Gate and face, near Pasadena, CA.

Fengdu, China has become a well-known city of the dead based on the beliefs of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The dead must pass tests before entering the afterlife. The area now represents the cultural expression of the journey of the dead, depicting ghosts, or demons that torture people for their sins.

Pits and Holes

Around the world, we can find countless places that namecheck Hell or the Devil. I previously explored the ideas of bottomless pits on earthincluding Houska castle, supposedly built to cover a pit to hell. It’s possible this was a karst geology feature that eventually morphed into a more colorful story. Some other legendary pits associated with entering hell are less impressive.

Lacus Curtius, Rome

A pit of uncertain origins, now filled and marked with rock slabs. Popular rumor is that it used to be considered a door to hell within the Roman Forum that opened to accept a sacrifice of a brave soldier and his horse.

St Patrick’s purgatory

A small cave or pit on Station Island, Ireland dated from the 5^th century. According to legend, Christ himself revealed the place to Patrick as a special location where people would get a glimpse of hell and change their ways (i.e., become Christian converts). By witnessing Purgatory, the people would finally know the reality of the joys of Heaven and the torments of Hell. It is now a pilgrimage site.

Batagaika

More impressive is a natural feature of Batagaika, a continually growing Siberian permafrost slump crater that locals suitably call the Hellmouth because it threatens to consume their land and villages.

Batagaika, the “Hellmouth” crater (megaslump) in Yakutia, Russia.

Kola borehole/Well to Hell

Two man-made gates to hell continue to grow as legends that are ever further removed from their true origin. The Kola borehole is the world’s longest human-made borehole. The story of the project, which was designed for the scientific study of the deep crust, inspired a totally manufactured story by Christian fundamentalists claiming that scientists had drilled a well so deep, they inadvertently reached hell itself. The temperatures were searing and they could hear the screaming voices of the damned.

Darvaza

On a flat plain in Turkmenistan, a pit burns continuously. The location has developed a supernatural aura suited to its dramatic appearance and this overshadows its more prosaic and embarrassing origins as a place where a natural gas exploration site collapsed and was deliberately set on fire.  

Darvaza gas crater was created in the 1950s when a Soviet gas drilling rig fell into an underground cavern. The crater was set on fire shortly afterward and has been burning ever since.

Burning places

The most dramatic places associated with gates to hell are in volcanic areas. In Japan, volcanic features (Jigaku) were connected with the idea of underground prisons and a world where souls suffer. For example, Chinoike Jigoku is modernly known as the Bloody Hell Pond, a hot spring that is disturbingly red due to iron oxide. At one time, the hot waters may have been used for torture. Now, it’s a tourist attraction.

Mt. Osore in Japan, translated as “Dread Mountain” is the gateway to Hell, where souls pause on their way to the underworld. A barren volcanic wasteland of howling winds and bubbling yellow to red caldrons, this is similar to the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei) of Italy –  a “hellscape” in an active volcanic caldera area stinking of sulfurous steam with fumaroles and mud pots, with small cones and multiple craters. Solfatara crater is the mythological home of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. Roman thinkers had many creative natural ideas about the formation of Etna and Vesuvius, the great mountains in this regionally volcanic area that rumbled and occasionally unleashed destruction.

Sulfur at the Solfatara crater, Phlegraean Fields, Italy. Photo Donar Reiskoffer, Wikimedia Commons.

Hades

In ancient Greece, the underworld of Hades was known to be hot. Hades was viewed as a vast opening underground. This does make sense because of the active volcanic regions of Greece and Italy. Ancient natural philosophers assumed there was space inside the earth as evidenced by caves and underground rivers. In Medieval Europe, ideas about Hades easily transitioned into that of the Christian’s Old Testament Sheol (Hell). They were alike in description. As mentioned in the Bible’s book of Revelation, hell was a place of fire and brimstone (volcanic sulfur).

Because religious texts told of the miraculous formation of the earth, the study of earth processes was set back due to these entrenched dogmatic ideas. Volcanoes were seen as the “chimneys of hell”, existing solely to remind people of a punishing fate in the subterranean fires of eternal torment. It was difficult to convince people that volcanic places were not deliberately made by an agent of destruction. Many people believed their local volcano was inhabited by demons or the devil himself.

Hekla

On the volcanic island of Iceland, people didn’t believe in a single location of “the afterlife”. By the Middle Ages, Icelanders accepted the view that Hekla, in particular, was a gateway for condemned souls to enter an area of torment. Hekla was the dominant erupting area that influenced travelers that saw it and who took back the stories to Europe. Observers thought the noises from escaping gases were the sounds of the wretched souls. Hekla’s reputation as a hellish abyss dwarfed the more familiar Mount Etna in Italy that people called “Hell’s Chimney”. 

Detail of Abraham Ortelius’ map of Iceland (1585) showing the Volcano Hekla in eruption. The Latin text means “The Hekla, perpetually condemned to storms and snow, vomits stones under terrible noise.”

Masaya

The example of the Nicaraguan volcano Masaya illustrates the orthodox Roman Catholic thinking about hell mouths. When the Spaniards entered the country, they didn’t have much experience with volcanic areas and referred to the active volcano as “The Mouth of Hell”. The locals considered the volcano a deity but the Christian invaders attributed the belief in false gods to the Devil’s work. In 1529, Francisco de Bobadilla climbed the volcano and erected a cross in an attempt to exorcise the evil entities. Other religious men who visited Masaya assumed the volcano was a vent for which the fires of hell escaped. Hell, they believed, was at the center of the earth. For the fire to burn without obvious fuel, it must be supernaturally stoked. However, Friar Juan de Torquemada in 1615 rejected volcanoes as Hellfire because “Hell is the prison made by God for those who are condemned, therefore the fire of Hell should only harm nor hurt those who by His just judgment have been sentenced to torments and pain.” Since volcanoes destroyed indiscriminately, they were not related to hell. And, interestingly, there was no need for Hell to have a mouth.

Literal ideas of hell faded away

In the late 16th century, natural philosophical thought was returning. Learned men started to doubt the supernatural idea of Hell and again explored creative scientific explanations. By the Enlightenment, belief in a literal hell in philosophical circles was ridiculed. Descarte was an early proponent that the earth had a core, not including any void space for Hell. The earth’s core was demonstrated in 1906 but that didn’t stop the proliferation of belief in a hollow earth or of a literal place called Hell.  

The threat of hell as a place of real punishment is on the wane worldwide with some religious figures using it only in a metaphoric sense. But in the US, survey questions regarding belief in Hell still garner very high percentages among Christians. Do they think Hell is a literal void of fire and torture at the center of the earth? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if they say they do. It’s a simple and powerful idea even though it is scientifically preposterous.

Sources

Kroonenberg, S. (2011). Why Hell Stinks of Sulfur: Mythology and Geology of the Underworld. 

Sigurdsson, H. (1999). Melting the Earth: The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions.

Viramonte, J.G. and Incer-Barquero, J. (2008). “Masaya, the “Mouth of Hell”, Nicaragua: Volcanological interpretation of the myths, legends and anecdotes.” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 176:419–426. https://pages.mtu.edu/~raman/papers2/ViramonteMasayaJVGR08.pdf

taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

The lake of fire burning with brimstone culminates a long series of traditions regarding the destiny of the lost. (eg. Isaiah 66:24).

Isaiah 66:24 (KJV)  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. 

This explains the presence of the definite articles in the Greek title “the lake of fire” even though this is the first occurrence of the expression in the entire Bible.

“Of fire” is a descriptive characterizing the lake. The same term “gennena” described in Matthew 5:22.

Matthew 5:22 (KJV)  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

This lake differs from the “bottomless pit” of Revelation 9:1; 20:1 as the final abode of Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and wicked men, not a temporary place of confinement for fallen angels.

Revelation 9:1 (KJV)  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 

Revelation 20:1 (KJV)  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 

“Gehenna” sometimes rendered “hell” in Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43; James 3:6 refers to this same eternal destiny as does “everlasting fire” in Matthew 25:41.

Matthew 10:28 (KJV)  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Mark 9:43 (KJV)  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

James 3:6 (KJV)  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 

Matthew 25:41 (KJV)  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 

Consignment to the lake of fire does not mean annihilation; after the thousand years the beast and false prophet are still there when Satan is put there (Revelation 20:10).

Revelation 20:10 (KJV)  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

The figure of a burning lake is God’s chosen imagery for visualising eternity separated from Him. One should remember that figures of speech are always less than the reality, not more!

“Brimstone” is a yellow sulphurous material that is combustible in air and is found in a natural state in volcanic areas such as in the valley of the Dead Sea (Mounce). Along with fire, it speaks of indescribable torment (cf. Revelation 14:8; 20:10; 21:8) (Scott).

Revelation 14:8 (KJV)  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

Revelation 20:10 (KJV)  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

Revelation 21:8 (KJV)  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody 1995, 398-399]

In Revelation chapters 1, 2 and 3 the Lord addresses the seven churches "which are in Asia." That specific geographical area is the western coast of modern-day Turkey, located north of Israel and Lebanon. The Middle East is the focal point of End Times prophecy.

In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus Christ mentions "earthquakes" three times in His prophecy of the End Times:

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."
(Matthew 24:7 KJV)

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows."
(Mark 13:8 KJV)

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."
(Luke 21:11 KJV) 

These are verses we all have heard preached over and over again, and with every TV news report of another earthquake somewhere in the world, a preacher somewhere is inspired to preach it as a sure sign that the end is near. The problem is, earthquakes happen all across the Earth every day and the yearly averages of quake activity have remained fairly constant for many decades.

Active Seismic Activity Map from http://ds.iris.edu/seismon/
Click the link to go the site's interactive Monitor page

The Earth's crust is divided into about 12 major "plates" which are constantly shifting, producing earthquakes and volcanic activity on every continent. The Middle East and the countries on the eastern rim of the Mediterranean basin are situated at a geologic crossroads of tectonic plate boundaries:

The region is crisscrossed by several major fault lines. The arrows on the chart above indicate the directions the respective plates are moving in relation to adjoining plates. Both Turkey and Greece have experienced major quakes in recent times and geologists have noted that the floor of the Mediterranean sea is fracturing like a sheet of glass as the plates shift. But the focal point of End Times Biblical seismicity is driven by a Transform Fault that's just east of Jerusalem.

The prophesied major future activity will occur along the Dead Sea Transform fault, a continuation of the Red Sea and East African Rift system. This fault runs directly under the Dead Sea, up through the Jordan River valley, the Sea of Galilee, and northward through Lebanon.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham's day was in an area towards the southern end of the Dead Sea. The Bible's mention of a rain of fire and brimstone from heaven on those wicked cities (See Genesis 19:24 - 29) indicates that the Divine judgment came from sudden volcanic/tectonic activity in a "plain" area which is now submerged and part of the floor of the Dead Sea. There is evidence that suggests the present configuration of the Dead Sea is only about as old as the time of Abraham. In the days of the Garden of Eden, there was no Dead Sea (like today), but a river flowed through that part of the rift zone towards the south. This is discussed in more detail on our page, The Lost Rivers of the Garden of Eden.

Historically speaking, the Dead Sea transform fault has displayed catastrophic tectonic activity in the geologic past and should be expected to do so again in the near future. It should be assumed that, in addition to increased tectonic activity along the Dead Sea transform, there will also be increased tectonic and volcanic activity across the globe during those times. But for the sake of this study, we will focus mainly on the Holy Land.

The Dead Sea fault boundary passes about 25 miles east of Jerusalem which, according to the Bible, will be the epicenter for at least two great future earthquakes, the last of which will be the strongest quake to shake the world since man was created.

"And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."
(Revelation 11:13 KJV)

"And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great."
(Revelation 16:18 KJV)

Earthquakes however will not be the only geologic activity to occur in Israel between now and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There will also be volcanic activity in the regions south of Jerusalem and west of the Dead Sea, according to the prophet Isaiah:

"The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch."
(Isaiah 34:6-9 KJV)

This "Idumea" is a region that in Greco-Roman times was bordered on the east by the Dead Sea and also encompassed Hebron and Beersheba, a large area south of Jerusalem. The word translated "pitch" is a Hebrew word which means "to liquefy" and speak of asphalt, which liquefies when heated by the sun or any heat source. The reference to "brimstone" suggests volcanic activity. If taken literally, this passage says that the burning asphalt will flow like streams. Is there asphalt in the land of Idumea? You bet there is! It is a documented geological reality:

Footnote: At the end of 1985, OEIL ( later called INOC, Israel National Oil Company-a government owned entity ) suspended all drilling operations in order to carry out a comprehensive basin analysis study over all of Israel. Only limited exploration work continued by private operators, including the drilling of two Jurassic wells in the northwestern part of the Negev which yielded oil shows but no discoveries. INOC recommenced exploration around the Dead Sea area where a large amount of asphalt oil shows encouraged continued exploration without resulting in any commercial discoveries. Additional info on Asphalt Oil in Israel can be found on this link: http://www.zionoil.com/info-packet-contents/12_Jacobs_Blessing_Booklet_Final.pdf

Can volcanic activity spew asphalt instead of lava? Yes, it happens! Read more about it at this link: What is an asphalt volcano?

Will volcanic activity outside of the immediate Middle-East region also factor into End-Time Geology and Prophecy? It is a possibility. In Revelation 9:2 we find this verse:

"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
(Revelation 9:2 KJV)

Could what the prophet described here be effects from the eruption of one (or more) of the Earth's "Supervolcanoes" during the Great Tribulation period? Certainly, as the above verse says, under the scenario of a Supervolcano eruption the sun and the air would be darkened globally by the smoke and ash from such a mega volcanic event. Global temperatures would fall, crops would fail, and famines would be triggered. Air traffic would come to a standstill because jets could not fly through the gritty ash plumes ejected high into the sky. Satellite communications would fail in many regions as the atmospheric borne ash blocked out or severely disrupted Ku band communications. Collectively these events would precipitate a melt-down of the global economy and the world would be plunged into utter chaos. Population centers downwind of the Supervolcano eruption would be buried under meters of volcanic ash. It would certainly be a hell-on-earth that modern mankind had never experienced, would be helpless to prevent and sore pressed to deal with on a global scale. The "Holy Land" is just 'downwind' from two nearby known Supervolcanoes, Campi Flegrei, near Naples, Italy and Santorini, an island of Greece. 

But such an occurrence is only speculation and is based on a geologic possibility. So, let's return our focus to the immediate Middle-East geology and examine another prophecy. It is the prophecy of a mountain in Israel being split at the very moment of the Lord's return:

"Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." 
(Zechariah 14:3-5 KJV)

This passage indicates that when the Lord returns, the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem will split and form a valley through which the Jews will escape at the height of the battle of Armageddon.

The world will be so devastated at the time of the Lord's return that the prophet Jeremiah compared it to the condition of the Earth before it was restored in the seven days of Genesis:

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it."
(Jeremiah 4:23-28 KJV)

It should be pointed out that the above passage has been mistakenly cited by many as a proof passage for the Genesis Gap Doctrine because the phrase "was without form, and void" exactly matches the words to describe the Earth's condition in Genesis 1:2 before the start of the seven days. That assumption is an error. The passage above is a reference to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know this because of the key phrase: "...the PRESENCE of the LORD, and by his fierce anger ..." and the mention of "cities" in ruin during this time. No cities were built on the earth in Adam's world until after he left the Garden of Eden (See Genesis 4:17). So the time context here is most certainly future, not past.

The specific phrase, "was without form and void" for this future event is very instructive. At the end of the great tribulation period, the condition of the Earth and heavens is one of total devastation, resulting from the effects of global warfare, geologic upheaval, great plagues and the great wrath of God poured out on an unbelieving world. By the time the Lord Jesus Christ Returns the world will require complete regeneration. 

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
(Matthew 19:28 KJV)

This "regeneration" is spoken of in Isaiah Chapter 65:

"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."
(Isaiah 65:17-22 KJV)

This "new heavens and a new earth" spoke of here is a REGENERATION). It is the same type of creative work God did during the seven days of Genesis. The phrase "was without form and void" at Genesis 1:2 referred to the condition of the Earth before the creation of Adam's world. The phrase "was without form and void" at Jeremiah 4:23 refers to the condition of the Earth at the coming of the last Adam and His new world (See 1 Corinthians 15:45). The Bible's interpretive Rule of First Mention supports this scriptural comparison.

What the prophet Isaiah's passage is speaking about is the coming future world and restored conditions on the face of a regenerated Earth following the terrible events of the great tribulation. The time of this correlates to Revelation 20:1, at the beginning of the "thousand years" Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth. This creation of a new heavens and Earth is not to be confused with the new "heaven and earth" of Revelation 21:1, because that is a separate creative event which happens at the end of the one thousand years. Proof of this distinction is found within the above passage where it says the "child shall die," which shows that this is a time when death still has a grip on surviving mankind. It should also be noted that in the 1,000-year coming Kingdom, with the Lord Jesus Christ ruling the Earth from His throne at Jerusalem, the newly-created heavens and Earth have been restored to conditions similar to those which existed on the Earth from Adam to Noah. That is, those born during that time will live long lives, like antediluvian man. We know this because the life spans are described as "the days of a tree" and most trees live a few hundred years. Death is not finally defeated until the end of the one thousand years (see Revelation 21:14).

At the end of the 1,000-year Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth, the entire universe will be completely destroyed, including the present Earth, the stars, and all physical things. Death will be once and for all done away with and the unsaved consigned to eternal torment. Then God will make a new heaven and Earth (see Revelation 21:1), and will make all things new. The story will have come full circle. That is the future. Today we must deal with this present evil world and be prepared to meet God. Great geologic upheavals, astronomical events and worse are coming in the near future according to the Bible.

"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call."
(Joel 2:30-32 KJV)

"That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."
(Zephaniah 1:15-17 KJV) 

In the next chapter we are going to discuss the visions of Daniel and how show you just how close the world is to the brink of end-time prophecy fulfillment.

What Does Bible Prophecy Say About Volcanoes?

Posted on Apr 29, 2010 by John Ross Schroeder Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Marc Szeglat/Unsplash

You can casually dismiss these biblical prophecies as mere metaphorical word pictures without real meaning for us today. Or you can take them as true representations of literal events yet to come.

My wife, Jan, and I had long planned a family visit to the United States, booking a flight from London Heathrow to Atlanta months in advance. But Mt. Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland apparently had other ideas. For several days just before our scheduled flight virtually no flights were allowed at Heathrow and most other British airports. Would we fly? Or perhaps be delayed for days by the presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere, potentially very dangerous to airplanes?

Putting aside my family's personal situation (insignificant when compared with many marooned in foreign climes for days—often bereft of adequate financial resources), consider the larger effects of this volcanic disaster that severely stalled world travel of both passengers and high priority air freight. Each day of disruption cost the British nation alone many millions in pound sterling. Multiply that through much of Europe and you get a picture of the staggering financial loss.

Bible prophecy

Volcanoes are often triggered or accompanied by earthquakes, which are directly mentioned in Bible prophecy. Jesus Christ included earthquakes in His famous Olivet Prophecy. He prophesied of "famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7, emphasis added throughout).

Prophetic passages in the Old Testament warn mankind of phenomena described very similarly to what we call volcanoes today. "You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire" (Isaiah 29:6).

These biblical prophecies are often associated with catastrophic events leading up to Christ's second coming. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming…a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Joel 2:1-2).

The Song of Moses also speaks prophetically of similar divine punishments. "They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; they have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols… For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains" (Deuteronomy 32:21-22).

The apostle John describes major events leading to the second coming in the final book of the Bible. "I looked when He [Christ] opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood… And every mountain and island was moved out of its place" (Revelation 6:12-14).

Whether or not these prophecies specifically refer to volcanoes, they are all dire warnings of disasters brought on by humanity's sins and rejection of God.

Watch and pray

You can casually dismiss these biblical prophecies as mere metaphorical word pictures without real meaning for us today. Or you can take them as true representations of literal events yet to come. That's your choice!

Yet you should remember the sobering words of Jesus Christ in His Olivet Prophecy: "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

So, about our flight… Members of the United Church of God we know well in both Britain and America prayed that we would make our flight—and we did! God is in control of nature and can intervene at will in the world He created. This was a reminder that our only truly reliable safety, security and protection rest in His capable hands.

To understand much more about what the Bible tells us about God's prophecies for your future, read our free Bible study aid booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and Are We Living in the Time of the End?

The mammoth lake of fire exploding from the mouth of an erupting volcano unmistakably echoes the fires of hell. The similarity is impossible to ignore.

Robert Wenkam in The Edge of Fire acknowledges the Bible’s depiction of hell and a "volcanic lake of fire below the earth" are one and the same.

St. John the Divine wrote of these retributions in Chapter 20 of Revelations, where he warns of a "Fiery lake of burning brimstone" and how "the fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who led them astray was flung into the fiery, sulphurous lake, where the animal and the false prophet were, there to be tortured day and night forever and ever" St. John could have only been thinking of a volcanic lake of fire below the earth, . . ." (Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 132) 

Mr. Wenkam’s statement contains a glaring fallacy — John probably knew nothing of a volcano, much less ever seen one. Israel holds very little volcano activity. And John had no National Geographic magazines or Discovery channel to inform him of volcanoes.

Wenkam later ridicules the Lord Jesus’ message of hell as "the most sadistic fantasy ever conceived," yet the fiery spectacle of an erupting volcano provokes from even the most atheistic scientist — the thought of hell. They may rationally ridicule the place of hell, but their words "of hell" betray them.

"a new religion, Christianity was getting organized in Palestine with a Bible telling of anunderworld filled with molten lava, a lake of fire they called Hell. . .Hell is perhaps the most sadistic fantasy ever conceived. It is described, painted, and contemplated with incredibly perverse relish as a perpetual lake of fire where inextinguishable flames burn forever. To a Christian and a geologist, it is a reasonable description of the earth below, and it is understandable how. . . [volcanoes] has come to be associated with the ultimate punishment of sinners and unbelievers.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 132) 

The devil and sulfurous lakes of fire are like Hades and Hell, Christian liturgical symbols that have become American folklore. . . But even the most sophistic explorer will often describe awesome vistas in terms of the nether world, as Jacques Cousteau did on his television segment describing the summit crater on Deception Island in Antarctica" ‘It is satanic, like Hell frozen over’.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 133)

Deuteronomy 32:22, plainly states that the fire from the foundations of the mountains (a volcano) come from the lowest hell.

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Deuteronomy 32:22

VOLCANOES AND THE DEVIL •Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:41Throughout history, volcanoes possessed a bizarre attraction to the paranormal and cults. From the mythological Vulcan to the thousands of human sacrifices tossed in the mouth of the volcano to appease the "gods", a devilish enticement follows the fire-breathing volcano. The book, The Edge of Fire by Robert Wenkam devotes a complete chapter titled "Volcanoes and the Devil." The medium of the volcano inspire many new age and esoteric disciples. Popular New Age teacher and author Alice Bailey writes in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, ". . . Earth is changed through the medium of volcanic action. . ." Bailey claims a people called Agnichaitans live in volcanoes and ". . . they are the alchemists of the lower regions. . ." The unearthly appeal and tug coming from the hellish volcano defies human logic. Many cults and bizarre sects receive their inspiration and instruction from the volcano. 

The volcano Mt. Shasta in California was the birthplace of the occult group I AM. The "Ascended Master" St. Germain miraculously descended from the sky to hiker Guy Ballard. From Mt. Shasta, the "Ascended Master" communicated the esoteric teachings of the I AM. In the book, "Unveiled Mysteries," Ballard describes his mystical encounter with the satanic Germain as, ". . . He stood there before me -- A Magnificent God-like figure - in a white jeweled robe, a Light and Love sparkling in his eyes that revealed and proved the Dominion and Majesty that are his."

Mt. Shasta provides otherworld revelation for the Rosicrucians. They believe the mystic people of Lemuris or Mu inhabit Mt. Shasta. Wenkem reports the Lemurians appearance as "garbed in pure white and in sandals, with long curly hair, tall and majestic in appearance" (Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 131) The Rosicrucians also teach volcanic eruptions provide mystic atonement for the materialistic greed of humanity.

James Hilton received a supernatural vision at the volcanic Mt. Shasta that spawned the cultic book, Lost Horizon, which unfolded the new age land of Shangri-La. New age guru and founder of the satanic Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky traveled to Mount Shasta and claimed the Sanskrit word Sishta [Shasta] was an enlightened sect from a previous age. Occult disciple and writer, John P. Scott (On the Occult Path, Occult Interpretations, Four Gospels Esoterically Interpreted, et. al.) says "‘earthbound spirits from an old civilization" live at Mt. Shasta.

The inspiration from volcanoes created the "Dianetic" revelation for L. Ron Hubbard’s trendy Scientology. Hubbard’s perverted path claims that earthlings began when inhabitants from 76 planets, called the "Galactic Federation", left their mother planet, traveled to Earth and settled specifically at volcanoes. Hubbards’ Dianetic symbol is the fire spewing volcano.

Popular New Age teacher Nola Van Vale received esoteric messages from "Ascended Masters" at Mt. Shasta. Her occult books, The Tramp At My Door, My Meeting with the Masters on Mount Shasta and Mt. Shasta Ascended Master Teaching provide the basis of the new age Radiant School of Seekers and Servers.

Wenkam records 40 to 50 cults receive spiritual influence just from Mt. Shasta:

An estimated 40 to 50 cult groups attach spiritual significance to Mt. Shasta. They describe 15 to 20 kinds if strange beings living inside or somewhere on the mountain. Some believe a race of drawfs similar to Hawaiian menehunes or Irish leprechauns inhabit Shasta. (Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. pp. 131, 132) 

Wenkam also records ordinary travelers commonly see bizarre beings at the volcanic Mt. Shasta:

In past years, reports by travelers in the region of Shasta have mentioned seeing odd-looking persons who ran back into hiding when seen, people ‘distinctive in features and complexion. . . have the appearance of being quite old and yet exceedingly agile.(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. pp. 131, 132) 

The Connected Traveler writes the occult world bountifully inhabit Mt. Shasta:

Channelers, astrologers and shops that sell healing crystals, tarot cards, wands and other spiritual needs are as common as 7-Elevens. They'll sell you maps plotting Shasta's lines of energy, vortexes and other places with spirits and forces that one does not find in Anaheim or the Bronx. (Mt. Shasta, The Connected Traveler, ) 

Many more accounts exist linking Mt. Shasta to the occult. Several books such as Mt. Shasta: History, Legend & Lore, Mt. Shasta: California's Mystic Mountain, and Secrets from Mt. Shasta detail the mystic history of Mt. Shasta.

Volcano Mt. Saint Helens in Washington provides cosmic connections to frequent cult activity. Weird lights, unearthly sounds, UFO sightings and unusual beings are commonly reported at Mt. St. Helens. Sightings of the legendary Sasquatch, named "Bigfoot," commonly occur at Mt. St. Helens. Many volcanic cults such as The Children of the Great Firey One reside at Mt. St. Helens.

In 1998, a UFO sect of thirty-two Germans and one Spanish woman traveled to the volcano Mt. Teide in Spain. Led by German psychologist, Fittkau-Garthe, they designed a mass suicide to enable their souls transported away in a UFO at the volcano. 

The strange clone-cult known as the "Raelians" was born at the volcano. Cult leader Claude Vorilhon supposedly met alien beings at the volcano "Le Puy de Lassalas." There the mysterious beings presented Vorilhon with the "Raelian" gospel. Vorilhon claims to have met with Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha and Moses while flying to other planets. Vorilhon’s deluded followers number in the thousands, and own the cloning company Clonaid. Vorilhon says Jesus Christ was resurrected using cloning.

Clearly, the fire-breathing dragon called a volcano possesses a curious and diabolical appeal to the cults and occult.

SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED - •

 

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:1 Timothy 6:20 

Our scientific exploration of hell begins with a brief history of the past and present theories of volcanoes. Let us carefully weigh the shifting sand of science against the solid rock of the Word of God. Science has changed and revised and rewritten its theories through the years. But the Bible never wavered. It never changed. Its gospel of both hope and horror has been preached and printed far more than any other message. Its scientific accuracy has been fiercely challenged and mocked through the years. And yet, even with the keen knowledge of twenty-first century science, every verifiable scientific discovery loudly testifies to the truthfulness of the Word of God. And hell forms perhaps the Bible’s greatest verifiable scientif- ic witness.

Let me address my readers who instinctively break out with scientific-itis. In other words, you find science boring, worthless and just flat out weird. Please keep reading and be patient. We’ll get you through the fog of science shortly.

Let us travel through the halls of science and briefly inspect their myth, monsters and madness from yesteryear explaining the fearsome volcano.

The renowned Roman poet Virgil, who lived around 70 B.C. – 19 B.C. (near the time of Jesus), taught an unusual but popular theory about volcanoes:

The Roman poet Virgil (70 B.C.–19 B.C.) attribute the eruptions of Etna to the desperate efforts of the rebellious Titan Enceladus to free himself from the underground prison to which Jupiter had consigned him. The trembling of the earth stemmed from his writhing, the eruption from his burning breath, and the rumbling from his plaintive voice. (Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 5) 

Many preposterous and ridiculous delusions about volcanoes permeated the time of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the Greeks believe that their fire god, Hephastus, frequented this vicinity. The Romans placed his dwelling in the crater of Vulcan.This unruly child of Jupiter and Juno, they said, had set up a forge beneath the crater, and there, amid flames and smoke, he hammered out the bronze arrows of Apollo. . . (Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 5) 

The Roman mythical god Vulcan was so attributed to the volcano, the name "volcano" comes courtesy of the god of Vulcan. National Geographicwrites, "In ancient times the natural phenomenon merged with myth, drawing its name from a Roman god, Vulcan, ruler of fire, forge, and hearth."
(Volcanoes: Crucibles of Creation, National Geographic, Dec. 1992, p. 13)

It is worth noting that the Lord Jesus (and even the much older, Old Testament writers) never spoke such superstitious, mythical gibberish. Every single statement where the Bible describes the "heart of the earth" it aligns 100% with today’s authenticated science. Not one statement, among 31,102 verses; 788,258 words, ever contradict true science. Not one.

The following silly superstitions and volcanic monsters were popular teachings during the time of the Lord Jesus.

The primitive people of Chile, for example, believed that a monstrous whale lived inside volcanoes, while inhabitants of India saw the monster as a gigantic mole or ferocious boar. The ancient Japanese thought a huge and horrifying spider lay inside. The Indonesians believed there was snake, Hontobogo by name, which held up the whole world wit its body. . . Innumerable superstitions and rites connected with volcanoes have now come to light; and in more advanced civilizations too, the imaginary inhabitants of volcanoes were closely related to myths of gods and devils.(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 7) 

The Greek philosopher Plato (427 – 347 B.C.) is championed among our universities and institutes of higher learning. Plato’s words and wisdom are considered almost the divine words of a god. Plato was among the first to seriously study volcanoes with a scientific discipline. The following are Plato’s teachings concerning the heart of the earth:

One of the earliest scientific approaches to the question of volcanoes was that of Plato. He claimed that earthquakes were caused by hot winds imprisoned and under pressure in immense subterranean caverns. They caught fire from contact with the great burning river, the Pyrriphlegathon, and then gave birth to a volcano. (Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12) 

Another giant amongst the academic elite is Aristotle (384–322 B.C. and one of Plato’s students). Aristotle’s "pneumatic" folly for the volcanic fire also arose from "winds trapped within the earth."

In his Meteorics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) suggested that volcanoes and earthquakes were caused by winds trapped within the earth. . . (Clayton, Keith, The Crust of the Earth, The Story of Geology, The Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, 1967. p. 10-12)

He [Aristotle] thought that waves breaking on the sea-shore compressed the air in caves along the coast, forcing it into the earth. Then, when it came into contact with sulphur and bitumen, the air would set them alight. Flames, smoke, scoria (lava fragments) and ashes then escaped through the vents of volcanoes.This "pneumatic" theory dominated scientific thinking for more than 2,000 years, and terms like scoria and ash are still used in scientific language. . . This "combustion" theory which seemed, in effect, to be the only possible explanation, was accepted without reservation by philosophers and by most naturalists until the end of about the eighteenth century.(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. pp. 8, 10) 

Until the last hundred years, Aristotle’s "combustion" concoction became the best theory the scientific community could "dream up." The fact that inside this earth contained a lake of fire, hotter than the surface of the sun, never entered their naturalistic dulled minds. To the scientific world, such a place did not seem possible.

Needless to say, the scientific knowledge about volcanoes was late coming. In fact, (as we'll see) the scientific community only discovered any serious truth about volcanoes within the last hundred years. As one writer conveyed science's limited knowledge of volcanoes:In early times our knowledge of volcanoes was limited. People could see the smoke and lava that spewed forth from the volcanoes but didn’t understand what caused it. Many cultures explained these powerful forces by telling stories about the gods that lived in the volcano. Greek mythology, for example, was full of references to volcanoes. In their legends, Typhon, a hideous monster with many heads, drooled lava and spat out fiery rocks. To put a stop to this menace, Zeus imprisoned Typhon under Mt. Etna, the world's tallest active volcano. According to legend this is the source of all the mountain's volcanic activity. In addition, the Greeks credited the god Hephaestus for eruptions. He was generally a peaceful craftsman and the master of the forge, but if provoked, he could vent his wrath on the people in a storm of volcanic ash. Hephaestus later became the Roman god Vulcan.(http://www.algebralab.org/pas- sage/passage.aspx?file=EarthSp- ace_Volcanoes.xml) 

In 1665 German scholar Athanasius Kircher drew an early cross section of the earth. In his view, winds fan subterranean reservoirs of fire, inflaming volcanoes around the globe. (Center of the Earth, National Geographic, Jan. 1996, p. 104)

The 1700s heralded the lofty "Age of Enlightenment." This famed time period bears juicy accolades such as the "Age of Rationalism" or "Age of Idealism," trumpeting its intellectual and scientific progress. Their "enlightenment" regarding the heart of the earth remained in the dark. The following include a few "Age of Enlightenment" delusions:

Sometime around 1700 the French chemist Lemery noticed that a mixture of iron filings and flowers of sulphur, dampened by water, spontaneously heats up to the point of incandescence and gives off steam and other projected matter. . .This idea took root that volcanoes are produced by the combustion and fermentation of certain matter in contact with air and water. The famous French naturalist Buffon enthusiastically adopted this theory in his Natural History, written in the middle of the eighteenth century. . .  (Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12-13) 

Published in 1770, Count de Buffon’s Natural History, stands high among scientists and naturalists. The following excerpts from Buffon’s Natural History, illustrates his famous theory of the volcanic fire:

A volcano is an immense cannon whose barrel may be a mile in diameter. Its mouth vomits torrents of smoke and flames, rivers of bitumen, sulphur and molten metal, clouds of ash and stones. . . The noise, fire and smoke are caused by the fact that in the burning mountains there are accumulations of sulphur, bitumen and other flammable matter, as well as minerals and pyrites which ferment when exposed to air and dampness. When they catch fire there is an explosion proportional to the quantity of flammable matter. . . The center of volcanic activity is not deep down in the earth but near the surface; only for this reason does wind fan the combustion. . .  (Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de, Natural History qtd. Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12-13) 

The following are more recent "grasping for straws" scientific clunkers explaini- ng the "fire" in the earth:

In the eighteenth century it was thought that electricity, which had only just been discovered, might be the source of volcanic energy, and this idea was thoroughly examined. (Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 11) 

Sir Humphry Davy ascribed volcanic heat to the oxidation of material in the deep interior of the Earth. An alternative idea was put forward by the engineer Robert Mallet, who was one of the founders of seismology. He believed that the heat of the volcanic action was derived from the work of crushing rocks beneath the surface.
(Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 6)

Finally, in the twentieth century, the discovery of radioactivity gave new scope to hypothesis about the origin of volcanoes. According to one theory, the rocks inside the earth were melted by heat resulting from radioactivity produced by uranium, thorium and potassium. Finally, there have been hypothesis concerning atomic ‘bombs’ (nuclear reactions occurring naturally).
(Rittmann, A. and L.. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 11)

But as research by scientists and naturalists progressed, their study of volcanic phenomena was concentrated on a single problem: to discover the source of the heat which fed volcanoes-in other words, to find the origin of volcanic energy.
(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 10)

The source of the heat that melts rocks was once a subject of lively debate. The leading contenders were the Earth’s original heat from the time of formation; heat from the breakdown of the radioactive isotopes of uranium, thorium, and potassium; heat from the gravitative energy of redistributing heavy elements toward the center of the Earth; and heat from the tidal friction of slowing the Earth’s rotation. Most geologists now agree that the decay of radioactive isotopes is the principal heat source.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes, W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1997 p. 186)

We could quickly stock a good size library with the preposterous theories and delusions science plagued history with attempting to explain volcanic fire. Suffice to say, until 150 short years ago, the scientific community remained in the dark illuminating the fire inside the earth. Their best theories were myth, monsters and madness.

The Crust of the Earth, acknowledges earth science’s abscess of "myth, guesswork, and vague philosophical speculation" littering history all those years.

The key to the growing body of knowledge is the geologist’s ability to collect masses of indirect evidence and to interpret it by physical and chemical laws. Until about 150 years ago, however, this kind of scientific rigor was rarely applied to man’s inquiries into the nature and history of our planet. Before then, the path toward knowledge was littered with myth, guesswork, and vague philosophical speculation. (Clayton, Keith, The Crust of the Earth, The Story of Geology, The Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, 1967, p. 10) 

But that would soon change. . .

SCIENCE GOES TO HELL •

 

Though they dig into hell. . . Amos 9:2 

In the late 1800’s, earth sciences found the proverbial magic bullet for their study of the earth’s interior. Earthquakes literally fired the magic bullet. In 1889, E. von Rebleur Paschwitz discovered that earthquakes create enormous seismic waves that travel deep into the earth’s interior. These earthquake waves produce two unique seismic waves (called simply P and S) that enable geophysics to remotely "see" inside the earth. The P-waves (Primary waves) travel the fastest (hence the "Primary" wave) through both solid and liquid. The S-waves (Secondary waves) arrive after the P-waves and travel only through liquid. When the P and S waves strike different structures, such as liquid or solid, the seismic waves reflect or bend in accordance to the structure.

The data from seismographs opened a dim "peek" into the heart of the earth. Just as X-rays allow physicians to "see" inside the human body by producing images based on body structure, seismographs provide the same for geologists. Scientists analyze the seismographic data from hundreds of earthquakes and create a projected image of the earth interior. Then using an imaging method called seismic tomography (much like the computer-aided tomography [CAT] scans in medicine) scientists can "look" inside the earth. For the first time, science is able to "peep" inside the earth. The view remains dim and invites much speculation, but many false theories quickly die.

The seismographic revolution produced a gigantic scientific breakthrough. The following quotes come from earth science publications celebrating seismology’s earth-shattering "peephole" into the earth’s heart:

Once entirely off limits to our questing curiosity the Earth’s core has largely yielded up its secrets, substantially thanks to studies of the seismic waves produced during earthquakes that allow us to "see" deep into the Earth. (McGuire, Bill. London: Quarto Inc., 2002 Raging Planet, p. 17) 

At the turn of the century there was a crucial break in the hitherto unresolvable debate on the architecture of the Earth’s interior—the onset of the seismological age.
(Bolt, Bruce. Inside the Earth, p. 7)

The major source of our information about the Earth’s interior comes from seismology – the study of earthquakes.
(J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 20)

For the first time in history, the physical structure of earth’s interior became vaguely evident. The seismographic data painted the popular picture of the interior’s earth that consisted of three main layers: the crust, mantle and core. Scientists determined the three layers by mapping the change in structure from the seismographic readings.

The most revealing view of the earth’s interior comes from the observation of earthquake waves propagated over long distances. . . The division of the earth into crust, mantle and core is based on such seismic observations.(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior, Scientific American, Inc., W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1982, p.103) 

A brief description of the seismographic portrait of the earth’s three layers is as follows:

The Crust

The crust forms the earth’s outer layer. It is solid consisting of approximately 30 miles deep on land and 5-10 miles deep in the ocean floor. The crust creates the land area on which we live. 

The Mantle

The mantle occupies the Earth’s middle layer. It travels roughly 1,800 miles (2,900 km) and appears solid. Scientistsspeculate the mantle consist of iron and nickel. 

The Core

The core inhabits the "heart of the earth." It begins after the mantle, at approximately 1,800 miles under your feet. Geophysicists divide the core into an inner and outer core. The outer core literally consists of a "lake of fire" of molten iron and sulfur. It reaches a temperature of over 12,000 Fahrenheit, which is hotter than the surface of the sun! The lake of fire erupting from the mouth of a volcano comes from the outer core, travels through fractures in the mantle and out via cracks in the crust. The core contains the place of hell. The core also offers earth science’s greatest mystery. 

The following significant breakthroughs in the study of the earth’s interior recently came to light due to seismographic data. Notice, all these discoveries occurred in the last 100 years—and they all confirm the Bible’s description of hell.

• In 1906, R.D. Oldham discovered the liquid core.
• In 1913, German geophysicist Beno Gutenberg discovered the mantle-core boundary.
• In 1915, Beno Gutenberg calculated the size of the earth’s core.
• In 1926, geophysicist Sir Harold Jeffreys verified the "heart of the earth" contained a "lake of fire."
• In 1936, Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann discovered a distinct boundary in the Earth’s core, creating the outer and inner core.
• In the early 1960s, the size of the inner core was calculated from the seismic data generated from a nuclear test in Nevada.

Jesus Christ gave precise details of the earth’s interior that match exactly what scientists have only recently discovered. For thousands of years, science spawned bogus theories of: mystic winds blowing through the earth producing fire breathing friction; or Vulcan myths, legends and monsters; or the magic of fire producing electricity; or fire-breathing radioactive decay; or maybe some silly flaming rudiment left over from the comical "Big Bang" delusion.

Finally, after several thousand years of zany slap-stick theories, science repents and confesses – a lake of fire really dwells in the earth. The truth is — they now have no other choice. The scientific evidence burns too bright.

Let us pause and fully digest the scientific knowledge that Jesus Christ understood of the earth’s interior. Do not take this lightly. Our generation possesses an inherent obstacle in realizing the supernatural revelations of the Bible. We live in an advanced age when mankind has conquered and discovered many incredible frontiers. Computers, robotics, nuclear mechanics, space shuttles, nanotechnology, DNA and scores of everyday innovations fill our world that a few short years ago were unimaginable. With the advent of television, we can actually see volcanoes erupting, earthquakes cracking and scores of incredible events. When we read the Bible with the enhanced mindset of the twenty-first century we naturally react, "Big deal, everybody knew that." But they didn’t two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ walked this earth. Science did not realize a lake of fire was inside the earth until 1926!

In an interview with U.S. Geological Survey, geophysicist Sir Harold Jeffreys was asked for his "most significant contributions to seismology?"

HS: Which do you regard as the most significant of your contributions to seismology?  JEFFREYS: Three, I would say. First, the definite statement in 1926 that the Earth's core is liquid.
(Sir Harold Jeffreys - An Interview, by Henry Spall , U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/seis- mology/people/int_jeffreys.htm- l) 

In our voyage to the center, we have now reached shell E, which constitutes the enormous liquid outer core of the Earth. Of its liquidity, first established convincingly by Sir Harold Jeffreys of Cambridge University. . . [in 1926]
(Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 83)

It was humanly impossible for Jesus Christ to know inside this earth roars an ocean of fire. We previously read where the limited knowledge of His day was myth, monsters and superstitions. There were no publications describing erupting volcanoes. The first recorded eyewitness account of an erupting volcano was not available until 104 A.D. in Italy – not Israel. Nearly one hundred years after Jesus Christ walked this earth.

The first recorded eyewitness report of an erupting volcano did not occur until Pliny the Younger in 104 A.D. in two letters to friends on the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. (Moores, Eldridge I. Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Time-Life Books: p. 47) 

We can now travel the globe and video every little event. Hundreds of erupting volcanoes are readily available for the world to see. But during the time of Jesus Christ, few volcanoes were even known. Even then, they were only known by the local people. Today, scientists monitor over 1500 active volcanoes.

Author Bill McGuire in The Raging Planet, writes specifically "at the time of Christ" only a handful of Mediterranean active volcanoes were known.

In past times, however, the threat from volcanoes was often not realized and, if no signs of life were evident, an active volcanic core was not distinguished from any other mountain. Without widespread use of the written word, memories were short, and within a few generations recollections of past eruptions and past catastrophes were quickly lost. If a list of active volcanoes had been out together at the time of Christ, it would have contained only a handful of Mediterranean volcanoes such as Etna and Stromboli. A list recently compiled by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington contains over 550 volcanoes at which historical eruptions have been recorded, and another 1,000 or so that are still clearly "alive." (McGuire, Bill. Raging Planet. London: Quarto Inc., 2002, p. 43) 

Jesus Christ the man never saw an erupting volcano. As a man, He probably never heard anyone describe an exploding volcano. At least 75% of all volcanoes occur along the volatile fault line, fittingly called the "Ring of Fire." The Ring of Fire surrounds the Pacific Ocean and travels from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. Obviously, Israel is nowhere near the Ring of Fire. The book Raging Planet (p. 23) states, "Luckily for some of us, volcanoes and large earthquakes are not distributed randomly across the entire planet." Consequently, Israel contains no active volcanoes. Consequently, "the man" Jesus Christ knew nothing about an erupting volcano. Consequently, it was not humanly possible for Jesus Christ to know a fire dwells inside this earth. But He knew! And boy, did He know. . .

It was not until 1926 that science finally discovered the earth contains a lake of fire! Yet, the man, Jesus Christ authoritatively and repeatedly preached this over 2,000 years ago!

Caspar Peucer, a famous fourteenth century astronomer and physician, who researched the fiery volcano eruptions at Heklafell wrote as the fires of hell ascended, "fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth" could be heard "for many miles. . ."

"Out of the bottomless abyss of Heklafell, or rather out of Hell itself, rise melancholy cries and loud wailings, so that these can be heard for many miles around. . . there may be heard in the mountain fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth."  (Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73) 

Caspar Peucer is not alone. Throughout history, others confess they’ve heard "cries and screaming" coming from the mouth of volcanoes.

"The fearsome noises that issued from some of their volcanoes were certainly thought to be the screams of tormented souls in the fires of hell below". (Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE EARTH •For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:40 

Let us dig a little deeper in our exploration of the "heart of the earth"—the "holy grail" of earth sciences.

As scientists analyzed the seismographic information, an unexpected and dramatic seismographic change occurred inside the "heart of the earth." A change so striking appeared, it has left geophysicists scratching their heads for an explanation.

As the seismographic waves traveled down to 1,800 miles, the data maps the liquid, "lake of fire" of the outer core. When the waves reached the inner core animmediate change in density occurs. It appears not as a gradual transformation normally observed when a liquid changes to solid, but a sharp distinct boundary occurs. This sudden and bewildering change in density fashioned the theory of the solid inner core. Consequently, every current science book pictures the earth with a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.

The outer core, down to 5150 kilometers, is molten in the sense it does not transmit shear vibrations. The final inner core is apparently solid.(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior, Scientific American, Inc., W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1982, p. 83) 

This sharp inner-outer core boundary presents earth sciences most baffling mystery. Scientists surmise that the solid inner core mysteriously cooled down below the melting point. But how can this be? The huge (1800 miles thick) surrounding outer core consists of extremely hot (12,000F) liquid iron. And scientists readily acknowledge the deeper into the earth—the hotter the temperature. The scientific concoctions decip- hering the abrupt inner-out core boundary sounds a lot like the mythic Vulcan-god lives in the volcano.

The book Schaums’ Outline Series: Theory and Problems of Earth Sciences tackles the sixty-four million dollar question:

"The earth’s interior consists of a liquid layer (the outer core) sandwiched between the solid inner core and the sold mantle. How can such a curious structure have come into being?"(Beiser, Arthur. Schaums’ Outline Series: Theory and Problems of Earth Sciences. McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1975, p. 74) Parroting the Darwinian muddled-madness, Beiser repeats the evolution-party-line fairy-tale of the big-bang gobbledygook. 

Geophysicists Jacobs confesses to the "puzzling problem" of a presumed sold inner core [IC], supposing the inner-outer core boundary "must be at the melting point."

"A puzzling problem is how the Earth could have evolved into its present structure with a sold mantle, solid IC [inner core] and liquid OC [outer core]. A possible explanation was put forward by Jacobs in 1953. If the transition from the IC to the OC is a transition from the solid to the liquid form of a single material, then the boundary must be at the melting point." (J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 67) 

In order to explain the perplexing solid inner core, geophysicists came up with the theory that the higher pressure exerted on the inner core raises the melting point just enough to prevent the inner core from melting. No verifiable data supports their claim.

Although every earth science publication and text book always pictures the interior of the earth with a solid inner core, there exists much debate over the state of the inner core. The solid inner-core is no slam dunk. A couple of examples follow:

"Depending on how the results of the experiments are extrapolated, it is possible to reach either the conclusion that the iron and nickel in the core are liquid, or that they are solid. As a result some researchers assert that the core cannot be molten. This is known as the ‘core paradox’, and was a topic of debate among earth scientists."(Ozima, Minoru, The Earth: Its Birth and Growth, Cambridge University Press, 1981, p. 48)In 1983, Dr. H.G. Owen of the British Museum of Natural History authored the highly-acclaimed and controversial, Atlas of Continental Displacement, 200 Million Years to the Present. The following source details Dr. Owen’s assertion that the solid inner core "may be a myth." Dr. Owen also maintains that the seismographic readings of both a solid inner core and a plasma inner core "would be similar." 

 

At the same time, Owen also introduced an ingenious idea: "Are the pressure and heat in the interior of the Earth enough to maintain a plasma core? They probably are, and the solid nickel-iron core of the textbooks may be a myth". According to the transmission of seismic waves through the Earth's core and the composition of meteorites, it had previously been thought that the inner core was solid, composed of nickel, iron and probably sulphur. The outer core was assumed to be molten. Owen explains that "the behavior of waves passing through a plasma core would be similar to that in a solid iron-sulphur core". (Owen, H.G., Atlas of Continental Displacement: 200 Million Years to the Present, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983. cited at ) 

To throw another odd piece into the outer-inner-core puzzle, Harvard Professor Adam Dziewonski and winner of the coveted William Bowie Medal of geophysicists, claims to have discovered another core of 360 miles in diameter inside the inner core – an inner-inner core. (Science 274, pp. 1883-1887, 1996)

THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 

The speculation that the boundary of the inner-outer core must be at the melting point of the liquid-fire of the outer core generates a serious problem. The difficulty arises because the boundary is not a gradual change normally observed when a liquid state changes to a solid. Seismologist Bruce Bolt acknowledges, "The boundary between the outer and inner core is sharp."

The Earth’s core is so remote that only the most general arguments from basic physics can be used to estimate temperature. From seismological observations, the outer core is liquid and the inner core probably is solid. The boundary between the outer and inner core is sharp. . . (Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 161)  
The above drawing is the data simulation from an actual seismographic reading. We yellow-highlighted the line that runs through the inner core. Notice the sharp turns at the entrance and exit of the inner core revealing a major structure change. This clearly proves something "prepared" is in the heart of the earth.
(Figure from the book Inside the Earth by Bruce A. Bolt p. 40, with high-lighting added for clarity) 

Examining the scientific data available, one fact is certain — whatever lies inside the "heart of the earth" is no accident. It is no "Big Bang" fairy-tale. It is definite. . . It is deliberate. . . It was clearly placed there for apurpose. (Matthew 25:41)

THE TEMPERATURE OF HELL •For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell. . .Deuteronomy 32:22 

Dr. Bruce Bolt ranks among the world’s top seismologists. His extensive expertise compasses over forty years, including such lofty accolades as: Director of the University of California Seismographic Stations for 28 years; President of the prestigious Seismological Society of America and Emeritus Professor of Seismology at U.C. Berkeley. One of Dr. Bolt’s many books, Inside the Earth, published in 1982, stands tall within the works of earth sciences. In 1982, Dr. Bolt recorded the following conclusions about the earth’s temperature:

Another important subject of speculation last century was the temperature inside the Earth. It was known from mining operations that the temperature of the rocks increases with increasing depths. . . The snag is that if this rate of increase continues even deeper the temperature of the interior would become enormous; at only a depth of 500 kilometers, for example, it would exceed 10,000C. The inference is that the high rate of temperature increase measured at the surface does not continue uniformly to great depths or we would arrive at temperatures exceeding that thought to occur at the surface of the Sun. A reasonable alternative, in the view of the early geophysicists, was that the Earth was cooling inward from the surface and outward from the center. The concept thus emerged of a mainly solid Earth containing a spherical nucleus that was perhaps liquid or liquid and viscous gas.  (Bolt, Bruce A. Inside the Earth. pp. 4, 5) 

Notice a few important observations Dr. Bolt presents:

If the "known" rate of temperature increase per depth continues, temperatures inside the earth, ". . . would arrive at temperatures exceeding that thought to occur at the surface of the Sun." 

Because the enormous high temperature would exceed the surface of the sun appears impossible, Dr. Bolt reasons, "A reasonable alternative, in the view of the early geophysicists, was that the Earth was cooling inward from the surface and outward from the center." 

Dr. Bolt concludes, "The concept thus emerged of a mainly solid Earth containing a spherical nucleus that was perhaps liquid or liquid and viscous gas." 

Dr. Bolt’s conjectures of a cooling, solid inner core, based primarily upon the improbability of such enormous high temperatures searing in the "heart of the earth," resounds throughout earth sciences. The de facto conclusion among earth scientists is the extremely high temperatures are not possible. Not based on any data, but only speculation. In fact, the data tells us something different.

Author Shawna Nogel asks in The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics:

"How hot is the center of the earth? Such a basic question is a gaping hole in geophysicists’ understanding of the planet and therefore a matter that they have returned to again and again." (Nogel, Shawna. The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics p. 106) 

How hot is the center of the earth? A lot hotter than science ever imagined. . .

Just as many previous scientific presumptions were shattered, in 1986 two notable experiments literally squashed the tightly-held belief that the earth’s interior can not reach the enormous temperatures as the data forecasted. Both tests were exclusive of each other involving completely different techniques, and yet both produced the same results.

Any serious simulation of the core’s temperature deemed hopeless because of the incredible amount of pressure exerted at the earth’s core. The mammoth weight from the mantle’s 1800 miles of dense rock pressing against the outer core generates over 3.5 million times the earth’s surface pressure. When pressure increases, higher temperatures are required to melt the material.

The melting point for iron on the earth’s surface is 2800 F. The huge pressure at the core greatly raises the melting point of iron. For scientists to effectively measure the core’s temperature, they must reproduce the enormous pressure at the core. At that point, they could measure the temperature that melted iron and presto -- that should be the temperature of the outer core. Only one problem, there exists no known method or machinery for scientists to produce that enormous pressure. That is, until 1986. . .

In 1986, two separate experiments were conducted that simulated the enormous pressure at the core. The tests measured the melting point of iron at 250 gigapascals (250 gigapascals equal about 725 million p.s.i.). The prestigious journal Science (April 10, 1987 vol. 236) reported the results of the following tests.

At the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) geophysicist Tom Ahrens created a colossal cannon of over 105 feet to reproduce extreme pressures by shooting small pieces of matter at over sixteen thousand miles an hour. This is no child’s play, taking over 20 years to reproduce and requiring over five pounds of troglycerine and nitrocellulose as explosive power. For a tiny fraction of a second the discharged matter experiences the enormous pressure at the core. Shooting small pieces of iron, Ahrens was able to calculate the melting point of iron at the core pressure. The results shot an earthquake rumbling through the geophysicist world.

As Ahrens and crew measured the enormous pressure and temperature created by the gigantic cannon, 350 miles up the coast experiments at the University of California at Berkeley took a different route to arrive at the same destination. Geophysicist Raymond Jeanloz fashioned a laser–heated, diamond-anvil to create the core’s enormous pressure. Utilizing lasers Jeanloz replicated the core’s temperature by compressing small specks of iron in the diamond anvil. Despite completely different methods exercised both experiments yielded the same shocking results.

Author Shawna Nogel recounts the startling outcome in The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics:

"The paper came out in Science in April 1987. . . By anyone’s measure, this was an eventful year. The researchers declared the temperature at the center of the earth to be approximately 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That was thousands of degrees higher than past estimates. In fact, it was hundred of degrees hotter than the surface of the sun."  (Nogel, Shawna. The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics, p. 111) 

As recent as 1982, esteemed geophysicist Dr. Bolt stated, "it appears impossible to fix temperatures. . . in the core better than 1000 C [1832 F]". (Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 162)

Just four short years later, geophysicists in two separate experiments demonstrated the earth’s core greater than 12,000F!

Again, science inadvertently endors- es a place that the Bible described precisely thousand- s of years ago. Throughout those thousands of years, while science zealously concocted hundreds and hundreds of fallacies and delusions, the Bible never flinched. It never wavered. Science smugly ridiculed, mocked and snickered at the Lord Jesus’ in-depth descriptions of hell. Now thousands of years later, the evidence literally burns too hot and too bright that even skeptical science can not extinguish it. Is there any doubt to the reality of the place called hell?

The Birmingham News of April, 10, 1987 reported their findings in an article titled, "Earth’s Center Hotter Than Sun’s Surface, Scientists Say:" The article states the extreme temperatures at the core surprised the scientists in that "the finding. . . suggests the core" [the heart of the earth] "is the source of much of the heat." The Lord Jesus described the core or heart of the earth thousands of years ago as a flaming lake of fire.

The center of the Earth is hotter than the sun’s surface with temperatures thousands of degrees higher than once thought, say scientists who used diamonds and guns to mimic pressures at the planet’s core. Earth’s inner core has a temperature of about 12,420 degrees Fahrenheit compared with previous estimates of 4,900 to 6,700 degrees, scientists from the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology reported today in the journal Science. . . The finding is surprising because it suggests the core [the heart of the earth], not the overlying mantle, is the source of much of the heat that makes huge plates of the Earth’s crust slide over its surface in a process called continental drift or plate tectonics. . .("Earth’s Center Hotter Than Sun’s Surface, Scientists Say:" The Birmingham News, April, 10, 1987) 

The article says scientists were "surprised" to discover the heat comes from the core. Until 1986, science previously believed the fire came from the outlying mantle, not inside the "heart of the earth." May I remind my readers, in 1450 B.C. Deuteronomy 32:22 emphatically states that the fire from the "lowest hell" [the core] shall set on fire the foundations of the mountain.

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.Deuteronomy 32:22 

In Raging Planet, author Bill McGuire unintentionally repe- ats the words of Deuteronomy 32:22 – it is inside the "heart of the earth" where the fires of hell burn:

Ultimately, it is the Earth’s metallic core that provides the enormous heat energy, first to the mantle, and then upward to the rigid exterior and the plates. Here, nearly 3,100 miles (5,000km) beneath the surface, is the Earth’s heart, a part liquid, part solid ball of nickel and iron as hot as the surface of the Sun. (McGuire, Bill. London: Quarto Inc., 2002 Raging Planet, p. 15)THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY THE WORD OF GOD •Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Hebrews 11:3 

Everything we can humanly verify about hell, matches exactly as the Bible describes. All the verifiable data soundly confirms the physical elements of the Bible details of hell. Despite the vast amount of provable data, I'm certain the vast majority of scientists (and even some Christians) would ridicule the thought that hell actually exists inside this earth.

But despite science's opposition towards the Word of God, they invariably "testify" to its truthfulness. And hell is no difference. They may not actually believe in hell, but boy do they "preach" about it. In fact, if most preachers preached about hell like some of these scientists, we'd have a lot more people saved from hell.

Notice the following scientists “preaching” about hell:

Note: This is just a few of the literally hundreds of such proclamations of hell.

PBS series "SAVAGE EARTH" titled "HELL'S CRUST" 
(http://www.pbs.org/wn- et/savageearth/hellscrust/inde- x.html)

National Geographic Magazine's volcano article titled "GOING TO HELL"
(http://www.nationalgeogr- aphic.com/ngm/0011/feature3/in- dex.html)

Adventure Tour's exploration of the Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes - "Gates to the Hell" tour.

Lassen Volcanic National Park called "Hell on Earth"

The article states, “The only place in California where you can get a glimpse of Hades is Bumpass Hell.”
(http://gorp.away.com/- gorp/location/ca/lassen3.htm)

Nature's Science Update on volcanoes titled “Rivers of Fire”

The article states, “Volcanoes may be more like Hell than anyone realized. Eruptions disgorge streams of molten sulphur, the brimstone of evangelical preachers, which burns up before it can be preserved for posterity, new research in the journal Geology shows."

BBC Volcano Program titled "Volcano Hell"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/sci- ence/horizon/2001/volcanohell.- shtml)

National Geographics "Eye in the Sky" Series for Nature's Fury under "Volcanoes" displays the above three images:
"FIRE", "BRIMSTONE", "HELL ON EARTH".
(http://www.nationalgeo- graphic.com/eye/volcanoes/volc- anoes.html)

Oceaus' Journey into the crater of a volcano - “Into the ‘Mouth of Hell’”
(http://www.whoi.edu- /oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=133- 50)

'Going Into Hell' - Ambrym Lava Lakes
(http://www.vanuatu.net.v- u/tourism/intro/infocolumns/Am- brym-Volcano-Vanuatu-Lava-Lake- s.shtml)

THE FORBIDDEN IRON •And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.Deuteronomy 27:5 

Due to the recent advancement of earth sciences, geophysicists have concluded the fire inside the earth consists of primarily iron and sulfur. According to The Planet Earth, "The observed outer core density is slightly too low for pure iron, however, and it is thought to comprise a mixture of 10 per cent sulfur and 90 per cent iron." (The Planet Earth, World Book, Inc, Chicago 1985, p. 51)

Iron occupies a substantial reference in the Word of God of at least 102 references. The scriptures firmly identify iron as a symbol of strength, judgment and the wrath of God.

The following scriptures depict iron as a symbol for stern judgment.

Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Deuteronomy 28:48 

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
Judges 4:3

6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
7 But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.
2 Samuel 23:6-7

10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psalm 107:10-11

17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: 18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Psalm 105:17-19 

Iron frequently represents the wrath of God. The following scriptures reveal a frightening usage of iron.

In 2 Samuel 12, iron was specifically mentioned in executing the severe wrath of God upon the cities of Ammon.

And he [David] brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 12:31 

Iron evokes judgment and the wrath of God at the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 10 and 11 are references to the judgment of God at the second advent. The thickets of the forest represent people. Notice verse 11:1 is the second advent of the Lord Jesus.

33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isaiah 10:33-11:1 

Several times the scriptures symbolize the wrath of God at the second advent as a devastating "rod of iron."

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psalm 2:4-9 

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 2:27

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Revelation 12:5

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:15-16

It is also remarkable the Latin word for "iron" is ferrum which literally means "sword." The atomic symbol (fe) for iron comes from the Latin word ferrum.

Iron contains a dark history in the occult. According to The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, "Iron plays a curious role in witchcraft, sorcery and the supernatural." (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, Checkmark Books, New York, p. 172)

Iron also carries a dark and forbidden aura in the scriptures. Daniel chapter 2 paints a dark portrait of iron in the person of the Antichrist.

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
. . .
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Daniel 2:33-34, 40-41 

One of rock music’s most popular songs is titled "Iron Man" by the group Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath fathered the music known as "Satan rock." Their first album pictured a deathly witch on the cover. The inside sleeve of the album blasphemously displayed the cross of Jesus Christ – upside-down. Their song songN.I.B. (Nativity In Black), from their first album, is a love-song from Lucifer. In the song, they sing in the first person as a loving, gift-giving Lucifer. . . one line says, "My name is Lucifer, please take my hand." Former lead singer Ozzy Osbourne admits to drinking blood (Oui, March 1982, pp. 36, 56), attempting to kill his wife and being possessed by the devil (Hit Parader, Nov., 1984, p. 49). The antics and blasphemy of Black Sabbath would easily fill a whole book.

Black Sabbath’s song "Iron Man" is an obvious song about the Antichrist. Some of the lyrics are:

Planning his vengeance That he will soon unfold. . .

Now the time is here
For Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved. . .

Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron Man lives again!

Some zealous Sabbath fans claim "Iron Man" innocently rose from the Marvel Comic "Iron Man." Ozzy Osbourne, former lead singer for Black Sabbath, identifies the "Iron Man" as the antichrist in his song, "Gets Me Through," with the line, "I'm not the antichrist or the Iron Man."

The more bizarre use of iron occurs in Daniel 2:43. The context is the Antichrist, but verse 43 shifts to a plural "they." The "they" (which is personified as iron) "mingles with the seed of man."

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.Daniel 2:43 

Daniel 2:43 sounds much like what occurred in Genesis chapter 6.

Genesis 6 records an event so evil that it culminated in God destroying all life on earth (except Noah and his family). The scriptures describe an incident where the "sons of God" took wives of the "daughters of men" whose offspring created giants, and mighty men.

The Bible has much to say concerning the destination of men's souls at death and the dwelling place for demons.  First, the Bible teaches in 1Corinthians 15 that our existence is one partly of flesh and partly of spirit. The flesh of our bodies is destined to end at our physical death, but our spirit is eternal. Therefore, when our physical body dies, our spirit must go to a new place.

Jesus teaches in Luke 16 that God has prepared a place of confinement for the souls of those who die without faith. The place is called Hades, which we call Hell. This place holds the souls of all men who have died without faith in God's promises (i.e., unbelievers), and these persons will remain in soul-form in Hades until the day of their judgment. That day is called the Great White Throne Judgment, which is described in Revelation 20:

Rev. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the  great and the small, standing before the throne, and   books were opened; and another  book was opened, which is  the book of life; and the dead  were judged from the things which were written in the  books,  according to their deeds.
Rev. 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and  death and Hades  gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them  according to their deeds.
Rev. 20:14 Then  death and Hades were thrown into  the lake of fire. This is the  second death, the lake of fire.
Rev. 20:15 And if  anyone’s name was not found written in  the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

Once the Great White Throne Judgment concludes, the souls of all unbelievers will be condemned for their sin and cast into the Lake of Fire, which is their final eternal home. Jude 7 speaks of this eternal home.

Jude 7 just as  Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after  strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. 

Finally, the bottomless pit or the abyss is a place where God keeps demons captive until they receive their judgment and punishment, also in the Lake of Fire.  Luke 8 references this holding place:

Luke 8:30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “ Legion”; for many demons had entered him.
Luke 8:31 They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into  the abyss. 

Abode Of Demons

We find a reference in the Gospel of Luke to the abyss as the abode of demons. 

They [the demons] begged Him [Jesus] not to order them to go back into the abyss (Luke 8:31).

Place Of The Dead

In Romans, the abyss is used for the place of the dead. 

Who will descend into the deep? [abyss] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead) (Romans 10:7).

The reference is to the realm of the dead. 

Under The Earth

The Abyss is spoken of as an area under the earth. It has a shaft that connects it to the surface. Smoke comes out of the shaft like a furnace. 

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. . . . The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon (Revelation 9:1,2,11).

Beast Arises

The beast, or antichrist, will arise out of the Abyss. 

Now when they [the two witnesses] have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them (Revelation 11:7).

The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come (Revelation 17:8). 

Satan Bound

The Abyss is where Satan will be bound for a thousand years. 

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the Abyss and a great chain. and threw him [Satan] into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while (Revelation 20:1,3).

Satan is then judged after the thousand years and sent to his eternal destination - the lake of fire. 

Summary

The abyss, or pit, is a place that is located in the heart of the earth. It is connected to the earth's surface by a shaft. It is used symbolically for the place of the dead as well as the abode of demons. The Abyss is also the place where the beast, or antichrist, arises. It is where Satan will be bound for a thousand years after Christ returns. Eventually he will be released from the Abyss and sent to the lake of fire.

56

Revelation 17–22

Introduction and Timeline for Revelation 17–22

The final chapters of Revelation gave hope to Christians facing persecution from outside the Church and from factions within the Church that were dissenting from accepted beliefs. Revelation 17–22also describes the crescendo of final earthly events fulfilling Heavenly Father’s plan for the redemption of His children. John heard heavenly servants rejoice in praise for the salvation made possible through the Lamb’s triumph over evil. John saw the fall of wicked Babylon contrasted with the glories of the Second Coming and the blessings of exaltation for all those who follow God’s commands. John further saw that the righteous inhabitants of the earth and those who will come forth in the First Resurrection will enjoy a thousand years of millennial peace with Christ. The earth will then receive celestial glory and become the eternal home for all righteous Saints.

Commentary for Revelation 17–22

Revelation 17–18. The Fall of Babylon

In Revelation 16:17, the seventh angel poured out his vial, signaling the final destructive events that will precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. These concluding events include the fall of Babylon, described in Revelation 17–18. Ancient Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C., a traumatic and defining event in Israel’s history. Israelite prophets in turn wrote about the eventual destruction of Babylon (see Isaiah 13:19–22; 21:9; Jeremiah 50:35–36, 40; 51:6–8), and John drew upon their language as he described the ultimate destruction of the spiritual enemies of God’s people.

“In Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21, Babylon probably denotes Rome, the great antagonist of Messiah’s kingdom” (Bible Dictionary, “Babylon or Babel”). It is likely that Babylon also represents all that is wicked in the world (see D&C 1:16; 133:14). Chapters 17–18 depict Babylon as a “whore” holding a cup “full of abominations and filthiness” and as the “mother of harlots” (Revelation 17:1, 4, 5). In this sense, Babylon is the antitype of the righteous bride that represents the Church (see Revelation 19:7–8) and the antithesis of Zion as “the pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). John’s vision of Babylon parallels much of Nephi’s vision of the great and abominable church (see 1 Nephi 13:4–9, 26–29; 14:3–17; 22:13–16, 18).

Isaiah’s Vision of the Destruction of Babylon, by Paul Gustave Doré. Isaiah, John, and other biblical prophets foresaw the destruction of Babylon.

Revelation 17. The Woman and the Beast

Scholars have historically interpreted the beast with seven heads as an allusion to the city of Rome because Rome was founded upon seven hills, as well as a reference to a number of Roman emperors in the first century A.D. Though these are possible meanings, a broader interpretation may be that Rome represented a seat of corruption in John’s day. As such, this worldly city may be likened to similar centers of corruption in all eras.

The terms used to describe the woman who rode upon the beast attest to the great political and destructive power she will have over nations and kingdoms and people. John described the woman as “the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1; see also 1 Nephi 14:10–13); she commits fornication with kings and inhabitants of the earth (see verse 2); her clothing depicts power and wealth (see verse 4); she is the “mother of harlots,” which indicates that she gives birth to other prostitutions—organizations, governments, and ideologies that spew forth wickedness (verse 5). John recorded that he was astonished at the greatness of the woman’s wickedness (see verse 6, footnote c). Nevertheless, in the end she will be overthrown by those she formerly ruled over (see verse 16; 1 Nephi 22:13).

Revelation 17:2–6. The Culture of Babylon Permeates the World

In Revelation 17:2–6, John described Babylon as a harlot clothed in fine, jeweled apparel and drunken with blood. One possible meaning of John’s description in these verses is that in the last days, a lifestyle of sexual immorality, wealth, and violence would permeate the world (see also 1 Nephi 13:5–9). Institutions, governments, and people who embrace this lifestyle can be seen as part of Babylon. While serving in the Seventy, Elder David R. Stonespoke of this pervasive corruption:

“There is no particular city today which personifies Babylon. Babylon was, in the time of ancient Israel, a city which had become sensual, decadent, and corrupt. …

“… That sensuality, corruption, and decadence, and the worshipping of false gods are to be seen in many cities, great and small, scattered across the globe. As the Lord has said: ‘They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world’ (D&C 1:16). …

“What an insidious thing is this culture amidst which we live. It permeates our environment” (“Zion in the Midst of Babylon,” Ensignor Liahona, May 2006, 90–91).

Revelation 17:6. “Drunken with the Blood of the Saints”

Revelation 17:6 describes the woman being “drunken with the blood of the saints,” which suggests that throughout the ages, many righteous people have been slain by the wicked. The scriptural language suggests that the slaying of the righteous had an intoxicating effect on those who carried out the slaughter.

Revelation 17:8–11. Temporary Nature of the Beast

John saw that the beast “was, and is not” (Revelation 17:8). He also saw a vision of “seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space” (Revelation 17:10). John’s language suggests that the wickedness of the world will be temporary.

Revelation 17:12; 20:4; 22:5

How long will the followers of the beast exercise power, compared to those who follow Christ? What do these verses teach about the duration of worldly and heavenly rewards? How should this guide your choices?

Revelation 17:14. “War with the Lamb, and the Lamb Shall Overcome”

Though the scenes John saw in Revelation 17 can seem frightening, he also saw that “the Lamb shall overcome” the wickedness of the world (Revelation 17:14). President Gordon B. Hinckley(1910–2008) affirmed that the Lord and His people will prevail in the war against evil:

“In the October conference of 1896, President Wilford Woodruff … said:

“‘There are two powers on the earth and in the midst of the inhabitants of the earth—the power of God and the power of the devil. … When God has had a people on the earth, it matters not in what age, Lucifer, the son of the morning, and the millions of fallen spirits that were cast out of heaven have warred against God, against Christ, against the work of God, and against the people of God.’ [Deseret Evening News, Oct. 17, 1896.] …

“The war goes on. It is waged across the world over the issues of agency and compulsion. It is waged by an army of missionaries over the issues of truth and error. It is waged in our own lives, day in and day out, in our homes, in our work, in our school associations; it is waged over questions of love and respect, of loyalty and fidelity, of obedience and integrity. We are all involved in it. … We are winning, and the future never looked brighter” (“The War We Are Winning,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 43, 45).

Revelation 18:3–4. Choosing Righteousness Despite the Prevalence of Modern Wickedness

Revelation 18 proclaims the fall of wicked Babylon and describes the lamentation of all who associated with her. In all ages, the Lord has commanded His people to “come out of [Babylon]” and “be not partakers of her sins” (Revelation 18:4; see D&C 133:5, 7, 14). Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified that it is possible to follow the Lord’s teachings and avoid being contaminated by the world’s wickedness:

“Much of the world is being engulfed in a rising river of degenerate filth, with the abandonment of virtue, righteousness, personal integrity, traditional marriage, and family life. …

“… Despite pockets of evil, the world overall is majestically beautiful, filled with many good and sincere people. God has provided a way to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures evil agents spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive, righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father in Heaven: His plan of happiness” (“How to Live Well amid Increasing Evil,” Ensign or Liahona,May 2004, 100).

Revelation 18:3, 7–16. The Wealth and Materialism of Babylon

John used phrases such as “waxed rich” and “lived deliciously” (Revelation 18:3, 7, 9) to highlight the lust for wealth and lavish possessions that define Babylon. These riches will be destroyed, and those who have placed their hearts upon them will lament (see Revelation 18:8–19; 2 Nephi 9:30; D&C 56:16). President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) warned that with prosperity often comes the temptation to embrace the materialism of Babylon: “We are tested, we are tried, we are going through some of the severest tests today and we don’t realize perhaps the severity of the tests that we’re going through. … Today we are basking in the lap of luxury, the like of which we’ve never seen before in the history of the world. It would seem that probably this is the most severe test of any test that we’ve ever had in the history of the Church” (“First Presidency Devotional” [unpublished Christmas devotional for Church employees, Dec. 13, 1973], 4–5; see Jacob 2:18–19).

Revelation 18:5–6. “Her Sins Have Reached unto Heaven”

John heard a voice from heaven proclaiming that Babylon’s “sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered

A. Satan bound for a thousand years.

1. (1) A nameless angel comes to bind Satan with a great chain.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

a. An angel coming down from heaven: The angel that will subdue Satan is anonymous. It is not Jesus Himself, nor is it Michael or Gabriel or any other high-ranking angel.

i. “The final importance of Satan is perhaps indicated in the fact that it is not the Father who deals with him, nor the Christ, but only an unnamed angel.” (L. Morris)

b. An angel coming down from heaven: This is a dramatic declaration that Satan is notGod’s opposite or equal; and that God could easily stop Satan’s activity at any time. Yet God allows Satan to continue, because even in his evil, he indirectly serves the purposes of God.

2. (2-3) Satan is imprisoned for 1,000 years.

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

a. Laid hold… bound him… cast him… shut him up… set a seal on him: Satan tried to imprison Jesus in a tomb, but couldn’t. Here, God has no problem restraining Satan, and this incarceration is not for punishment, but restraint. By implication, Satan’s demonic armies are also restrained and imprisoned.

i. “Is this a literal transaction? Certainly it is. The battle is literal; the taking of the Beast and the False Prophet is literal; the slaying of the kings and their armies is literal; Satan is literal; and his binding must be equally literal. It will not resolve itself into anything else.” (Seiss)

ii. Some people ask, “What kind of chain can hold the devil?” We don’t know, but God can fashion a chain for that exact purpose. We know that right now there are demonic spirits who are imprisoned and chained (Jude 6). If God can chain them now, He can chain Satan for 1,000 years.

iii. “The elaborate measures taken to insure his custody are most easily understood as implying the complete cessation of his influence on earth (rather than a curbing of his activities).” (Mounce)

iv. Some take this as Satan’s binding on a personal level, believing that is refers to how Satan’s work can be restrained in the life of an individual. But this view does not take the text seriously. If God did want to tell us of the total inactivity of Satan, how could He have said it any stronger?

v. This shows that there is no man who simply “binds” Satan with his prayer. This is a work done on divine initiative. “One very important detail is to notice that the conquest of Satan and his powers does not come by any human effort.” (Barnhouse)

b. That he should deceive the nations no more: This shows us Satan’s main mode of attack is revealed. Satan is a deceiver, so the most potent defense and weapon against Satan is the truth of God’s Word.

i. “The truth is ever against him; therefore falsehood is his particular recourse and instrument. But naked falsehood is only repulsive. What we know to be a lie cannot command our respect… Untruth can only gain credence and acceptance by being so disguised as to appear to be the truth. Falsehood can have no power over us until we are led to believe and conclude that it is the truth. And this deluding of men, getting them to accept and follow lies and false hopes, under the persuasion that they are accepting and following the truth, is the great work and business of Satan in every age.” (Seiss)

ii. Since Satan’s work of deception continues today, we know that he is not bound in the way that this passage describes. We know that Satan was not bound at the finished work of Jesus on the cross, at the resurrection, or at the founding of the church. We know this because Peter said that Satan was free to walk about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

iii. Satan continues to effectively deceive. “People not only make falsehoods, speak falsehoods, print falsehoods, and believe falsehoods; but they eat them, and drink them, and wear them, and act them, and live them, and make them one of the great elements of their being.” (Seiss)

c. Till the thousand years were finished: This thousand-year period is often known as the Millennium. Through church history, there has been many different ways of understanding the Millennium.

i. The Bible speaks powerfully to other aspects of the millennial earth. Tragically, the Church through history has often ignored or denied the promise of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. The early church until Augustine almost universally believed in an earthly, historical reign of Jesus, initiated by His return. Tyconius (in the late 300’s) was the first to influentially champion a spiritualized interpretation, saying that this Millennium is now(amillennialism) and must be understood as a spiritualreign of Jesus, not a literal reign. His view was adopted by Augustine, the Roman Catholic Church and most Reformation theologians.

ii. Growing out of amillennialism is the doctrine of postmillennialsim, saying the millennium will happen in this age, before Jesus’ return – but that the church will bring it to pass. Yet the clear teaching of the Bible isn’t amillennialism or postmillennialism, but what is called premillennialism – the teaching that Jesus Christ will return to this earth before the millennial earth, and He will establish and govern it directly.

iii. There is no need to say that Satan is only bound in a spiritual sense, and Jesus only rules in a spiritual sense. When we consider the rest of the Scriptures, the earthly reign of Christ and His people on this earth is plainly taught in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, we see it in Psalm 72, Isaiah 2:2-4, Isaiah 11:4-9, Jeremiah 23:5-6, and in many, many more passages. In the New Testament we see it in Luke 1:32-33, Matthew 5:18, Luke 19:12-27, among other passages. All in all, there are more than 400 verses in more than 20 different passages in the Old Testament which deal with this time when Jesus Christ will rule and reign personally over planet earth.

iv. Who will be on the earth in the Millennium? Even after the rapture and the vast judgments of the Great Tribulation, there will be many people left on earth. After Jesus returns in glory, He will judge those who survive the Great Tribulation in the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). This is not a judgment unto salvation, but a judgment of moral worthiness, and entrance into the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. The unworthy will be sent into eternal damnation, and the worthy will be allowed in Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom.

d. Till the thousand years were finished: Some of what we know of the Millennium from other passages of Scripture.

i. During the Millennium, Israel will be the superpower of the world, the leading nation in all the earth, and the center of Israel will be the mountain of the LORD’s house – the temple mount, which will be the “capital” of the government of the Messiah. All nations shall flow to the “capital” of Jesus’ government (Isaiah 2:1-3, Ezekiel 17:22-24).

ii. During the Millennium, the citizens of earth will acknowledge and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. It will be a time of perfectly administrated enforced righteousness on this earth (Isaiah 2:1-5).

iii. During the Millennium, there will be no more war. There will still be conflicts between nations and individuals, but they will be justly and decisively resolved by the Messiah and those who reign with Him (Isaiah 2:1-5). It isn’t the reign of the Messiah itself that will change the heart of man. Citizens of earth will still need to trust in Jesus and in His work on their behalf for their personal salvation during the millennium. But war and armed conflict will not be tolerated.

iv. During the Millennium, the way animals relate to each other and to humans will be transformed. A little child will be safe and able to lead a wolf or a leopard or a young lion or a bear. Even the danger of predators like cobras and vipers will be gone. In Genesis 9:2-3, the LORD gave Noah, and all mankind after him, the permission to eat meat. At the same time, the LORD put the dread of man in animals so they would not be effortless prey for humans. Now, in the reign of the Messiah, that is reversed. For this reason, many think that in the reign of the Messiah (the Millennium) humans will return to being vegetarians, as it seems they were before Genesis 9:2-3 (Isaiah 11:6-9).

v. During the Millennium, King David will have a prominent place in the millennial earth, ruling over Israel (Isaiah 55:3-5, Jeremiah 30:4-11, Ezekiel 34:23-31, Ezekiel 37:21-28, Hosea 3:5).

vi. During the Millennium, there will be blessing and security for national Israel(Amos 9:11-15).

vii. The Millennium will be a time of purity and devotion to God (Zechariah 13:1-9).

viii. During the Millennium, there will be a rebuilt temple and restored temple serviceon the earth as a memorial of God’s work in the past. (Ezekiel 40-48, Ezekiel 37:26-28, Amos 9:11, Ezekiel 20:39-44).

ix. During the Millennium, saints in their resurrected state will be given responsibility in the Millennial Earth according to their faithful service (Luke 19:11-27, Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 2:26-28; 3:12,22, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

e. Thousand years: Is it a literal 1,000 years? We should take a number literally unless there is clear reason or evidence to do otherwise. We should take this thousand years literally, because God has an important work to accomplish during the Millennium.

i. The Millennium is important because it will demonstrate Jesus’ victory and worthiness to rule the nations.

ii. The Millennium is important because it will reveal the depths of man’s rebellious nature in a perfect environment. Some people seem to believe that man is basically good, and deep down he really wants God’s righteous rule. Many believe that man is really innocent, and corrupted only by a bad environment. The Millennium will answer these questions before the great judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

iii. The Millennium is important because it will display the eternal depravity of Satan, who continues his evil as soon as he is released from his incarceration.

iv. The Millennium is important because it will show the invulnerability of the city of God and God’s new order.

v. “Let us rejoice that Scripture is so clear and so explicit upon this great doctrine of the future triumph of Christ over the whole world … We believe that the Jews will be converted, and that they will be restored to their own land. We believe that Jerusalem will be the central metropolis of Christ’s kingdom; we also believe that all the nations shall walk in the light of the glorious city which shall be built at Jerusalem. We expect that the glory which shall have its center there, shall spread over the whole world, covering it as with a sea of holiness, happiness, and delight. For this we look with joyful expectation.” (Spurgeon)

B. Saints reigning for a thousand years.

1. (4) The saints live and reign for 1,000 years.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

a. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them: Who sits on these thrones? Perhaps the twenty-four elders representing the church (Revelation 4:4) or the apostles (Matthew 19:28) or the company of saints as a whole (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

i. And judgment was committed to them: Perhaps this is the “judging of angels” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, but it is more likely that these are the saints ruling on and over the earth.

b. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years: These saints reign with Jesus for the same period of time that Satan is bound (a thousand years). They administrate the kingdom of Jesus Christ over the earth, reigning over those who pass from the earth of the Great Tribulation to the earth of the Millennium.

c. Who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus… who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark: All those who overcome in Jesus will rule and reign with Him (Revelation 2:26-28, 3:12,22, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). Why does John only mention the Tribulation saints?

i. They are specifically mentioned so as to encourage them, while not implying others will be left out. This is special vindication for Tribulation saints. They suffered under Antichrist who had said, “I will rule the earth;” now they are in authority and Antichrist is destroyed. So, these martyrs are literal, but also representative of all that give their lives in faithfulness to Jesus.

ii. Beheaded is actually a broader word than we might think. The ancient Greek word really means “executed.”

2. (5-6) The first resurrection.

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

a. This is the first resurrection: This first resurrection is the granting of resurrection life in resurrection bodies to all those dead in Jesus.

· This is a resurrection of blessing (blessed and holy is he).

· This is a resurrection of power (over such the second death has no power).

· This is a resurrection of privilege (they shall be priests of God… shall reign with Him a thousand years).

b. The rest of the dead: Those who do not have part in the first resurrection are not blessed, they are under the power of the second death, and they are without privilege.

i. In John 5:28-29, Jesus described two resurrections: Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

ii. The two events are separated by this 1,000-year period because the rest of the dead are not given their resurrection bodies until the thousand years were finished.

Bottomless Pit

The word is ἄβυσσος, literally “without a bottom,” an abyss. From the passages in the Revelation we learn that the abyss is where the Satanic powers are shut up, not where they will be punished, which is in the lake of fire. The demons cast out by the Lord in Luke 8:31 besought Him that He would not send them into the abyss. In Romans 10:7 it is put in contrast to the heavens. In Revelation 9:1-11, to a star fallen from heaven the key of the abyss is given, and on its being opened great moral darkness rises, out of which destructive agents proceed: Abaddon(Apollyon) “the destroyer” is their king. The future Roman empire is represented as a beast rising out of (receiving in its last head power from) the abyss (Rev. 11:7; Rev. 17:8). Satanwill be confined in the abyss during the thousand years of the millennium(Rev. 20:1, 3). (The above are all the passages where the Greek word occurs.)

At the same time as the Second Coming of Christ, John “saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:1,2).

The key to this scripture is an understanding the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit (translated “the abyss” in other versions) was first mentioned in Genesis 1 as the chaotic, formless condition of the earth before creation (Genesis 1:2 Greek Septuagint).

It also refers to the place where demons can be confined when they are cast out of people. In Luke 8:31 the demons begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss.  In the version of the same story found in Mark 5:10 the demons begged Jesus not to send them “out of the country” and in the same story in Matthew 8:31 they begged that they could go into a herd of swine.  Comparing these texts, it appears that the abyss is the place of confinement where demons are not permitted to possess and torment anyone.

This goes along with Jesus’ description of demons who are cast out of a person: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.” Jesus said that the the spirits try their best to go back into the person they had formerly inhabited (Matthew 12:43).

Peter described this “homeless” condition: “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell (the Greek wordtartarus is unique to this scripture) and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).

Putting all these scriptures together, the “bottomless pit” where Satan (and undoubtedly his demons with him) will be chained is simply the earth in its chaotic condition following the catastrophic events associated with the Second Coming of Christ.  Satan will be chained in the sense that he will not be permitted to leave the earth and there will be no one there to tempt— the wicked will be dead and the righteous will be in heaven.

The chaotic earth is described in Jeremiah 4:23-26, “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form and void [1]; and the heavens, they had no light.  I beheld the mountains and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.  I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.  I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger”.

Isaiah gives a similar picture, “Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste… The inhabitants of the earth are burned… The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly… It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.  They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished.” (Isaiah 24:1,6,19,21,22).  The “many days” which are mentioned are the thousand years that Satan will be bound.

But during this time, while Satan is chained to a depopulated earth, the redeemed will be in heaven as “priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).  See What happens during the Millennium?  for more information about what the redeemed will be doing.

Revelation 20:5 shows that “the rest of the dead”, in other words, those who were not a part of the first resurrection, will not be resurrected “until the thousand years are finished”. They will have been in an unconscious condition, but will come back to life with the same evil propensities that they died with, unaware of the passage of time or the developments of history. Their ignorance and sinful ambitions will give Satan one last chance to deceive them.

This is what it means that “when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle” (v. 7,8). He will lead them in a last desperate attempt to seize “the beloved city” (the New Jerusalem) which will have come down from heaven with the saints.

But the Great White Throne will appear and Satan will be judged, along with the rest of the unredeemed, and he will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone”.  According to Ezekiel 28:18,19, Satan will be “turned to ashes upon the earth… and shall be no more forever”.

For more information about the fate of Satan see chapter 20 of The Book.

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<![if !supportFootnotes]> [1]  <![endif]> Jeremiah uses the identical language of Genesis 1:2 which described the chaotic state of the earth before creation when “darkness was over the face of the deep (abyss)”.

The Millennium is the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ described in Revelation 20. The Old Testament prophets also announced and longed for this messianic kingdom of peace on the earth.

Why is this called the Millennium? “Since in Latin mille means ‘thousand,’ a millennium lasts 1,000 years” (Merriam-Webster.com).

1,000 years of peace

In an unstable world threatened by wars, terrorism, weather disturbances and natural disasters, the concept of a 1,000-year period of peace—often called the Millennium—fascinates us.

It’s not surprising that people should be curious about the future. What is surprising is how little true information is available about the Millennium of peace spoken of in the Bible and how little most people understand about the topic.

The Bible is the only sure source of understanding on this topic; and it, in fact, has a lot to say about an upcoming 1,000-year period of time. Yet the common English translations of the Scriptures don’t use the term millennium. And there are not that many explicit references to a “thousand years” in the Bible.

Even so, the Scriptures do contain much information about the coming Millennium and an absolute assurance that it will come.

1,000 years in the Bible

Let’s take a look at those passages that speak of a “thousand years.”

Psalm 90:4 tells us that “a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.” For God, the passage of time is different from the way we experience it. Being eternal, and not dependent on food, water and other physical factors, God views time differently.

The apostle Peter adds to the thought: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

1,000 years Revelation

The first explicit statements that the Kingdom of God will reign on earth for a thousand years appear toward the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 19 describes the return of Jesus Christ, coming in glory and power to take over the kingdoms of this world and to institute a new, just reign here on earth (verses 11-16). He will put down rebellion, remove the last human empire ruling on earth and institute the reign of the government of God for the 1,000-year Millennium.

We believe these passages clearly refer to a literal thousand-year reign after Jesus Christ returns. This has been called premillennialism, since Christ returns before the thousand years (compared to postmillennialism and amillennialism, which we don’t believe fit what the Bible says).

Satan bound before the Millennium

Next, we read of one of the first events to take place following the return of Jesus Christ the Messiah: “Then I [the apostle John] saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:1-3).

Here we read for the first time of the duration of this initial phase of the reign of God on earth—1,000 years! We are also given insight into why it will be a very good time: Satan the devil, the enemy of God and His plan, will be banished for those same 1,000 years. Welcome to the Millennium!

Jesus’ 1,000-year reign

But let’s keep reading. John writes, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them [the saints of God]. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (verse 4).

Here we see that the saints of God, those who refused to follow the beast power of the last days, will have the privilege of reigning with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years.

Jesus’ 1,000-year reign is the focus of so many beautiful messianic prophecies. Some favorite descriptions of this age of peace include:

• “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
• “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5-6).
• “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
  “He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken” (Micah 4:1-4).

The apostle Peter summed these prophecies up this way: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21; see our article “The Prophesied Restoration of All Things”).

What happens after the Millennium?

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (verse 5).

Who are “the rest of the dead”? This will be the great majority of humanity (exclusive of the saints) who will have to wait in their graves for 1,000 years until they are brought back to life in a resurrection separate and distinct from that of the saints. The “first resurrection” will take place at the return of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17); a second resurrection will take place 1,000 years later.

Which is better? The book of Revelation makes it clear: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).

Those resurrected in the first resurrection, at the beginning of the Millennium, will no longer be subject to death. To learn more about this subject, be sure to read our article “Resurrections: What Are They?”

Satan released after the Millennium

In verse 7 we read of the release of Satan the devil after the 1,000 years is complete and how he will have one last chance to go out and deceive the nations of this world before being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (verse 10-11).

Here in Revelation 20 we read the phrase “thousand years” six times. This chapter makes it clear there will indeed be a millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth and that it will be a much better time than this age of man that precedes it.

More prophecies of the Millennium

But that’s by no means the whole story. Though the use of the phrase “thousand years” is limited, we read and learn wonderful facts about the coming Millennium in many other passages of the Bible.

Elsewhere—especially in the writings of the Old Testament prophets—we can read of the impact the ruling Kingdom of God will have during the Millennium in areas that include world peace, economic stability, the restoration of true education and right values, the role of the resurrected saints, the roles of various physical nations and even changes in the nature of animals.

The Millennium is going to be a wonderful and exciting time—something we can eagerly look forward to. To learn more about this coming time and how you can be part of this exciting future, read “The Millennial Reign of Christ”​​​​​​​ and “Seek First the Kingdom of God.”

star "I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to earth" (Revelation 9:1)Jesus sent seventy disciples out to preach the gospel, and when they returned he said, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven" (Luke 10:1,16-20).

Since Jesus was not in natural sight of the seventy, he was “watching” in a vision. John’s vision is similar to what Jesus saw. The preaching of the gospel together with the prayers of the saints will make Satan fall and bring him low. This is what the fallen star means.

2 The Abyss, Satan’s Prison

Revelation 9:1

abyss This vision introduces us to "the bottomless pit" (Revelation 9:1). This abyss will be mentioned in later visions. See below, “Facts About the Abyss”.

key The "key of the bottomless pit" was given to the fallen star to open the shaft of the abyss (Revelation 9:1-2).

The star did not keep the key or have charge of it, for in a later vision an angel holds the key, and locks the abyss having chained Satan and cast him in.

Only Christ has a right to the keys of all spiritual realms, and nobody can open what he shuts or shut what he opens except they borrow the key from him (Revelation 3:7). Here is represented the fact that Christ allows Satan to be active within limits while the world lasts.

3 Smoke From the Abyss

Revelation 9:2

smoke "smoke went up out of the pit"(Revelation 9:2) This was a big smoke, like that from a great furnace. It polluted the air and darkened the sun.

This smoke is a parody of the incense at the heavenly altar in a previous scene. This horrible smoke is a symbol of great evil, of antichrist and spiritual darkness. It represents the tribulations suffered by all the world, Christians and non-Christians alike.

I once looked down into the abyss of an active volcano. On another occasion I experienced smoke from bushfires so thick over my town and its countryside, that the middle of the day became pitch dark like the middle of the night. I can imagine very well the awesome vision John sees of the abyss and its smoke.

Some Facts About the Abyss

The Abyss has an angel as its ruler. He is called Apollyon, the angel of destruction (Revelation 9:11).

This abyss is the domain of Satan the Dragon, yet in later visions it becomes his dungeon until he is loosed, and goes rampaging to his own doom (Revelation 1-3).

This is the sense in which the Dragon is "the beast that comes up from the Abyss" (Revelation 11:7, Revelation 17:8) although originally he came down from the heavens (Revelation 12:7-9).

The abyss is seen in the visions as an evil deep, a great and bottomless hole. It represents the powers of darkness. The abyss portrays the temporary restraining of the Devil while he is in this world, and resembles the spiritual dungeon where fallen angels await Judgment Day (2Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6).

The Abyss is Not Hell

The abyss is not a sign of, and should not be confused with, eternal hell. In the visions, eternal hell or "the second death" is seen as a  "lake of fire and brimstone", that is to say a lake of burning sulphur (Revelation 20:1-2,10).

That fiery lake is what Jesus called  "the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Hell was not prepared for us, but unless we have our robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb, and unless we have our names written in the book of life, we too will be thrown there (Revelation 20:15). 

Mind you, whilst the Abyss and the Lake of fire are different, they are not disconnected. They are both seen in the visions as instruments of God’s wrath. They both illustrate God’s intention to restrain, overpower, and destroy, everything evil and everyone who follows evil. This divine intention is strongly emphasised in the book of Revelation.

Tartarus, Hades, Gehenna

NOTE: It might help you to know that, in the Greek, the temporary dungeon for fallen angels (until Judgment Day) is called Tartarus. The hiding place of the dead (until Judgment Day) is called Hades. The final and eternal abode of the wicked (after Judgment Day) is called Gehenna. To avoid confusion, some translators reserve the word "hell" for the latter, and leave the other two words untranslated (transliterated).

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Useful Links...

➤ Satan the Failure

—(Revelation 12:1-17).  A very strong theme in the Book of Revelation is the frustration of Satan. The story of his failures is told in the visions in chapter 12. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to that lesson with a link back to this page.

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Most Christians including myself have been taught that Hell is the opposite of Heaven. Hell is supposedly a fiery place where “Satan” himself rules, and all evil souls go for punishment after death, as depicted in popular media and taught in mainline Christianity. But is this depiction of “Hell” biblical? What is the true meaning behind the words translated as “Hell” in our English versions of the Bible? For this, we need to return to the original Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts – in search of answers and truth.

Sections covered in this post
Old Testament usage of “Hell”
A. Defining She’ol – the grave
B. Defining Bore – the Pit
New Testament usage of “Hell”
A. Defining Hades – The Grave
– Hades = She’ol = Grave
B. Defining Gehenna – The place of Fire
– Lake of Fire = Gehenna
C. Defining Tartaroo – The Deep Abyss
– Tartaroo = Bottomless Pit
Conclusion

Old Testament usage of “Hell”

A. Defining She’ol – the grave
Throughout the Old Testament, the Hebrew word (She’ol) has been used for the abode of the dead. It is interesting to see how this same word has been translated to English as “Hell”, “Grave” & “Pit”.

H7585 – שׁאל    שׁאול – she’ôl  she’ôl – From H7592; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranian retreat), including its accessories and inmates: – grave, hell, pit.

H7585 translated as “Hell” – Deu 32:22; 2Sam 22:6; Job 11:8; 26:6; Psa 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 55:15; 86:13; 116:3; 139:8; Prov 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:11; 15:24; 23:14; 27:20; Isa 5:14; 14:9; 14:15; 28:15; 28:18; 57:9; Ezek 31:16; 31:17; 32:21; 32:27; Amo 9:2; Jon 2:2; Hab 2:5

H7585 translated as “Grave” – Gen 37:35; 42:38; 44:29; 44:31; 1Sam 2:6; 1Kin 2:6; 2:9; Job 7:9; 14:13; 17:13; 21:13; 24:19; Psa 6:5; 30:3; 31:17; 49:14; 49:15; 88:3; 89:48; 141:7; Prov 1:12; 30:16; Ecc 9:10; Son 8:6; Isa 14:11; 38:10; 38:18; Eze 31:15; Hos 13:14

H7585 translated as “Pit” – Num 16:30; 16:33; Job 17:16

A few examples from the above list for inspection
Gen 37:35  And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave(She’ol) unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
Job 14:13  O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave(She’ol), that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
Psa 16:10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(She’ol); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

B. Defining Bore – the Pit
Although the Hebrew word “Bore” which can be translated as a deep pit/dungeon has never been translated as “Hell”, it is used as a deeper/darker place than She’ol in the Old Testament Scriptures.

H953 – בּור – bôr – bore – From H952 (in the sense of H877); a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or prison): – cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well.

Psa 30:3  O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave(She’ol): thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit(Bore).
Pro 1:12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave(She’ol); and whole, as those that go down into the pit(Bore):
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell(she’ol), to the sides of the pit(Bore).
Isa 38:18  For the grave(She’ol) cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit(Bore) cannot hope for thy truth.
Zec 9:11  As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit(Bore) wherein is no water.

Looking at the terminology used in the Old Testament, “She’ol” the word translated in our English Translations as “Hell” means simply the “Grave” which is destined for us all. It simply meant “Death” or a figurative place for the Dead – almost as if they are in stasis. and not a fiery place which is ruled by “Satan”. The pit “Bore” on the other hand has some connotations of being a place which is deeper, but never paints a picture of anything similar to the “Hell”, we are accustomed to.

New Testament usage of “Hell”

In the New Testament, there are 3 Greek words that have been translated to English as “Hell” in our Bible versions.

A. Defining Hades – The Grave
G86 – ᾅδης – hades – hah’-dace – From G1 (as a negative particle) and G1492; properly unseen, that is “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls: – grave, hell.

G86 translated as “Hell” – Mat 11:23; 16:18; Luk 10:15; 16:23; Act 2:27; 2:31; Rev 1:18; 6:8; 20:13; 20:14

G86 translated as “Grave” – 1Co 15:55

A few examples from the above list for inspection
Luk 16:23  And in hell(hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave(hades), where is thy victory?
Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(hades), neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell(hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Hades = She’ol = Grave
Out of the above, the most important verse to highlight is Act 2:27. In it Peter quotes Psalm 16:10 directly, making an all important point abundantly clear.
Psa 16:10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(She’ol); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(hades), neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
As per above She’ol = Hades. If She’ol means simply “Grave”, as we have seen above, the word “Hell” in the New Testament should also mean “Grave”. If this is not apparent, 1Cor 15:55 even translates Hades as “Grave” in our English Translations.

B. Defining Gehenna – The place of Fire
G1067 – γέεννα – geenna – gheh’-en-nah – Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem.

G1067 translated as “Hell” – Mat 5:22; 5:29; 5:30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33; Mar 9:43; 9:45; 9:47; Luk 12:5; Jas 3:6

A few examples from the above list for inspection
Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell(Gehenna).
Mar 9:43  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell(Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell(Gehenna); yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

The third and final Greek word which has been translated to English as “Hell”, is of Hebrew origin. “Gehenna” stems from the Hebrew words “Ga’hee – Hinnom” which translates to Valley of Hinnom, a place in Jerusalem.

The Valley of the Sons of Hinnom was a place which had been used to burn children alive, as sacrifices to Molech – the chief god of the Ammonites (2Kin 23:10). This same place was used by Ahaz & Manasseh – Kings of Judah to burn their own children (2Chr 28:3, 33:6) & by the people of Judah themselves to do the same (Jer 7:31, 19:2, 32:35). A historical account of this practice states “Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved:” – John Gill’sExposition of the Entire Bible – Jer 7:31.

God spoke of the place as a place of immense slaughter, and a place where there will be so many carcasses of men with no space to bury them (Jer 7:32, 19:6) – it was also directly connected to the Exile of Judah under Babylon. In the 1st Century, the valley of Hinnom contained tombs and also “Aceldama” – also known as “Potter’s Field” or “field of blood” mentioned in Mat 27:7,8 & Acts 1:19.

With the information above, it should be abundantly clear that the word “Gehenna” is completely different to “Hades”/”She’ol” and “Tartaroo”. Gehinnom is a place of Destruction, fire and immense wickedness. It is not surprising that this physical place was paralleled to a place of destruction beyond this world. One thing is certain – Gehinnom is not the same as Hades/She’ol/Grave and is much more similar to the “lake of fire”.

Lake of Fire = Gehenna
Even though the “Lake of fire” is mentioned as an end times punishment – it is more likely to be connected to “Gehenna”. Most of the verses containing the word “Gehenna” speaks of fire (Mat 5:22, 18:9, Mar 9:47, James 3:6) – and even fire that will not be quenched (Mar 9:43,45).

Burning with Brimstone
Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fireburning with brimstone.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Isa 30:33  For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

In Jer 7:32, The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) is also called “Tophet” and is referred by Isaiah to be a place prepared with piles of wood and fire which is ignited by God’s breath which is like Brimstone. “Gehenna” or “The Valley of Hinnom” or “Tophet” was the physical place of Fire and Brimstone which would later come to signify the place of fire and destruction at the end times.

“Death” and “Hell”(Hades) cast into the “Lake of Fire”
Another important concept to grasp is that the Book of Revelations specifically says that “Hell” (Hades/She’ol/Grave) will be cast into the lake of fire as well – making it abundantly clear that they are 2 different distinct places.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
From the day that the Grave is destroyed, there will be no more death – but eternal life.

C. Defining Tartaroo – The Deep Abyss
G5020 – ταρταρόω – tartaroo – tar-tar-o’-o – From Τάρταρος Tartaros̄ (the deepest abyss of Hades)

G5020 translated as “Hell” – 2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell(Tartaroo), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Seen only once in the whole of the New Testament, “Tartaroo” is mentioned by Peter in connection to the “Angels that sinned”. The mere fact that a different term to “Hades” is used here, should give an indication that it is a different place. Even though it is translated as “Hell” in our English versions, it is a completely different place to “Hades”/”She’ol”/”Grave” and is clearly apparent to be a dungeon of sort containing the Angels who sinned, chained and reserved for judgement. In that case “Tartaroo” should not be mixed up with “Hades”.

Tartaroo = Bottomless Pit
As we saw above, Tartaroo signified a deep abyss where angels were chained up till the time of judgement. This again falls in line with the account of the Book of Revelations. In it, we see the Bottomless Pit(Abyss) being opened(Rev 9:1,2), and from it arising the king of the angels who were held inside named Abaddon(Hebrew for Destroyer) and Apollyon(Greek for Destroyer)(Rev 9:11). A Beast also arises from the same Abyss(Rev 11:7, 17:8). Finally The Great adversary is bound and put into this same pit at the time of the 1000 year reign of Messiah(Rev 20:2) – only to be let out for a while, at the end of the 100 years(Rev 20:3) before he is destroyed in the lake of fire along with death and Hades(Rev 20:10,14).

G12 – ἄβυσσος – abussos – ab’-us-sos – From G1 (as a negative particle) and a variation of G1037; depthless, that is, (specifically), (infernal) “abyss”: – deep, (bottomless) pit.

Rev 9:1,2  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit(Abusos). And he opened the bottomless pit(Abusos); and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of thepit(Abusos).
Rev 9:11  And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit(Abusos), whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Rev 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit(Abusos) and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit(Abusos), and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

The Bottomless Pit (Abyss) is different from both “Hades/She’ol/Grave” & “Lake of fire/Gehenna” and is equivalent to Tartaroo – the place where Angels who had sinned were chained up.

Conclusion
The Scriptures speak of 3 distinctly different areas called “Grave”, “Abyss” and “Lake of Fire”. While the Lake of fire is the place of torment and destruction(Rev 20:10), the Grave(She’ol/Hades) merely stands for the abode of the dead. The Abyss(Pit) is different from both other places as the Angels who sinned are the ones held here. Hell as we see depicted in popular media and mainline Christianity merely does not exist, and it is quite beneficial for us to understand that the word “Hell” in our English versions can be quite misleading, as all 3 of these 3 distinct places have been called Hell, even though they are vastly different from each other.

When one reads the Bible, he encounters the terms Abyss or Bottomless Pit, Tartarus, Hades, Hell, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire. Just exactly what are these? None of these is visible on the face of the earth. The Bible has quite a bit to say about these, and there is additional detail available in the non-canonical works. Some of these terms are synonyms (e.g. the Abyss is the Bottomless Pit), and all of them share the feature of having to do with punishment, but some of them are for time, and some are for eternity. The Bible describes the entities named in the title of this article as literal places, but many or most of them are not understood and are relegated to the status of presumed symbols. I thought it would be instructive to give a brief description of each of them and their relationships to each other.

The Abyss (tartaroo) is translated “bottomless pit” in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible (Rev 9:1, 2, 11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:1, 3), but is translated “the deep” in Luke 8:31 and Romans 10:7. It is a deep crevice in the earth (1 Enoch 88:1-2, [Enoch is abbreviated En hereafter]) and is the place where the evil spirits go to be tormented when they are cast out of their fleshly hosts (Lk 8:31). It is a place where God imprisoned “the angels that sinned” (2 Pet 2:4,  1 En 21:7-10) that Enoch describes being shut up in “the valleys of the earth” (1 En 10:12). The KJV calls the place where the fallen angels were cast “hell” in 2 Pet 2:4, but the Greek word is “tartaroo”. The KJV’s translation of “tartaroo” as “hell” here in 2 Peter 2:4 is one of the three distinct Greek words (“tartaroo” 2 Pe 2:4, “gehenna” Mt 10:28, “Hades” Mt 11:23) the KJV translated as “hell”, and they are all three different places. “Tartaroo” is the deepest abyss of Hades (Strong, G5020), the place where the fallen angels are kept until the day of judgment (Ewing). Enoch describes the bottomless pit (Tartarus) as the place into which the souls of the giants, the sons of the angels, are to be cast on the day of Judgment (1 En 56:1), where they will be joined with their fathers (the fallen angels — 1 En 89:24) and the 70 last shepherds of Israel (1 En 89:25). The fallen angels are to be imprisoned there forever (1 En 21:10). The Beast, the False Prophet, the devil, his angels, Death and Hell, and wicked men will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Gehenna on the Day of Judgment (Rev 19:20, 20:10, The Abyss, the bottomless pit, and Tartarus are all the same thing. The Lexicographer James Strong says the Abyss is the deepest part of Hades, but it appears to this author to be a place apart from Hades as Tartarus is described as being bottomless while Hades has vast chambers with bottoms to contain the dead, and Hades is a temporary place (Mt 27:52-53), while Gehenna is eternal (Rev 14:11).  The Abyss is not Torment, (Gehenna) Hell, Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire.

Hades is the unseen place of the dead. It is a cavernous place underground that Enoch describes as having four compartments (1 En 22:9-11). Two of Enoch’s compartments (torment and Abraham’s bosom) are mentioned in Luke 16:19-31. Enoch says the four compartments house spirits depending on their status in relation to God (1 En 22:4-7):

1. There is a division for the spirits of the righteous. Like Luke 16:24 mentions water, Enoch says it has a bright spring of water (1 Enoch 22:4). Some or all of the former inhabitants of this division participated in the first resurrection with Christ (Mt 27:52). It probably is empty now since the righteous spirits go to be with God in heaven at the death of the body (Php 1:23). The ones that rose with Jesus believed Jesus’ preaching when in Hades (1 Pet 3:19), and when Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9), He took these souls to heaven with him (Eph 4:8). This division is now empty, for when righteous men die now, their spirits go to heaven to await the Judgment (Php 1:23, 2 Cor 5:6, 8, Rev 6:9, 1 Th 4:14).
2. There is a division for the spirits whose bodies received burial, but they were transgressors and deserve punishment. These will participate in the bodily resurrection (Rev 20:13). All those who have been buried will be raised from the dead, according to what Jesus promised in John 5:28. Those in this division are in great torment until the Day of Judgment. This division corresponds to the place of torment where the Rich Man is (Lk 16:24).
3. There is a division for those that were slain in the days of the sinners. Genesis 6 describes a time when the earth was so corrupted that the thoughts of men’s hearts was evil continually (Gen 6:5). These were all slain by war and by the Flood (Gen 6:13), and this division seems reserved especially for them. This division may shed light on the strange statement in Revelation 20:13, “The sea gave up the dead which were in it.” The bodies of those slain in the Flood would presumably be buried under sediment from the Flood, and their bodies would have to rise from the depths of the sea.
4. There is a division of those who have sinned, but they are distinguished from the transgressors, who seem to be a more hardened version of sinners. I believe these are the ones Enoch describes in Enoch 50:2 who witness the victory of the holy and elect people over the evil and come to believe that Jesus is indeed Lord, and will repent (1 En 50:2). These are the ones of whom Luke speaks in Luke 12:48 that are ignorant of God’s will and who will be punished with few stripes, that is, for a time in Hades and not for eternity in Gehenna with many stripes.

Hades is a prison house for the dead (1 Pet 3:19, Acts 2:27) and a place of temporal punishment for those that deserve punishment (Lk 12:48, 16:24). The place of Hades is named after the spirit person (principality/power-Rom 8:38), Hades. Hades is a spirit power (Eph 6:12), a person (Rev 6:8) who is over the fortress of Hades (Mt 16:18), the prison place (1 Pe 3:19, Ps 107:10, Micah 7:8-9) of the dead (Acts 2:31). He has substance and form (Rev 6:8) that can be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:14). He is always linked with the spirit power Death (Rev 6:8, 20:14), an enemy of God (1 Cor 15:26, 55), and Hades will be punished eternally along with the Devil and his angels. The place of Hades is not the same as The Abyss, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire.

Haidees (Hades) is one of the three Greek words (haidees, tartaroo, geenna) that the King James Version of the Bible translates as “hell”. However, each of the three words the KJV translates “hell” refer to different places. We have already looked at tartaroo (Tartarus), and Hades (haidees) is the second of these three words that describe three distinct places. We now turn our attention to the third of these words, “geenna”.   translated “hell” (KJV) or Gehenna (YLT).

Literally, Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom, a literal valley on the south side of ancient Jerusalem. Today it is a pleasant valley, a tourist attraction, and a park. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tkandell/147503330/ One place in the valley has a sign, “Welcome to Hell”, which while humorous, will not be so funny at the judgment. The reason it will not be funny is that Gehenna is the place of eternal punishment. As you can see from the photo, it doesn’t look like a place of punishment today, but Enoch says that there are fires burning beneath the land (En 67:6-7) that will come up to the surface at the end of the world (En 67:13). The earth will be shaken so violently (Heb 12:26, Ezk 38:20) at the end that the surface of the earth will be altered (Isa 24:19, 30:25, Ps 97:5, Zech 14:4, 10, Ezk 38:20, Nahum 1:5), and the emergence of Gehenna is one of the major changes of the earth that will be effected by His coming. Gehenna is the place of eternal punishment (Mk 9:43) where the wicked are cast (Lk 12:5, Rev 20:15) at the Judgment (Mt 25:41).

Gehenna will be visible from the City of God, New Jerusalem (Isa 66:23-24). The smoke from it will rise up forever (Rev 14:11), and it will be a formidable place. In the New Earth it will extend from south of Jerusalem at the present Valley of Hinnom (Ge-Hinnom, Gehenna) all the way down to the southern border of Edom that is south of the Dead Sea (Isa 34:5-17, 66:24). The Lake of Fire will have an observation point from which the people can observe the damned (Isa 66:23), but most of the lake will be surrounded by a horrible mixture of briars, nettles, and every noxious plant (Isa 34:13) making it very difficult/impossible to access. The land will be inhabited by every kind of noxious bird and beast (Isa 34:11, 14-15). No one will ever pass through there for it will be like the Island of Dr. Moreau times ten. It will be an eternal feature of the New Earth. It is not the Abyss, the Bottomless Pit, Tartarus, Hades, or Torment, but it is Hell, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire.

Characteristics Gehenna Hell Lake of Fire

The whole body can be cast there Mt 5:20 Mt 5:20 Rev 19:20

It is a place where God can torment the body even after you have died once and there is nothing more than men can do to you. Mt 10:28 Mt 10:28 Rev 19:20, 20:10, 14:11

A body with two hands or two eyes or two feet can be cast into this place Mt 18:9; Mk 9:43, 45, 47 Mt 18:9, Mk 9:43, 45, 47 Rev 20:15

An evil person is a child of this place Mt 23:15 Mg 23:15 Rev 20:15

A generation of vipers and serpents could not possibly escape this place in the future Mt 23:33 Mt 23:33 Rev 20:15

It is a place that men should fear into which God can cast you after you are dead Lk 12:5 Lk 12:5 Rev 19:20

The tongue is set on fire in this place James 3:6 Rev 19:20, 20:15

Everything that can be said of Gehenna is also true of the Lake of Fire and Gehenna is therefore the same as the Lake of Fire. “Hell” is a word that is used to translate “Gehenna” and is therefore the same as Gehenna.

All of the places discussed are places of punishment. Hades/Torment/Hell1 is a temporary place of punishment and incarceration used to keep the spirits of the dead until the Judgment. The place where the righteous were kept was emptied at the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet 3:19, Lk 14:18), and I presume is now empty, for the righteous dead now go to be with God (Php 1:23, 2 Co 5:8-9). The Abyss/Bottomless Pit/Tartarus/Hell2 is a place that serves for both temporal (Luke 8:31, Rev 17:8) and eternal punishment (Enoch 90:24-26). Gehenna/Lake of Fire/Hell3 is a place to be revealed near Jerusalem at the end of this present age and is a place of eternal punishment (Rev 20:10, 15, 14:11, Mt 25:41). James Johnson

A. Hades; is a Greek word for the abode of departed spirits; is where all the spiritual beings of unbelievers go when their physical bodies die. Hades is God’s 5^th Kingdom in the universe, is located in the bottomless pit, which goes deep into the earth and has a giant fire in it; the bottomless pit is an inferno deep within the earth. Hades is the first kingdom at the top of this pit so it has the least heat and torment in it. Hades is referred to 10 times in the New Testament. 

 

B. Abyss(os): is a Greek word meaning deep bottomless pit with a fire, where some of the vilest  demons (angels who sinned against God) are kept in torment. It is God’s 6^th Kingdom in this universe and located below Hades in the inferno of the bottomless pit within the earth; closer to the flames with more heat and torment in it. It is used 9 times in the Bible; is also commonly referred to as the Bottomless Pit.

 

C.Tartarus; is a Greek word which is only used once in the Bible, which a context of verses define as a prison located in the Abyss. This prison is in the deepest and hottest part of the Abyss; where certain demons are chained closest to the heat. For their actions were the most despicable to God and they were given more torment, to keep them from coming back to earth. It is only used 1 time in the Bible.

 

D. Hell, the Lake of Fire; GreekGehenna, is the 7^th kingdom which God will create in end times. 

The first to thrown into Hell/Lake of Fire will be the beast/antichrist/man of sin and the false prophet. 

The second to be cast into Hell/Lake of Fire will be satan.

The third to be cast into Hell/Lake of Fire will be satan’s demons (angels who followed satan and became demons). 

The fourth to be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire at the White Throne Judgement; all unbelievers spiritual beings in Hades will be reunited with their resurrected regular sinful physical bodies from earth and along with unbelievers still living on earth. They will have their regular sinful bodies made eternal and then they will cast into Hell/Lake of Fire. See H-65; I-78+81; J-94

 

Heaven and Earth will pass away, and since Hades, Abyss, Tartarus werelocated within the earth they also will be no more. And God will create His New Heaven and Earth. But Hell, the Lake of Fire; will be a place of torment for satan, his demons, and after the White Throne Judgment all unbelievers from the creation of the world, forever.    

 

A. Hades (Greek); where unbelievers’ spiritual beings go after they physically die. Used 10 times in Bible

 

Hades refers to a place of torment where an unbelievers’ spiritual being goes after their physical body dies. 

1. *And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.Matt 11:23 ESV+

 

2. *"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build Mychurch; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matt 16:18 NASB+

 

3. *And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. Luke 10:15 NKJV+

 

4. *and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Luke 16:23 ESV+

 

After depositing our sins in the Abyss (B. 3.), Jesus’ spiritual being came up to Hades where all unbeliever’ spiritual beings are; and then His soul and spirit ascended into Heaven, where He welcomed the thief on the cross. 

 

5. *For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Acts 2:27 NKJV+

 

6. *he foresaw and spoke the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. Acts 2:31 ESV+

 

All unbelievers’ spiritual beings are kept in Hades, until the White Seat Judgment. There unbelievers’ spiritual beings are reunited with their physical bodies, judged by God and thrown into Hell, the Lake of Fire.

 

7. *I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.Rev 1:18 NIV+

 

8. *I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Rev 6:8 NASB+

 

9. *And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Rev 20:13 ESV+ 

 

10. *Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Rev 20:14 NKJV+

 

A1. How different translations used Hades

 

NASB+ used Hades 10 times. NASB+Greek translation 86

 

ASV Same as NASB+

 

NKJV+ used Hades 11 times

Uses Hades instead of death; NASB+Greek translation 2288 is death 

*“O death, where is your victory? O Hades, where is your sting?”  1Co 15:55 NKJV+

 

ESV+ used Hades 9 times; 

In Matt 16:18 used Hell; but NASB+Greek translation 86 is Hades; not Hell which is Greek translation 1067

* And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matt 16:18 ESV+

 

NIV+ only had Matt 16:18, Rev 1:18, 6:8, 20:13, 20:14 correct; be careful of how 5 times they used other words for Hades

 

KJV Never used Hades; used Hell 9 times, grave one time - be careful with their use of the word Hell

 

B. Abyss, Bottomless Pit; where certain demonic spiritual beings are kept

 

Abyss or Bottomless Pit used 10 times in Bible 

 

1. * Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. LK 8:31 ESV+

 

Where Jesus left the sins of the world; after having them laid upon Him while He was on the cross.

2. * or “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Ro 10:7 ESV+

 

Jesus was our scapegoat, our sins were laid on Him and He carried them to a solitary place and left them; the Abyss. See

* "But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonementupon it, to send it into the wildernessas the scapegoat .  Lev 16:10 NASB+

* The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. Lev 16:22 NIV+

 

Where demons are kept until they bring tribulation on us

 

3. *Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit [Lit shaft of the Abyss] was given to him. Rev 9:1NASB+

 

4. *When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. Rev 9:2 NIV+

 

5. *They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon , and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. Rev 9:11 NASB+

 

6. *Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Rev 11:7 NIV+

 

7. *"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. Rev 17:8 NASB+

 

Will be a place satan is held for a thousand years

 

8. * And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. Rev 20:1 NASB+

 

9. *and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Rev 20:3 NASB+

 

B1. How different translations use Abyss, Bottomless Pit 

 

ASV: 9 times  

Abyss: LK 8:31 - Ro 10:7 - Rev 9:1 - Rev 9:2 - Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7 - Rev 17:8 - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3 

 

NASB+: 9 times

Abyss: LK 8:31 - Ro 10:7 - Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7 - Rev 17: - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3 NKJV+

Bottomless Pit: Rev 9:1 [Lit shaft of the Abyss] - Rev 9:2 (Pit) 

 

ESV+: 9 times

Abyss: LK 8:31 - Ro 10:7

Bottomless Pit: Rev 9:1 [Greek the abyss; also verses 2,11] - Rev 9:2 -Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7 - Rev 17:8 - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3

 

NKJV+: 9 times

Abyss: LK 8:31 - Ro 10:7

Bottomless Pit: Rev 9:1 - Rev 9:2 -Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7 - Rev 17:8 - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3

 

NIV+: 9 times

Abyss: LK 8:31 - Rev 9:1 - Rev 9:2 -Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7

Deep: Ro 10:7 - Rev 17:8 - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3

 

KJV: 9 times

Bottomless Pit: Rev 9:1 - Rev 9:2 -Rev 9:11 - Rev 11:7 - Rev 17:8 - Rev 20:1 - Rev 20:3

Deep: LK 8:31 - Ro 10:7

Prison: 1

 

C. Tartarus (Greek) prison in the deepest part of the Abyss or Bottomless Pit

 

NASB+, ASV, ESV,+ NKJV+, NIV+, KJV; all incorrectly interrupted the Greek word Tartarus as Hell, instead of Abyss the only time it is used in the Bible in 2Pe 2:4. 

 

Tartarus is where God keeps certain demonic spiritual beings until the White Throne Judgment Tartarus, is a Greek word to hold captive in a dark abode. It was incorrectly translated the 1 time it was used in the Bible by Peter in all 6 of the translations we use. It should have been translated the Abyss or the Bottomless Pit instead of Hell. For in this verse it is referring to a place where spirits are already held. Yet no one will be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire, until Jesus returns and casts the antichrist and false prophet into it. And then after the White Throne Judgment all in Hades (with their physical bodies) and all the demons in the Abyss will be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire. 

 

God did not create Hell for these angels, but kept them in Tartarus the worst torment possible until they were to be judged just before the White Throne Judgment and then thrown into the Lake of Fire which is Hell. See I.-81.

 

1. *For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [Tartarus] and committed them to chains [Some manuscript pits] of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 2Pe 2:4 ESV+  

 

When Jesus died on the cross our sins were laid upon Him and He went to the prison in the Abyss to proclaim His victory there, lay our sins there. Paul concurs that Jesus went into the Abyss, not Hell, the Lake of Fire which had not yet been created. 

 

*For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit ; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits nowin prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water . 1Pe 3:18-20 NASB+

 or “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Ro 10:7 ESV+

 

D. Hell (Greek Gehenna) is Lake of Fire; eternal place of torment for unbelievers, and demons. Hell used 12 times in Bible

 

Jesus refers to the punishment which unbelievers physical bodies will have to endure in Hell, which can only happen after the White Thrown Judgment. When unbelievers spiritual beings from Hades are united with their physical bodies once more, judged and then cast into the Lake of Fire.

 

1. *If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole bodybe thrown into hell. Matt 5:29 ESV+

 

2. *"If your right hand makes you stumble , cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. Matt 5:30 NASB+

 

3.  *Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt 10:28 NIV+

 

4. *If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two handsor two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hellfire. Matt 18:8-9 NKJV+

 

5. *And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go tohell, to the unquenchable fire. Mk 9:43 ESV+

 

6. *And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—Mk 9:45 NKJV+

 

7. *And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown intohell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Mk 9:47-48 ESV+

 

8. *The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Ja 3:6+

 

While it is incorrect to say any are now being sent to Hell or held there; for no one will go to hell until Jesus returns in glory. It is correct to threaten unbelievers with the worst punishment any can receive, or say unbelievers are going to Hell; for all in Hades will be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire, after the White Throne Judgment. 

 

9. *But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. Matt 5:22+

 

10. * "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Matt 23:15+

 

11. * Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matt 23:33+

 

12. * But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Lk 12:5+

 

D1. How different translations use Hell (Gehenna NASB+ Greek translation 1067)  

 

NASB+, ASV, ESV+, NKJV+, NIV+, KJV; all incorrectly interrupted the Greek word Tartarus as Hell, instead of in the Bible’s context of Tartarus as a prison in the Abyss the only time it is used in the Bile *For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell [ GreekTartarus], putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 2Pe 2:4

 

Tartarus is where Jesus human spiritual being (soul and spirit) went after He died on the cross; to proclaim His victory over death to the angels who were in the prison in the deepest part of the Abyss. 

*For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit ; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 1Pe 3:18-19+

*But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 
or “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Ro 10:6-7

 

NASB+, ASV, ESV+, NKJV+; all agree on the 12 times Hell (Greek Gehenna)is used. 

 

NIV+ also added Hell in Lk 16:23 which is incorrect

 

KJV used Hell 22 times, incorrectly 10 times 

 

D2. Hell called the Lake of Fire, or described as such. used 6 times in the Bible

 

When Jesus returns; the antichrist and the false prophet will be the first to be cast into Lake of Fire. 

*And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Rev 19:20

 

Then satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire where only the beast and the false prophet are

*And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev 20:10 

 

Then demons; satan/devil angels

*On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. Isa 24:21

*“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt 25:41 

 

Those who had died in the last battle without their names in the book of life; and all who were in Hades who had their spiritual beings reunited with their resurrected bodies, were thrown into the Lake of Fire. 

* Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Rev 20:14

 

Those still living on earth at the time of the White Throne Judgment will be judged; and any without their names in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

*“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt 25:41 

*And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15 

 

All the evil unbelievers will be sent to their second and eternal death; Lake of Fire.

* But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Rev 21:8 

Hell & The Lake of Fire

HELL is the ETERNAL DESTINY of MOST People
(Matt 7:13-14, Matt 7:21-23, Phil 3:18-19) How Do We Escape God’s Wrath in Hell?
GOOD NEWS here: Gospel of Jesus Christ

HELL & THE LAKE OF FIRE – What is Hell? What is the Lake of Fire? Who goes to Hell? What is Hell like? How Do We Escape God’s Eternal Wrath in Hell? Scriptures & Videos on Hell

For More Info go to: Hell Scriptures & Hell Facts

Hell & The Lake of Fire

ON THIS PAGE:

1. HELL & THE LAKE OF FIRE – COMMENTARY 
2. GOD’S LOVE
3. GOD’S LOVE PROVIDED A WAY OF ESCAPE
4. SOME SAY IT IS WRONG TO SCARE PEOPLE
5. A PLACE CALLED HELL: THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND THE BEGGAR
6. HELL IS A WAITING PLACE OF TORMENT
7. HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE ARE NOT THE SAME
8. HELL— THE PIT
9. HELL— A WAITING PLACE FOR THE FINAL JUDGMENT
10. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
11. WHO WILL GO TO THE LAKE OF FIRE?
12. WHO ARE THE FIRST THAT GO TO THE LAKE OF FIRE?
13. THE FINAL DESTINY OF MOST: MANY PERISH
14. FEW WILL BE WITH JESUS
15. SCRIPTURES ON HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE COMBINE 
16. HEAVEN – WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE? – SO4J-TV 

1 – Hell & The Lake of Fire – Commentary

Video: The Truth

Satan took away the fear of God’s Judgment with Eve. He told her she would not surely die. She chose to believe the voice of the devil and chose not to believe the voice of Almighty God. She sinned and later died, just as God said—even though she had chosen not to believe it would happen.

There are many cults and false religions in this generation that choose to believe the lies of Satan. Some say there is no such place as hell. Some say it is hell living on this earth. Some admit that there is a hell; however, they believe God sends no one there. Some admit that there is a hell, but only the vilest people go there.

There is even a certain denomination that claims there is a purgatory. They teach that most people go there instead of hell, and that, ultimately, most will be in heaven.

All these false ideas and doctrines, which contradict the Word of God, come from the devil. They often have the same intent as Satan had in the Garden of Eden. That intent is, to take away the fear of God’s Judgment. This deception worked with Eve. It works with millions of people today. It is written:

• Job 28:28 “And unto man he said, Behold, the FEAR OF THE LORD, THAT IS WISDOM; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
• Prov 3:7 “Be not wise in thine own eyes: FEAR THE LORD, AND DEPART FROM EVIL.”
• Prov 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Once this fear of God and His Judgment is removed, then people go forth willfully and sin.

So often when a person dies, people will say, “He has gone to a better place now.” They don’t understand that most people perish to hell, not to heaven. While they are thinking that person has gone to a better place, they are actually crying out in torment words like, “I AM TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME.” Indeed, Satan does deceive the whole world. (Rev 12:9)

Video: Jesus Describes Hell

An Excellent (important) Message & Warning about HELL by Dr John Barnett— 
formerly an Associate Pastor to Dr John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in CA & a Professor at the Master’s Seminary.

Some say it is wrong to scare people with such teaching. This statement is contrary to God’s Word. Most people are unsaved. This is confirmed in the Scriptures. Only a few inherit eternal life. When an unsaved person dies, they perish to a place called hell. In hell, they are tormented day and night in the flame. Their tongue, in some manner, is set on fire. There appear to be various levels in hell, which seems to be located down in the center or bowels of the earth. Some have described hell as being like a volcano, but a person’s spirit does not die. They will retain their memory of the past and of their loved ones. It appears they will remember every single time that they had a chance to repent and receive Jesus as their Savior, but they refused. In hell, the condemned person will also remember his loved ones and will be in further anguish at the thought of them also perishing to this place of torment. It may be said, any person who dies unsaved, it would have been better for that person if they had never been born. For a very short time, they lived on the earth in rebellion to God’s will. They refused God’s love and mercy. Now, they shall suffer; they shall be tormented.

The unsaved person will remain in hell until after the Millennium has expired on the earth. The unjust are reserved to the day of Judgment.

At the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, the sea, death and hell deliver up all the dead that are there for the final Judgment. The books are opened. There they are Judged by their works. They are Judged according to what they did. For this brief time, they should have some relief from the horrible torment of the flame.

At some point during this process, it appears they are beaten with few or many stripes.

Finally, they are cast into the eternal lake of fire, which was prepared for Satan and his angels. This is called “the second death.” There they will be tormented day and night, for ever and ever. There will never be any hope of escape. There will never be any hope of release. This is the eternal destiny of most people.

What a horrible time it will be! Dying, then going to hell, then to the Great White Throne Judgment, and finally being cast into the eternal lake of fire. During this process, people will see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but “you” yourself cast out-ref Luke 13:28. The people will be crying. There will be gnashing of teeth. This is the final destiny for all that reject the forgiveness of their sins which is ONLY possible through Jesus Christ. This is the end result for those that refuse to do the will of God. This is the end result for those that refuse to repent of all willful sin and serve the Lord.

Satan will ultimately be in the lake of fire. The false prophet and the Antichrist will be there. The rich man will be there. Many preachers, Sunday school teachers, church choir singers, and even missionaries will be there. Consider carefully. Again it needs to be said. Most people that have ever lived will be there. Only a few shall receive eternal life and forever be with the Lord. We might say these words:

2 Cor 5:11 “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”

2 – God’s Love

The question is asked, “Ye Serpent, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of HELL? – Matt 23:33. For “The Wages of Sin is Death.” – Rom 6:23.

There is a way of escaping hell or eternal death. As it is written:

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
• John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the Wrath of Godabideth on him.”

(The word “believe,” as used here, means a total uncompromising commitment of love and obedience.)

3 – God’s Love Provided a Way of Escape

Jesus Christ died a horrible death so that you can have forgiveness of all your sins, no matter how bad they are. A person never needs to go to hell, if they receive, by faith, the forgiveness and love that God offers through Jesus Christ, His Son. This is an offer God gives you.

Video: Gospel of Jesus Christ – SO4J-TV

Watch this Video or Go to: Gospel of Jesus Christ – Video, Audio, Article
More Detailed Info Here: Gospel – What Does It Mean That Jesus Died For Our Sins?

4 – Some Say it is Wrong to Scare People

Video: What Hell and the Lake of Fire are really like – Scriptures on Hell in the Bible

There are some people that may say it is wrong to scare a person into heaven. They are wrong.

• Jude 1:22-23 It is written, “And some have compassion, making a difference: others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

This message may be considered as a road sign of warning. Some may look at a sign that reads, “The bridge is out,” and say, “Oh, someone is just trying to scare us into taking another road. Let’s go on the same way.” They go on and plunge to their death. The sign was not meant to scare people. It was meant to warn people of impending danger. Likewise, this message is intended to warn people of impending danger, unless they repent.

5 – A Place Called Hell – The Story of the Rich Man and the Beggar

• Luke 16:19 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day”
• Luke 16:20 “And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,”
• Luke 16:21 “And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”
• Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”
• Luke 16:23 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” When a person dies, they do not go to a fictitious place called purgatory. They go either to hell or to be with the Lord.
• 2 Cor 5:8 As it is written, “to be absent from the Body, and to be Present with the Lord.”
• Luke 16:24 “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
• Luke 16:25 “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”
• Luke 16:26 “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”
• Luke 16:27 “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house”
• Luke 16:28 “For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
• Luke 16:29 “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”
• Luke 16:30 “And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.”
• Luke 16:31 “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” If they will not receive the Word of God, neither will they be persuaded even if one went to them from the dead.

6 – Hell is a Waiting Place of Torment

Video: Sermon on Hell & God’s Judgment – David Wilkerson

Hell is mentioned in the Bible 53 times. The Bible tells us of “Hell” (or death); it is a place of torment where a person goes after death while waiting for the final Judgment. The Rich Man is in Hell at this time. All that do not receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and obey the Gospel, shall be in hell when they die. Indeed, regarding those people that refuse to accept the forgiveness God offers them through Jesus Christ, “It had been good for that man if he had not been born.” Matt 26:24.

• Hab 2:5 “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as HELL, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied”
• Matt 5:22 “But I say unto you…whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of HELL fire.”
• Psalm 9:17″The wicked shall be turned into HELL, and all the nations that forget God.”

James warns about our tongue.

• James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it (the tongue) is set on FIRE OF HELL.”

The tongue—the unruly member of our body that no man can tame—will be set on fire. That is why the rich man said, in Luke 16:24 “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and COOL MY TONGUE.”

• Mark 9:43 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into HELL, into the fire that never shall be quenched”

Perhaps you have a little love affair now and then, a little fling. It is written:

• Prov 7:27 “Her house is the way to HELL, going down to the chambers of death.
• Prov 9:18″But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of HELL” Note, “He knoweth not…Her Guests are in…HELL.”

The Bible warns people that forsake the way of God to receive correction or die.

• Prov 15:10 “Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof (or correction) shall die.” The Bible also teaches that:
• Matt 3:10 “Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down (cut down), and cast into THE FIRE.”
• Matt 24:48 “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming”
• Matt 24:49 “And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, (note the next words) and to eat and drink with the drunken;”
• Matt 24:50 “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,”
• Matt 24:51 “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.” 

7 – Hell and the Lake of Fire

We are on this earth to be tested, to see if we will put ourselves first and do our own will, or if we will deny ourselves and follow Jesus.

• Heb 9:27 God’s Word tell us, “It is appointed unto men once to Die, but after this THE JUDGMENT.”

If you have refused to do God’s will and forsake all sin, you may be among those that Matthew talks about.

• Matt 7:22-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I (Jesus) profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
• 2 Pet 2:4 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to HELL, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be RESERVED UNTO JUDGMENT;”

Take note of the words, “Hell…reserved unto Judgment.”

Hell is a place where those that are unsaved go when they die. They stay in this place of torment until they are delivered to the Great White Throne Judgment to be Judged; then they are cast into the eternal lake of fire. Beware. For:

• 2 Pet 2:9″The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the DAY OF JUDGMENT to be punished.”
• Luke 12:4-5 “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

Video: The Truth About Hell – John MacArthur

   

8 – The Pit

Video: Hell is Real – The Lake of Fire – Eternal Torment  

The place called Hell is often referred to in the Bible as “the pit” or “bottomless pit.” It is a place that is in the earth below or the lower parts of the earth.

• Ezek 31:16 “I cast him down to HELL with them that descend into the PIT “
• Isa 14:12,15 “O Lucificer…Thou shalt be brought down to HELL, to the sides of the PIT.”

When Jesus returns in glory, Satan shall be bound for one thousand years. As it is written:

• Rev 20:2-3 “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the BOTTOMLESS PIT, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
• Ezek 32:29 “There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the PIT.”

The uncircumcised represent of the unsaved.

• Ezek 26:20 “When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth.”

The Scripture is giving us a location of the pit (hell).

• Ezek 31:14 “They are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth (or the earth below)…with them that go down to the PIT.”
• Ezek 32:18 “Cast them down…unto the nether parts of the earth (or to the earth below), with them that go down into the PIT.”

Consider that hell may be like being in molten lava inside a great volcano—with no way of escape.

9 – Hell – A Waiting Place for the Final Judgment

Video: Hell – Three Reasons to Fear God – John MacArthur

As it has been noted, when a person dies without Christ, they go to a place called hell. There they stay, being tormented in the flame until the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, which is also called “the Judgment of the damned.” Thus, we see that those in hell will not be there forever, but only until they are delivered up to the final Judgment and are Judged according to their works.

10 – The Great White Throne Judgment

AFTER the 1000 yr Reign of Christ (Millennium), those in Hades (a.k.a. Hell) will be Resurrected from Hades to appear before Jesus Christ to be Judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and then be sentenced to experience God’s Eternal Wrath which is to be: Cast into the Lake of Fire, this is Hell (Rev 20:11-15). (This Paragraph is from SO4J-TV)

Video: Lukewarm Christians Judgment Day-Are You Ready? (2/9) SO4J-TV  

Video: 1 HOUR SO4J-TV SHOW – HERE  

This Video is a depiction of some of the MANY people who will be Cast into Hell at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15, Matt 7:21-23). This Video is about the Fate of FALSE CONVERTS (APOSTATES) who come to the EDGE of Saving Faith— but they eventually REJECT or WALK AWAY from the Truth. Read Matthew 7:21-23. Go Here for: Biblical Assurance of Salvation, Q & As, & To Examine Your Faith. Go Here for: What is a Lukewarm Christian? Go Here for the: Gospel of Jesus Christ.

LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS are UNSAVED People who: THINK, TALK, LOOK like they are Saved. This Video is a 10 Min Segment of a One Hour SO4J-TV Show: Judgment Day-Are You Ready?

FYI – These Are NOT Genuinely Saved Christians portrayed in this Video— as they were NEVER Saved in the First Place. In Matt 7:21-23 Jesus says, “I NEVER KNEW you, Depart From Me, You Who Practice Lawlessness (Break God’s Laws).”

• Rev 20:11 – “And I saw a GREAT WHITE THRONE, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”
• Rev 20:12 – “And I saw the Dead, Small, and Great, Stand before God; and the Books were opened; and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. Some believe the book of life is brought forth just to show all these people that there was a place for their name, but their name was not there, as they refused to commit their life to Jesus Christ. They chose to live their life according to their own will or their own religion and not to the will of God. Then they hoped all would turn out all right at the Judgment. Their hope was centered in deceit, and their mistake was eternal. AND THE DEAD WERE JUDGED OUT OF THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.
• Rev 20:13 – “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and HELL DELIVERED UP THE DEAD which were in them: and they were Judged every man according to their works.”
• Rev 20:14 “And DEATH AND HELL WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. This is THE SECOND DEATH.”
• Rev 20:15″And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.”
• Luke 13:28 “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

11 – Who Will Go to the Lake of Fire?

Once the final Judgment is held, then they shall be cast into the Eternal Lake of Fire, which was prepared for Satan and his Angels. This includes all that have chosen not to believe there is a Judgment, a devil, and an Eternal Lake of Fire. This includes all that have chosen to follow their own ways, the ways of deceit, and the ways of dead churches. This includes all that prophesied, and cast out devils, and did many wonderful works in the name of Jesus—but did not depart from iniquity. This includes all who were positive they were saved and following Jesus but chose a path that was contrary to God’s clear way as set forth in the Bible. This includes those that did not believe there was an eternal lake of fire. This includes those that thought they would be in purgatory. They all shall be there, tormented day and night, forever and ever in the fire that shall never be quenched.

Do you want truth or do you want deceit? These Scriptures give God’s truth. This same God that has given thousands of prophecies that have been fulfilled exactly as prophesied has also given each of us, reading or hearing this message, a warning. “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” Rev 3:22.

12 – Who are the First that Go to the Lake of Fire?

Video: HELL – Don’t Be Caught Dead Without Jesus
(aka Great Commission Video) 

The Scriptures tell us of the “lake of fire,” which is the eternal result of sin. “Fools make a mock at Sin” Prov 14:9. If you do not repent, “Ye shall die in your Sins” John 8:24.

As we should have already seen, “hell” is a place of fire and torment where the unsaved go when they die. They stay there until the Great White Throne Judgment is held, which occurs sometime shortly after the Millennium has expired. They are delivered up to be Judged. Following the Great White Throne Judgment, they go into the eternal lake of fire. There they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. There is no hope of ever escaping.

1 – The Antichrist & The False Prophet – Rev 19:20

The first reference to any one being cast into the eternal lake of fire is the Antichrist and false prophet at the return of Jesus Christ – Rev 19:20. “And the Beast (or Antichrist) was taken, and…the False Prophet…these…were cast alive into a Lake of Fire.” Rev 19:20

2 – Judgment Of Nations: “Goats” Shall Be Cast Into Lake of Fire Matt 25:31-46

Following the return of Jesus Christ and the Battle of Armageddon, the Judgment of the Nations (which is also called “the throne of glory”) will be held for those that survive. The goats (the unsaved), those on His left, those that did not bear good fruit, shall be cast into the eternal lake of fire, everlasting punishment – ref Matt 25:31-46.

• Matt 25:32-33 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
• Matt 25:41-46 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did itnot to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

3 – Satan Will Be Cast in Hell & The Lake of Fire – Rev 20:7-10

After the Millennium has expired and Satan has been let loose from the “pit or hell” for a little season, then Satan himself will be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

• Rev 20:7-10 “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom isas the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, WHERE THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

4 – Unsaved People From All Time – Rev 20:11

After “Earth and the Heaven fled away” – Rev 20:11, the Great White Throne Judgment is held.

All the people that were in hell are delivered up to be Judged here.

Then death and hell are cast into the eternal lake of fire – (Rev 20:11-15)

Rev 21:8 “the fearful (or cowardly), and unbelieving (those who do not believe what Jesus says), and the abominable (or vile), and murderers, and whoremongers (or sexually immoral), and sorcerers (those who practice magic arts-NIV), and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the LAKE WHICH BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH.” And this know:

• Rev 2:11 “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the SECOND DEATH.”

13 – The Final Destiny of Most: Many Perish

Video: The Few – Piper / Washer / Ravenhill / Conway / Leiter   

• MORE: Narrow Gate – Few Ever Find It

• FOR THE DESOLATE (the devil) HAS MANY MORE CHILDREN THAN SHE WHICH HAS A HUSBAND (Jesus) – Gal 4:27
• MANY THERE BE (that perish) – Matt 7:13
• MANY…many…many – Matt 7:22 (three groups of many)
• MANY ARE CALLED (but they perish )- Matt 22:14
• MANY…SEEK TO ENTER IN (to heaven), AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE – Luke 13:24
• MANY deceived – Matt 24:5
• MANY deceived – Matt 24:11
• MANY…ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST – Phil 3:18
• MANY…WHOSE END IS DESTRUCTION – Phil 3:18-19
• MANY…DECEIVERS – Titus 1:10
• MANY…CORRUPT THE WORD OF GOD – 2 Cor 2:17
• THEY PROFESS THAT THEY KNOW GOD; BUT…(are) REPROBATE – Titus 1:16
• SATAN…DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD – Rev 12:9

14 – Few Will be with Jesus

Video: Narrow Gate (Road to Heaven) – John MacArthur  

• FEW THERE BE – Matt 7:14
• FEW ARE CHOSEN – Matt 22:14
• Luke 2:4-5 Jesus said, “My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

15 – Scriptures on Hell and the Lake of Fire Combined

– Hell is a place of Consciousness – Luke 16:23-24
– A Place of DARKNESS – Matt 8:12 
– Eternal Separation from your loved ones – Luke 13:28 
– Not the slightest hope of Release – Matt 25:46 
– There is the torment of memory in hell. You may remember every single chance you had to repent, yet you refused – Luke 16:27-28 

• Rev 20:15 “Whosoever was not found written in the BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.”
• HELL FIRE – Matt 18:9, Mark 9:47
• DEVOURING FIRE – Isa 33:14
• EVERLASTING FIRE – Matt 25:41
• FIRE THAT NEVER SHALL BE QUENCHED – Mark 9:43
• HE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE-Rev 20:10 COALS OF FIRE – Prov 25:22
• UNQUENCHABLE FIRE – Matt 3:12 FURNACE OF FIRE – Matt 13:42
• VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE-Jude 7
• RAGING FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME THE ENEMIES OF GOD- Heb 10:27 NIV
• TORMENTED WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE-Rev 14:10 ETERNAL JUDGMENT – Heb 6:2
• EVERLASTING BURNINGS – Isa 33:14
• EVERLASTING CONTEMPT – Dan 12:2
• EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT – Matt 25:46
• EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION – 2 Thes 1:9
• TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOR EVER AND EVER – Rev 20:10
• THEY ARE BURNED – John 15:6
• WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED – Mark 9:46
• THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT ASCENDETH UP FOR EVER AND EVER: AND THEY HAVE NO REST
• DAY NOR NIGHT – Rev 14:11
• SHAME – Dan 12:2
• PAINS OF HELL – Psalms 116:3
• OUTER DARKNESS – Matt 8:12
• WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH – Matt 8:12
• WAILING AND GNASHING OF TEETH – Matt 13:42
• HE LIFT UP HIS EYES BEING IN TORMENTS-Luke 16:23
• AND HE CRIED…I AM TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME – Luke 16:24
• HAVE MERCY ON ME – Luke 16:24.
• This is the Eternal Destiny of MOST people.

This is the Eternal Destiny of MOST people.

• Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB) “Enter through the NARROW GATE; for the GATE is WIDE and the WAY is BROAD that leads to DESTRUCTION, and there are MANY who enter through it. For the GATE is SMALL & the WAY is NARROW that leads to LIFE, and there are FEW who find it.”
• John 10:9 Jesus—”I AM THE GATE. Those who come in through ME will be SAVED.”

THE END

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 “HELL & THE LAKE OF FIRE”

Copyright 2000 BibleDesk and Gospel Truth Publishing
“HELL & THE LAKE OF FIRE” MAY BE COPIED WITH THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS—
IT MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR USED FOR PROFIT IN ANY WAY

1) The first important matter to consider is what constitutes “a lake” as humans are able to perceive it. The dictionary defines a lake as an area of depression in the earth that contains a liquid (normally water). It always has higher ground surrounding it, and in the case of ordinary lakes, it represents the central area of a drainage region into which streams and/or rivers flow. Since the apostle John in the Book of Revelation used the common term for “lake,” it could be reasonably believed that he had a conventional lake in mind though he said it was “The Lake of THE Fire”!

(2) Second, this particular lake had fire associated with it, and the fire was fueled by sulfur. Someway, that chemical must be found in its midst.

(3) Third, John tells us that the lake will be in existence and active with fireprior to the Millennium (Revelation 19:20). This means it will be fully in evidence before the Second Advent of our Lord to this earth.

(4) Fourth, the Beast and False Prophet who fight against Christ at His coming will be thrown into it. Since it is made plain in the Bible that the final battles to be fought just prior to the Millennium will be at or around Jerusalem, it could reasonably be suggested that the lake would be located in the same vicinity. Indeed, it is plainly shown that the wicked will be tormented with fire and brimstone

“… in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascends up for the ages of the ages: and they have no rest day or night.”

• Revelation 14:10–11

This is a direct reference to Isaiah 34:8–10:

“For it is the day of YHWH’s vengeance, and the year of recompense for the controversy of Zion. And the streams [of Edom] shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone, and the land [of Edom] shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke shall go up forever [for the age]: from generation to generation it shall lie waste.”

• Isaiah 34:8–10

This burning of Edom (an area that borders the southern and southeastern portions of the Dead Sea) occurs when “the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll” (Isaiah 34:4) just like the Book of Revelation says will happen at the Second Advent of Christ (Revelation 6:14). This region of Edom will have its streambeds flowing with rivers of fire. This pitch and brimstone will flow into the Dead Sea located just east of Jerusalem. Since this judgment takes place so near to Jerusalem, it could be reasoned that “The Lake of the Fire” was nearby.

(5) There is also a fifth point. John says the lake has the factor of death associated with it. “The Lake of the Fire ... is the second death.” This is where Hades (hell) and Death are to be cast (Revelation 20:14). This reference shows that “the Lake of the Fire”cannot be a symbol of the ordinary grave (Hades), because Hades is “thrown” into it.

(6) Sixth, the lake cannot be Gehenna (another name of “hell” in the King James Version). The area of Gehenna (sometimes called Tophet) is a valley located on the southern edges of Jerusalem. In no way can the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) be considered “a lake.”

It is also not the “bottomless pit” (Greek: abyss) because that is a pit in the earth with a door that a key can open (Revelation 9:1–2). Admittedly, the description of the abyss is figurative, but it is hardly suitable to connect a door and a key with the entrance to “a lake”!

(7) A final seventh factor to consider is John’s teaching that this Lake of the Fire will cease to exist after the Great White Throne period. This is because John says “the former things[including the Lake of the Fire] are passed away. Behold, I make all things NEW” (Revelation 21:4–5). The area in which this lake is found will one day be healed and made new. Interestingly, there are some important scriptures that speak of a prominent lake being healed.

These seven factors are not of themselves enough to identify the lake, but they give us some excellent clues that become significant when we look at other scriptures and a number of historical indications.

A Major Key

There is a prime New Testament reference which goes a long way in solving the identification of “The Lake of the Fire.” It is found in the Book of Jude. This New Testament writer was the brother of James, and the half-brother of our Lord. He said that there was, in his time, an EXAMPLE of eternal fire [“age-lasting” fire] that was an active and present witness to what the judgment of God would be like in the future. That example was the geographical area where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah once existed. Jude called attention to the ruined condition of that region, as well as the fire that was still burning in the locale. That is correct; the area around the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was still having fires and smoke in the time of Jude! Notice carefully what he said on the matter.

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication [promiscuity] and going over to strange flesh, are set forth [are presently set forth] for an EXAMPLE, suffering [are presently suffering] the vengeance of age-lasting fire.”

• Jude verse 7

When one looks at that verse closely, it tells us very much about the environment around the Dead Sea as it existed in the time of Jude! There were then active fires and smoke in the area. Strabo, the 1^st century geographer, described the neighborhood as “a land of fires.” ¹ Some of the fires were fed by the seepage of naphtha (an old name for petroleum), bitumen, and other gaseous fumes.

A hundred years before Strabo, there is the record of a Jewish author who described the Dead Sea area.

“Wisdom saved a man [Lot] from a destruction of the godless, and he escaped the fire that came down on the Five Cities, cities whose wickedness is still attested by a SMOKING waste.”

• Wisdom of Solomon 10:7

This historical reference indicates that the Dead Sea region was then, back at that time, still smoking from subterranean fires. Diodorus Siculus, who also lived in the 1^st century BC, said: “The fire which burns beneath the ground and the stench render the inhabitants of the neighboring country sickly and very short-lived”(Book 2.48.8).

A few years later, in the time of Christ’s childhood, the Jewish writer Philo gave witness to the burnings and smoke that were still ascending.

“The fire of the lightning is most difficult to extinguish, and creeps on pervading everything and smoldering. And a most evident proof of this is to be found in what IS SEEN TO THIS DAY: for the smoke which is still emitted, and the sulphur that men dig up there, are a proof of the calamity which befell that country.” 

• On Abraham 1.140–141, Yonge translation ²

This fire and smoke was also seen coming from the midst of the Dead Sea as well. The geographer Strabo called the Dead Sea a “lake” (as did Josephus, the early Jewish historian ³ ) , and described the fiery characteristics which came from its center. Strabo wrote:

“In the midst of the lake is the source of the fire and also there are great quantities of asphalt in the middle. The eruption is uncertain, because the movements of fire have no order known to us, as it is of many other gases.”

• The Geography of Strabo, Book XVI, chapter 2, §44 ⁴

Strabo continues:

“Together with the asphalt there arises a great deal of soot, smoke, and [gases] invisible to the sight, by which brass, silver, and everything shining, even gold, is tarnished.”

• The Geography of Strabo, Book XVI, chapter 2, §42

Around the area were “drops of pitch distilling from the rocks [petroleum], and boiling streams.” 

“The lake was formed by earthquakes and boiling outbursts OF FIRE, and hot water impregnated with bitumen and brimstone [sulfur].”

• The Geography of Strabo, Book XVI, chapter 2, §44

It is interesting to note that the eruptions of fire, smoke, and asphalt were not continuous. Only at irregular times did such phenomena occur, but the occasions were frequent enough that eyewitnesses around the time of Christ and the apostles called it a lake of fire and smoke. In fact, we are told by Henry Maundrell (an English traveler to Palestine in 1697 AD) that most of the mapmakers prior to the 17^th century show “smoke ascending above the surface of the water.” ⁵ However, when Maundrell visited the area, no smoke was seen by him. Yet the explorer Volney in 1787 AD was told that smoke periodically could be observed coming out of the Dead Sea.

“The south of Syria, that is, the hollow through which the Jordan flows, is a country of volcanoes[volcanic activity]: the bituminous and sulfurous sources of the Lake Asphaltis [the Dead Sea], the lava, the pumice stones thrown upon its banks, and the hot-baths of Tiberius, demonstrate that this valley has been the seat of subterranean fire, which is not yet extinguished. Clouds of smoke are often observed to issue from the lake, and new crevices to be formed upon its banks.”

• Volney, Travels, vol. 1, pp. 281–282

Volney was a very astute observer and he customarily inquired of the inhabitants about the characteristics of the lands in which he visited. It seems, then, that as late as the 18^th century, there were still some rare outbursts of smoke and fire coming from the middle of the lake. There have been no actual reports since that time to my knowledge. It is true, however, that after major earthquakes, a great deal of asphalt has broken up in the bottom of the lake and arisen to the surface. The lake itself has seemingly been rather quiet compared to activity formerly described near the time of Christ.

The first scientific investigation of the Dead Sea by Lynch in 1848 AD recounted that there was “a strong smell of sulfuretted hydrogen,” a “fetid sulfurous odor in the night,”“the north wind was quite fresh and accompanied with a smell of sulfur” (Journal of R. Soc. vol. XVIII, p. 127). This describes some of the factors comprising “The Lake of the Fire and Brimstone [sulfur]” in the Book of Revelation, but, of course, there was no actual smoke seen by Lynch. He did, however, on another occasion report a strange phenomenon that happened. One time there “appeared” to be smoke coming from the center, though Lynch attributed it to an illusion.

“At one time today the sea assumed an aspect peculiarly sombre. ... The great evaporation enveloped it in a thin, transparent vapor its purple tinge contrasting strangely with the extraordinary color of the sea beneath, and, where they blended in the distance, giving it the appearance of smoke from burning sulfur It seemed a vast cauldron of metal, fused but motionless. In the afternoon of the same day it looked like molten lead. At night it had the exact hue of absinthe [or Wormwood].”

• Journal of Royal Society, ibid. pp. 276, 324

In the Book of Revelation, absinthe is called “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) which caused waters to become bitter. What the explorer Lynch observed is interesting. The scene gave the impression of smoke from burning sulfur ascending above the surface of the Dead Sea, while parts of the lake gave the appearance of a vast cauldron of molten lead. Is this illusory occurrence seen by Lynch what the ancients were talking about? Maybe ... in part! But there is simply too much evidence from competent observers of the past to dismiss all the eyewitness accounts as illusionary. Indeed, only at certain times in the past did the lake erupt with its fiery display. And for the last 200 years (maybe much longer), the lake has been relatively inactive.

The prophecies, however, suggest (and we will show this later in the article) that a new and more violent eruption of sulfurous fire and smoke is destined to emerge from the lake and surrounding areas, and that “The Lake of the Fire”mentioned in the Book of Revelation will be very much active at the time of Christ’s Second Advent to this earth. Such a possibility should surprise none of us moderns because we have all witnessed the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State in 1980. The Dead Sea area may well be getting ready for a renewal of its fiery activity. There are yet a few years ahead of us before this will occur. In fact, it will happen at an exact time in prophetic history.

“The Lake of the Fire” is the Dead Sea!

We will now show biblical evidence that the Dead Sea is the prophesied “Lake of the Fire.” Let us recall that Jude said that the area of Sodom and Gomorrah was a present example (in Jude’s time) for the eternal (age-lasting) fire that God has designed for the punishment of the wicked (Jude verse 7). The Bible tells us that those cities of which Jude spoke are now under the Dead Sea. The former Valley of Siddim in which Sodom and Gomorrah were situated “isthe salt sea” (Genesis 14:3).

These cities were positioned in the northern parts of where the Dead Sea now is. They were not in the southern part of the lake! This is made plain in the biblical revelation. Abraham and Lot looked over Sodom and Gomorrah from the site of Bethel located about ten miles north of Jerusalem. In no way would it have been possible for Abraham and Lot to have seen the southern part of the lake from Bethel (Genesis 13:10). The Bible, on the other hand, makes the clear statement that those two cities were “east” of Bethel (Genesis 13:11), not south-by-east!

Figure  1:  US Geological Survey,http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/dead_sea/tectonic.html, 
accessed January 4, 2010

Even the biblical description of the four northern kings attacking Sodom and Gomorrah, shows them circling the Valley of Siddim on the east and then south, and finally attacking Hazazon-tamar EnGedi [now half way up the western side of the Dead Sea] before they encountered the King of Sodom (Genesis 14:7–8). This, again, shows that Sodom and Gomorrah lay in the northern regions of the Dead Sea. We are also told that the Wilderness of Zeboim (a near spelling of Zeboiim, the neighbor city of Sodom) was directly east of Beth-boron and Bethel (1 Samuel 13:18). This also leads one from Bethel eastwards towards Jericho. Again, this directs us to the northern parts around the Dead Sea, not its southern section.

The northern half of the lake is its deepest part. Its surface is about 1300 feet below normal sea level, and soundings have been made in its northern sector of another 1300 feet to reach its bottom. It is truly the lowest area on earth below normal sea level.

The Dead Sea is a part of what is called the Jordan rift a great depression (or fault line) in the earth that starts north of Mount Hermon and continues southerly with the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, and the Dead Sea in its nether regions. The rift continues south to the Gulf of Aqaba, the Red Sea, into Africa, and ends up near the source of the Nile River. It is the longest known fault line on earth. From satellite pictures, it is a very prominent feature on the surface of the earth, well distinguished from other land formations.

The Chasm of the Jordan the Example of Punishment

There is a reason why Jude centered his example of future judgment on the ancient area of Sodom and Gomorrah. To him the Dead Sea (with its sulfurous smoke and fiery characteristics) was the perfect exemplar given by God for His vengeance upon evil angels and wicked humans. He could simply point to the smoldering cauldron of the Dead Sea and tell the rebellious people that they would finally experience the ravages of that Lake of Fire when it would burst forth in a final and catastrophic eruption at the end of the age. Jude could also point to historical examples to substantiate his prophetic beliefs. His prototypes of punishment were recorded in the Book of Genesis! In fact, Jude’s reference to judgment went back before the Flood of Noah. Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, was a prophet that foretold even the Second Advent of Christ (Jude verse 14). He was also a prophet that gave many warnings of judgment. He even foretold the exact year for the occurrence of the Flood of Noah. The son of Enoch was Methuselah. The names of individuals often had prophetic meaning to them in ancient times. The name Methuselah, when broken down into its elements, meant “Die-Will-Send.”

Philo, the Jewish philosopher in the early period of Christ’s life, acknowledged that this was the meaning of his name (Posterity of Cain 1.44 and 1.73). This name was a prophecy by Enoch of the coming judgment upon the pre-Flood world. It actually meant that when this son of Enoch would die, “It [the Flood] would be sent.” And amazingly, the Flood of Noah started in the very year that Methuselah died. The prophecy came true! Methuselah did not die in the Flood; he died just a few days or weeks before it! The reason Methuselah lived to be the oldest man who ever lived (969 years of age) was to show that God will give people a long, long time to repent of evil before He will execute any prophesied judgment!

That may all be fine and good, but what has this to do with the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah which was an example of the end-time vengeance of God? It has very much to do with it. One should pay careful attention to the fact that Noah (the man who was saved through the Flood) was the TENTH GENERATION of man (Genesis chapter 5 and 1 Chronicles 1:1–4). God gave the pre-Flood world exactly ten generations before their judgment came.

The fact that the Flood happened in the tenth generation from creation was important to early biblical interpreters. This is because Enoch, according to Jude, also prophesied of the second judgment to occur on earth when the Lord would appear from heaven with ten thousands of his saints (Jude verses 14–16). This particular judgment was to be with fire, not water! Moreover, God promised that no more universal punishment would come through the agency of water (Genesis 8:21–22). When one compares later prophecies of the Bible, the next adjudication was to arrive on earth in the form of fire and brimstone. In ancient times it became popular to view history and prophecy as occurring in a cyclical fashion (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Things significantly reoccurred! Note that Noah was the tenth generation of man: (1) Adam, (2) Seth, (3) Enos (4) Cainan, (5) Mahalaleel, (6) Jared, (7) Enoch, (8) Methuselah, (9) Lamech, and finally (10) Noah in whose time the Flood destroyed the world!

Now note the next generation to follow Noah after the Flood. It was (1) Shem, then (2) Arphaxad, (3) Salah, (4) Eber, (5) Peleg, (6) Reu, (7) Serug, (8) Nahor, (9) Terah, (10) Abraham. The tenth generation from the watery destruction in the time of Noah was Abraham. With Noah, God began a new creation in a physical way, but with Abraham (also the tenth generation), God began a new spiritual creation. But He also did something else. A further judgment against rebellion and sin took place in that tenth generation just as one took place in Noah’s tenth generation. God did not bring the later destruction by water, but it was to be by FIRE! This was the time that fire and brimstone fell on Sodom, Gomorrah, and the Valley of Siddim. So thorough was the devastation that the whole of the Jordan Valley appeared as though there was a thorough burning up of the entire world.

That opinion was expressed by Lot’s daughters. “There is not a man [left] in the earth,” was their appraisal (Genesis 19:31). They thought the world had come to an end by the fire and brimstone. After all, it was the tenth generation from Noah! What a surprise they had when they discovered that only the Jordan rift valley was destroyed. It was a great enough devastation, however, that it became the example of the future judgment that God will rain down on rebellious men at the end of the age.

In order to warn men of this future judgment, Jude understood the Jordan Valley as a contemporary example of a bursting forth of periodic flames of sulfurous origin, with columns of smoke coming from the land and the lake. It was a further admonition of what would occur at the end of the age, only this time with even more intensity. This is why Jude placed the example of God’s judgment for the future directly into the Jordan rift valley of his time right to the area of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea was once “The Lake of the Fire,” and it is destined to become that same “Lake of the Fire” at the time of Christ’s Second Advent.

Further Testimony

We should briefly remind ourselves of the parable given by Christ about Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19–31). The locale of that story is precisely in the area of the Jordan rift and the northern region of the Dead Sea. Here was the Rich Man after death in the place of fire. He looked and saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham.

Between Abraham and the Rich Man was a “great gulf fixed” (Luke 16:26). The great gulf is clearly the Jordan rift valley. The Rich Man was east of the Jordan River, and Lazarus and Abraham were west of it. The latter two were inheriting the promises of the land of Palestine given to Abraham, but the Rich Man (Judah) was not allowed to enter. He had to remain in the region of the fires! That area was just east of Jordan, north of the Dead Sea, but in an area of continual and unrelenting flames.

The significance of the parable (and it was a parable, not an actual occurrence), was to show that the region of the “great gulf” was a place of punishment. It was in the same location that Jude placed the example of age-lasting fire to try the wicked in the future (Jude verse 7). ⁶

The Valley of Hinnom

With the information that the great chasm or gulf of the Jordan rift (with the smoking Dead Sea in its midst) is the place of punishment for the wicked, we can now understand much better the position of Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom, in this scheme of future punishment. Our Lord frequently referred to Gehenna as a place of fiery judgment (Matthew 5:22, 29–30, 10:28; Mark 9:47; Luke 12:5, etc.). This particular valley was situated outside the southern walls of Jerusalem. It was a place where the fires to the pagan god Moloch were sanctified (Jeremiah 32:35; Ezekiel 20:31). It was also called Tophet.

“For Tophet is ordained of old, yea, for the king [the evil king] it is prepared; he has made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of YHWH, like a stream of brimstone, does kindle it.”

• Isaiah 30:33

It is the prison where some “high ones” (angels) and kings on earth will be incarcerated. Within the stretch of its confines is a very deep pit (a bottomless pit) and is the place of containment for evil angels and finally for Satan during the Millennium (Revelation 20:1–3). We will see in a moment that indications show that this pit of imprisonment (the abyss) is associated with the Valley of Hinnom (Tophet).

The Valley of Hinnom commenced at Jerusalem and journeyed eastwards at a precipitous rate until it emptied into the northern parts of the Dead Sea. The watercourse is known to this very day as the Wady (the streambed) of FIRE! This Valley of Hinnom (the Gehenna of scripture) was about fifteen miles long. It plummeted into the Dead Sea (The Lake of the Fire). This means that Gehenna and “the Lake of the Fire” were typically connected.

The ceremony of the Scapegoat (Azazel) on the Day of Atonement was a part of this typical story (Leviticus chapter 16). Two goats were selected. One was to be sacrificed in Jerusalem, while the other was to be taken by an able-bodied man into the wilderness east of Jerusalem. Indeed, the Scapegoat was to be taken down the Valley of Hinnom to a place about three miles east and south of Jerusalem called Beth Chaduda where the goat was allowed to go over a very deep cliff (like an abyss) so that he would never come in contact with civilization again (Yoma 67b; Targum Pseudo Jonathan 14:10 and Targum Onkelos Leviticus 16:10).

This part of the wilderness was where the demons were supposed to be. It was near this region where Christ was tempted of the Devil (Matthew 4:1–11). The place was a part of the drainage system of the Wady en-Nar the extension of Gehenna, the Streambed of Fire! From this area, “the Valley of Fire” (Gehenna) ran directly eastwards into the Dead Sea (“The Lake of the Fire”). This region between Beth Chaduda and the Dead Sea contained the abyss mentioned in the Book of Revelation. It will be a place of temporary confinement of Satan and his angelic powers for the Millennium.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit [the abyss] and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon [just like the “fit man” of Leviticus 16:21 with the Scapegoat], that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up [away from mankind and civilization], and set a seal on him that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: after that he must be loosed a little season.”

• Revelation 20:1–3

The place that the Azazel Goat (the Scapegoat) was taken in the ritual of the Day of Atonement is where Satan will be kept for the Millennium. Again, it is also the place in the wilderness where Christ defeated Satan during His forty days of temptation. Everything fits perfectly in this prophetic scenario.

The Place of the Scapegoat

No one can adequately grasp the typical teaching about Gehenna, the abyss (bottomless pit), and the Lake of Fire, without realizing what the area is like in which the Scapegoat was taken. The geographical name of the region is the Wilderness of Judaea. It is one of the unique areas on earth. That wilderness is an utter desert of the worst kind, and yet it was right next door to the region “of olive oil, and honey: a land wherein you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack any thing in it” (Deuteronomy 8:8–9). The margin between “paradise” and “utter desolation” is often no more than one, two, or three miles. People who travel to the area are amazed at the abrupt contrast.

George Adam Smith, who wrote the classic book The Historical Geography of the Holy Land, gave some graphic descriptions of this wasteland to the east of Jerusalem. Though I have seen it myself many times, the words of a professional geographer cannot be surpassed for description. Note what Professor Smith had to say about this land of the Scapegoat:

• “[T]he wilderness of Judaea. In the Old Testament this land is called the Jeshinion, a word meaning devastation” (p. 312). 
   
• “It is one of the driest and most poisoned regions on our planet”(p. 269).
   
• “Those fifteen miles of chaos[east of Jerusalem], sinking [downward] to a stretch of the Dead Sea, you begin to understand the influence of the desert on Jewish imagination and literature. It gave the ancient natives of Judaea … the sense of living next door to doom; the sense of how narrow is the border between life and death; the awe of the power of God, who can make contiguous regions so opposite in character” (p. 314). 
   
• “For hours, as you travel across these hills, you may feel no sign of life, except the scorpions and vipers which your passage startles, in the distance a few wild goats or gazelles, and at night the wailing of the jackal and the hyena’s howl” (p. 317).
   
• From “the heart of the country”near Jerusalem, the wilderness of Judaea “carries the violence and desolation” right down to the Dead Sea Valley (p. 313–314).

There could hardly be an area more foreboding and awesomely stark on the surface of this earth! What is so striking is the contrast. A beautiful and well watered land on the west side and crests of the Holy Land, that then so quickly and abruptly changes to the thorough desolation of the “Land of the Scapegoat,” the region traversed by Gehenna (the Streambed of Fire), the location of the abyss (bottomless pit), and reaching to the Dead Sea (“the Lake of the Fire”).

This is the very region where Christ battled Satan for forty days and won! But this is also where Satan will be bound (the area of the Scapegoat) for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1–3). There could be no harsher area for confinement. This is the region of the abyss (the bottomless pit) of the Book of Revelation.

The abyss into which Satan is shut up is not the Lake of Fire! He is only placed in the abyss for 1000 years. Only afterthe Millennium is Satan cast into the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone (Revelation 20:10). Satan will be kept in a deep pit (a prison) east of Jerusalem between Beth Chaduda and the Dead Sea within the region of the Valley of Fire, the eastern parts of Gehenna.

Mention in the Book of Enoch

In a book written about 100 years before the birth of Christ and attributed to Enoch, we have more information about these matters as understood by Jewish people who lived back at that time. This Book of Enoch is not a canonical book of the Bible, but it is referred to by Jude in verses 14–15 of his epistle. It does describe a great deal of information that is very compatible with teachings found in the Book of Revelation. The Book of Enoch gives much typical teaching about Gehenna, the Abyss, and the Lake of Fire, as believed in many Jewish quarters in the time of Christ.

In this book, the ancient Enoch was supposed to have seen in vision the manner in which God would judge evil angels and wicked men. In Enoch 54:1, he sees “a deep valley with burning fire.” This is the streambed of Gehenna as it leaves Jerusalem for its eastward trek to the Wilderness of Judaea and the Dead Sea. Once a person starts down the streambed, he gets closer to the wilderness. He then comes in contact with the kings and the mighty mentioned in Isaiah 24:21–22. This is the place of the pit (or the abyss). It answers to the Beth Chaduda region where the Scapegoat (the Azazel) is cast into an abyss down a steep and precipitous cliff. The Book of Enoch says this is where “iron chains are placed on those who descend into its bosom.” The bosom of the abyss is the place (or places) where the evil angels will be confined temporarily.

• “These are being prepared for the hosts of Azael, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss [the bottomless pit] of complete condemnation” (Enoch 54:5).
   
• “And God will imprison those angels, who have shown unrighteousness in that burning valley [that is, the eastern parts of Gehenna, the Wady en-Nar] in the mountains of Israel” (Enoch 67:4).

This was the very place where the Scapegoat (the Azazel goat) was taken in the ritual of The Day of Atonement. As said before, this was in an area down the Wady en-Nar east of Beth Chaduda (also spelled Hadudo) about three miles easterly of Jerusalem (see Mishnah, Yoma, 6.5). ⁷ The Book of Enoch goes on to say that it is the same place where a “star had fallen from heaven ... into the abyss: now that abyss [the bottomless pit] was narrow and deep, and horrible, and dark”(Enoch 88:1–2).

The apostle John in the Book of Revelation spoke of the same place.

“I saw a star fall from heaven into the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit [the abyss]. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace.”

• Revelation 9:1–2

The Book of Enoch also said the archangels of God will take hold of Azazel (the Scapegoat) with his angels“and cast them into the burning furnace” (Enoch 54:6).

A Temporary, Not a Final Prison

The Book of Enoch (as does the Book of Revelation) recognizes the abyss as only a place of temporary punishment. Professor R.H. Charles, who translated the Book of Enoch, said this “prison is the burning valley (Gehenna) … and this is the preliminary prison, not the final.” ⁸ The apostle John in the Book of Revelation said the same thing. Satan will be placed in the abyss for 1000 years. He is only placed in the Lake of the Fire (a different place from the abyss) after the Millennium is over (Revelation 20:1–10).

As said before, the typical location of this abyss is where the Scapegoat was taken a few miles east of Jerusalem down the Valley of Fire (the eastern extension of Gehenna). This abyss was somehow supposed to be connected with the lowest waters “under the earth” and sometimes those waters were considered hot and boiling. This is where angels and Satan are to be bound. These are the ones that the apostle Paul refers to when he spoke about those “under the earth” in Philippians 2:10. The apostle Peter said that some angels had been placed there as early as the Flood of Noah (1 Peter 3:19–20). Christ even went to preach to those angels in that prison back in the time of Noah.

But as said before, this abyss is not the final place of punishment for the rebellious. That last place is “The Lake of the Fire.” That “lake” is located farther on down the mountain from the abyss just east of Beth Chaduda. It descends further to the lowest habitable spot on this earth, which is the Dead Sea (the Lake of Fire). The Book of Enoch calls this area the “valley of the angels who led astray mankind burned beneath that land”(Enoch 67:7). This is a reference to the Jordan rift valley where the Dead Sea is located.

This was the area mentioned by Jude, set forth as an example of age-lasting fire (Jude verse 7). The depths of Tartarus (where the evil angels were kept) were somehow connected with these final waters of judgment. Into these depths will flow “streams of fire,” according to the Book of Enoch (67:7). ⁹

Remarkably, there is a prophecy of the future (connected with Christ’s Second Advent) that says all the streambeds of the country of Edom, located in the southeastern watershed of the Dead Sea area, will become filled with fire and burning pitch.

“For it is the day of YHWH’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. And the streams shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone, and the land [of Edom] shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for the age [olam]:from generation to generation it shall lie waste.”

• Isaiah 34:8–10

This happens at the exact time the heavens depart as a scroll (Isaiah 34:4) and this is directly quoted in the Book of Revelation as a time associated with Christ’s Second Advent (Revelation 6:14).

These are the several streams of Edom that will flow into the Dead Sea. The streams will traverse part of the Valley of Jehoshaphat called in Joel 3:12–14 the Valley of Decision. This area of the southern portion of the Dead Sea will be the location of the greatest military action in history. The nations of the world will assemble at Armageddon and journey to Jerusalem and to this Valley of Decision at the southern end of the Dead Sea to fight with Christ at his Second Advent. ¹⁰ This is the same battle when Gog (the leader of these armies in the Valley of Decision) will have “great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” coming down on him and his rebellious army. The whole countryside near the Dead Sea will once again become a fiery furnace when the judgment of God begins to occur at the coming of Christ back to this earth.

Future Reactivation of the Dead Sea Fires

The Dead Sea east of Jerusalem is the Lake of Fire mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Today when one goes to the area, there are no fires or smoke to be seen coming from its midst. Throughout most of the historical period since the time of Abraham, however, it was normally described as a lake that periodically erupted with sulfurous flames and columns of smoke could be seen emerging from its center. But for some reason over the past two centuries or so, the lake has been quiet. Though some earthquakes have occurred in the region which have loosed a great deal of asphalt from its bottom, and this has risen to the surface, nothing has happened that would cause any of us to call the Dead Sea a “Lake of Fire” as most people of the past would have described it.

This will all change. The Book of Revelation shows clearly that “the Lake of the Fire”will be in existence at the Second Advent (Revelation 19:19–20). We may not have many years left to see its reactivation occur. An event is mentioned by the apostle John that could well be the catalyst that reactivates the fire. When the sixth seal of the Book of Revelation is opened, a most remarkable thing takes place.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their place.”

• Revelation 6:12–14

This gigantic earthquake is associated with the time when the heavens depart as a scroll. There is only one place in the entire Bible that speaks of this exact phenomenon. That is when the streams of Edom will become burning pitch:

“For it is the day of YHWH’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.”

• Isaiah 34:8–9

This occurs when:

“… all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falls off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.”

• Isaiah 34:4–5

These fiery streams of Edom will flow directly into the Dead Sea. 

But there is more! This event that Isaiah tells about is also the exact time that“the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of YHWH come” (Joel 2:31). This is when the nations of the world assemble in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

“Assemble yourselves, and come, all you heathen [nations], and gather yourselves together round about. ... Let the heathen[nations] be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. 

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall cease their shining. ... And the heavens and the earth shall shake.”

• Joel 3:11–12, 14–16

At the great earthquake, and when the nations are gathered around the Dead Sea area (in the Valley of Jehoshaphat), that is when the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. Since the streams of Edom (which are in the same general region) will become burning pitch, and fire and brimstone will rain down on the heathen at the great shaking against Gog and his forces (Ezekiel 38:19–22), there will be a great conflagration from heaven around the Dead Sea.

Christ said there will also be darkness and obscurity over Jerusalem (Matthew 24:29). In another place Christ said to remember the example of Lot (Luke 17:22–37). Lot fled from the cities of the plains of Jordan from the Dead Sea area. That was when the whole of the Jordan rift valley went up in smoke. Jude said this area was the example of the future judgment that was to come upon the rebellious (Jude verse 7).

This is the exact region of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, though that location is in the southern part of the Dead Sea area. Throughout the region we are told that the blood will flow as high as horses’ bridles. It will do so for 1600 furlongs (stadia). That equals about 184 miles (Revelation 14:20). The valley in which this will happen is “without the city.”The city under discussion was “Mystery Babylon,” which is Jerusalem at the end of the age.

The Jordan rift valley from Mount Hermon to the end of the watershed south of the Dead Sea is almost exactly 1600 furlongs in length. This again is clearly the rift valley east of Jerusalem, the great chasm or gulf where Sodom and Gomorrah once were. It is also where the Dead Sea is! Since the whole of the Jordan rift depression went up in fire and smoke and brimstone in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:28–29), this territory will once again become the fiery crucible that it once was. Jude tells us that the first incineration was only a type, an example of the final holocaust. Jude said: “Likewise [in the same fashion],will the judgment occur when YHWH comes with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude verse 14). ¹¹

It is primarily the smoke that comes from the reigniting of the Dead Sea that causes the sun, moon, and stars to be darkened. This is when the Dead Sea will once again become “The Lake of the Fire” that it was periodically in the time of Christ. Even the sun being darkened at the time of Christ’s crucifixion could have come by an eruption of the Dead Sea (Matthew 27:45), and Peter must have been referring to a recent darkening of the sun and moon when he mentioned Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2:17–20. That darkening smoke referred to in the prophecy had to emerge from the Valley of Jehoshaphat in the area south of the Dead Sea. God could have bestowed at Christ’s crucifixion a foretaste of the judgment to come from the Lake of Fire.

This all means that the Dead Sea region is once again to become “The Lake of the Fire.” It will occur just before the Day of the Lord when gigantic earthquakes and heavenly disturbances take place. There are yet, however, a few more years before this occurs. There is a day coming when the Dead Sea will erupt with a holocaust that will make Mount St. Helens of recent date [1980] seem like child’s play. It will be a spectacle to see. Thankfully the Bible teaches that all of God’s people will be able to escape (as did Lot) this wrath of God’s vengeance to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Hades, the abode of the dead, is not a place from which anyone has brought back an eye-witness account. Any knowledge about it comes from revelation and tradition, sources that, in the main, the modern world has rejected. The suggestion that Hades might be a real place at all is counter-cultural. Still, to exclude the possibility that there might be other kinds of knowledge than what science makes room for is to board up the windows.

Many people do not believe that anything spiritual happens after death: the sense of being alive comes from the electrical activity of the brain’s neurons, which somehow create the illusion of being a conscious soul, and the illusion ceases when the activity ceases. Others are less sure. Is the end of life really just a return to nothingness? If it is not, what awaits us? Theologians, who ought to know, are divided. Some hold that ‘hell’ (still a common word in discussion) is a place where the damned are or will be in constant torment, a divinely ordained everlasting Auschwitz, to which, at the resurrection, even many victims of the earthly Auschwitz will find themselves awaking. Others hold that the torment will eventu¬ally end, and then its occupants will either be annihilated or admitted to heaven. Still others find it difficult to believe there is any such place.

The present discussion draws on what the Bible says on the subject, but also refers to the traditions of the ancient Greeks and Babylonians. Looking up the copious references to the biblical texts is not required but should repay the effort. The biblical sources are diverse: some validate elements of oral tradition, some record insights communi¬cated through visions or a voice, or through the Son of God while he lived amongst us, some report, in letter form, insights whose origin is not specified. The period from around 1700 BC to AD 100 was a time of special revelation, in the light of which humanity was to live until the Son returned.

Terminology

The places of the dead go by various names. The Old Testament, written in Hebrew, refers mainly to a place called Sheol, or ‘the pit’. Its New Testament equivalent is Hades, the word used when Peter quotes a Greek translation of a psalm referring to Sheol (Acts 2:27). Abaddon appears only in the literary works (Job, Psalms and Proverbs) and refers to the place that the Greeks called Tartaros, deeper than Hades. The New Testament term Gehenna renders the Hebrew place name Ge Hinnom, Valley of (the son of) Hinnom, immediately south of the walls of Jerusalem.

‘Hell’, a word of Germanic origin, owes much of its present meaning – its evocation of demons, flames and eternal torment – to the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and literary works such as Dante’s Inferno and Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The lurid imagery may have its fascination, but as a translation of Hades the word is misleading, and as a translation of Gehenna, imprecise. It is best avoided.

Sheol/ Hades

Sheol is the underworld, the place where the spirit goes when it leaves the body. Everyone goes there, the righteous and the unrighteous. According to Ecclesiastes, man suffers the same fate as the beasts: all have a spirit, and at their death all return to the dust from which the body originated, while the spirit returns to God. The dead are unconscious. ‘The living know they will die, but the dead know nothing. … There is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol.’ (Ecc 9:5, 10) They have no remembrance (Ps 6:5). However, the dead can be roused to consciousness on occasions (if Isa 14:9 is more than rhetorical drama) and can be summoned by witchcraft (I Sam 28:15). In due time some will suffer torment (Lu 16:19ff). The ‘pangs of Sheol’ in Psalm 116 refer to the throes of dying rather than to what is experienced after death.

In the book of Numbers we read how certain men rebelled against Moses and Aaron. In the ensuing confrontation the ground under the rebels split apart and they ‘went down live into Sheol’ (Nu 16:33), a region of darkness under the earth. In other places it is associated with water (e.g. Job 26:5, Ps 88:6).

Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel, likened her conception of a child after years of barrenness to the resur¬rection of the dead (to which there are numerous references in the Old Testament). “Yahweh kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.”

Hades is not the only abode of the dead. At the end of the millennium Hades gives up the dead under the land, and the sea gives up the dead that are in the sea (Rev 20:13). The sea is here the equivalent of the terrestrial underworld (Jon 2:2f).

When Christ tells Peter that he will build his church and the ‘gates of hell will not prevail against it’, the word is Hades, as it is when Paul quotes Hosea: ‘O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ Christ, the firstborn from the dead, has ‘the keys of Hades and of death’ because he was without sin and gave up his life as a ransom, allowing him to enter Hades and rescue many from it.

Those who die in Christ are said to ‘sleep’ (I Cor 15:6, 18, Eph 5:14, I Thes 4:13), a metaphor for non- consciousness. Their state is the same as that of others who have died, but at the resurrection their sins will have been forgiven and they will pass from death to life (Jn 5:24, 8:52). They will not go through a second death (discussed below) but will receive life in its fullness. The verb ‘die’ is never used.

Abaddon/ Tartarus/ the abyss

Before ascending into heaven, Christ descended into the ‘lower parts of the earth’ (Eph 4:9) to visit the spirits of those who had perished in the flood-cataclysm. Peter calls this lowermost region Tartarus (II Pet 2:4). In addition to holding the then world’s entire population, the prison also held the angels who had copulated with women (Gen 6:2, Jude 6) and their demigod offspring the Giants.

Forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Christ’s crucified body was preached even to the dead. Despite their former failure to repent, they were granted, tens of thousands of years later, a second chance. Judged in the flesh, they were granted an opportunity to live with him in the spirit (I Pet 3:18, 4:6). Death was not necessarily the end. At last it became comprehensible why mankind was not immediately terminated with Adam, and why Eve still allowed to bear offspring under the same sentence. The gospel had retrospective effect as well as affecting future generations.

Paul too implies that Christ visited Tartarus, calling the place the abyss (Rom 10:9), the term used in the Apocalypse (abussos literally meaning ‘bottomless’). Christ descended deeper than Hades, so that, ascending far above the heavens, he might fill all things (Eph 4:10). Those who responded to his message he liberated from their prison as first-fruits of his victory. They became ‘the firstborn enrolled in heaven’ (Heb 12:23). The festival of first-fruits, which took place on the day after the weekly sabbath following the Passover (Lev 23:9ff), the same day as that resurrection (Matt 28:1), was a celebratory foreshadowing of this harvest (I Cor 15:20). Some were also released from Hades, including a number of Jews (Matt 27:53). The repentant thief on the cross was also promised an immediate place in paradise (Lu 23:43).

The abyss is the dwelling place of demons, visualised as connected to the world of the living by a shaft (Rev 9:1). Demons are depicted in the art of many ancient peoples, from Mesopotamia to South America. Their appearance is part human, part animal: for instance, the ‘scorpion men’ of Babylonia had a human head, the talons and hindquarters of a bird and a scorpion tail. In the Bible they are unfettered spirits of the antediluvian world come up from Tartarus. Having formerly had bodies, they look to take over the minds and bodies of the living. Even possession of a pig’s body is preferable to returning to the abyss. In the future they will suffer torment, as they are aware (Matt 8:29). The abyss is not currently the dwelling place of Satan. He is the ‘ruler of this world’ (Jn 12:31), cast down from heaven only as far as the earth’s surface (Rev 12:9). He prowls about like a roaring lion, looking for people to devour.

Tartarus is so named after the god, or angel, who keeps charge of this deepest region (likewise Abaddon is a place in Job 26:6 but a person in Rev 9:11). According to the Greeks, the supreme god in the beginning was Ouranos (or Uranus), a name that simply meant ‘Heaven’. He was married to Gaia (‘Earth’), at a time when there was no divorce between the domains: the God of heaven lived on earth. However, as in the traditions of other peoples, men became wicked and rebellious. Many of Ouranos’s sons, called Titans, were involved in their rebellion. Eventually a Titan named Kronos emasculated Ouranos with a knife and reigned on earth in his place. But he could not rest. Haunted by Gaia’s prophecy that one of his sons would overthrow him, Kronos swallowed his own sons as soon as they were born, including Poseidon and Hades, and imprisoned them in his stomach. It was to no avail. Unbeknown to Kronos, there was another son, Zeus, and when he reached manhood Zeus forced his father to vomit up his children. War broke out between the Titans headed by Kronos and the younger gods headed by Zeus. Great boulders (i.e. asteroids) crashed down from the heights of heaven and crushed the Titans. Sea and earth resounded with the clamour, the firmament groaned, torrential rain flooded the earth. Some men tried to escape to the hilltops but were overwhelmed by the waters. Only one couple, righteous and God-fearing, survived, floating in a wooden ark or chest, and eventually they came to land on Mount Parnassus. The defeated Titans were chained up in Tartarus, Poseidon was allotted the dominion of the ocean, and Hades was allotted the dominion of the underworld.

The parallels between the two traditions, Greek and Hebrew, are striking. Since the Greeks and Israelites were too remote from each other for borrowing to be plausible and culturally too disparate, it must be that both traditions had the same root. Ouranos was the God of heaven, Kronos was one of his sons. In the Hebrew tradition the son assumed the form of a legged serpent (a dragon or lizard) and rebelled against his father. In consequence, his offspring (Gen 3:15; Jn 8:44, Eph 2:2) were destined to be at enmity with the primeval woman’s offspring, though eventually one of her descendants was to bruise his head. In the Greek tradition the dragon, called Typhon, or Python, was the result of Gaia mating with Tartarus. Zeus, whose name also meant “Heaven”, seemed to be the same deity as Ouranos, but he was a new ruler of the world, a son of Kronos rather than of Ouranos, one who falsely presented himself as having defeated the dragon long before the present age. The Titans – ‘the former gods’ in Hesiod’s phrase – were brothers of Kronos, fellow sons of Ouranos. In order to have intercourse with women, they also had abandoned their proper places in heaven, and the Cyclopes were the giants born of their union (cf Gen 6).

Hebrew	Sumerian	Greek
Elohim (God)	Anu/Ellil	Ouranos
Sons of Elohim (angels)	Anunnaki (first gods)	Titans
Pre-Flood men	Pre-Flood men	Pre-Flood men
Nephilim (giants)		Cyclopes
Serpent	Tiamat	Kronos
Seed of the Serpent	Qingu	Typhon
Seed of Eve	Marduk	Zeus
Sons of Elohim	Igigi (later gods)	Olympians
Angels imprisoned in the abyss	Anunnaki imprisoned in the underworld (Kur)	Titans imprisoned in Tartarus
Post-Flood men	Post-Flood men	Post-Flood men

There are also striking parallels with the traditions of the Sumerians and their successors the Babylonians and Assyrians (see table). In their view of the cosmos, heaven and earth each had three levels. The highest level of the earth was the land of the living, the middle level the world of the dead, and the lowest level the place where deities known as the Anunnaki were held. Before the cataclysmic battle with the dragon (Tiamat), the Anunnaki resided in heaven; thereafter they resided in the equivalent of Tartarus. The Sumerian ziggurats were edifices that simulated the different tiers of heaven and earth, with a stairway above ground leading up to the city of God and a shaft at the foot of the ziggurat connecting to the city of the dead. In later designs all six levels of the cosmos were incorporated into the tower, plus a seventh for Marduk, the Zeus-like saviour and king of kings.

The stairway of the ziggurat also had two subsidiary stairways leading at right angles to the main one, so that, seen from above, the stairways formed a cross. Jacob saw something like a ziggurat in a dream when he journeyed to Mesopotamia to find a wife. A stairway (not ‘ladder’) led from earth to heaven, and on it angels of God ascended and descended, just as gods were believed to do in the polytheistic system. When Jesus said that his hearers would see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on himself, he was saying that his death on the cross would open up the way to heaven (Jn 1:51). It was an event of cosmic significance. Through him God effected the reconciliation of earth and heaven, so that all things might be united in him.

Geological history

These understandings may seem unreal from a vantage point that limits the cosmos to what is physical and measurable. We see only what our minds are willing to see, whereas the Sumerians, the Hebrews, the Babylonians and the Greeks believed that the world of gods and demons was as real as the visible, if not more so, and lived accordingly, sacrificing to them, invoking them, living in fear of them. In many parts of Asia, Africa and South America this outlook still prevails.

Nonetheless, belief in the existence of Hades and Tartarus is not however incompatible with what science has discovered about the world. The cataclysm of which the traditions bear witness has its geological counterpart in the event which destroyed the earth at the end of the geological era called the Hadean. Whether the earth was populated then is beyond the reach of science, but we do know that it was eventually pulverised by asteroids (‘boulders from the heights of heaven’), flooded by water and buried by erupting magma. The original world was subducted and became an underworld. In its place new continents formed. The fossils buried in sediments record the progressive recolonisation of the new continents by bacteria, algae, plankton, flora and fauna.

The earth before the cataclysm had three tiers: the land on top, beneath that a vast ocean called the deep, and beneath that, an initially undifferentiated interior whose temperature increased with depth. The subterranean deep – the ‘abyss’ in the Greek version – was the source of the rivers and springs; it kept the ground moist.

Over time, the energy released by thermonuclear fusion caused the interior to heat up and differentiate chemically into mantle and core, until the waters burst through the land (Gen 7:11). The world was thrown into chaos. Those who died and were buried in the ground before the cataclysm joined those who perished during it, as they entered an abyss now largely emptied of water and filled with magma. The Greeks called the reconstituted region Tartarus; modern geologists call it the aesthenosphere, the uppermost mantle beneath the present crust. It is truly bottomless – there is no sharp boundary between it and the mantle lower down. Meanwhile new land formed volcanically on top of the old. So the earth after the cataclysm also had three tiers: the crust, the mantle, and the iron core. Tartarus lay underneath the crust, Hades within it.

Obviously, although Tartarus and Hades have a physical location, they do not, as places of the dead, have a physical form. The angels and demons in Tartarus, the dead in Hades, are invisible. The same is true of heaven, which as the dwelling place of God has no physical form. But it is still appropriate to say that heaven is above, Hades and Tartarus below.

Pauline references to ‘the heavenlies’ (ouranios, the adjective used as a noun and often translated with the implied noun added, ‘heavenly places’) refer to heaven’s different levels. Paul who was once taken up through the heavenlies, implies that there are three, the highest being ‘paradise’, where God himself dwells (II Cor 12:2f). Only after Christ’s victory was the Devil expelled from that garden (Rev 12:7-9). To repeat: there is more to the world than what is visible. The struggle in which his followers engage is not with mere blood and flesh, but with the world-powers of the darkness of this age, and these spiritual forces of evil are in the heavenlies (Eph 6:11f). Not all, but some of the sons of God (or ‘angels’) have always wanted power over human beings, even after some of them were thrown into Tartarus. Hence it was in Sumer (geographically, southern Iraq) that men first set up structures of government over their fellow men, and Sumer was where the polytheistic religions of the Near East originated; Babel, later named Babylon, was its capital city and the location of the first ziggurat. The spirits will focus their activity wherever there are structures of power and authority, in the church as well as outside.

Gehenna

The Valley of the son of Hinnom runs outside Jerusalem, immediately south of Mount Zion. Who Hinnom was, or who his son was, is unknown; the name predates Israel’s conquest of Canaan and is introduced without explanation (Jos 15:8). In the 8th century Ahaz, king of Judah, made offerings there to the fire-god Molech and even burnt his sons as offerings. Molech, whose name meant “King”, was ruler of the demonic underworld, the equivalent of Abaddon. Two generations later Manasseh repeated the abomination. After the Babylonian Exile the valley became a place where garbage was burnt, along with the corpses of animals and criminals, if they were not simply left to rot. There were always fires burning somewhere in the valley.

Apart from one instance when James warned about the power of the tongue to do evil, the only person in the New Testament who spoke of Gehenna was Jesus. In relation to Hades he said little, for enough was already known. About the Valley of Hinnom he revealed things that the Old Testament prophets saw only dimly, concerning what this wasteland of refuse and death would become in the future. It would be a furnace into which the body would be thrown after the final judgement and in which the soul would be destroyed (Matt 5:22-30, 10:28). The sentence would be irrevocable: the maggots that destroyed the body in the grave would not die; the fire that destroyed the soul in Gehenna would not be quenched. He himself would be the one who pronounced sentence (Lu 12:5).

Various events were to precede his return to earth: famines and earthquakes, persecution, false prophets, the preaching of the gospel throughout the world, the darkening of the sun and moon, asteroids falling, the gathering up of the elect (Matt 24:3-31). After these things, he would return to Jerusalem in glory, and gather before his throne all the world’s inhabitants that had survived the wrath of God (Isa 4:3, 13:12, 24:21-23, Matt 25:31-46, I Pet 4:5). Those who had worked to relieve suffering would be granted everlasting life; those who had cared only for themselves, would be condemned to ‘the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels’ – both the angels imprisoned in Tartarus and the angels in heaven that had accepted sacrifices when men invoked them in polytheistic religions after the cataclysm. The place of fire was Gehenna, the actual valley south of Jerusalem, blazing like the coal fields of Jharia or the lava fields of Hawaii. John the Baptist said of him, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquench¬able fire.” The picture is one of destruction rather than torture, where what is worthless will be consumed (Heb 6:8, Phil 3:19). Similar imagery is employed in the parable about the vinedresser.

The Apocalypse also refers to Gehenna, using the term ‘lake of fire’. Again, it is a natural phenomenon, involving ‘sulphur’ (any volcanic matter). Sulphur chiefly issues from volcanoes. Smoke rises up from the abyss as from a great furnace (Rev 9:2), evoking both the smoke that went up from the valley around Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:28) and the smoke billowing up from Mount Sinai (Ex 19:18). Both places were associated with volcanic activity. Gehenna is also the furnace in Jesus’s parable about the final harvest, when his angels gather all who have practised immorality and throw them into the fire. 

The lake does not exist at the present time. It will be kindled (Isa 30:33), and burn to the depths of Sheol (Deut 32:22). The foundations of the mountains will melt. On that day, Christ – ‘whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem’ (Isa 31:9) – will stand on the Mount of Olives, as the hill is split in two from east to west (Zech 14:4). The fissure will destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock that occupy the site of the old temple. The surrounding hills and valleys will be levelled, and Mount Zion, on which David built his city (distinct from the hill now called Mount Zion), will rise above them as the highest of the mountains (Isa 2:2, 40:4). Here the king of all the earth will set his throne and his temple, with Gehenna bounding it on the south. He will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem (Zech 8:3). Year after year all humanity will come to worship him.

And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.

When he warned about the horrific finality of Gehenna he was alluding to these concluding words of Isaiah. Some corpses would be in full view of those who were spared, the flames a continual reminder of what would befall those who did not acknowledge him.

Torment, but not forever

The Apocalypse warns:

If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.

What the beast is, and what its image is, will be apparent soon enough. The Lamb is Jesus Christ, the fire and sulphur the flaming valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem, being the resurrected saints of the old-covenant Israel and the new-covenant Church, comes down as a bride adorned for her husband – the dwelling place of God is a people rather than a building. Outside, in the darkness, ‘where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth,’ are ‘the sorcerers and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone that loves and does what is false’ (Matt 8:12, Rev 22:15). Again, this place of outer darkness is the lake of fire (Matt 13:42). Into it are thrown all workers of evil.

The judgement takes place at the beginning of the thousand years of Christ’s reign, and a thousand years is the period during which the wicked suffer pain. Justice is administered on the earth and under the earth. At the end of this period, the Devil will be released. He will deceive the nations one last time and gather them for battle against Jerusalem. He will be defeated, and thrown into the lake, not now for isolation and torment but for destruction. Then the lake itself will be no more, for the present heaven and earth will have passed away.

The words translated ‘forever and ever’ are eis tous aionas ton aionon, literally ‘to the ages of the ages’. The phrase is slightly ambiguous. Does it mean ‘forever and ever’, or for a duration as long as there are ages, which are necessarily circumscribed periods? Or perhaps it is an example of Hebraic hyperbole, to drive home the gravity of the warning (as in Matt 5:29, 19:24)? God is outside time and space; the ages are part of the creation (Heb 1:2, 11:3), and the old creation will not last forever. Nonetheless, God lives as if he were also in time and space, ‘forever and ever,’ and those who drink from the fountain of life and eat of the bread of life will also live forever, eis ton aiona, heirs of the new creation (Jn 4:14, 6:51, 8:51). In Ephesians Paul speaks about the mystery of the gospel that was hidden since the beginning, literally ‘from the ages’ (3:9). The revelation of the mystery was ‘according to the purpose of the ages’ which he conceived in Christ (Eph 3:11), fore-ordained from the beginning. The present time is ‘the end’ (I Cor 10:11) or ‘consummation’ of the ages (Heb 9:26).

In the gospels the word aion always occurs in the singular. Commonly the reference is to ‘this age’, as opposed to the age to come. ‘World’ is a misleading translation. The ‘end of the age’ is not the end of the world but of the age of the gospel, prior to Christ’s return (Matt 12:32, 13:22, 39, 24:3).

The law of Moses provided for a slave in certain circumstances to be bound to his master ‘forever’, not meaning to all eternity but until one of them died (Ex 21:6). In Jeremiah Yahweh says that ‘a fire is kindled that shall burn forever’, referring to the day when the Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem’s palaces and Temple (15:14, 17:27, 52:13). Habakkuk speaks of the ‘everlasting mountains’ at the same time as prophesying that they will be scattered and levelled, foreseeing a time when Yahweh will shake the nations and every mountain be made low (Isa 40:4, Hab 3:6, Zech 14:10, Heb 12:26, Rev 16:18). Jude speaks of the angels being kept in ‘eternal’ chains, apparently ‘for ever’ (v 13). But it is forever ‘until [eis] the judgement of the great day’. Nor was the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah ‘eternal’, as aionios is usually translated (v 7) – go to the land of Jordan and you won’t see any fire where the cities were (the south-eastern Dead Sea). As an example of what awaits the ungodly, they were turned to ashes (II Pet 2:6). It was the effects of the fire that were perpetual: the cities were never rebuilt. Thus, when the smoke from the burning of Babylon the Great goes up forever and ever (Rev 19:3), the sense is that it too will not be rebuilt. The penalty will be everlasting.

Everything depends on context. When the context is the everlasting life that comes from God, the meaning is ‘for all eternity’, and we know this because of the assurance that whoever accepts his salvation will never die. Where the context is torment in the lake of fire, the meaning is not necessarily ‘for all eternity’. The wicked servant is given over to the torturers ‘until he should pay all his debt’ (Matt 18:34). Other scriptures categorically state that the penalty of sin is death – ultimately complete destruction.

The condition of being alive is that of a body animated by spirit (Gen 2:7, I Cor 15:45), and the spirit is taken away when one dies. The logical opposite of eternal life is permanent extinction, not eternal life in another place (conceived of, somehow, as a state of being destroyed but never attaining destruction). Death occurs when body and spirit are severed, the one returning to the dust from which it came, the other returning to God (Ecc 12:7, Lu 23:46). That is what the word means. Some commentators draw a distinction between ‘physical death’ and ‘spiritual death’, as if the body could live apart from the spirit, but the Bible knows nothing of such a distinction. Pain may be suffered for a time, but ultimately there is only one kind of death: the loss of life.

According to some world-views, man’s soul is immortal. According to Darwinism, there is no such thing as soul or spirit: consciousness is an illusion of atoms. Again, the Bible supports neither doctrine (II Tim 1:10). In the beginning, God formed man’s body from the dust of the ground. After God breathed into his nostrils he became a living soul. Like every animal, he had a dual nature, physical and spiritual, but what gave him life was the breath that came from God. Similarly with every generation: when an infant grows in the womb, it is God who forms the body and endows it with life (Ps 139, Ecc 11:5). Life is temporarily given. Although the first man was given the opportunity to become immortal, the serpent deceived Eve, and through her Adam. He internalised evil so that he knew what it was from within; his body knew that it was naked, and he feared God. He had to die, because once corrupted, the spirit could not be restored to a state of purity and guiltlessness. He needed a new, holy spirit. Thus, at the end of his life, the spirit was taken away and he returned to the dust. Terrible though the penalty was, it was not vengeful. Had everlasting torment been the consequence, it would have been a penalty that no substitutionary atonement could satisfy, ‘for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world’ (Heb 9:26). The justice of God would be a travesty of justice. But there is no mention of everlasting torment, either here or anywhere else in the Old Testament. Even scriptures that ask why the wicked prosper do not suggest that this is how the balance of justice is righted.

The Apocalypse refers to two deaths, in the sense that there is an interval between the first and the second, not that they are different in nature. The paradox is that although ‘the wages of sin is death’ and therefore all must die, because all have sinned, nonetheless death is not necessarily the end. Adam did not immediately die. Nor do we. The judgement that now matters is not the judgement that God pronounced in the garden – on the flesh – but the judgement that follows death (Heb 9:27), relating to what we do in the years allotted to us in our state of reprieve. Death does not have to be the final sentence. 

That is the point of the gospel. The judgement is brought forward into the here and now, so that the punishment for sin – torture and eventual extinction – can be anticipated, before it is too late. The penalty has been paid, so that anyone who repents and accepts Christ’s atonement will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2:11).

This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light.

John 3:19-21

For those who reject the offer of eternal life, the second death will merely be a confirmation of the first, of the penalty of Adam. The dead will be raised from Hades and judged according to their works. No one should imagine that he will be acquitted. “Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trust in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in the injustice he has done he shall die.” (Ezek 33:13, Rom 2:4). The soul that sins will die (Ezek 18:4). It will forfeit the life it had on loan.

Thus there are also two resurrections. The first – not counting the resurrection of the first-fruits – will be when the seventh trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ are raised, at the beginning of the thousand years (Matt 24:31, 40, I Cor 15:22, 42ff, I Thes 4:16f, Rev 11:15, 14:16, 20:4). They are taken up to heaven until civilisation has drained the cup of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God. Then they will return with Christ to Jerusalem, to reign with him in the cities of the world as kings and priests (Isa 35:10, Dan 7:18, Zech 14:5, Lu 19:17, I Cor 6:2, Col 3:4, Jude 14). The second resurrection will be when the rest of the dead are revived, at the end of the thousand years (Rev 20:5). Those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgement (Jn 5:29).

Afterwards there will be a new heaven and earth, in which righteousness dwells (II Pet 3:13) and only righteousness. It will not be a dualistic universe, with good and evil each having their own territory, reconciliation forever uncompleted. The first heaven and the first earth will pass away. Having quashed every rule and every authority and power, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father. ‘For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.’ (I Cor 15:25) The last enemy to be quashed is death. And when all things are subjected to him, the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. The creation will have been gloriously reclaimed.

Revelation 9:1 - Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 

Recall from Revelation 8:13, an angel announces the fifth, sixth, and seventh Trumpet judgments as three "woes." In the Old Testament, the prophets often used the word "woe" while they were prophesying against someone or something, showing grief, affliction, anguish, deep distress, and lamentation over coming judgment. The last three Trumpet judgments increase in severity compared to the previous judgments, and will certainly bring more lamentations, mourning, and woe than ever seen before on the earth.

When the fifth angel sounds, John sees a "star fallen from heaven to the earth." This is clearly not a physical star, but a spiritual being, as he receives a key. Recall from Revelation 1:20, "stars" can refer to angels in Scripture, both holy and fallen:

Job 38:4, 7 - "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth.... When the morning starssang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" 

Daniel 8:9-11 - And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great.... And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host....

Amos 5:26 - You also carried Sikkuth your king and Chiun, your idols, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. 

John tells us that the star is "fallen." The form of the Greek word used indicates the angel was not falling at that time, but had fallen already. Some believe that this is the same angel that later binds Satan the dragon and locks him in the bottomless pit with the same key given here in this chapter:

Revelation 20:1-3 - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pitand a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 

However, John does not describe the angel that binds Satan as "fallen," but as "coming down from Heaven" as a present action using a different Greek word. The following passages describe Satan (aka Lucifer) as "falling" or "fallen" from Heaven in the following two passages:

Luke 10:17-20 - Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 

Isaiah 14:12-15 - "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit." 

While Satan has "fallen" in the sense he has sinned against God, he still maintains access to the Lord's presence in Heaven:

Job 1:6-12 - Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:1-5 - Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause." So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

Zechariah 3:1-2 - Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

Fortunately, Jesus is the advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1) because Satan is the adversary of believers (1 Timothy 5:14-15), accusing them before the Lord in Heaven still today:

Revelation 12:10 - Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Satan will permanently be evicted out of Heaven near the middle of the Tribulation, after the "abomination of desolation," when the Jewish remnant flees to the mountains in the wilderness:

Revelation 12:6-9 - Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The fifth Trumpet judgment comes near the end of the second half of the Tribulation, which fits with Satan being the "fallen star" who unlocks the bottomless pit, after Michael and his angels cast him out of Heaven near the middle of the Tribulation, before the release of the tormenting locusts from the abyss a few years later, as shown below: 

Nowhere in Revelation do we see the "fallen star" with the key to the abyss ascending back into Heaven to descend again later. The fact that the star in this chapter is "fallen" from Heaven as a past action, and the angel in Revelation 20:1 descends from Heaven as a presently occurring action, supports that these are two different angelic creatures at two different times. Also, after the Tribulation when Satan is bound, all the fallen host are also bound, which means the angel that binds Satan is a holy angel and not fallen, or he would be bound at that time too:

Isaiah 24:21-22 - It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished.

If the "star" that opens the bottomless pit and the angel that binds Satan and throws him into the bottomless pit are two different spirit beings, then at some point the angel that comes down from Heaven to bind Satan after the Tribulation receives the key to the bottomless pit. Just because we do not see an exchange of the key between spiritual entities in Scripture does not mean that they are the same character. The one with the authority to delegate power over the key is Jesus, as discussed in Revelation 1:18; He gives the key to whom He chooses and when He chooses.

The key to the bottomless pit is one of several keys the Lord has sovereignty over:

Revelation 1:18 - I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

Matthew 16:18-19 - And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Revelation 3:7 - "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens..."

The key to the bottomless pit is one of the keys to Hades. The bottomless pit is literally: the "pit of the abyss." This pit is in the inner part of the earth:

Ezekiel 26:19 - "For thus says the Lord GOD: 'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living.'"

Ezekiel 32:18, 24 - Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down to the depths of the earth, her and the daughters of the famous nations, with those who go down to the Pit... There is Elam and all her multitude, all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living; now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

The bottomless pit is in the lowest parts of "Hades," which is the Greek word for the holding place of souls inside the earth. "Hades" is "Sheol" in Hebrew and "Hell" in many English translations. Some passages refer to Hades, or Sheol as "the pit," which includes the "bottomless pit" or the abyss, but also encompasses other compartments of Hades:

Isaiah 14:15 - Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.

Proverbs 1:12 - Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit. 

Isaiah 38:18 - For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.

The passage below describes some of the different compartments of Hades:

Luke 16:23-26 - And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'"

The compartments of Hades described in this passage are: "Abraham's bosom," "a great gulf," and "torments," also called "Gehenna," named after a valley in Jerusalem the ancients used as a garbage dump that continuously burned with fire. The fallen angels have their own compartment called "Tartarus" (2 Peter 2:4), which many believe is the deepest part of Hades, known as the abyss, or the pit in the center of the earth.

The Hebrew word for "pit" can also be translated as "cistern," which is a narrow pit that is dug and sealed to hold something like water, or in this case fallen angels, or demons (Luke 8:27-31). The center of the earth is in fact "bottomless," as every direction from the center is "up." The bottomless pit is the compartment in Hades that the "fallen star" in this chapter will open and where Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:1). 

Below is a schematic of Hades and its different compartments that Christ described during His earthly ministry: 

Jesus was in Hades during the three days His body was in the grave:

Romans 10:6-7 - But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'"(that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, "'Who will descend into the abyss?'"(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Ephesians 4:8-10 - Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended" - what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Jesus preached to the spirits held captive in Hades:

1 Peter 3:18-19 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.

Jesus was in the heart of the earth, which means He was in the bottomless pit, where He preached to all those imprisoned in all the compartments of Hades:

Matthew 12:40 - For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus paid the ransom and penalty for sin and death, through His own death. When Jesus rose again, He took the power over "Death" from Satan to release the souls of the righteous from "Abraham's bosom" in Hades, and raise them from the dead:

Hebrews 2:14-15 - Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Hosea 13:14 - "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes." 

Acts 2:22-24, 27 - "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know - Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.... For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

Matthew 27:52-53 - And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Abraham's bosom was "Paradise," where the souls of the righteous were in Hades:

Luke 23:39-43 - Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

The Greek Septuagint translates the garden in Eden as "paradeisos," and transliterated to "paradise" in English. This suggests that God moved the garden in Eden to Hades at some point after the fall, and the souls of the righteous went there when they died, until Jesus rose from the dead and took them to Heaven (Ephesians 4:8). According to Paul, Paradise is now in the "third Heaven," which is where God dwells today. Therefore, today Hades is an abode only for eternally lost spirits:

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 - I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago - whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows - such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows - how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Death and Hades, or Sheol has "gates":

Matthew 16:18 - And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Job 17:16 - "Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?" 

Job 38:17 - Have the gates of deathbeen revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

Psalms 9:13-14 - Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

Psalms 107:13-19 - Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two. Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.

Isaiah 38:10 - I said, "In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years."

Therefore, Jesus' possession of "the keys of Death and Hades" (Revelation 1:18) represents His power and authority to release those restrained behind these "gates." As we will see in the next few sections, Christ gives authority to the fallen star to release spirit beings that are bound behind the gate of the bottomless pit in Hades with a key. It is ironic if Satan (aka Lucifer) is this fallen star, and he goes to the very place of his impending imprisonment:

Isaiah 14:12-15 - "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit."

Revelation 20:1-3 - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

It makes sense that the Lord gives Satan the key to unleash the occupants of the bottomless pit in the first "woe" and fifth Trumpet judgment. After the Lord evicts Satan out of Heaven, he becomes enraged "having great wrath" and "woe" against the "inhabitants of the earth":

Revelation 12:10-12 - Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." 

Revelation 8:13 - And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" 

Satan's first act of wrath could be releasing the occupants of the bottomless pit on the inhabitants of the earth. Just as God has used nations and spirit beings to pour out His wrath in the past (Zechariah 6:6-7), He can certainly use Satan to unleash the torments of the fifth Trumpet judgment on the inhabitants of the earth.

Revelation 9:2 - And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 

After the fallen star uses the key to open the bottomless pit, a thick dark smoke pours out of the pit. Apparently, there is passageway between the bottomless pit and the surface of the earth that is accessible through a gate that requires passage with the key. The smoke that comes out of the pit is "like the smoke of a great furnace." There are only two other times in Scripture where we see the phrase "smoke of a furnace." The first time is after God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah:

Genesis 19:24-28 - Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.

The second time we see "smoke of a furnace" is when Israel met with God at Mount Sinai:

Exodus 19:16-18 - Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

In both cases, fire from God created smoke like the smoke of a furnace. A furnace in Scripture was generally used to refine and purify or smelt metal in a kiln, like the furnace Nebuchadnezzar cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego into (Daniel 3). Pictured below are a brick-kiln and a metal smelter furnace:

The smoke from these furnaces is thick, dark, and billowy, like smoke that ascends from manmade structures destroyed by fire, like the 2001 World Trade Center attack in New York, and the 1993 Branch Davidian raid in Waco, TX:

It is easy to see how enough of this kind of smoke could darken the sun and air. This thick, dark, billowy smoke is reminiscent of ash ejected in major volcanic eruptions, like the ones pictured below: 

Indeed, when the "star" opens the bottomless pit to the surface of the earth, the physical reaction could be like a super volcano going off, with enough smoke emitted to darken the sun and sky all over the globe.

God's fire is a refining fire like that in a smelter. Smoke from a refining fire is a "mixture of gases and suspended carbon particles resulting from the combustion of wood, peat, coal, or other organic matter" that does not survive the fire (source). In the Bema judgment of the Church, Paul likens useless works as wood, hay, and straw, which burn in fire. The good works will survive God's refining fire as precious metals and stones, but the rest of the works will burn away as refuse like smoke in a regular fire:

1 Corinthians 3:9-15 - For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

For those who take the mark of the beast in the Tribulation, only the smoke from their torment comes out of God's refining fire: 

Revelation 14:9-11 - Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

As just shown, torment is the process where the lost continually burn in God's refining fire to pay the price for their sin. Their spirit bodies, or their "worm," act as a perpetual fuel for the fire to burn:

Isaiah 66:24 - "And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

The smoke is a byproduct of torment or the process of destruction, as seen in Babylon's destruction in the Tribulation:

Revelation 18:9-10 - "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'"

As shown in Revelation 14:9-11, God will torment those who take the mark of the beast with fire and brimstone. The smoke from their torments will ascend forever; this would include both the torments in Hades, including the bottomless pit, and the torments in the "lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14). And as just discussed, the smoke that comes out of the bottomless pit is the torment or byproduct of those burning in God's fire there. That said, the next few sections show that torment in Hades is more than just smoke of destruction in God's refining fire.

As a side note, smoke is also a characteristic of God's glory, as displayed at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). This physical manifestation of God's glory depicts His holiness:

Isaiah 6:3-5 - And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." 

Revelation 15:8 - The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

After the Tribulation is over, God's glory will return as a cloud of smoke by day and a flame of fire by night, such as occurred during the time of the Exodus, which is a physical manifestation of God that symbolizes a covering over His people:

Isaiah 4:1-6 - And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, "We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach." In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy - everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

Revelation 9:3 - Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Recall from Revelation 9:2, the smoke coming out of the bottomless pit is the byproduct of those aflame there in torment. Supernatural locusts come out of the smoke from the bottomless pit and fly out over the earth. These locusts are given power like that of an earthly scorpion, which is the sting in their tail (Revelation 9:10) that can torment humans (Revelation 9:5).

Just as a scorpion's tail can cause a sting, "Death" also has a sting:

1 Corinthians 15:54-56 - So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Christ paid the penalty and overcame death so that believers can also overcome death and its painful sting (Acts 2:24, Romans 5-6), but unbelievers will receive the sting of death by paying their wages of their sin by torment in the fire of God (Luke 16). Death is an enemy that Christ has conquered, so it is interesting that He told his disciples that the power of scorpions is the power of the enemy, which includes demonic spirits and Satan:

Luke 10:18-20 - And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

The passages above suggest the locusts emerging from the smoke from the torments of those in the bottomless pit could be the source of the "sting of death," and are given power like that of the enemy to inflict torment on living humans on the earth (Revelation 9:5). 

These locusts with the sting of a scorpion are clearly not natural locusts, though as an interesting side note, there is such a locust that has a tail that looks like a scorpion's tail, called a "scorpion fly," pictured to the right. However, the scorpion fly does not sting, nor does it fit the other characteristics of the locusts from the bottomless pit described in Revelation 9:7-9:

Natural locusts swarm and run to and fro:

Isaiah 33:4 - And Your plunder shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar; as the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them.

Nahum 3:15-17 - There the fire will devour you, the sword will cut you off; it will eat you up like a locust. Make yourself many - like the locust! Make yourself many - like the swarming locusts! You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away. Your commanders are like swarming locusts, and your generals like great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges on a cold day; when the sun rises they flee away, and the place where they are is not known. 

When the worst ever natural locust invasion overtook Egypt in the Exodus, their swarms were so thick that they darkened the land, much like smoke would.

Trumpet of Revelation 9

October 5, 2011

When I watched this video of the dramatic volcanic eruption in Iceland, I thought of the prophecy of the fifth trumpet in Revelation 9. Verses 1 to 2 read:

“Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.

Dr. Henry Morris explained the bottomless pit on page 157 in his excellent book, The Revelation Record:

“This bottomless pit which [Satan]… unlocks is literally ‘the pit of the abyss.’ The word ‘abyss’ comes from roots meaning ‘without depth’ and so is properly translated ‘bottomless.’ It is apparently at the very center of the earth and so, in truth, has no bottom. Its boundaries in all directions are all ceilings; one cannot go ‘down’ in any direction. The pit of this abyss of Hades is apparently one of its imprisoning cells, and it is only this one to which Satan actually receives the key.

“But when he opens the gate, an amazing phenomenon occurs. Great billows of subterranean smoke pour forth on the earth, spreading around until it darkens the air worldwide, even dimming the sun’s light. This indicates that there must be somewhere on the earth an opening leading to a great shaft, leading down from the earth’s surface, through the crust, the mantle and the core, all the way to Hades and the pit itself. Man has never discovered this shaft because it is apparently blocked at its exit, but this does not mean it doesn’t exist. It has been ‘ordained of old’ by God and its walls are impregnable, from within or without, designed by the Creator to withstand all rupturing pressures, natural or supernatural. But when the key is finally turned, great billows of smoke, presumably from the earth’s internal heat and pressure, flow toward the surface and finally out to surround the earth itself.”

Related Posts:

• An Even Greater Earthquake
• Those Days Will Be Shortened
• Volcanoes DO Form Rapidly

From mysterious temples to volcanic mountains, these countries are home to real-life locations that are your real gateway to the underworld!

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From the ancient religious texts to the myths of the Ancient Greeks, the legends of the Ancient Egyptians, and the tales of the Ancient Romans, humans have always believed in the existence of a life other than the physical one humans live on earth. The underworld is one of such places believed to be in existence. According to myths and religious beliefs around the world, the underworld is the place where the souls of the dead go and it has always been believed that this destination is under the earth or below the world of the living. It is however important to note that the underworld in many cultures is not entirely evil but just destinations where the dead go to receive judgment for their lives on earth. The most popular of these cultures are those of the Greeks and the Egyptians. In Greek mythology, Hades ruled over this underworld and delivered judgments to the souls that ended up there while in Egyptian myth, Duat was the land of the dead and Osiris was the lord of this Egyptian underworld.

In many religious beliefs, however, the closest resemblance to this world of the dead is a place called hell and in this case, it represents the destination for the souls of sinners. Seeing these similarities in various myths and teachings around the world, one cannot help but get curious about where exactly this so-called underworld is located. Since it is the place where the dead goes, it certainly must be colossal and have many gates. With the quest to know more and hopefully locate this interesting destination, humans have chosen to believe that these locations are actual gates to the underworld. Even though one can visit them, there are severe and sometimes deadly risks involved in trying to discover more than the natural in these locations. Remember - the underworld is an invincible realm and only the dead can enter it.

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8 Lacus Curtius, Italy

Located at the heart of Rome in Forum Romanum is Lacus Curtius. This mysterious site in the middle of the Forum is characterized by a slab of ancient stones covering a pit on a spot believed to previously be a lake. Many stories have been told about this location but the most well-known one is that of Marcus Curtius. According to the ancient Roman tale of Marcus Curtius, a prophecy had been revealed that the city of Rome was bound to fall and could only be saved by the sacrifice of Rome's most precious asset. Marcus Curtius - a young centurion then decided to give his life for the kingdom knowing that the soldiers were Rome’s greatest assets. He then rode with his horse in full armor into the pit which had opened on its own accord to accept the sacrifice.

7 Fengdu, China

Fengdu, also known as the city of ghosts, is a place in China located north of the Yangtze River. According to Chinese legend, this location is the gateway to hell. The town consists of several temples dedicated to the underworld serving as the boundary between the living and the dead. The tales tell that the souls of the dead are led to this location to pass through a series of tests which then separate the pure souls from the wicked souls who are then taken to the underworld.

Related: Houtouwan: China's Ghost Town Reclaimed by Nature

6 Derweze, Turkmenistan

Tucked deep in a burning hot desert in Turkmenistan is a sight that has been known as the gateway to hell for decades. The creation of this site is accidental and scientific and it all began in the early 1970s when certain soviet geologists decided to search for natural gas in the outskirts of a village in Derweze. In the process of the drilling, the geologists uncovered an abundance of methane gas which began leaking into the atmosphere. Deciding that the gas was poisonous to the earth if it was left spewing out uncontrollably, it was set on fire so the gas would burn off but that fire started in 1971 is still burning today. The site’s location in the middle of the desert, the oppressive temperature characterizing the area, and the view just make this place feel so much like an actual gate of the underworld where a scary creature might jump out of the burning crater one day probably with a pitchfork.

Related: What Those Who Are Lucky Enough To Get Visas Can See In Turkmenistan

5 Pluto’s Gate, Turkey

Only recently discovered in 2013 by archaeologists, Pluto’s gate to hell was widely recognized as the gateway to the underworld by the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Romans. The main characteristic that fueled this belief is a crack on the site where dangerous mephitic gasses emanated from. These poisonous gasses would instantly end the lives of animals that went close to it. According to ancient stories, this discovery soon led to the sacrificing of animals to the god Pluto by various priests. Soon, however, this opening was blocked with rocks due to the dangers it posed. The site was first located in the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis but can now be found in the Denizli province in southwestern Turkey.

4 Hekla Mountain, Iceland

Hekla - one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes gained the reputation of being the gateway to the underworld after its massive eruption in the early 12th century. Rumors about flying creatures (which were probably birds) around the mountain spread and it was soon proclaimed by the local monks that these flying creatures were the guards to the souls of the most notorious betrayer in history - Judas.

3 Houska Castle, Czech Republic

Houska Castle sits at the top of a cliff in the Czech Republic and its history is just as frightening as its creepy appearance. Its location in a dense forest in one of the most remote parts of Czechia and its lack of occupants makes it even scarier to visit. According to Folklore, there was a large bottomless pit on the spot where the castle now stands. This pit was believed to be the gateway to the underworld and strange creatures would emerge from it in the dark to capture people who were out of their homes during these dark hours and drag them into the pit. The castle was eventually built above this alleged gateway to prevent demons from escaping and torturing locals. Several centuries after the building of the castle, locals revealed that strange sounds and scratching noises could still be heard from within the castle. History also has it that the Nazis occupied the Houska Castle to carry out occultic practices so that's one more thing that makes this place extremely bizarre.

2 The Cave Of The Sibyl, Italy

The mighty underground complex known as the cave of Sibyl is believed to be the residence of the oracle Cumaean Sybil who was also regarded in Greco-Roman mythology as the guide to the underworld. This cave is located on the outskirts of Naples close to Mount Vesuvius. According to the ancient Latin poem - The Aeneid by Virgil, the cave of the Sybil was the passage where Cumaean Sibyl led Aeneas - the Trojan Hero, through to the underworld and into the green fields of Elysium to seek his dead father’s advice.

1 Cape Matapan Caves, Greece

Cape Matapan was once regarded by the Ancient Greeks as a gateway to the underworld. Located in Mani Peninsula, the cave was said to have been the passage used by Hercules and other ancient characters to enter the Underworld. This site also appealed to the Spartans as a place of worship and they built several temples in the area for their various gods. The ruins of many of these temples can still be seen at the site today and the scenery characterizing the site makes it even more appealing to visit.

Next: Are The 7 Wonders of The Ancient World Really Worth Seeing?

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About The Author

Joshua is a writer, researcher, adventurer, and traveler. His curiosity is his ultimate drive and most of the things he is particularly curious about include - the earth, archaeology, history, myths, and the unseen world. Joshua loves singing and dancing as much as he loves food, agriculture, animals, writing and traveling. He is a simple person who often attributes some of his happiest moments in life to little and natural things such as dancing in the rain and laughing at his own thoughts. Email him at wierdceo@gmail.com

The message of Romans 1:19-20 is plain and simple. Open your eyes and see. What you see will reveal the visibleand the invisible hand of God. As someone once said, "There are none so blind as those who will not see." The prophet Jeremiah put it like this: 

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
Jeremiah 5:21

Romans 1:20 ends with these somber words, ". . . so that they are without excuse. . ."

The Lord floods us with so much visible evidence of His handiwork, its vastness muffles our awareness. Our carnal nature blindly searches for some hint of God, all the while His work shines so bright, it nearly blinds us. The evidence of God appears so obvious, and so great, we tightly close our eyes to the truth, while we seek for some hidden nugget. The apostle Paul admonishes the skeptics at Mars Hill in Acts 17:27: "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:" How true today! We spend billions and billions traveling into space or trying to decode the DNA looking for a hint of God. And all the while, ". . . he be not far from every one of us:"

When we encounter the supernatural revelation of the Word of God, we quickly scurry under the rock of science. In 1 Timothy 6:20, the Bible warns of the ". . . oppositions of science falsely so called." The definitian of "science" means "a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths. . ." (www.infoplease.com "science"). True science testifies and verifies the truth — nothing but the truth. True science will always agree with the Word of God. John 17:17 says of the scriptures: ". . . thy word is truth." Despite the "oppositions of science. . ." every verifiable truth discovered by science echoes the truth of God’s Word. 

And hell is no exception. . . 

Let us never fear the Goliath of science in the battle for truth. The young man, David, armed with only a sling and "five smooth stones," boldly confronted the colossal giant of Goliath. The Bible says in 1 Samuel, 17: 48, "And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." David "ran toward" Goliath. He understood, the battle was the Lord’s. 1 Samuel, 17: 45 says, "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." It is ironic, that David used Goliath’s own sword to cut his head off: 

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
1 Samuel 17:50-51

As David used Goliath's own sword to behead him, in this article, we'll also use today's "sword" of the Goliath of science to view into the place of hell.

Bible Believing Christians should never fear the ". . . oppositions of science falsely so called." Let us never cower from true science. And the truth is, every true study of science, geology, and geophysics verifies the place of hell. If hell is true – science must confirm it – it has no choice. 

The scientific data confirming hell is so great, and so visible, it is hard to believe — but impossible to ignore. Hell is among the most verifiableproofs of the Word of God. That statement may surprise some, and shock others. Many reading this will immediately discount it as blind religious dogma. Keep reading, and for the next few pages, divorce your skepticism and carefully examine the facts.

Romans 1:20 gives us the "key" to "see" the invisible things of God. 

For the invisible things of himfrom the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:20

The Lord opens for us a clear window into the "invisible things of him" by simply observing the "things we can see." Our inherent obstacle is our carnal, logical, sensual nature. Although we can clearly see "the invisible things of him," our problem is believing. After doubting Thomas "saw" the risen Lord Jesus, the Lord told Thomas, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

As we "clearly see" the invisible place of hell by seeing "the things that are made", may we not merely "see" the place of hell, but may we "see" and "believe."

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A WINDOW INTO HELL •

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For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed. . .
Matthew 13:15

The Lord gave mankind an unmistakable window into the "heart of the earth." A window so powerful and so impressive, its presence is breathtaking. A window so thunderous and so terrifying, its hellish power is nature’s deadliest force. . . 

An erupting, fire-breathing volcano is earth’s most fearsome sight. Many cities, countries, and people have been violently buried under the volcano’s wrath.

Carsten Peter is among the world’s most devoted volcano researchers. Peter has studied and photographed volcanoes for many years. Peter tells National Geographic magazine:

"The size and power of a volcano is like nothing else on earth."
("Inside the Volcano", National Geographic, Nov. 2000, p. 55)

The book Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior by Scientific American has a section titled, "Volcanic Windows into the Earth’s Interior." The section begins with these words:

Some geologists say, without envy, that we know less about the Earth’s interior than we know about outer space. . . However, we have a great deal of indirect knowledge about the Earth’s interior, and volcanoes provide some of the best free samples.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior, Scientific American, Inc., W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1982, p. 83)

Volcano scientists, Robert and Barbara Decker, describe volcanoes as ". . . dark windows to the Earth’s interior. . ." 

Volcanoes are dark windows to the Earth’s interior. Because their products are the only direct samples of the composition of the Earth’s deeper levels, the aspect of volcanology that studies these materials has received considerable attention.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes, W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1997, p. 128)

Before we proceed, let the reader understand one important fact: the vast majority (if not all) of the scientific material in this study comes from individuals who do not believe the Bible. At best, they consider the Bible nothing but superstitious fantasy or folk-lore. Nonetheless, the evidence is so overwhelming, the obvious conclusion is humanly impossible to disregard.

Let me also add, the scientific material for the next few pages may technically confound some readers, but please continue reading. You may not comprehend everything, but you should easily understand enough to grasp the truth. 

The mammoth lake of fire exploding from the mouth of an erupting volcano unmistakably echoes the fires of hell. The similarity is impossible to ignore.

Robert Wenkam in The Edge of Fire acknowledges the Bible’s depiction of hell and a "volcanic lake of fire below the earth" are one and the same.

St. John the Divine wrote of these retributions in Chapter 20 of Revelations, where he warns of a "Fiery lake of burning brimstone" and how "the fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who led them astray was flung into the fiery, sulphurous lake, where the animal and the false prophet were, there to be tortured day and night forever and ever" St. John could have only been thinking of a volcanic lake of fire below the earth, . . ."
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 132)

Mr. Wenkam’s statement contains a glaring fallacy — John probably knew nothing of a volcano, much less ever seen one. Israel holds very little volcano activity. And John had no National Geographic magazines or Discovery channel to inform him of volcanoes. 

Wenkam later ridicules the Lord Jesus’ message of hell as "the most sadistic fantasy ever conceived," yet the fiery spectacle of an erupting volcano provokes from even the most atheistic scientist — the thought of hell. They may rationally ridicule the place of hell, but their words "of hell" betray them. 

"a new religion, Christianity was getting organized in Palestine with a Bible telling of an underworld filled with molten lava, a lake of fire they called Hell. . .
Hell is perhaps the most sadistic fantasy ever conceived. It is described, painted, and contemplated with incredibly perverse relish as a perpetual lake of fire where inextinguishable flames burn forever. To a Christian and a geologist, it is a reasonable description of the earth below, and it is understandable how. . . [volcanoes] has come to be associated with the ultimate punishment of sinners and unbelievers.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 132)

The devil and sulfurous lakes of fire are like Hades and Hell, Christian liturgical symbols that have become American folklore. . . But even the most sophistic explorer will often describe awesome vistas in terms of the nether world, as Jacques Cousteau did on his television segment describing the summit crater on Deception Island in Antarctica" ‘It is satanic, like Hell frozen over’.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 133)

Deuteronomy 32:22, plainly states that the fire from the foundations of the mountains (a volcano) come from the lowest hell.

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Deuteronomy 32:22

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VOLCANOES AND THE DEVIL •

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Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Matthew 25:41

Throughout history, volcanoes possessed a bizarre attraction to the paranormal and cults. From the mythological Vulcan to the thousands of human sacrifices tossed in the mouth of the volcano to appease the "gods", a devilish enticement follows the fire-breathing volcano. The book, The Edge of Fire by Robert Wenkam devotes a complete chapter titled "Volcanoes and the Devil." The medium of the volcano inspire many new age and esoteric disciples. Popular New Age teacher and author Alice Bailey writes in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, ". . . Earth is changed through the medium of volcanic action. . ." Bailey claims a people called Agnichaitans live in volcanoes and ". . . they are the alchemists of the lower regions. . ." The unearthly appeal and tug coming from the hellish volcano defies human logic. Many cults and bizarre sects receive their inspiration and instruction from the volcano.

The volcano Mt. Shasta in California was the birthplace of the occult group I AM. The "Ascended Master" St. Germain miraculously descended from the sky to hiker Guy Ballard. From Mt. Shasta, the "Ascended Master" communicated the esoteric teachings of the I AM. In the book, "Unveiled Mysteries," Ballard describes his mystical encounter with the satanic Germain as, ". . . He stood there before me -- A Magnificent God-like figure - in a white jeweled robe, a Light and Love sparkling in his eyes that revealed and proved the Dominion and Majesty that are his." 

Mt. Shasta provides otherworld revelation for the Rosicrucians. They believe the mystic people of Lemuris or Mu inhabit Mt. Shasta. Wenkem reports the Lemurians appearance as "garbed in pure white and in sandals, with long curly hair, tall and majestic in appearance" (Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. p. 131) The Rosicrucians also teach volcanic eruptions provide mystic atonement for the materialistic greed of humanity.

James Hilton received a supernatural vision at the volcanic Mt. Shasta that spawned the cultic book, Lost Horizon, which unfolded the new age land of Shangri-La. New age guru and founder of the satanic Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky traveled to Mount Shasta and claimed the Sanskrit word Sishta [Shasta] was an enlightened sect from a previous age. Occult disciple and writer, John P. Scott (On the Occult Path, Occult Interpretations, Four Gospels Esoterically Interpreted, et. al.) says "‘earthbound spirits from an old civilization" live at Mt. Shasta. 

The inspiration from volcanoes created the "Dianetic" revelation for L. Ron Hubbard’s trendy Scientology. Hubbard’s perverted path claims that earthlings began when inhabitants from 76 planets, called the "Galactic Federation", left their mother planet, traveled to Earth and settled specifically at volcanoes. Hubbards’ Dianetic symbol is the fire spewing volcano.

Popular New Age teacher Nola Van Vale received esoteric messages from "Ascended Masters" at Mt. Shasta. Her occult books, The Tramp At My Door, My Meeting with the Masters on Mount Shasta and Mt. Shasta Ascended Master Teaching provide the basis of the new age Radiant School of Seekers and Servers. 

Wenkam records 40 to 50 cults receive spiritual influence just from Mt. Shasta: 

An estimated 40 to 50 cult groups attach spiritual significance to Mt. Shasta. They describe 15 to 20 kinds if strange beings living inside or somewhere on the mountain. Some believe a race of drawfs similar to Hawaiian menehunes or Irish leprechauns inhabit Shasta.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. pp. 131, 132)

Wenkam also records ordinary travelers commonly see bizarre beings at the volcanic Mt. Shasta:

In past years, reports by travelers in the region of Shasta have mentioned seeing odd-looking persons who ran back into hiding when seen, people ‘distinctive in features and complexion. . . have the appearance of being quite old and yet exceedingly agile.
(Wenkam, Robert. The Edge of Fire. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. 1987. pp. 131, 132)

The Connected Traveler writes the occult world bountifully inhabit Mt. Shasta:

Channelers, astrologers and shops that sell healing crystals, tarot cards, wands and other spiritual needs are as common as 7-Elevens. They'll sell you maps plotting Shasta's lines of energy, vortexes and other places with spirits and forces that one does not find in Anaheim or the Bronx.
(Mt. Shasta, The Connected Traveler, <http://www.connectedtraveler.com/shasta.html>)

Many more accounts exist linking Mt. Shasta to the occult. Several books such as Mt. Shasta: History, Legend & Lore, Mt. Shasta: California's Mystic Mountain, and Secrets from Mt. Shasta detail the mystic history of Mt. Shasta. 

Volcano Mt. Saint Helens in Washington provides cosmic connections to frequent cult activity. Weird lights, unearthly sounds, UFO sightings and unusual beings are commonly reported at Mt. St. Helens. Sightings of the legendary Sasquatch, named "Bigfoot," commonly occur at Mt. St. Helens. Many volcanic cults such as The Children of the Great Firey One reside at Mt. St. Helens.

In 1998, a UFO sect of thirty-two Germans and one Spanish woman traveled to the volcano Mt. Teide in Spain. Led by German psychologist, Fittkau-Garthe, they designed a mass suicide to enable their souls transported away in a UFO at the volcano. 
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/int/980119/europe.neardeath_experie15.html>

The strange clone-cult known as the "Raelians" was born at the volcano. Cult leader Claude Vorilhon supposedly met alien beings at the volcano "Le Puy de Lassalas." There the mysterious beings presented Vorilhon with the "Raelian" gospel. Vorilhon claims to have met with Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha and Moses while flying to other planets. Vorilhon’s deluded followers number in the thousands, and own the cloning company Clonaid. Vorilhon says Jesus Christ was resurrected using cloning. 

Clearly, the fire-breathing dragon called a volcano possesses a curious and diabolical appeal to the cults and occult. 

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SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED •

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O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
1 Timothy 6:20

Our scientific exploration of hell begins with a brief history of the past and present theories of volcanoes. Let us carefully weigh the shifting sand of science against the solid rock of the Word of God. Science has changed and revised and rewritten its theories through the years. But the Bible never wavered. It never changed. Its gospel of both hope and horror has been preached and printed far more than any other message. Its scientific accuracy has been fiercely challenged and mocked through the years. And yet, even with the keen knowledge of twenty-first century science, every verifiable scientific discovery loudly testifies to the truthfulness of the Word of God. And hell forms perhaps the Bible’s greatest verifiable scientific witness.

Let me address my readers who instinctively break out with scientific-itis. In other words, you find science boring, worthless and just flat out weird. Please keep reading and be patient. We’ll get you through the fog of science shortly.

Let us travel through the halls of science and briefly inspect their myth, monsters and madness from yesteryear explaining the fearsome volcano. 

The renowned Roman poet Virgil, who lived around 70 B.C. – 19 B.C. (near the time of Jesus), taught an unusual but popular theory about volcanoes: 

The Roman poet Virgil (70 B.C.–19 B.C.) attribute the eruptions of Etna to the desperate efforts of the rebellious Titan Enceladus to free himself from the underground prison to which Jupiter had consigned him. The trembling of the earth stemmed from his writhing, the eruption from his burning breath, and the rumbling from his plaintive voice.
(Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 5)

Many preposterous and ridiculous delusions about volcanoes permeated the time of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the Greeks believe that their fire god, Hephastus, frequented this vicinity. The Romans placed his dwelling in the crater of Vulcan. This unruly child of Jupiter and Juno, they said, had set up a forge beneath the crater, and there, amid flames and smoke, he hammered out the bronze arrows of Apollo. . .
(Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 5)

The Roman mythical god Vulcan was so attributed to the volcano, the name "volcano" comes courtesy of the god of Vulcan. National Geographic writes, "In ancient times the natural phenomenon merged with myth, drawing its name from a Roman god, Vulcan, ruler of fire, forge, and hearth."
(Volcanoes: Crucibles of Creation, National Geographic, Dec. 1992, p. 13)

It is worth noting that the Lord Jesus (and even the much older, Old Testament writers) never spoke such superstitious, mythical gibberish. Every single statement where the Bible describes the "heart of the earth" it aligns 100% with today’s authenticated science. Not one statement, among 31,102 verses; 788,258 words, ever contradict true science. Not one. 

The following silly superstitions and volcanic monsters were popular teachings during the time of the Lord Jesus.

The primitive people of Chile, for example, believed that a monstrous whale lived inside volcanoes, while inhabitants of India saw the monster as a gigantic mole or ferocious boar. The ancient Japanese thought a huge and horrifying spider lay inside. The Indonesians believed there was snake, Hontobogo by name, which held up the whole world wit its body. . . Innumerable superstitions and rites connected with volcanoes have now come to light; and in more advanced civilizations too, the imaginary inhabitants of volcanoes were closely related to myths of gods and devils.
(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 7)

The Greek philosopher Plato (427 – 347 B.C.) is championed among our universities and institutes of higher learning. Plato’s words and wisdom are considered almost the divine words of a god. Plato was among the first to seriously study volcanoes with a scientific discipline. The following are Plato’s teachings concerning the heart of the earth:

One of the earliest scientific approaches to the question of volcanoes was that of Plato. He claimed that earthquakes were caused by hot winds imprisoned and under pressure in immense subterranean caverns. They caught fire from contact with the great burning river, the Pyrriphlegathon, and then gave birth to a volcano.
(Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12)

Another giant amongst the academic elite is Aristotle (384–322 B.C. and one of Plato’s students). Aristotle’s "pneumatic" folly for the volcanic fire also arose from "winds trapped within the earth." 

In his Meteorics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) suggested that volcanoes and earthquakes were caused by winds trapped within the earth. . . (Clayton, Keith, The Crust of the Earth, The Story of Geology, The Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, 1967. p. 10-12)

He [Aristotle] thought that waves breaking on the sea-shore compressed the air in caves along the coast, forcing it into the earth. Then, when it came into contact with sulphur and bitumen, the air would set them alight. Flames, smoke, scoria (lava fragments) and ashes then escaped through the vents of volcanoes. This "pneumatic" theory dominated scientific thinking for more than 2,000 years, and terms like scoria and ash are still used in scientific language. . . This "combustion" theory which seemed, in effect, to be the only possible explanation, was accepted without reservation by philosophers and by most naturalists until the end of about the eighteenth century.
(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. pp. 8, 10)

Until the last hundred years, Aristotle’s "combustion" concoction became the best theory the scientific community could "dream up." The fact that inside this earth contained a lake of fire, hotter than the surface of the sun, never entered their naturalistic dulled minds. To the scientific world, such a place did not seem possible. 

Needless to say, the scientific knowledge about volcanoes was late coming. In fact, (as we'll see) the scientific community only discovered any serious truth about volcanoes within the last hundred years. As one writer conveyed science's limited knowledge of volcanoes:

In early times our knowledge of volcanoes was limited. People could see the smoke and lava that spewed forth from the volcanoes but didn’t understand what caused it. Many cultures explained these powerful forces by telling stories about the gods that lived in the volcano. Greek mythology, for example, was full of references to volcanoes. In their legends, Typhon, a hideous monster with many heads, drooled lava and spat out fiery rocks. To put a stop to this menace, Zeus imprisoned Typhon under Mt. Etna, the world's tallest active volcano. According to legend this is the source of all the mountain's volcanic activity. In addition, the Greeks credited the god Hephaestus for eruptions. He was generally a peaceful craftsman and the master of the forge, but if provoked, he could vent his wrath on the people in a storm of volcanic ash. Hephaestus later became the Roman god Vulcan.
(http://www.algebralab.org/passage/passage.aspx?file=EarthSpace_Volcanoes.xml)

In 1665 German scholar Athanasius Kircher drew an early cross section of the earth. In his view, winds fan subterranean reservoirs of fire, inflaming volcanoes around the globe. (Center of the Earth, National Geographic, Jan. 1996, p. 104)

The 1700s heralded the lofty "Age of Enlightenment." This famed time period bears juicy accolades such as the "Age of Rationalism" or "Age of Idealism," trumpeting its intellectual and scientific progress. Their "enlightenment" regarding the heart of the earth remained in the dark. The following include a few "Age of Enlightenment" delusions: 

Sometime around 1700 the French chemist Lemery noticed that a mixture of iron filings and flowers of sulphur, dampened by water, spontaneously heats up to the point of incandescence and gives off steam and other projected matter. . .This idea took root that volcanoes are produced by the combustion and fermentation of certain matter in contact with air and water. The famous French naturalist Buffon enthusiastically adopted this theory in his Natural History, written in the middle of the eighteenth century. . . 
(Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12-13)

Published in 1770, Count de Buffon’s Natural History, stands high among scientists and naturalists. The following excerpts from Buffon’s Natural History, illustrates his famous theory of the volcanic fire:

A volcano is an immense cannon whose barrel may be a mile in diameter. Its mouth vomits torrents of smoke and flames, rivers of bitumen, sulphur and molten metal, clouds of ash and stones. . . The noise, fire and smoke are caused by the fact that in the burning mountains there are accumulations of sulphur, bitumen and other flammable matter, as well as minerals and pyrites which ferment when exposed to air and dampness. When they catch fire there is an explosion proportional to the quantity of flammable matter. . . The center of volcanic activity is not deep down in the earth but near the surface; only for this reason does wind fan the combustion. . . 
(Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de, Natural History qtd. Kraft, Katia and Maurice, Volcanoes: Earth’s Awakening. Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, 1980. p. 12-13)

The following are more recent "grasping for straws" scientific clunkersexplaining the "fire" in the earth:

In the eighteenth century it was thought that electricity, which had only just been discovered, might be the source of volcanic energy, and this idea was thoroughly examined.
(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes.Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 11)

Sir Humphry Davy ascribed volcanic heat to the oxidation of material in the deep interior of the Earth. An alternative idea was put forward by the engineer Robert Mallet, who was one of the founders of seismology. He believed that the heat of the volcanic action was derived from the work of crushing rocks beneath the surface.
(Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 6)

Finally, in the twentieth century, the discovery of radioactivity gave new scope to hypothesis about the origin of volcanoes.According to one theory, the rocks inside the earth were melted by heat resulting from radioactivity produced by uranium, thorium and potassium. Finally, there have been hypothesis concerning atomic ‘bombs’ (nuclear reactions occurring naturally).
(Rittmann, A. and L.. Volcanoes. Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 11)

But as research by scientists and naturalists progressed, their study of volcanic phenomena was concentrated on a single problem: to discover the source of the heat which fed volcanoes-in other words, to find the origin of volcanic energy.
(Rittmann, A. and L. Volcanoes.Insituto Geografico de Agostini S.p.A., Novara 1976. p. 10)

The source of the heat that melts rocks was once a subject of lively debate. The leading contenders were the Earth’s original heat from the time of formation; heat from the breakdown of the radioactive isotopes of uranium, thorium, and potassium; heat from the gravitative energy of redistributing heavy elements toward the center of the Earth; and heat from the tidal friction of slowing the Earth’s rotation. Most geologists now agree that the decay of radioactive isotopes is the principal heat source.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes, W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1997 p. 186)

We could quickly stock a good size library with the preposterous theories and delusions science plagued history with attempting to explain volcanic fire. Suffice to say, until 150 short years ago, the scientific community remained in the dark illuminating the fire inside the earth. Their best theories were myth, monsters and madness. 

The Crust of the Earth, acknowledges earth science’s abscess of "myth, guesswork, and vague philosophical speculation" littering history all those years. 

The key to the growing body of knowledge is the geologist’s ability to collect masses of indirect evidence and to interpret it by physical and chemical laws. Until about 150 years ago, however, this kind of scientific rigor was rarely applied to man’s inquiries into the nature and history of our planet. Before then, the path toward knowledge was littered with myth, guesswork, and vague philosophical speculation.
(Clayton, Keith, The Crust of the Earth, The Story of Geology, The Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, 1967, p. 10)

But that would soon change. . .

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SCIENCE GOES TO HELL •

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Though they dig into hell. . .
Amos 9:2

In the late 1800’s, earth sciences found the proverbial magic bullet for their study of the earth’s interior. Earthquakes literally fired the magic bullet. In 1889, E. von Rebleur Paschwitz discovered that earthquakes create enormous seismic waves that travel deep into the earth’s interior. These earthquake waves produce two unique seismic waves (called simply P and S) that enable geophysics to remotely "see" inside the earth. The P-waves (Primary waves) travel the fastest (hence the "Primary" wave) through both solid and liquid. The S-waves (Secondary waves) arrive after the P-waves and travel only through liquid. When the P and S waves strike different structures, such as liquid or solid, the seismic waves reflect or bend in accordance to the structure. 

The data from seismographs opened a dim "peek" into the heart of the earth. Just as X-rays allow physicians to "see" inside the human body by producing images based on body structure, seismographs provide the same for geologists. Scientists analyze the seismographic data from hundreds of earthquakes and create a projectedimage of the earth interior. Then using an imaging method called seismic tomography (much like the computer-aided tomography [CAT] scans in medicine) scientists can "look" inside the earth. For the first time, science is able to "peep" inside the earth. The view remains dim and invites much speculation, but many false theories quickly die. 

The seismographic revolution produced a gigantic scientific breakthrough. The following quotes come from earth science publications celebrating seismology’s earth-shattering "peephole" into the earth’s heart:

Once entirely off limits to our questing curiosity the Earth’s core has largely yielded up its secrets, substantially thanks to studies of the seismic waves produced during earthquakes that allow us to "see" deep into the Earth.
(McGuire, Bill. London: Quarto Inc., 2002 Raging Planet, p. 17)

At the turn of the century there was a crucial break in the hitherto unresolvable debate on the architecture of the Earth’s interior—the onset of the seismological age.
(Bolt, Bruce. Inside the Earth, p. 7)

The major source of our information about the Earth’s interior comes from seismology – the study of earthquakes.
(J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 20)

For the first time in history, the physical structure of earth’s interior became vaguely evident. The seismographic data painted the popular picture of the interior’s earth that consisted of three main layers: the crust, mantle and core. Scientists determined the three layers by mapping the change in structure from the seismographic readings. 

The most revealing view of the earth’s interior comes from the observation of earthquake waves propagated over long distances. . . The division of the earth into crust, mantle and core is based on such seismic observations.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior, Scientific American, Inc., W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1982, p.103)

A brief description of the seismographic portrait of the earth’s three layers is as follows: 

The Crust

The crust forms the earth’s outer layer. It is solid consisting of approximately 30 miles deep on land and 5-10 miles deep in the ocean floor. The crust creates the land area on which we live. 

The Mantle 

The mantle occupies the Earth’s middle layer. It travels roughly 1,800 miles (2,900 km) and appears solid. Scientists speculate the mantle consist of iron and nickel.

The Core

The core inhabits the "heart of the earth." It begins after the mantle, at approximately 1,800 miles under your feet. Geophysicists divide the core into an inner and outer core. The outer core literally consists of a "lake of fire" of molten iron and sulfur. It reaches a temperature of over 12,000 Fahrenheit, which is hotter than the surface of the sun! The lake of fire erupting from the mouth of a volcano comes from the outer core, travels through fractures in the mantle and out via cracks in the crust. The core contains the place of hell. The core also offers earth science’s greatest mystery.

The following significant breakthroughs in the study of the earth’s interior recently came to light due to seismographic data. Notice, all these discoveries occurred in the last 100 years—and they all confirm the Bible’s description of hell.

• In 1906, R.D. Oldham discovered the liquid core.
  
• In 1913, German geophysicist Beno Gutenberg discovered the mantle-core boundary.
  
• In 1915, Beno Gutenberg calculated the size of the earth’s core.
  
• In 1926, geophysicist Sir Harold Jeffreys verified the "heart of the earth" contained a "lake of fire."
  
• In 1936, Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann discovered a distinct boundary in the Earth’s core, creating the outer and inner core.
  
• In the early 1960s, the size of the inner core was calculated from the seismic data generated from a nuclear test in Nevada.
  

Jesus Christ gave precise details of the earth’s interior that match exactly what scientists have only recently discovered. For thousands of years, science spawned bogus theories of: mystic winds blowing through the earth producing fire breathing friction; or Vulcan myths, legends and monsters; or the magic of fire producing electricity; or fire-breathing radioactive decay; or maybe some silly flaming rudiment left over from the comical "Big Bang" delusion. 

Finally, after several thousand years of zany slap-stick theories, science repents and confesses – a lake of fire really dwells in the earth. The truth is — they now have no other choice. The scientific evidence burns too bright. 

Let us pause and fully digest the scientific knowledge that Jesus Christ understood of the earth’s interior. Do not take this lightly. Our generation possesses an inherent obstacle in realizing the supernatural revelations of the Bible. We live in an advanced age when mankind has conquered and discovered many incredible frontiers. Computers, robotics, nuclear mechanics, space shuttles, nanotechnology, DNA and scores of everyday innovations fill our world that a few short years ago were unimaginable. With the advent of television, we can actually see volcanoes erupting, earthquakes cracking and scores of incredible events. When we read the Bible with the enhanced mindset of the twenty-first century we naturally react, "Big deal, everybody knew that." But they didn’t two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ walked this earth. Science did not realize a lake of fire was inside the earth until 1926!

In an interview with U.S. Geological Survey, geophysicist Sir Harold Jeffreys was asked for his "most significant contributions to seismology?"

HS: Which do you regard as the most significant of your contributions to seismology? 
JEFFREYS: Three, I would say. First, the definite statement in 1926 that the Earth's core is liquid.
(Sir Harold Jeffreys - An Interview, by Henry Spall , U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/seismology/people/int_jeffreys.html)

In our voyage to the center, we have now reached shell E, which constitutes the enormous liquid outer core of the Earth. Of its liquidity, first established convincingly by Sir Harold Jeffreys of Cambridge University. . . [in 1926]
(Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 83)

It was humanly impossible for Jesus Christ to know inside this earth roars an ocean of fire. We previously read where the limited knowledge of His day was myth, monsters and superstitions. There were no publications describing erupting volcanoes. The first recorded eyewitness account of an erupting volcano was not available until 104 A.D. in Italy – not Israel.  Nearly one hundred years after Jesus Christ walked this earth. 

The first recorded eyewitness report of an erupting volcano did not occur until Pliny the Younger in 104 A.D. in two letters to friends on the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
(Moores, Eldridge I. Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Time-Life Books: p. 47)

We can now travel the globe and video every little event. Hundreds of erupting volcanoes are readily available for the world to see. But during the time of Jesus Christ, few volcanoes were even known. Even then, they were only known by the local people. Today, scientists monitor over 1500 active volcanoes. 

Author Bill McGuire in The Raging Planet, writes specifically "at the time of Christ" only a handful of Mediterranean active volcanoes were known.

In past times, however, the threat from volcanoes was often not realized and, if no signs of life were evident, an active volcanic core was not distinguished from any other mountain. Without widespread use of the written word, memories were short, and within a few generations recollections of past eruptions and past catastrophes were quickly lost. If a list of active volcanoes had been out together at the time of Christ, it would have contained only a handful of Mediterranean volcanoes such as Etna and Stromboli. A list recently compiled by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington contains over 550 volcanoes at which historical eruptions have been recorded, and another 1,000 or so that are still clearly "alive."
(McGuire, Bill. Raging Planet. London: Quarto Inc., 2002, p. 43)

Jesus Christ the man never saw an erupting volcano. As a man, He probably never heard anyone describe an exploding volcano. At least 75% of all volcanoes occur along the volatile fault line, fittingly called the "Ring of Fire." The Ring of Fire surrounds the Pacific Ocean and travels from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. Obviously, Israel is nowhere near the Ring of Fire. The book Raging Planet (p. 23) states, "Luckily for some of us, volcanoes and large earthquakes are not distributed randomly across the entire planet." Consequently, Israel contains no active volcanoes. Consequently, "the man" Jesus Christ knew nothing about an erupting volcano. Consequently, it was not humanly possible for Jesus Christ to know a fire dwells inside this earth. But He knew! And boy, did He know. . . 

It was not until 1926 that science finally discovered the earth contains a lake of fire! Yet, the man, Jesus Christ authoritatively and repeatedly preached this over 2,000 years ago! 

Caspar Peucer, a famous fourteenth century astronomer and physician, who researched the fiery volcano eruptions at Heklafell wrote as the fires of hell ascended, "fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth" could be heard "for many miles. . ." 

"Out of the bottomless abyss of Heklafell, or rather out of Hell itself, rise melancholy cries and loud wailings, so that these can be heard for many miles around. . . there may be heard in the mountain fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth." 
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

Caspar Peucer is not alone. Throughout history, others confess they’ve heard "cries and screaming" coming from the mouth of volcanoes. 

"The fearsome noises that issued from some of their volcanoes were certainly thought to be the screams of tormented souls in the fires of hell below".
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

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JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE EARTH •

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For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:40

Let us dig a little deeper in our exploration of the "heart of the earth"—the "holy grail" of earth sciences. 

As scientists analyzed the seismographic information, an unexpected and dramatic seismographic change occurred inside the "heart of the earth." A change so striking appeared, it has left geophysicists scratching their heads for an explanation. 

As the seismographic waves traveled down to 1,800 miles, the data maps the liquid, "lake of fire" of the outer core. When the waves reached the inner core an immediate change in density occurs. It appears not as a gradual transformation normally observed when a liquid changes to solid, but a sharp distinct boundary occurs. This sudden and bewildering change in density fashioned the theory of the solid inner core. Consequently, every current science book pictures the earth with a liquid outer core and a solid inner core. 

The outer core, down to 5150 kilometers, is molten in the sense it does not transmit shear vibrations. The final inner core is apparentlysolid.
(Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes and the Earth’s Interior, Scientific American, Inc., W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1982, p. 83)

This sharp inner-outer core boundary presents earth sciences most baffling mystery. Scientists surmise that the solid inner core mysteriously cooled down below the melting point. But how can this be? The huge (1800 miles thick) surrounding outer core consists of extremely hot (12,000F) liquid iron. And scientists readily acknowledge the deeper into the earth—the hotter the temperature. The scientific concoctionsdeciphering the abrupt inner-out core boundary sounds a lot like the mythic Vulcan-god lives in the volcano.

The book Schaums’ Outline Series: Theory and Problems of Earth Sciencestackles the sixty-four million dollar question:

"The earth’s interior consists of a liquid layer (the outer core) sandwiched between the solid inner core and the sold mantle. How can such a curious structure have come into being?"
(Beiser, Arthur. Schaums’ Outline Series: Theory and Problems of Earth Sciences. McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1975, p. 74) Parroting the Darwinian muddled-madness, Beiser repeats the evolution-party-line fairy-tale of the big-bang gobbledygook.

Geophysicists Jacobs confesses to the "puzzling problem" of a presumed sold inner core [IC], supposing the inner-outer core boundary "must be at the melting point." 

"A puzzling problem is how the Earth could have evolved into its present structure with a sold mantle, solid IC [inner core] and liquid OC [outer core]. A possible explanation was put forward by Jacobs in 1953. If the transition from the IC to the OC is a transition from the solid to the liquid form of a single material, then the boundary must be at the melting point."
(J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 67)

In order to explain the perplexing solid inner core, geophysicists came up with the theory that the higher pressure exerted on the inner core raises the melting point just enough to prevent the inner core from melting. No verifiable data supports their claim.

Although every earth science publication and text book always pictures the interior of the earth with a solid inner core, there exists much debate over the state of the inner core. The solid inner-core is no slam dunk. A couple of examples follow: 

"Depending on how the results of the experiments are extrapolated, it is possible to reach either the conclusion that the iron and nickel in the core are liquid, or that they are solid. As a result some researchers assert that the core cannot be molten. This is known as the ‘core paradox’, and was a topic of debate among earth scientists."
(Ozima, Minoru, The Earth: Its Birth and Growth, Cambridge University Press, 1981, p. 48)

In 1983, Dr. H.G. Owen of the British Museum of Natural History authored the highly-acclaimed and controversial, Atlas of Continental Displacement, 200 Million Years to the Present. The following source details Dr. Owen’s assertion that the solid inner core "may be a myth." Dr. Owen also maintains that the seismographic readings of both a solid inner core and a plasma inner core "would be similar." 

At the same time, Owen also introduced an ingenious idea: "Are the pressure and heat in the interior of the Earth enough to maintain a plasma core? They probably are, and the solid nickel-iron core of the textbooks may be a myth". According to the transmission of seismic waves through the Earth's core and the composition of meteorites, it had previously been thought that the inner core was solid, composed of nickel, iron and probably sulphur. The outer core was assumed to be molten. Owen explains that "the behavior of waves passing through a plasma core would be similar to that in a solid iron-sulphur core".
(Owen, H.G., Atlas of Continental Displacement: 200 Million Years to the Present, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983. cited at <http://www.wincom.net/earthexp/n/owen.htm>)

To throw another odd piece into the outer-inner-core puzzle, Harvard Professor Adam Dziewonski and winner of the coveted William Bowie Medal of geophysicists, claims to have discovered another core of 360 miles in diameter inside the inner core – an inner-inner core. (Science 274, pp. 1883-1887, 1996) 

THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

The speculation that the boundary of the inner-outer core must be at the melting point of the liquid-fire of the outer coregenerates a serious problem. The difficulty arises because the boundary is not a gradual change normally observed when a liquid state changes to a solid. Seismologist Bruce Bolt acknowledges, "The boundary between the outer and inner core is sharp."  The Earth’s core is so remote that only the most general arguments from basic physics can be used to estimate temperature. From seismological observations, the outer core is liquid and the inner core probably is solid. The boundary between the outer and inner core is sharp. . . (Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 161)

The above drawing is the data simulation from an actual seismographic reading. We yellow-highlighted the line that runs through the inner core. Notice the sharp turns at the entrance and exit of the inner core revealing a major structure change. This clearly proves something "prepared" is in the heart of the earth. (Figure from the book Inside the Earth by Bruce A. Bolt p. 40, with high-lighting added for clarity)

Examining the scientific data available, one fact is certain — whatever lies inside the "heart of the earth" is no accident. It is no "Big Bang" fairy-tale. It is definite. . . It is deliberate. . . It was clearly placed there for a purpose. (Matthew 25:41)

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THE TEMPERATURE OF HELL •

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For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell. . .
Deuteronomy 32:22

Dr. Bruce Bolt ranks among the world’s top seismologists. His extensive expertise compasses over forty years, including such lofty accolades as: Director of the University of California Seismographic Stations for 28 years; President of the prestigious Seismological Society of America and Emeritus Professor of Seismology at U.C. Berkeley. One of Dr. Bolt’s many books, Inside the Earth, published in 1982, stands tall within the works of earth sciences. In 1982, Dr. Bolt recorded the following conclusions about the earth’s temperature: 

Another important subject of speculation last century was the temperature inside the Earth. It was known from mining operations that the temperature of the rocks increases with increasing depths. . . The snag is that if this rate of increase continues even deeper the temperature of the interior would become enormous; at only a depth of 500 kilometers, for example, it would exceed 10,000C. The inference is that the high rate of temperature increase measured at the surface does not continue uniformly to great depths or we would arrive at temperatures exceeding that thought to occur at the surface of the Sun. A reasonable alternative, in the view of the early geophysicists, was that the Earth was cooling inward from the surface and outward from the center. The concept thus emerged of a mainly solid Earth containing a spherical nucleus that was perhaps liquid or liquid and viscous gas. 
(Bolt, Bruce A. Inside the Earth. pp. 4, 5)

Notice a few important observations Dr. Bolt presents:

1. If the "known" rate of temperature increase per depth continues, temperatures inside the earth, ". . . would arrive at temperatures exceeding that thought to occur at the surface of the Sun."
2. Because the enormous high temperature would exceed the surface of the sun appears impossible, Dr. Bolt reasons, "A reasonable alternative, in the view of the early geophysicists, was that the Earth was cooling inward from the surface and outward from the center."
3. Dr. Bolt concludes, "The concept thus emerged of a mainly solid Earth containing a spherical nucleus that was perhaps liquid or liquid and viscous gas."

Dr. Bolt’s conjectures of a cooling, solid inner core, based primarily upon the improbability of such enormous high temperatures searing in the "heart of the earth," resounds throughout earth sciences. The de facto conclusion among earth scientists is the extremely high temperatures are not possible. Not based on any data, but only speculation. In fact, the data tells us something different. 

Author Shawna Nogel asks in The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics:

"How hot is the center of the earth? Such a basic question is a gaping hole in geophysicists’ understanding of the planet and therefore a matter that they have returned to again and again."
(Nogel, Shawna. The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics p. 106)

How hot is the center of the earth? A lot hotter than science ever imagined. . . 

Just as many previous scientific presumptions were shattered, in 1986 two notable experiments literally squashed the tightly-held belief that the earth’s interior can not reach the enormous temperatures as the data forecasted. Both tests were exclusive of each other involving completely different techniques, and yet both produced the same results.

Any serious simulation of the core’s temperature deemed hopeless because of the incredible amount of pressure exerted at the earth’s core. The mammoth weight from the mantle’s 1800 miles of dense rock pressing against the outer core generates over 3.5 million times the earth’s surface pressure. When pressure increases, higher temperatures are required to melt the material. 

The melting point for iron on the earth’s surface is 2800 F. The huge pressure at the core greatly raises the melting point of iron. For scientists to effectively measure the core’s temperature, they must reproduce the enormous pressure at the core. At that point, they could measure the temperature that melted iron and presto -- that should be the temperature of the outer core. Only one problem, there exists no known method or machinery for scientists to produce that enormous pressure. That is, until 1986. . . 

In 1986, two separate experiments were conducted that simulated the enormous pressure at the core. The tests measured the melting point of iron at 250 gigapascals (250 gigapascals equal about 725 million p.s.i.). The prestigious journal Science(April 10, 1987 vol. 236) reported the results of the following tests.

At the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) geophysicist Tom Ahrens created a colossal cannon of over 105 feet to reproduce extreme pressures by shooting small pieces of matter at over sixteen thousand miles an hour. This is no child’s play, taking over 20 years to reproduce and requiring over five pounds of troglycerine and nitrocellulose as explosive power. For a tiny fraction of a second the discharged matter experiences the enormous pressure at the core. Shooting small pieces of iron, Ahrens was able to calculate the melting point of iron at the core pressure. The results shot an earthquake rumbling through the geophysicist world.

As Ahrens and crew measured the enormous pressure and temperature created by the gigantic cannon, 350 miles up the coast experiments at the University of California at Berkeley took a different route to arrive at the same destination. Geophysicist Raymond Jeanloz fashioned a laser–heated, diamond-anvil to create the core’s enormous pressure. Utilizing lasers Jeanloz replicated the core’s temperature by compressing small specks of iron in the diamond anvil. Despite completely different methods exercised both experiments yielded the same shocking results. 

Author Shawna Nogel recounts the startling outcome in The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics:

"The paper came out in Science in April 1987. . . By anyone’s measure, this was an eventful year. The researchers declared the temperature at the center of the earth to be approximately 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That was thousands of degrees higher than past estimates. In fact, it was hundred of degrees hotter than the surface of the sun." 
(Nogel, Shawna. The Naked Earth: The New Geophysics, p. 111)

As recent as 1982, esteemed geophysicist Dr. Bolt stated, "it appears impossible to fix temperatures. . . in the core better than 1000 C [1832 F]". (Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 162)

Just four short years later, geophysicists in two separate experiments demonstrated the earth’s core greater than 12,000F! 

Again, science inadvertently endorses a place that the Bible described precisely thousands of years ago. Throughout those thousands of years, while science zealously concocted hundreds and hundreds of fallacies and delusions, the Bible never flinched. It never wavered. Science smugly ridiculed, mocked and snickered at the Lord Jesus’ in-depth descriptions of hell. Now thousands of years later, the evidence literally burns too hot and too bright that even skeptical science can not extinguish it. Is there any doubt to the reality of the place called hell? 

The Birmingham News of April, 10, 1987 reported their findings in an article titled, "Earth’s Center Hotter Than Sun’s Surface, Scientists Say:" The article states the extreme temperatures at the core surprised the scientists in that "the finding. . . suggests the core" [the heart of the earth] "is the source of much of the heat." The Lord Jesus described the core or heart of the earth thousands of years ago as a flaming lake of fire. 

The center of the Earth is hotter than the sun’s surface with temperatures thousands of degrees higher than once thought, say scientists who used diamonds and guns to mimic pressures at the planet’s core. Earth’s inner core has a temperature of about 12,420 degrees Fahrenheit compared with previous estimates of 4,900 to 6,700 degrees, scientists from the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology reported today in the journal Science. . . The finding is surprising because it suggests the core [the heart of the earth], not the overlying mantle, is the source of much of the heat that makes huge plates of the Earth’s crust slide over its surface in a process called continental drift or plate tectonics. . .
("Earth’s Center Hotter Than Sun’s Surface, Scientists Say:" The Birmingham News, April, 10, 1987)

The article says scientists were "surprised" to discover the heat comes from the core. Until 1986, science previously believed the fire came from the outlying mantle, not inside the "heart of the earth." May I remind my readers, in 1450 B.C. Deuteronomy 32:22 emphatically states that the fire from the "lowest hell" [the core] shall set on fire the foundations of the mountain. 

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Deuteronomy 32:22

In Raging Planet, author Bill McGuire unintentionally repeats the words of Deuteronomy 32:22 – it is inside the "heart of the earth" where the fires of hell burn: 

Ultimately, it is the Earth’s metallic core that provides the enormous heat energy, first to the mantle, and then upward to the rigid exterior and the plates. Here, nearly 3,100 miles (5,000km) beneath the surface, is the Earth’s heart, a part liquid, part solid ball of nickel and iron as hot as the surface of the Sun.
(McGuire, Bill. London: Quarto Inc., 2002 Raging Planet, p. 15)

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THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY THE WORD OF GOD •

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Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Hebrews 11:3

Everything we can humanly verify about hell, matches exactly as the Bible describes. All the verifiable data soundly confirms the physical elements of the Bible details of hell.Despite the vast amount of provable data, I'm certain the vast majority of scientists (and even some Christians) would ridicule the thought that hell actually exists inside this earth. 

But despite science's opposition towards the Word of God, they invariably "testify" to its truthfulness. And hell is no difference. They may not actually believe in hell, but boy do they "preach" about it. In fact, if most preachers preached about hell like some of these scientists, we'd have a lot more people saved from hell. 

Notice the following scientists “preaching” about hell:

Note: This is just a few of the literally hundreds of such proclamations of hell.

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PBS series "SAVAGE EARTH" titled "HELL'S CRUST" 
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/hellscrust/index.html)

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National Geographic Magazine's volcano article titled "GOING TO HELL"
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0011/feature3/index.html)

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Adventure Tour's exploration of the Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes - "Gates to the Hell" tour.

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Lassen Volcanic National Park called "Hell on Earth"

The article states, “The only place in California where you can get a glimpse of Hades is Bumpass Hell.”
(http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/ca/lassen3.htm)

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Nature's Science Update on volcanoes titled “Rivers of Fire”

The article states, “Volcanoes may be more like Hell than anyone realized. Eruptions disgorge streams of molten sulphur, the brimstone of evangelical preachers, which burns up before it can be preserved for posterity, new research in the journal Geologyshows."

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BBC Volcano Program titled "Volcano Hell"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/volcanohell.shtml)

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National Geographics "Eye in the Sky" Series for Nature's Fury under "Volcanoes" displays the above three images:
"FIRE", "BRIMSTONE", "HELL ON EARTH".
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/volcanoes/volcanoes.html)

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Oceaus' Journey into the crater of a volcano - “Into the ‘Mouth of Hell’”
(http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=13350)

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'Going Into Hell' - Ambrym Lava Lakes
(http://www.vanuatu.net.vu/tourism/intro/infocolumns/Ambrym-Volcano-Vanuatu-Lava-Lakes.shtml)

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THE FORBIDDEN IRON •

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And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.
Deuteronomy 27:5

Due to the recent advancement of earth sciences, geophysicists have concluded the fire inside the earth consists of primarily iron and sulfur. According to The Planet Earth, "The observed outer core density is slightly too low for pure iron, however, and it is thought to comprise a mixture of 10 per cent sulfur and 90 per cent iron." (The Planet Earth, World Book, Inc, Chicago 1985, p. 51) 

Iron occupies a substantial reference in the Word of God of at least 102 references. The scriptures firmly identify iron as a symbol of strength, judgment and the wrath of God.

The following scriptures depict iron as a symbol for stern judgment. 

Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deuteronomy 28:48

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundredchariots of iron; and twenty yearshe mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
Judges 4:3

6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
7 But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.
2 Samuel 23:6-7

10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psalm 107:10-11

17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Psalm 105:17-19

Iron frequently represents the wrath of God. The following scriptures reveal a frightening usage of iron. 

In 2 Samuel 12, iron was specifically mentioned in executing the severe wrath of God upon the cities of Ammon. 

And he [David] brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12:31

Iron evokes judgment and the wrath of God at the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 10 and 11 are references to the judgment of God at the second advent. The thickets of the forest represent people. Notice verse 11:1 is the second advent of the Lord Jesus.

33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isaiah 10:33-11:1

Several times the scriptures symbolize the wrath of God at the second advent as a devastating "rod of iron." 

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psalm 2:4-9

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 2:27

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Revelation 12:5

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:15-16

It is also remarkable the Latin word for "iron" is ferrum which literally means "sword." The atomic symbol (fe) for iron comes from the Latin word ferrum.

Iron contains a dark history in the occult. According to The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, "Iron plays a curious role in witchcraft, sorcery and the supernatural." (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, Checkmark Books, New York, p. 172)

Iron also carries a dark and forbidden aura in the scriptures. Daniel chapter 2 paints a dark portrait of iron in the person of the Antichrist. 

33  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
. . .
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron,forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Daniel 2:33-34, 40-41

One of rock music’s most popular songs is titled "Iron Man" by the group Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath fathered the music known as "Satan rock." Their first album pictured a deathly witch on the cover. The inside sleeve of the album blasphemously displayed the cross of Jesus Christ – upside-down. Their song song N.I.B. (Nativity In Black), from their first album, is a love-song from Lucifer. In the song, they sing in the first person as a loving, gift-giving Lucifer. . . one line says, "My name is Lucifer, please take my hand." Former lead singer Ozzy Osbourne admits to drinking blood (Oui, March 1982, pp. 36, 56), attempting to kill his wife and being possessed by the devil (Hit Parader, Nov., 1984, p. 49). The antics and blasphemy of Black Sabbath would easily fill a whole book. 

Black Sabbath’s song "Iron Man" is an obvious song about the Antichrist. Some of the lyrics are:

Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold. . .

Now the time is here
For Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved. . .

Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron Man lives again!

Some zealous Sabbath fans claim "Iron Man" innocently rose from the Marvel Comic "Iron Man." Ozzy Osbourne, former lead singer for Black Sabbath, identifies the "Iron Man" as the antichrist in his song, "Gets Me Through," with the line, "I'm not the antichrist or the Iron Man."

The more bizarre use of iron occurs in Daniel 2:43. The context is the Antichrist, but verse 43 shifts to a plural "they." The "they" (which is personified as iron) "mingles with the seed of man." 

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Daniel 2:43

Daniel 2:43 sounds much like what occurred in Genesis chapter 6.

Genesis 6 records an event so evil that it culminated in God destroying all life on earth (except Noah and his family). The scriptures describe an incident where the "sons of God" took wives of the "daughters of men" whose offspring created giants, and mighty men. 

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Genesis 6:2-7

Some Bible students believe in Daniel 2:43, "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men. . ." is an event comparable to Genesis 6 where the "sons of God" cohabitated with "the daughters of men." The "iron" of the "as iron is not mixed with clay" qualify the previous "they." Could the iron "they" of Daniel 2:43 emerge as demonic beings unleashed during the Antichrist’s "iron" reign of hell during tribulation? The "clay" clearly symbolizes the "seed of man," as Adam was created from clay (Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew word "Adam" literally means "red clay." The "seed of men" distinguishes the "iron-they" from other humans.

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Daniel 2:43

A clear reference to demonic beings from hell (or the iron furnace) unleashed on the earth during the tribulation (a.k.a the "iron" reign of the Antichrist in Daniel), appears in Revelation 9. An angel opens a great furnace called "the bottomless pit" in the earth, and demonic beings from hell ascend. Also notice, the emergence of "iron" from the bottomless pit in the demon’s "breastplates of iron." 

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Revelation 9:1-9

Daniel’s prophetic cohabitation of iron "mingling with the seed of men. . ." coincides with a remarkable biological oddity. The oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in our blood requires the assistance of iron. Daniel’s unusual prophesy of iron "mingling with the seed of men" may not be so strange after all.

Iron possesses other bizarre traits such as it appears to "bleed." As iron oxides, it "magically" forms red rust. As the rust emerged, people once believed the iron was actually bleeding. 

Most of our iron is smelted from rocks containing iron. Natural iron, which comes from meteorites is extremely rare. Because native iron is the only metal that falls from the sky via meteorites, people once believed it came directly from heaven, hence iron was called "holy metal." 

The Dictionary of Symbolism says about iron, "In the ancient world it was believed to be a metal of which demons and evil spirits were afraid;. . ." (Symbols 185) This fear could possibly come from the iron’s link to their eternal judgment in the "iron" fires of hell. Hitler’s regimen from hell was named the "Iron Cross." In Samuel 17:7, Goliath’s spear head "weighed six hundred shekels of iron." Goliath surfaces as an obvious type of the Antichrist.

Although meteoric iron was prized as a celestial metal, especially by the Aztecs, smelting iron was seen in the early years of the Iron Age as an instrument of evil. It was associated by the Greek author Herodotus (c. 484-c.425BCE) with "the hurt of man", by the Egyptians with the bones of the destructive god Set. . . . Iron later became a symbol of slavery. . .
(Tresidder, Jack, Dictionary of Symbols, Chronicle Books: San Fransicsco, 1997, p. 109)

Iron receives some peculiar attention in the scriptures in Deuteronomy 27, Joshua 8 and 1 Kings 6. In Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8 any iron tool is strictly forbidden in building the altar. In 1 Kings 6:7, any "hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron" was forbidden when Solomon built the House of the Lord.

And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.
Deuteronomy 27:5

As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Joshua 8:31

And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
1 Kings 6:7

One author commenting on 1 Kings 6:7 concerning the prohibition frankly writes:

"Why was no iron tool heard during the construction of the temple? Who were the craftsmen that built the temple without iron tools? What tools were used if not tools made from iron? How was the temple built if not with iron tools? Iron tools are so useful that it boggles the mind to imagine building anything without them. There really were no commonly available substitutes for iron until after World War II; as a practical matter, it is far from being replaced today."
(The Message of the Covenant, < http://aeragon.com/itz/05-temple-01.html>)

Why was iron sternly forbidden in building the altar or the house of the Lord?

Of the 20 plus commentaries I searched, most provided no comments on the verses. The few that did asserted the prohibition on iron was the "noise" iron created hitting the stones. Of course, there exists not even a hint of such silliness in the scriptures. 

Exodus 20:25 provides the answer to the "forbidden" iron mystery. We previously read in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8, where the Lord forbade iron to be used building the altar. In Exodus 20:25, the Lord states the tool "pollutes" the altar. 

And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Exodus 20:25

Without question, the scriptures reveal a dark and sinister atmosphere surrounding "iron." From its symbol of the Antichrist, to the wrath of God or its forbidden use in the Lord’s work, the scriptures paint an evil picture of iron.

Is iron the elemental tool of the wrath of God? It certainly appears so. Could that also explain why the damnation of hell located inside the earth consists of burning iron? Matthew 25:41 states that hell was ". . . prepared for the devil and his angels." God intentionally designed hell burning with the fire of molten iron. Iron was His choice. 

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THE IRON FURNACE •

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The most curious use of iron in the scriptures surfaces in Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51 and Jeremiah 11:4. In these three verses the Lord depicts Israel’s exodus from Egypt as saved from "the iron furnace."

But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
Deuteronomy 4:20 

For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
1 Kings 8:51

Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
Jeremiah 11:4

One problem, Egypt had no "iron furnaces." At this time, Egypt did not have the knowledge to smelt iron nor fashion any "iron furnaces." According to the book, Gems and Minerals of the Bible, "The Egyptians knew nothing of iron deposits in the earth. They possessed only the meteoric metal that plunged flaming from the skies." (Wright, Ruth V. and Robert L. Chadbourne. Gems and Minerals of the Bible, Harpers & Row, New York, 1970 p. 70) The authors also maintain that during this time, the Hittites were the sole proprietors of "iron furnaces" and held a "monopoly of iron." 

If Egypt possessed no "iron furnaces," then what was Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51 and Jeremiah 11:4 reallyreferring to? If it was not a literal "iron furnace," what was it? Most commentaries simply dismiss the "iron furnaces" as a "metaphorical reference" of severe trial and affliction. The following quotes from popular Biblical resources illustrate this interpretation.

Coffman Commentaries and on the Old and New Testament downplay the "iron furnace" of 1 Kings 8:51:

This is a metaphorical referenceto Egypt as a place of severe trial and affliction.
(Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament, "1 King 8:51")

The popular International Standard Bible Encyclopedia also snuffs out the "iron furnace":

"’The iron furnace’ is used metaphorically for affliction, chastisement,"
(The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "iron")

Bishop Anthony Sparrow in his famous A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer in 1672 recorded Egypt was a type of hell:

All things happened to them in types and figures; not only words but actions were typical. Egypt was a type of Hell, and their captivity there, a type of our captivity under sin and the Devil. Their deliverance from thence, a type and figure of our deliverance from Hell.
(Sparrow, Anthony., D.D.London, 1672. A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/sparrow/rationale/easter.html)

The Lord specifically describes the deliverance from Egypt as from "THE iron furnace," not simply "A" iron furnace, but a "specific" THE iron furnace. Three different times, using three different "authors," certainly negates any trivial metaphor. 

Another inquisitive author questions the remarkable "iron furnace" of Egypt:

Egypt is likened to an iron furnace when speaking of Israel's captivity in
that place. This is a remarkable epitheth, used by Moses, when one realizes
that Iron was not a "commonly smelted" metal ca. the 16th or 15th century BCE when the Exodus is portrayed happening(the Exodus being understood to be a phenomena of the Late Bronze Age, 1560-1200 BCE).
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblical-studies/message/2595)

What was "the iron furnace"? Was it simply a metaphor for affliction? 

To answer that, let us examine the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The night of Israel’s deliverance centered around one event – the Passover. The following verses from Exodus 12 describe that fateful night:

5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
. . .
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
. . .
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lambaccording to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door,and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Exodus 12

Does that sound familiar? "When I see the blood, I will pass over. . . A lamb without blemish"? As most Christians know, the Passover Lamb painted the picture of the Blood Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became the Passover Lamb. 

When John the Baptist saw Jesus in John 1:29, he referred to the Lord Jesus as the "Lamb of God." 

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29

1 Peter 1:18 parallels the blood atonement of Jesus Christ to the "without blemish" Passover lamb in Exodus 12:5. 

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1 Peter 1:18-19

In Matthew 26, Jesus Christ relates His death at Calvary to the Passover:

Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Matthew 26:2

Without question, (scores of verses could be provided), the deliverance of Israel with the Passover Lamb prophesied the Blood Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Egypt and "the iron furnace" refer to a place. What place does the "Passover" blood atonement of Jesus Christ deliver us from? What place does the Bible refer to as a "furnace"? 

The fact is, there exists only one placein the Bible that qualifies for "the iron furnace." 

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:41-42

The only "iron furnace" it could be is the place of hell.

It is also interesting, 1 Kings 8:51 does not symbolize Egypt as an "iron furnace," but "from the midst of the furnace of iron." The Lord was not describing a furnace used to smelt iron, but the fire in the furnace consisted of iron – a "furnace of iron." 

With the collective knowledge of 6,000 years of scientific advancements — science has verified the heart of this earth is exactly that — a "furnace of iron." 

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FIRE AND BRIMSONE FROM HELL •

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As we previously read, seismological data has established that the two primary elements providing the fuel for the fire inside the earth are iron and sulfur. 

According to The Planet Earth, "The observed outer core density is slightly too low for pure iron, however, and it is thought to comprise a mixture of 10 per cent sulfur and 90 per cent iron." (The Planet Earth, World Book, Inc, Chicago 1985, p. 51) 

We examined "iron" and found many explicit references linking "iron" to the wrath of God and the place of hell in the scriptures. 

Let us now investigate the sulfur. Does the scriptures link sulfur to the place of hell? 

The book, Gems and Minerals of the Bible presents another name for sulfur:

"Brimstone" is a term of considerable antiquity used to denote the noxious element sulfur,. . .Today brimstone is known as a synonym for sulfur.
(Wright, Ruth V. and Robert L. Chadbourne. Gems and Minerals of the Bible, Harpers & Row, New York, 1970 p. 24)

Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, defines brimstone as "sulfur." 

brim•stone
sulfur
(Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Springfield, 1977, p. 138)

Sulfur and brimstone are the same.

Ever heard the phrase "hell fire and brimstone" preacher? 

The book, Gems and Minerals of the Bible records brimstone symbolizes the "wrath of God." :

Brimstone in sacred writings designates the terrible and terrifying force of nature used to execute the wrath of God.(Wright, Ruth V. and Robert L. Chadbourne.
Gems and Minerals of the Bible,Harpers & Row, New York, 1970 p. 26)

Revelation 14 describes the "wrath of God" as being "tormented with fire and brimstone." 

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 14:9-11

Job 18 describes, " the place of him that knoweth not God" (vs 21), as, "brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation." (vs 15) Psalm 11:5 says of the wicked, "fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." The wrath of God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with "brimstone and fire." (Genesis 19:24) The demonic locusts from the bottomless pit of Revelation 9:17 issued "out of their mouths fire and smoke and brimstone.

Revelation 20 describes the Great White Throne Judgment where the devil and those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are "cast in the lake of fire and brimstone." 

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:10-15

Revelation 21:8, again describes eternal damnation as "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." 

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 21:8

The book Volcanoes by Pierre Kohler (p. 43), records when Mt. St Helens erupted in 1980, 150,000 tons of sulfurous gas (brimstone) expelled from inside the earth. 

Nature magazine confirmed in July 2000, what the Bible recorded over 3,000 years ago. 

"Volcanoes may be more like hell than anyone realized. Eruptions disgorge streams of molten sulphur, the brimstone of evangelical preachers, which burns up before it can be preserved for posterity, new research in the journal Geologyshows."
(Nature, Science Update, July 22, 2000)

Notice, the article acknowledges this was recently discovered. They did not previously know that brimstone was inside the earth, because the molten brimstone "burns up before it can be reserved for posterity." In other words, humanly speaking, it was impossible for the Bible to know molten brimstone was inside the earth.

Interestingly, a volcano in the Northern Mariana Islands was named "Brimstone Pit" by scientists researching it. ("Underwater volcano makes waves", CNN Science & Space, June 9, 2004 <http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/06/09/underseavolcanoes.ap/index.html>)

Renowned geophysicist, J.A. Jacobs records the discovery of sulfur utilized in the fire of the outer core, "Originally, sulphur was proposed as the light component in the OC [Outer Core] by Murphy and Hall (1970) primarily because it is depleted in the rest of the Earth compared to cosmic abundances." (J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 59)

According to Jacobs, it was just as recent as 1970, that science discovered the fire in the earth contained sulphur! And yet the Old Testament recorded this over 3,000 years ago. 

If you think that sulphur [or brimstone] before 1970, was the accepted "light" substance with iron fueling the outer core – think again. Jacobs acknowledges that, "Si [Silicon] was long the preferred choice, but has now been rejected." (J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 59)

Friend, are digesting all this?

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THE SIZE OF HELL •

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A skepticism I’ve been hotly besieged with is: "You can’t fit all the lost people in hell, if it’s in the center of the earth!" This wears the same mask of the silly accusation that "Noah could not get all the animals in the ark." Of course, simply asking, "How big was the ark?" and "How many animals did Noah put in the ark?" usually leaves the skeptic dumbfound. 

The Handy Geology Answer Bookwrites about the earth’s inner core:

"The inner core is thought to be roughly the size of the Earth’s Moon."
(Svarney, Patricia Barnes, and Thomas E. Svarney, The Handy Geology Answer Book, Visible Ink Press, 2004, p. 59)

By mapping thousands of seismographic readings, geophysicists calculate the inner core measures approximately 1,500 miles in diameter, about the size of our moon. The outer core, where the "lake of fire" begins is huge. The Handy Geology Answer Bookstates, "The outer core represents about 29.3 percent of the Earth’s total mass." (Svarney, Patricia Barnes, and Thomas E. Svarney, The Handy Geology Answer Book, Visible Ink Press, 2004, p. 59)

Prominent scientist Dr. Henry Morris calculates that a hell of only 100 miles in diameter could contain every person who has ever lived (over forty billion). 

"So far as we can tell from Scripture, the present hell, Hades, is somewhere in the heart of the earth itself. It is also called "the pit" (Isa. 14:9, 15: Ezek. 32:18-21) and "the abyss" (Rev. 9:2). . . the Biblical descriptions are quite matter of fact. The writers certainly themselves believed hell to be real and geographically ‘beneath’ the earth’s surface. . .
To say this is not scientific is to assume science knows much more about the earth’s interior than is actually the case. The great ‘pit’ [hell] would only need to be about 100 miles or less in diameter to contain, with much room to spare, all the forty billion or so people who have ever lived, assuming their "spiritual" bodies are the same size as their physical bodies."
(Henry M. Morris, The Bible Has the Answer, p. 220)

Suffice to say, the inner core could easily incarcerate every lost soul since Adam, with room to spare for the angels mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6.

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HELL HATH ENLARGED HERSELF •

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Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isaiah 5:14

Another very interesting aspect of the inner core was recently discovered by Harvard Geophysicst Adam Dziewonski. The Harvard Gazettecarried an article titled, Putting a New Spin on Earth's Core, rcording Dr. Dziewonski’s unusual discovery:

The metallic core of our planet is spinning faster than the rest of it, according to evidence unearthed by Harvard geologists. And this hellishly hot core, almost as big as the moon, apparently is growing in size.
(Cromie, William J. Putting a New Spin on Earth's Core, Harvard Gazette, <http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1996/08.15/PuttingaNewSpin.html>)

Hmmm. . . "This hellishly hot core. . . is growing in size."

Seems like I’ve read somewhere that "hell hath enlarged herself. . . " 

Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isaiah 5:14

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EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT •

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The cover of Discover magazine, August 2002, begs the question — "What's Really at the Center of the Earth?"

The more we discover, the greater the testimony of the Bible. Despite the enormous mountain of evidence, people still reject the truth of the Word of God. If the Bible’s evidence of hell was presented in any legal court in the land and weighed against observable science, its truthfulness would be proven beyond any "reasonable doubt." The verifiable evidence is tremendous. Every scientific discovery known to man confirms the place of hell. The more science discovers . . . the louder the warning words of the Lord Jesus Christ ring. 

After ridiculing the Bible’s picture of hell, Shawna Vogel admits science "also hears the rumble of the fire in the earth" in her book, Naked Earth:The New Geophysics: 

Today’s scientists also hear the rumble of fire within the earth, though not as Anaxagoras encountered it. They know that it isn’t the crack of lightening from subterranean clouds or the roar of beats within, but the sound of molten rock. No longer the stuff of myth, the earth’s internal cracks and pops have become state-of-the art tools.
(Vogel, Shawna. Naked Earth:The New Geophysics, p. 5)

Make no mistake about it – there is something down there. And it’s no massive ball. 

In conclusion, it must be emphasized we do not at present fully understand the workings of the Earth’s dynamo. . . there are many unanswered questions.
(J. A. Jacobs, Deep Interior of the Earth, p. 111)

"Of all regions of earth none invites speculation more than that which lies beneath our feet, and in none is speculation more dangerous; yet, apart from speculation, it is little that we can say regarding the constitution of the interior of the earth.
(Bruce A. Bolt, Inside the Earth, p. 10)

According to Jesus Christ the souls of tormented people, weeping, screaming, wailing, and gnashing their teeth, are "Really at the Center of the Earth?" 

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus Christ, Matthew 10:28

And in hell he lift up his eyes. . .
Jesus Christ, Luke 16:23

Jesus Christ took hell very serious. . .

Jesus Christ says in Mark 9:43-47:

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Jesus Christ took hell so serious — He could say without the slightest hesitation — to remove your eye, cut off your hand or foot, if that would keep you out of hell!

If hell is not real — Jesus Christ was the most deceived man that ever lived!

I’ll challenge anyone to read the words of Jesus Christ and tell me they are the words of a deceived man!

Jesus Christ knew exactly what He was talking about!

Jesus Christ spoke more on hell than any other subject. 

Look how Jesus described hell:

WHAT JESUS CHRIST SAYS ABOUT HELL!
fire	Matt 7:19, 13:40, 25:41
everlasting fire	Matt 18:8, 25:41
eternal damnation	Mark 3:29
hell fire	Matt 5:22, 18:9, Mark 9:47
damnation	Matt 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47
damnation of hell	Matt 23:33
resurrection of damnation	John 5:29
furnace of fire	Matt 13:42, 50
the fire that never shall be quenched	Mark 9:43, 45
the fire is not quenched	Mark 9:44, 46, 48
Where their worm dieth not	Mark 9:44, 46, 48
wailing and gnashing of teeth	Matt 13:42, 50
weeping and gnashing of teeth	Matt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30
torments	Luke 16:23
tormented in this flame	Luke 16:24
place of torment	Luke 16:28
outer darkness	Matt 8:12, 22:13
everlasting punishment	Matt 25:46

WHAT IF JESUS IS RIGHT?

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments . . .

There is a place called hell.

But God is a God of LOVE. . . Why would a GOD OF LOVE send me to hell? Yes, God is a GOD OF LOVE — but God is also a HOLY GOD. A HOLY GOD demands payment for sin. Otherwise God would NOT and could NOT be HOLY.

God does NOT want you in hell

Hell was not made for man. Matthew 25:41 says, hell was, ". . . prepared for the devil and his angels:"

Because God is a GOD OF LOVE, and He LOVED YOU so much, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die a cruel death on a cross to pay the price a HOLY GOD demands for your sins.

Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

God does not send someone to hell. You choose hell when you reject Jesus Christ. When you refuse God's love gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. . .

YOU CHOOSE HELL!What could possibly be worth eternity in hell?

No wonder Jesus Christ said in Mark 8:36:

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:36:

God has something far better than words can describe for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9 says:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
Corinthians 2:9

Friend, there is a place called hell! And, if you continually refuse God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ — just as sure as you live and breathe — ONE DAY YOU WILL WAKE UP IN HELL!

Don't wait until you die to find out the truth about Hell! Tomorrow may be too late! Proverbs 27:1 says, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow: for thou KNOWEST NOT what a day may bring forth."

Three people die every second, 180 every minute, since you started reading this — 2000 more people have gone into eternity! An automobile accident. . . A heart attack. . , A stroke. . .One thing is CERTAIN — you will DIE — today. . . tomorrow . . . a week. . . a month . . . a year. . . 5 years. . . 10 years. . . 20 years. . . 50 years — ONE THING IS CERTAIN —" . . .it is appointed unto man once TO DIE . . ."

Has there ever come a time and a place in your life, when you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

If not, you are on the way to hell!

If you've never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, bow your head this minute and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.Don't put it off another second!

NOTHING'S WORTH TAKING THE CHANCE!It's simple to be saved ...

• Realize you are a sinner.
  
  

  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
  Romans 3:10

  ... for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
  Romans 3:23

• Realize you CAN NOT save yourself.

  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; ...
  Isaiah 64:6

  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, ...
  Titus 3:5

• Realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins.

  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, ...
  1 Peter 2:24

  ... Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
  Revelation 1:5

• Simply by faith receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
  John 1:12

  ...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
  Acts 16:30,31

  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
  John 3:16

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SAVED?

Pray this prayer, and mean it with all your heart.

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless you save me I am lost forever. I thank you for dying for me at Calvary. I come to you now, Lord the best way I know how, and ask you to save me. I now receive you as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.

For a detailed article on the Place of Hell The Place of Hell