Hidden in central Africa is a fiery lake that seems to have been lifted straight from the pages of Lord of the Rings. It's a portal into the centre of the Earth, where liquid rock reaching temperatures of more than 1000C seethes like soup in the devil's cauldron. This is the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), whose sizzling pit of fire is the world's largest permanent lava lake, according to volcanologist Benoît Smets, who has studied the volcano for more than five years. The 260m-wide pool of fire, which can be viewed from the caldera rim, contains an estimated six million cubic metres of lava, enough to fill 2,500 Olympic swimming pools or 70 Royal Albert Halls. (Credit: Bella Falk)

Nyiragongo has been in permanent eruption since 2002

Nyiragongo has been in permanent eruption since 2002, making it one of most active volcanoes in the world. As it erupts, scalding lava is pushed up to the surface from a magma chamber deep inside the volcano, where it releases its gas, cools and sinks back down. This perpetual convective motion creates a roaring sound like a rushing waterfall, punctuated by loud gas explosions that shoot scorching bombs of lava more than 10m into the air. "There's nowhere else like it on Earth," said Smets. "Standing on the crater's edge, it makes you realise that the Earth is a living thing and that we humans are very tiny creatures on this planet." (Credit: Bella Falk)

The lava lake is most soul-stirring at night

Sometimes the lava lake is obscured by clouds as the crater fills with a white plume of water vapour, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide. At other times the vapour clears, revealing the lake in all its fiery glory and leaving visitors with a warm glow on their faces and an uninterrupted view of the churning lake 700m below. The spectacle is most soul-stirring at night, when the jagged black-and-red patterns of the molten rock shine through the darkness and the burning pool lights up the sky with electric orange light. (Credit: Bella Falk)

Nyiragongo is located in the east of the DR Congo, close to the border with Rwanda

Nyiragongo is located in the east of the DR Congo, close to the border with Rwanda. It looms menacingly over the city of Goma, which is just 18km away. "The people of Goma both fear and ignore Nyiragongo," said Ruth Umurungi, Nyiragongo's only female guide and head of tour guides for [Green Hills Ecotours](http://www.greenhillsecotours.com/), which runs trips to climb the volcano. "We know we are living with something that could cause a catastrophic disaster, but we can't live our lives in fear. Nothing will be achieved if we worry about the consequences. The volcano also has a positive side: it attracts tourists, researchers and the media, which creates jobs, helps local businesses and raises awareness of the importance of conservation in the area." (Credit: Bella Falk)

Some locals believe Nyiragongo is inhabited by spirits

For many locals, Nyiragongo is shrouded in myth and mystery. Some believe it's inhabited by the spirits of hell, while others think the lava lake is the entrance to the underworld where the souls of sinners go to burn. The souls of the virtuous, on the other hand, are said to go to heaven via nearby Mount Karisimbi, a dormant volcano in Rwanda with a snow-covered summit. Some people also believe that Nyiragongo's eruptions are caused by the bad spirits being angry, so they make offerings to the volcano to try to appease them. There are rumours that in centuries past, such offerings even included throwing virgins into the crater. (Credit: Bella Falk)

Virunga National Park is Africa's oldest and most biologically diverse protected area

Nyiragongo sits just inside [Virunga National Park](https://virunga.org/), a vibrant forest teeming with life that straddles the DR Congo's borders with Uganda and Rwanda. It's the oldest and most biologically diverse protected area in Africa and home to roughly one-third of the world's remaining population of wild mountain gorillas. It's also home to eight volcanoes – two of them still active – which were formed around three million years ago by tectonic forces in the Earth's crust. The source of all this activity is the East African Rift, an active continental rift zone that's being created as the African Plate slowly splits in two. (Credit: Bella Falk)

There are usually only between five and eight lava lakes on Earth

At any given time, there are only between five and eight lava lakes on Earth. The reason there are so few is because the conditions required to create one are so unusual. "You need a magma chamber very close to the surface, connected via an open volcanic plumbing system which that will allow the magma to rise up," said volcanologist Kenneth Sims, who has abseiled dozens of times into Nyiragongo's crater to study the fiery lake close up. "You also need the lava to be the right consistency: this one is less than 50% silica, which makes it runny (lava that’'s higher in silica is much stickier). These conditions are infrequent and difficult to maintain over time. That’'s why lava lakes, especially permanent ones like Nyiragongo's, are so rare." (Credit: Bella Falk)

Gehenna?

A red hot lake of fire covered with smoke and flames

The lake of fire is a symbol of eternal destruction. It is the same as Gehenna, but it is different from hell, which is the common grave of mankind.

Not a literal lake

The five Bible verses that mention “the lake of fire” show it to be a symbol rather than a literal lake. (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8) The following are cast into the lake of fire:

The Devil. (Revelation 20:10) As a spirit creature, the Devil cannot be harmed by literal fire.—Exodus 3:2; Judges 13:20.
Death. (Revelation 20:14) This is not a literal entity but represents a state of inactivity, the absence of life. (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Death cannot literally be burned.
“The wild beast” and “the false prophet.” (Revelation 19:20) Since these are symbols, doesn’t it seem reasonable to conclude that the lake they are thrown into is also a symbol?—Revelation 13:11, 12; 16:13.

A symbol of eternal destruction

The Bible says that the lake of fire “means the second death.” (Revelation 20:14; 21:8) The first kind of death mentioned in the Bible resulted from Adam’s sin. This death can be reversed by resurrection and will eventually be eliminated by God.—1 Corinthians 15:21, 22, 26.

There is no release from the symbolic lake of fire

The lake of fire represents a different, or second, kind of death. Although it too represents a state of total inactivity, it is different in that the Bible says nothing about a resurrection from the second death. For example, the Bible says that Jesus has “the keys of hell and of death,” showing that he has the authority to release people from the death brought by Adam’s sin. (Revelation 1:18; 20:13, King James Version) However, neither Jesus nor anyone else has a key to the lake of fire. That symbolic lake represents eternal punishment in the form of permanent destruction.—2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Identical to Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom

Gehenna (Greek geʹen·na) is mentioned 12 times in the Bible. Like the lake of fire, it is a symbol of eternal destruction. Although some translations render this word as “hell,” Gehenna is different from hell (Hebrew sheʼohlʹ, Greek haiʹdes).

The ancient valley of Hinnom outside the wall of Jerusalem with a fire constantly burning — The Valley of Hinnom

The word “Gehenna” literally means “Valley of Hinnom,” referring to a valley just outside Jerusalem. In Bible times, the city residents used this valley as a garbage dump. They kept a fire constantly burning there to destroy refuse; maggots consumed anything that the fire did not reach.

Jesus used Gehenna as a symbol of everlasting destruction. (Matthew 23:33) He said that in Gehenna “the maggot does not die and the fire is not put out.” (Mark 9:47, 48) He thus alluded to the conditions in the Valley of Hinnom and also to the prophecy at Isaiah 66:24, which says: “They will go out and look on the carcasses of the men who rebelled against me; for the worms on them will not die, and their fire will not be extinguished.” Jesus’ illustration describes, not torture, but complete annihilation. The worms and fire consume carcasses, or dead bodies, not living people.

The Bible gives no indication of any return from Gehenna. “The lake of fire” and “the fiery Gehenna” both represent permanent, everlasting destruction.—Revelation 20:14, 15; 21:8; Matthew 18:9.

How “tormented day and night forever and ever”?

If the lake of fire is a symbol of destruction, why does the Bible say that in it the Devil, the wild beast, and the false prophet “will be tormented day and night forever and ever”? (Revelation 20:10) Consider four reasons why this torment does not refer to literal torture:

For the Devil to be tortured eternally, he would have to be kept alive forever. However, the Bible says that he will be brought to nothing, or put out of existence.—Hebrews 2:14.
Everlasting life is a gift from God, not a punishment.—Romans 6:23.
The wild beast and the false prophet are symbols and cannot experience literal torture.
The context of the Bible indicates that the torment of the Devil is everlasting restraint or destruction.

The word used for “torment” in the Bible can also mean “a condition of restraint.” For example, the Greek word for “tormentors” used at Matthew 18:34 is rendered as “jailers” in many translations, showing the connection between the words “torment” and “restraint.” Likewise, the parallel accounts at Matthew 8:29 and Luke 8:30, 31 equate “torment” with “the abyss,” a figurative place of complete inactivity or death. (Romans 10:7;Revelation 20:1, 3) In fact, several times the book of Revelation uses the word “torment” in a symbolic sense.—Revelation 9:5; 11:10; 18:7, 10.

After unbelievers are resurrected, they will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13).

According to the Book of Revelation, those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, a place of everlasting punishment (Revelation 20:15).

In their resurrected bodies, unbelievers will live forever in this burning lake, which is “the second death” (Revelation 20:14).

While there are people who teach that the Lake of Fire is not a permanent place of punishment or that it is merely a place of annihilation or correction, those views do not have the support of Scripture.

The Bible teaches that those in the Lake of Fire, along with the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Satan, will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 3:12; Revelation 14:10-11).

Jesus also affirms this in the parable of the sheep and goats, stating that unbelievers will “go away to eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Many Christians may feel as if spending eternity in the Lake of Fire is an unjust punishment for unbelievers, but we need to remember that where we spend eternity depends on whether we trust in Jesus for salvation or reject His free offer of grace (John 3:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Because of our sins, we all deserve everlasting punishment in the burning lake (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Only because Jesus lovingly came to die in our place can anyone receive eternal life (John 3:16). Everyone has the choice to trust in Christ or turn away from Him.

Believers do not have to worry about being thrown into the burning lake because their eternal salvation is secure in Jesus (John 10:28). However, knowledge of the Lake of Fire should compel us to share the gospel with others.

God does not delight in lost people dying, and neither should we (Ezekiel 18:23; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Since we possess eternal life, we should give all we have to take the good news to others, including those who have little to no access to the gospel.

2. The Lake of Fire Is Different from Hell

Since the Lake of Fire is only mentioned in Revelation, which people approach differently based on various eschatological viewpoints, many Christians see it as a symbol of hell.

Some commentators and preachers who follow specific eschatological systems equate hell and the Lake of Fire. However, there are indications in Scripture that the Lake of Fire is different from hell.

First, no one is currently in the Lake of Fire. Unbelievers will not enter the burning lake until after the resurrectionand Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

Today, when an unbeliever dies, their soul goes to hell, not the Lake of Fire. Thus, we are wise to consider: how can the Lake of Fire be the same place as hell if the unbelieving dead are currently in hell but not in the Lake of Fire?

Furthermore, Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek refers to the general place of the dead (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15; 16:23).

This includes hell, where unbelievers currently go after death. Hades (Sheol) is only a temporary, intermediate state since Scripture teaches that death and Hades (including hell) will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Thus, the Lake of Fire is the eternal destination of unbelievers, not hell.

Finally, we know that heaven, where believers go after death, is an intermediate dwelling as well. The Bible teaches that the old heaven will pass away, and believers will live forever with the Lord on the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1-3).

We should not be surprised at the difference between hell and the Lake of Fire since there is also a difference between heaven and the New Heaven and New Earth.

Although various interpretations exist about the Lake of Fire and its connection to hell, we should consider the differences that are found in the Bible.

Eschatological systems are helpful in providing teachings about the End Times, but we need to step back and consider the plain reading of Scripture instead of assuming that Revelation is merely a book of symbols.

3. The Antichrist and False Prophet Are First

The Lake of Fire was created for “the devil and his angels,” but the Antichrist and False Prophet are the first occupants of the burning lake (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 19:20).

After they attempt to wage war against Jesus’ coming, the Antichrist and False prophet will be overthrown by the breath of Christ’s mouth (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:19-20).

The Antichrist and the False Prophet may think they are powerful, but they cannot stand against the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

After their defeat, they will be tossed alive into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). While some proponents of annihilation have used this verse to argue that the Antichrist and False Prophet are burned alive and destroyed, the rest of Scripture clarifies the situation.

Later, when the devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire, the Bible says, “The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, emphasis added). Their punishment is eternal.

4. Varying Levels of Punishment in the Lake of Fire

During the Great White Throne Judgment, unbelievers will receive various degrees of punishment based on their deeds (Revelation 20:12-13). This judgment is not about salvation, as only those who deny Jesus are judged at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:12).

The lack of the participants’ names in the Lamb’s Book of Life further supports the view that they have already rejected Jesus’ offer of eternal life (Revelation 20:15).

Just as believers will receive different rewards based on their deeds at the Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ, unbelievers will receive different punishments based on what they have done (Matthew 11:24; John 19:11; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

How this will look in the Lake of Fire, we do not know for certain. However, even though some unbelievers will have a lesser punishment than others, they will still live forever in the burning lake with Satan and his demons.

5. Satan’s Final Destination Is the Lake of Fire

A final important thing Christians need to know about the Lake of Fire is that it is the eternal destiny of Satan. Despite popular depictions in or literary works showing Satan ruling hell, he is not in hell, the Lake of Fire, or any other place of confinement currently.

Instead, the Bible tells us that the devil roams the earth seeking to “devour” people and blind them from the truth of the gospel (Job 1:7; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8). He is active in the world, opposing God’s plan and trying to make believers unfruitful.

Jesus will bring the last crushing blow to Satan after the Millennial Kingdom. The devil will urge a final rebellion against the Lord, but Christ will quickly stop the attack and cast Satan into the fiery lake (Revelation 20:7-10).

Then, Satan and his demons will be in the place that was originally created for them (Matthew 25:41).

The fact that the devil’s end is assured in Scripture should cause believers to rejoice. Satan is our enemy and tries to make us stumble and ruin our witness through temptation (2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 5:8).

However, we know that our Lord Jesus has defeated Satan, and on that day when the devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire, our enemy will no longer be able to tempt us or cause problems.

Let us continue to guard ourselves by putting on the armor of God since Satan knows that his time is short (Ephesians 6:11; Revelation 12:12).

Why Does This Matter?

Many Christians feel uncomfortable with the idea of unbelievers experiencing everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire. We want all people to know Christ, but the Bible is clear that some people will refuse His offer of salvation.

Instead of rejecting biblical truth because of feelings, we should trust what God’s Word says and allow the knowledge to urge us into action to share the good news of Jesus with others.

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. . . Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10,14,15).

But the cowardly, unbelieving abominable, murders, 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 (Revelation 21:8).

The Scripture has the following to say concerning the lake of fire.

Second Death

The lake of fire is also known as the second death

Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power (Revelation 20:6).

Observations

The judgment of the lake of fire is final, conscious, and bodily. From these passages we can make the following observations.

1. The second death is eternal death from which there is no hope. The lake of fire is the final destination of unbelievers. Those who had been kept in Hades will eventually be placed in this eternal judgment. The second death is equivalent to saying the last death.

2. Those suffering are conscious (Revelation 20:10). The suffering is eternal, the dead are not in a state of extinction.

3. The wicked are suffering in bodily form. There will be a resurrection of the unbelieving dead in some type of bodily form. Jesus said.

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and will come out - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28,29).

Paul wrote

I have a hope in God - a hope that they themselves also accept - that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. (Acts 24:15).

If the dead were merely annihilated, then there would be no reason for a resurrection. Furthermore if they were in their final place of judgment in Hades, there would not be a need for a resurrection.

4. The lake of fire is referred to as a burning lake. Four times fire and sulfur are mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 14:10: 19:20; 20:10 and 21:8) when referring to the lake of fire.

Summary

What is commonly known as hell, is what the Bible calls the "lake of fire." It is the final judgment of the wicked. Those in the lake of fire will suffer eternally, consciously, and bodily. It will be an awful place.

The Great White Throne Judgment

In speaking of sheol, it appears to be temporary; however the lake of fire is not. In the Great White Throne Judgment, the Apostle John writes down what Jesus told him to (Rev 1:1-2), and so he wrote that he “saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them” (Rev 20:11). While there, John “saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done” (Rev 20:12). This is fatal because no one can be saved by works (Eph 2:8-9), and since many think they’re a good person, they believe their works will earn them access to heaven, however God will not accept human works. It must be the righteousness of Christ or nothing (2nd Cor 5:21). For those who believe their works can save them, they will face “the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14b-15).

The Lake of Fire

There are several places in the Book of Revelation where John witnesses a lake of fire, and this lake of fire, whether literal flames or not, is given in Revelation chapters 19 and 20. In Revelation 19:20, John wrote that “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.” This is the final destination for Satan and his demons. Scripture says “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:14). The Greek word for the “lake of fire” is “limnē,” for lake, and is the same word used elsewhere for lakes of water. But this lake is different because it’s a lake of fire. The Greek word used for fire is “pyr” which is the same word used for fires, as in the fire that the Apostle Paul threw the snake into after it had bitten him (Acts 28:5), so it’s not an analogy of a fire or symbolic of fire, but it must be the real fire, as in fire that burns. The warnings about hell fire are given throughout Scripture, specifically in the New Testament where John writes about all who have refused to trust in Christ, warning, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15).

It is not unreasonable that we should fear God. Jesus Christ Himself says that we are to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Why? He is the only One who can revoke the judgment of Gehenna fire. The wages of sin is death in Gehenna fire. If we want to escape this punishment, we can see that it is closely connected to whether or not we actually fear God.

Why? What does the fear of God have to do with escaping a judgment that would otherwise take us into the Lake of Fire?

This series of verses in Matthew 10 contains some encouragement, indicating that, if one really fears God, then there is no need to be fearful of others. Proverbs 29:25 plainly tells us, "The fear of man is a snare." This is an attitude in which we do not want to be entrapped. It is obvious, in the context of Matthew 10:27, that He is talking about fear in the sense of "dread." We are not to fear men because the worst that they can do does not even begin to match the worst that God can do! The basis for this is what God is: omnipotent and omniscient, and in Him are the issues of life and death!

The Christian life is our calling; this is our only chance for salvation. We have been personally chosen by God. The elect are an insignificant number, and we are even more insignificant personally. Yet, He has given us this calling. The world population is somewhere in the vicinity of six billion people, and out of this huge number are a minuscule few who are truly converted and have been given the Spirit of God. This is not something that we want to pass up! The fear of God is crucial to our salvation!

1) Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).

(2) Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny(Hebrews 9:27).

(3) Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them(John 3:16, 36, etc.).

Key Passages About Hell

(1) Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

(2) Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).

(3) Hell is conscious torment.

Matthew 13:50 “furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth”
Mark 9:48 “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”
Revelation 14:10 “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”

(4) Hell is eternal and irreversible.

Revelation 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night”
Revelation 20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”

Erroneous Views of Hell

(1) The second chance view – After death there is still a way to escape hell.

Answer: “It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

(2) Universalism – All are eternally saved.

Answer: It denies the truth of salvation through Christ which means that a person decides to either trust in Christ or else he/she rejects Christ and goes to hell (John 3:16;3:36).

(3) Annihilationism – Hell means a person dies like an animal – ceases to exist.

Answer: It denies the resurrection of the unsaved (John 5:28, etc. – see above). It denies conscious torment (see above).

Objections to the Biblical View of Hell

(1) A loving God would not send people to a horrible hell.

Response: God is just (Romans 2:11).

God has provided the way of salvation to all (John 3:16,17; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15; 1 Timothy 2:6; 4:10; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9).
Even those who haven’t heard of Christ are accountable for God’s revelation in nature (Romans 1:20). God will seek those who seek Him (Matthew 7:7; Luke 19:10).
Therefore God doesn’t send people to hell, they choose it (Romans 1:18,21,25).

(2) Hell is too severe a punishment for man’s sin.

Response: God is holy-perfect (1 Peter 1:14,15).

Sin is willful opposition to God our creator (Romans 1:18-32).
Our sin does merit hell (Romans 1:32; 2:2,5,6).
What is unfair and amazing is that Christ died for our sin and freely offers salvation to all (Romans 2:4; 3:22-24; 4:7,8; 5:8,9).

Biblical Terms Describing Where the Dead Are

Sheol - a Hebrew term simply describing “the grave” or “death” – Does not refer to “hell” specifically
Hades - A Greek term that usually refers to hell – a place of torment (Luke 10:15; 16:23, etc.)
Gehenna - A Greek term (borrowed from a literal burning dump near Jerusalem) that always refers to hell – a place of torment (Matthew 5:30; 23:33)
“Lake of fire”- the final abode of unbelievers after they are resurrected (Revelation 20:14,15)
“Abraham’s bosom” - (Luke 16:22) a place of eternal comfort
“Paradise” - (Luke 23:43) a place of eternal comfort
“With the Lord” - a key phrase describes where church age believers are after death (Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 5:8)
“New heavens and earth” – where believers will be after they are resurrected (Revelation 20:4-6; 21:1-4)

Conclusion

Our curiosity about the abode of the dead is not completely satisfied by biblical terms or verses. What we do know is that either eternal torment in hell or eternal joy in heaven awaits all people after death, based on whether they trust in Christ’s payment for sin or reject Christ.

There are some similarities between the Lake of Fire and Hell. In Luke 16 the rich man in Hell begged Abraham for a mere drop of water to cool his tongue, for, he said, "I am tormented in these flames" (16:24). A condition of extraordinary, tormenting heat also exist in the Lake of Fire. The lake is, after all, the "Lake of Fire". Jesus used the phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth" only in reference to the Lake of Fire (Mt. 24:51; Lk. 13:28), but some degree of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is the inconsolable condition of all the wicked dead, wherever they now are or will be in the future, whether in Hell or in the Lake of Fire. So, the most obvious similarity between Hell and the Lake of Fire is the element of fire itself. But beyond this, similarities are few.

One of the major differences between these two places of the damned is suggested by Jesus when he said, "Children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; in that place shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12; cp. 22:13 and 25:30). With the words, "outer darkness", the Lord presents us with oft-overlooked information about the Lake of Fire; namely, it is filled with a fire that burns with no light.

Unlike Hell, the Lake of Fire is a place of eternal, absolute, and oppressive darkness. Psalm 49:19 tells us that the damned in that place "shall never see light." By these things, we know that the "outer darkness" and the "blackness of darkness" of which Jesus and Jude spoke (Mt. 22:13; Jude 13) are references to the Lake of Fire, not to Hell, because in Hell the condemned can see (Lk. 16:23).

The Lake of Fire burns "with brimstone and fire". Brimstone is sulfur, and anyone who has ever had fumes from burning sulfur rise up into his nostrils knows that it has a suffocating effect. This may have been what Peter was referring to when he described the eternal place of the damned as "a mist of darkness" (2Pet. 2:17), as if the darkness in that place will have a quality of thickness to it. This feeling is consistent with Jesus' declaration that the damned will be "bound hand and foot". Concerning the condemned wedding guest, the Lord commanded, "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; in that place shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 22:13). This binding of hands and feet suggests that in the Lake of Fire there is an eternal and absolute absence of choice such as has never been known on earth, so that the damned will never be able so much as to change body positions and that they will suffer excruciating pain in the tormenting blackness forever.

Of course, from the Lake of Fire there will never be any escape or relief. Unlike Hell, it is the permanent home of the damned. The wicked will be tormented in the pitch black flames of God's wrath "day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). It is a place of endless, absolute hopelessness and suffering. It is a place to which no one wants to go, and to which no godly person would want anyone else to go.

So, the answer to our question, "Is Hell The Lake of Fire?", is "No." Hell is not the Lake of Fire. Hell is a terrifying, painful holding pen for the wicked dead until the Day of Judgment. At the Final Judgment, the wicked will all be taken out of Hell to be judged, and, after that, they will all be cast into the Lake of Fire, along with Hell and Death (Rev. 20:14).

Are There Degrees of Suffering in Hell?

As we have seen, within Hell (the Sheolof the Old Testament) were located both Paradise and Torment. According to Jesus (Lk. 16:23), Paradise was located far above Torment, for Jesus described the tormented rich man as "lifting up his eyes" to see Abraham "at a great distance". As we have said, those in Paradise were not suffering as were those in Torment; still, they did not want to stay where they were. This ancient division within Hell itself is the first indication that within it, there are degrees of discomfort.

Secondly, degrees of torment are suggested by biblical phrases such as "the depths of Sheol" (Prov. 9:18), or "the lowest Sheol" (Ps. 86:13; Deut. 32:22). Jesus plainly revealed that this is the case by saying, and saying repeatedly, that it would be more tolerable for some than for others in the Day of Judgment (e.g., Mt. 11:24). The phrase, "more tolerable", tells us that there are degrees of pain imposed on sinners, a righteous judgment based on each individual's deeds, in conjunction with the level of his understanding. Jesus said, "That servant who knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Lk. 12:47-48).

The Bible consistently maintains that God's eternal judgment of us will be based on our deeds (e.g., Jn. 5:28-29; Rom. 2:5-10). And James cautions his readers not to pursue positions of authority among the saints, for a greater condemnation awaits those who do wrong while occupying higher places in the kingdom of God (Jas. 3:1). So, it is clear that just as there are sins that are forgivable and sins that are not (Mt. 12:31-32), there are also sins worthy of greater punishment than others. Jesus, you will remember, told Pontius Pilate that the sin of the Jews (in turning him over to the Romans) was greater than Pilate's sin (in holding the Son of God prisoner). Jesus also taught that there were some commandments of God that were "weightier" than others (Mt. 23:23). Several times, Jesus stated quite plainly that it would be "more tolerable" for some than for others on the Day of Judgment (e.g. Mt. 10:15).

Isaiah 10:4 suggests that when unfaithful leaders among God's people have run their ungodly course and died, they are consigned to the deepest parts of Hell, below others who are there: "Woe unto them who decree unrighteous decrees and that write grievousness that they have prescribed. . . . Without me, they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain" (Isa. 10:1, 4). In Isaiah's time, this meant, at the very least, that false prophets in Israel would be cast into that part of Hell which is far beneath the prisoners in Paradise. But it also meant much worse than that; that is, they would be cast into a more painful, or "lower" place in Hell than other sinners. Simply put, Isaiah's words mean that false teachers among the saints will receive, as James put it, "the greater condemnation" among the damned (3:1).

So, the answer to the question, "Are There Degrees of Suffering in Hell?", is a definite "Yes."

In Hell, What Can People Do?

In Psalm 6:5, "the sweet psalmist of Israel" wrote, "In death there is no remembrance of you. In Sheol, who will give you thanks?" The word "remembrance" here refers to worship, but in using it, David was not suggesting that those in Hell forget about God; rather, he was saying there is no worship of God in Hell. Other verses in the Bible also use "remembrance" this way, such as Hebrews 10:3: "In those sacrifices, there is a remembrance made of sins every year."

By such Scriptures, the Reader is at first left with the impression that in Hell there is no worship of God at all. That would certainly be the case if we were speaking only of the worship God ordained in the Old Testament, with its animal sacrifices, holy days, circumcision, and water cleansing rituals, etc. obviously, there cannot be any of that kind of worship offered to God from Hell. But it is equally true that in Hell, there is no worship of God such as He has ordained in this New Testament. Jesus described the only acceptable form of New Testament worship: "True worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." Now, there may well be some true confessions in Hell because everyone in Hell, like the rich man in Luke 16, is forced to acknowledge their miserable spiritual condition, but there is no holy Spirit within people in Hell to sanctify their worship, thereby making it acceptable to God (Rom. 15:16).

Paul taught that Christ living within us is our "hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). Then, if those in Hell have no hope, Christ cannot be living within them. If while on earth, any damned people belonged to Christ, then in Hell they are temples that have been abandoned by the Spirit of God. It is probably the case that such unfaithful saints were abandoned by the Spirit before they even died. At any rate, we know they are without the Spirit once they are in Hell itself, for the Spirit gives us hope, and Hell is the home of the hopeless. Those in Hell who refused Christ while on earth never received the Spirit at all, but children of God who are cast into Hell at the end of their earthly lives are "reprobate", as Paul would put it, for Christ no longer dwells within children of God who are reprobate (2Cor. 13:5).

From at least the tragic story of Aaron's two foolish sons in Leviticus 10, and throughout the rest of the Bible, we are repeatedly warned that worship is acceptable only if God's Spirit inspires it (Rom. 15:16); that is, worship is acceptable to God only if it is offered as God wills. Then, another reason there is no acceptable worship in Hell is that God no longer communicates His will to the dead. After all, what is there that God desires any dead man to do? The land of the living is the only place where there is hope, and therefore, labor. Job said of death, "There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master" (3:17-19). For those who have died, all deeds are done, and their judgment is set. The wicked man's degree of torment is already determined, being based on the deeds he performed while living on earth. Therefore, God does not speak to him. David seemed to understand this: "Unto you will I cry, O Lord my rock! Be not silent to me; lest if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down into the Pit" (Ps. 28:1).

Prayers on earth that receive no response from God are a warning; they are an earthly foretaste of Hell. A truly godly life is characterized by responses from God to one's prayers (Isa. 58:6-9a; 1Jn.3:22). And such communion with God is an earthly foretaste of the heavenly world to come.

Nobody?

Isaiah joined his voice with others concerning what souls in Hell can and cannot do when he said (38:18), "Sheol cannot praise you. Death cannot celebrate you." But this declaration, repeated by others in the Old Testament, brings up a question as to whether this inability to praise God applied to all who were in Hell at that time or just to the wicked dead. Rhetorical questions about this were asked by David and others. David strongly suggested that to go down into Sheol was to go into a dreadful place where God is praised by no one. In Psalm 30:9, David sang, "Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?" In Psalm 88:10-11, David's friend Heman asked, "Shall the dead arise and praise you? Shall your lovingkindness be declared in Sheol or your faithfulness in destruction?" And in Psalm 115:17, David stated plainly, "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." So, it appears that neither the righteous nor the unrighteous dead praised God inSheol.

Solomon said, "Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Sheol where you are going" (Eccl. 9:10). The curse of God on man after Adam's sin was that he must labor (Gen. 3:19). In Hell, that is one curse from which man is released forever, for in Hell there is no labor. There are no occupations or professions, nor philosophical or scientific inquiry, nor clever invention, nor even a thought for learning and growing in knowledge. There will be degrees of suffering in Hell, but there is little indication of any other distinctions among the damned. Earthly prestige and position will be forever lost and will mean nothing. No one will be intimidated or ruled over by anyone else. The earthly kings in Hell offered this greeting to the once feared king of Babylon when he descended into it: "Are you also become weak as we? Are you become like one of us?" (Isa. 14:10). All his fearsome glory and power were gone. They were left on earth for some other proud fool to glory in; there is no such glory in Hell.

To have God, by His Spirit, reaching out to us, willing to teach us, warn us, correct us, and guide us in His holiness and truth, is an element of earthly life that is so common that it is routinely taken for granted and vastly undervalued. Carnal men, because of covetousness and ignorance of holy things, pant after rare earthly objects rather than humble themselves to receive the free gift of God. God's great kindness in pursuing us, the living, so completely envelopes all mankind that we cannot even imagine what it would be like to live in a place where He is altogether and forever silent. But untold millions are experiencing that fearful reality right now. The Word of God no longer comes to the wicked dead. It was with that knowledge that Isaiah said to God, "They that go down into the Pit cannot hope for your truth" (38:18). Those seeking to know the truth should be warned to seek it here and not to wait to obtain the knowledge of God in the grave.

The Church of Your Choice

In Hell, then, without the Word of God, people are forever damned to call on God, to "worship", so to speak, however they think is best. Each person in Hell seeks God - earnestly, unashamedly seeks God - in whatever way he thinks will best serve his own desperate purpose. Alas, they have no other choice, for the damned are liberated forever from the holy Spirit's pressure to worship God as He demands. This means, of course, that they are cursed forever to follow the advice of some well-intentioned religionists today who exhort men here on earth to do such things as "worship with the church of your choice." If a fundamental part of the damnation of Hell is the absence of the opportunity for true worship of God, then lost souls will be forced forever to worship, so to speak, "with the church of their choice."

Contrary to what I stated earlier, the Lake of Fire will offer its inhabitants a choice, but only this one. In that place of final punishment for the wicked and unbelieving, the damned will be granted the choice of how they would like to worship God. But damnation will also impose upon them this restriction: they may only worship God as they see fit to do so because the way God sees fit for men to worship Him will no longer be an option. That opportunity is only for the living.

The condition of people in Hell is reminiscent of the sad comment at the end of the book of Judges, describing the miserable confusion of God's people at that time: "Every man did what was right in his own eyes." Not one of the rebellious Israelites who was living according to "what was right in his own eyes" understood the danger of self-willed service to God. Self-willed hearts cannot understand that to live as it seems best to oneself is rebellion against God.

But, what of it? What does it matter that the wicked cannot understand? Are men to be judged merely by what they understand, by the standards they set for themselves, or by the standards for human conduct established by the Creator? At the time of the Judges, the wise were earnestly asking, as the wise are always asking, "What does God say?" for they knew that what God says is the standard by which we will all be judged.

If those ancient, rebellious Israelites never repented of worshiping God as they thought best, rather than as God commanded them to worship, then it is certain that they are still worshiping God that way now, as they writhe in the tormenting flames of Hell. And, Reader, if you are worshiping God now in a way that you have chosen instead of worshiping in the way that God has ordained, then you are already experiencing a foretaste of the Hell to which you are headed.

In ancient Athens, Paul declared that God, in ages past, tolerated some errors in worship among men but that since the time God's Son gave his life for our sins, "God . . . commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). No man now has the right, the authority, or even the permission to worship the Creator as seems right to himself. Throughout the Bible, the death penalty hung over the head of anyone among God's people who dared worship God in a way God had not ordained (e.g., Lev. 10:1-2). But it is Hell, and afterward the Lake of Fire, that will be the supreme display of God's righteous judgment on those who worship and live as they see fit while on earth. On them, God will have the last laugh. "Because I have called, and you refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded (but you have made light of all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof), I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear comes . . . Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. . . . Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices" (excerpts from Prov. 1:24-31).

The next time you see a sign or bumper sticker that reads, "Worship with The Church of Your Choice", know that you are seeing with your own eyes an invitation to enjoy a little bit of Hell on earth.

What, Me Choose?

Man cannot possibly choose the right way (Mt. 19:25-26); he does not possess such wisdom. "Where shall wisdom be found?" asked Job. "And where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth says, 'It is not in me'; and the sea says, 'It is not with me. ' It cannot be gotten with gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof . . . Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding, seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living and kept close from the fowls of the air? Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard the fame of it with our ears.' God understands the way thereof, and He knows the place thereof . . . And unto man He said, Behold! The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding" (excerpts from Job 28).

Even a man of small intelligence, if he believes these verses, can comprehend the fact that if wisdom "is not found in the land of the living", then the wisest and most diligent of living men will be unable to find it. A truly wise man, then, confesses the uselessness of his own wisdom, and while there is hope, he cries out to God for true wisdom, knowing that it is not to be found anywhere on earth. This path to holy wisdom, this way of humble, child-like supplication to God for help is hidden from the proud and worldly wise, and Jesus rejoiced in that: "I do praise you Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the learned and intelligent and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for so it was pleasing in your sight" (Mt. 11:25-26).

God must choose you (Jn. 15:16) and draw you to the light of His Son, Jesus Christ (Jn. 6:44); otherwise, you will never find it. Man cannot even guess what is right about God. It is hidden, and there is not in any man the ability to discover by his own work and wisdom the holy truth of Christ. We must be invited and then guided to the throne of grace.

So, the answer to the question, "What can people do in Hell?" is this: Not much, other than to suffer helplessly and worship in their own way. And after that, when the damned have been cast into the Lake of Fire, they will be able to do even less than they could do in Hell.

Gehenna

About seventy-five percent of the time when Jesus himself referred to the place of punishment for the wicked dead, the actual word used is neither Sheol nor Hades. It is instead the Hebrew word Gehenna, which is derived from the Old Testament name of a valley outside Jerusalem, the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (more about this shortly). This Gehennaproves to be, upon close examination, not a reference to Hell but to the Lake of Fire. The evidence for this is overwhelming.

First, whenever Jesus mentions people being cast into Gehenna, Jesus always says simply "cast into Gehenna"; he never mentions one being cast downinto Gehenna, as he does when he mentions Hades (e.g., Mt. 11:23).

Second, the similarity between Jesus' description of Gehenna and God's description of the Lake of Fire through the prophet Isaiah is undeniable. Jesus said, "It is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where their worm does not die,6 and the fire is not quenched." Compare that description with this from Isaiah (66:24), remembering that Isaiah is speaking of the way things will be in eternity after the Final Judgment and after Death and Hell have been cast into the Lake of Fire: "They [God's saints] shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who 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 must be a reference to the Lake of Fire because the only place after the Final Judgment where the saints could possibly view souls in torment is in the Lake of Fire; Hell will have already been destroyed.

Thirdly, note that, in the world to come, Gehenna will be located just outside the holy city of God, where the saved will gather to worship the Lord. Isaiah states that when the saved gather, they will "look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed" (Isa. 66:23-24). The location of this future place of eternal torment was perfectly prefigured by the Valley of Hinnom. It was also located just outside the holy city of God: Jerusalem.

Lastly, Jesus describes the fire in Gehenna as "everlasting" (Mt. 18:8). He adds that this fire "shall never be quenched" (Mk. 9:45). These phrases cannot describe the fires of Hell, if Hell itself will be destroyed (Rev. 20:14).

Here are the eleven places where Jesus used the word Gehenna:

Matthew 5:22

"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, 'You fool', shall be in danger of Gehenna fire."

Matthew 5:29-30 ( = Matthew 18:9)

"And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you, for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast intoGehenna. And if your right hand offend you, cut if off, and cast it from you, for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast intoGehenna."

Mark 9:43-44 ( = vv. 45-46 and 47-48)

"And if your hand offend you, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."

Matthew 10:28 ( = Luke 12:5)

"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna."

Matthew 23:15

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of Gehenna than yourselves."

Matthew 23:33

"You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of Gehenna?"

Tophet in Gehenna

The word Gehenna has a history that is as intriguing as it is obscure. In the beginning of Israel's history as a nation, when Joshua and Eleazar were dividing the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes, there lived, or had lived, a man named Hinnom. We know almost nothing about him, even whether or not he was an Israelite. What we do know is that he had at least one son. Just once, late in Israel's history, "children of Hinnom" is mentioned (2Kgs. 23:10), but that could be a reference to Hinnom's grand-descendants and not to his immediate sons; so, whether Hinnom sired more than one son must remain a mystery. The name of Hinnom's son, or of any other relative of his for that matter, also remains unknown.

The little piece of Canaan belonging to the son of Hinnom was the valley just south of the walls of the city that would later be called Jerusalem. God led Joshua and Eleazar to make this Valley of the Son of Hinnom the dividing line between the tribe of Benjamin to the north and Judah to the south (Josh. 15:8; 18:16). The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, then, became a significant place on the map early in Israel's history in Canaan.

In time, sadly, this valley became notorious as a place devoted to the Ammonite god, Molech, who required child sacrifices to be offered by his worshipers. But one such altar proved to be insufficient, for the Israelites were zealous worshipers. Multiple altars for Molech's worship were constructed in the valley at a place called Tophet (Jer. 7:31) in order to accommodate the multitude of Israelite parents eager to offer their children to Molech, or to Baal, another god for whom altars for child sacrifice were built there (Jer. 19:5). Even some of the kings of Judah joined the crowds who descended into that horrible valley to burn their children to blood-thirsty gods. King Ahaz (2Chron. 28:1-3) and King Manasseh (2Chron. 33:1-6) are named specifically as visiting Tophet to sacrifice their children, but there can be little doubt that there were other kings and many princes who did the same.

God sent Jeremiah to Tophet one day to prophesy against the people who worshiped there, and in the smoky haze, the Spirit cried out through the embattled prophet, "They . . . have filled this place with the blood of innocents!" (Jer. 19:4).

God angrily denounced this cruel, senseless practice of child sacrifice and swore that he would fill the Valley of the Son of Hinnom with so many dead Israelite bodies that it would be impossible to bury them. He said, "The days come, says the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter . . . I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again, and they shall bury them in Tophet until there be no place to bury" (Jer. 7:32; 19:6, 11). This God would do "because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face, though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction" (Jer. 32:32-33).

Next, before Jeremiah turned and walked out of that miserable valley, God warned the people and priests who were there that He would do in Jerusalem what they had done to their sons and daughters in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; He would make the whole city of Jerusalem like Tophet, a wretched place of burning bodies and filthiness (Jer. 19:12-13). The priests and people there that day probably laughed Jeremiah to scorn, or ignored him. "Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold! I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words" (Jer. 19:14-15).

This Tophet, the gruesome place of cruel, wicked worship by God's own people, was used at least once by God as a figure for the Lake of Fire. When the Spirit proclaimed through Isaiah that "Tophet is ordained of old" (Isa. 30:33), it was not of the Jews' Tophet in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom that the Spirit spoke, but of God's Tophet, the hideous place of everlasting fire that Jesus said was created "for the Devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41). Isaiah's prophecy was this: "Behold, the name of the Lord is coming from afar, burning with His anger, and the burden thereof is heavy. His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire . . . And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and He shall show the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones . . . For Tophet is ordained of old. Yea, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood. The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it" (Isa. 30:27, 30, 33).

The events that transpired in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and in Tophet particularly, when taken together with the revelation that God has a Tophet of His own, make an even more compelling case for interpreting Jesus' Gehenna as a reference to the Lake of Fire rather than to Hell.

Tartarus

In addition to Hades and Gehenna, one other word, used but once in the Scriptures (2Pet. 2:4), is translated as "Hell" in the King James and other versions. This word is Tartarus, and it is a word that never refers to Hell. References to Tartarus anywhere in the ancient world are infrequent, but here is one from Homer's Iliad (8.13), written as much as a thousand years before Peter penned his second epistle. In this scene from The Iliad, Zeus, the Greeks' supreme god, is threatening any of the gods who disobey his command, "I'll catch him and throw him down into Tartarus! A black hole that! A long way down! A Bottomless Pit under the earth! Iron gates and brazen threshold! As far below Hades as Heaven is above the earth!"7

Tartarus, to the Greeks, was an indescribably gloomy and horrible place, reserved for the very most wicked of mortals and for the most dangerous enemies of Zeus among the immortals, in particular, the Titans (including Zeus' father who, according to Greek mythology, ruled the universe before Zeus overthrew him). There is some truth to this general concept.

Peter used a verb form of Tartarus when he wrote (2Pet. 2:4), "God did not spare the angels who sinned, but He gave them over to chains of darkness, consigning them to Tartarus to be preserved until the Judgment." It sounds a little odd to translate the phrase, "consigning them to Tartarus" as "God tartarized them", but that is actually what Peter wrote. So, from here on, I will use the word as a verb, as Peter did.

If the evil spirits, or demons, mentioned throughout the Bible are, in fact, the angels8 who were cast out of Heaven with Satan (Rev. 12:9), and since those fallen angels have already been "tartarized", or consigned to Tartarus, as Peter said, then Tartarus is not a place of fiery torment but a place of utter hopelessness. Tartarus, then, is not a location but a spiritual condition, a living damnation. It is the very worst of all spiritual conditions, for reasons we will now explain.

Demons are undeniably in Tartarus right now, as Peter said. However, they have not yet been cast into Torment, as they themselves acknowledged to Jesus in Matthew 8:28-29: "And when Jesus had come to the other side into the territory of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs, coming out of the tombs, met him, so extremely fierce that no one could pass by along that road. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

Peter's description of Tartarus, where fallen angels now dwell, matches what Jude said in verse six of his brief epistle: "And the angels who did not retain their original office, but abandoned their home, God has retained in eternal chains, beneath darkness, until the Judgment of the great day." First, note that Jude taught that fallen angels are at this time "beneath darkness". This suggests (and even Homer felt the truth of this) that Tartarus is a place worse than the typical fiery punishment of dead sinners; that is, worse than Hell. God's judgment of His unfaithful angels, then, is that Hell is too good a place for them. And that means that Tartarus is the worst of all places to be, a place to which only the creatures most abhorred by God are consigned, being held in the chains of that darkness until the time comes for their torment to begin.

One's first reaction to this might be that Tartarus does not seem that bad, since the flames of Hell are presently being escaped. But wisdom teaches us not to be so hasty in reaching such a conclusion. The fundamental difference between Hell and Tartarus, and the thing which makes Tartarus a far worse place than Hell, is that, since no one in Hell can any longer do anything, it is impossible for those who are in Hell to sin any more, while in Tartarus, just the opposite is true. In Tartarus, it is impossible to stop sinning. Those in Tartarus are condemned to live, but to live in sin only, continually storing up an increasingly horrific punishment in the Lake of Fire.

The beauty and goodness of life on earth is that it is a place of almost boundless hope, a place of opportunity to do the will of God, a place of opportunity for growth in understanding and in goodness, a place of hope for correction and for change, a place where choices are still available and responses can still be made to God's love. Not one of these precious blessings exist in Hell; they are reserved only for those still living on the earth. But in Tartarus - and tragically for those condemned to dwell in it - some of these wonderful blessings are still available. That is what makes Tartarus the most horrible of all conditions.

God hates wickedness, of course, but He hates a mixture of wickedness and goodness even more. He forbade the Israelites so much as to wear a garment woven with two kinds of cloth (Dt. 22:11), and He strictly forbade yoking different kinds of animals together, such as an ox and a donkey. There was a half-hearted shepherd in Laodicea who mixed love for God with love for the world. Jesus said to him, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I prefer that you be either cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16). Yes, God abhors a mixture, and "mixed" is an apt description of Tartarus. It is a mixture of blessings and curses, and it is the most hated of all places. It is the most despised of all spiritual conditions, reserved for the most abhorred of all creatures, and from which there is no hope of escape - until the time comes for those unfaithful angels to be cast into the Lake of Fire.

True repentance (one of the precious blessings available to people on earth) is not something men are capable of doing on their own; it is the work of God within the heart. The very earliest believers understood this well. When the believing Jews in Jerusalem heard that some Gentiles had been converted, they rejoiced - but not because the Gentiles had decided to repent and believe the gospel! Rather, they rejoiced because, as they said, "God has granted repentance to the Gentiles" (Acts 11:18). They understood that true repentance is something that must be granted by God. In Tartarus, fallen angels are not allowed to repent, for God refuses to allow them ever to feel compunction for wrongdoing. Nor can Satan, the fallen cherub who is tartarized along with the angels who followed him, feel shame for his evildoing. The condition of his heart toward God is described well by Job: "His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the lower millstone" (41:24). Neither Satan nor his angels are restrained in wickedness, as men are, by the influence of God's holy Spirit, and being no longer under any law from God, they cannot possibly do good in God's sight, only evil.

Everything Satan or the fallen angels do is sin, no matter what they do. They cannot cease from sin because God will not grant them grace to stop. They are cursed with the most terrifying of all of God's curses; namely, a combination of God's refusal to allow them to repent and God's refusal to let them die. Those who are in Tartarus are blessed with life but cursed with the kind of life they must live. They are also blessed with the ability change, but without any grace from God, they can only change for the worse. They retain the blessing of liberty to make choices, but with no help from the Spirit, they can choose nothing but what is ungodly. They can still grow (they have no choice about that), but with no mercy from God, they can only grow more wicked - and this they constantly do.

This partial liberty, this mixture of good things and bad, is what makes Tartarus so much worse than Hell. Those in Hell can sin no longer, and for that, they should be grateful. The degree of their final suffering is set and will not change, but those in Tartarus are cursed to continue living sinful lives as long as God chooses to impose upon them His blessing of life. They are doomed to constantly add to their record of sin in God's books (Rev. 20:12) and, so, to make their eventual judgment and torment far worse than if God would bless them with death so that they could stop sinning. In Hell, as the Scriptures say, souls are "preserved" in death, for they are locked into the ungodly condition in which they died. In Tartarus, however, spirits are "preserved" in life, to commit ever more iniquity and, so, to become worthy of an ever greater damnation. For the souls in Tartarus, death and Hell would be a blessing.

2Peter 2: "Cursed Children"

It would be misleading for me to leave the topic of Tartarus without pointing out the unsavory biblical fact that Satan and the fallen angels are not alone in the place of extraordinary damnation they inhabit. It is a fact that Peter's reference to God's tartarization of fallen angels is found in a chapter that is not focusing on the spiritual condition of angels at all; rather, that entire chapter concerns the spiritual condition of certain of God's own children who are still living on earth. Peter's description of the state of fallen angels is only one illustration among several that he employed in that chapter to show how severely God deals with treachery in His family. Peter's whole point in bringing up the issue of God's tartarization of treacherous angels and their present state is to emphasize a far more important point for us; namely, that some of God's own children are tartarized just as the treacherous angels are.

In this 2nd chapter of his 2nd epistle, Peter's entire focus was to warn the body of Christ that it is possible for children of God to provoke the Almighty to such wrath that they, too, may be "preserved [in life] unto the Day of Judgment to be punished" (2Pet. 2:9). Such reprobate brothers and sisters are, Peter said, "cursed children", who, like the fallen angels, "cannot cease from sin" (2Pet. 2:14) because God will no longer extend to them His grace. Peter described them in much detail. The following information about tartarized children of God is gleaned from 2Peter 2:10-13:

Cursed children of God "walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government." Incredibly, Peter says they are "made to be taken and destroyed." (I could hardly have believed that such people existed in the body of Christ unless it had been written in Scripture.) They unwisely "speak evil of things they do not understand", and "they shall utterly perish in their own corruption", receiving "the reward of unrighteousness."

They consider "public luxury a delight," and their exalted opinion of themselves notwithstanding, they are "spots and blemishes" in the assembly of the saints, presuming too much about their standing before God and "reveling in their lusts while they feast with you." When Jude spoke of these fallen saints, he called them, "trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (v. 12), and the author of Hebrews held out no hope for those who are already dead a second time (Heb. 10:26-31), ending that portion of his letter with the oft-quoted warning: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Swift Destruction?

In the main, Jude and Peter were speaking of believers who function as ministers, those dedicated but deluded workers who are the New Testament equivalent of ancient Israel's "false prophets". This is the awful conclusion forced upon us by the opening words of this incredible second chapter of Peter's second epistle: "But there were false prophets also among the [Old Testament] people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. Through covetousness, shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation does not slumber" (2Pet. 2:1-3). This condition would be a terribly tragic end to a life once sanctified by the holy Spirit of God, but we must confess that it happens. To deny it is heresy.

For years I wondered, if it was true that these false teachers are still functioning as leaders of God's people and are prospering among the saints, how could Peter say that "swift destruction" had come upon them and "their damnation does not linger"? Now, I understand. And tartarization is the answer. A tartarized minister may prosper in Christianity, may be zealous and happy, and may be confident in his relationship with God. But the blindness to his true condition is part of the curse. That is why, as Peter would also say of them in this chapter, "They sport themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you."

Our point is that brothers and sisters in this state are in a spiritual condition similar to that of fallen angels; that is, they are now in that place called Tartarus. Being alive on earth, they are no more in torment than are the fallen angels, and despite any pleasant circumstance in their lives, "their damnation" really "does not slumber" because they are in Tartarus. They live out their damnation every day, ever confident, but supremely blind to their spiritual state, and they are now used by God only as stumbling-blocks for the purging of others who still have hope. Jesus spoke of what will happen to them when, shortly before his return, God will have finished using them to try the faith of the upright: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who commit iniquity, and they shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 13:41-42; cp. 49-50).

In the last half of 2Peter 2, Peter continues his description of children of God who are in Tartarus by saying that these cursed children are ministers who have followed Balaam's example (2Pet. 2:15-16). Balaam was an ancient prophet of God who lived in Mesopotamia. His story is recorded early in the Bible, in Numbers. He was not an Israelite, but he did serve the true God and became famous because of his many true prophecies. Balak, king of Moab, sent to Balaam and offered him great wealth if he would make the long trip south to Moab and prophesy against Israel, but God would not allow Balaam to curse His chosen people.

Balaam, frustrated at his lost opportunity to gain wealth, immediately consulted with some nearby Midianites (the cleverest people on earth), and together they devised a plan to gain for Balaam the reward that Balak had promised. Realizing that God was never going to allow him to curse Israel for Balak, Balaam, with the Midianites, counseled Balak not to fight Israel but to humble himself (or so it would appear) to blend his nation with Israel through intermarriage and a mixed worship of Jehovah and the gods of Moab. It was extremely crafty and wicked advice, and when Israel fell into the pretty trap, Balak was pleased and Balaam secured his reward. But his plan inflicted a deep wound on Israel's spirit that was never completely healed. So, through Balaam's counsel, King Balak conquered God's people through peace, a cunning tactic prophesied to be used by Satan again to confuse and subdue the people of God (cp. Dan. 8:25). Balaam's sin was so heinous a crime against God that Jesus still spoke of it with indignation in the last book of the Bible (Rev. 2:14).

Balaam was driven by a desire for earthly gain to the extent that he was willing to teach what he thought would bring it to him. In short, he became what Jesus called a "hireling" (Jn. 10:12); he agreed to perform a religious service to the wicked for money and position. He became a purveyor of false hopes, a professional liar, using his gifts and closeness with God to obtain earthly riches.

The Way of Balaam

Ministers among God's people now who are hired to teach a particular brand of doctrine are also walking in the way of Balaam (cp. Rev. 2:14), and Paul prophesied that many such men would be needed in the future in order to satisfy the lust of fallen saints for pleasant doctrines (2Tim. 4:2-3). Borrowing some imagery from Solomon (Prov. 25:14), Peter calls such ministers "wells without water" (2Pet. 2:17a), for their sermons can raise hopes, but they can never satisfy souls hungry for the true knowledge of God. They are "clouds that are blown about" by an impressive wind, clouds that betoken showers of blessing, but the rain never comes (2Pet 2:17b). They are speakers who can enthrall audiences, but only "through lusts of the flesh" (2Pet 2:18). But most tragically, for those who have newly been converted to Christ, such ministers are an especially dangerous attraction (2Pet. 2:18b), promising to lead those "babes in Christ" into liberty while they themselves have actually "returned to their own vomit" and have again become "the servants of corruption" (2Pet. 2:22, 19).

Worst Among The Worst

As awful as the tartarization of fallen angels and the Devil is, the tartarization of cursed children of God is actually worse. And what makes the curse of God's unfaithful sons so much worse than the curse on unfaithful angels is that the angels know they are damned; whereas, from everything we see in the New Testament writings, and in life, it appears that when sons of God are tartarized, they think they have actually taken a step forward in grace. Paul called this a "strong delusion" sent by God (2Thess. 2:11). Like Samson when he awoke from his nap on Delilah's lap thinking God was still with him, they do not even realize that God has forsaken them and that their hearts have been cursed with hardness against the light of God. God looked on in deepest grief while Israel (often called "Ephraim" in the book of Hosea) became ever more hardened, to the brink of being forsaken by the God who had loved them so long and so dearly. "Strangers have devoured his strength," said the Lord, "and he knows it not. Yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knows not" (Hos. 7:9). Finally, the awful day of the curse came, and with a heavy heart, God resigned Himself to the fact that His people just did not love Him: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face" (Hos. 5:15). With His withdrawal came the loss of holy correction and guidance. "I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery. . . . The people who do not understand shall fall. . . . Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone" (Hos. 4:14, 17). Jesus, with the heart of God, knowing that many in Israel were about to be turned over forever to the ceremonial forms they had chosen instead of life with him, sat on the hill overlooking the holy city and wept aloud, "O Jerusalem! Jerusalem, that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often I would have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Mt. 23:37-38).

This curse of a rock-hard, misguided confidence in one's standing with God is without doubt the most fearsome curse imposed upon any of God's creatures, but it is the real condition of some believers, as many Scriptures indicate. Under this curse, "blind guides" consider themselves to be apostles of the Lord Jesus (2Cor. 11:13), and, like their Old Testament counterparts, they run when God has not sent them (Jer. 23:21). What they run with is humanly devised doctrines. They run, as Isaiah put it, with their own "fire", setting others on fire around them with their lies, who in turn become little sparks reflective of their leader and who then pass on to others that self-willed style of worship and service to God (Isa. 50:11). Jesus bluntly and roundly condemned such religious zeal among God's people (Mt. 23:1-33). Under this curse, many leaders of God's own people had spent their lives and fortunes reaching out to others with their own ideas about God, but Jesus was not impressed: "Woe unto you . . . for you compass land and sea to make one convert, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of Gehenna than yourselves!" (Mt. 23:15).

A man under this curse does not know that his leader is the Devil and that the voice guiding him is Satan's voice, speaking as "a messenger of light" (2Cor. 11:14). Under this curse, God's own sons become "ministers of Satan" (2Cor. 11:15), and, "thinking to do God a service", with a heart cursed to be as hard as Satan's, they disparage "the way of truth" and persecute the upright - all in the name of the Lord.

This is the greatest curse of all, the same curse which Christ besought the Father to impose upon the Jews who turned him over to the hands of sinners (Psalm 69). In that Psalm, Christ prayed that God would turn His blessings to Israel into curses; that is, that He would turn into a stumbling-block the very things God had given to Israel for their blessing: "They gave me also gall for my meat, and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table [of shewbread] become a snare before them, and that which should have been for their welfare [the law of Moses], let it become a trap. Let their eyes be blinded, that they see not . . . Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your wrathful anger take hold of them . . . Add iniquity unto their iniquity, and let them not come into your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the Book of the Living, and not be written with the righteous" (excerpts, Ps. 69:21-28).

This astonishing prayer of the Messiah for God's greatest curse to come upon rebellious, unbelieving Jews was answered after the elders and people of Israel rejected Jesus, choosing instead to continue in those things he came to fulfill: the temple worship, robes and incense, holy days, and the other ceremonies that the Law commanded them to keep. All these things were holy blessings, but they were intended by God to be prophetic signs of the work and majesty of their coming Messiah. And by rejecting him and clinging to the now worthless works of the Law, their greatest blessings were transformed into their greatest curse - just as the Son of God had prayed. They gave their hearts to the works of the Law instead of to the One to whom those works pointed. Tragically, instead of submitting to their own Messiah and being filled with God's Spirit, they spent the rest of their lives performing the now dead ceremonial works that Christ had fulfilled, in rebellion against the God who had given them the ceremonies to keep.

Through Jeremiah also, the Spirit of Christ cried out for God's help for his soul in Hell and for God's curse upon those who had persecuted him. Listen to his story: "My enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me . . . I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon [the heart of the earth]. You have heard my voice; hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry. You drew near in the day I called upon you; you said, 'Fear not!'

"O Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life. O Lord, you have seen my wrong; judge you my cause. You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. You have heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me, the lips of those who rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold their sitting down and their rising up; I am their music. Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands. Give them [hardness] of heart, your curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord" (Lam. 3:52-66).

As for the traitor Judas, after the Son of God prayed for God's vengeance against him (Ps. 109), that poor man had no hope whatsoever. Jesus prayed that the Father would make even Judas' prayer to be sin (v. 7). "As he loved cursing," Christ prayed, "so let it come unto him" (v. 17). And it did.

Judas had walked closely with Jesus for years and probably was wise enough to realize, at least to some extent, that he had been tartarized by God and, so, he could never again do anything but sin. What a terrifying place for a man to find himself! It is not surprising that this doomed disciple chose to commit suicide rather than to live out his earthly life in Tartarus with the fallen angels, constantly sowing seed for a greater damnation in the Lake of Fire.

How well David understood the value of being chastened and allowed to repent! "Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O Lord, and teach out of your Law, that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the Pit be dug for the wicked" (Ps. 94:12-13). And how true are the Master's words, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." If you have ever done wrong and felt conviction enough to repent for it, fall on your face and give God glory! You have been loved! Those who are cursed with God's greatest curse are not loved, and God in His righteous fury has so blinded them that, more often than not, those tartarized children of God think they are still blessed. Didn't Peter tell us that they "sport themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you"? The chief priests who helped kill Jesus no doubt made sacrifices to Jesus' Father the next morning, kneeling and thanking Him for finally being rid of the troublesome carpenter's son from Galilee.

"Better Never To Have Known"

Jesus taught that to whom more is given, more is required (Lk. 12:48), and believers in this New Covenant have been given much more than angels in heaven have ever been given. "Behold," wrote John, "what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!" (1Jn. 3:1). Ours is a relationship with God about which angels know nothing. In fact, angels long to understand our relationship with God (1Pet. 1:12). Then, because the sons of God are more blessed than angels, more is required of them than of angels. From that, it is easy to see that unfaithful sons of God are worthy of a far greater damnation than are unfaithful angels. And that greater damnation expresses itself on earth in fallen saints' joy while in Tartarus. Their great blindness makes them happy to be where they are, and zealous to do such religious works as God hates, "thinking to do God service."

Peter's final words concerning these tragically fallen saints are sobering: "If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment given unto them" (2Peter 2:20-21). Because of what eternity now holds for them, it would have been better for the fallen angels if they had never been created at all. And because of the special damnation waiting for the tartarized children of God in the Final Judgment, it would have been better for them if they had never even heard of the name Jesus. Their own new birth experience will testify against them.

Paul pointed out the justice of such terrible judgment from God in his second epistle to the saints in Thessalonica. There, Paul shows that God is neither cruel nor unjust in His tartarization of especially stubborn and rebellious saints; quite the contrary, it is manifestly just to turn over to darkness those who are given light but choose not to walk in it, but cling to darkness instead. Paul said that it was "because they did not receive the love of the truth" that God would "turn them over to a strong delusion." And God will thus curse these formerly loved sons and daughters "so that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2Thess. 2:10-12). We cannot help but see and say that this is harsh; nevertheless, we cannot call God unjust.

The wise humble themselves to confess this simple truth, and it is a truth that makes every wise soul tremble: No matter what God decides to do with any of us, it will be a perfectly just judgment. That always will be true because God Himself is always perfectly just.

During the Thousand-Year Reign

Finally, as to God's future dealing with fallen angels, it appears that during the thousand years that Jesus reigns on the earth, they, like their leader, the Devil, will be rendered inoperative, so far as earth is concerned. We know that at the beginning of Jesus' thousand-year reign, John saw "an angel come down from Heaven, having the key to the Bottomless Pit 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, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled. After that, he shall be loosed a little season" (Rev. 20:1-3).

It stands to reason that if the ruler of demons is kept in prison until God visits him and releases him for a short time, then his followers would be imprisoned, too. That scenario certainly makes part of the prophecy from Isaiah concerning the end of the world understandable: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the Pit, and shall be shut up in prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancient ones gloriously" (Isa. 24:21-23).

The Bottomless Pit

Peter states unequivocally that fallen angels are in Tartarus now, but neither Peter nor any other New Testament writer ever explicitly states that Satan is consigned to that place with them. That biblical fact notwithstanding, we must assume he is there because (1) God will not grant him repentance any more than He will the fallen angels, and (2) Satan is still wandering about on the earth, constantly doing evil, whatever he does. And if Satan is now in Tartarus with his fallen angels, as he certainly is, then contrary to what Zeus said in Homer's Iliad (see page 43), Tartarus is not the same place as the Bottomless Pit, for Satan will be cast into the Bottomless Pit only after Jesus returns to earth (Rev. 20:1-3).

Except for the mysteries of Babylon (Rev. 17:5) and Tartarus, the Bottomless Pit may be the least understood of all the ethereal places mentioned in the Bible where evil creatures dwell. The Bottomless Pit is not mentioned by that name until the ninth chapter of Revelation, and only four times afterwards; still, it plays a significant role in end-time events, and what was revealed to John about it is astounding.

The first time we read of the Bottomless Pit, we are told that a "star" (an angel) fell from Heaven "and to him was given the key of the Bottomless Pit.9 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. 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. 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 who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:1-6).

These are fearsome creatures such as mankind has, to date, never seen, unless they were seen in ages past and no record was left of their existence. "The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. They had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 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. They had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the Bottomless Pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue his name is Apollyon" (Rev. 9:7-11).10

Where did these bizarre creatures come from? Did they live on earth in a previous age and, like Satan after Jesus returns, were imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit to be released at the end time to serve God's purposes? Or did God create them from the smoke that arose from the newly opened Bottomless Pit? We are given no answers. These creatures are mentioned here for the first and last time in Scripture. Fortunately, however, we are given more information about the Bottomless Pit.

In Revelation 11:7, John makes a comment, almost as an aside, that is striking. In the course of telling about God's two special witnesses that will come and prophesy in Jerusalem before the end of the age, John informs us that those two holy men will be slain by "the Beast that ascends out of the Bottomless Pit." This, by itself, may not seem so amazing, especially after reading about the locusts that came out of the Bottomless Pit, but when other information about the Beast is added, it is simply astonishing.

The other information is this: First, the Beast is a man; he is not a "beast" as we typically use the word. John also indicates that the Beast is human by telling us the Beast "rose up out of the sea" (Rev. 13:1), the sea representing people of earth (Rev. 17:15).

But the Beast is not an ordinary man. He is mysteriously intelligent (Ezek. 28:3-5; Dan. 8:23) and an uncommonly twisted and devious man who, at least from the perspective of the last days of earth, has already reigned as a king at some point in human history, but who somehow ceased to live here on earth (Rev. 17:8). According to the vision given to John, the Beast will return to earthly life from out of the Bottomless Pit where he had been held. It will not be his first experience of earthly existence.

In his wicked heart, the Beast has the same virulent hatred for Jews that Satan has. In fact, he is in such harmony with Satan that when he is released from the Bottomless Pit to reign on earth again, Satan gives the Beast "his power, his throne, and great authority" (Rev. 13:2). He is so intent on accomplishing his evil purposes, especially his goal of eradicating the Jews, that the passion consumes him; he cares nothing at all for women or normal family life (Dan. 11:37). He is Satan's all-time favorite person, his most reliable, pliable tool.

Whoever the Beast is, or was in history, his kingship did not come to an end because he died (though history books may say that he died when his kingdom fell). It is much more likely that he was taken from this life before he died11and that he was then imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit, to be held until God's appointed time for him to return. This Beast of John's Revelation is an extraordinary prophetic figure, a man who has reigned on earth (or who will have already reigned by the time of the end), was cast by God's angels into the Bottomless Pit, and is (or is to be) kept there until very late in earth's history.

Based solely on the information given to us in Revelation, the Bottomless Pit comes across as God's recycle bin for especially destructive and wicked beings. The Devil, we know, is to be put there during the thousand-year reign of Jesus on earth, and then brought out again "for a season" (Rev. 20:7). The Beast is also imprisoned12 in the Bottomless Pit for a time before being brought out again to fulfill God's preordained course for him, a cruel course that will end after a long three and a half years (Rev. 13:5). It was upon noticing that God re-used Satan and the Beast after they had spent time in the Bottomless Pit which caused me to wonder earlier if the dreadfully equipped locusts that Apollyon released from the Bottomless Pit had previously roamed the earth. It would fit the pattern.

It is perhaps significant, though, that John says that when Satan was seized by God's angel in Revelation 20:2-3, that powerful angel cast Satan "into the Bottomless Pit", not "down into" it. It was the same with the fallen angels who were tartarized. Peter does not tell us that they were "cast down" into Tartarus, or into Hell (contrary to Zeus and the KJV, respectively). The Bottomless Pit could not possibly be in heaven because the angels who opened the Bottomless Pit came down from Heaven (and to earth!) to open it (Rev. 9:1; 20:1). Further, smoke "arose" and the Beast "ascended" out of the Bottomless Pit. So, it appears that the Bottomless Pit is somehow positioned earthward from heaven, but that does not necessarily mean that the Bottomless Pit is below the surface of the earth; it only means that, wherever it is, it is down from heaven and it has endless depth. It would surprise me if it were not in some way connected with the earth's underworld, but the Bottomless Pit is such a different breed of spiritual prison that it could well be hidden by God somewhere else.

The information thus far presented is all that is offered to us in the Scriptures about the Bottomless Pit, unless of course it is called by another name somewhere outside the book of Revelation. Precisely where it is located is unclear, and the conditions that exist within it are never described (well, except by Zeus, but he is not a credible source of information).

Friday, May 12, 2023

Volcanoes and Hell