The Bottomless Pit - What and Where?

     The bottomless pit is another name for the abyss.  It is the current prison for demonic spirits and fallen angels.  It is temporary in the sense that the day will come when the abyss will no longer be needed or occupied.  The same is true with hell, the temporary prison for the souls of non-repentant mankind.  At the end of the millennium both the occupants of the bottomless pit and hell will be cast into the everlasting lake of fire.  It is a hard Biblical fact that occupants of both the abyss and hell have no recourse; their eternal fate is already sealed.  It is interesting to note that the eternal lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels.

 

     “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…’”  Matthew 25:41

     Non-repentant mankind chooses that destiny by rejecting the provided remedy by which to avoid it. 

     The occupants of the abyss will be very active during the future seven year tribulation period.

     The fifth and sixth trumpet judgments during the tribulation period describe some of the occupants of the abyss and their permitted activities.  The ruler over those in the bottomless pit is Satan himself.

     “Then the fifth angel sounded: and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth.  To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit…Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth…they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth…but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads…In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.”  Revelation 9:1-6

     The description of the leader of the ‘locusts’ is then described.

     “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (destruction), but in Greek he has the name Apollyon (destroyer). Revelation 9:11

     Continuing in the same chapter of Revelation the location of the bottomless pit is revealed.

 

     “Then the sixth angel sounded… ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’  So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”  Revelation 9:13-15

     So here it is seen that the River Euphrates is the location of the bottomless pit.

     The Revelation further reveals that the satanically empowered anti-Christ will arise out of the bottomless pit and kill the two witnesses announced by a mighty angel.

     “When they (the two witnesses) finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them… and kill them…”  Revelation 11:7

     The anti-Christ is subsequently said to ascend again from the bottomless pit as he heads the ten nation federation which will make war with God’s people.

     “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition.”  Revelation 17:8

     Subsequently the devil himself will be locked up in his own earthly prison for a thousand years.

     “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit…He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit…”  Revelation 20:1-3a

     The Bible then reveals that after the 1000 years are completed, Satan is released for a short time and given power to attempt to deceive those left on earth who had entered the millennium in natural bodies.  He is swiftly destroyed.

     “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast (anti-Christ) and false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Revelation 20:10

     There lies ahead tremendous battles, and the area of these final battles will occur in the area where it all began, near the great river Euphrates.

Euphrates River - Past, Present, and Future

     There are few geographical sites in the Bible more prominent than the Euphrates River.  The Euphrates River is first mentioned in the second chapter of Genesis and played a significant role in world history and will figure prominently in the future.

   

     The Euphrates River extends over 1,700 miles from the headwaters in the mountains of present day Turkey and flows south and east through Syria, Iraq, and empties into the Persian Gulf.

     The Euphrates River marks the eastern boundary of Israel’s Promised Land.

     “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours…from the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea (Mediterranean)…”   Deuteronomy 11:24

     It is unclear just where Israel’s eastern boundary will intersect the river; however, that intersection point will determine how much of present day Jordan, Syria, and Iraq will become Israel’s possession.

     Located just east of the River was the ancient and infamous city of Babylon.  It is difficult to separate ancient Babylon from the Euphrates River.  The name ‘Babylon’ in the Bible became synonymous with a place or system that was and still is void of God’s word or will.  Numerous times in the Bible God warns His people to flee from Babylon.

     It began when Abraham was told to leave his native home near the Euphrates River, travel westward, and settle in Canaan bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

     The Euphrates River became a dividing line separating the ‘gods’ in the Fertile Crescent and the God of Abraham.

     “And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham… dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.  Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.  To Isaac I gave Jacob…’”  Joshua 24:2-4a

     Biblical history tells of a time when Israel’s King Solomon reigned over all nations from Egypt to the River Euphrates with great wisdom.

     “For he (Solomon) had dominion over…all the kings on this side of the River…And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding…thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East…and men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.”  I Kings 4:24-34

     But Solomon compromised God’s word and subsequently Israel was divided into north and south in 931 BC.  Israel’s northern tribes were overtaken by Assyria in 722 BC and southern Judah fell to Babylon in 586 BC. 

     The Bible reveals, however, that Israel’s tribes will be reunited and her capital Jerusalem will be restored permanently in the future.

     “Therefore your gates shall be open continually…that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,…for the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish and those nations shall be utterly ruined.”  Isaiah 60:11-12

     Those nations east of present Israel, primarily the Arab nations, and those nations east of the Euphrates River will begrudge Israel because of her favor with God.  That animosity is very evident today and such animosity will increase as the time approaches for Israel to take possession of all the land promised her.  Those nations east of the River will march on the Promised Land.

     “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and the water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared…to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty…to the place called…Armageddon.”  Revelation 16:12-16

     The ‘kings from the East’ can be likened to the ‘wise men from the East’ that came to worship the Child Jesus.

     “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem... wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”  Matthew 2:1-2

     The term ‘wise men’ is translated from the Greek ‘magoi’ meaning priests and wise men among the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians.

The Blind Leads the Blind

     National Israel has been blinded during this present age regarding the truth of the person and workings of Christ.  Nor does national Israel have a grasp of the immutable glory that awaits them as revealed by God millennia ago.

     “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself; a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 7:6

      The Apostle Paul described Israel’s present blindness.

     “…Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.  Just as it is written: ‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see…’”  Romans 11:7-8

     Israel’s present blindness is the result of a sovereign act of God; it is temporary and their blinders will be removed in God’s timing.

     “…have they stumbled that they should fall?  Certainly not!  But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy. …Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!”  Romans 11:11-12

     Israel’s present temporary blindness is allowing God to accomplish His future purpose for them while accomplishing His present purpose for the Gentiles.

     “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  Romans 11:25

     The term ‘blindness’ in the present context has several synonyms including to ‘hide’ or ‘harden’.  Such blindness is a judicial act of God.

     In the gospels, Jesus also used the term ‘blind’ to describe the Pharisees and scribes.

     “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! …Woe to you, blind guides… Fools… who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”  Matthew 23:12-25

     Of a surety, one cannot say that Jesus was politically correct.  He was not hesitant to tell it like it is. 

     The Greek base for the term ‘blind’ in this context meant ignorant, stupid, or slow of understanding.  The Pharisees were also referred to as guides who can be interpreted as one who leads the way, or a teacher.  The term hypocrite refers to one who is a counterfeit, evil, or deceptive; one who is more interested in appearances than reality and pretends to be what he/she is not in order to please others.

     Perhaps the most serious accusation of Jesus to the hypocritical, blind, foolish Pharisees was their influence on others, i.e., not only do they reject the truth but they encourage others to travel the path to destruction along with them. 

     “For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”  Matthew 24:13

     Therefore, the Pharisees who chose willfully to ignore the truth did not understand the message of the kingdom which Jesus revealed to His followers in the form of parables.

     “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull…’”  Matthew 13:13-15a

     In this present time period, this great nation is pulling further and further away from the truth.  Contemporary legislation allows protection for those who break God’s laws.  Symbols of the Cross, prayer in public places, or even invoking the name of God may offend others.  Our political correctness pacifies the minority resulting in denying the One who purchased our freedom.

     This nation is in reality becoming blind.

     Then the question arises, is America’s blindness the same as being experienced by national Israel, i.e., a judicial act of God whereby God is ‘hardening’ our hearts in preparation for future indescribable glory?

    Or on the other hand, is it the type of blindness exemplified by the Pharisees, i.e. stupid, deceptive, and hypocritical which leads to destruction?

    

    

    

Hope is Good - But You Can Keep the Change

     Hope is a fundamental building block of Biblical doctrine and is predominately defined as the sure and steadfast expectation of eternal life.  Scriptural hope, therefore, focuses on the future and is a gift of God.  A primary synonym of hope is ‘faith’ and a primary synonym of faith is ‘assurance’.

     “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled…reserved in heaven for you…ready to be revealed in the last time.”  I Peter 1:3-5

      Therefore, while the object of hope is presently unseen and is to be revealed in the future, the exercise of hope is present.  God is the object, author, and giver of hope while man is the recipient of hope by grace.  Hope is a wonderful concept.

     How about change?  The Bible presents change in two aspects, i.e., change initiated by man and change initiated by God.  The change prevalent in today’s heated political climate emanates from the hearts of men.  Such promised changes should first be weighed against the word of God.     

     Perhaps the writer of Proverbs said it most succinctly.

     “My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those given to change…”  Proverbs 24:21

     While men applaud and strive for change God is immutable as are His commandments and instructions.

     “For I am the LORD, I do not change…”  Malachi 3:6

     Synonyms for ‘change’ in the above include alter, disguise, or pervert.

     “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.”  Numbers 23:19a

     The Hebrew base for ‘repent’ in the above means a change of heart, disposition, mind, or purpose.

     The truth of God’s immutability is reaffirmed in the New Testament.

     “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (change).”  James 1:17

     “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.”  Hebrews 13:8-9

     Thus change initiated by man to improve man’s quality of life is unsubstantiated in Scripture. 

     On the other hand, change initiated and provided by God for man’s benefit is a wonderful truth.  In fact God’s planned change for man in the future is the object of the present hope that God has given to man.

     “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  I Corinthians 15:51-52

     “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform (change) our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body…”  Philippians 3:20-21

     In summary, hope and change born in the hearts of men is contrary to God’s word, is a feeble attempt to usurp God’s prerogatives, results in challenging God’s sovereignty, and will ultimately fail.  Such initiatives suggest that man places confidence in his own ability to improve his lot in life as well as meet the challenges facing this great nation.  And finally such political rhetoric amounts to an attempt to supplement the word of God which has a warning.

     “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar.”  Proverbs 30:6

     Hope and change provided by God for man are indescribable gifts while hope and change devised by and promised by man for man are futile, empty words.

     “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.”  Proverbs 14:12

     Everyone has the freedom to listen to the present political discourse and weigh such rhetoric with the word of God to determine if promises made are in line with scriptural teachings or if such promises are vain and inconsistent with the word of God.