2nd Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”
Hollywood is infamous for instilling the false idea that demons torment lost
souls in Hell. You've no doubt seen pictures of Satan holding a pitchfork in
his hand, tormenting the damned in Hell (Greek: Hades). The problem
is that the Holy Bible doesn't teach any such thing. The Bible teaches that
demons (i.e., fallen angels) exist in two different places: Here on earth,
and some reserved in chains of darkness waiting for judgment (see our text
Bible verse above).
Here are some important observations about DEMONS:
FIRST, demons are disembodied spirits. This is very interesting. The angels of God always appeared in their own unique body in the Bible. However, the demons always needed a host—a physical human or animal body to inhabit (Mark 5:12). I believe that the angels who sinned against God, in a pre-Adamic world (aka, Gap Principle), were disembodied and cast down to the earth (2nd Peter 2:4). This is when Lucifer (one of the three an archangel) rebelled against God, saying in Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Lucifer didn't want to overthrow God's throne, he simply wanted to be EQUAL with God. That is the same sin of feminists, wanting “equal rights” with masculine authority in the home and church. Ideally, a husband and wife should submit to each other (Ephesians 5:21); but the wife submits first, as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). MANY men refuse to submit to rebellious wives, where if the wife would simply just submit to her husband first, he would submit to her. Rebellion has invaded America's homes!
SECOND, there are no Bible references to demons tormenting people in Hell. The Scripture says in 2nd Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” The Bible is plain that a certain group of angels that sinned (rebelled with Lucifer) are already in Hell, bound in chains, awaiting judgment. I believe this speaks of The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The remaining fallen angels are still free to roam the earth, doing evil. Luke 11:24-26, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” This Bible passages emphasizes the danger of returning to the hog-pen of sin, once delivered. John 5:14, “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”
So we learn that some demons are reserved in chains of darkness in Hell (the Bible uses the Greek word Tartarus for “hell” in 2nd Peter 2:4, which refers to the lowest parts of Hades, i.e., the bottomless pit). These fallen angels are not permitted to torment unsaved people, who tragically die in their sins without Christ as Savior and go to Hell. God Himself punishes the wicked in Hell, not the Devil or demons.
THIRD, also, you won't find Satan in Hell. There is not one verse in the inspired Word of God, which even hints that the Devil abides in Hell. What saith the Scripture? 1st Peter 5:6-9, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” The Devil is a bum! Satan roams about, looking for vulnerable weak points in humanity, so he can kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). If you give the Devil an inch, he'll take a foot; and if you give him a foot, The Devil will then become a RULER! No one ever just becomes evil, it always starts with sin.
Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Please notice in the preceding Scripture that we can do THREE THINGS with our sins: 1) We can HIDE our sins (God sees all); 2) We can CONFESS our sins; 3) We can FORSAKE our sins.
There are many people who claim to have died and gone
to Heaven or Hell, and have returned to talk about what they saw. These are
called: “Near
Death Experiences” (NDE's). Something that has always amazed me is
people will believe someone who claims to have seen something, but they
won't believe what God has written in His inspired Word. What saith the
Scripture? John 5:43, “I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me
not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” Ain't
it the truth! The Bible describes the awfulness of a literal placed called
Hell; and provides alluring details of a wonderful literal place called
Heaven. Yet, people are not satisfied with what information the Bible
provides, so they “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”
(2nd Timothy 4:3). Folks, it is very important that we base our beliefs
solely upon the inspired Words of God, and not follow the unsubstantiated
claims of man. Ephesians 4:14, “That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive;”
Case in point, Joe Hadwin is a
false prophet on YouTube! I cannot say with any certainty that he didn't
have a dream and see something, but I do not believe ANYONE has ever gone to
Hell or Heaven, and returned to talk about it. When the apostle Paul was
caught up into Heaven, Paul said he was not permitted to talk about what he
saw. 2nd Corinthians 12:4, “How that he was caught up into paradise, and
heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
That settles it! There is no record in the Bible of anyone ever going to
Heaven or Hell, and then returning to talk about it. As a rule, we should
ALWAYS base our beliefs solely upon the written inspired Word of God, and
never upon the individual claims of people.
Miss Ellen G. White (Seventh-Day Adventist prophetess) claimed to have
seen multiple visions from God, appointing her as an end times prophetess to
confirm Biblical prophecies. She is a liar, who started a demonic cult!
I am convinced that Joe is sincere in what he is saying, but he is deceived
by the Devil. Many people claim to have dreams and see visions. What saith
the Scripture? Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds;” The Bible is very clear, as we
just read, that God speaks to us in these last days THROUGH HIS SON. Jesus
is the Living Word; the Bible is the Written Word. In Revelation 19:13
Jesus' name is called: “THE WORD OF GOD”! So when we read and study
the Holy Bible, God is speaking to us!
Joe claims he went to Hell and saw demons, reptilian looking, with
tentacle-type hair, millions of teeth, chewing him up. Maybe he was high on
drugs or drunk, but God didn't show him those things! In the first place,
there are no demons hurting people in Hell. The Bible teaches that there are
three different places for “Hell” in the Greek. One is Hades, which is where
the unsaved go now. Then there is “Gehenna” which is the eternal Lake of
Fire mentioned in Revelation 20:10-15. The Bible says in Revelation 20:14
that “death and hell [Hades] were cast into the Lake of Fire [Gehenna].”
Hades is a temporary jail for the unsaved, who die in their sins without
Christ as Savior; but after The Great White Throne of Judgment in the
future, the Lake of Fire will be their prison forever! And then there is a
third place of “Hell” just for the fallen angels, in the bottomless pit,
called “Tartarus,” where demons are reserved in chains of everlasting
darkness. So Joe doesn't know the Bible very well. There are NO DEMONS
tormenting people in Hell. Demons are bound in chains, in their own separate
confined place. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8 teaches that GOD PUNISHES the wicked
in Hell; the Devil nor demons punish the damned.
Joe also denies the doctrine of once saved, always saved. He misapplies the
Scripture where Jesus said in Luke 14:27, “And whosoever doth not bear
his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Joe misapplies
that verse to salvation, but it is about discipleship, not getting saved.
This Bible verse is often misused. We are saved by faith alone, not by
works. Again, our beliefs as Christians should be based upon the written
Word of God, not “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive;” (Ephesians 4:14). Anybody who claims that they died,
or had a vision, experiencing Heaven or Hell, and now they have a story to
tell, is NOT of God! They are making unsubstantiated claims! God only speaks
to humanity in these last days through the Word of God, which in English is
the inspired King James Bible.
