The Old Testament of the Bible identifies two types of people in the world, those who know the LORD, and acknowledge him as God (1 Kings 18:36-40) and those who go down to the pit (Ezekiel 31-32). Ezekiel’s prophecies about the end times associated those who go down to the pit with death and Sheol or hades, the world of the dead. “The Lord declares that He will ransom His people from the grave or Sheol (Hos 13:!4)” (H7585). Therefore, those who go down to the pit are people who have not been redeemed, the unsaved people in the world. Ezekiel said of Assyria, the nation that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, “For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 31:14).

In his lament over Pharaoh and Egypt, Ezekiel talked about a multitude of nations who had spread terror in the land of the living. Ezekiel said, “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 32:30). The phrase bear their shame has to do with “the bearing of guilt or punishment of sin (Gen 4:13; Le 5:1). This flows easily then into the concept of representative or substitutionary bearing of one person’s guilt by another” (H5375). Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross is the essence of salvation. The unsaved must bear their own shame with all those who go down to the pit.

The book of Revelation explains to us what it means to go down to the pit and identifies several individuals as well as groups that are destined to go there (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 15). Revelation 14:9-11 states:

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

The beast referred to in this passage “represents the Antichrist, the future political ruler who will oppose God and those who follow him” (note on Revelation 13:1-18). Revelation 14:9 indicates those who go down to the pit are worshippers of Antichrist who have received a mark on their forehead or on their hand declaring their allegiance to him. The punishment for doing this will be going down to the pit to be tormented with fire and sulfur forever and ever.

Revelation 20:14-15 describes going down to the pit as the second death and says during the great white throne judgment anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life will go there. The second death refers to eternal separation from God (G2288) and Revelation 21:8 elaborates on who will experience this punishment. John said, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” In contrast to this, Jesus described in his letter to the church in Smyrna how to avoid going down to the pit. Jesus told them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:10-11).