terror

Those who go down to the pit

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).

Terrorists

Egypt, and in particular Pharaoh king of Egypt, was singled out by God for acts of terror. Ezekiel was told, “Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, for the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 32:18). The casting down of Egypt into Sheol or the grave was symbolic of separation from God. Egypt was among several other nations that were to be segregated due to their behavior. Ezekiel declared, “Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living” (Ezekiel 32:22-23).

The scene that Ezekiel depicted was one in which a segment of the population was gathered together in order to view the fall of Egypt. Each of the spectators was distinguished as having caused terror in the land of the living. It could be said that this collection of terrorists was Satan’s army, but in reality, they were just “uncircumcised,” meaning not dedicated to God. It is likely this assembly was meant to be a prelude to Satan’s final defeat when he will be cast into the bottomless pit. John said in Revelation 20:1-3, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of 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, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

The terror that was caused by Egypt and the other nations listed in Ezekiel chapter 32 was probably related to both physical and spiritual warfare. The basic translation of the Hebrew word for terror, chittiyth (khit – teeth) is fear (2851), but a more comprehensive interpretation reveals a link to mental processes such as confusion and shame (2865). The outcome of the situation described by Ezekiel was an apparent turning of the tables in which the terrorists became victims of their own terror. Ezekiel proclaimed, “Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 32:31-32).