Prince or Prisoner? What is Satan's place in Hell going to be? I always used to see Satan as the Overlord of Hell, similar to Hades, the god of the Underworld in Greek Mythology. Gary Larson often depicted Satan in Far Side cartoons as the one in charge of Hell, and it is a common conception in our culture. Is it the correct one, though? I don't find Biblical evidence for this understanding of Satan. He is referred to as the god of this age in 2 Cor. 4:4, and as an angel of light in 2 Cor. 11:14. In Job, we see him with access to God and able to wreak havoc on the earth. But what is Satan's fate? Will he be living it up in Hell for eternity, torturing the souls of those he has deceived? I don't believe the Bible teaches this concept. I think it is taken from Greek mythology, some classical literature, and pop culture, but it doesn't come from the Bible. Here is what the Bible says regarding Satan's future, in Revelation 20 -
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss
and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that
ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan and bound him for a thousand
years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him,
to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were
ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. ... When the
thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go
out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth... But fire came
down from heaven and devoured them. And 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 for ever
and ever.
What do you think? Is Satan the Prince of Hell, or is he a Prisoner?
7 comments:
Interesting post.
One of the Nazi leaders who orchestrated the Nuremberg Rally once wrote in his diary, "I am both the seducer and the seduced." He was saying that in trying to convert people to Hitler's evil lies, he was actually more duped by those very lies.
I think it's like that with Satan. In believing himself to be the "master of evil," he actually is the one who is most imprisoned by it. So rather than seeing it as an either/or (Prince or Prisoner), I see it as a both/and.
I am certain that Satan will not be running the show in Hell.
Country musicians will be.
Keith - I believe Charlie Daniels has already established who wins when it comes to Satan vs. country musicians. At least in Georgia.
I can remember this old Saturday Night Live bit with Paul McCartney stuck in an elevator with the instrumental version of "Yesterday" playing over and over again with the devil asking him all kinds of questions about the Beetles getting back together.
I am not sure what kind of music will be playing in hell, but I thought Keith might approve of this version.
Good question, Jeff. The only thing I know for sure about hell is that several people have told me I ought to go there.
Life on planet earth totally without deception, duplicity, lies, exaggerations, falsehoods. I can only imagine............come Lord Jesus.
I don't know the correct answer, but Larsen's take is pretty good. Also, I am pretty certain that most peoples beliefs about Satan are not from scripture but from the world of literature. Daunte's Inferno and much of the world's medievil liturature have influenced this thought process. Also, Lewis' Screwtape Letters have also impacted conventional thought.
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