PART III

REALMS OF EXISTENCE

Concerning the existence of aliens, there should now be somewhat of an understanding just exactly what entities mentioned in the Bible can be classified as aliens. Now a second question remains. Don’t aliens live in outer space, and angels, among some of the other entities mentioned in the Bible, have heaven as their dwelling place? Exactly what does the Bible mean when it mentions the terms "Heaven", "Heaven of Heavens", "3^rd Heaven", "Paradise", etc.?

CHAPTER 9: THE HEAVENLY REALMS

In several places in this book up to this point, I’ve indicated that for more detailed information concerning the realms of heaven, to consult this chapter. I’ve segmented this detailed information into its own chapter, because explaining exactly what/where heaven is has proven to be an extensive project – deserving of it’s own chapter.

Many of the conclusions I’ve discussed so far concerning the definitions of particular entities depend on an in depth understanding of the realms of heaven. This chapter should serve the purpose of establishing the detailed information necessary to fully support many of my previous statements including information that wasn’t fully explained.

1.2 The three realms of heaven:

Heaven consists of 3 parts: 1^st heaven, 2^nd heaven, and 3^rd heaven. (No, I'm not a Mormon.) The 3^rd heaven is specifically mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2. Logic alone dictates that if there is a 3^rd heaven, then there must also be 1^st, and 2^nd heavens too. Without taking the dimensional/alternate planes aspect into consideration, 1^st heaven is the sky above the earth, and 2^nd heaven is outer space.

Simply looking this term up in a concordance provides the three definitions of sky, outer space, and another invisible dimension where God dwells. Following is one of the Greek terms for heaven, extracted from Strong’s exhaustive concordance:

shamayim { shaw-mah’-yim} dual of an unused singular shameh { shaw-meh’}

from an unused root meaning to be lofty; TWOT – 2407a; n m

AV – heaven 398, air 21, astrologers + 1895 1; 420

GK – 9028 {!yIm'v;}

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)¹

Heaven, in general, is a term used to describe places, or states of glory, primarily inaccessible to man, (at least until this century – concerning recent technological advancements reaching into the sky, and the stars). These inaccessible places, or states of glory, are both higher, and more glorious than earth. Following will be an explanation of both of these aspects of heaven.

1.3. The heavens are places:

When speaking of heaven as a place, the expanse around the earth, which is the sky and outer space, is mentioned as being heaven in several passages of scripture. One such reference, Luke 3:21-22, can be construed as both the 1^st and 3^rd heavens, because this is where it is stated that the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, which in this case was the dimension of heaven (3^rd heaven) opening up into the sky (1^st heaven). Other references to heaven being the expanse around the earth are found in Genesis 1:15-18, and Exodus 32:13.

Luke 3:21-22

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, ²²And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Genesis 1:15-18

¹⁵And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Exodus 32:13

13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

As for the 3^rd heaven I previously mentioned, it is mentioned by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2, who was referring to the apostle John’s trip to the 3^rd heaven, which is described in Revelation 1:9-11.

2 Corinthians 2:12

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the 3^rd heaven. ³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) ⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Revelation 1:9-11

⁹I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. ¹⁰I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, ¹¹Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

The 3^rd heaven isn’t described as being either the sky, or outer space, but rather a place that rests in the very presence of God and many of His holy angels. Unlike the 1^st and 2^nd heavens, the 3^rd heaven is not visible with physical eyes. Genesis 28:12-13, Psalms 11:4, and Matthew 6:9 are more examples of the 3^rd heaven, also referred to as the heaven of heavens.

Genesis 28:12-13

¹²And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. ¹³And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Psalms 11:4

⁴The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

Matthew 6:9

⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

In some scriptures, the term paradise could be construed as heaven, but as you will see in the following chapter, paradise preceding the crucifixion of Christ is different than paradise after the crucifixion. The pre-crucifixion paradise is mentioned in Luke 23:39-43, and isn’t any of the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd heavens; when it existed, it was in Hades. Aside from other information in the next chapter, the fact that this paradise wasn’t the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd heavens can be affirmed by the fact that Jesus went to a place called paradise after He was crucified – which wasn’t the visible expanse around the earth. It wasn’t the abode of God the Father, either, because after He was crucified, Jesus informed Mary in John 20:17 that He had not yet been to the Father.

Luke 23:39-43

³⁹And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ⁴⁰But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. ⁴²And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ⁴³And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

John 20:17

¹⁷Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

The next chapter will provide more information about paradise; the primary focus of this chapter is to elaborate upon the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd heavens.

1.4 Heaven as a state of glory:

Speaking of heaven as a state of glory, The Kingdom of God is mentioned in many places in the Bible as being a level of glory. Instances of this are found in certain key phrases:

1.Christians are in the world, not of it. (John 15:19)

2.The Kingdom of God is at hand. (Mark 1:15)

3.The body, (though physically cursed to death), is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

(1 Corinthians 6:19)

The fact that Christians are saved, yet stuck in a cursed world in bodies cursed to die speaks of a certain level of glory. All people will physically die, (with the exception of the rapture), yet, faithful Christians will be saved. Therefore, humanity is not currently at the highest level of glory, because human spirits are still dwelling in cursed bodies. But when Christians die, they will be in the presence of God. Furthermore, after the rapture, they will physically be in the presence of God.

1.4.1 Humanities journey through levels of glory:

In short, the entire human race over its entire existence has been going through different levels of glory. All levels other than the highest level are intermediary levels of glory which will all pass away on Judgment Day, leaving only the saved to spend eternity with God, and the deceived to eternally perish in the lake of fire.

Before the fall, there was no sickness or death.  Adam and Eve lived in God’s presence. After the fall, mankind was under the curse of death. Then, after the great flood of Noah, the life span of mankind dramatically decreased. The level of glory for man was decreased to the point that simply being in God’s presence would be fatal. (Recall that touching the ark of the covenant brought physical death, and also that this ark was kept in an inner chamber, where only the high priest could enter on one day out of every year (Hebrews 9:1-16).)

These were all different levels of glory, descending from a higher state to a lower state, manifested in the increasing decrepit state at which the human physical body was deteriorating, as well as mankind’s relationship with God.

Once Christ was crucified, this broke the spiritual curse upon mankind, (for the curse of death was both a physical, and a spiritual curse). Being in the presence of God, (whose presence rested over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies), was no longer a fatal experience after the death and resurrection of Christ. This was signified by the ripping of the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:44).

The spiritual level of glory for mankind has finally taken a turn – mankind is now on the rise in glory toward God, through Christ. The rapture will be the dramatic physical manifestation of the restoring of mankind’s return to a glorified state, to physically be in God’s presence once again.

(Note: some argue that since the word "Rapture" isn’t mentioned in the Bible, then it’s not going to happen. This argument is based on an incorrect assumption. While the exact term Rapture isn’t used in the King James version, the terms "Taken", and "Caught up" are. "Taken" is used in Luke 17:34-36, and Matthew 24:40-41, and "Caught up" is used in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, and Revelation 12:5.   In these passages of scripture, this Greek word – paralambano, {paralambavnw } – was translated into English as "taken", and – harpazo, { aJrpavzw }– as "caught up", but before Greek was translated into English, it passed through Latin. ^{1, 2} In English, the word Rapture could easily have been used, because the Latin translation of the Bible uses Rapere, from where English derives the word Rapture.³ And aside from the argument of the use of a word, simply looking at these scriptures clearly describes the concept of the rapture; an activity associated with God snatching people up off the earth, and a time in the future when Christians will be snatched up out of the world.)

Luke 17:34-36

34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. ³⁵Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. ³⁶Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 24:40-41

⁴⁰Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. ⁴¹Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the 3^rd heaven. ³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) ⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Revelation 12:5

⁵And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Many Christians argue about the rapture, emphatically insisting that this is, or is not, a future occurrence that will happen to the Christian church. They also argue over when it will occur, in relation to the end-times tribulation; hence the terms pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib. All these arguments have scripture to support their views – and some of the most distinguished theologians I know of – are on different sides of this particular coin. While I believe that the rapture is an event in the future – primarily because of the above quoted scriptures, and I lean in favor of a pre-trib rapture, because of other scriptures I won’t bother to mention here, I won’t argue with anyone about it. Doing so is essentially a waste of time. If a Christian is truly a Christian, then that person has nothing to worry about – in any scenario. We’ll all find out soon enough, if and when the rapture will occur.

1.4.2 The earth’s journey through levels of glory:

The earth, too, is in a certain level of glory. The Garden of Eden was in a higher level of glory before the fall. Once Adam and Eve sinned, the entire earth was taken from this higher level of glory, (probably connected with the 2^nd heaven in a more intimate way than it currently is – i.e., in open contact with other worlds). The fulfillment of this decreased level of glory wasn’t evident until the flood of Noah, when the Garden of Eden was destroyed.

Spiritually speaking, the earth lost the constant presence of God upon its soil. Instead, the soil of the earth was cursed by the blood of Abel, who was murdered by his own brother in Genesis 4:10-12.

After the flood, the earth’s environment became harsh. Desserts of ice, and sand formed upon the globe; masses of bitter water (oceans and seas) broke up the land, and divided it into separate continents. Fresh water was no longer an ever-present friend, flowing throughout the earth in a network of underground rivers the way it was before, as described in Genesis 2:5-6. Instead, it now comes from the sky when God determines it to do so. In this manner, God has allowed floods, and droughts, which didn’t exist beforehand.

Lions no longer lay next to lambs. Instead, carnivores developed, and food became a limited resource. Venom, claws, and sharp teeth replaced the once peaceful balance that rested between all living creatures.

The above information concerning carnivores is refuted by evolutionists, because of the evidence found in the fossil record that suggests these meat-eating creatures precede man’s existence. But there is an explanation that describes the existence of all of the vicious creatures of earth’s past – incorrectly thought to precede man. The fossils of carnivores thought to be millions of years old aren’t as old as carbon dating purports them to be – technically speaking. Most likely when the flood of Noah covered the earth, and earth decreased in its level of glory, its time continuum may have been altered. This alteration might be held responsible for the date discrepancies found with carbon dating fossils. I find this theory – (I’ll call it my glory / time-continuum theory) – a plausible theory, because in my opinion, it makes sense that earth’s time continuum was altered. It could be said that the faster one approaches the speed of light, the closer one approaches the kingdom of God, because God is light (1 John 1:5). Decreasing in levels of glory, therefore, may very well entail an alteration of the time continuum in which that thing that is decreasing in glory exists. If the earth went through such a decrease in its time continuum, it may be perceived as being much older than it really is. (If there are any quantum physicists out there that would be intrigued to take this one on, I’d love to hear about it!)

Evolution is completely incompatible with scripture. Some try to marry the Bible with evolution by stating that God created man using evolution as His method, but scripture emphatically rebukes this idea. Reading Genesis chapter 2, it’s clear that God created Adam by molding him from the clay of the earth – then breathing life into him, not by mutating other creations. Scripture also states that Eve came from Adam’s rib. This would not be the case had humans evolved from other species.

Genesis 2:7-22

⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. … ¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. ¹⁹And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. ²¹And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²²And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man..

Furthermore, if dinosaurs preceded man by any great length of time – and if other carnivores preceded man, then how could it be that there was no death in the world? According to the Bible, carnivores could not have existed before Adam and Eve because death entered the world through sin – and therefore dinosaur fossils can’t possibly be as old as carbon dating purports.

(For a more in depth study on Creationism verses the theory of evolution, I personally recommend the works of Dr. D. James Kennedy. While I have never heard him purport my glory / time-continuum explanation for carbon dating discrepancies with the fossil record, he has a vast amount of refutable evidence to discredit the theory of evolution, and support Creationism.)

I also have another theory concerning the origin of vicious dinosaurs, which you will have to read about in the chapter I have dedicated to evolution. In short, I think many of them were unnatural aberrations created by fallen angels. Most creationists believe that dinosaurs were saved from the flood, and died out due to a lack of resources following the flood, or because the atmospheric density was so drastically altered, but I personally think God’s a better ecologist than that. It makes more sense to me that He intentionally made the majority of them extinct.

Currently, while you are reading this book, the earth is still going through changes. Earth quakes, tornadoes and floods, hurricanes, climate changes, and erupting volcanoes are on the rise.⁴ These all signify the birth pangs of the next fall in glory. Once the rapture occurs, then the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be removed from this world, and leave it spiritually bare for Satan to enter and destroy. The antichrist will come as a courting groom, only to leave his bride to the hands of destruction.

Then finally, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings will come in all His glory, and destroy the antichrist, and set up His kingdom. The earth will finally be rising in glory once again. But the rise to the highest level of glory won’t be complete for the earth until after Satan is released one last time, and destroyed in the lake of fire once and for all. Then, as it is written, a new heaven and new earth will replace all that currently exists.⁵ Hell will be removed from the center of the earth, and cast into another place all together, called the lake of fire. In essence, the heart of the earth will be cleansed for all eternity.

1.5 Conclusion about the realms of heaven:

Seeing that heaven is both a state of glory, as well as a collection of vast realms, it can be concluded that at least the 2^nd heaven is possibly more comprehensible in this modern age than ever before. I can imagine innumerable stars within the cosmos, all filled with various life forms – many glorified as earth once was. Others may be similar to the way earth is now, and some even boarder-lining hell as earth will soon be.

Traveling through space, we might be able to encounter some of the entities found in the 2^nd heaven. While I think it’s God’s plan to limit this activity for fallen races – (which I’ve discussed various reasons why in other chapters) – His barriers are purposely breakable. They’re only meant to slow us all down, so that we will be able to cross when the time is right. It’s my opinion that during the millennial reign, earth will be an active part of the 2^nd heaven once again, (as I believe it was once before), gaining access to all of the other glorified worlds in the cosmos. (It may even become a part of the 2^nd heaven before then – under the rule of the antichrist. But during this time, the other worlds in contact with earth won’t be glorified – they will be fallen just as earth is.)

Thinking about these innumerable other realms fascinates me, and I often look forward to the day when I can be a traveler – curiously seeking out the vastness of all that God has created, with His eternal spirit dwelling within me, sharing in my endless sense of wonder.

2. The old heaven and earth – Satan’s ancient kingdom:

While digging in my research about the Sons of God being angels, I found something quite startling on some of the links posted on a web site called the Watcher’s web site.^{6, 7} This web site that has helped me exceedingly in my research. It concerns biblical information supporting the possibility that earth was once a habitation of angelic beings – prior to Adam and Eve’s creation. Furthermore, it provided a host of scientific information supporting the possibility that our solar system was once a vastly different solar system than it is now; a solar system with earth’s neighboring planets containing life. While I refute the first of these two theories – that an angelic civilization might have existed on earth pre-dating Adam and Eve, I do agree with the later theory. This section of this chapter derives its information researched from the links from this particular web site, and verified with my own references to the Bible, Strong’s exhaustive concordance, and more Internet sources I found on my own.

2.1 What does science have to tell us?

There are four items of scientific interest that have developed in recent years concerning evidence of life in outer space. These include the discovery of organic compounds found on asteroids, what appears to be fossilized micro-organisms found on a meteorite from Mars, the well famed face and pyramids also found on Mars, and what scientists have found concerning the fate of Mars.

2.1.1 Organic compounds found on asteroids:

Following is an excerpt taken directly from the previously mentioned source on the Internet:

"In the 1987 October edition of Science magazine, D.P. Cruikshank and R.H. Brown reported a startling piece of news. They had discovered organic compounds on three asteroids: Murray, 103 Electra and Orguiel. Utilizing the process of spectral analyses of reflected light from these three asteroids, Cruikshank and Brown detected amino acids. More startlingly, "aqueous alteration products" such as clay were found, suggesting that the parent body had been affected by water. If these asteroids did in fact contain sediment, it could not have deposited without large quantities of water. But these were asteroids – relatively minute chunks of rock hurtling around the sun from a common area between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. The evidence found on these asteroids could only mean that they were from a parenting body possessing an atmosphere and oceans. This parent planetary body was broken up in a cataclysm long ago that shouldn’t be a mystery if one is familiar with the Bible."⁸

2.1.2. Micro-organisms are found on meteorites from Mars:

Following is an excerpt from a NASA government web site:

"In August 1996, a group of scientists announced that they had found evidence of ancient life on Mars. This evidence included bacteria-shaped objects and organic chemical molecules in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001, which was collected in Antarctica. In the next few days, NASA presented the work at a press conference, the President made a statement about it, and the TV and papers were full of reports, speculation, and jokes about life on Mars."⁹

2.1.3. The face, and pyramids found on Mars:

Almost everyone has heard about the face, and the pyramids that have been photographed on Mars. The photos are compelling,¹⁰ and the media is running wild with this information, even more so than the micro-organisms discovered in the previously mentioned meteorite from Mars. The fairly recent movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, titled Total Recall, is a fictionalized account depicting the possibility that these pyramid monuments nestled around the face were designed to resurrect this dead planet back to life.

While it’s doubtful that the pyramids on Mars contain any capability of resurrecting this dead planet – they certainly do stand as a testament to a prior civilization; a world that once might have been.

2.1.4 The Martian cataclysm:

Again, because the source for most of this information I’m discussing that I found on the Internet is worded so well, I’ll simply quote its contents:

"Satellites sent to Mars in 1976 collected information concerning the geological nature of Mars, and it’s atmosphere. The images from the orbiters mapping sequence made it clear that Mars had experienced a nearly unimaginable catastrophic episode.

With the evidence of oceans of water having once flowed on Mars’ surface in huge quantities, it was apparent that the Martian atmosphere was once more dense, and the climate much more hospitable. Sometime in the remote past, for reasons still being debated by astrophysicists, there was a cataclysm on Mars. The Martian oceans washed over the surface of the planet, inundating their continents. The vast atmosphere was ripped away, and the once earth-like environment was laid waste."¹¹

2.1.5 The Exploded Planet Hypothesis:

What do organic compounds found on asteroids, micro-organisms found on Martian meteorites, the pyramids and face on Mars, and an apparent catastrophe that occurred on Mars, all point to? All these clues can be wrapped up in one package with one unique theory: the Exploded Planet Hypothesis.

According to noted astronomer Tom Van Flandern in his presentation "Exploding Planets & Non-Exploding Universes: The mechanism for explosion?", back in the ‘50’s, the 200-year-old Exploded Planet Hypothesis was last in vogue. A scientist by the name of Ramsey came up with a number of ways in which terrestrial-sized planets could either implode or explode with changes of state with certain elements in the core. For example, one such change of state would be the turning of water into ice. According to Ramsey, if the pressure and temperature conditions were right, they might produce a change in state in a planet’s core, which could result in a spontaneous explosion or implosion.¹²

Evidence of such a planetary explosion, according to conspiracy theorist and author Richard Hoagland, is exactly what comprises the asteroid belt of our solar system today. The previously mentioned asteroids found to contain organic compounds – and also the unexplained catastrophe enshrouding the fate of what Mars once was, both testify to a planetary explosion that occurred long ago.

Following is an excerpt concerning the generally accepted view of how the asteroid belt was formed:

"The accepted theory for the creation of the asteroid belt is usually the failed planet accretion theory. This theory states that during the primordial beginning of the solar system, a planet which astronomers call Astera was forming in the place now occupied by the asteroid belt. Jupiter’s gravitational influence on the incipient planet was too strong for it to fully solidify. Because of Astera’s insufficient mass early in its development, it fragmented."¹³

What Richard Hoagland points out, concerning this accepted theory for the creation of the asteroid belt, is that according to new evidence, it simply can’t be correct. As he puts it, "The facts are becoming more obvious… both the planet Mars and this mysterious parent body of asteroids once sustained oceans and atmospheres."¹⁴

In short, the most likely scenario evidenced in the asteroid belt, and in Mars, is that at one time, there was a planet that formed, (or more correctly put, was created). This planetary body – Asteria – was an intact planet containing water – and life; not a cluster of debris that failed to accumulate into a planet. Furthermore, this planet for some mysterious reason, apparently exploded, and this explosion is what became the asteroid belt. During the explosion, Mars was buffeted, as well as earth – and / or other planets. While earth survived this cataclysm, Mars was not so fortunate.

2.2 What does the Bible say about the Exploding Planet Hypothesis?

Let me remind all readers – I take no credit for deriving any connection between the exploding planet hypothesis, and any passages of scripture found in the Bible pertaining to this event. Some of the passages of scripture I provide, and the way I tie my arguments together – are different than my sources, but the information that set me off to research this particular topic for myself I give full credit to the sources I mentioned at the opening of this section.

2.2.1 Were there worlds with civilizations before Adam and Eve were created?

When I first pondered the possibility that there could have been worlds with angelic civilizations before Adam and Eve were created, I was stumped. How could this be possible? The Watcher’s web site I researched contains many verses that supports this theory – but the way in which they are presented is slightly confusing to me. After sorting out all the pieces to this ancient puzzle, I decided Job 38:4-7 would be a good place to start.

Job 38:4-7

⁴Where were thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. ⁵Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? ⁶Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; ⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

From Job 38:4-7, I take peculiar note of verse 6, when God in His questioning Job, states that when the cornerstone of the earth was being laid, the morning stars sang together, and all the Sons of God shouted for Joy. If laying the cornerstone of the earth is referring to earth’s construction, then this is an indication that the angelic beings known as the Sons of God existed before Adam and Eve were ever created. (This is one of very few references that I can find that gives an indication of when angelic beings were created during creation week).

While Job 38:4-7 seems clear enough – sort of – reflecting on Genesis chapter 1 confuses everything! This is a confusing chapter anyway – because of some of the oddities it contains – especially on the 4^th day of creation. For instance, what could explain the fact that grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit trees – were created on the 3^rd day of creation week, before there was even a sun – which was created on the 4^th day of creation week? In fact, how could days, evenings, and mornings of creation be taking place at all, if there wasn’t any sun until the 4^th day?

These oddities have stifled me for quite some time, and I still don’t claim to have a grasp on Genesis chapter 1 yet, but I have just recently – (in fact, this very evening while working on this chapter at 1:22 A.M. in the morning – I prayed and…) – found some enlightenment. This enlightenment was discovered in my trusty NIV Study Bible, which has both revealed God’s poetic symbolism and symmetry to me in one bold stroke, through an understanding of two creative activities of God – forming, and filling. These activities were discovered by analyzing a key phrase found in the verses of creation week. This phrase is, "God said".

The phrase "God said" precedes every creation of God during every day of creation. While days one, two, four, and five contain this phrase only once, days three and six contain it more than once. Day three contains this phrase two times, and day six contains it three times. Because days three and six stand out like this, this denotes a turning point during creation week, dividing it into two parts; days one through three, and four through six. When lining up these days in columns so that they can represent both vertical and horizontal relationships, something amazing happens! See below, similar to how it is displayed in my NIV Study Bible:¹⁵

"God Said"

It should be clearly evident that the horizontal relationship between these days is as follows: Day one correlates with day four, day two correlates with day five, and day three correlates with day six. Also, analyzing columns presents vertical relationships. It’s in the vertical relationships where the deepest meaning can be found concerning the days of creation.

By analyzing the "God said" chart, it should become apparent that concerning the context of days one through three, compared to the context of days four through six, two themes present themselves – forming, and filling. Since science has absolutely no information regarding just exactly how anything can be created, (because according to physics, matter can neither be created, nor destroyed, it only changes form),¹⁶ then these creation terms, forming and filling, are very mysterious indeed.

Taken at face value, I’d venture to say that when God was forming His creations, (days 1 through 3), He was molding a frame of some sort – for the universe (the heavens and the earth). This part of creation might also encompass any creation that may transcend the known universe, (i.e. other planes of existence). He also formed light – i.e., photon particles / waves – I guess – maybe even more rudimentary than that – and used this light as a measuring tool by which to divide increments of time.

Since at this time the universe was very different than what it is now – earth as a planet was being formed – before there was a sun for it to orbit around – then I would venture to say that days one through three precede any true physical creation. Instead, I think days one through three are speaking of God creating some sort of etheric field, (energy field beyond the third dimension), which would serve as a template for the material universe. The biblical term "firmament" might refer to this field, or template of the physical universe.

On the fourth day, God began to fill His formed creations. In a manner of speaking, days 1 through 3 involved creating a light bulb and the energy source to supply it – (i.e. ground work preceding the big bang); days 4 through 6 involved flipping on the switch…BOOM…and filling the universe with life!

It should also be noted that in days one through three – there are no true life forms created. Plant life was created, but scripture never gives any indication that plants have spirits as beings of flesh do. Plants, vegetables, and trees are mediums through which the energy of the sun, and nutrients of the earth, are converted into a usable format and supplied to beings of flesh. Even in a divine environment, (the New Jerusalem, and the Garden of Eden), while flesh is not eaten, straw, and fruit is. If in a divine environment scripture states that there is no death, yet fruit and straw are eaten – then fruit and straw can’t be alive, because in being eaten they would be killed. I don’t have any grand conclusion as to what this means – (the fact that no life forms were created during the first three days of creation) – I simply think that it’s noteworthy that life doesn’t start appearing in the universe until after the third day. This is another distinguishing factor that differentiates days one through three, and four through six.

While it still may be somewhat difficult to conceive of creation week, this little tidbit has certainly made a world of difference for me. But how does any of this apply to angels existing before Adam and Eve were created? (Got slightly off the subject – but that’s okay, because I had to make sense out of Genesis, as you will soon see why.)

The reason I mentioned Genesis chapter 1 at all, is because if it’s going to be determined that there were any worlds that existed before earth was created, then this should be found in the account of creation, in Genesis chapter 1. According to the web site from which I derived information about the Exploding Planet Hypothesis being mentioned in the Bible, Genesis 1:2 was quoted as a supporting source, and is also linked with Jeremiah 4:23-26.

Genesis 1:2

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The argument used with Genesis 1:2 is that the reference "Earth was without form, and void", was interpreted as an already existing earth that was destroyed by a cataclysm. My question regarding this argument is such: How could earth, as well as any other world exist – in a universe where there is no sun, or stars? The 4^th day of creation clearly lays the groundwork for the bare minimum requirements of a physical universe. Genesis 1:2 is on day one – not day four. For this reason, I wouldn’t quote Genesis 1:2 if I were trying to provide evidence in support of any civilization that predates Adam and Eve.

But does this mean that I’m through? Does Genesis chapter 1 destroy the argument that there were possibly other civilizations that preceded Adam and Eve – perhaps even on earth? Not particularly.

If on the fourth day of creation, God started filling the universe – i.e., turning it on so to speak, I see no reason why it couldn’t be assumed that during this particular day, other worlds were filled with life before earth was. Job 38:4-7, which I opened this section with, seems to indicate that this was the case. Also, Genesis chapter 1 doesn’t rule out this possibility. Now to say that earth itself had pre-Adam/Eve civilizations is a stretch, because Genesis clearly defines man as the imminent ruler of the earth. Also, if things as bizarre as the Sons of God mating with humans and bearing offspring that were giants is mentioned in Genesis, then why wouldn’t something as audacious as advanced, angelic civilizations preceding Adam and Eve be mentioned as well? Instead, there is no direct mention of such.

The second passage of scripture used by the Watcher’s web site I’ve been babbling about – linked with Genesis 1:2, used to support the theory of pre-Adam/Eve civilizations on earth is Jeremiah 4:23-26. In order to shed light on this reference, I’m including a few verses preceding, and following it.

Not to drastically change the subject, but the opening of this particular passage sounds like poor Jeremiah has a bad case of gas – I had to say it.

Jeremiah 4:19-29

¹⁹My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. ²⁰Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. ²¹How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? ²²For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. ²³I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. ²⁴I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. ²⁵I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. ²⁶I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. ²⁷For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. ²⁸For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. ²⁹The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.

The author of the web page I’ve been discussing contends that verses 23 through 26 refer to a complete annihilation of the earth. And I must admit the wording is convincing: "I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form, and void." This is the part that is linked with Genesis 1:2, because of a similarity in the wording. And as I stated before, I don’t this connection should be made, because Genesis 1:2 is at a time when even the bare minimum requirements for a physical universe didn’t even exist yet.

It’s possible that Jeremiah could’ve seen pre-Adam/Eve civilizations being destroyed, and that he was talking about the destruction of the whole earth. This is indicated in the words that there were no men, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord". If there are cities, yet no men, then the cities must have been built by someone other than men, right? I doubt it. Perhaps God gave Jeremiah a glimpse of an ancient past – attributing its destruction as similar to the one about to befall Israel at the time this prophesy was given – but then again, it seems more likely to me that verse 29 gives the reason why there were no men. It’s not because none existed yet.

Reading a few verses after Jeremiah 4:26 reveals exactly why there were no men. In verse 29, "The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb upon the rocks; every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein."

At this point, you’re probably wondering just exactly what I agree with my source on, since I already refuted this person twice! While the part of his theory concerning a pre-Adam/Eve angelic civilization on earth I find hard to believe because of a lack of supporting biblical evidence, the possibility that there were angelic civilizations in the universe on different planets preceding Adam and Eve is another story. In light of all the evidence, especially including the face and pyramids on Mars, I’m compelled to believe that Mars definitely could’ve contained an advanced civilization that predates Adam and Eve.

Does the Bible contain any evidence concerning civilizations on other planets? It sure looks like it to me! Starting in Isaiah 14:12-15, there is a brief mention about Lucifer’s fall from glory.

Isaiah 14:12-15

¹²How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. ¹⁵Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. ¹⁶They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

When things become interesting concerning this particular event, is when it is recapitulated by one of my favorite – articulate – prophets, Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 28:11-19.

Ezekiel 28:11-19

11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ¹²Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. ¹³Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. ¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁵Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. ¹⁶By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁷Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. ¹⁸Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. ¹⁹All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

This passage of scripture begins on somewhat of an odd note. While this scripture is a message addressed to the king of Tyrus, it immediately proceeds to speak to this king as if he’s Satan. Certainly Tyrus never saw the Garden of Eden, nor was he considered an anointed Cherub, so Satan is obviously the one being spoken of, yet this message is specifically addressed to the king of Tyrus. I suppose a simple explanation would be that the king of Tyrus was possessed of Satan. This wouldn’t be the first time a ruler was possessed with the devil, nor the last time. In any case, it’s clear that this message is about Satan.

What strikes me dumb founded is the use of the peculiar phrase, stones of fire. "¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."

What could these stones of fire be, that would be worthy of one of the most powerful angelic beings ever created – to walk in their midst? Did Lucifer enjoy walking amidst pebbles for some strange reason? Hey, wait a minute, where else in scripture does it mention Satan walking about? Isn’t there some mention of this in the book of Job?

Job 1:6-7

⁶Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. ⁷And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Hmm, this is strange. First Satan is walking among stones of fire, and then he’s found walking to and fro in the earth, and up and down in it. Ah ha! Isn’t the earth a stone – even a stone of fire – considering its core of over 4000 degrees Fahrenheit? Yes, this seems to make some fairly good sense. The earth, too, is a formidable stone; one worthy of such an incredibly awesome being as a cherub to desire to walk in the midst of it. Seeing that the stones of fire implies more than one stone (planets), this indicates that Satan had access to many worlds – i.e., planets containing life.

"…And I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire." Spoke the Lord. Access among these stones of fire – (planets) – is very important, else why would they be linked with Satan’s fall, and loss in glory. It appears that his free access among the planets in the universe was restricted, hence, he was no longer allowed to freely walk among the stones of fire – (or travel freely amongst all the planets containing species throughout the universe).

2.2.2 A modern perspective of the big picture:

Now I’m going to have a little fun, so ride along with me please, as I begin to babble away. Before Satan lost his cosmic passport, he figured he wasn’t going to leave quietly. Instead, he took as many as he could with him as he went. Here’s where Revelation 12:3-4 fills in the gaps.

Revelation 12:3-4

³And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

While Satan was busily deceiving as many worlds as possible, (earth included), before the police (the archangel Michael) came knocking on his door demanding he turn over his badge (of authority over all the worlds under his command), he managed to deceive as many as one third of the stars.¹⁷ Michael eventually made it to Satan’s home base – the planet Asteria, which God refers to as Rapha, which I will explain in a moment. But first – allow me to continue with this chain of events.

When Michael demanded Satan’s badge and passport, and Satan refused, (all of this metaphorically speaking of course), God decided the time was ripe for Satan’s judgement. In one of the most awesome displays of destructive power that could be imagined, God completely obliterated Satan’s home world, blowing it up into countless fragments, which now comprise the asteroid belt.

This explosion of Astera, or Rahab if you will, I believe is alluded to in Ezekiel 28:16, 18, and is directly mentioned in Job 26:11-13, Psalm 89:10, and Isaiah 51:9.

Ezekiel 28:16, 18

¹⁶By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire… ¹⁸Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Job 26:11-13

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. ¹²He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud (He smashed Rahab). ¹³By his spirit he hath garnished (beautified) the heavens; his hand hath formed (made to writhe, or crushed) the crooked serpent.

Psalms 89:10-11

¹⁰Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. ¹¹The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

Isaiah 51:9

⁹Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

I find Ezekiel 28:16, 18 to be utterly remarkable, because this passage of scripture defines just exactly how God will destroy Satan from among the stones of fire; He will bring out a fire from the mist of him – that will devour him.

It isn’t unmistakable that these other references to God destroying Rahab are in fact God’s judgement being taken out on a planet in the solar system, though all three of these passages are fairly convincing in my opinion. What stands out clear to me is that the destruction of Rahab is mentioned consistently with a reference to the heavens, (Job 26:11-13, Psalm 89:10), and also with the fall of Satan, (Job 26:11-13, and Isaiah 51:9).

The term Rahab means pride, or strength, in most uses. If Satan did have a home world, such a name for it would be fitting. The definitions for this term, Rapha, are displayed as follows, taken directly from Strong’s exhaustive concordance: ¹⁸

rahab { rah’-hab}

from 7292, bluster(-er); TWOT – 2125c; n m

AV – proud 2, strength 1; 3

GK – 8105 { bh'r }'}}}}}}

1) pride, blusterer

1a) storm, arrogance (but only as names)

1a1) mythical sea monster

1a2) emblematic name of Egypt

Rahab { rah’-hab}

the same as 7293;; n m

AV – Rahab 3; 3

GK – 8105 { bh'r'}

Rahab = "breadth"

1) storm, arrogance (but only as names)

1a) mythical sea monster

1b) emblematic name of Egypt

This explosion of Satan’s home world served not only to judge all the inhabitants of Satan’s home world – most of which were probably his faithful followers – but also those he deceived elsewhere. Civilizations on Mars – and possibly earth, (which I find unlikely for reasons already discussed), were gravely effected by this explosion. From this moment hence forth, God has reserved His divine judgement from this one event, utilizing fragments of this incredible explosion to bring about His wrath in various places throughout the universe, ever since this terrific explosion occurred. For this reason, comets such as Hale-Bobb, which passed in 1997, and asteroids like Toutatis, due for a scarily close pass in the year 2004, exist not only to serve as powerful reminders of the destruction of Satan’s kingdom, but also serve as harbingers of doom reserving future judgement.¹⁹

Continuing along in my metaphor of this saga initiated when the earth was yet but a babe in the cradle of civilization, Satan still wasn’t through! Instead of coming to his senses, realizing he was up against the Creator of the universe, and everything in it, he found another home in another world, and continued his rebellious activities. Since this event occurred, he has carried with him this particular disdain for God for destroying his home world.

From world to world he disobediently, and defiantly has traveled throughout the eons, (only because God has allowed him to – which Satan hates to admit), wreaking havoc in all the places he goes. God, meanwhile, patiently sees all things unfolding throughout time, waiting for all those hosts of heaven that will follow this deceiving wretch to go. One by one the deceived approach God’s divine throne and essentially bend over, while God gives them the boot. God, if He wanted to, could end all this madness in less than a moment. But He simply patiently allows this war in heaven to drag on, probably for the sole purpose of allowing all the inhabitants of the universe ample opportunity to essentially approach His throne and present the bent-over posture, asking for the boot.

Sojourning this story in a present / past-tense perspective – those things that are yet to come – finally the time eventually comes when it looks like Satan will have no where left but earth to turn (Revelation 12:7-9). His options are running out.

Revelation 12:7-9

⁷And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, ⁸And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. ⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

But before becoming strictly confined to planet earth, he strengthens his position in his new home base, (where he’s probably possessed the world leader thereof – if he is physically dead), and confides with the powerful allies native to this world, (which are his new loyal followers). He hopes that when the time comes that when he’s isolated on earth, these allies will help him in his conquest of establishing his kingdom on earth, where he intends to rule from Jerusalem.

(In his travels, he’s made a host of formidable enemies – both evil and good – not to mention God Himself. Satan probably heavily depends on his allies for protection, and aid in other various means). The war in heaven rages on – and he knows he has but a short time…

Eventually he ends up stuck on the earth, and because God’s angelic armies have closed in on him, he hopes his friends he made on his prior base make good on their agreement. He hopes to use these allies to aid him in deceiving the world.

He proceeds to unleash his awesome plan of deception, first by possessing a key player in world political affairs – a trick he learned long ago, and had performed many times throughout earth’s history. From this seat of power, he – (the antichrist now) explains to the inhabitants of earth that the cosmos is filled with vast resources, and other worlds of unfathomable beauty; in fact, he say’s he’s a King from another world! And to prove it, he provides open transportation to his world so that the people of earth can see it for themselves. Furthermore, he displays mighty miracles, so that if it were possible, even the elect would believe.²⁰ (Sound familiar? Didn’t Christ say He was a King not of this earth? Isn’t Satan such a copy cat!)

He places all of his faith in his allies from the other world, even going so far as to claim that this home world, and those upon it, are His god! Daniel 12:36-39 makes reference of the antichrist’s peculiar religion – which fits exactly as I have described here.

Daniel 12:36-39

36And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. ³⁷Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. ³⁸But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. ³⁹Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

The god of forces, described here, has the following definitions given from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:²¹

ma`owz { maw-oze’} (also ma`uwz { maw-ooz’} ) or ma`oz { maw-oze’} (also ma`uz { maw-ooz’}

from 5810; TWOT – 1578a; n m

AV – strength 24, strong 4, fortress 3, hold 2, forces 1, fort 1, rock 1, strengthen 1; 37

GK – 5057 {zw[om} & 5058 {@z²w[om}*

1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold

1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold

1b) refuge (of God) (fig.)

1c) human protection (fig.)

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that this god of forces, or as some translations put it, a god of fortresses, could easily be translated as "a god of strength". Notice that this god bears an uncanny resemblance to the definition of Rahab – which is often translated strength. Satan, in his bitterness toward God for destroying his home world, may claim a god of strength as his god – because it symbolizes two central themes:

1. He longs for revenge concerning the destruction of his home world, Rahab. 2. Concerning his new home base, this location is a type of Rahab, and will be the source of his strength. Since this is all he has left at this point, he will claim this new Rahab as his god – his only hope for completing his plans of deception.

His allies from his other world eventually desire some form of payment for aiding him in his deception of the world, and so they are richly rewarded with many gifts, as previously mentioned in Daniel 12:36-39. Satan rewards them vastly with all the wealth he can scrape up from the earth.

As he rises to global power and authority, his awesome power becomes fully realized, when some of his enemies of his past catch up with him. The entire earth is engulfed in an attack from a species from yet another world – and he must call on his allies for help. The aerial displays circling the globe are spectacular; the battles so devastating and perilous, all the people of the entire earth are gripped with terror! With the threat of human extinction at hand, all the inhabitants of the earth decide to unite in a common cause to defeat these terrible foes, under the leadership of this remarkable warrior king – one who claims to rein with supreme power in another world. He graciously offers his services, and almost effortlessly, with the aid of his allies, annihilates these invaders.

Daniel 8:9-11

⁹And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. ¹⁰And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. ¹¹Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

Matthew 24:15-29

¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)… ²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Luke 21:24-26

²⁴And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. ²⁵And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Revelation 12:3-5

³And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Over time, Satan will have accumulated enough technology, and humans will have been trained sufficiently to duplicate a great deal of this technology from these allies from other worlds, that Satan decides he doesn’t need them anymore. Once again, he uses another species from another world up for what he can get out of them, then turns his back on them. "I don’t need them anymore", he thinks to himself, "I have all their technology at my disposal, and I’m capable of settling my own matters now without their help. Earth… is my new home… my new Rahab." From this point on, his primary bent is on assuming the throne of a god-ship, and receiving the worship of the people of earth through complete and utter tyrannical control.

While all of this information regarding Satan’s journey throughout time, from before humanity even existed, is somewhat fictional, it does coincide with a number of scriptures, as you have seen. Only time will tell if any of this information is even remotely true. If it is – then you the reader have been blessed with a remarkably modern perspective of the Big Picture – pertaining to events of the past, present, and future, not only in the earth, but also in the heavens.

References

1 Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

2 Rapture of the Church, http://home.swbell.net/jpdp/Rapture_B___W_Printable.html, 16 March, 1999.

3 M.J. Agee, Jesus is Coming Soon, http://www.kiwi.net/~mjagee/, 10 August, 1999.

4 Hal Lindsey, Planet Earth – 2000 A.D., Western Front, Ltd. Palos Vardes CA., 1994.

5 Revelation 21:1-2

6 http://www.mt.net/~1watcher/stones.html, Cydonia Mars: The "Stones of Fire" and Pre-Adamite Civilizations, August 1999.

7 http://www.mt.net/~1watcher/newun.html, Satan’s Plan to Escape Judgement, August 1999.

8 Ibid. (6)

9 Pat Dasch, Allan Treiman, http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/publications/slidesets/marslife.html, Ancient Life on Mars???, 2 April, 1997.

10 Malin Space Science Systems, http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html, The "Face on Mars", 1995.

11 Ibid. (6)

12 Ibid. (6)

13 Ibid. (6)

14 Ibid. (6)

15 The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1985.

16 Chuck Missler, Mark Eastman, The Creator Beyond Time and Space, The Word for Today, 1996, Pages 12-17.

17 Revelation 1:4.

18 Ibid. (1)

19 Ibid. (6)

20 Mark 13:22.

21 Ibid. (1)

CHAPTER 10: THE REALMS OF HELL

1. Understanding hell:

1. Forward:

Just as I’ve discussed topics relying on information concerning the nature of heaven – or the heavens, I likewise have also discussed several topics that have relied upon the existence of a realm called hell. In essence, if I’m going to be talking about demons, devils, lost souls, ghosts, etc., a firm understanding of what, and where hell is – is required. This chapter, therefore, is dedicated to establishing a working knowledge of this horrible place, in order that all of the previous topics relying upon this understanding will be understood more thoroughly.

Metaphorically speaking, by discussing the previously mentioned topics without first discussing hell, I’ve jumped into Algebra without first establishing a foundation in rudimentary mathematics. I would thus term this chapter "Hell 101", and the previous chapter "Heaven 101", and recommend reading it for a firmer comprehension in relation to the other topics discussed in this book.

You might be asking yourself at this point, exactly why did I organize this book in such a fashion, such that rudimentary topics are explained after more advanced topics? The answer is simple; the more advanced topics are generally more interesting, and it is my intention to grab the reader’s attention, before divulging into rudimentary details. That’s not to say that this chapter shouldn’t be interesting – I just think it would be more likely to retain a reader’s interest by starting with topics such as Ghosts in the Bible, instead of Understanding Hell.

Email me if I’m wrong, and tell me so - jmilor@hotmail.com. Anyway, on with this chapter!

1.2 Types of death:

Two kinds of death, each of which may be temporary or permanent, are spoken of in scripture. One is the death of the body, which is caused by the separation of the spirit from the body; (The body without the spirit is dead – James 2:6). The phrase "Gave up the ghost", used 4 times in the Old Testament, and 6 times in the New Testament, refers to this spiritual separation from the physical body.

The other type of death is spiritual; it pertains to being spiritually separated from God. Even those physically alive are referred to in some places in scripture as being spiritually dead. In fact, all those that don’t accept Christ’s work of salvation on the cross are currently in this category, despite the fact that they may still physically be alive. Ephesians 2:1, 1 Timothy 5:6, and 1 John 3:14 are all examples of spiritual death.

1.3 Death and hell:

During Old Testament times, the term hell was frequently used to describe death. This place is the destination of those that have been spiritually dead, and complete the death process with physical death.

Hell is the English translation of the Hebrew word Sheol, and also the equivalent Greek word Hades. These terms were used to describe the place of all departed spirits.¹ Hell during Old Testament times was composed of three parts; paradise, torment, and a dividing chasm. (Remember I mentioned paradise being in Hades in the previous chapter? Well, now you will discover what I was talking about). Christ explained the three locations within hell when discussing the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31.

Luke 16:19-31 (Lazarus and the rich man)

¹⁹ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. ²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. ²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: ²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. ²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. ³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, paradise, also known as Abraham’s bosom, was contained within Hades before Christ was crucified. The fact that this paradise wasn’t the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd heavens can be affirmed by the fact that Jesus went to a place called paradise after He was crucified – which wasn’t the visible expanse around the earth. It wasn’t the abode of God the Father, either, because after He was crucified, Jesus informed Mary in John 20:17 that He had not yet ascended to the Father.

Luke 23:39-43

³⁹And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ⁴⁰But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. ⁴²And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ⁴³And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

John 20:17

¹⁷Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

In addition to these facts pointing to the conclusion that paradise before the crucifixion of Christ was located within Hades, consider that when King Saul used a witch to summon the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:11-15, scripture states that Samuel was brought up out of the earth.

1 Samuel 28:11-15

11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ¹²And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ¹³And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. ¹⁴And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. ¹⁵And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?

Certainly Samuel, a prophet of God, wouldn’t be found within the depths of hell! Instead, he was in a place known as paradise, or Abraham’s bosom. This place was definitely not a place of torment, though both the place of torment, and paradise, at that time in earth’s history, were located within the depths of the earth.

1.4 Hell became altered:

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hell was altered. Those trapped in hell that accepted Christ when He went there to preach to them and free them – were released (Isaiah 9:2-4, 1 Peter 3:18). Some were even physically resurrected and united with their physical bodies (Matthew 27:50-53). No more would the righteous dead go to a place separated from God the same as those who don’t accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Instead, they are now in the presence of the Lord, as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:8.

Isaiah 9:2-4

²The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ³Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. ⁴For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

1 Peter 3:18

18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: ¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Matthew 27:50-53

⁵⁰ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. ⁵¹And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; ⁵²And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, ⁵³And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

2 Corinthians 5:8

⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

While the paradise portion of hell became completely vacated after Jesus was resurrected, the torment portion of hell has remained. Concerning this portion of hell, it shouldn’t be confused with the eternal lake of fire mentioned 4 times in the book of Revelation, (Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 14, and 15). It can be easy to confuse the lake of fire with the current hell that exists, because the current hell that exists contains a place of burning torment, similar to the lake of fire.

The evidence of burning torment in the current hell that exists can be seen in the previously mentioned description of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:19-31. In the description of Lazarus and the rich man, it’s clear that the rich man isn’t in the lake of fire, because he’s calling out to Lazarus who is in Abraham’s Bosom. Abraham’s bosom is a place of the past, which no longer exists; Jesus released the righteous dead from this place after His resurrection. The lake of fire is a place in the future, so it’s impossible for the rich man to be in a hell of the future and calling out to someone in a place that no longer exists.

1.5 Differences between hell (Hades), and the lake of fire:

There are four primary differences between the lake of fire, and the current hell that exists. I will briefly list these four differences, then elaborate upon them with scriptural references.

First of all, as I’ve already stated, the current hell is current, while the lake of fire is in the future. Secondly, unlike the lake of fire’s burning torment for all its inhabitants, the current hell that exists is a place of varying torment. Thirdly, the current hell that exists is also only a temporary hell, because it will eventually be cast into the lake of fire, as described in Revelation 20:15-16. The lake of fire, on the other hand, is permanent. It is referred to as the second death, from which there is no resurrection. Finally, the last difference between the current hell that exists and the lake of fire, is that the current hell that exists is a place where spirits go, not physical bodies. It is true that people are buried in the earth – which can be defined as the uppermost level of hell, but the current place of burning torment is met only by spirits. As for the lake of fire, all cast into it are actually physically cast into it.

Revelation 20:15-16 (Hell is cast into the lake of fire)

¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Varying torment, or degrees of hell, which I discussed in a previous chapter, are inferred by the existence of the lowest hell, mentioned in Deuteronomy 32:22, and in Psalms 86:13. (If there is a lower hell – then there must also be upper hells). A hell of varying torment could also explain the many varying adjectives used to describe it.

Deuteronomy 32:22

22For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Psalms 86:13

3For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

1.6 Degrees of hell:

I find Revelation 20:15 particularly interesting, because it mentions that the spirits of the dead are listed in three places; the sea, death itself, and hell. When analyzing the Greek term for death, many definitions are given. These are as follows: ²

thanatos { than’-at-os}

GK – 2505 { qavnato" }

GK – together with 1 115 { ajqavnato" }

1) the death of the body

1a) that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended

1b) with the implied idea of future misery in hell

1b1) the power of death

1c) since the nether world, the abode of the dead, was conceived as being very dark, it is equivalent to the region of thickest darkness i.e. figuratively, a region enveloped in the darkness of ignorance and sin

2) metaph., the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name,

2a) the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell

3) the miserable state of the wicked dead in hell

4) in the widest sense, death comprising all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth, to be followed by wretchedness in hell.

I think the best definition from Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon that applies to Revelation 20:15 is definition 1c, primarily because this is a definition that distinguishes death from hell, (even though it sort of is the same thing – which I will elaborate upon in a second). I think this is an important observation, because hell is specifically listed as a separate location from death, and the sea. Furthermore, death, also widely referred to as the grave, is actually located within the earth. Beneath the sea, likewise, can be construed as a region within the earth. Both the grave, (buried in the ground), and the depths of the sea, are known to be places of darkness inside the earth.

1.7 The regions of hell (Hades) – inner earth:

Since hell may have varying degrees of torment, as inferred by Deuteronomy 32:22, and Psalms 86:13, then one could logically conclude that disincarnate spirits inhabit the inner regions of the earth, and that some are closer to the surface of the earth than others. The lowest hell that I just mentioned, is probably just as scripture indicates – the lowest. I take this to mean the very center of the earth, where science now knows an inferno exists.

I realize that there is a dimensional aspect to hell that only spirits can perceive; this is obvious. Miners and cave explorers don’t come running out of caverns screaming about seeing the inhabitants of hell! (But most of us have heard about haunted grave yards though – which indicates that we do sometimes perceive this realm. I’ll get back to this momentarily…)

Just as our physical and spiritual bodies are intertwined with one another, so are the physical and spiritual dimensions of earth. The physical and spiritual realms are intertwined in such a way that the actual physical location of hell is, in fact, located within the depths of the earth. It just can’t be perceived by the inhabitants of the physical realm, (under normal circumstances), because God has obviously placed a dimensional barrier that divides the living from the dead.

Upper hells are the region between the center of the earth, and the surface of the earth. For this reason, hell is given many varying descriptions, ranging from sleep, (which is usually referred to as the grave – the upper most level of hell closest to the surface of the earth), to darkness and oblivion, and finally burning torment, (which is obviously the lowest hell).

Furthermore, it could also be argued that the regions outside of the earth could be the outer darkness, or at least part of it – as spoken of in scripture.

Consider all the terms used to describe hell. Sleep isn’t particularly any big deal to most people, but burning certainly is! If hell is perceived as having varying levels of punishment, then it logically follows that the descriptions of hell begin with mild states of being, and end in utter indescribable anguish.

1.8 The journey of a lost soul:

Following is the journey of a lost soul, complete with scriptural references. The journey of the soul that this illustration is about is a soul that falls completely to the lowest depths of hell, which may not be the case for all lost souls. Factors that might contribute to a soul resisting falling into the lower depths of hell might be the amount of life force that a spirit has at the point of physical death. Moral decay may also play a contributing factor. But always for all lost souls that have rejected Christ, the lake of fire is their ultimate destination.

A lost soul begins with a simple sleep (John 11:11), such as the sleep of death (Psalms 13:3), the shadow of death (Psalms 107:10), or a rest in the dust of the earth (Daniel 12:2). Since this period of the afterlife is sometimes called sleep in scripture, one could assume that this lost soul while in this upper region of the earth still has the ability to think – though its thoughts are confused and jumbled, similar to the jumbled thoughts of dreams. The lost spirit’s thoughts are mixed up, because the place where it is at is a place that has no order (Job 10:21-22).

The lost spirit slowly descends into the lower regions of the earth, where there is darkness (Jude 1:6), in a land of darkness (Job 10:21-22). Here, the darkness envelops the spirit in a mist of darkness (2 Peter 2:17), where there is nothing but the blackness of darkness (Jude 1:13), and the spirit eventually forgets even what light is, and even the light is as darkness (Job 10:21-22).

During all of this time in the dark, the lost spirit eventually becomes aware of the fact that it is dead, yet wonders how it can continue to think. Coming to the never-ending conclusion that all hope is lost, the spirit realizes that there is no hope for truth (Isaiah 38:18); it was deceived, and now remains in a prison (1 Peter 3:18), where there is no escape.

With the realization of utter hopelessness, and nothing to look forward to but eternal damnation (Matthew 23:33), the darkness becomes emotionally unbearable, and has reached a point that it can become no darker. Now, in the outer darkness (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), the spirit gives up all hope of even wanting to remember anything; there is no remembrance (Psalms 6:5).

Has this spirit found any comfort in being a mindless awareness, trapped in a prison of darkness? Far from it; just when the spirit has succeeded in convincing itself that it is nothing – that it doesn’t even exist – it then begins a rapid descent into the pit (Isaiah 38:17). Slipping down further and faster, the spirit now encounters too much emotional pain to ignore. Suddenly it falls deep into the pit of corruption (Isaiah 38:17), where all of the emotions associated with the corruption of sin – rape this lost soul’s inner most being.

Finally, the lost soul has made its complete journey to the center of the earth, where it encounters an incredible burning (Luke 16:24) all over, within and without, from flames of hell fire (Luke 16:24; Matthew 5:22) that rage with a fury that is never quenched (Mark 9:43-49). In this final destination, the lost spirit can’t discern which is more painful, the sensation of rotting, where the worm dieth not (Mark 9:43-49), the emotional pain of sinful corruption – which dwells in the unbearable outer darkness, or the hell fire that consumes every fiber of its essence. Nothing is left but weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30).

After an indeterminable amount of time, there comes a day when suddenly this lost soul is resurrected, and finds itself standing before the very throne of God. Judgement Day has arrived, and all spirits are judged according to their works. It becomes weightily evident to all that without the Mediator, who is Christ, no one has a chance. All those condemned to perish in the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 14, and 15) have no excuse; their judgement can not be refuted, for God’s judgements are perfect and just in every way.

When this judgement concludes that this lost spirit has in essence cared nothing for God sending His own Son to die for it, it is then cast into the eternal lake of fire, both physically, and spiritually (Matthew 5:29-30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:33; Mark 9:43-49). This torment is final, and is, if anything, a worse place than the spirit was in before it was resurrected to be judged.

Sobering, is it not? The good news is that nobody has to go to hell! Many will, because of a stubborn refusal to accept Jesus, but those who are open minded enough to simply put aside all their preconceived notions about Christ, and simply ask Him if He’s real or not – should get a resounding "YES"!

This answer may not be audible, but if you the reader have made this request of Jesus, then keep all of your senses open – you will receive an answer. Scripture states that Jesus is always waiting at the door of our hearts; asking Him if He exists is step #1. If you have never asked Him if He’s real, you should start now. When you receive His "YES", then perhaps the Holy Spirit has spoken to you, and it’s time to ask for forgiveness of all your sins, and ask Jesus to come into your heart, and change your life! Truly I say unto all readers this much; nothing in this book is more important than establishing a personal relationship with Christ.

 John 11:11-14

¹¹These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. ¹²Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. ¹³Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. ¹⁴Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Psalms 13:3

³Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Psalms 107:10-11

¹⁰Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; ¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

Daniel 12:2

²And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Job 10:21-22

²¹Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; ²²A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Jude 1:6

⁶And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

2 Peter 2:17

¹⁷These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Jude 1:13

13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Isaiah 38:17-19

¹⁷Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. ¹⁸For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. ¹⁹The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

1 Peter 3:18-20

¹⁸For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: ¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Matthew 23:33

³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Matthew 8:12

¹²But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13

¹³Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30

³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Psalms 6:5

⁵For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Luke 16:24

(See previous reference in this chapter)

Matthew 5:22

²²But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Mark 9:43-49

⁴³And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: ⁴⁴Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁵And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: ⁴⁶Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁷And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: ⁴⁸Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁹For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Matthew 22:13

¹³Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30

³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Revelation 19:20

²⁰And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:10-15

¹⁰And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Matthew 5:29-30

²⁹And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 10:28

²⁸And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 18:9

⁹And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

2. Propaganda City:

Before leaving this section of the book, I figured I would throw in another theory of mine that finds relevance in this particular chapter. This theory concerns the apparently vacated paradise portion of hell. Recall when I mentioned that those trapped in the paradise portion of hell were released when Jesus was crucified, (Isaiah 9:2-4; 1 Peter 3:18), and some were even physically resurrected and united with their physical bodies (Matthew 27:50-53). What has become of this vacated paradise?

According to scripture, there are many evil, powerful beings that inhabit areas of the earth, and aren’t restricted within the confines of hell. Would it not be plausible to assume that they might have taken claim to this deserted paradise? Why not? And aside from general comfort, what might they use such a place for?

You might think I’m going to get off the subject – but I’m not. Please bear with me a moment. Back when I was in the Army, (you’re probably getting tired of this opener by now), I once patrolled the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that divided North and South Korea. North Korea, in a momentous effort to generate propaganda for how immensely wealthy their nation is, (NOT), built an fake city right on their southern boarder. This is a fake city, complete with busily working citizens; it’s only purpose is to present the appearance to South Koreans that North Koreans are thriving economically, socially, politically, and in general, enjoying their fulfilled lives. The North Korean flag raises every morning – (the largest flag in the world if I recall correctly) – and bus loads of government employees dressed in business suits carrying brief cases get off. They immediately begin walking around, going from building to building – apparently just looking busy. (I’ve monitored their movements, and can readily testify that they do, in fact, go through this mindless activity every day.)

When seeing so many shows on TV, and reading about so many NDEs (Near-Death- Experiences), almost invariably people describe what they perceive as heaven. ^{3, 4} I have read a few cases where people described going to hell,^5,6 but the ratio of hellish experiences compared to heavenly experiences is clear; I’d say at least 90% or more NDEs are heavenly experiences. Could it be that there are this many saved Christians? Isn’t the path to the Kingdom of God strait and narrow? Aren’t there few saved souls that enter into heaven in comparison to the many lost souls that take the wide path to destruction?

The strange thing about these testimonies is that often those describing their experiences aren’t even Christians. So, what’s happening here? Are non-Christians seeing heaven? How could they? Jesus Himself said that nobody could even see the kingdom of heaven, unless that person repents, accepts Him (Jesus), and is born again (John 3:3).

John 3:3

³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

So what are people seeing during their NDEs? While I’m certain there are a number of other plausible explanations, such as hypoxia of the brain (lack of oxygen) producing a mass of endorphins – and flooding the optical center of the neural cortex which all together might produce a sense of well being – and visual images of light,^{7, 8} I wouldn’t be surprised if the enemy has created his own propaganda city. It’s primary function would be to allow non-Christians a glimpse into a pseudo-heaven, so that when they return to the realm of the living, they are deceived into thinking they will go to heaven when they die. Even worse, books that are written containing these testimonies can be highly detrimental. They might deceive many into thinking it’s possible to get to heaven without Christ.

While this possible plan of Satan might back-fire occasionally, and people seeing what they perceive as heaven turn toward God after their NDEs, the number of those that remain deceived might be worth Satan’s effort. In my own study of the NDE phenomenon, most non-Christians that have had heavenly NDE experiences tend to remain deceived, and fall into New Age mysticism, rather than the truth of Christ.

References

1 Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

2 Ibid. (1)

3 The International Association for Near Death Studies, The Near-Death-Experience, http://www.iands.org/nde.html, August 1999.

4 Dr Karl Jansen, Ketamine and Quantum Psychiatry, http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/Cyclohexamines/Ketamine/Ketamine_Quantum.html, 16 July, 1999.

5 Dr. D. James Kennedy, Why I Believe, Word Books Publisher, Waco, TX., 1980, pages 60-80.

6 J. Isamu Yamamoto, The Near-Death Experience, Part Two: Alternative Explanations, an article from the Christian Research Journal, Summer 1992, page 14.

7 Ibid. (3)

8 Ibid. (6)