Misery Loves Company

Q: Where is the devil now in hell or on the earth? And if he is on the earth, what happens to the unsaved souls in hell? Are they there [by] themselves?

A: The Devil, or Satan, is right here on the Earth. In fact, he is the god of this evil world. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." And, as the god of this age, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)." Those he looks to "devour" are the inhabitants of this world; you and me. This makes perfect sense given the fact that Satan rebelled against God and whose stated purpose is to be like God. "I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14)." Therefore, since Satan wants to be like God he desires to have people believe in him and worship him similar to the way in which Christians worship the true God through faith in Jesus Christ. "Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan (1 Timothy 5:15)." There are many ways in which Satan goes about trying to accomplish his goal.

We often think of people who are influenced by Satan as those who are atheists or menaces to society like murderers, thieves and other criminals. While that is true, the Bible warns us that Satan "masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)." How many people, whom we would consider as descent, law abiding citizens, have been misled into false religions, beliefs and teachings by charismatic and intelligent people or intense experiences? There are cult leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh who, combined, led nearly one thousand people to their deaths. Jones is said to have often spoke of himself as a "reincarnation of Jesus Christ" to gain followers. Koresh claimed to be the "Lamb of God" to influence his followers. Then there are countless people who have had, what is popularly known as, Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Many people who claim to have had experienced NDEs speak of an encounter with a "bright light." This "light" is often said to be accompanied by feelings of peace. My point is that only Jesus Christ is the "Lamb of God (John 1:29)" and the "light of the world (John 8:12)." Therefore, these examples could be Satan masquerading as that angel of light in order to deceive and mislead people into following him.

What happens to those in Hell is not something anybody would ever want to experience. Hell is described as a Lake of Fire. "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death (Revelation 20:14)." Hell is a place of gloomy dungeons. "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment (2 Peter 2:4)." It is a place of torment. "In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side (Luke 16:23)." Most frightening of all is that those in Hell are there for eternity. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:46)." If anything, we should look at the description of Hell as one more motivating factor for us to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we love the world the way in which Christ has loved us, I do not see how we could not desire to turn unbelievers from what lies ahead of them.

As was alluded to in a previous verse, those in Hell are not alone. Actually, Hell was not made for people at all, but for Satan and his angels. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthews 25:41)." Unfortunately, if a person refuses to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, God has no other place to put them except for Hell. In some ways, Satan serves as a good example of the old adage "Misery loves company." Satan does not want to be alone in Hell. Therefore, he is devoted to not only being there with his angels that followed him in his rebellion against God, but to take as many lost souls with him as well. Satan only wants companions in Hell or to make the lives of believers as miserable as possible. Knowing this about him we should make it our purpose to be so knowledgeable of the truth of who we are in Christ that we are always guarded against his evil schemes. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:11)." I pray this addressed your question. Thanks for asking and may God continue to reveal to you all that is already yours in Christ Jesus.