DOCTRINE OF THE ADVENTS AND RESURRECTIONS

BOTTOMLESS PIT, LAKE OF FIRE, ETERNAL DEATH AND TORMENT 

What do these mean? Traditional Seventh-day Adventist church theology explains the bottomless pit as this earth when it is completely devoid of any human, broken up and destroyed. This interpretation is derived from comparing the Greek word for bottomless pit, “abussos” to the Hebrew word used to describe the earth at the beginning of creation, when it was still inside water before God.

But this theology has many flaws, as we will reveal shortly.

THE FLAW IN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS CHURCH VIEW ON THE BOTTOMLESS PIT: There is always the danger of over-symbolizing the books of Daniel and Revelation. Also, traditional interpretations fail to consider the possibility that both symbolism and literalism can both be present in a passage. In other words, a bottomless pit can both have a literal as well as spiritual meaning at the same time, in the same context. Traditional teachers often if it’s or are ignorant of this fact

One of the instances where this has been the case is in the subject of the beast, false prophet, lake of fire and the bottomless pit. Because of this, Seventh-day Adventist church theology on the above mentioned subjects has been less than scriptural.

One of the reasons given as to why the earth will be unpopulated during the millennium is that God wants the earth to enjoy millennial Sabbath rest. But the sense of this is very questionable because after one thousand years, the earth will be dissolved and therefore cease to exist. What purpose is there of Sabbath rest for something that will be destroyed anyway? The purpose of Sabbath rest for the land was always predicated on the fact that the people were coming back to possess and live on it. Well this does not apply in the case of the earth, as the saints are not coming back to live on this earth, but rather in an entirely brand new earth.

Another problem with the traditional Seventh-day Adventist church theology and interpretation is that this earth will be populated during the 1000 years as we have shown so far in this study.

The third problem is that consideration is not given to other scriptures that talk about the same subject. Bottomless pit is mentioned in scriptures and the contexts give a different perspective than the traditional Seventh-day Adventist church view. Let’s look at those.

The beast and the Bottomless pit: 

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” -Revelation 17:8 KJVS.

“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” – 

Revelation 11:7 KJVS

The fact that the beast, a human, will ascend from this place is an indication that there is nothing literally bottomless about it. It simply means that it’s so deep and dark that to the naked eye it appears bottomless. An idea of when and how this pit will be created comes from a close examination of the sixth seal. The sixth seal describes a cosmic turbulence that has never before been witnessed. In the process, this deep can will be fashioned out by Satan. He creates this pit as the place from which to make his grand supernatural entrance and appearance into our world. As discussed earlier in the study of the sixth seal, he will use the form and physical appearance of his son, the Man of sin, so as to present him as God.

Angel of the bottomless pit:

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power” – Revelation 9:1-3 KJVS.

From all these texts, it is evident that the bottomless pit is a place within the earth, and not the entire earth. It is opened by an Angel or “Star” that falls down into the earth. Another important point is that it is a place of conflagration, a smouldering place where an intense heat and fire is raging. This appears to provide a link between this pit and the lake of fire where the beast and his false prophet will be cast alive into 

The question to ask therefore is, how did the fire come about? And are we talking about a supernaturally kindled lake of fire or simply a fire that comes from something like a nuclear conflagration? And how can The beast be said to ascend from it? Who or what is this beast? Could the bottomless pit be alluding to the geographical region where Satan will raise up the beast personality? Why choose such a place? Is it to prove that the man of sin is indestructible? Is this a show of Satan’s power, his signs and wonders and miracles? Satan is clearly the Star(Angel) of the bottomless pit or his trusted Angel. 

So Satan creates this bottomless pit most likely during and with the sixth seal cosmic and earthly quakes. Then he emerges from the conflagration putting on the physical form and appearance of the man he has chosen to present to the world as God. He then rises up to the sky in splendour and glorious light, and declares that he is the God and Messiah that the Jewish nation has been expecting. He denounces Christ as the impostor, and hails the Jewish race and nation for rejecting Christ and crucifying him.

The location of the Bottomless pit: When the man of sin, The beast, and the Last king of Daniel 11:36-45 are all shown to be one and the same person, it becomes possible to identify the location of the bottomless pit, because it will be the geographical region from where this last King will be raised by Satan. Interestingly, the race of this last King is also identified in Daniel 11:36. It reads:

“And 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. Neither shall he regard the God bq of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” -Daniel 11:36-37 KJVS.

Only a Hebrew, and only a Hebrew nation can it be said that the Fathers(progenitors), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew not an idol God. Every other nation and race was established and originated from a pagan, idol worshipping ancestors. Thus, Daniel 11:36 gives us the race of the man of sin as Hebrew and therefore his place of origins Israel. Palestine must therefore be the geographical region described as the BOTTOMLESS PIT.

Why would Satan stage a supernatural ascension from a place of fire? Is it to prove that he is indestructible by fire and as such cannot be the Devil, but rather the God that conquers fire? Recall that in Babylon, when the three brothers and friends of Daniel were thrown into the furnace, Christ physically manifested himself in their midst inside the fire. Could it be that Satan chooses this manner of ascension for his servant, man of sin, to deceive the world that he is God and Christ?

It is an interesting thought that the Beast will ascend from the bottomless pit, and that it is also into the bottomless pit that Christ will cast Satan at the beginning of the 1000 years. Then, later, at the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire where the Beast and False prophet are already. It looks therefore that Lake of fire and Bottomless pit are of the same geographical location. 

This place is such that when a human is cast in there it is impossible for the person to come out of it with human effort because Satan is said to be unable to tempt the nations(or populations) of the earth as a result of being cast into this place. The only place this place can imprison, restrict and restrain Satan, a supernatural being, will be that he has been reduced to the form and nature of humanity. This is what the symbolic chain and lock means. 

So, the fact that the Beast is able to ascend from here means that it is not actually the beast physically that comes out from there. Satan is the one that emerges from there but takes the appearance and form of the beast. Alternatively, it is not beyond Satan to actually have taken this man he calls his son, the result of his supernatural, masterful creation, and grooming, into this pit, and to enable him to emerge from it. In this manner he presents him to the world as a supernatural being, the God of the universe. 

THE LAKE OF FIRE AND ETERNAL TORMENT

While Seventh-day Adventist theology acknowledges a literal lake of fire, it places this solely after the 1000 years. Otherwise, the church does not see the lake of fire that the beast and false prophet are cast into as the same as the one that Satan and the wicked will be cast into at the end of the 1000 years. The lake of fire is confused with the fire that will result from the destruction of the world during the Seven last plagues. This is because the church cannot see the beast and the false prophet as two literal individuals. Her theology sees the terms beast and false prophet only in the light and meaning of governments-Papal Roman and Apostate Protestant American.

But, as we have shown in this study, the terms beast and false prophet, though they are clearly interpreted as governments, are not solely interpreted as such. They are equally interpreted as two individuals, the relationship being that these are two individuals who will be heading these two governments in the last days of the earth and the Great controversy. 

On this note therefore, and based on context, Revelation 19 is clearly talking about two individuals that will be cast alive into the lake of fire, thus making this lake of fire literal. In light of this accurate knowledge, we may ask, where will this lake of fire be kindled? How long will it last and how long are these two individuals to be alive in it? 

We have shown that this lake of fire will be in the same geographical location as the bottomless pit. But more importantly, let us discuss the matter of how long the two individuals that will be cast alive into it will stay alive in it. The clue comes from the passage that says that Satan will also be cast alive into this same lake of fire which in fact provides an irrefutable proof that the beast and the false prophet that are cast alive into it are two literal individuals.

But take a look at the passage,

“And 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” – Revelation 20:10 KJVS.

As is clear from this passage, God will not kindle an entirely new lake of fire at the end of the 1000 years. It is still the same lake of fire that the beast and the false were cast alive into that Satan and the wicked will be cast alive into. At best, God will simply expand the lake. But it is the same lake of fire, which means that this lake of fire will not be extinguished during the 1000 years.

Tormented Day and night forever? What does God mean by this statement? Does this expression always have a literal and absolute meaning of endlessness?

There is a Chronology in Revelation 20, and as has become the case, Seventh-day Adventist church theology ignores this Chronology. The Chronology indicates that after the FIRST RESURRECTION, which is the same as the Daniel 12 resurrection of the righteous dead (dead in Christ), there is an interval of 1000 years that begins at the third coming of Christ(Revelation 19-20:1-10). Satan is bound at the beginning of this one thousand years, so he is unable to deceive the population of the wicked on earth for the duration of the one thousand years. At the end of the one thousand years, Satan is unbound and quickly goes to work to deceive the nations of the earth. They again go to battle, as they did at Armageddon, this time to take New Jerusalem by force. God sends fire from heaven to devour them. Satan is cast into the same lake of fire that the beast and false prophet were cast into at the beginning of the one thousand years. So we have a scenario where during the 1000 years Satan is bound in the bottomless pit, while the beast and false prophet are in the lake of fire, both in this earth, a clear indication that the bottomless pit is not the entire earth, and lake of fire does not cover the entire earth either.

Now comes the next event in the Chronology, the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT. In not following the Chronology of Revelation 20, Seventh-day Adventist church theology assumes that the white throne judgement is the same as God devouring the wicked with fire(verse 9). But this is not the case. To devour is to kill. Therefore the only way ALL THE WICKED will appear at the White throne of God is only by reason of a resurrection. This resurrection occurs after God has devoured the wicked who have been alive during the 1000 years. Then ALL the wicked, both those who went to capture New Jerusalem and  were devoured by the fire from God,  as well as those who had remained dead for the one thousand years, are all brought back to life in the SECOND GRAND RESURRECTION. The FIRST GRAND RESURRECTION is the Daniel 12 resurrection of the righteous, which is the same as the FIRST RESURRECTION of Rev 20. At this resurrection, only a fraction of the wicked dead will be resurrected. This fractional resurrection of the wicked dead is not included as the FIRST grand resurrection(Rev 20).  The phrase and term, “FIRST RESURRECTION” is therefore not to be understood in terms of the word “first” but in terms of the result which is eternal life, hence “RESURRECTION OF ETERNAL LIFE”. Otherwise, one would have to include the fraction of the wicked raised in Daniel 12 by Christ as also those to whom the second death has no power, which will be false.

So, the Great White throne commences with the resurrection of all the wicked at the same time, after God’s fire has devoured those who were alive during the 1000 years and whom Satan deployed to take New Jerusalem by force.  Then, at the conclusion of the Great White throne judgement, all the wicked, death itself, will be destroyed forever. Some will be made to live longer and suffer longer in the lake than fire than others, because as the prophecy says, they are to be judged “according to their works”- (Revelation 20:12). Satan, whose works eclipses every other wicked being, will burn so much longer, “day and night, forever and ever”(verse 10).

The contextual meaning of “day and night, forever and ever”: Without doubt, this phrase indicates at the least, more than a day. But does the phrase mean infinity? Evidently not, because it would be contrary to God’s nature and His word, in which he promises that no sign of sin and its results will exist in the new world and universe. God does not need to employ fear of torment to convince the redeemed to remain righteous forever. The power of His love is enough. The contextual meaning of the phrase is “until a time appointed by God”. God who is perfect in judgement, knows how long Satan is to remain alive and suffer for his long protracted wickedness.