A Quick Thought: Satan doesn't rule in hell, but is tortured there...

Our culture is pretty confused about Hell. So often we see it as a place of flames where Satan and his demons are in charge and they spend their time torturing human souls. But that is not Biblical at all. When one takes a quick peek in the Bible we find a very different reason for the construction of hell:

"Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt 25:41

Jesus in this passage is clearly stating that hell was created for the devil and angels as a place of torment for their rebellion and the way they have tortured others. Hell was not originally created for human souls. However, culturally, we often think of hell as the lair of Satan from which he directs his demonic slaves.

Perhaps it is because of people like Gary Larson who writes comics about various subjects? So often we see a cartoon of his depicting the flames of hell with Satan standing idly by as if in charge. Such a lie! Satan won't have a second of peace because the torture will be so extreme he won't even be able to focus on a single thought consistently for even a moment!

I remember one cartoon of The Far Side that clued me into this cultural lie. A human is doing some work moving rocks with a wheel barrow among the flames of hell. Somehow he is whistling as he 'works.' Satan is standing by talking to another demon saying, "I don't think we are reaching this guy!"

You know, I laughed for a moment. Then I became aware that I was laughing at something that was a lie. Satan isn't in charge in hell. He isn't in charge any more than the convicted rapist and mass murderer who is sentenced to death sitting in the electric chair is in charge! That is just the deception that Satan is spreading in this world to confuse people. And Satan loves deception. It is one of his primary tools... for now.

It is funny isn't it? How often humor is used in  a very crafty way to fill our minds and hearts with lies? That is a play on words. It isn't funny at all! It is demonic. Satan is no dummy and he is fully aware of how to use 'humor' to make us laugh and ingest evil values and lies. And it is no joke. We fill our minds with cartoons and movies containing images and values that are as immoral, evil and sexually twisted as anyone could imagine. And some of us laugh all the way to hell. That is the sad part. Because God loves human but often we follow Satan.

Crazy huh?