In Greek Mythology Hades is the god of the dead and he rules over the underworld. In Roman Mythology his name is Pluto. And somewhere along the way people have taken these myths and applied them to the Biblical Devil.
Now when people think of Satan they picture a pitchfork wielding, horned, red, god-like being sitting on a throne in the pit of Hell, controlling the flames which surround him. They imagine him sneering maniacally as he finds new ways to entertain himself by torturing the poor souls whom he has claimed as his own.
But is this actually how the Bible describes Satan? Does the Devil really rule Hell?
Well the Bible does actually answer this specific question in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 20:10: And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (ESV)
The Devil doesn’t get to rule over Hell in the afterlife. Instead, it is a place of torment and punishment for him as well.
The Hades of Greek Mythology may be of comparable power to Zeus, along with a myriad of other gods. But in the Bible God is the only being who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. The Devil is simply a created being whose power does not even come close to God’s power. At some point Satan used his own God-given free-will to act in defiance of God and--in the end--he will be punished for it. In fact, the Bible even says that the lake of fire was prepared specifically for that purpose:
Mathew 25:41 Then he (God) will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (ESV)
The widespread idea that the Devil rules over Hell is just one example of how some cultural perceptions about what the Bible teaches could be terribly misguided. It is important to read through the Bible, yourself. This way you can know for certain what it does or doesn’t say and no one will be able to lead you astray.
2 Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (ESV)
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”