Hell

Scriptural discussion of Hell What does the Bible reveal about Hell? A wonderful, thorough survey of all Scripture says about this place of the dead, dispelling myth and revealing the love and goodness of God towards men.
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What the Bible really says about HELL

Who Is in Charge of Hell?

All the biblical evidence points to the conclusion that God is in complete control of Hell. For a start, Solomon said, "Sheol and Destruction lie open before the Lord" (Prov. 15:11), and Job said, "Sheol is naked before Him" (Job 26:6). Reason tells us that if Hell is "open and naked" before God, then He knows everything that happens there and knows everyone who is in it, and that implies control. But in 1Samuel 2:6, Hannah settled the issue when she said, "The Lord kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up." Later in Israel's history, David and Ezekiel were among those who agreed with Hannah that God is the one who casts people down into Hell (Ps. 55:23; Ezek. 31:16).

David made it plain, as Job and Solomon did, that if anyone thinks he can hide from God in Hell, he is badly mistaken. He wrote in Psalm 139:8, "If I ascend up into Heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there." The Lord Himself said of certain wicked people, "If they dig down to Sheol, from there my hand will take them; if they climb up to Heaven, from there I will bring them down" (Amos 9:2). And in the last book of the Bible, Jesus declared conclusively, "I hold the keys of Death and of Hell" (Rev. 1:18). One last bit of biblical information showing that God's power over Hell is absolute is found in Hosea 13:14. There, God promised that at some time in the future, He will utterly destroy that awful place. Exactly how God will accomplish this mighty feat is revealed only near the end of Revelation.

Surprisingly, the Scriptures do not paint a picture of Satan as having anything to do with Hell. In fact, virtually all of the evidence shows that he will never even go there2. According to Satan's own words to God (Job 1:7; 2:2), he is "roaming through the earth and walking around on it." If the Devil was in Hell, there would be no point in the apostle's warning, "Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, is walking about, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pet. 5:8). The Bible is consistent in maintaining that when the Devil was cast out of Heaven, he was cast onto the earth, not into Hell (Rev. 12:7-12), and there is no indication that he has dwelt anywhere else but on earth since the time he was cast out of God's presence. Moreover, at the close of this age, Satan will still not be cast into Hell but will be cast directly into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10), which is not Hell but a place into which Hell itself will ultimately be cast (Rev. 20:14). This is how God will fulfill His promise to destroy Hell; He will cast it into the Lake of Fire.3

So, the answer to our question, "Who is in charge of Hell?", is that God alone is in charge.