What Is The Bottomless Pit?

Name: Dorothy
Question: Dear Brandon, could you please explain the “bottomless pit” mentioned so many times in the Bible? God Bless and Thank You.

Answer: Thank you for the question Dorothy.

The bottomless pit is the prison for Satan and his angels.

Satan’s angels are also known as the Locust Army in this context. However, the bottomless pit is not literal. Rather, the bottomless pit is more symbolic in nature, and it indicates the fallen state of Satan and his angels.

Let’s read a little about it.

The Angel And Locusts Of The Pit

Turn your Bible with me to,

Revelation 9:2-3
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.

3 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.

This is future prophecy, and when it becomes a reality, the Tribulation will have begun. The locusts represent Satan’s angels who are cast to earth with him, (Revelation 12:7-9).

In fact, these angels that are symbolic of locusts will number at 200 million when they appear on earth, (Revelation 9:16).

Let’s have the next verse.

Revelation 9:11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Who is this king, who is the angel of the bottomless pit?

Let’s find out by looking up the meaning of his two names.

• “Abaddon” means “a destroying angel.”
• “Apollyon” means “a destroyer (that is, Satan).”

There we have it.

Satan is the angel of the bottomless pit. This means, Satan is confined to this pit along with his angels, even today.

So where is the bottomless pit?

It is certainly in Heaven, which may put off some Christians. Yet, Revelation 12:7-9 clearly explains, Satan’s cast out of Heaven (and his angels), which means, Heaven is their habitation.

Moreover, if we read Revelation 12:10, look what we find there.

“The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

The “accuser” is Satan.

That indicates, while Satan and his angels are bound in “prison,” Satan must have access to God in order for him to ‘accuse our brethren’ “before” Him.

This word “before” can even mean “in the presence or sight” of God.

This might be hard for some Christians to grasp, Satan within an earshot of God?

Yet, that is what Scripture declares.

A Symbolic Bottomless Pit

When we study Scripture, it is important to remember God communicates to us in a way that we can comprehend and relate to our world.

When we think about prison, we think of cells, walls, and fences.

Those sorts of measures are only required for men on earth.

God’s prison is far different than our own. If God says, “do not move,” the entity must obey His Command. So Satan can still be bound to this “bottomless pit,” while being in the “sight” of God.

To better understand that concept, I would encourage you to recall the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man, (Luke 16:19-31). While the Rich Man was on the wrong side of the Gulf in Heaven, he could still see the good side of Heaven.

In fact, the Rich Man could actually see Lazarus hugging Abraham from the other side.

Therefore, the Rich Man was within “sight” of them.

Fallen Angels Are Bound To The Pit

Since we have discussed Satan and his angels being unlocked from the bottomless pit during the Tribulation, I want to draw an important distinction.

There is a difference between Satan’s angels, and his Fallen Angels.

Let’s read about the Fallen Angels.

Jude 1:6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

These are the wicked angels who became “fallen” when they left Heaven and came to earth during the days of Noah. Notice, this group of angels, the Fallen Angels are “reserved in everlasting chains” until “judgement”.

So the Fallen Angels will not be unlocked, as they are “reserved in everlasting chains”.

2 Peter 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

2 Peter discusses the same group of wicked angels. The Fallen Angels have already been judged by God, they are simply awaiting their execution date. This occurs either after the Tribulation, or at the end of the Millennium along with everyone else who failed God.

The Bottomless Pit During The Millennium

As the Tribulation comes to an end with the arrival of Jesus Christ, let’s see what happens to Satan.

Revelation 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Once Jesus returns, Satan is once again bound to the bottomless pit for a thousand years. That’s the Millennium, where the Saints of God and Christ will reign with Jesus for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:3
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Fortunately, during that entire time. Satan will have no influence over God’s children, being shut away, in the bottomless pit.