A Punishment Worse Than Death

Perhaps Lucifer's sin should not be called
The 'war in heaven', for that phrase implies
Violence between hosts, bloody bodies mauled,
Rampant carnage, the dead heaped to the skies!
War on earth is like that, but not on high;
The angels are made of sterner stuff;
They never need rest, sleep, and never die;
And the word of the Lord is food enough!
From heaven to hell the rebels were cast;
No worse fate could any creature receive;
All chance for redemption forever past,
Positions with God they never retrieve!
I am sure the fallen angels would agree,
Death is better than their exiles will be!


"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down---that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray..." (Revelation 12:7-9)


The "dragon" refers to the "angel of light", or Lucifer, who was chief among God's angels; through his treason one third of the angels in heaven were expelled from the dwelling place of God. They were sent first to earth; here they continue opposing God by deceiving men and women into ignoring Jesus Christ and living sinfully, for which they will be condemned to hell with the fallen angels. Hell is described as a lake of burning sulphur in the Bible, prepared as a place of torment for the devil and his angels.

Many wonder why God did not kill them for trying to take the kingdom away from Him. He created them, and He certainly could have uncreated them; however, being forced to live in separation from God for eternity is a punishment worse than death. The Bible tells of two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, which were so wicked only one righteous man---Lot---could be found among their residents. Residing in either one must have been horrible for anybody. It would be like living in this world without churches and their influence upon morals, laws, and decency. There actually is a day coming when all Christians and the Holy Spirit will be called up from earth by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming, leaving only those who have rejected God. It is a terrible time for earth's remaining inhabitants, but it will not last long.

From hell's description, it seems that its torment will be a result of the fire from the burning lake, but probably not. Remember Moses saw a bush in the desert burning, but it was not consumed. The Bible speaks of fire surrounding God upon the throne, but it is not consumed. No, the biggest torment that hell has to offer is its separation from God. There will be no policemen in hell to keep order; no righteous officials or courts to protect residents from any who take the law into their own hands. There will be many prayers upraised to heaven, but they will not reach the ears of God; no relief from calamity will be available throughout the endless eons of eternity. I think God knew exactly what He was doing in punishing Lucifer and his followers.