Entry
The Devil / The accuser
What did Jesus mean
The only torment is the torment you choose for yourself.
Where did Jesus say this
Matthew 25:41, 46 — “Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels… And these shall go into everlasting pain: and the righteous into life eternal.”
Words Behind the Words
- In Hebrew, satan translates to “the accuser.” In Greek, devil translates to “accuser” or “slanderer”. They hold the same meaning and same job (just in different languages). And believe it or not, this was an actual position within God’s court. It was a job (similar to a prosecutor’s role in modern court). In other words, it is not some fiery figure beneath us that traps and torments souls forever.
The accuser’s role was to test people. “You say you’re good, but you’re only good because you’re comfortable. If I test you, then we will really know.” That was the situation between Job and his accuser (his Satan). The Satan wanted to apply pressure to Job to see how Job would handle it.
By the way, Job handled it beautifully.
- When we think of a Devil, we think of Hell. However, Hell is not a Greek word. It is a Germanic word that means “the concealed place.” And this should sound off alarm bells.
The Bible was written in Greek and Hebrew. This word came later when Anglo-Saxons needed a “best-fit” word to describe what Jesus was talking about. But that’s a shame. They should have just described what Jesus was referencing instead of picking a word that already had its own otherworldly meaning attached to it.
When Jesus refers to everlasting fire or “hell”, he’s typically referring to “Gehenna.” Gehenna was a real place where man sacrificed children by fire to the god, Molech.
What Jesus did not mean
Jesus did not mean that people go to some fiery death pit to be tormented forever.
How do we know that? Because Jesus never used the word Hell. When he referred to everlasting fire, he was usually referring to a manmade “hell”, and he was not talking about a place God cooked up to enslave the “faithless.”
Jesus also did not mean that there is a Devil running around tormenting us and keeping our friends and family hostage in the underworld somewhere.
How do we know that? Because Satan and Devil meant something completely different in Hebrew and Greek. It was a job, a role, a prosecutor, the accuser. It was a position created to test, not to torment.
That’s why Jesus could call his friend, Peter, Satan:
“Then turned he about and said unto Peter: Come after me, Satan, thou offendest me, because thou savourest not godly things but worldly things.” (Matthew 16:23)
In this conversation, Jesus is drawing a parallel between how Peter is acting and how the Satan of God’s court would act. Peter is resisting Jesus (even if he thinks he’s protecting him). Peter doesn’t want Jesus to go to Jerusalem and die, but Jesus knows he has to. He tells Peter, “come after me” (which just means, follow don’t lead).
Where to start
Stop thinking so literally when it comes to the Bible and the things Jesus did (and did not) say. Do that and you can finally start to see the lessons and warnings for what they are.
“Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels… And these shall go into everlasting pain: and the righteous into life eternal.”
Translation: If you don’t live like me (Jesus), you will enter a state of torment and pain (self-inflicted). This is a state of being that falls in line with the accuser (devil) and his messengers (angels). Your ego will say you aren’t fit. And it will dress up as accusatory friends, as voices in your head, as messages in the world. And this will lead to “everlasting” torment internally. But if you live righteously (be guided by Jesus and choose well), you will know God (life eternal).
Benefits
You can untether yourself from words only created and interpreted to control you, and you can start doing the real work it takes to build a relationship with Jesus, clean the inside of your cup, live inside the Kingdom of God. That is life eternal.
“This is life eternal, that they might know thee, that only very God, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ.” (Tyndale John 17:3)