But where has he reserved them? Where are they kept? Let the Word answer: "Reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6. "He hath kept in perpetual chains under thick darkness for the judgment of the great day."-Emphatic Diaglott. "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them unto chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." 2 Pet. 2:4. "For if messengers that sinned God spared not, but, consigning them to the lowest Hades, to pits of gloom delivered them up, for judgment to be kept."-Rotherham. "Cast them into dungeons."-Revised (note). Having cast them to the deepest abyss."'-Interlinear. "Plunging them into Tartarus, delivering them up in chains to be kept in darkness till the judgment."-Sawyer. "Confirming them in Tartarus."-Campbell, McKnight, Emphatic Diaglott.

Whether the word messenger here refers to angelic beings, or to fallen ministers, the truth remains the same. Fallen demons have not yet received their punishment. See Mat. 8:29; Rev. 20:10. These, together with the spirits of wicked men, are reserved-kept-in "chains of thick darkness" in "the lowest Hades." There in "pits of gloom" they await an awful doom, which will fall upon them at the judgment. "Shall burn unto the lowest hell [Sheol, Hebrew; lowest Hades, Greek]."Deut. 32: 22. "Delivered my soul from the lowest hell [Ha

des]." The name of the lowest Hades is Tartarus. The original word is Tartaroo. Confined in Tartarus, wicked spirits and demons are reserved unto the day of judgment to be punished.

No wonder dying skeptics and sinners have uttered words in their last breath like the following: "I am taking an awful leap into the dark." As such are forced out from the clay covering into the spirit. world, and know of a certainty the fearful doom that awaits them, and then view their past life just closed in rebellion against the throne of God, the harvest past, the summer ended, the flames of a guilty conscience already torment them. This is the dark realm into which the rich man passed at death. "For in hell [Hades] he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." It is an actual "place of torment." Luke 16:28. Lost spirits writhe beneath the piercing gaze of him whose mercy they have slighted. With the fires of hell already kindled in their bosom, and a fearful "looking for of judgment," when they will hear the sentence, "Depart from me into everlasting fire," these guilty souls in Hades are already tormented in an awful flame.

But we also read of Christ, "that his soul was not left in hell [Hades], neither his flesh did see corruption." Acts 2:27, 31. Mark the fact, that while Christ's body was in the sepulcher, his soul was in Hades. His body in the tomb was not permitted to see corruption (decomposition), neither was his soul left in Hades. But Jesus and the converted

thief were together in Paradise. So Paradise must be in Hades.

where

This opens to our mind a vein of truth which it will be necessary to examine. Hades is very improperly translated hell in the common version. It never once in the New Testament applies to the state of man beyond the judgment. The word which denotes the future and eternal doom of the wicked beyond the judgment is Gehenna. The literal mean ing of the word Hades is "invisible." It is defined, "The unseen world; the unseen state." In fact, it is the world of all departed spirits, the place where they go at the death of the body. The regular Hebrew word for grave is geber. The regular Greek word is mnemeion. There are a few texts, however, in the Old Testament "Sheol," the Hebrew counterpart of the Greek "Hades," is used out of its regular order, and very properly applies to the grave; as in Gen. 42:38; 44: 29, 31; Psa. 49:14. But, after a critical examination in the light of truth, we are clearly led to the conclusion that "Sheol" properly applies to the state of the soul, not of the body. To substitute "grave" for "Sheol" in Psa. 9: 17 would be ridiculous. In all the following texts "Sheol" applies to the state of the soul, not the body. Deut. 32:22; 2 Sam. 22:6; Psa. 16:10; 18:5; 86:13; Prov. 7:27, 9:18; 23:14; Isa. 5:14; 14:9; 14:15; 28:15, 18; Ezek. 31: 16; 32: 21; Gen. 37: 35; Psa. 30:3; 49: 15; 89:48. In none of these texts does "Sheol" apply to

the grave, although the last four are so translated in the common version.

The word Hades occurs eleven times in the New Testament. Mat. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16: 23; Acts 2: 27, 31; Rev. 1: 18; 6: 8; 20: 13, 14; 1 Cor. 15:55. With the possible exception of the last text, not one of these scriptures apply to the grave. It is very clear to our mind that even the last text does not apply to the grave.

As observed in a previous chapter, there are three states of human spirits. The second is the state in which human spirits are separated from their animal bodies. This commences at death and terminates with the resurrection of the body, and is precisely what is called "Hades." But Hades not only signifies a state, but the place of departed spirits. The third state of human spirits commences with the reunion of spirit and body at the resurrection, and continues ever after. Hades is said to be destroyed when the third state commences. Its termination is clearly foretold by John in these words: "Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Rev. 20: 14.

To say, as the common version reads, that death and hell were cast into hell (the lake of fire), is very absurd and unintelligible. In anticipation of the termination of Hades, Paul exclaims: "O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?” 1 Cor. 15:55. The passage from which Paul quotes is Hos. 13:14, and reads: "I will ransom them from

the power of the grave [Hades], I will redeem them. from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave [Hades], I will be thy destruction." The LXX., from which Paul quotes, reads thus: "I will deliver them from the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is thy penalty, O death! O Hades, where is thy sting?" O death, thy power to separate spirits from their bodies is no more! O Hades, thy dominion over disembodied souls is destroyed."

The grave (geber) is the receptacle of the body. while the unseen world [Hades] is the receptacle. of the soul. By consulting Jewish historians (Josephus and others) it will be seen that this was the doctrine of the Jewish people at the time of Christ. Also by consulting the united testimony of the early Church Fathers it will be seen that this was their understanding of Scripture. When the Hebrews mingled with the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, they naturally came into their use of terms, and adopted them. Thus it was that the terms "Paradise," "Abraham's bosom," "Tartarus," etc., came to be commonly used among the Jews when referring to the state of the blessed or wicked after death.

In the city of Babylon, where the Hebrews were captives seventy years, there was a place of recreation, or rest, for king Nebuchadnezzar and his court; a place of shady trees and blooming flowers. In this place the king and his court retired for rest and recreation from the hard toils and responsibilities