THE BOTTOMLESS PIT
Proof is often asked for statements made that hell is located in the
center of the earth. John, as recorded in the 20th chapter of
Revelation, said,
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
BOTTOMLESS PIT and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him
a thousand years, 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."
Where else could the bottomless pit be but in the center of this
earth, when it is implicitly stated that the angel came down from
heaven with the chain to bind Satan? Ours is the sphere for which he
is contending and where he has so long deceived the nations. Where
else could the angel lock him up but on the inside of the earth?
In the 16th chapter of Numbers we have an account of Korah's company,
who murmured and rebelled against the Lord, and Moses, in trying to
show how great was their crime against God, said,
"If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited
after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me. But
if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and
swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down
quick into the PIT; then ye shall understand that these men have
provoked the Lord.
"And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these
words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them. And the
earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and
all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They,
and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the PIT, and
the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the
congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the
cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also."
[Illustration: GROTTO GEYSER © _Haynes, St. Paul_]
In the first chapter of Job, we have an account of a controversy
between the Lord and Satan. And the Lord said unto Satan,
"Whence comest thou?"
Then Satan answered, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it."
The Lord asked Satan if he had considered His servant Job, a perfect
and an upright man, one who "feareth God, and escheweth evil."
Satan, unwilling to admit Job's loyalty to God, said,
"Hast not thou made an hedge about him, ... on every side? thou hast
blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the
land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face."
The Lord took the challenge, and said,
"Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not
forth thine hand."
It follows that calamity fell upon Job's household, and he lost his
sons and his daughters and all that he had. And again Satan presented
himself before the Lord, after he had lost in the battle with Job, who
maintained his integrity through his afflictions, and sinned not nor
charged God foolishly.
The second time the Lord said unto Satan,
"Whence comest thou?"
And again the answer was, "From going to and fro in the earth, and
from walking up and down in it."
Here is an admission from Satan himself which proves without a doubt
where he dwells; and it is here that the mighty angel will capture him
and bind him with a great chain and lock him up in the center of this
earth for a thousand years. It is comforting to know that Job won in
the second battle, after Satan had afflicted him with boils from the
soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and so will Satan be
defeated at the closing up of this age, when judgments shall fall upon
the wicked, as upon Korah's company, and great demonstrations of God's
power be seen and felt.
Jude speaks of the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitations (that is, came down to earth) whom God "hath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day." He also makes mention of the inhabitants of Sodom and
Gomorrah, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. These are but a
few of the instances mentioned in the Scriptures showing the location
of hell, which is the abode of the wicked, and where Diabolus has his
throne.
[Illustration: SAPPHIRE POOL--BISCUIT BASIN © _Haynes, St. Paul_]
The impression that was made on the explorers of the Yellowstone
regions is indicated by certain names that were given to some places,
such as "Devil's Kitchen," "Devil's Frying Pan," "Black Growler,"
"Hell Broth Springs," "Devil's Hoof," "Devil's Inkwell," "Hell's Half
Acre," etc.
That the suggestion of these things should be a mere freak, or fancy
of the mind is out of the question, when there is so much scriptural
proof to the contrary.
Man has been created in the image of God, and a little lower than the
angels (Heb. 2:7). There is a voice that speaks to the soul when all
others are hushed. Intuitively he knows that punishment awaits the
wicked, however much he may try to stifle his conscience and evade the
issue.
The only way to escape the wrath that is to come, is through the
atoning blood, the efficacy of which is proved when conditions are
met. "Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22).
[Illustration: PUNCH BOWL © _Haynes, St. Paul_]
The PUNCH BOWL is situated in a narrow divide in the valley. Its rim
is ornamented with yellow, saffron, and red. It is one of the gems of
beauty in the upper basin, and is so located as to revive the spirits
of those who, starting out on foot, from the Upper Basin Camp and Old
Faithful Inn, have grown weary in making the tour. When our guide
called it out, I felt that I could go no farther without resting, but
after tarrying a few minutes, and admiring its beauty, I was
refreshed. I was, perhaps, the only one in the company who was
overtaxed physically, and had to trust to the good will of the guide
not to leave me too far behind. He kindly took notice, and halted,
giving everybody a few minutes to rest, while he explained the
scientific action of the geysers.
These beautiful springs in remote places reminded me of the gems of
salvation that are obtained only through sacrifice and suffering.
There is always a price to be paid for anything that is of worth. It
cost me something to visit some of them on foot, but I was well paid.
After leaving the Punch Bowl we followed the trail down across the
bridge where a number of surprises awaited us. The HANDKERCHIEF POOL,
which is sometimes called the LAUNDRY, was among them. We threw our
handkerchiefs in and they were carried down into the opening, and then
brought back and delivered, as carefully as if they were being handled
by unseen hands.
[Illustration: HANDKERCHIEF POOL © _Haynes, St. Paul_]
EMERALD POOL is not far from the Handkerchief Spring, and is by far
the most beautiful in the upper basin. It thrilled me as I looked at
it from different angles, blending from a deep green in the center to
yellow toward the edge. The formations around the pool are red, the
water is hot, but never boils, and slightly overflows.
CLIFF SPRING boils violently. Some people call it a geyser, but it is
supposed to be only a spring.
BLACK SAND SPRING and SPECIMEN LAKE simply defy language in trying to
describe them, the coloring presents such remarkable varieties. The
extremely delicate pinks are mingled with equally delicate tints of
saffron and yellow, with here and there shades of green.
While the springs in this neighborhood are fascinating in the extreme,
we did not tarry long, as it was nearly noon, and our guide said we
would have to hasten.
When the party started toward Old Faithful Inn and the camp, I
decided to take my time and go alone. I had gone only a short distance
through the wood when a harmless snake crossed my path. It frightened
me, and I tried to kill it, but did not succeed. There was a
significance to me in running on to the reptile; it settled something
in my mind, whereas I had not as yet been able to come to a decision;
and I took it as being among the all things that work together for
good to them that love God and who are the called according to His
purpose.
On my way to the camp, I came to three boiling pools, and was
surprised that no mention had been made of them on the tour. Later, I
learned that they were the THREE SISTERS, not far from Castle Geyser
on the road leading from Riverside Geyser, to Old Faithful Inn.
I stopped at Haynes' Picture Shop. Here I saw some marvelous specimens
of art, showing the wonders of the Yellowstone, but none, of course,
could do justice to what I had seen.
To finish up the tour it would take another day, but our time was
limited, and as we had spent a day at Cody and the weather was getting
cool, we decided to leave in the afternoon.
[Illustration: EMERALD POOL © _Haynes, St. Paul_]
Among some of the attractions that we would have to miss in not
finishing the tour to Yellowstone Lake, were Kepler Cascade, Two Ocean
Pond, Moose Fall, and the Continental Divide which extends from Canada
to Mexico.
At the THUMB there are several geyser cones, springs, and paint pots.
The FISHING CONE with a boiling spring in the center, is surrounded by
the cold water of the lake. At one time fishermen, without moving out
of their tracks caught fish from the lake and swung them into the
spring where they were cooked while still on the hook. This practice,
however, is now prohibited by law.