The outer darkness is never said to be cast into the lake of fire.
It’s possible that “outer darkness” is a separate place or compartment within the realm of hell or Sheol.
Outer darkness would not be the place of torments that the rich man went to in Luke 16:19-31 (because there is light there as a result of the fire), but outer darkness could possibly be another section within hell that is completely dark or black (with the absense of any light).
In either case, if ”outer darkness” is an entirely different place outside of the place of torments or it is not in hell (Luke 16:19-31), that does not mean that unfaithful believers are not cast into the Lake of Fire at a later time. As I shown before, we see in Matthew 25:30 in the Parable of the Talents, the unprofitable servant is cast into outer dakrness. Yet, in the same chapter in Matthew 25 in the sheep and goats parable, we see that the believers who did not help the poor in this life are said to go away into everlasting punishment involving Gehenna fire (Which is the Lake of Fire). So we see a progression in this chapter of the fate of believers who choose to later become unfruitful for God.
In other words, “outer darkness” appears to be a temporary holding place of punishment exclusively for unfaithful believers which exists (According to Scripture) starting at the marriage to the Lamb, and continues all the way through the Millennium or the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Then after the Millennium and the Judgment happens, the unprofitable servants will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be destroyed or annihilated (Along with wicked unbelievers). Note: Satan and his minions will also be annihilated in the end, as well. On the New Earth, there will be a time where no more evil will exist anymore. It will be only God’s good ways.
Im trying to see if I can gain any more understanding, so I’m gathering the verses I think may talk about the outer darkness.
1 Samuel 2 - He watches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a person prevail.
1 Samuel 2:9 appears to be a general reference to the wicked and it is not referring to the unprofitable servants (or unfaithful believers). In the OT times (Because the Israelite fought many battles): This could be in reference to how they live on this Earth while their enemies perished.
Silenced in darkness. Not thrown into the fire. And who does the verse say the wicked are? Those who try to prevail by their own might. I see this as saying they don’t look for the strength and power of God to prevail but labor in their own strength and their confidence in their own ability to prevail with God. The verse is a bit difficult for me because I have always seemed to have the thought that the wicked go to the lake of fire rather than the outer darkness so…I’m working on getting it settled within me better. I guess I also think there’s a difference between having confidence in yourself silently or having that confidence and leading OTHERS to it. In other words, are you harming just yourself or are you also harming the destiny of others? Thinking you can see is one thing but telling others you can see and can help them is another thing.
The Bible has homonyms or related words within in it. Just because something sounds similar or even uses the same phrase does not mean it is always referring to the exact same thing. The word “repent” does not always have the same meaning. ”Sons of God’ can refer to angels in the BIble, and it can also refer to believers. The context determines their use.
2 Peter 2 - These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.
Jude 1:13 is a verse that is missed by many on this study or topic. This again shows that these are believers who were once born again and yet they later became dead spiritually (Whereby their fate is outer darkness). These Christians feed themselves and go even unnoticed amongst the faithful believers.
Jude 1:12-13
12 ”These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds
they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
Notice in verse 12, it says they are…
#1. Twice dead.
#2. Plucked up by the roots.
They are twice dead because they were dead spiritually a first time before coming to Christ and being born again, and then they later in their walk with God died spiritually a second time due to them being unfaithful. It says that they feed themselves without fear. Sounds like Christianity today. They don’t fear God. They believe they can sin and still be saved on some level or they sing the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) song (Which leads a person to treat His grace as a license for immorality on some level). Salvation is not conditional in their view. They see it in terms of once you are born again, then you need not ever worry about how you live because God will just force you to be a certain way.
They are “plucked up by the roots.” This points back to the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, and Luke 8. The sower is the Son of Man (Jesus) according to another parable in Matthew 13. Luke 8 says the seed is the Word of God (i.e., the Communicated Word - like Scripture). For faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). So these unfaithful believers once had root in God’s Word in the beginning when they first started out on the milk of the Word, but they did not move on to the meat of the Word and they became “plucked up by the roots.” We know that those in the parable of the sower who fell away and did not produce fruit shows that they simply believed only for a while. Meaning, they did not continue to believe God their whole life. They started out good (like King Saul), but then they later fell away from God due to their refusal to hear God’s words that they did not like to hear. This again is the predicament of Christianity today. They like the message of God’s grace, but then when it comes to the call of Sanctification in living holy by the Spirit as a part of God’s plan of salvation, they turn their noises up at it. See 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, Romans 8:13, 2 Corinthians 7:1, and Galatians 6:8-9.
Job 18 - He is driven from light into darkness, And chased from the inhabited world.
This is Job 18:18. It appears again, like 1 Samuel 2:9, to be in reference to the wicked in general (See Job 18:5), and not in reference to servants of God who are unproftiable (i.e., believers who are unprofitable). In this verse, it appears to show that the wicked are simply perishing physically from this world. Again, in the OT times: God’s people fought battles against their enemies, and won the battle if they had faith and trust in God.
I also have in mind that the outer darkness is the prison spoken of that a man who doesn’t extend to another the forgiveness that he has been given is thrown into, which he won’t escape until he pays his own debt, which is reinstated because of what he did.
I’m not certain it’s the outer darkness but I have never found anything else I think this prison can be.
So next I’m going to gather the verses about prison.
In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35: It is not said that the the unforgiving servant would go free after he paid all his debt. It merely says that he would be delivered from the tormentors (which most likely would be demons) until all the debt that was due unto Him (the LORD) was paid. So I get the impression that the demons may stop tormenting the unforgiving servant in outer darkness until the debt to the LORD is satisfied. It does not mean they will go free from outer darkness or be saved and enter the Kingdom later. Outer darkness is not a purgatory. Purgatory is not biblical. Remember, in Matthew 6:15, it says “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” You cannot be unforgiven and yet also saved or have eternal life. Jesus gives us these kinds of warnings because they actually matter to us as believers. Salvation is conditional and it is not always a one time event for all people.
