What is a Bottomless Pit?

According to Christian theology, the Devil or Satan was an archangel who tried to take control of God's kingdom but was summarily cast out of Heaven. Many people believe God sent this fallen angel to a place of endless torment and sorrow, often described as Hell, Hades or the abyss. Because of the dark and seemingly endless nature of this abyss, it has also been referred to as a bottomless pit. In the New Testament Book of Revelations, the Devil is portrayed as a demon who rules over lost souls in a bottomless pit of despair.

The use of the term bottomless pit to describe the great abyss is generally considered more figurative than literal. To those who peer into the seemingly impenetrable darkness of a giant cave or pool of water, there may be no apparent end or bottom in sight. The bottomless pit described by John in the Book of Revelations represented the final destination of souls who did not find spiritual salvation while alive.

Over the centuries, the description bottomless pit has come to have several different connotations. Some people may be described as bottomless pits of emotional need or bottomless pits of hunger, for example. A seemingly endless resource could also be described as a bottomless pit, as in the case of governmental paperwork or an employee's workload. No one knows where all of this material is generated, and no one knows when it will ever end.

There are also some popular tourist attractions which are billed as bottomless pits. These attractions are gaping holes in the Earth created through natural processes, such as underground springs or volcanic activity. Because these holes can be quite deep and impenetrable, it is easy to see why they are promoted as bottomless pits. Many rumors and myths arise from the discovery of a "bottomless pit," from lost automobiles and planes to the purported sounds of actual tormented souls crying out from the abyss.

A truly bottomless pit would defy the known laws of gravity and physics, since it would have to extend through both sides of Earth, and any objects placed in it would eventually come to a stop in the Earth's center core. As for now, the bottomless pit or abyss serves primarily as a tangible representation of eternal suffering and damnation.