Paul says Jesus was in the abyss=abussos=bottomless pit, depths of the earth
5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). [Romans 10]
So was Jonah--this is a place cast out of the sight of God. [Jonah 2:3,4]
SO THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS
THE HEART Everything God has created consists of many "parts." The geologist can explain to you the many "parts" of planet earth. The botanist is able to give you the names and functions of the various "parts" of a flower. The astronomer will point out the many billions of "parts" that make up the vast universe. God has also created man with many "parts." These are not just the physical parts or organs of the body, but also parts of the mind or soul, and parts of the spirit. Do not think that the term "parts" in respect to our inner life originated with me! The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Jeremiah with this promise, "I will put my law in their inward parts" (Jer. 31:33). He is not referring to the inward parts of our body, but to the innermost parts of our sense of being. God also says that He will write His laws in our heart. The question follows — What are the inward parts, and what is the heart?
Jesus said that the very first commandment is this: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul…" (Mk. 12:30). Here we see two different parts of our being — the heart and the soul. Obviously each of these also has parts, for the command is to love the Lord with all (the parts of) our heart, and all (the parts of) our soul! These are both "inward parts" of our being and not outward physical parts of our body. The three main parts or divisions of man are body, soul, and spirit. Yet each of these has many parts! It is easy to realize that the body has many parts, but most people have not considered that the soul and the spirit must also have parts! And there are parts beyond these which are called the "hidden parts." "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Ps. 51:6). According to the intent of this passage, and others, the word "heart" does not refer to the physical organ located in our chest that pumps blood through our body. A study of the use of this word in the scriptures will show this to be true. The heart in scripture is the interior portion of a person. In the Old Testament, the word "heart" comes from the Hebrew word leb. According to Strong's Concordance, that word is used very widely for the feelings, the will, the intellect, and the nature. That word is taken from a prime root word meaning "to be enclosed." It has reference to the deepest and most profound interior of a person!
As to the heart, it is deeper than the mere mind or soul. With my mind I can think about many things, both good and evil. All kinds of thoughts can present themselves in the mind! Often these thoughts do not represent the kind of person we really are. A wicked thought might pass through my mind, but that does not mean that I would seriously consider committing any crime or doing some evil. Many of our thoughts are mundane and can be easily dismissed. But when the "heart" thinks the wise man said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, SO IS HE!" (Prov. 23:7). Many scriptures speak of the thoughts of the heart! The heart also has "purposes," "intents," "emotions," and "conscience."
One of the greatest mysteries in the word of God is found in Ezekiel 36:25-30 wherein we read, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them…I will also save you from all your uncleannesses…" This wonderful passage teaches us that there is more than one heart. There is an old heart and there is a new heart! The old heart is the deepest part of being in the life of old Adam. The new heart is the deepest part of being of Christ in our spirit!
The old heart is the deepest and innermost sense of being, of the natural man. This heart is the root of all human expression and identity. It is also the well-spring of what is called "human nature." Of that nature Jesus said, "Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mk. 7:18-23). Our hearts are a bad neighborhood that we dare not walk around in alone! You don't think there is a wickedness of the human heart that lies deeper than the outward sins of the flesh? Then consider and meditate for a while on these significant words of Jesus, "I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Mat. 5:28).
That the "bottomless pit" or the "abyss" in the symbolisms of scripture portrays the human heart is beautifully confirmed by the words of the prophet David. David, in describing the wickedness of man, says, "Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity…they encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search (plumbing the depths): both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, IS DEEP" (Ps. 64:2-6). The heart is a deep! The Hebrew word here for deep is amoq meaning not only something deep, but "deeper than" other things. It is used in Job 11:8 of that which is "deeper than hell." Again we find it used in this way, "He discovereth deep (amoq) things out of darkness" (Job 12:22). Then in Ecclesiastes 7:24 it refers to "that which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?" In all these passages there is a suggestion of both the words of Jeremiah and David that the heart of man is not only very deep, but that the depths are unfathomable — beyond the comprehension of any other than God Himself!
We must conclude, then, that the heart of man is the very lowest realm of man's being! Sometimes the Lord's elect fail to see that our natural heart is just like anyone else's Adamic heart, and every son of God must clearly see, understand, and overcome the very basest things and powers that lie hidden, concealed, and buried in the unseen depths of the old, natural heart. Thank God, Jesus holds the key, it is He who opens the abyss, and brings forth the revelation of all that is lurking there! As John in spirit beheld the scene, the Lord Jesus, receiving the key, opened the abyss and "there arose smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace" (Rev. 9:2). That this bottomless pit is the heart of man is further confirmed by the words of Hosea who wrote of backsliding Israel, "they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness…for they have made ready their heart as an oven" (Hos. 7:6). The word here translated "oven" is, in the Hebrew, "furnace." We see, then, the bottomless pit identified as a furnace in the words of the apostle John, and the heart of man identified as the furnace by the prophet Hosea, and from this furnace of man's heart rolls billows of smoke!
Yet, Jesus also said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt. 5:8). Pure in heart!
