Questions:

1. God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Tarturus
according to 2 Peter 2:4. If God sends angels to Tarturus when they become
bad, is Satan the only spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realm that
we are fighting against?

4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[
a] putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 2 Peter 2:4
a: Greek
Tarturus

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12

2. Samuel tells Saul that he has become an enemy of God in verse 16 of 1
Samuel 28. Samuel then tells Saul that he and his sons will be with Samuel
the next day. If Saul is an enemy of God, how can he go to be with Samuel
after he dies, assuming Samuel is in paradise?

David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “?The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your
feet.”? Luke 20:41-43

16 Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away
from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted
through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it
to one of your neighbors?to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or
carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this
to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israeland you to the
Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will
also hand over the army of Israelto the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 28:16-19

Answers:

First of all, let me deal with Tartarus, also known as Hades.
Unfortunately, the NIV translates the Greek word tartaros as hell. To us,
the word hell generally means the place of eternal judgment at the end of
days. Peter is almost certainly not talking about hell, because these
angels are “held for judgment” in Hades. Let me give a general comment
which is the both the Old and the New Testament is somewhat oblique about
the place of waiting for judgment. The Old Testament talks about Sheol
and Abaddon. Jesus talked about Paradise and Hades (Luke 3:43).
Apparently, Peter is referring to some rebellious angels who are, in some
sense which is very hard for us to be sure, in a pre-judged state in Hades
(Tartarus). Does this mean that all other evil forces other than Satan
are already in Hades? I say no. A couple of passages come to mind right
away. You quoted one of them. Ephesians 6:11,12 states that we are in a
battle against spiritual forces (plural) of evil. Paul does not name
these forces, but I can only assume that they are some of the legions of
darkness in league with Satan–angels of darkness. 2 Corinthains 10:4
seems to hint at multiple spiritual enemies. Romans 8:38 seems to label
these evil angels as demons. Apparently, these evil angels are still at
work on humans on the earth.

In the end, I believe we should be careful not to make very strong
conclusions about the fate of angels because the Bible does not make
really clear cut statements. To some extent it is not really all that
important to our lives. I am not sure of a practical thing I can do or
not do one way or another with my knowledge about the ulitmate fate of
angels. Perhaps God has allowed the scripture to be a little vague on
these points because they are not of great practical importance for us.

I will recommend a really good resource on this topic which just came our
a few months ago. Doug Jacoby has a new 4 CD set on the biblical teaching
about the afterlife–especially about Paradise and Hades. You can get
this at www.ipibooks.com.

On the second question, I believe that Samuel is telling Saul that he will
be with him in the place of waiting (known as Sheol or Abaddon or Paradise
or Hades) the next day. It is worth remembering that the Bible describes
two “places” of waiting. Basically, Samuel is telling Saul that he will
be dead–he will be on the other side tomorrow. In the parable of the
rich man and Lazarus, the rich man in Hades is able to see Abraham and
Lazarus in Paradise. I would be careful not to take this parable too
literally, but it may help you to understand what Samuel is saying to Saul
in 1 Samuel 28. If I had to guess, I believe that Samuel is in Paradise,
while Saul is in Hades, but I am not in a place to judge.

John Oakes