Thus, it is rightly declared, As a cloud melts and vanishes, so he who descends into hell shall go out no more, for often, when sin is committed, despair accompanies it, and the path of return becomes irrevocably severed. The hearts of those in despair are aptly likened to clouds, as they are obscured by the fog of error and laden with further sins; yet, when illuminated by the brilliance of the final judgment, they are swept away like so much chaff.
The term 'home' is commonly recognized as the sanctuary of the heart. For this reason, it is stated to the healed man, Return to your own house, Mark 5:19; for it is essential that the sinner, upon receiving forgiveness, return to their right mind to avoid repeating actions that would subject them to punishment. However, one who has “descended into hell” can no longer access their own heart, being overwhelmed by despair that forces them outside their inner sanctuary. With each passing moment spent away from it, they fall to the depths of despair. Man was created to behold his Creator, continually aspiring to emulate Him and revel in His love. Yet, through disobedience, he has cast himself away from this state, losing his rightful place and wandering in darkness, far from the realm of true light. Therefore, it is aptly stated, And his place shall know him no more Job 7:10.
This 'place' of man transcends a mere location; it refers to the Creator Himself, who designed him to find his existence within Him, a place which man abandoned upon heeding the deceiver and neglecting the love of the Creator. When Almighty God manifested His redemptive work, appearing in human form, man could follow Him back to a place that he had previously forsaken. If the Creator were not in some sense referred to as 'a place,' the Psalmist would not have declared, The children of Thy servants shall dwell there Psalms 101:29. We only refer to 'there' when differentiating spaces in some manner. Many, however, after receiving the Redeemer's aid, still fall into the depths of despair, perishing in a more dire state, as they reject the very means of mercy extended to them. It is rightly proclaimed of the cursed: and his place shall know him no more. He is not recognized by the Creator in His compassion during the harshness of judgment, in equal measure to how he has neglected to remember Him while receiving the gifts of restoring grace.
It is also significant to note that it is not stated, 'he shall know his place no more,' but rather, his place shall know him no more. Since 'knowledge' is attributed to places rather than individuals, the Creator Himself is clearly described as 'place.' In the severity of the final judgment, He will declare to all engaged in iniquity, I know you not, whence ye are Lk. 13:25. Conversely, the elect, recognizing that lost souls will be severed from mercy, diligently purify themselves daily from the taint of their sins. When they see others on the brink of destruction, growing indifferent to the love of life, they are stirred to fervent tears of remorse. Hence it is well added:
THEOSIS