As we continue our journey through the realms of Hell, I want to briefly revisit the seventh circle before we plunge into what lies beyond—the horrifying depths of the eighth, the circle of fraud and deception. Both Dante Alighieri and my husband, Dexter, bore witness to this descent in their separate yet eerily parallel experiences.

The Seventh Circle of Hell, described in Inferno Cantos XII–XVI, is the domain of the violent—those who shed blood, destroyed life, or turned their fury inward. It is divided into three rings: the river of boiling blood for the violent against others; the forest of the suicides for the violent against themselves; and the burning desert, where blasphemers suffer beneath a rain of fire. Each punishment mirrors the sin. As Scripture reminds us, “Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

But as horrific as these punishments are, both Dante and Dexter saw that there was something even darker beyond them.

The Great Waterfall of Blood and Fire

At the edge of the Seventh Circle lies a terrible precipice—a monstrous waterfall where rivers of boiling blood merge with torrents of fire. Dante described its roar as so great that it “stunned the sense.” And in Dexter’s vision, this scene came to life with unimaginable terror.

He spoke of a cascade so vast that it vanished into the abyss, its roar shaking the ground beneath him. The blood and fire twisted together as one, flowing endlessly downward like the sins of mankind being poured out into judgment. Dexter said it was as though every violent act ever committed on earth was gathered into that river, bleeding into eternity.

He stood at its edge trembling, certain that he was staring into the mouth of Hell itself. While Dante descended upon the back of the creature Geryon, the symbol of fraud, Dexter felt himself drawn downward by a force he could not resist—a divine pull guiding him deeper toward revelation.

The Eighth Circle – Malebolge

The Eighth Circle of Hell, known as Malebolge, is the realm of deception. It is a vast pit divided into ten ditches, each designed for a different form of fraud: seducers, flatterers, false prophets, hypocrites, thieves, and corrupters of truth. Dante called this place “a fortress of evil pockets, each full of a separate sin.”

Dexter remembered walking among the first of these ditches, where the Panderers and Seducers were whipped endlessly by demons as they ran in opposing directions. Their punishment reflected the torment they once inflicted on others through manipulation and deceit. “They ran,” he said, “but never found rest. Their cries blended with the cracking of the demons’ whips.”

Further in, he saw the flatterers, covered in the filth of their own falsehoods, wallowing in a stench that never faded. And the simoniacs—those who sold sacred offices—were buried headfirst in pits of flame, their feet exposed and burning. Every deceitful act on earth had become its own eternal reflection.

The Cloaks of Hypocrisy and the Flames of Deceit

When Dexter reached the Eighteenth Bolgia, he encountered souls cloaked in garments of gold, dazzling to the eye but heavy as lead. They were the hypocrites—those who pretended holiness but lived corruptly. Beneath the surface of their gleaming robes, they could barely move beneath the crushing weight of their false appearance.

But the horror did not end there. In the Twenty-Sixth Bolgia, Dexter witnessed something that chilled him to his core: disembodied flames, each flickering with the form of a human soul. These were the deceivers—the false counselors and manipulators—who led others astray through cunning and lies.

Dante wrote of this same torment:

“Each flame encloses a sinner; within each flame is a soul burning in agony.”

Dexter said the cries that came from these fires were unlike any sound he had ever heard—voices pleading for relief that would never come. “Each flame was alive,” he said, “and each one knew exactly why it burned.”

As Scripture warns, “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” (Revelation 21:8)

A Terrifying Reminder

The descent into Malebolge is a sobering reminder that deception—no matter how small—carries eternal consequences. It is not only murderers or tyrants who face judgment; those who twist truth, manipulate others, or corrupt what is sacred are equally condemned.

Dante and Dexter both witnessed that Hell is not chaos—it is justice in its most horrifying form. Each soul’s torment is the reflection of their sin, perfectly measured and eternally irreversible.

So I ask you, as Jesus asked His followers:

“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

A Word of Reflection

If these words stir something within you, let them. Hell is real—but so is salvation. Jesus Christ offers mercy where there should be none. He alone can break the cycle of deceit, violence, and destruction. Turn to Him while there is still time, for as long as there is breath, there is grace.

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