Summary of findings / thoughts
Sheol – Hebrew word for hell. Whatever view one takes of the meaning of Sheol I believe it is too narrow a view to take to suggest that all 64 instances of Sheol in the Old Testament refer to the grave only. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that that the word means afterlife, or the place to soul goes to in the afterlife. The definition, the choice of the authors use of the word Sheol, as opposed to Kever or grave in many instances strongly suggest the authors are trying to say to the reader that this is more than simply the grave.
Hades – Greek word for hell. We see Hades refers to a place of torment for the unrighteous in the afterlife, a spiritual realm, an underworld which the soul goes to after death. Hades was a place that you did not want to go to, Jesus went there for three days and his redemptive work has delivered us from having to go to this place of torment. What an incredible savior we have!
Gehenna – Greek word for hell. It seems very clear that Jesus Himself taught that hell or Gehenna is a place of eternal torment for the unsaved. It is as if Jesus went to many pains to make it clear the eternal destination of the soul. Of course it is because it is so intricately tied into the mission he came to the world with.
Is hell eternal? John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The word” Perish” (apoletai in the Greek) is an antonym (has the opposite meaning of) for “everlasting life.” The negation “should not perish” is literally translated “may not perish.” This lack of permission to perish, however, is conditional. The opposite of perish is, ” … have everlasting life.” There are only two classes of individuals, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Tartarus – Greek word for hell. Tartarus again demonstrates the reality of a place of confinement and place of punishment outside of this temporal realm.
Issues discussed – How can a loving God send people to hell forever? Is the fire of hell literal or metaphorical?
Some closing quotes
Appendix – listing of verses using of words for “hell”
Introduction
Before I say anything, please let me say I know hell is not a pleasant topic. It is not something I enjoy discussing and it is certainly not a light issue. Certainly in my preaching and evangelism outreach ministry, the issue of hell may be touched on, but usually is not the subject of any message. Personally I feel we need to focus on all the wonderful things God has to offer the human race. We don’t want to be beating people over the head with the negatives of not receiving Christ, we want to encourage them and explain to them the beauty and wonder of relationship with God! The good news is that Jesus has paid for all their sins!
However the issue of the reality of hell has come under considerable attack in recent times, many have begun to doubt it’s reality, it’s scriptural basis and validity. I have for some time wanted to do a study of the issue, because I feel it is of such great importance for the day and time in which we live.
An Evangelist stands in the path that leads to destruction and points the way to the straight and narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13). Ultimately as Christians we are all called to do this in one form or another. Reinhard Bonnke’s catch phrase for ministry is “plundering hell and populating heaven,” his motivation is to see people delivered from the path that leads to destruction.
Hell is what compelled Jesus to go to the cross and the reality of hell is what compels us to go to the world. If hell is real it begs the question, “what are we going to do to help those people headed there,” “what are we going to do to reach out to them?” This is what evangelism is all about. If we don’t believe in hell then some of what the bible teaches becomes redundant. Why bother preaching the gospel if everyone is going to heaven anyway?
The understanding of hell’s reality is a fundamental reality of the gospel which needs defending. What we believe about hell determines our motivations as believers to some extent. As Christians we live in our comfortable world surviving as believers and millions are perishing on every side. God wants to make us more aware of the fate of the unsaved and the issue of hell is the pinprick which wakes us up and mobilizes us to take action!
I feel this is a critical issue. The theology and biblical foundations of the doctrines of hell are under attack by the world, the cults, the universalists, and many others who don’t believe in it’s reality. I feel it will continue to come under more attack along with the issue of homosexuality, and other moral issues; anything we humans don’t like about God’s standards of holiness and righteousness we tend to attack.
Recently an infamous (in Christian circles anyway) Bishop was interviewed on CNN regarding a recent scandal, where various allegations have been made. Whether or not these charges are true or not this Bishop weighed in on the issue with his gospel of inclusion, saying everyone is going to heaven, homosexuality is fine, the Church has had it all wrong and that’s why we have problems.
The world loves this kind of message because it doesn’t offend anyone. However when we are dealing with an issue which Jesus Christ himself taught on, we need to decide whether we are going to offend God or offend man with what we believe. Now, we don’t go out of our way to offend people, but unfortunately scripture is clear that sometimes the things we believe will be offensive to some and there will be persecution because of that.
Whether or not there is a hell is of huge significance, thousands of believers have laid down their lives, been martyred, poured their lives out like water to reach those who are heading there. They believed in the reality of hell and as believers we have a duty to defend that truth, a truth paid for with the blood of Jesus and the blood of countless martyrs and missionaries over the centuries.
The word usage of the original languages are being challenged and tested. People need to know the truth. We don’t tell God or His word what we believe, like Martin Luther we go directly to the word itself, find out what it says and let it speak to us!
First I want to consider some of the original language, the instances and usages of the various words for hell in the Old and New Testament. I spent four semesters of my three years in Seminary studying the original languages. Wrestling with the alphabet, the vocabulary, understanding the various textual interpretations. Context many times determines the meaning of a word in translation, and I want to bring some of the insights gleaned to bear on this study.
This is more of a study than a form of ministry but I wanted to share it with you because I feel it is something Christians need to be aware of and we need to be able to give a ready defense of our faith. It is not comprehensive, it is a summary study, but I want to examine some of the key issues.
There are a number of words which translate to the English word for hell. First there is the Hebrew word Sheol, then there are the Greek words Gehenna, Hades and Tartarus.
Sheol
Definition
Brown Driver Briggs defines Sheol as:
the underworld, hell, pit,
the OT designation for the abode of the dead,
place of no return,
without praise of God,
wicked sent there for punishment,
righteous not abandoned to it,
of the place of exile,
of extreme degradation in sin
There are those who would have us believe that Sheol refers only to the grave, and that the Israelites had no concept of an afterlife, however the above definition clearly state that Sheol can also mean the underworld, hell, pit, the OT designation for the abode of the dead, place of no return, without praise of God, wicked sent there for punishment, righteous not abandoned to it, of the place of exile (fig), of extreme degradation in sin!
In addition, the Hebrew people had another word which is specifically used with respect to the physical grave, Kever. This word was used by the authors of the Scriptures as differentiated from Sheol. The definition of Kever is “grave, sepulcher or tomb.” Kever can only mean the physical grave while it appears Sheol has a broader definition which includes the concept of an afterlife.
Let me say at this point that it is the context which determines the use of meaning of a word. If we take the word in English “light” for example we know that in the context of weighing something we know that the word refers to a measure of weight. However the same word in the context of God’s creation of the world when God said let there be light, He was referring to the opposite of darkness as opposed to the opposite of heavy.
Usage and context
In a similar manner when the translator sees the word Sheol in the Hebrew, the context of the use of the word determines its meaning in translation. The NIV never translates “Sheol” as “hell”. In contrast, the King James Version translates “Sheol” as “hell” in roughly half of the instances where it appears in the Hebrew text. The RSV and NAS don’t even bother translating the word. These two versions leave “Sheol” untranslated.
To follow are some examples of scriptures which demonstrate the context of the use of the term Sheol. I will provide some of those which I believe strongly suggest the possibility of an afterlife rather than simply the grave:
Example 1
Isaiah 14:9-10
“9. Sheol below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you – all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones – all those who were kings over the nations.
10. They all make answer and say to you, Have you become feeble like us? Have you been made even as we are?”
In Isaiah 14:4 we see the King, Sennacherib dies and in verse 9 he goes to Sheol and the spirits of the dead are roused to greet him. The Hebrew word for spirits of the dead is Rephaim which is defined as ‘the dead inhabitants of the netherworld'” “An idea of Ugaritic origin … which indicates a conscious albeit spirit existence after death. Sennacherib is clearly indicated in this passage as dead yet still existing in a different sphere, the sphere of Sheol.
Please also note, in the Septuagint (the historic Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), Sheol is never translated as Mneema, which is the Greek word for grave. It is always translated as Hades which meant the underworld. Kever is never translated as Hades just as Sheol is never translated as Mneema.
Also note Kever and Sheol are never used in Hebrew poetic parallelism as equivalents. They are always contrasted and never equated. Kever is the fate of the body, while Sheol is the fate of the soul.
Example 2
Isaiah 28:15
“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.”
This passage suggests it is possible to make agreement with the inhabitants of Sheol or Sheol itself, referring to some pact being made with the forces of darkness, or the realm of the underworld.
Example 3
Isaiah 28:18
“And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”
Similar to example 2
Example 4
Isaiah 57:9
“And thou went to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase [thyself even] unto Sheol.”
The New Living translation says “You have given olive oil to Molech with many gifts of perfume. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love.”
This verse speak of the depths of depravity the nation of Israel had sunk to, if the verse translates Sheol as “grave” the seriousness of the depravity is considerably reduced and in the context really makes no sense. Sheol in this context is seen as an increase in evil as opposed to an indifferent state of death or burial.
Example 5
Ezekiel 31:15-18
“15. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.
16. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
17. They also went down into Sheol with him unto [them that be] slain with the sword; and [they that were] his arm, [that] dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18. To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with [them that be] slain by the sword. This [is] Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.”
Sheol, in “the nether parts of the earth,” full of graves and of the dead, is contrasted with the land of the living. These victims of slaughter went down to Sheol with their weapons of war; and their swords they “laid under heads;” and when Pharaoh, lying among them, saw the multitude of his enemies that were slain also, he was comforted at the sight.
Example 6
Ezekiel 32:21,27
“21. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.”
“27. And they shall not lie with the mighty [that are] fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though [they were] the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.”
Similar to example 5
Example 7
Amos 9:2
“Though they dig into Sheol, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down”
Here heaven in spiritual terms is compared with the underworld. It follows Sheol must also be viewed in spiritual terms.
Conclusion on Sheol
Whatever view one takes of the meaning of Sheol I believe it is too narrow a view to take to suggest that all 64 instances of Sheol in the Old Testament refer to the grave only. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that that the word means afterlife, or the place to soul goes to in the afterlife. The definition, the choice of the authors use of the word Sheol, as opposed to Kever or grave in many instances strongly suggest the authors are trying to say to the reader that this is more than simply the grave.
As we begin examining the New Testament references, I want to consider the fact Jesus Himself referred to a place which fits the description of Sheol in his illustration of Lazarus in Abrahams bosom and the rich man.
I want to quote the entire passage – Luke 16:19-31:
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”
Now some would say this is a parable or metaphor and not really dealing with a real life situation, but my personal opinion is while it illustrates a principle, Jesus is giving us a crystal clear picture of what it is like in the afterlife. Jesus came to clarify everything, the purpose of the Law, the reason for His coming to earth, and of course here we see a wonderfully clear picture of the afterlife.
I believe Jesus wanted to make the issue of where we go when we die, absolutely clear. He came as the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets and therefore through faith in him we can avoid the fate of the rich man. Of course there are millions of people like the rich man in this world who will not listen and end up there, but our job is to ensure they are presented with the opportunity of salvation.
Hades
Defintion
The New Testament Greek Lexicon defines Hades as:
1. the god of the lower regions Orcus,
2. the nether world,
3. the realm of the dead
Obviously within the context of the New Testament the first definition can be ignored, we are dealing with one God in three persons in the New Testament and nothing else. The second and third definitions make it very clear concerning the existence of another realm, a spiritual realm where the souls or spirits of those who have died go to.
The Greek Hades is translated “hell” ten times in the King James Version. Most recent versions transliterate the term, bringing it directly into English as Hades.
Hades is used for the general abode of the spirits of the dead, whether good or evil. Jesus affirmed that he possessed the keys (authority to open) of “death” (the receptacle of the body) and “Hades” (the realm of the departed soul) (Rev. 1:18).
In one of his visions, John sees “death” riding a pale horse, followed by “Hades” (Rev. 6:8). Both death and Hades will be emptied at the time of the judgment (Rev. 20:13-14), i.e., the grave will give up the body, and the spirit sphere will surrender the soul.
Hades is sometimes used to designate a limited region of the spirit world. Depending upon the context, that region may either be one of punishment or reward.
For example, Jesus warned that the wicked inhabitants of Capernaum (who had rejected his teaching) would go down into Hades (Mt. 11:23; Lk. 10:15). When the cold-hearted rich man died, his spirit was found in Hades, a place of torment and anguish (Lk. 16:23-24).
Acts 2:27 says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption.” Which refers to God not allowing Christ to remain in Hades. Acts 2:31 confirms this “Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, “He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
When Christ promised to build his church, and declared that the “gates of Hades” (Matthew 16:18) would not prevail against it. He may have been suggesting that when he died, Hades would not retain his soul, thus preventing the establishment of his kingdom. Or, he may have been proclaiming that the church would share ultimately in his victory over death at the time of the resurrection.
Conclusion on Hades
We see Hades refers to a place of torment for the unrighteous in the afterlife, a spiritual realm, an underworld which the soul goes to after death. Hades was a place that you did not want to go to, Jesus went there for three days and his redemptive work has delivered us from having to go to this place of torment. What an incredible savior we have!
Gehenna
Definition
The New Testament Greek Lexicon defines Gehenna as:
“The place of the future punishment call “Gehenna” or “Gehenna of fire.” This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.”
Some have suggested the meaning of garbage dump refers to a place of annihilation rather than eternal torment or separation from God. However as we will see Gehenna refers to the eternal state of the unsaved as opposed to a temporal state.
Usage and context
The final and eternal abode of those who die apart from God is Gehenna. The word is found twelve times in the Greek New Testament. In eleven of these instances, it is Jesus Christ himself who employs the term.
Jesus spoke of Gehenna several times in his “Sermon on the Mount.” For instance, he warned that whoever addresses another: “You fool!” shall be in danger of the “Gehenna” (Mt. 5:22). This does not mean that a legitimate use of the word “fool” (or its derivatives) is prohibited (cf. Psa. 14:1; 1 Cor. 15:36; Gal. 3:1). Rather, the Lord condemns the explosive use of venting one’s personal rage. This kind of holding a hatred in ones heart and calling someone a fool is the same as murder in the eyes of God.
Employing several examples of exaggeration (for the sake of emphasis), Christ stressed that it would be better to proceed through life with great loss (e.g. deprived of an eye or a limb), rather than having Gehenna as a final destiny (Mt. 5:29-30; cf. 18:9; Mk. 9:43-47).
On another occasion, the Lord said: “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Mt. 10:28; cf. Lk. 12:5).
In his blistering rebuke of the Jewish leaders who were on the brink of crucifying their own Messiah, Jesus charged:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, you make him twofold more a son of Gehenna than yourselves” (Mt. 23:15).
Then in the same discourse: “You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of Gehenna?” (33).
The final use of Gehenna in the New Testament is where James affirms that the tongue “is set on fire of hell” (3:6). This may suggest that the ability to control one’s tongue (speech) is about as difficult as it would be to contain the continuously raging (the participle is a present tense) flames of Gehenna. The point may be with reference to character, namely that the tongue is frequently given to such poisons as are hellish in nature. Or maybe the destructive quality of the tongue is in view.
The nature of Gehenna
There are several important truths regarding the punishment of Gehenna to consider
Body and Soul
Gehenna is a state that involves both the resurrected body and the soul. First, note that unrighteous people will be resurrected from the dead, just as the saints will (Jn. 5:28-29; Acts 24:15). Then, observe that Christ clearly indicated that the body, as well as the soul, will be subjected to the agonies of Gehenna (Mt. 5:29-30; Mk. 9:43-48; Mt. 10:28).
Consciousness
Gehenna involves a state of awareness. It is very important that this point be made, because there are those who allege that hell will consist in the wicked being annihilated. First, when the Lord affirmed that God will “destroy” both body and soul in Gehenna (Mt. 10:28), he employed the word apollumi (used about 92 times in the New Testament). It is translated by such terms as “destroy,” “perish,” “loss,” and “lost.” The term does not suggest the sense of annihilation.
When the prodigal son was in the far country, he was “lost” (apololos), i.e., estranged from the blessings of his home, but he was not annihilated. Jesus affirmed that he came to save that which stands lost (apololos). The perfect tense describes a present condition which has resulted from previous activity. The Lord did not come to save people who were in a state of non-existence! In every instance where the word apollumi is found in the New Testament, something other than annihilation is being described.
The Bible employs a number of expressions to describe the emotional state of Gehenna, which can only imply the concept of conscious agony. It is depicted as a place of “unquenchable fire” (Mk. 9:44) – fire being a metaphor for the extreme penal torments which the wicked are to undergo after their life on earth. Jesus spoke of Gehenna as a place “where their worm dies not” (Mk. 9:48). The never-dying worm is a symbol of the unending “torment of the damned.”
The Lord describes Gehenna as a place of “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46). The word rendered “punishment” is the Greek kolasis. Punishment implies consciousness. It would be absurd to describe those who no longer exist as being “punished.” The wicked will be “tormented” with the fire of Gehenna (cf. Rev. 14:10-11). Torment certainly implies awareness (cf. Rev. 9:5; 11:10).
If the condition of the rich man in Hades was one of “anguish” (odunao – “to suffer pain”), though it involved only the soul, does it seem likely that the ultimate punishment of Gehenna, which involves both body and soul, would entail less?
Eternal duration
It must be stressed that the punishment of those in Gehenna is unending. The fire is “unquenchable” (Mt. 3:12). The Greek word for “unquenchable” is asbestos, a term which denotes that which cannot be extinguished. The worm (gnawing anguish) “dies not” — which means “their punishment after death will never cease” (Thayer, 580). The punishment, or destruction, is “eternal” (Mt. 25:46; 2 Thes. 1:9).
The issue of whether the punishment Jesus refers to is eternal is in dispute with many of the Universalist position. Matthew 25:46 states “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Universalists suggest that the punishment of the unrighteous will have an end. Unfortunately this is as likely as that the glory of the righteous shall have an end; for the same word is used to express the duration of the punishment, eternal punishment – kolasin aionion, as is used to express the duration of the state of glory: life eternal – zoen aionion. This passage also seems to deny the possibility of some form of annihilation of the unsaved.
And these shall go away – These “persons.” Many, holding the doctrine of universal salvation have contended that God would punish sin only. Christ says that “those on his left hand,” shall go away – not “sins,” but “sinners.” Now of course we know this passage relates to the issue of whether people have accepted Christ as savior and are living a life that produces the fruit of change. It is only through faith in Christ’s finished work we have salvation.
The word aionon has been questioned by some because within its meaning, is the meaning of “age.” I explained earlier that context determines meaning. Aionon and it’s root have the following meanings:
Aion: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity the worlds, universe period of time, age.
Aionion: without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be without beginning without end, never to cease, everlasting, describes duration, either undefined but not endless, as in (Rom. 16:25)
The truth is, aionios can be translated into a temporal sense as it is in Rom. 16:25: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages (aionios) past.” But the reason it is translated that way is because of context, and that is extremely important. Context determines meaning.
In the case of Matthew 25:46 the word aionion for eternal life is exactly the same word as for eternal punishment. The context here determines the meaning. God is saying that the righteous will be with Him forever and the unrighteous (those who have not received Christ) will be separated from him forever.
Let me say at this point that I believe the Scripture Matthew 25:46 correlates with the classic scripture most people know, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The word” Perish” (apoletai in the Greek) is an antonym (has the opposite meaning of) for “everlasting life.” The negation “should not perish is literally translated “may not perish.”
This lack of permission to perish, however, is conditional. The opposite of perish is, ” … have everlasting life.” There are only two classes of individuals, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Conclusion on Gehenna
It seems very clear that Jesus Himself taught that hell or Gehenna is a place of eternal torment for the unsaved. It is as if Jesus went to many pains to make it clear the eternal destination of the soul. Of course it is because it is so intricately tied into the mission he came to the world with.
Tartarus
Definition
Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament says that “Tartarus” is “the deepest abyss of Hades,” and that the word means “to incarcerate (imprison) in eternal torment.”
A.T. Robertson: “The dark and doleful abode of the wicked dead like the Gehenna of the Jews.”
Fousset’s Dictionary : “The ‘deep’ or ‘abyss’ or ‘bottomless pit.’
Usage and context
There is only one mention of Tartarus in the New Testament 2 Peter 2:4: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tatarus), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
“Hell” comes from the Greek tataroo, and it means “a place of restraint.” God did not spare the angels, but He cast them down to a place of restraint, a kind of prison.
Conclusion on Tartarus
Tatarus again demonstrates the reality of a place of confinement and place of punishment outside of this temporal realm.
This study will now consider a number of common issues / objections to the issue of hell.
How can a loving God send people to hell forever?
First of all let me say on this issue, we need to understand God loves the world and that is why He sent Jesus. Jesus had to die to satisfy the righteous requirements and justice of God. Jesus took our place. The punishment that was meant for us was laid upon him.
God is love, but God is also holy, righteous, just, pure, full of light and there is no darkness in Him. If you or I break a law of the land, even if the judge loves us, he has to sentence us because that is what the law requires. In the same way God’s laws are broken by all of us, the bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but that Jesus came and paid the penalty for us. “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25).
The Bible says God is holy and He cannot look upon sin. When Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, he cried out “my God my God why have you forsaken me.” (Matthew 27:46) God had to turn away his eyes from Jesus as all of our sin was laid upon Him. It is only the blood of Jesus which cleanses sin and covers us. We are made righteous because of what Jesus did.
If we enter eternity without faith in Christ then our sin keeps us in a state of separation from God and we have to pay the price for our own sin. God hates evil, and sin and there are certain things which come under God’s judgement. Without faith in Christ we are objects of Gods wrath (Ephesians 2:3). The only way to remove ourselves from God’s wrath and judgement is through faith in what Christ has done for us. The wrath of God was poured out on Jesus. He didn’t just take upon himself our sin, this was something Jesus did to satisfy the justice of God.
The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Without repentance and faith in Christ we will perish, and that is not the will of God. If we consider the entire context of Scripture, this means that God does not want anyone to go to hell by remaining in their unrepentant, unregenerate state, but that they should repent of their sin and receive what Christ as done on their behalf and go to heaven.
The other issue with eternal life and eternal punishment / separation from God is something not easily understood. God lives outside of time. He created time before he created the universe. For God a thousand years is like one day and one day like a thousand years. God exists outside of time and does not live within the bounds of time. When we think of eternity we think in linear terms we think about where we will be in a million years. Perhaps eternity should not be perceived as an infinite stretch of time, but as an ever unchanging present. Eternity is any entirely different dimension than we can comprehend and God is saying He has made provision so that you don’t enter eternity in the wrong condition before God.
Evil cannot exist in the presence of a holy God and this is why Jesus used the illustration of Gehenna to describe hell, it is a place of God’s judgement on sin, a place where sin is consumed and unfortunately if a person unregenerate and remain in a state of sin, this is where they will end up. God can’t have sin in heaven. If you are not covered by the blood God’s judgement is upon sin.
When the Israelites were about to leave Egypt, they sprinkled the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorpost and the angel of death passed over every household that was covered by the blood (Exodus 12:21-24.) Any household not covered by the blood was subject to God’s judgement. This is similar to to how it is at the end of this life. God has said, I have given you my precious son, the spotless lamb of God. I love you, sprinkle this blood over the doorpost of your life and when the angel of death comes to visit you, you will be spared from my judgement.
Is there a fire burning in hell or is it simply an eternal separation from God?
There are those who believe that the fire described in the accounts of hell and the lake of fire really represent separation from God and that separation from God, a place where God does not dwell is almost like a form of fire or torment. Mark 9:48 Jesus describes hell as a place “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.” The fires of hell Jesus describes could be literal or metaphorical.
When Jesus went through all he suffered, he was beaten, whipped, tortured crucified, the only time he cried out was when he felt separated from God. The absence of God surely is a terrible place of torment. If the fires of hell are literal it is even more unbearable to think how aweful hell will be and therefore how much more urgency we need to have to spread the good news of the gospel.
Some closing quotes
JI Packer
“Those in hell will realize that they sentenced themselves to it by loving darkness rather than light, choosing not to have their Creator as their Lord, preferring self-indulgent sin to self-denying righteousness, and (if they encountered the gospel) rejecting Jesus rather than coming to him (John 3:18-21; Rom. 1: 18,24,26,28,32;2:8; 2 Thess. 2: 9-11)…The purpose of Bible teaching about hell is to make us appreciate, thankfully embrace, and rationally prefer the grace of Christ that saves us from it (Matt. 5:29-30; 13:48-50). It is really a mercy to mankind that God in Scripture is so explicit about hell. We cannot now say that we have not been warned.”
RC Sproul
“A breath of relief is usually heard when someone declares, “Hell is a symbol for separation from God.” To be separated from God for eternity is no great threat to the impenitent person. The ungodly want nothing more than to be separated from God. Their problem in hell will not be separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire.”
CS Lewis
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
Billy Graham
“The only thing I could say for sure is that hell means separation from God. We are separated from His light, from His fellowship. That is going to hell. When it comes to a literal fire, I don’t preach it because I’m not sure about it. When the Scripture uses fire concerning hell, that is possibly an illustration of how terrible it’s going to be – not fire but something worse, a thirst for God that cannot be quenched.”
Appendix: Listing of verses using the words for hell
Sheol
Gen 37:35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Gen 42:38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
Gen 44:29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’
Gen 44:31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Num 16:30 But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.”
Num 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
Deu 32:22 For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
1Sa 2:6 The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
2Sa 22:6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
1Ki 2:6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
1Ki 2:9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
Job 7:9 As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up;
Job 11:8 It is higher than heaven –what can you do? Deeper than Sheol–what can you know?
Job 14:13 Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
Job 17:13 If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness,
Job 17:16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?”
Job 21:13 They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
Job 24:19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned.
Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.
Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
Psa 9:17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
Psa 16:10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
Psa 18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
Psa 30:3 O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Psa 31:17 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.
Psa 49:14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
Psa 49:15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
Psa 55:15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
Psa 86:13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Psa 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
Psa 89:48 What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
Psa 116:3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
Psa 139:8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Psa 141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
Pro 1:12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
Pro 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;
Pro 7:27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
Pro 9:18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Pro 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!
Pro 15:24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
Pro 23:14 If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Pro 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.
Pro 30:16 Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
Ecc 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Sgs 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.
Isa 5:14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her.
Isa 7:11″Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
Isa 14:9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.
Isa 14:11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.
Isa 14:15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit
Isa 28:15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
Isa 28:18 Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it.
Isa 38:10 I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
Isa 38:18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.
Isa 57:9 You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.
Eze 31:15 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day the cedar went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.
Eze 31:16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the world below.
Eze 31:17 They also went down to Sheol with it, to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were its arm, who lived under its shadow among the nations.
Eze 32:21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’
Eze 32:27 And they do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living.
Hsa 13:14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
Amo 9:2 “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.
Jon 2:2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Hab 2:5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.
Hades
Mat 11:23″ And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Luk 10:15 “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.
Luk 16:23 “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Act 2:27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:31″he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
1Cr 15:55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
“Rev 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.Rev 6:8So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.Rev 20:14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Gehenna
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say , Thou fool, shall be in danger of gehenna fire.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out , and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish , and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into gehenna.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off , and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish , and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into gehenna.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna.
Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out , and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into gehenna fire.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made , ye make him twofold more the child of gehenna than yourselves.
Mat 23:33 [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of gehenna?
Mar 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off : it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off : it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into gehenna fire:
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into gehenna; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Jam 3:6And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of gehenna.
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