What
is Hell?
Some Texts Where “Sheol” is
Translated “Hell” (KJV)
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word
“sheol” (commonly translated as hell) occurs 65 times. In the King James Bible
it is translated as “grave” or “pit” in 34 places. Sheol is translated
as “hell” in 31 places and in 3 of the 31 places (Ps. 44:15, Ps. 86:13, and Isa.
14:9) the margin explains that “grave” is meant. In most modern translations the
word “sheol” is left untranslated leaving it to the reader to provide a
definition.
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and
will burn to the lowest hell, and will consume the earth with her increase, and set
on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:22)
The wicked will be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God. (Psalms 9:17)
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the
pains of hell got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. (Psalms 116:3)
If I ascend up into heaven, you are there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. (Psalms 139:8)
Her feet go down to death; her steps take
hold on hell. (Proverbs 5:5)
Her house is the way to hell, going down to
the chambers of death. (Proverbs 7:27)
Hell and destruction are before the LORD:
how much more then the hearts of the children of men? (Proverbs 15:11)
You will beat him with the rod, and will
deliver his soul from hell. (Proverbs 23:14)
Because you have said, We have made a
covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge will
pass through, it will not come to us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under
falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore says the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that
believes will not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to
the plummet: and the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow
the hiding place. And your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with
hell will not stand; when the overflowing scourge will pass through, then you will be
trodden down by it. (Isaiah 28:15-18)
Some Texts Where “Hades” is
Translated “Hell”
In the New Testament, the Greek word
“hades” corresponds to the Hebrew word “sheol”. See the quotations of
the Old Testament Apostles such as Acts 2:27 “because You will not leave my soul in
Hades” which is a quotation from Psalm 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in
Sheol.” In the New King James version the word “hades” is left untranslated
in 11 places leaving it to the reader to provide a definition. And I say also to you, That
you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not
prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)
And you, Capernaum, which are exalted to
heaven, will be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in
you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. (Matthew 11:23)
But he turned, and said to Peter, Get you
behind me, Satan: you are an offense to me: for you savor not the things that be of God,
but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)
Because you wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt you suffer your Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 2:27)
I am he that lives, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive forever, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation
1:18)
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and
his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given to
them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with
death, and with the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:8)
And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. (Revelation 20:13,14)
A Text Where “Tartaroo” is
Translated “Hell”
The Greek word “tartatoo” occurs
only once and very closely resembles the word “tartarus” from Greek mythology.
It was the name for a dark abyss or prison. It seems the word refers more to an act than
to a place in that God degraded the angels. For if God spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved to
judgment;(2 Peter 2:4)
Some Texts Where “Gehenna” is
Translated “Hell”
The last word translated “hell” is
the word “gehenna”. It is the Greek way of spelling the Hebrew words which are
translated “the Valley of Hinnom”. This valley was just outside the city of
Jerusalem and served as a sewer and garbage burner for the city. Nothing living was ever
cast into “gehenna”. The Jews were not permitted to torture any creature.
Gehenna was rather a type or illustration of the second death — a final and complete
destruction from which there is no recovery. 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 hell. (Matthew 10:28)
But I will forewarn you whom you will fear:
Fear him, which after he has killed has power to cast into hell; yea, I say to you, Fear
him. (Luke 12:5)
But I say to you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever will say
to his brother, Raca, will be in danger of the council: but whoever will say, You fool,
will be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:22)
And if your right hand offend you, cut it
off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should
perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:30)
And if your eye offend you, pluck it out,
and cast it from you: it is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than
having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Matthew 18:9)
And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it
is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into
the fire that never will be quenched: Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not
quenched. And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into
life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never will be
quenched: Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye offend
you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye,
than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dies not, and the fire is
not quenched. (Mark 9:43-48)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you
make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)
You serpents, you generation of vipers, how
can you escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33)
And the tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on
fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (James 3:6)
The Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Luke
16:19-31)
While these scriptures are admitted to be a
parable it is generally treated as if it were a literal statement. To regard it as a
literal statement involves some absurdities:
1. The rich man went to Hades because he
lived in luxury and gave nothing but crumbs to Lazarus. Not a word is said about his
wickedness.
2. Lazarus is blessed because he was poor
and sick, not because he was good or full of faith in God.
If we interpret this passage literally, the
only lesson that we might learn from it is that we will never enter into future happiness
unless we are poor beggars full of sores; and if we wear purple and fine linen and live in
luxury, we will be tormented forever. Also, the place of favor is Abraham’s bosom;
and if the whole statement is literal, the bosom must be literal. It could not possibly
hold millions of sick and poor people from the earth. As a parable, it is easy to
interpret. In a parable, what is said in not what is meant; for example, in the parable of
the wheat and the tares, the Lord explained that wheat meant children of the
kingdom, and tares the children of the devil. Similar classes in another parable
are represented by sheep and goats. So in this parable, the rich man represents a class;
and Lazarus another class. The parable as a lesson applies to these classes.
The rich man (Dives) represented the Jewish
people, which up to, and at the time of the parable lived in luxury, receiving the special
favor and promises of God. Paul said the Jews had many advantages in every way because God
committed His oracles to them (Rom. 3:1,2). The promises to Abraham and David gave the
Jews royalty, represented by the rich man’s purple. The typical sacrifices of
the law made them a holy nation in a typical sense, represented by the rich man’s fine
linen — symbolic of righteousness (Rev. 19:8).
The poor man (Lazarus) represented those
that looked to God from other nations (gentiles), kept from the blessings of God until the
end of the Jewish Age. The sores represented moral defilement in this class. They
were not even typically cleansed and had no share in the promises of the kingdom (Eph.
2:11-13). The Lord’s conversation with the gentile woman explains how they ate the crumbs
of divine favor which fell from Israel’s table and how they were like companions
of dogs (Matt. 15:27).
But a change came about in these classes.
The rich man class went out of favor, into trouble; not accepting Christ (Matt. 21:43).
The Lazarus class also died, or ended their former condition, and were received into favor
with God (Acts 10:28-35). Accepting Christ, these went into Abraham’s bosom —
they were accepted as true children of believing Abraham, and true heirs to the promise
made to him. (Gal. 3:16, 29; Rom. 11:7-9, 12-25)
See Hell Tract p. 19, 23, 24, 35.
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