The Case Against Hell

The Case Against Hell

By Mercy Aiken

The case against Hell: Did you know that there is a solid scriptural case to be made against the idea of Hell? Many non-Christians have rejected the concept of Hell, but it may come as a surprise to learn that there is a growing number of Bible-believing Christians who also reject the notion—not in spite of Scripture but because of it! This short study is meant only to raise some questions and provide brief answers. For further study, please refer to the links at the end of the article.

An open and unbiased study of the Bible, including many key Greek and Hebrew words as well as Church history will reveal some surprising things.

For instance, did you know that……..

“Hell” Is Not an Old Testament doctrine:

Popular myth: Hell is an established Biblical doctrine that is in the Bible from start to finish. This is not true! Two thirds of the Bible (the Old Testament) do not mention Hell at all. (“Sheol,” the Old Testament word that is sometimes translated as Hell, only means “grave” by definition, and it is where everyone in the Old Testament went when they died–good or evil, Jew or Gentile). Thus the Old Testament does not contain the concept of Hell!

Think about it………

If Hell is real, why didn’t God make that warning plain right at the beginning of the Bible? God said the penalty for eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was death–not “eternal life” in fire and brimstone.

If Hell is real, why wasn’t Cain warned about it, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or any of those who committed the earliest recorded “sins?”

If Hell is real why didn’t Moses warn about this fate in the Ten Commandments or the Mosaic Covenant consisting of over 600 laws, ordinances, and warnings? The Mosaic Law simply stated blessings and cursings in this lifetime.

If Hell is real, why are its roots in paganism, rather than the Bible? Many nations surrounding Israel in the Old Testament believed in Hell-like punishment in the afterlife, for they served bloodthirsty and evil “gods,” while Israel simply taught the grave (sheol) and a hope of a resurrection. If Hell is real, why was the revelation of it first given to pagan nations, instead of God’s covenant people? Did God expect Israel to learn about the afterlife from the Pagan Gentiles? If so, why did He repeatedly warn Israel to not learn of their ways?

If Hell is real, why did God tell the Jews that burning their children alive in the fire to the false god Molech, (in the valley of Gehenna) was so detestable to Him? God said that such a thing “never even entered His mind” (Jer. 32:35). How could God say such a thing to Israel, if He has plans to burn alive a good majority of His own creation in a spiritual and eternal Gehenna of His own making?

**FACT: The King James Bible erroneously translates the word “Sheol” as Hell a total of 31 times in the Old Testament, thus setting a foundation for that doctrine in the New Testament as well as the majority of Bible translations to follow the KJV. Even so, most new translations have completely eliminated Hell from the Old Testament, as honest and better scholarship has demanded. The Jewish version of the Old Testament (the Tanakh) has no concept of Hell in it. The importance of this fact cannot be over-emphasized. If a doctrine does not appear as seed form in the books of the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, it cannot fairly be taught as a major biblical doctrine, if indeed it can be taught as biblical at all!

Hell Is Not a New Testament Doctrine:

Popular myth: Jesus spoke of Hell more than He did of Heaven. This is not true! Jesus warned the Jews many times of impending destruction, both nationally and individually. He used several different terms to refer to punishment/destruction, some of which were erroneously translated as the same word, “Hell” by Bible translators. We do not deny that God will indeed judge the whole world, and nor do we wish to make light of His judgments. Rather, we are challenging the belief that His judgment on sin and unbelief is eternal torment/Hell and never-ending separation from God. Certainly, Jesus spent a lot of his ministry warning people to repent or reap the consequences, (particularly “Gehenna.”) But could we be reading more into His warnings than He originally intended?

Think about it…….

If Hell is real, why were most of the warnings pertaining to punishment/Gehenna directed to Israel, particularly the Lord’s own disciples as well as the Pharisees? The first great cluster of references to Gehenna, are found in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:22, 29, 30), Jesus’ great sermon to His disciples in which He warned that one was in danger of Gehenna for the likes of calling someone a fool. This is a far cry from our modern Evangelical interpretation that says not accepting Jesus as your Savior is what sends someone to Hell. Are we perhaps missing the symbolism that Jesus originally intended?

If Hell is real, aren’t we taking verses out of context when we warn sinners/outsiders of Hell, when in the original context they were directed to covenant people?

Since the concept of Hell doesn’t exist in the Old Testament, how could Jesus and his disciples teach that salvation was deliverance from a place that is not even found in their Scriptures? And if He was introducing the subject for the first time, why did He do it so casually, as though His listeners already understood what He was talking about?

If Hell is real, since some English translations use the word Hell for the Greek word “Gehenna,” in the New Testament, why didn’t this same place (Gehenna) get translated Hell in the many places where it appears in the Hebrew form “ga ben Hinnom” in the Old Testament?

If the Jews did not understand “Gehenna” as a symbol of everlasting torture, but rather as a place of shame, filth, and defilement (where Israel participated in the grossest form of idol worship), why does modern theology ascribe more to the word than the original meaning did? The teaching of Gehenna has evolved in Jewish teachings to include punishment in the afterlife; but even today, Gehenna still does not mean “endless” punishment to the Jews.

If Hell is real how could the Apostle Paul (who was especially commissioned by God to preach the gospel to the nations) say that he had declared the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27), when indeed he never warned of “Hell” in any of his letters? If Hell is real, wouldn’t Paul, of all people, warn of it repeatedly?

If Hell is real, the sin/death of Adam has had a far more powerful effect on the world than the resurrection life of Christ! And yet Paul declares in Romans 5 that Christ’s victory is far greater than Adam’s transgression! Listen to Paul’s confidence in the work of Christ! If Paul believed in eternal hell for the majority of men, how could he write the following verses?

“…Just as the result of one trespass (Adam’s) was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness (Christ’s) was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18,19).

“Since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22)

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4;10).

(The above verses are just a few of the many verses where Paul writes of a pre-eminent Christ that far transcends the traditional Christian view. This article is full of many more New Testament references by Paul that display his views of the Christ triumphant, unlimited, all-powerful, all-conquering, and victorious).

If Hell is real, why is it that the only time Paul even mentioned “Hell” in any of his epistles, was declare the triumph of Christ over it? (1 Corinthians 15:55). The word “Grave” in the passage is the Greek word “Hades.”

If Hell is real, why is it not mentioned once in the book of Acts in any the evangelistic sermons that were recorded by the early Apostles?

If Hell is real why do some of the best Bible scholars and Bible teachers say it is not in the Greek or Hebrew text? (William Barclay, John A.T. Robinson, Lightfoot, Westcott, F.W. Farrar, Marvin Vincent, etc.)

If Hell is real, why does the word itself come from the Teutonic “Hele” (goddess of the underworld “Hell” of northern Europe). The description of this ancient mythological place has very little resemblance anymore to the modern Christian image of Hell. See any encyclopedia or dictionary for the origin of the word.

FACT: The apocryphal books of the intertestimental period had a tremendous impact on the Jews in the time of Christ. It is from these books, especially the book of Enoch, that many of the Jewish myths and fables concerning Hell, heaven, demons and angels and many other fables first became a part of Judaism and from there became a part of Christianity. The myths and fables of these books came from Pagan influences (namely Zoroastrianism), during and after the Babylonian captivity of Israel. In fact, Zoroastrianism looks more like modern Christianity in many ways than ancient Judiasm does!

If Hell is real, why did Paul warn Timothy repeatedly to stay away from Jewish myths and fables, the likes of which were influencing many in the early church? Rather than affirming such doctrines, Paul declares them to profane fables.

Hell Contradicts The Work of the Messiah:

Popular myth: Jesus came to save the sinner from his destination of everlasting Hell. Not exactly true! Hell was never a place that the Jews were hoping to be saved from, since they didn’t even believe in it! But they did need to be saved from their sins and consequences of them; namely death. Jesus came as the Anointed One to fulfill all of God’s plan for the earth—that through Him might come the salvation, deliverance of sin, peace, kingdom of God and all that God had promised through the Old Testament scriptures. There is much we can say here, but for the sake of brevity we will limit our points to a few key passages. Please take the time to look up the verses that are referenced.

Think about it…..

If Hell is real, why does Psalm 22 (one of the most prophetic passages in scripture concerning the Messiah) promise that because of the cross, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive” (Psalm 22:27-29 NASB).

If Hell is real, did Jesus fail in His mission? He said, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47).

If Hell is real and most find their way to it, was Jesus lying when He said He said if He was lifted up (crucified) that He would “draw” (”drag” in the original Greek word, “helkyo”) all mankind unto Himself? (John 12:32)

If Hell is real, how can the Scriptures speak of the gathering of all things into Christ? (Eph. 1:10)

If Hell is real, how can all things be subdued unto Christ? (1 Corinthians 15:28, Philippians 3:21, Hebrews 2:8).

If Hell is real, how can it be that the scriptures promise that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord? (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10).

If Hell is real, how will Jesus ever see the travail of His soul and be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)? If the traditional understanding is correct, most of those He came to save will never experience His salvation. Do we believe that this would be satisfying to Jesus?

If Hell is real, and God sent Jesus came to save people from it, can we really say that the will and pleasure of God has prospered in His hand, since, according to traditional theology, only a few will ever be saved? (Isaiah 53:10, and 55:11).

If Hell is real, and the devil is the one who deceives people into going there, isn’t he ultimately the winner in the war for souls? After all, traditional interpretation of the Bible says that more people will end up in Hell than in Heaven. If so, how can we really call Satan the defeated enemy and Christ the victor?

If Hell is real and most of mankind will remain in an eternal deathlike state of torment with no chance to repent or escape, how exactly are we to understand and rejoice in the fact that Jesus destroyed death and him that had the power of death (Satan)? (Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8, Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:55, 1 Corinthians 15:26 etc.)

If Hell is eternal, how can the increase of Christ’s government and of peace have no end? (Isaiah 9:7).

FACT: The term “saved” has evolved in Christianity to mean something different than it did to the original readers and hearers of Scripture. The Greek words, “sozo” and “soteria” embrace the broad meaning of being rescued, delivered, healed and saved from danger. These words were applied in a variety of ways throughout the New Testament. There is much more to the salvation of Christ than most Christians know. Sadly, much of the church is robbed of fullness of their salvation by embracing a limited and futuristic view of what it actually means– (i.e. “going to Heaven when they die”).

Popular Myth: “Eternity” is a theme that is throughout the entire Bible, including eternal punishment. Not exactly true! We are not denying that the New Testament is full of warnings of judgment, and that the words, “everlasting” and “eternal” appear often in most translations. However, a careful study of the words that are translated to mean forever or everlasting, will prove that they have been mistranslated. The question is not whether or not God will punish sin and rebellion, but rather how He does it, and for what purpose.

Think about it……

If Hell is forever, why does the Hebrew word Olam which has been translated to mean “eternal/forever” used in so many verses where it clearly does not mean “everlasting? A few examples: “Everlasting” is applied to the priesthood of Aaron; to the statutes of Moses; to the mountains and hills; and to the doors of the Jewish temple, to the length of time that reproach and shame should be upon the Jews. The word “forever” is applied to the duration of man’s earthly existence; to the time a child was to abide in the temple; to the continuance of Gehazi’s leprosy; to the to the duration of a king’s life; to the time a servant was to abide with his master; to the duration of the Jewish temple; to the time David was to be king over Israel; to the throne of Solomon; to the stones that were set up at Jordan; and to the time Jonah was in the fish’s belly. It should be obvious from the context that olam merely refered to an indefinate period of time–not forever!

Aion and related words (aionian and aionios) are the Greek equivalents of olam. Aion, literally means “age,” from which we get our English word, “eon.” Aion/age/eon, is merely a period of time. “Aionian and Aionios” are words that refer to the ages (plural) or pertaining to the ages. As long as time is being measured, it cannot be referring to eternity, which is a realm beyond the measurement of time. If “Hell” is forever, why is it described by words that pertain to the ages?

If the Greek word Aion and its derivatives meant eternal as some Bible scholars insist, why did contemporary Greek usage of it, at the time the New Testament was written not carry with it the idea of endless eternity? (Works by Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Hippocrates and many others use the words in a limited, not an eternal sense).

If Hell is forever, how do we explain the fact that aion/olam did not mean eternal/unending to the original writers and hearers of Scripture?

FACT: Some would argue that if aionian and related words do not mean eternal, then God cannot be eternal, for these words also describe Him. To this we say, that just because God is described as the God of the eons, does not mean that He is not the God who also transcends the eons. In the same way, just because He is called the God of Israel, does not also mean that He is not the God of all the other nations. Also, there are other Greek words used to refer to the unending power and life of God. They are, aptharsia/apthartos, which means imperishableness and immortality; amarantinos/amarantos which mean unfading, without loss of pristine character; and akatalytos, which means indestructable and unstoppable. They are usually translated as immortal, or incorruptible. Please refer to the following verses for reference: Hebrews 7:15-16, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Peter 5:4, 1 Timothy 1:17, Romans 1:23, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Romans 2:7, 1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Timothy 1:10, and 1 Timothy 6:16.

Popular Myth: One’s fate is sealed after death. If this is true, how do we deal with the following scriptures that indicate the opposite?

Think about it…….

“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him” (2 Samuel 14:14).

“The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave (sheol), and bringeth up.” 1 Samuel 2: 6

“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Sheol/Hell); I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave (Sheol/Hell), I will be your destruction!” (Hosea 13:11-14).

“For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lam 3:31-33)

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26).

If Hell is a place of no escape, why did the early church teach Jesus went to Hell (Hades), preached to them and led captivity captive? (Eph. 4:8,9; Psalm 68:18; 1 Peter 3:18-20)

If Hell lasts forever, why the Psalmist confidently speak again and again about being rescued from it (sheol)? (Psalms 16:10, 30:2-3, Psalm 49:15, 86:13, 116:3-8, 139:8).

If Hell is real, how can Solomon teach that the spirit of man will return to the God who gave it? (Ecc 12:7).

If the grave settled the matter forever, why did the early Christians offer up prayers for the dead? Why were they baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29).

“Hell” Was Not a Doctrine of the Early Church:

Popular myth: Universalism was recently introduced to Christianity in the 1800’s as the church became more liberal and modern and began to abandon their true biblical foundation. This is not true! A belief in the restitution of all things was a standard view in the early church, held by the majority of early Christians. It has also been held by a minority throughout all of church history.

Think about it……

If Hell was real, why did the first comparatively complete systematic statement of Christian doctrine ever given to the world by Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 180, contain the tenet of universal salvation?

If Hell was real, why did the first complete presentation of Christianity (Origen, 220 A.D.) contain the doctrine of universal salvation?

If Hell was real, why do neither the Apostles Creed, nor the Nicean Creed, two foundational “doctrinal statements” for the early church, contain the concept of Hell?

If Hell was real, why did Church leaders as late as the fourth century AD acknowledge that the majority of Christians believed in the salvation of all mankind?

If Hell was real why did the early church appoint an avowed universalist as the President of the second council of the church of Constantinope in the fourth century? (Gregory Nazianzen, 325-381).

If Hell was real why did not a single Church council for the first five hundred years condemn Universalism as heresy considering the fact that they made many declarations of heresy on other teachings?

If Hell was real why didn’t Epiphanius (c. 315-403) the “hammer of heretics” who listed 80 heresies of his time not list universalism among those heresies?

If Hell was real, since most historians would acknowledge today that Origen was perhaps the most outstanding example of universalism in the church, when Methodius, Eusibius, Pamphilus, Marcellus, Eustathius, and Jerome made their lists of Origen’s heresies, why wasn’t universalism among them?

If Hell was real and found in the original Greek manuscripts of the Bible, why is it that it was primarily those church leaders who either couldn’t read Greek (Minucius Felix, Tertullian), or hated Greek as in the case of Augustine, that the doctrine of Hell was advocated? Those early church leaders familiar with the Greek and Hebrew (the original languages of the Bible) saw universal salvation in those texts. Those who advocated Hell got it from the Latin, not from the original Greek and Hebrew. Who would more likely be correct–those who could read the original languages of the Bible or those who read a Latin translation made by one man (Jerome)?

If Hell was real then why did four out of six theological schools from 170 AD to 430 AD teach universal salvation while the only one that taught Hell was in Carthage, Africa, again were Latin was the teaching language, not Greek?

If Hell was real and a serious heresy, why was it not until the sixth century when Justinian, a half-pagan emperor, tried to make universalism a heresy? Interestingly, most historians will acknowledge that Justinian’s reign was among the most cruel and ruthless.

*The historical facts documented in the above section can all be verified through the books, “Universalism, the Prevailing Doctrine of the Early Church for the First 500 Years” by J.W. Hanson and “The History of Opinions on the Scriptural Doctrine of Retribution” by Edward Beecher.

Hell does not reflect the heart of God:

Popular myth: The justice of God demands a place like Hell in which the wicked shall be eternally punished for their sins. Not true! The justice of God demanded a perfect sacrifice for sin, and that man was Christ Jesus. The justice of God will certainly come to every person, and God may deal severely with our sins as He subdues and gathers all things to Christ, but to punish people endlessly for crimes committed in a short human lifespan defies all logic and justice.

Think about it……..

If Hell is real and all things were made for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:11), is it conceivable that God would derive pleasure from seeing those He created endlessly tortured? God says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ez. 33:11).

If Hell is a real place of endless torment, and God didn’t want anyone to end up there, why didn’t God just kill Adam and Eve and end the long terrible chain of misery that passed to their offspring before it began? After all, the Scriptures say that all died because of Adam. (Rom. 5:18)

If Hell is real, if God loves His enemies now, will he not always love them? Is God a changeable being? (James 1:17)

If Hell is real, if you had sufficient power would you not deliver all men from sin? If God would save all men, but cannot, is He infinite in power?

If Hell is real, and God can save all men, but will not, is He infinite in goodness and mercy?

If Hell is real, since God will have all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3 KJV), does that mean God’s power is not strong enough to have His will fulfilled?

If Hell is real and Jesus teaches us to forgive seventy times seven and yet He Himself will never offer forgiveness to anyone after they die, does that not make Him a hypocrite?

If Hell is real and God’s wrath abides upon billions of human beings forever, doesn’t that violate the Scripture which says His anger will come to an end? (Isaiah 57:16-18)

If Hell is real and God only loves those who love Him, what better is He than the sinner? (Luke 6:32-33)

If Hell is real, since some people receive many chances to “get saved,” some receive only a few chances and billions have never even received one chance, does that make God a respecter of persons? (Acts 10:34, James 3:17). After all, billions of people have been born and died on this earth without a chance to ever hear the name of Jesus, the “only name under heaven by which men may be saved.”

If there is a Hell and all who have sinned are destined to go there (which is everyone) unless they figure out how to avoid it, does that not consign all aborted babies and non-Christian children to Hell? (While some denominations teach a so-called “age of accountability,” it is not found anywhere in the Bible. It is just some people’s way of trying to make God more humane than the Hell teaching makes Him out to be).

If Hell is real, does that mean that motherly love is more powerful and enduring than God’s love? Do you know of normal parents who would endlessly torment most of their kids? Why do we believe our heavenly Father, who is millions of times more loving than all of us combined, could do such an evil, wicked thing?

If Hell is real, why does the human spirit writhe under the horror of wars and prison camps, torture chambers and dictators? How can we judge these things as wrong, if Hell is real? After all, Hell far eclipses these earthly torments which came from the most sinful and beastly part of humanity. We say God is grieved by man’s violence and disregard for life, and yet believe that He Himself enforces the same principles for all eternity!

If Hell is real, would endless misery benefit the Almighty, as the inflictor? Would endless misery benefit the saints, as spectators? Would endless misery benefit the sinner, as the sufferer?

If Hell is real, how does the threat of endlessly torturing us convince us that God loves us and that we should love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

FACT: While the church has gotten used to thinking of God as Someone who was forced to design a grandiose punishment called Hell, and against His own will sends the majority of His creation there, this concept of a God “who did the best He could” is totally against the Scriptural view of a God who is absolutely soveriegn, powerful, all-wise and all-victorious. He never had to come up with a plan B or C, for Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It is time to give Him the glory He deserves for our God is truly awesome and wonderful far beyond the limited, and man-centered views of Him!

Come Up Higher!

Beloved, what is the “lens” through which you are interpreting the Bible? Traditional doctrines teach us to interpret the “victorious” scriptures in the light of the “judgment” scriptures. But what if God wants us to see it the other way around? What if we are to interpret the “judgment” scriptures in the light of the “victorious” scriptures? Is not Christ’s victory the greatest revelation in the Bible? Standing on this highest peak—that is, the finished work of the cross, causes us to see a much larger and far more beautiful panoramic view of God’s plan throughout the ages. We do not throw out one set of Scriptures in favor of another. Rather, we seek to harmonize them…For man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

In the time of Christ most of Israel completely missed the Word of God when He was in their midst. They were too busy with their nose in the book, to perceive the Word Himself as He came and dwelt among them! Certainly the masses must have thought…..”But none of the teachers, Pharisees, or priests believe that Jesus is the Messiah! And they know the scripture better than me!” That fact alone kept many Jews from daring to believe in Jesus. To do so was heresy and to admit faith in Him was basically asking for scorn and rejection. We have been quick to point the finger at the Pharisees, and not realize that we as the church follow the same pattern today. Are we going to play it safe and side with the majority, who are clinging to their traditions and what their teachers have taught them, or will we risk it all and step out and follow Him?

The facts presented in this article should at least cause every reader who is truly hungry to know God, to search the scripture to see if these things be so. If what we are presenting here is false, it needs to be disproved. And if it is true, it cannot be ignored.

It is time to stop ignoring the parts of the Bible that do not fit in with our theology. And if, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, our theology is not big enough to hold the entire counsel of Scripture, perhaps it is time to expand–lest we once again miss God!

And so we ask you again, beloved Christian, to ask yourself…

If the traditional teaching of Hell is real….

How can mercy triumph over judgment? (James 2:13)

How can it be true that, “where sin abounded grace did much more abound?” (Rom. 5:20)

When will all flesh come to God? (Psalm 65:2-4)

When will the poor of the earth be avenged and comforted by God? (Psalm 113:7, Psalm 140:12, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 31:9, Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 61:1, Jeremiah 22:16 etc.) (Bear in mind that most of the poor of the earth throughout history have not had a chance to accept Jesus as their savior).

When shall it come to pass that: “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 26:6-8).

When and how will “all nations” praise Him, come to Him, serve Him, be blessed in Him and bow to Him? (Psalm 45:17, Ps. 86:9, Isaiah 62:11, Daniel 7:14 Ps 66:1, Ps 72:11, Ps 102:15, Jer. 3:17, Ps 72:17, Isa. 2:2, Isa. 11:10, Isa. 52:10, Rev. 5:13 etc.)

How can the world be reconciled to God? (2 Corinthians 5:19, Romans 11;15, Romans 5:10).

Why would Paul the apostle say the goal of God’s creative plan was to ultimately be “all in all?” (1 Cor. 15:28)

How can it be true that God, who works all things according to the counsel of His will, shall gather together all things in Christ, in the fullness of the times? (Ephesians 1:9-11)

How can Paul insist that “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).

How can the most often-repeated Biblical description of God be true? “His mercy endures forever” (literally, “His mercy/lovingkindness endures for the ages”). Certainly, as long as there are ages, and people in need of mercy, God’s mercy will endure.

How and when can there ever be a “restitution of all things?” (Acts 3:21)

A Final Test

We have tested the doctrine of Hell against many different Biblical topics and concepts and found it wanting. When scrutinized in the light of the entire counsel of Scripture, the doctrine of Hell is found to be full of holes. Now, test this doctrine against your own heart and see whether it can stand. Please take some time and prayerfully ask yourself these questions:

If there is a Hell and according to most denominations of Christianity the majority of mankind will go there, could you really enjoy heaven knowing your mother or father or children or best friend are suffering everlasting tortures the likes of which would make the Holocaust seem like a picnic?

If Hell is real, will you judge your mother, son, or other non-believers to Hell? “Do ye not know that the saints “shall judge the world”? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

If Hell is real and a place of terrible, unending pain, could you even send a dog to such a place?

If Hell is real and universalism is a heresy, why is it that those who believe God loves all and will save all find it easier to love all people than those who believe most people are going to Hell? (Think this through very carefully.)

If Hell is real, can you honestly rejoice in the victory, love, and wisdom of God, knowing that somewhere in His beautiful creation there will always be a black and stinking hell-hole crammed full of tortured souls who have no chance for relief or forgiveness–or even death? Even if there was only one person left in such a state, how could all of Heaven—or you—rejoice for all eternity knowing that there was still one soul who had not been touched by the victory of Christ and was suffering alone?

Is it good to desire all men to be saved? “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim.2:3,4)

• Do you ardently desire the salvation of all men?
• Is it true that God “openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing?” — (Ps. 145:16)
• Do you fervently pray for the salvation of all men? (1 Tim. 2:1)
• Do you pray in faith, nothing doubting? (James 1:6)
• Are you aware, “that whatsoever is not of faith is sin?” — (Rom 14:23)
• Would God require us to pray for all men, and to pray in faith, unless He intends all men should be saved?
• If you believe endless misery to be the truth of God, why should you desire and pray that it may prove false?

We hope that this information has raised enough questions for you to pursue further study on this subject. For more information on the history of the doctrine of Hell, the Lake of Fire, Studies on Biblical words that are often translated as eternal, everlasting, etc. and many other teachings pertaining to this subject, please visit www.tentmaker.org/ScholarsCorner.html

Some of these questions were taken from a much larger list compiled in an article entitled Is Salvation a Deliverance From Hell or Eternal Death?” by Gary Amirault.

“HELL” IN THE BIBLE

What Does the Bible
Really Say About Hell?

(1) The Bible hell (sheol/hades) is the realm of death; it is described as a place where there is no work, no device, no knowledge, nor wisdom. — Ecclesiastes 9:10 – many translations render “sheol” as “the grave” here.

(2) The only Old Testament word translated hell is sheol, to which the New Testament word hades corresponds.

(3) In the King James translation of the Bible, sheol and hades are translated hell 41 times, grave 32 times and pit 3 times and frequently when translated hell, the margin reads, “or, the grave,” or vice vera. — Psalm 49:15; 55:15; 86:13; Isaiah 14:9; Jonah 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 20:13.

(4) Many translations transliterate the words sheol and hades.

(5) Satan is a liar and the father of the lie. (John 8:44) It is Satan who has the world believing that a person does not really die, therefore he lies to the world that those who are bad are roasting somewhere for all eternity, thus making God appear to be some kind of fiend. With such a view being loudly presented by the traditionalists, no wonder thousands are turning away from the Bible and going to paganism, agnosticism and atheism. The doctrine of eternal roasting is a blasphemy to the Creator. Indeed, those who claim to be friends of the Bible are often its worst enemies.

(6) Satan uses all kinds of deceptive means to continue his lies, including spiritism, hypnotism, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, etc. “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” — Isaiah 8:19,20, New King James Version.

(7) Contrary to the idea that any part of hell is a place of fire, torture, shrieks, etc., the Bible says, “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest”; “in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [sheol] who shall give thee thanks”; “the grave [sheol] cannot praise thee: death cannot celebrate thee.” — Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18.

(8) Good people, as well as bad, go to sheol (hell) at death: e.g., Jacob went down to sheol (Genesis 37:35); Job prayed to go to sheol, to be hidden there, until the resurrection (Job 14:13). Nor do the good go to a section of sheol called “paradise” at death. (Paradise is never depicted as a section of sheol or hades.) Instead of going to paradise at death, David expected to be in condition in sheol where he could not give thanks to Yahweh and we further read that “the grave [sheol] cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee.” — Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18.

(9) Jesus “poured out his soul unto death” (Isaiah 53:10, 12; Matthew 26:38), and descended into hell, but “his soul was not left in hell [sheol/hades - a state of unknowing].” — Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27, 31.

(10) In old English the word hell simply meant to hide or to cover – helling potatoes meant putting them into pits, helling a house meant covering or thatching it, etc.; the word hell was therefore properly used as signifying the secret or hidden condition of death. It had no reference whatever to a place of torture until that meaning was attached to it by the theologians of the Dark Ages.

(11) Accordingly, hell (sheol or hades) means the unconscious, oblivious condition or realm of death, where all souls, good and bad, go at death, and from which only the awakening from death can deliver any.

(12) When God told Adam of sin’s penalty, He did not say, “In the day that you eat from it you will live forever in torture,” but He told him the truth: “thou shalt surely die [i.e., cease to live- or "dying, thou shalt die" - margin of KJV].” — Genesis 2:17.

(13) Adam began to die in that very (dying, thou shalt die — see KJV margin) day he ate the forbidden fruit.

(14) Contradicting God, Satan told the lie (John 8:44), “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), by which he has since deceived many into believing that the dead are not really dead, but that at death they live on, and, without waiting for the resurrection day, go directly into heaven or into eternal torment; whereas the Bible states plainly that “the dead know not any thing”. Thus “the dead praise not [Yahweh], neither any that go down into silence”; that “his sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them”. Additionally, Abraham and Israel (Jacob) in sheol are “ignorant of us.” — Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 115:17; Job 14:21; Isaiah 63:16.

(15) The Bible states plainly that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20); that “the wages of sin is death [cessation of life-not life in roasting]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” — Romans 6:23; Acts 4:12.

(16) “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish [i.e., forever cease to live], but have everlasting life”. “The man Christ Jesus” “gave himself a ransom [a corresponding price] for all [Adam and his race], to be testified in due time.” — John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4-6.

(17) If the penalty against Adam and his race had been eternal torment, Jesus would have had to suffer an eternity of torture to pay this debt; but, because the “wages of sin is death,” “Christ died for our sins,” He tasted death for every man; and He “was raised from the dead.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Hebrews 2:9; Romans 5:6-10; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:18.

(18) Jesus, when on earth, said, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.” — John 3:13; Acts 2:34.

(19) The Bible says the dead, good and bad, are “asleep” (2 Peter 3:4; 2 Kings 21:17, 18; John 11:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), i.e., oblivious, unconscious, in sheol or hades, waiting for the awakening; “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” — 1 Corinthians 15:13-18.

(20) God through Christ ransoms all, not from eternal torture, but “from the power of the grave [sheol]” (Hosea 13:14). None, however, come forth until Jesus calls them in the resurrection awakening at His Second Advent (John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23, 52), when (and not previously) St. Paul and others receive their crowns of life and rewards. — 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 1:5; 5:4; Luke 14:14.

(21) Eventually “all that are in the graves shall hear his [Jesus'] voice, and shall come forth” (John 5:28,29). When sheol or hades thus delivers up all who sleep in Adamic death, sheol or hades will forever cease to exist-”O grave [sheol] I will be thy destruction”; “death and hell [hades; also the devil, the beast, the false prophet and the incorrigibly wicked] were cast into the lake of fire [fire destroys all combustible materials put into it, and therefore is used in the Bible as a symbol of destruction], This is [represents] the second death [utter, complete and eternal annihilation, from which none will ever be recovered].” — Hosea 13:14; Revelation 19:20; 20:14, 15; 21:8; Galatians 6:8; Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31; 12:29; 1 John 5:16; Jude 12, 13.

(22) Sodom and Gomorrah are set forth by God “as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 7) – not that the fire is still burning and is unable to destroy those cities, but that it brought upon them eternal destruction as cities, even as the “everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” will bring everlasting destruction upon them. — Hebrews 2:14; Ezekiel 28:19; Psalm 145:20.

(23) In Rev. 20:10 (compare 14:10, 11) the word translated “tormented” should have been rendered “tested” or “examined”. The evil deeds and teachings of the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be examined forever by the righteous, and will be recognized as highly deserving destruction. — compare Isaiah 14:15-17.

(24) “Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life,” but “broad is the way that leadeth [not to preservation in fire, but] to destruction.” — Matthew 7:13.

(25) The wicked “shall be punished with everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9); they “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1, 12); their “end is destruction” (Philemon 3:19); they “shall go away into everlasting punishment [not everlasting torture, but death, for 'sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death' (James 1:15; 4:12); everlasting death is everlasting punishment], but the righteous [who only will have everlasting life after the judgment -- Psalm 37:9-11] into life eternal.” — Matthew 25:46.

(26) Also, the New Testament word gehenna is translated hell in the KJV and many other translations; its Old Testament equivalent is ge-Hinnom — valley of Hinnom. Into this valley outside Jerusalem its refuse was cast, and it was destroyed there either by worms or by fire and brimstone. Gehenna., “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48), represents the Second Death-not that literal worms and fire will exist there eternally, but God’s destruction of the wicked is sure, pictured by everything cast into the valley of Hinnom being completely destroyed, either by the worms or by the fire.

(27) God “is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna]“. “Every soul which will not hear that prophet [Christ] shall be destroyed”. “[Yahweh] preserveth [only] all that love him: but the wicked will he destroy”. “They are extinct.” — Matthew 10:28; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Acts 3:23; Psalm 145:20; Isaiah 43:17.

(28) God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4) and will punish every sinner according to his guilt (Matthew 12:36; Luke 12:47,48), but His justice forbids His exacting a greater extreme penalty than the one He declared, i.e., death – “Shall mortal man [who unless debased would not consider torturing even a cat in fire for one minute, let alone for eternity] be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness.” — Job 4:17; 34:10.

(29) God forbade Israel to torture children with fire in Molech worship, condemning it and calling it an abomination which never came into His mind. — Leviticus 18:21; 20,2-5; Jeremiah 19:5; 32:34, 35.

(30) “God is love” and He desires us to “worship him in spirit and in truth,” out of love for Him, and not because of fear of punishment now and roasting in the hereafter- “perfect love casteth out fear [dread].” — 1 John 4:8-12, 16-21; John 4:24.

(31) There are those that claim that the doctrine of eternal roasting is needed to bring people into fear of God. Our fear (reverence) of him should be motivated by our love for him, not because of some fiendish plot to eternally roast us if we do not fear him. True reverence for God comes from an awe at the creation around us and within us, plus the fact that God sent his Son to die for us, to save us, not from eternal roasting, but from death.

Everlasting Punishment: The true meaning of Hell

"Ungodly men are like the restless sea, that never can be still,
whose waters throw up dirt and mire."–Isaiah 57:20, Moffatt

The laws of behavior and equity cannot be broken without incurring grave consequences. Men face the prospect of a life in which their knowledge of God is constantly widening, experience and deepening, but that life must be conducted in harmony with God’s principles if they expect to be sustained by the Giver of all life. The Bible defines "sin" as the violation of God’s principles or rules. The Bible also teaches that the result of continuing sin is the cessation of life. A wise man of Old Testament days expressed this vital law in pithy words: "As righteousness tendeth to life so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death"; "In the way of righteousness there is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death" (Prov. 11:19; 12:28). St. Paul said that "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life" (Rom. 6:23). The biblical doctrine of the consequence of sin is built upon these principles.

The term "everlasting punishment" appears in the Authorized Version only once, in Matthew 25:46. Our human ideas of "punishment" usually involve some element of revenge, reprisal, or retaliation, but they are not what the New Testament means when it deals with the consequences of sin. A preferable term is penalty, or better still, retribution. The underlying principle is laid down by St. Paul in Galatians: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap" (6:7). A passage in the Epistle of James puts the case very clearly: "Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death" (James 1:14,15, RSV).

The penalty must not be looked upon as a kind of arbitrary divine retaliation against rebels who displease him, it is rather the logical and inevitable operation of natural law which demands that every disorderly or disruptive element must eventually be eliminated so that the purpose of God in creation may be realized in a happy and full life for every living being. The fact that we do not yet see this law bringing forth its final results does not deny its truth; humanity is still in the early stages of that long experience which is at length to achieve that end. The close of this present life in death is only an incident in this long process and there is more, much more, to come. Eventually it will be evident that sin bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction and the sinner who will not renounce his rebellion against God signs his own death warrant.

The Bible emphasizes that eventually evil and sin will disappear from creation. In the wide realm of Divine government there will be no such things as evil and sin. In 1 Cor. 15:24-28 St. Paul looks forward to a time when the enemies of God have been overthrown, death has become a thing of the past, and in the measure of his sovereignty God has become "all in all." Ephesians stresses that God will, at the end, "unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph. 1:9,10). In what is perhaps one of the grandest flights of eloquence in the New Testament, the Epistle to the Philippians speaks of the time to come when "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). These and other lines of scriptural argument make clear that evil will eventually cease to be.

All life is the gift of God; no created being can continue to live except by the power of God constantly animating his bodily frame and enlivening his mind. "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" says the Genesis account (2:7), "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." If that flow of life power ceases, or if God withdraws it, death results, consciousness ends, and the inert body returns to the elements of which it is composed: "ashes to ashes, dust to dust." In a vivid passage relating to the animal creation the psalmist defines the process: "thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust" (Psalm 104:29). Hope for a man’s future life after death rests entirely with God who can invest that life with a new body adapted to its new environment, and this is what is involved in the Christian doctrine of the resurrection from the dead.

St. Paul talks of being "clothed upon" with a "house from heaven" following the dissolution of "our earthly house of this dwelling-place." The relation between such a resurrection to everlasting life and the contrasting destiny of the unyielding evil is laid down very plainly by our Lord when he said: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

In line with this principle the Scriptures describe the ultimate end of the sinner as withdrawal of the gift of life. If, at the end, sin and evil are to be no more, if all intelligent life in every sphere is to bow the knee to Jesus and give praise and worship to him, then there must come a time when sinners are no more. Says Job: "They that plow iniquity and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed" (Job 4:8,9). "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death" (Prov. 8:36). The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel unite in the terse declaration: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Jer. 31:30; Ezek. 18:4). David adds his word: "The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth" (Psalm 34:16), and puts the responsibility squarely where it belongs in the brief maxim, "Evil shall slay the wicked" (34:21).

These are not just a few casual observations having no particular authority behind them; they are expressions of a fundamental truth which these men, and others like them, being men of God profoundly influenced by his Holy Spirit, fully understood and held tenaciously. These writings form the true basis of Christian theology and must be given due heed on that account; they insist that the penalty for sin is withdrawal of life, the ending of conscious existence.

There are two words in the New Testament which have produced much misunderstanding. One is damnation and the other is everlasting. The first, damnation, has a meaning today which it did not bear in the seventeenth century when the Authorized Version was produced. At that time it meant, simply and positively, to be condemned; the nature and duration of the condemnation depended upon the circumstances of the case. Thus in Wycliffe’s Bible the words of Jesus to the woman taken in adultery are: "Woman, hath no man damned thee?" Likewise the "resurrection of damnation" of John 5:29 is literally a resurrection to judgment which at least brings the case of "those who have done evil" before the judge for consideration.

The Greek is rendered "judgment" and "condemnation" some eighty times and "damnation" only fourteen times; the Revised Version has abandoned "damnation" altogether. Thus wherever the word damnation is found, it must not necessarily be assumed that the condemnation is final and irrevocable. It may in some cases be limited in scope, as in Rom. 14:23 "He that doubteth is damned if he eat" where the meaning is that the person partaking of the Lord’s supper "unworthily" stands condemned or judged in his action but not necessarily doomed.

One of the strangest and most misunderstood statements of Jesus is that in Matthew 25, where the king in the parable says to the unworthy: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels . . . and these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." "Punishment" here is kolasis, a word which primarily means "to cut off or lop the branches of a tree as in pruning," and in general indicated "restraint" or "correction." From this it became a term for the restraint of offenders or criminals to prevent continuance of their misdeeds, and this is the sense in which it is used here. In the expression "Fear hath torment" found in 1 John 4:18, the word kolasis meaning "restraint" is used. Had John intended to convey the idea of punishment, as is so often conceived, he would have used the word timoria which conveys the idea of "torment." Here in Matthew 25 the contrast is between the everlasting life of the worthy, who enter into what elsewhere is called the "glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21) and the everlasting restraint from sin of the unworthy. This is the same idea as the "everlasting fire" of the same passage; the evil obtain an everlasting restraint, that is, their destruction or death.

Another reference to the same judgment is found in Revelation 20:11-15 where the king seated on the Great White Throne–the "throne of his glory" of the Matthew 25 parable–arrays all people before him to be judged: "And they were judged every man according to their works." Here, under a very similar symbol to that employed in Matthew 25, the unworthy are "cast into the lake of fire." Earlier in this 20th chapter of Revelation the devil also has been cast into this lake of fire, a parallel allusion with the fate of the "devil and his angels" in Matthew 25. In both passages the picture is one of judgment which proceeds throughout the Messianic Ages, the Day of Judgment, and the outcome at its end when the eternal issues, for good and for evil, are decided for every man. The everlasting fire and the fiery lake are symbols for that utter destruction which overtakes all evil and every incorrigibly evil being.

Isaiah saw the same thing when at the close of his vision of the new heavens and new earth he said of those who have right of entry into that eternal world: "They shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh " (Isaiah 66:24). The worm is undying until there is nothing left upon which it can feed; the fire unquenched until it has consumed all there is to burn–just as in Jeremiah 17:27 where a fire was to be kindled in Jerusalem that "shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched."

Passages which speak of sinners destroyed by everlasting fire are metaphors taken sometimes from the story of the destruction of the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven and sometimes from the known use of the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem for idolatrous human sacrifice by fire in the days of the Hebrew kings, and its later use for continuous burning of the city garbage. Gehenna–the Greek form of Hinnom–occurs fourteen times in the sayings of Jesus (rendered "hell" in the A.V.); the idea in each case is that of utter destruction, a destruction as complete as by fire. In Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17 the chaff which has been separated from the wheat is burnt up with "unquenchable fire." In Mark 9:43- 48 it is better to enter into life maimed than being whole to go into the unquenchable fire, the parallel passage in Matthew 18:8 calling this the "everlasting fire." In the same passages it is shown that Gehenna and the unquenchable fires relate to one and the same thing, and in Matthew 10:28 the assertion is plainly made that it is possible for God to "destroy both soul and body" in Gehenna. This corresponds with declarations such as Psalm 92:7 "when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever."

Thus understood, the consequence of sin in the face of full light and full opportunity is incurred solely by the individual’s own choice and will. It might well be that deliberately continuing the practice of evil can destroy a man’s capacity for repentance and conversion to the morally upright life. Perhaps a man is capable of destroying his own goodness. Many have written and discussed at length this subject with interesting conclusions as the following excerpts suggest:

We must believe that through all eternity, if the worst sinner felt touched by the love of God and wanted to turn to him, that man would be saved. What we dread is that the man may not want, and so may have rendered himself incapable of doing so. We dread not God’s will, but the man’s own will. Character tends to permanence. Free will is a glorious but a dangerous prerogative. All experience leads towards the belief that a human will may so distort itself as to grow incapable of good.

Dr. Paterson Smyth

If life depends upon fellowship with God, the possibility must remain that the time may come when a man, no longer being capable of fellowship with God, shall die and become extinct, simply because there is no life left in him…

Prof. Alexander Finlay

It is implicit in the teachings of both Jesus and Paul that when a life, through persistence in sin, comes to the point where it is morally irrecoverable, it comes also to its final death . . . A living creature remains alive only so long as it conforms to the conditions of living. Shall we think otherwise of the human heart . . . When a man has continued in sin, has gone on dwarfing his moral and spiritual nature until every appeal of God is in vain, is it not in accordance with the analogies of life that extinction is the certain outcome?

Samuel Holmes, a Presbyterian minister

. . . the disease of moral evil, willfully persisted in, for aught we know to the contrary, may be capable of destroying man as a conscious being . . . Inasmuch as man is destitute of self-existence the length of the period during which he will continue to exist must be dependent on the good pleasure of him who by his all-powerful energy maintains him in being every moment . . . Evil beings will cease to exist whenever it pleases the All-Merciful to cease to exert that energy which alone maintains in existence the evil and the good.

Dr. C. A. Row, Prebendary of St. Paul’s Cathedral,
summing up his book Future Retribution.

Eloquent in its brevity is the word of the psalmist (Psalm 37:10), a word expressed in literal, down-to-earth terms not capable to be misunderstood: "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be."

More truths about Hell

The Wages of Sin

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” —Romans 6:23

The Bible clearly teaches that by divine decree there is an adequate yet just punishment for sin.  What is the nature of this punishment?  Our text declares that the “wages” of sin is death, and one might think that such a statement of fact would settle the question in the minds of all; but there are differing views as to what the Bible means by “death.”

We all realize, of course, that the Bible was not written in the English language, and that the versions we use are translations from the Hebrew of the Old Testament, and the Greek of the New Testament.  There was a time when this presented a real barrier to critical Bible study on the part of any except those conversant with the Hebrew and Greek languages.  But now Hebrew and Greek concordances of the Bible are available, in which can be found the true meaning of the original words used in any text on which there may be a variance of opinion.  This is a great help.

It is also important to realize that the Lord often speaks to his people in pictorial, or symbolic language.  Many of God’s most precious promises are presented in picture form, as for example, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”—Ps. 23:1,2

Likewise, when the Scriptures describe the “wages of sin,” pictorial language is sometimes employed.  If we fail to take this into consideration we cannot hope to find and appreciate the harmonious testimony of the Word on this important topic.

The word “hell” is used many times in both the Old and New Testaments, and on occasions the expression, “hellfire.”  The Bible also speaks of a “lake of fire,” and of “everlasting fire.”  This language is related to the punishment for sin, and regardless of our individual views on the subject, must be taken into consideration if we are to attain an accurate understanding of what the Bible means when it tells us that “the wages of sin is death.”

The first human sin recorded in the Bible was the one which caused the death penalty to be imposed upon Adam and Eve.  They had been forewarned as to the result of disobedience—“Thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17)  After they disobeyed, the penalty fell upon them: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19)  No explanation is given as to what it would mean for them to die; no hint, that is, that some part of them would not die, but would continue to live and suffer after the body died.

While there are many symbolic expressions used in the Bible, death, the punishment for sin, does not seem to be one of them.  Death and life are presented as opposites.  “The wages of sin is death,” but the “gift of God,” Paul wrote, is “eternal life.”  To us it seems essential that in our search for the truth we should be guided by this basic and clearly stated fact.  We should recognize, in other words, that whatever symbols the Lord may use to illustrate the idea of death, they must be interpreted in harmony with this fundamental truth of God’s word.

There are other nonsymbolic expressions used in the Bible to describe the divine punishment for sin.  They are synonymous with the word death.  One of these is “perish.”  John wrote, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

The word “destroy” is also used to describe death.  Jesus said, “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28)  We all know what is meant by the destruction of the body, and here Jesus tells us that not only the body, but the soul, as well, is destroyed in “hell.”

Taking these plain statements of the Bible into consideration, the pattern of truth which appears is that through sin the human race lost the opportunity of continuing to live, hence has been going into death; that God in his love sent Jesus to redeem the race, and that in the resurrection all will be awakened from the sleep of death and given an opportunity to live forever.  We believe that the Bible’s testimony on the subject of hell will be found to be in harmony with these plainly stated truths concerning the “wages of sin” and “gift of God.”

“Hell” in the Old Testament

Our English word “hell” appears in the Old Testament Scriptures thirty-one times.  It is of Old English usage but like many other English words, through the years it has taken on a radical change of meaning.  Originally it simply meant to conceal, to hide, to cover; hence it was properly descriptive of any concealed, hidden, or covered place.  In Old English literature may be found references to the helling of potatoes—that is, putting them into pits—and of the helling of a house, meaning to cover it with a thatched roof.

The word hell was therefore properly used by the translators as synonymous with the words “grave” and “pit” to translate the Hebrew word sheol—the only word in the Old Testament that is translated hell in any English Version of the Bible.  It is interesting to observe in comparing these various translations of the same Hebrew word—as they appear in the King James Version of the Bible—that as a rule the word hell is given when the text applies to wicked people, while the words grave or pit are used if righteous persons are involved.  Thus the reader is led to an entirely wrong conclusion concerning the death state of the two classes.

The translators of the Revised Version Bible did a little better in that they left sheol untranslated, giving the reader an opportunity to draw his own conclusion as to the meaning of the text.  This was being only partially helpful, for had they given a correct and consistent translation in every instance, the truth concerning hell would have been discerned—readers would have known that it was not a place of torment.

The Hebrew word sheol appears in the Old Testament in all sixty-five times, and in order that no doubts be left in the mind of anyone as to the meaning the Lord intended to convey by its use, we will examine all sixty-five passages in which it is found.  This is a serious subject.  The torment theory has been believed by millions.  If it is true it should be widely preached.  Certainly it behooves all of us to determine beyond any possible question just what the Bible does say on the subject.

The word sheol was first used in the Old Testament by the good patriarch, Jacob.  Through the treachery of his sons who, because of their jealousy, sold their young brother, Joseph, into slavery in Egypt and induced their father to believe that he had been slain by wild beasts, he became broken-hearted, and in his anguish said, “I will go down into the grave [sheol] unto my son mourning.” (Gen. 37:35)  No student of the Bible has ever supposed that Jacob expected to go to a place of torment when he died, yet from his own words he did expect to go to sheol.

Later Jacob expressed a similar thought in connection with the possible loss of his son Benjamin, explaining that if he were taken to Egypt and did not return, it would bring down his “gray hairs with sorrow to the grave [sheol].” (Gen. 43:38)  The fear that he would lose Benjamin, and thus be caused to mourn the rest of his life, is repeated twice by Jacob’s son Judah in Genesis 44:29 and 31.  In both these instances the translators have also given us the word “grave.”  Apparently they did not like to send Jacob to hell, for in view of the meaning which has been given to the word hell, it would have raised too many questions in the minds of Bible students.

The next time the word sheol appears in the Old Testament, the translators felt justified in translating it hell for it is used in association with the wrath of God.  Here the Lord speaks through Moses, and says, “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell [sheol].” (Deut. 32:22)  This is a highly symbolic phrase, descriptive of the punishment that was to come upon the nation of Israel, denoting the utter ruin of the nation, when, as Paul expresses it in the New Testament, “wrath to the uttermost” would come upon the nation. Leeser, a noted translator of the Old Testament, translates the expression the “lowest deep,” and the British revisors made it read “lowest pit.”

The prophetess, Hannah, next uses the word sheol, and in a very revealing statement of fact.  Extolling the works of God, she said, “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave [sheol], and bringeth up.” (I Sam. 2:6)  One point in this statement precluded the possibility of using the word hell, with its distorted meaning, to translate sheol; namely, that the Lord will bring up from sheol those who go there.  This would completely upset the theology concerning hell which insists that it is a place from which there can be no return, and where the victims suffer forever.

But how beautiful is the thought when understood in the light of God’s great plan of salvation!  “The Lord killeth,” the text states.  This began in the Garden of Eden when our first parents were sentenced to death because of their sin—“The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23)  But Jesus died to redeem the human race from death, and because of this, the people are to be restored, that is, brought back from sheol.  Moses, in his prayer, expresses the same thought in slightly different language, saying of the Creator, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” (Psa. 90:3)  Paul confirms this viewpoint and shows that the promised restoration will be through Christ, saying, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—l Cor. 15:22

In I Kings 2:6,9 the word sheol appears twice, and both times is translated “grave.”  The passage is part of a charge of King David to his son, and successor, Solomon.  It concerns the attitude Solomon should take toward a certain one who had dealt unjustly with David, and reads, “Let not his hoar head go down to the grave [sheol] in peace. … His hoar head bring thou down to the grave [sheol] with blood.”  By no stretch of the imagination is it possible to read the idea of torment into this passage.  Sheol is here used, as always, to denote the death condition.

“Sheol” in the Book of Job

In the Book of Job the word sheol appears eight times.  Twice it is translated “hell,” five times “grave,” and once, “pit.”  In view of such inconsistency, is it any wonder that the truth concerning hell has been kept from the public?

Job 7:9 reads, “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to the grave [sheol] shall come up no more.”  Here the translators must have been tempted to use the word hell, for, on the surface at least, it would tend to support the theory that those who go to hell never return.  They were obliged to use the word grave, however, because Job was speaking of himself, and they feared to give the impression that one of whom it was written that he was “perfect and upright,” who “feared God, and eschewed evil,” had gone to a place of eternal torture.—Job 1:1

Nor can this text be used to prove that there will be no resurrection of the dead.  In the passage Job is merely comparing his restless nights of suffering, followed as they were by equally unhappy days of distress, with the time when he would be resting in sheol, a rest that would be unbroken by the pains of a diseased and dying body.

Job 11:8 reads, “It is as high as heaven; what canal thou do? deeper than hell [sheol]; what canst thou know?”  These are the words of Zophar, one of Job’s “comforters.”  He is referring to the wisdom of God and using the best illustrations he could think of to convey the thought of its being unlimited.  Both the heavens and sheol are used pictorially in this passage, and certainly no suggestion is given that sheol is a place of torment.

The next use of the word sheol in this book is a most interesting one.  Job’s suffering became unbearable, and while he did not deny God, he did pray to the Lord to let him die; and his use of language in the prayer is most revealing.  We quote: “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave [sheol], that thou wouldest keep me in secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!”—Job 14:13

According to the view originating in the Dark Ages, sheol, the Bible hell, was supposed to be a place where God visits his wrath upon sinners; but here we have Job, a righteous servant of God, praying to go to hell to escape God’s wrath.  How different is the Word of God from the teachings of the creeds!  The wrath of God from which Job asked to escape by going to sheol is the manifestation of his disfavor toward the human race because of sin.  It began in Eden in the pronouncement of the death sentence upon our first parents, and all the pain and sorrow in the world since have been incident thereto.

But Job, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, looked forward to a time when God’s wrath would be past, when, according to the Book of Revelation, there would be no ,more “curse.” (Rev. 22:3)  With this hope in mind, he simply asked God to allow him to fall asleep in death—to go into sheol—until it was the due time for divine love to be manifested in the restoration of the dying race.  Then, as Job expressed it, he would hear the Lord call him forth from death.—Job 14:15

“If I wait,” declares Job in a later statement of his outlook as a sick and dying man, “the grave [sheol] is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.” (Job 17:13)  There is certainly no support for the torment theory in this text.

In the last verse of chapter seventeen, Job declares, “They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.”  The “they” referred to here, and with which Job declares he would rest together in the dust, are “corruption” and the “worm.”  These, he says, were his father and his mother.  In the use of this language, Job is simply emphasizing that with the coming of death, the disease that was preying upon him would also cease.  There is no thought here of eternal torture in a hell of fire and brimstone.

Speaking of the experience of many of the wicked, Job says, “They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave [sheol].” (Job 12:13)  In the preceding verses, Job is telling of the boast of the wicked—and what is, as a matter of fact, often their experience—that they fare well and enjoy the good things in life.  In the verse quoted, he points out that often the wicked continue to enjoy the supposedly good things of life right to the end, and then suddenly, without suffering, fall asleep in death go down to sheol.

This viewpoint, of course, is true only during the reign of sin—during this time when God is permitting evil for a wise purpose, the time referred to by the Prophet Malachi when we “call the proud happy,” and when those who “work wickedness are set up,” and they that “tempt God are even delivered.” (Mal. 3:15)  It will be different when the kingdom of Christ is in full control of the affairs of men, for then the righteous will flourish. (Psa. 72:7)  But the main point is that this use of the word sheol by Job does not in any way indicate that it is a place of torture.

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave [sheol] those which have sinned.” (Job 24:19)  What happens to water under the heat of the sun is certainly not a very good illustration of eternal torture, but it does, even as Job here indicates, serve well to illustrate the outworking of the penalty of death upon sinners.

The translators have given us the word hell in translating Job’s last use of the term sheol.  We quote: “Hell [sheol] is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.” (Job 26:6)  There is no support here for the torment theory; rather, the reverse, for sheol is shown to be synonymous with destruction.  In this statement, Job is describing, symbolically, the unlimited wisdom and power of the Creator.

“Sheol” in the Book of Psalms

The Hebrew word sheol appears in the Book of Psalms fifteen times.  It is translated hell seven times, and grave eight times.  There is no valid reason at all why it should not have been translated the same in every instance.  Had this been done, much would have been accomplished in freeing the minds of the public from the Dark Age blasphemy against the glorious name of our loving God.  These uses of the word sheol in the Book of Psalms are as follows:

“For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [sheol] who shall give thee thanks?” (Psalm 6:5)  What a clear and positive statement we here have to prove that those in sheol are unconscious!  The reference is to the righteous who, being always glad to praise God while they are alive, would be glad to give thanks to him after they die were it possible to do so; but it is not, for they remain asleep in death until the resurrection.

“The wicked shall be [re] turned into hell [sheol], and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)  The word “turned” is here a translation of the Hebrew word shuwb, which is properly translated returned.  The message of this psalm applies to the period of Christ’s reign, during which the Lord will “judge the world in righteousness.” (Verse 8)  It will be then that the Lord will be a “refuge for the oppressed.” (Verse 9)  “The Lord will then be known by the judgment which he executeth.”—Verse 16

Revelation 20:7-9 informs us that the people of the nations who fail to obey the laws of Christ’s kingdom are to be destroyed by the direct judgments of God; and it is evidently to this that Psalm 9:17 refers.  Hence we can see the appropriateness of the use of the Hebrew word shuwb, meaning returned.  These wicked nations, having been awakened from the sleep of death and given a full opportunity to obey the laws of the kingdom and live, will be “returned” into sheol, the Bible hell—not a place of torment, but the condition of death, oblivion, for ultimately “all the wicked will God destroy.”—Psalm 145:20

“Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)  The Apostle Peter quoted this text during the course of his Pentecostal Sermon and explained that it applies to Jesus—that it was Jesus’ soul that was not left in sheol. (Acts 2:27-32)  Thus we have an irrefutable proof that sheol is not a place of hell-fire and torment, for surely no one could think of Jesus going to such a place when he died.

The translators must have known that the “Holy One” of this text was Jesus, yet they used the word hell to describe his condition in death, despite the fact that in most other instances where the righteous were concerned they have translated sheol by the word grave or pit.  The reason for this is obvious, for they were caught in a dilemma by the fact that it is Jesus’ soul that is said to be in sheol.  Had they used the word grave, they would have been admitting that Jesus’ soul was in the grave, in oblivion; so, knowing that in the minds of the average reader hell was at least a place of life, they used it, hoping perhaps no one would inquire too diligently as to why Jesus was in hell, or just what his experience there might have been.

To admit, through a translation, that Jesus’ soul was in the grave, the state of death, would have disproved another of the Dark Age dogmas; namely, the erroneous theory of the immortality of the soul.  Actually, Jesus’ soul did go into death, into sheol.  The Prophet Isaiah writes concerning him that “he hath poured out his soul unto death”; his soul was made “an offering for sin.” (Isa. 53:12,10)  It was essential that Jesus thus give his life, his soul, in order for the human race to be redeemed from death.  It was because Jesus took the sinner’s place in sheol, in death, that an will be awakened from death and given an opportunity to live forever—“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:22

“The sorrows of hell [sheol] compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.” (Psalm 18:5)  Here, although the text applies to David, a servant of God, the translators tried hard to make it appear that there are sorrows in sheol.  However, the Hebrew word which they have translated “sorrows” simply means a twisted rope, or a noose.  The marginal reference makes it “cords.”  Leeser renders the expression; “The bonds of death [sheol] encompassed me.”  It is a highly figurative expression of deep anguish and fear of death.  By no stretch of the imagination can it be made to mean that there is torment in sheol.

“O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave [sheol]; thou has kept me alive.” (Psalm 30:3)  This is a prayer of thanksgiving for recovery from a severe illness which threatened death.  Sheol is here employed by the psalmist as a synonym for death.

“Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave [sheol].  Let the lying lips be put to silence.” (Psalm 31:17,18)  Here is an instance where the translators have given us the word grave to translate sheol when the reference is to the wicked.  Doubtless, as in so many other places, they would like to have used the word hell instead of grave, but to do so would have revealed that the wicked are silent in the Bible hell, and this would have been quite contrary to creedal theology, which pictures them as almost constantly shrieking with pain and cursing God.

“Like sheep they are laid in the grave [sheol]; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their strength [margin] shall consume, the grave [sheol] being an habitation to every one of them [margin].  But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave [sheol].” (Psalm 49:14,15)  In view of the erroneous meaning attached to the word hell, the translators found it impossible to employ it in this text as a translation of sheol because it states that human beings are laid therein “like sheep.”  They realized that even an unenlightened public would know that sheep do not go to a place of torment when they die.

In passing it is well to note a fact, borne out by this text, that sheol is not literally a burial place in the ground, for sheep are not ordinarily thus buried.  The Hebrew word geber is the one denoting literally the grave, while sheol is a condition, the condition of death, oblivion.  Sheep do go into this condition when they die, and remain there, but human beings are to be restored to life in the resurrection.

The text under consideration also implies strongly, what is elsewhere in the Scriptures definitely promised; namely, resurrection for all mankind, for David says that the “upright shall have dominion over them in the morning”—that is, the morning of the millennial age.  In Romans 14 :9 the Apostle Paul explains that because Jesus died for the people, and was raised from the dead, he now is the Lord, or Ruler, over both the dead and the living.  The church will share this dominion with him, and in the exercise of their power and authority during the Millennium, will restore all the willing and obedient to life everlasting.  They will have dominion over them to bless, not to torment.

“Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell [sheol]: for wickedness is in their dwellings.” (Psalm 55:15)  Some, in the reading this text, and supposing that the “hell” mentioned was a place of torment, have wondered how David, a man after God’s own heart, could be so cruel as to pray for his enemies to go to such a place.  But when we realize that sheol—the word here translated hell—is simply oblivion, the absence of life, then all is clear, for David’s prayer is thus seen to be in harmony with the law of God which states that the “wages of sin is death.”—Rom. 6:23

“Great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell [sheol].” (Psalm 86:13)  Here the translators were confronted with the choice of putting the psalmist’s soul in the grave—had he not been delivered from death—or let the reader wonder why the soul of a servant of God should go to “hell” in the event of death.  They chose the latter, for otherwise they would have proved by their translation that human souls are not immortal.  The text actually does prove this fact, for sheol is the state of death, oblivion.  The expression “lowest hell” (sheol) is poetic in nature, signifying an eternity of death except for the mercy and grace of God.

“My soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave [sheol].” (Psalm 88:3)  Here the Psalmist clearly indicates that he expected to go into the Bible hell when he died, but the import of his statement is kept from the reader by the use of the word grave as a translation of sheol.

“What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand [power] of the grave [sheol]?” (Psalm 89:48)  Here it is as clear as language can state it that sheol is the state of death.  And the translators had no alternative but to use the word grave even though the text emphasizes a known fact, that no member of the fallen race can keep from dying, that all souls go down into death.  They could not use the word hell in this instance, for the claim is that by living righteous lives people can indeed keep their souls from going to “hell.”  How plain it is from this text that sheol, the Bible hell, is not a place of torment!

“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell [sheol] gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.” (Psalm 116:3)  Sheol in this text, as elsewhere, simply signifies the condition of death, and the psalmist is speaking of the suffering and pain associated with the dying process as the “pains of sheol,” that is, the pains which lead to death.  It is a poetic expression, the meaning of which is clearly discernible.

“Whither shall I go from Thy spirit [power]? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell [sheol] behold, Thou art there.” (Psalm 139:7,8)  According to the teachings of the Dark Ages respecting hell, this text would indicate that God is a resident of that awful torture chamber.  But how reasonable is the text when we view it in the light of the real meaning of sheol, the Bible hell.  The psalmist is merely reminding us that there is no place, or no situation in the whole universe, that is beyond the reach of divine power, that even those who have gone down into death, into sheol, oblivion, are not beyond his reach.  This coincides perfectly with the many promises of the Scriptures which assure us that divine power will be used to restore the dead to life.

“Our bones are scattered at the grave’s [sheol] mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.” (Psalm 141:7)  Here again, sheol denoting the death condition, is used in a poetic sense; and while the full meaning of the text is somewhat obscure, it certainly has nothing in it to indicate that sheol is a place of torment.

Thus we find that throughout the Book of Psalms the use of the word sheol consistently denotes the death state, or condition, and never a place of torment.

“Sheol” in the Book of Solomon

Now let us go on to examine the use of the word in the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.  Solomon was noted for his great wisdom; and, besides, he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  How did he use the word sheol?

“Let us swallow them up alive as the grave [sheol].” (Prov. 1:12)  These are suggested as the enticing words of criminals addressed to one whom they desire to join them in their murderous assault upon victims they wish to rob.  It is a description of the sudden death usually inflicted under such circumstances.  No thought of torment can be read into the passage.

“Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell [sheol].” (Prov. 5:5)  This text describes the ways of an evil woman, and to what they lead.  Because an evil person is so manifestly involved, the translators have given us the word hell; whereas in the text considered foregoing (Prov. 1:12), because it is the victims of evil persons that go to sheol and not the evil persons themselves, grave is given as the translation.  No wonder the public has been misled into believing that the wicked go to a different place when they die than do the righteous.

“Her house is the way to hell [sheol], going down to the chambers of death.” (Prov. 7:27)  In view of the distorted meaning which became attached to the word hell, it would seem very logical to believe that the house of an evil woman is the way to hell, and the average reader might not notice the explanatory phrase telling us what sheol, or hell, really is; namely, that it is the “chambers of death.”

“Her guests are in the depths of hell [sheol].” (Prov. 9:18)  Here the translators, in their zeal to associate a harlot and her friends with a place of torment, have overstepped themselves in the use of the word hell to translate sheol, for they put the harlot’s guests in hell before they die.  But there is no inconsistency in the text when we realize that sheol means the state of death, for the Scriptures represent all sinners as being dead in trespasses and sins.

“Hell [sheol] and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” (Prov. 15:11)  There is no thought of torment in this use of the word sheol, even though the translators have given us the word hell, for it is here associated with destruction.  Sheol and destruction are in reality synonymous.

“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell [sheol] beneath.” (Prov. 15:24)  The translators very nearly made this text support the idea that the righteous go up to heaven when they die, and sinners go down to hell.  But, of course, their effort fall short of doing this once we realize that it is the word sheol which they have translated hell.  The revised Version translates the passage thus: “To the wise the way of life goeth upward that he may depart from sheol [margin, the grave] beneath.”

The thought of the text is that the path of life for the wise is an upward one toward righteousness; and for such there is a promise of deliverance from the power of sheol, a deliverance through the power of the resurrection.  This hope of deliverance for those who walk uprightly goes beyond the mere awakening from the sleep of death which will come to all.  For the righteous of ancient times it will mean a “better resurrection,” and for the followers of the Master now, the “first resurrection.”  Over such “the second death” will have “no power.”  The “unjust” who are awakened from sleep of death will have to walk up the “highway” to holiness and thus prove worthy of everlasting deliverance from sheol, death.—Heb. 11:35,39,40; Rev. 20:6; Acts 24:15; Isa. 35:8-10

“Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell [sheol].” (Prov. 23:14)  Keeping in mind the true significance of the word sheol, that it signifies the death condition, the meaning of this text is clear.  It teaches that by properly training a child to obey the laws of God and to respect the rights of those with whom he is associated, his life, his soul, will be prolonged, or kept from going into premature death, here described by the word sheol.

“Hell [sheol] and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” (Prov. 27:20)  Here, again, sheol is associated with destruction.  Instead of this text emphasizing that “hell” is so large that there is no end to its capacity, thus implying a threat to sinners, it simply denotes that there is no limit to the capacity of death, as it is a condition, not a place.

“There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave [sheol]; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.” (Prov. 30:15,16)  The meaning of this text with relation to sheol is the same as that of the preceding one; namely, that death, as a condition, can never be filled: It does not, even in the remotest sense, lend color to the idea of torment after death.

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest.” (Eccles. 9:10)  This is a most positive statement respecting sheol, the Bible hell, and the language used describes beyond any question of doubt a condition of unconsciousness.

“Jealousy is cruel as the grave [sheol].” (Song of Sol. 8:6)  Here the death state, oblivion, is represented as the very personification of relentlessness.  It swallows up the entire human family, making no exception, either of character or condition.

“Sheol” in Isaiah’s Prophecy

Isaiah was one of the outstanding prophets of the Old Testament, and the word sheol appears nine times in the book which bears his name.  These are as follows:

“Therefore hell [sheol] hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure.” (Isa. 5:14)  The prophet here uses the word sheol to describe the loss of prestige, the ignominy, the dishonor which had come upon Israel.  They had become as though dead, they had passed into oblivion in large numbers.  The passage has no reference to a literal grave, and certainly has no reference to a hell of fire.

“Hell [sheol] from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming.” (Isa. 14:9)  This is highly symbolic language.  The context indicates that it applies to “Babylon,” and particularly to “the king of Babylon.” (Verse 4)  It could hardly be fulfilled through the overthrow of literal Babylon; so the real application is to mystic Babylon of which there is so much said in the Book of Revelation.  Symbolic Babylon is, briefly stated, a great counterfeit system of Christianity, the antichrist.  This system is to be destroyed; that is, it will go into oblivion; and the great king of Babylon, Satan, will also finally be destroyed.

“Thy pomp is brought down to the grave [sheol].” (Isa. 14:11)  This is a continuation of the same symbolic picture as seen in the preceding text.  It has no reference whatever to a place of torment.

“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [sheol], to the sides of the pit.” (Isa. 14:15)  This is a reference to “Lucifer,” who, although depicted in this prophecy as the king of Babylon, is quite generally believed to be Satan, the devil.  The Scriptures clearly teach that he is to be destroyed.

“Ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell [sheol] are we at agreement.” (Isa. 28:15)  The reference here is to a class who exercised authority over the professed people of God—“this people which is in Jerusalem.” (Verse 14)  The language is, of course, symbolic, but apparently it has reference to dogmas concerning death and hell (sheol) which have been laid down by religious rulers.  In this same verse and the 17th verse, these “agreements” are referred to as a “refuge of lies.”

Putting the thoughts together, it would seem that the text is calling our attention to the misrepresentations of death and sheol which have been foisted upon the people by those who have agreed that death is not really death, that actually “there is no death”; and that sheol—the Bible hell—instead of being a condition of sleep in death, is a place of eternal torture.

“Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell [sheol] shall not stand.” (Isa. 28:18)  Thank God, the time is coming when the truth about hell will become known to the people and they will realize that the true God of heaven is a God of love and mercy, not a cruel demon who planned to torture untold millions of his creatures in a hell of fire and brimstone!

“I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave [sheol]: I am deprived of the residue of my years.” (Isa. 38:10)  These are the words of the good king of Judah, Hezekiah.  By a miracle his life had been unexpectedly prolonged, and in this text he is describing his thoughts during the time of his sickness, when he expected that he would shortly die.  The translators were careful not to use the word hell here as a translation of sheol, for to do so would have aroused questions in the minds of many readers as to why one so good as Hezekiah should be expecting to go to a place of torment when he died.

“The grave [sheol] cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee.” (Isa. 38:18)  These are also the words of Hezekiah.  He continues to speak of his severe illness, and expresses appreciation that he is still alive.  He speaks of death as being synonymous with sheol, and says that while the living can praise the Lord, death and sheol cannot; meaning, obviously, that those who die and are in sheol cannot praise the Lord.  Had the translators rendered sheol by the word hell in this text, many would have been led to wonder what kind of a place hell might be.

“Thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst debase thyself even unto hell [sheol].” (Isa. 57:9)  Because the one referred to in this text is said to be debased, the translators used the word hell, but this does not change the meaning of the word sheol which the prophet uses.  Actually the text does not refer to death in a literal sense at all.  It is a reference to the nation of Israel which is here represented as a woman negligent of her husband, the Lord, and seeking alliance with the kings of the earth.  Such actions ultimately led to the death of the nation, and to oblivion so far as recognition by the Lord was concerned.

“Sheol” in Other Prophecies

The Prophet Ezekiel, another of the major prophets of the Old Testament, used the word sheol five times; in no instance to describe a place of torment, but always, either literally or symbolically, a condition of oblivion.  We note these five uses as follows:

“In the day when he went down to the grave [sheol] I caused a mourning. … I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell [sheol]. … They also went down into hell [sheol] with him unto them that be slain with the sword.” Ezek. 31:15-17)  The context here indicates that this text refers to the overthrow of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who, in all probability, is used in this instance as a prototype of Great Babylon of Revelation, which also is to go into oblivion. (Verse 2) The word sheol is used in the passage three times.  Once it is translated grave, and twice by the English word hell.  The fact that the translators used the word grave once in the passage to translate sheol would indicate that they must have known it does not refer to a place of torment.

“The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell [sheol] with them that help him.” (Ezek. 32:21)  The reference here is to the death condition of Egypt as a nation; and various nations which perished prior to Egypt’s fall are represented as speaking from oblivion concerning Egypt.  The thought is much the same as when we say that the lessons of history speak to us.  Paul speaks of the righteous blood of Abel crying out. (Heb. 11:4) The passage gives no support at all to the torment theory.

“They shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell [sheol] with their weapons of war.” (Ezek. 32:27)  Here the destruction of other nations is referred to, and these likewise are said to go down to sheol, the Old Testament hell.  The interesting thing about this text is that weapons of war are also said to go down to sheol, here translated hell.  We know that weapons of war do not go to a place of torment, but we thank God that they can go into oblivion, and that they will go there as a result of the thousand-year reign of Christ.  God promised that this shall be so, that he shall make “wars to cease unto the end of the earth.”—Psalm 46:9

The Prophet Hosea uses the word sheol twice, and both times in the same passage, which reads, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave [sheol]; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave [sheol], I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”—Hosea 13:14

There is no mistaking the meaning of this text of Scripture.  It uses the only word of the Old Testament which is translated hell, and tells us definitely that it shall be destroyed.  First, the Lord tells that he proposed to ransom the people from the power of sheol, and that he would destroy sheol altogether.  This is a prophecy of the redemptive work of Christ, showing that through the merit of his shed blood all mankind were to be redeemed from death.

With this redemption accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus, he returns at this second advent to awaken those who sleep in death and to give them an opportunity to live forever.  Thus the people are ransomed from the power of sheol.  While there will undoubtedly be some at that time who will refuse to accept the gift of life on the terms of belief in Jesus and obedience to the laws of the kingdom, and as a result go into the second death, yet death and oblivion which resulted from the sin of our first parents will be destroyed.  This glorious hope is described by the Revelator in the statement, “There shall be no more death.”—Rev. 21:4

“Though they dig into hell [sheol], thence shall mine hand [power] take them.” (Amos. 9:2)  Here the Lord declares his infinite power, his ability to reach down even into the death condition in order to carry out his purposes toward mankind, and particularly the nation of Israel.  God had pronounced certain judgments upon Israel, and the nation could not escape.  These, however, were not judgments of eternal torture, for later in the same chapter he declares his purpose to restore the nation to his favor.—Amos. 9:11-15

“Out of the belly of hell [sheol] cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” (Jonah 2:2)  Jonah here refers to his experience in the stomach of the great fish, and describes his condition there as that of sheol.  Had he not been delivered, it certainly would have been oblivion for him.  Had the ancients understood sheol to be a place of torture in fire and brimstone, certainly Jonah would not have used the word with respect to his experience in the belly of the great fish.  There would have been no comparison.

“Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell [sheol], and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.” (Hab. 2:5)  An ambitious and aggressive nation is here referred to, a nation so determined to extend its rule over other nations that it is never satisfied.  This unholy grasping for power is compared to the unlimited capacity of death and sheol.  The thought of torment is in no way suggested in the passage.

This is the last text in the Old Testament in which the word sheol appears; and as sheol is the only word therein translated hell, it should be clear to every reader that the people of God during ancient times were not taught the doctrine of torture as a penalty for sin.

“Hades” in the New Testament

“Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Acts 2:27)  We start our examination of what the New Testament says concerning hell with this text because it is a quotation from the Old Testament in which the Greek word hades is used by the Apostle Peter to translate the Hebrew word sheol.  We believe that this inspired translation of sheol is definite proof that hades of the New Testament has the same meaning as sheol of the Old Testament; and that meaning, as we have found, is oblivion, the state of death.

This quotation is from Psalm 16:10, and is a reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Peter quotes it in his Pentecostal sermon and explains that Jesus’ soul, his being, was restored to life—brought back from sheol, the Bible hell, at the time of his resurrection.  As we have already learned, Jesus went into the Bible hell, the death condition, to redeem those who were in death, and it is this that constitutes our basis of hope in a resurrection of the dead a returning from hell, or the death condition, of all mankind.

Jesus implies this very strongly in Revelation 1:18, where we find him saying, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [hades] and of death.”  These, of course, are not literal keys, but merely symbols of Jesus’ authority and power to unlock hades and set death’s captives free.  This right, or authority, is his because of having died the Just for the unjust, pouring out his soul unto death as the Redeemer of Adam, and through Adam, of the entire human race.

And in keeping with this symbolism of the keys of hell, Jesus speaks of the gates of hell.  To Peter he said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell [hades] shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18)  This statement is a reply to Peter’s confession that Jesus was the “Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16)  It is this great truth concerning Christ that the Master referred to as the rock upon which his church would be built, not on Peter himself.

The church of Christ is the body of Christ, and the Apostle Paul tells us that Christ, and all those who are baptized into his body as members of his true church, constitute the promised seed of Abraham through which all the families of the earth are to be blessed. (Gal. 3:27-29)  The importance of Jesus’ statement, therefore, that the gates of hades would not prevail against the church, is seen in its assurance that nothing will prevent the outworking of God’s purpose through the seed of Abraham to bless all the families of the earth.

The families of the earth, all of them from creation to the present time, to whom God’s promises of blessing apply, are in sheol, hades, the Bible hell.  Even the body members of the Christ all down through the Gospel age succumbed to death and went into hades.  But this does not, and cannot, defeat the divine purposes to bless all the families of the earth through Christ and his church, for Jesus will use the keys of death to unlock the great prison-house and set its captives free.  Thus it will be true that the gates of hell will not prevail against God’s purpose through the church.  Death’s prisoners will be set free!

It is quite in keeping with this thought that the word hades is again used in Revelation 20:13, which reads, “Death and hell [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them.”  Strange, isn’t it, that anyone should get the thought that those who go to the Bible hell will never return, for here it is definitely stated that hell will deliver up its dead.  It will have to, because divine power is to be used to restore the dead to life.  In passing it is well to note also that those in hell (hades) are said to be dead—hell delivered up the “dead.”  Those in hell are not alive and suffering, but are dead; and, as Solomon declares, while “the living know that they shall die,” “the dead know not anything.”—Eccles. 9:5; Job 14:21

In Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15, the wicked Jewish city of Capernaum has a prophecy of destruction uttered against it, and this is described as being brought down to hell (hades).  While the people of Capernaum were affected by the destruction of the city, the prophecy is against the city itself, and no one has ever claimed that cities go to a place of torment.  But Capernaum did go into oblivion, hence into hades, the Bible hell.

Another very interesting use of hades is found in Revelation 6:8.  Here hell (hades) is represented as riding on horseback together with death.  It would be difficult to imagine the great abyss of torture such as hell was supposed to be, thus riding on a horse’s back.  But in the symbology of this passage, no difficulty is encountered when we realize that hades and death are practically synonymous, and thus shown together in this graphic picture of destruction stalking through the earth.

The Rich Man in Hell

In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, it is stated of the rich man that “in hell [hades]” he lifted up his eyes, “being in torments.” (Luke 16:23)  This is the only passage in the Bible in which is suggested the possibility that there is thought, or feeling, in hades, or sheol.  We cannot suppose, however, that this text is contradictory to the definition of sheol given us by the prophet when he declared that there is no knowledge, wisdom, nor device, but only oblivion, in sheol.  Nor can we suppose that Job made a mistake when he prayed to go to sheol in order to escape suffering.

Besides, when we examine the details of the parable of which this statement is a part, we find that it could not possibly be a literal statement of fact.  Seizing upon this parable as their best means of proving the torture theory, many have erroneously presented it as proof that the righteous go to heaven when they die, and that the wicked go to a place of eternal torment.  Actually, however, the parable says nothing about either the wicked or the righteous, nor does it say anything about heaven.

There is a poor man and a rich man, but there is nothing said about their virtues nor about their sins.  They both die.  The poor man is carried by the angels to “Abraham’s bosom,” not heaven.  Even if this were a literal statement of fact, it would not put the poor man in heaven, because Abraham is not in heaven.  We know this because Jesus said, “No man hath ascended up to heaven.”—John 3:13

In death the rich man is said to see the poor man in Abraham’s bosom, and he begs him to send a drop of water to cool his tongue.  Abraham’s literal bosom had turned to dust long centuries before this parable was given, hence the expression must be symbolic; and if that is symbolic, the remainder of the account must also be a word-picture of something more than the experience of two men after they died.

We think the most reasonable view as to the meaning of the parable is that these two men represented two groups, or we might say, nations.  The rich man, with the various details related concerning him, seems clearly to be a symbol of the Jewish nation, while the poor man is a true representation of the Gentiles and the position they were in at the time the parable was given.

The nation fared sumptuously every day, as the parable states.  That is, the promises of God belonged to them, and upon these they were privileged to feast.  Their table was laden with these good things from the Word of God.  The purple robe of the rich man represented the royal hopes of the nation, and his fine white linen represented the standing of righteousness the nation enjoyed as a result of the typical sacrifices which were made year by year for them.  While this righteousness was merely typical of the righteousness enjoyed by spiritual Israel through the blood of Christ, nevertheless, it gave them a standing before God which other nations did not enjoy.

Israel died as a nation, and lost all these special favors of the Lord, but the individuals comprising the nation continued to live, and each successive generation of these throughout the centuries has suffered.  They have suffered because of being members of a nation that was dead.  See the prophecy of this as recorded in Deuteronomy 32:22.

The poor man—representing the Gentiles—also died to that condition of alienation from God which was theirs prior to the first advent of Christ.  Believing Gentiles were carried into Abraham’s bosom; that is, they became the children of Abraham through faith, and inherited the promises of God which were made to and through him.  The whole Gentile world—particularly where the Gospel has been at least nominally accepted—has benefited from this great change.  Representatives of the dead nation of Israel, from time to time in the past, appealed to the favored Gentile nations for mercy and assistance, but little help was given.

The key that identifies the rich man of the parable is in the statement concerning his five brothers—“They have Moses and the prophets.”  This was true only of the Jewish nation.  The nation was divided into twelve tribes.  Following the Babylonian captivity, it was mostly the members of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin that returned to Judea, although some of all the tribes returned.  It was largely, therefore, the two tribes to whom Jesus ministered, and who would be represented by this rich man of the parable.  If this one man represented two tribes, the other ten tribes could be well represented by his five brethren, and the parable shows that they shared the same fate because they had failed to hear Moses and the prophets.

But the parable does not teach that the Jewish nation was to suffer forever.  Indeed, there are many prophecies to show that the death of Israel as a nation was to be only temporary, and now these prophecies are being fulfilled.  Today, as the restored nation of Israel continues to work out its new destiny in the Promised Land, the flames of persecution are abating.  Eventually their eyes of understanding will be opened to recognize Jesus as their Messiah; and by bringing themselves into accord with his righteous kingdom soon to be manifested for the blessing of all nations, they will be completely reinstated into the favor of God and will have the opportunity to enjoy the blessings of peace and everlasting life which will then be made available to all the peoples of the earth.

Victory Over Hades

In the masterful treatise by the Apostle Paul on the resurrection of the dead, recorded in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians, we find the assertion, “O death where is thy sting? O grave [hades], where is thy victory?” (Verse 55)  The “sting of death is sin,” writes Paul. (Verse 56)  Sin fastened itself upon father Adam, and through him the human race was stung to death.  But as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so Jesus, the great Sin-bearer for the world will be lifted up so that all can see and know of his saving power.  Those who look to him for help will live forever. (John 3:14,15)  Then the temporary victory of hades, the death condition, will be taken away; for all who are in hell are to be awakened from the sleep of death, and given an opportunity to look unto Jesus and live.

Then hades, or hell, is to be destroyed.  We are assured of this in the passage where the world hell appears in the Bible for the last time; namely, Revelation 20:14.  When we examined the use of the sheol in the Old Testament. which has the same meaning as hades of the New Testament, we found that according to Hosea 13:14, it was God’s purpose to destroy the death condition which it describes.  And now, in this very last use of the word hades in the Bible, we discover that the Lord is again assuring us of this same blessed fact.

Here, however, the destruction of the Bible hell is made even more definite, for the Lord illustrates the fact by using the symbol of fire.  We read, “And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.”  Adam and his race have died the first death; but from this death they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.  The Scriptures speak of the “second death,” and it is here symbolized by a lake of fire.  All incorrigible sinners will be destroyed in the second death, as will also the devil himself.  And in this text we are assured that even hell, or the death condition, will be destroyed.  It is because of this fact, in Revelation 21:4, we read, “there shall be no more death.”

Gehenna and Unquenchable Fire

There is another Greek word in the New Testament that is translated “hell,” and with which the word fire is sometimes associated—that word is Gehenna.  It is this word that Jesus uses in Matthew 10:28, which reads, “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 [Gehenna].”

In examining the meaning of this word Gehenna the point to which we wish to call attention in the passage just quoted is that it is presented by Jesus as a place, or condition of destruction, not of torment.  That which the Lord consigns to Gehenna is destroyed, not preserved or tortured.  And this is fully in keeping with the significance of the word at is was understood by the Jews of Jesus’ day.

Gehenna, literally, was a deep valley, or ravine, just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem which was used as a place for the disposal of the offal of the city.  In the Hebrew language it was know as the “Valley of Hinnom.”  Fires were kept constantly burning in this valley in order to assure the destruction of everything that was cast into it.  Not only, therefore, was Gehenna a place of destruction, but that which was destroyed therein was worthless.

In Jesus’ day the people were well acquainted with the purpose for which Gehenna was used, and when he employed it as a symbol of the utter destruction of those unworthy of life everlasting, they would be quick to get the force of the illustration.  Nor would the idea of torture ever enter into their minds when they heard Jesus use this illustration.

Thus seen, while both hades and Gehenna represent the death condition, Jesus seems to have used the Gehenna symbolism more particularly with respect to those who will prove to be incorrigible, hence unworthy of everlasting life; while the Bible indicates that those who are in hades are to be awakened from death, either as members of the church who will come forth in the “first resurrection,” or else as those who come forth to participate in the trial, or judgment, of the millennial age.

Jesus used the word Gehenna in his Sermon on the Mount, saying, “Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell [Gehenna] fire.” (Matt. 5:22)  The literal Valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, was not far distant from where Jesus uttered these words, and those who heard them would not think for a moment that he was teaching that all who do not accept him before they die were to be tortured forever.  And no one reading his words today would ever think of such an absurd interpretation were it not for the background of distorted and god-dishonoring teachings which have come to us from the Dark Ages.

While the literal Gehenna of Jesus’ day was used for the destruction of the city’s garbage, it is said that the carcasses of dead animals were also often destroyed therein.  It is also said that the dead bodies of human beings—criminals—whom the Jews judged as unworthy of a resurrection, were also destroyed in Gehenna.  In view of this, those to whom Jesus ministered would be quick to catch the thought of eternal destruction when he used Gehenna as a symbol of the punishment of the wicked.

Twice more Jesus used the Word Gehenna in his Sermon on the Mount.  We quote: “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 hell [Gehenna].  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 hell [Gehenna].”—Matt. 5:29,30

So far as we are aware, no one has ever claimed that the human body of a sinner is cast into a place of torment.  Certainly we all know that the body returns to the dust, yet some try to use this passage to support their torment theory.  These words of the Master should readily be recognized as highly symbolic.  No one supposes that he had any intention of teaching that in order to escape eternal torture it would be necessary for one literally to pluck out an eye, or cut off a hand.  Rather, he is using these as symbols of those things which might seem very precious to us as Christians; but, if they should stand in the way of our gaining eternal life in the kingdom, it would be better to give them up as mere temporal advantages in order to make sure of the eternal glories.

In the illustration, Jesus uses Gehenna as a symbol of the utter loss that would be experienced by those who, after tasting of “the good word of God,” and being “partakers of the Holy Spirit,” and of “the powers of the world to come,” should through unfaithfulness, do despite to the grace of God. (Heb. 6:4,5)  But no suggestion of torment is in any way implied by the lesson.

In Matthew 18:8,9, Jesus presents a lesson identical in meaning with the one he gave in his Sermon on the Mount.  Once in this passage he speaks of “Gehenna fire,” and refers to the same thing as “everlasting fire.”  Since fire is a symbol of destruction, and quite properly so because of its destructive qualities, the expression “everlasting fire” would simply denote everlasting destruction.  Again, no torment is suggested.

In Matthew 23:15 we find the word Gehenna used again by the Master.  Here he is upbraiding the scribes and Pharisees for their wrong, hypocritical attitude, and tells them that despite their zeal to make converts to the Jewish religion, anyone who was influenced by their teaching was made “twofold more the child of hell [Gehenna]” than they were themselves.  This is simply the Master’s way of saying to the Pharisees that they were far out of line with the true God of Israel and with his plans, and that those whom they taught would likewise be far afield from the divine arrangements—so far that they would be in danger of not gaining everlasting life at all, unless they changed their position.  But even so, there is no threat here of eternal torture, but rather a warning as to the danger of losing the privilege of living everlastingly, that glorious opportunity that was to be provided through the blood of Christ.

In Matthew 23:33, Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees again, calling them a “generation of vipers,” and adding, “How can ye escape the damnation [judgment] of hell [Gehenna]?”  The translators took the opportunity to use the word “damnation” in this text, thinking no doubt, to make the threat of the statement sound more sinister.  And if we think of hell erroneously as meaning torture, and couple with it the word damnation, we do have a blistering text.

But the plain facts of the case are quite simple.  The Greek word here translated damnation simply means judgment, and hence the condemnation of Gehenna would simply be that of eternal oblivion—that which is described in the Book of Revelation as the “second death”—a death from which the Scriptures nowhere promise a resurrection.  The Revised Version uses the proper word “judgment” instead of “damnation.”

In Mark 9:43-47 we have a repetition of the lesson which speaks of the advisability of parting with one’s eyes, and feet, and hands, rather than be cast into Gehenna fire.  In Jesus gave in his Sermon on the Mount, and in which he this passage, however, Jesus intensifies the illustration by speaking of the worms which do not die, and the fires which are not quenched—unquenchable fire.

As we have seen, fires were kept continually burning in Gehenna, which at all times assured the destruction of whatever was thrown into the valley.  Anything reaching those fires was sure to be destroyed, hence from this standpoint, they were unquenchable.  But there was always the possibility that carcasses thrown into the fires of Gehenna might lodge on the jagged sides of the ravine and not reach the fires below.  These would be destroyed by the ever-present worms which infest dead bodies thus exposed to the elements.  It was to this that Jesus referred as the undying, or ever-present worms.

How absurd, as some have tried to teach, that Jesus is here describing the alleged immortal souls of human beings as worms!  In this passage, as in many others of the Bible, it is only because people have erroneous notions in their minds that they see a meaning which was never intended by the Lord.  Let us try to comprehend the hideousness of the torment theory, and realize that a God of love would not make such a plan for the punishment even of his enemies.  Through Jesus our Heavenly Father teaches us to love our enemies, and certainly he does not want us to believe that he tortures his.

The last use we find of the word Gehenna in the Gospels is that of Luke 12:5.  Here Jesus tells us that we are to fear him who is able to cast one into hell (Gehenna).  The construction of the text is very revealing.  A man may kill another, but the eternal existence of his victim would not be jeopardized.  But those whom the Heavenly Father considers incorrigible, and not worthy of life, are cast into Gehenna.  This, of course, is not a literal casting into that valley which was located outside of the city of Jerusalem.  The thought is, rather, that Gehenna is a fitting symbol of the destruction of that which is not worthy of life.

The last, and one of the most interesting uses of the word Gehenna in the New Testament is that recorded in James 3:6.  Here James tells us that the tongue is set on fire of Gehenna.  It would be difficult to explain the meaning of this text should we have in mind the traditional misconception of hell.  But when we think of Gehenna as being a symbol of destruction, it is readily seen that what James means is that the tongue, moved by selfishness and hate, is set on fire or caused to speak, by influences which, if not checked, are sure to lead to death, either of the one whose tongue is thus incited to speak evil, or of those concerning whom he speaks.

And now we have examined every text in the Bible in which the words sheol, hades, and Gehenna appear, and we have found that not even once is there justification for supposing that these Hebrew and Greek words which are sometimes translated hell are descriptive of a torture chamber into which God purposes to consign all unbelievers at death.* Let us then dismiss from our minds this blasphemy against the good name of our loving God, and endeavor to learn more concerning his loving plan to bless all nations during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom.

* NOTE—The word hell appears one other time in the New Testament; namely, in II Peter 2:4. Here it is a translation of the Greek word tartaroo. The text, however, is not discussing the penalty for sin which comes upon human beings, so is not important to our present discussion.

We have found the Scriptures clearly to teach that man was created to live on the earth forever as a human being, that he forfeited this privilege by transgressing God’s Law.  The Scriptures, nevertheless, teach that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, and that in order to make restoration of the race possible, he died as man’s Redeemer.

During this present age, the work of the Lord has been, not to convert all mankind to be followers of the Master, but to call out from the world a people to be associated with him in his kingdom.  At the end of the age these are brought forth from hades in the “first resurrection,” exalted to glory, honor, and immortality to live and reign with Christ a thousand years.—Rev. 20:6; Rom. 2:7

In Matthew 25:31-46 is an account of a parable which Jesus gave to his disciples to illustrate the work of the next age—the judgment work, when the Lord will be dealing with all mankind and proving their worthiness or unworthiness of everlasting life.  It begins with the time when the “Son of man shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him.”  In the Greek text the term angels means messengers, and the reference here is to the church—all who have suffered and died following in the Master’s footsteps.  Together with him, these will be the judges of the world of mankind—“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” asks Paul.—I Cor. 6:2

There are two other important points in this parable to which we wish to call attention.  The first is the reward that is given to those who are represented by the sheep, that is, those who qualify for life under the terms of that judgment-day period.  To these the invitation is given, “Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Verse 34)  This is the kingdom, or dominion, that was given to our first parents, but which they lost on account of sin.  Here we are told that it will be restored at the close of the thousand-year judgment day.

But let us notice also the final disposition of those represented by the goats of the parable; that is, those who prove themselves to be incorrigible sinners.  These, it is stated, go away into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.  Some have seized upon this statement in an effort to prove the torment theory, but no such thought is attached to the text.  Fire here, as always in the Bible, is a symbol of destruction, not torment.  Everlasting fire would simply be everlasting destruction.

In the last verse (46) of the chapter the same thought is referred to as “everlasting punishment.”  Death is the punishment for sin, and eternal death would be everlasting punishment.  The thought is made more definite when we examine the Greek word here used, translated “punishment.”  It is a word which denotes a “cutting off.”  The willfully wicked will be cut off from life, but as the text declares, the righteous of that time will enter into “life eternal.”  And to these the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world will be restored.  The parable reminds us that the devil and his angels will also then be destroyed.

In Revelation 20:10 Satan is represented as being destroyed in the “lake of fire.”  As we have already noted, the lake of fire is a powerful symbol of destruction.  Death and the Bible hell are represented as being destroyed therein.  The “beast” and the “false prophet” of Revelation are said to be destroyed in the lake of fire. (Rev. 19:20)  It is conceded that the “beast” and the “false prophet” are symbolic of corrupt politico-religious systems dominated by Satan.  These are to be destroyed preparatory to the full manifestation of the kingdom of Christ.

Revelation 20:10 speaks of the torment of Satan in the “lake of fire,” but as other scriptures declare definitely that he is to be destroyed, this expression must be understood symbolically, even as the lake of fire is itself symbolic.  Satan’s torment following his destruction is evidently the everlasting derision that will be heaped upon him in the minds of the people.  Even now we speak of not letting people rest after they die; but the thought is not that their rest is actually disturbed, but rather that the living remember and deride them.  So it will be with Satan.  His course of willful opposition to God and its terrible results, will serve as an everlasting object lesson to all the restored of mankind.

Thus we have found that the entire Bible is in agreement with Paul’s declaration that the “wages of sin is death,” not torment.  And how glad we are that an opportunity to escape eternal death has been provided by our loving God through the gift of his Son to be our Redeemer and Savior!  Believers during the present age receive life through faith; and while temporarily they fall asleep in death, they will be raised to glory, honor, and immortality in the “first resurrection,” to live and reign with Christ a thousand years.—Rev. 20:6

During the thousand years of Christ’s reign all mankind will be given the opportunity to accept God’s loving provision of life through Christ, and those who do accept and obey the laws of the divine kingdom then in force will be restored to perfection of human life.  Instead of sickness and death, there will be health and life, for the promise is that God will “swallow up death in victory” and wipe away tears from all faces.—Isa. 25:8,9

Truly we should rejoice that our God, the God of the Bible, the Creator of heaven and earth, is a God of love.  May the length and breadth and height and depth of his love inspire us with a greater desire than ever to serve him, and to make known to all the glories of his character.

The Traditional Concept of HELL …is a Myth

Compiled by

Anthony V. Gaudiano

The traditional concept of ‘Hell’ has sinners tortured with fire for eternity. They are assumed to feel searing pain, yet their flesh is not consumed.

Few question why sinners are not burnt to ashes in a fiery Hell, or why eternal life, which is promised only to the faithful, is seemingly given to sinners … just to be tortured? A study of the scriptures can resolve these and other contradictions.

Surprisingly, fire is NOT mentioned in 78% of the verses where the word Hell appears in the King James Version (KJV) bible. In the few remaining verses where fire and sinners are associated, it is clearly NOT torture, but ANNIHILATION, which results.

The traditional concept of Hell does NOT come from the inspired Hebrew or Greek manuscripts. It is a pagan myth adopted as Christian doctrine in the third century by church fathers. Yet, then as now, innocent people are taught the traditional concept of Hell by trusted authority figures. That trust deters questions, so for hundreds of years the myth has perpetuated. The KJV and other translations have also perpetuated the myth by less than the most accurate translation of the word Hell. But this is changing as seen in Table A.

This article is a compilation of out-of-print publications from Ambassador College and other sources which are identified herein. Bold fonts, all capital letters, etc., are author’s emphasis.

Anomalies in the words translated as Hell

The word Hell occurs in a total of fifty-three verses in the KJV; Thirty-one times in the Old Testament, and twenty-two times in the New. This article will show that:

FOUR separate words from Hebrew and Greek were translated into the ONE English word Hell. In English Hell refers to a conceal place, a hole in the ground as for storing potatoes, etc., covered with soil during winter.

TWO words, one Hebrew and one Greek, mean the SAME THING. Fire is NOT associated with FORTY-TWO occurrences of these words.

One Greek word for Hell occurs just once. Fire is NOT associated with the occurrence, neither are HUMANS.

One Greek word is used ELEVEN times; FIRE is associated with EVERY occurrence.

Anyone can find the definition of the four Hebrew and Greek words translated, and the context in which they are used. Only two common study aids are required. Most people already have them. Other publications referenced herein can be easily obtained through a public library.

STUDY AIDS

The study aids to verify that the traditional concept of Hell is a myth are the KJV, and a KJV based Concordance. Examples are: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – with Brief Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original with References to the English Words, or Young’s Concordance. Strong’s Concordance is used here.

Strong’s Concordance

Strong’s Concordance was published near the mid-1900s after 35 years of effort. It is a compilation of all non-common words in passages of the KJV. The words are listed in biblical order by book, chapter, and verse. A short passage from the verse containing the word being studied, is shown.

Appended to the end of each passage may be one or more symbols, but always an Arabic number.

Strong’s Concordance contains a paragraph titled: Directions and Explanations, which should be read. The following synopsis relates to those instructions:

Where the asterisk (*) symbol is appended to a verse, it indicates a change in the leading word of the passage from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) translation of the bible. Similarly, the symbol obelisk (+) is a leading word change by the British revisers only, and a double obelisk is a word change by American revisers.

An appended number of UPRIGHT Arabic numbers indicates a Hebrew or Chaldean word in the original scriptures, commonly of the Old Testament. The meaning of the word can be found by sequentially looking up the appended number in the Hebrew Dictionary which follows the concordance section.

An appended number of SLOPING Italic Arabic numbers indicates a Greek word in the original scriptures, commonly of the New Testament. The meaning of the word can be found by sequentially looking up the appended number in the Greek Dictionary.

If a passage contains a word which is italicized, it means that it did not appear in the original scriptures, but is an insertion by a translator.

Insertions are usually a translator’s attempt to make text read smoother or be more understandable. However, occasionallyerror is introduced. An example of an error critical to correctly understanding a verse about the traditional concept of Hell, is identified in this article.

NEW TESTAMENT

Three Greek words are translated Hell in the New Testament. Examine the meaning of each word by looking up the appended number in the Greek Dictionary.

Hades

Ten passages have number 86 appended. Looking up number 86 shows it to be Hades. The word essentially means ‘an concealed place for dead people,’ (i.e., a grave). A grave is the clear common sense understanding of every instance of Hades. The word is synonymous with Sheol, both mean GRAVE.

As with Sheol, fire is NOT mentioned in the ten verses where Hades is translated Hell. Again, there is no connotation of the traditional concept of sinners in a ‘fiery hell.’

Tartaroo

Word number 5020 ‘Tartaroo’(Tartarus) is mentioned one time. It essentially means ‘a deep dark abyss, a place of restraint, or incarceration.’ It refers to the place where Satan and spirit beings will be confined for a thousand years near the end of the age:
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and he cast him into the bottomless pit [Tartaroo], and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while”… (Revelation 20:1)

Notice that fire is NOT mentioned in the only passage where Tartaroo is translated Hell.

Other scripture mentions the incarceration of spirits also, however the place is not Tartaroo, nor is fire mentioned. For example:

“for Yahshua died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to Yahweh. He was put to death in the body but made alive in SPIRIT through which ALSO he went and preached to the spirits in ‘prison’ [Word number 5438 means (im-)prison(-ment)] who disobeyed LONG AGO”…(1 Peter 3:18-20) The Scriptures Bible.

The pre-Genesis earth is described as ‘dark and void’ when the Archangel Michael cast the defeated Lucifer and his fallen angels down to EARTH (Isa.14:12-14). Earth is their ‘prison.’ Logically, when Yahshua preached to these fallen spirits, he was then ALSO a spirit, as after his resurrection.

Yahshua became mortal, died, and was placed in a sepulture carved in rock. He prophesied he would be “in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” He did not lie! NOWHERE in Yahweh’s scripture does it say that while there, Yahshua ‘descended’ into the traditional concept of ‘Hell.’ Only the manmade APOSTLES CREED, written in the third century, mentions such nonsense. It is in the same category and by the same people as the manmade ‘Limbo’ and ‘Purgatory.’

The spirits in 1 Peter 3:18-20 above, and their fate are described in Jude 1:6:

“and the angels [spirits] who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home – these he [Yahshua] has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgement on the great day.” (The Scriptures Bible).

THE MEANING OF THE FOUR WORDS

The four words which have been translated Hell in the KJV, and the meaning(s) of those words, are obtained by first alphabetically looking up the word Hell in the Concordance, then looking up the number appended to each verse in the Hebrew or Greek Dictionary, as applicable. Start with the Old Testament at the top of the list.

OLD TESTAMENT

Notice in the Old Testament that for all thirty-one passages where the word Hell appears, the appended number is 7585.

Sheol

Look up number 7585 in the Hebrew Dictionary. It is the Hebrew word Sheol. The meaning of Sheol is essentially ‘a pit in the earth where dead people are placed’ (i.e., a GRAVE).

The meaning may not be clear in Deuteronomy 32:22, however. Reading verse 31:19 to 32:24 reveals that it is the range of anger – from the depths (bottom of a grave) to the whole surface of the earth, which is being described (i.e., NOT physical fire).

Read all remaining passages in the Old Testament listed, but mentally substitute the word GRAVE for Hell. Grave is the clear common sense understanding. Notice that fire is NOT mentioned in the thirty-one passages where the word Hell occurs. The traditional concept of sinners tortured in a ‘fiery hell’ is NOT connoted in the ENTIRE Old Testament.

Gehenna

Word number 1067 ‘Gehenna’ appears eleven times. It refers to the Valley of Hinnon (i.e., Ge-Hinnon = Gehenna). It means a ’steep sided gorge or valley.’ It is mentioned in Nehemiah 11:30, II Kings 23:10, etc.

Some hold that Kings Ahaz and Manasseh made their children “pass through the fire” to the pagan god Molech in this valley. The rites were celebrated in a place called Torphet (II Kings 23:10) the “place of abhorrence,” one of the chief groves there. King Josiah put an end to these abominations as described in II Kings 23:10.

And further, that Aceldama, the “field of blood,” purchased with the money Judas received for the betrayal of Yahshua Messiah (Matt. 27:8), is also a part of the valley of Hinnon. The valley of Hinnon is still shown on maps South of Jerusalem.

Notice that in EVERY passage with ‘Gehenna,’ fire IS mentioned.

In latter biblical times ‘Gehenna’ was a trash dump where refuse, dead animals, executed criminals, etc., were thrown and burned (Jeremiah 19:6).

Fire requires fuel, oxygen, and a kindling temperature. All three are commonly present in most trash dumps. Objects exposed to the fire in ‘Gehenna’ were burnt to ashes. As with present day trash dumps, Gehenna undoubtedly smoldered and burned continuously. At night the glow from the fires in Gehenna would have appeared as ‘a lake of fire’ at Jerusalem.

When word #1067 was mentioned in parables by Yahshua, the listener would have had a vivid picture of what would happen to a living creature thrown into ‘Gehenna.’ Obviously, that the creature would be burnt to ashes (i.e., annihilated).

The fire referred to by Yahshua, however is that described in the book of Revelation. That lake of fire and brimstone (burning sulphur) will exist at the end of the age and will be infinitely hotter than any trash dump.

In Mark 9:24 it says that the people are going to “look upon the carcasses of men that have transgressed against me.” “They will be BURNED UP like fat on a stove” (Psalm 37:20).

IMMORTAL WORMS?

There is a passage in Mark 9:44-48 in which Yahshua Messiah spoke of worms that “dieth not” (KJV). Some have thought that this was a reference to Satan as a serpent living in flames. Others thought it referred to wicked people. But it is THEIR (i.e., the victim’s) worms that were being referred to.

Look up word Number 4663 in the Greek Dictionary. It describes the kind of worm. In Isaiah 66:24 as in Mark 9:48, it is a maggot, the larvae of the common fly.

A fly lays 200 to 400 eggs at a time. A few days afterward the eggs grow into maggots and cover their food. Shortly afterward they pupate into flies. The cycle is repeated frequently because decaying material and flies are common in trash dumps.

Dead bodies thrown into Gehenna would initially have a high content of water. Accordingly, the flesh would not burn immediately. It would decay and eventually be consumed either by maggots, or fire when the tissue dried. To the casual observer the ever present maggots would appear to be immortal, apparently living in fire without evidence of dying.

WILL THE BEAST AND FALSE PROPHET BE TORMENTED FOREVER?

The passage in Revelation 20:10 of the KJV says:

“and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Note that the word ‘are’ is in ITALICS. As noted above, this word was NOT in the original Greek. It was inserted by a translator.

The inference is that the beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire at the beginning of the millennium (Rev. 19:20) and tortured eternally in accordance with the traditional concept of ‘Hell.’

Clearly, if the beast and the false prophet are living creatures, they will ‘cease to exist.’ Similarly, death and the grave will ‘cease to exist’ because the faithful will have been given eternal life.

The common sense understanding of Revelation 20:10 requires that the verse to be translated as:

“where the beast and false prophet were [now annihilated]”

LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN – WAS THE LATTER IN FIRE?

Luke 16 is commonly used by those who advocate the traditional concept that sinners will suffer eternal torture by ‘hell fire.’ But this was a PARABLE, spoken by Yahshua to teach MERCY.

In the parable the rich man died and was buried. All the events which follow are from his being in ‘Hell’(i.e., Hades,) his grave.

The word translated as Hell in the parable is the same word used by Peter in Acts 2:31:

“He [David] seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Yahshua, that his [Yahshua's] soul was not left in Hell [hades = grave], neither his flesh did see corruption.”

The word translated as ’soul’ throughout the KJV is word number 5315. In the Hebrew Dictionary it is ‘Nephesh’ which means ‘a living a breathing creature, animal or human, i.e., a being, a life.’ The meaning of Nephesh must not to be confused with the meaning of the word ’spirit.’ The book of Ezekiel 18:4 states Yahweh’s word:

“Behold, all souls [human beings = living breathing creature(s)] are mine, as the soul [being] of the father, so also the soul [being] of the son is mine: The soul [being] that sinneth, it shall die.” KJV

Where in the bible does it say that spirits die?
In the PARABLE of Lazarus and the Rich man, the rich man opens his eyes and sees the flames of the lake of fire which are about to annihilate him. He is horrified and his tongue goes dry from grief. He asks for a few drops of water for his tongue, obviously an insufficient amount to cool his entire body if he were then immersed in searing flames.

He is tormented by the thought of the flames. Word #3600 translated ‘tormented,’ is the Greek word Odoonaho. The meaning of the word is: ‘to grieve – sorrow, [mental] torment, by extension from word number 3601: grief as dejection.’

The inference in the PARABLE is that the rich man has knowledge of Ezekiel 18:4 (i.e., ” the soul that sinneth, it shall die”). He knows he is guilty and about to face terrible retribution. His punishment is death by fire, annihilation for eternity (i.e., eternal punishMENT).

If humans sin willfully after receiving the Good News, their fate is described in Hebrews 10:26-27.

“there remains no more sacrifice for sins but a fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, which will devour [annihilate] the adversaries.”

THE FATE OF THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE

The passage in Revelation 14:11 refers to any man who worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark. That man shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb [Yahshua Messiah]. Perhaps the fire and brimstone will be the same as RAINED down on Sodom and Gomorrah, which may have been divinely directed meteorites of burning sulphur ignited by friction with the atmosphere.

The inference is that those who are a part of the ‘government system of Babylon’ and who receive the mark of the beast, will have no rest day or night as long as they remain in the land falling under Yahweh’s wrath. They will either have to flee to receive mercy, or be tormented by sulphurous fumes until they die.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?

What happens after we die? Most of us are placed in a grave and we decompose into a small amount of elements and compounds. We cannot reckon time when asleep, unconscious, or dead. At the second coming of Yahshua, the faithful who have died will be resurrected as spirit beings and will meet Yahshua in the air. Accordingly, none will know if they were dead one day or for Centuries.

The faithful which are alive at Yahshua’s coming will also be changed into spirit beings and also meet him in the air. These are the ‘First Fruits’ of the harvest, Yahshua being the First of the First Fruits. The faithful will likely be assigned ministerial duties as part of Yahshua’s sovereign government.

After the millennium, all others who have died will be resurrected as human beings, not spirit beings. The inference is that this will occur even though their bodily remains have dispersed. Those who remain will have the Good News preached to them by the Two Witnesses (Archangels Michael and Gabriel, now mortal) for three and one-half years. During this same period Satan will be loosed from Tartaroo. There will be some who will accept the Good News then, and some who will not.

Then comes the great ‘White Throne’ judgement when Yahshua opens “the Book of Life” as described in Revelation 20:12.

Those whose name is “not written in the Book of Life ” will receive eternal punishment. They will be thrown into the lake of fire “which is the SECOND DEATH from which there is NO RESURRECTION (Revelation 21:8). Malachi 4:3 says ” the ASHES of the WICKED will FINALLY be under the feet of the righteous.”

Plainly, those who are thrown into the ‘lake of fire’ will be ANNIHILATED. Their second death prevents them from being in the presence of Yahweh, and his son Yahshua, for eternity.

DOES ANYONE IMMEDIATELY GO TO HEAVEN OR HELL AT THEIR DEATH?

Peter gives the answer to this question when he talks about David in Acts 2:29 and 2:34.

“He is both dead and buried and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.”

Even David, whose entire life (with one exception) was pleasing to Yahweh:

“is NOT ascended to the heavens.”

Neither do the scriptures identify any sinful person who died and descended to the traditional concept of a fiery Hell.

Most people believe that when a person dies, they immediately go either to ‘Heaven’ or ‘Hell.’ Plain common sense begs the question: If this were true, none of the faithful would be on earth to be ‘raised from the dead’ at the second coming of Yahshua Messiah.

WHERE DID THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPT OF HELL ORIGINATE?

As has been established, nowhere in the fifty-three passages of the Old and New Testament where Hell is used in the KJV, is there support for the idea of TORTURE (punishING) of PEOPLE by a merciful creator. Instead, the scriptures repeatedly support a reward of eternal life, OR death, a one time event for eternity (punishMENT). As the scriptures say “the wages of sin is death,” not torture.

Where did the concept of eternal torture (punishING) come from? It is apparent they come to us from early teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. From the Encyclopedia Americana:

“The main features of hell as conceived by Hindu, Persian, Egyptian, Grecian, and Christian theologians are essentially the same. The Western religious from Roman times through the Middle Ages borrowed the doctrine of eternal torture from the Pagan Philosophers. Certain writers of the Middle Ages had such tremendous influence on the Christian-professing world, that their writings and teachings came to be generally accepted and believed, until it became the doctrine of the Christian-professing world. Among these influential writers were Augustine and Dante Alighieri”

The Italian renaissance poet Dante Alighieri (1265 to 1321) wrote the then popular fictional narrative THE (DIVINE) COMEDY – Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Thomas Nelson Page describes in his 1923 book “Dante and His Influence” that Dante was not the first to conceive of a journey into the Infernal regions:

“Homer and Virgil had both pictured in immortal verse such an experience and other poets had done the same”…”But he [Dante] was the first to make such a journey the central thread on which to hang in epic form the whole of Human Life together with the conditions that brought it into being,”…

“All the preaching of the time was of a material or physical Inferno and Purgatory. None doubted the existence, or even within limits the location of such places of punishment. Many Ages have passed since then without substantial change of this fundamental idea, and up to a generation or two ago, it may be said to have been generally accepted, and even now is distinctly taught by a great portion of the body of the Church”

Dante’s ‘Inferno’ was based on Virgil and Plato who were PAGANS. Dante is said to have thought their ideas and philosophies were inspired.

Again from the encyclopedia Americana:

“Virgil, pagan Roman poet, 70-19 B.C. belonged to the national school of pagan Roman thought, influenced by the Greek writers. Christians of the Middle Ages, including Dante, believed he had received some measure of divine inspiration”

Plato was a pagan Greek philosopher, born in Athens, 427 B.C., a student of Socrates also a pagan. He wrote the famous book Phaedo, on the ‘Immortality of the soul’, and this book is the real origin of the modern religious belief in the immortality of the soul. The traditional concept of sinners tormented for all eternity in a fiery hell is clearly from the imaginations of PAGANS!

Regardless, over the centuries the myth of sinners being tortured in a fiery hell has been perpetuated by sincere well meaning people of various religions backgrounds, and less than the most accurate translation of Hell in the KJV.

CONCLUSION

The KJV was used to illustrate the necessity of studying more than one translation to accurately understand scripture. The same is true of Concordances, Interlinears, and Lexicons.

We should know what we believe in… and why we believe it. Will you continue to believe the traditional pagan myth of Hell, or the scriptural truth?

The truth about HELL

The idea of an ever-burning hell has frightened countless millions! What really happens to the wicked after death? Are they “doomed to hell,” where their “souls” roast in “torment” forever? If hell exists, and the wicked go there, where is it and what is it? And when do they go? What about the resurrection of the dead? And the parable of Lazarus and the rich man? There are many popular beliefs about the fate of unrepentant sinners. Why such confusion? What are the Bible answers? Here is the truth about hell!

BY DAVID C. PACK

Recently, a well-known unrepentant mass murderer was executed. A grim-faced relative of one of his victims appeared at a press conference shortly afterwards and pronounced that the killer was now “burning in hell.” It was obvious that the relative also wanted this to be true just as sincerely as he believed his own statement. What was this killer’s fate? Did his crimes doom him to roast in hell forever? Most professing Christians would answer “yes.” But is this what the Bible teaches?

Popular Belief

The most common image of people “roasting in hell” pictures a God willing to burn people for all eternity without ever totally burning them up. Apart from what the scriptures teach, ask yourself, what kind of God is capable of this? Modern “human rights activists” recognize the terrible evil of torture—even in its temporary forms. Would the loving God of the Bible design an everlasting torture chamber? If so, He would have to witness—for the rest of eternity—the suffering of those that He had condemned to such a “hell.”

We might also ask: How enjoyable could salvation be for the saved, if they were forced to watch their children or parents—and other loved ones—screaming in pain and agony for the rest of time? Do you see the absurdity of this idea? Yet millions upon millions come to this conclusion when they accept the beliefs surrounding the popular concept of hell.

Consider what the Encyclopedia Americana says about hell: “…As generally understood, hell is the abode of evil spirits; the infernal regions…whither lost and condemned souls go after death to suffer indescribable torments and eternal punishment…Some have thought of it as the place created by the Deity, where He punishes with inconceivable severity, and through all eternity, the souls of those who through unbelief or through the worship of false gods have angered Him. It is the place of divine revenge, untempered, never ending.” An additional quote, also from the Encyclopedia Americana, makes this stunning admission about the almost universal acceptance of the popular belief about hell: “The main features of hell as conceived by Hindu, Persian, Egyptian, Grecian and Christian theologians are essentially the same.”

Dante’s Inferno

Almost no one understands that it was primarily pagan poets who authored today’s widely believed concept about an underground, ever-burning hell.

Much of the tradition surrounding this subject came from Dante Alighieri’s (1265-1321) famous work Divine Comedy. In it, he described his view of paradise, purgatory and hell. Notice this quote from a book about his life, Dante and His Inferno: “Of all poets of modern times, Dante Alighieri was, perhaps, the greatest educator. He possibly had a greater influence on the course of civilization than any other man since his day…He wrote, in incomprehensible verse, an imaginative and lurid account of a dismal hell—a long poem containing certain phrases which have caught the attention of the world, such as, ‘all hope abandon…ye, who enter here!’ This had a tremendous impression and influence on the popular Christian thought and teaching. His Inferno was based on Virgil and Plato.”

This makes obvious where Dante got his ideas. He believed that the pagan philosophers Plato and Virgil were divinely inspired. His fascination with the Greek philosopher Plato caused him to accept Plato’s ideas about the immortality of the soul as described in his famous work, Phaedo. Here is what the Encyclopedia Americana says about Virgil: “Virgil, pagan Roman poet, 70-12 B.C. Belonged to the national school of pagan Roman thought, influenced by the Greek writers. Christians of the Middle Ages, including Dante, believed he had received some measure of divine inspiration.”

Few know the true origin of the beliefs that they hold. Fewer still even wish to know! We have just laid bare, in the quotes above, the real origin of this belief. Did you realize the source of these ideas? The concept of an ever-burning hell comes from outright paganism! We will see that the popular version of hell has never had anything to do with the true teaching of the Bible.

A Popular Scripture

Perhaps the most familiar and often-quoted verse in the Bible is understood by almost no one. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Millions routinely quote this verse, while ignoring an essential phrase within it.

Reread it! Those who receive salvation are promised that they “should not perish” but “have eternal life!” If hell is a place of eternal torture, then the people suffering this torment must also have eternal life. But the verse says, “should not perish.” It does not say, “Should not suffer eternal life in torment.” How does the word perish relate to the popular teaching about hell and hell fire? Why did God inspire John to use the word perish if this is not what He meant?

The Wages of Sin

If you are employed, you receive regular paychecks. They represent wages paid to you for work done. What about God? Does He ever pay wages for work? Notice Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This verse exactly mirrors John 3:16! Eternal life is contrasted to death—to perishing! The wages of sin is death, not eternal torture in hell.

There is no mystery regarding the meaning of wages that an employer pays an employee for his work. Why should there be confusion over the meaning of wages that God pays a sinner for his works? God says He pays the wicked a paycheck of death—not life in a place of torment. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. It states that “scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35) and “Your [God’s] word is truth” (17:17). If we are to believe that the Bible is unbreakable truth, then we must believe that death means death and life means life! How sad that most do not understand these straightforward verses.

Before examining a number of additional verses about the subject of hell, important groundwork must be laid. The idea of an ever-burning hell is inseparable from the popular belief that all human beings have immortal souls. We must examine what God says about souls. It is not what you may think!

Do People Have Immortal Souls?

Most people do not understand the relationship between physical men and souls. In Sunday school, I was taught that human beings are born with immortal souls. The common belief is that, upon death, the souls of sinners go to hell forever, since they are immortal. Is this what the Bible says? If the wages of sin is death, could the Bible also teach that people have immortal souls?

Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” This verse does not say that men have souls, but that they are souls. Adam became a soul—he was not given a soul. Then, almost immediately, God warned him, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” (vs. 16-17). When placed together, these verses reveal that men are souls and that souls can die!

The prophet Ezekiel was inspired to write (twice): “The soul that sins, it shall die” (18:4, 20). Death is the absence of life. It is the discontinuance—the cessation—of life. Death is not life in another place. It is not leaving “this life” for “another life”—the “next life.”

Further, on the subject of whether or not the soul can die, consider Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says that souls can be destroyed! According to this verse, they can be destroyed as much as bodies can. We all recognize that bodies eventually die and that, when they do, they naturally decompose and are completely “destroyed” due to the process of natural corruption. Any undertaker recognizes this. This verse introduces the understanding that God does the destroying of souls in hell! Bodies can die and be destroyed in many different ways. However, souls are destroyed in hell by God.

Before we directly examine the scriptures about hell, some final points must be established.

Are the Dead Conscious?

Human minds are differentiated from animal brains by intelligent thought. Presumably, if the dead are not dead, but are really still alive, then they must be capable of some kind of intelligent thought. They must at least be conscious of their surroundings. Let’s consider a series of scriptures.

First, notice Psalm 146:3-4: “Put not your trust…in the son of man…His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” When people die, their thoughts end immediately—“in that very day.” That is what it says. This verse is not compatible with the idea that the dead are consciously suffering in a place of torment. We could suppose that, if they are suffering, they do not have knowledge that they are. They are unaware of what is happening to them. Ask yourself: What would be the point of their suffering? It would be as though they were in a coma—i.e., completely unaware of what is going on around them—while their sensory nervous system is feeling the tremendous pain sensation of burning. How would this work?

Use the following analogy. If someone is to undergo major surgery, they are anesthetized—they are made to be unconscious—so that they will not experience pain. Medical doctors understand this—why don’t theologians and religionists? Why do they deny the plain statements of the Bible?

Some who willingly ignore the message of scripture allege that only mortal thoughts “perish,” in the sense that the dead leave this earthly realm and experience some mysterious, different kind of thought than they previously knew. Is this true? Of course, this is ridiculous, and the Bible does not say this, but we should at least examine the idea. Now consider an even more direct verse: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing…” (Ecc. 9:5).

To the honest reader, there is no mistaking the plain meaning here!

Solomon recorded, “For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man has no preeminence above a beast…All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Ecc. 3:19-20).

Now consider Psalm 115:17: “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” Death involves “silence.” This certainly does not square with any of the popular concepts of millions of the dead wailing and screaming in agony. Such a scene could never be described as silence! And, if many of the dead go to heaven, why are they not praising God?

Psalm 6:5 further explains that the dead do not experience conscious memory: “For in death there is no remembrance of You: in the grave who shall give You thanks?” Could anyone seriously suggest that the dead, suffering in hell, could experience the normal range of human memories but not be cognizant of God—not remember Him? Would God put people in “hell” and then leave them there suffering, forever wondering how they had gotten there and who had put them there—because they have “no remembrance” of anything related to God?

The Resurrection of the Dead

Remember to let the Bible interpret the Bible. Always keep its truth simple, and the deceptive ideas of men will fall like a house of cards.

Here is why the dead have no remembrance of God in the grave.

Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: judgment]” (John 5:28-29).

Christ understood that most would find this astonishing. That is why He told the disciples to “marvel not at this”—He understood that most people would marvel at the thought that everyone who ever lived is now “in the grave,” awaiting the resurrection! My instruction to you is also to not marvel at Christ’s words. Accept them! He said that “all” are in the grave. He did not say some are there.

The reason there are no conscious thoughts and no remembrance of God after death is that everyone who has ever died is currently awaiting one of the resurrections to which Christ referred. All people will either be resurrected to eternal life or to judgment. That is what it says.

No wonder David said, “As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Your likeness” (Psa. 17:15). David understood that the resurrection was an awakening—a coming back to life.

Like David, Job also looked forward to the resurrection of life. Notice: “O that You would hide me in the grave, that You would keep me secret, until Your wrath be past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. You shall call, and I will answer You” (Job 14:13-15).

Job did not ask that God would only hide his body in the grave. He asked God to “hide me…keep me…appoint me…remember me.” He also recognized that God would keep him “secret.” Ask yourself how being kept secret would square with being in heaven. If that were the case, God would be pretty poor at keeping secrets and the rest of the verse would make no sense. Now look at the question he asked—“if a man die, shall he live again?” If Job was going to still be alive at death, how could he “live again?” He understood that he would “wait…in the grave” for his resurrection at an “appointed time” when he would be “changed.” What did it mean that he would be changed?

The apostle Paul wrote of a “change” that will come to all true Christians. Carefully examine I Corinthians 15:51-52, 54: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump…the dead shall be raised…and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.”

It certainly is a mystery to the world that there is coming a change to immortality at the resurrection. How can someone go from “mortal” to “immortal” if they already have an immortal soul? Do you see the foolish logic of men when they ignore plain scriptures of the Bible?

Just as Job knew that he would be “changed,” David knew that he would “awake,” and Paul knew that Christians will be “changed”—that they will awaken from “sleep”—at the time of the resurrection. At the resurrection, people will literally awaken from death. Do not believe me—believe your Bible!

Ask yourself: How can people be resurrected if they are already alive as immortal souls? Only the dead, like Christ when He was in the tomb, need to be resurrected. That is the purpose of a resurrection. Do not be fooled by deceivers who say that “the resurrection only applies to the body, since the soul remained alive after death”! You have already seen several scriptures disproving that fallacy.

Upon even the most basic examination, the ideas of intelligent men are often exposed as outright foolishness. The popular concept of hell was devised by men as a means of scaring people into following the false religion that they had created. The true God would never roast people for all eternity without allowing them to burn up, so that their suffering could mercifully end. This is what a monster would do. Humanly-devised false gods figuratively “do” and “teach” whatever the men who created them have decided.

Many billions have lived and died without ever knowing the name of Jesus Christ and without ever having an opportunity for salvation. Are we to believe that they are now roasting in a man-made “hell” devised by pagan poets? If the unsaved, upon death, go directly to hell, then well over half the people who have ever lived are there!

Now what is the truth about hell?

Since no one has ever returned from the dead—from “hell”—and offered a firsthand report, we must either choose to believe the ideas of men or search the scriptures for what God reveals.

Hell: Four Words

The Bible does speak about the subject of hell and hell fire in numerous passages. Christ referred to it several times, as did some of the apostles. The prophets also mentioned it several times in the Old Testament. The Bible uses three Greek words in the New Testament, and one Hebrew word in the Old Testament, explaining the meaning of hell. Let’s examine these words.

The Hebrew word translated hell in the Old Testament is sheol. It has a New Testament counterpart, hades. Actually, if you look up sheol in a concordance, it will reference the Greek word hades. They both mean “the grave, pit, world of the dead or hell.” Hell is the tomb. In saying this, we have just discovered that all people do, in fact, go to “hell” at death! Since the Bible does say, “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27), then everyone does die and go to hell—literally. All people eventually go to the grave.

The word hades is the most common word used in the New Testament for “hell.” (Actually, some New Testament translations have exchanged the word hell for hades.) I remember learning over thirty-five years ago that people in England, in the 1600s, spoke commonly of planting or putting their potatoes in hell through the winter. They understood that hell was a dark, cold, quiet place that was a hole in the ground. This word held no mystery for them. Virtually all sources agree that sheol and hades are the same and that both refer to the grave.

It was only with the passing of time that the pagan view of hell, as a blazing underground inferno, came to replace this original intent of the word.

The second Greek word translated as “hell” is found only once in the New Testament. Notice II Peter 2:4: “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 unto judgment.” The word used here is tartaros and refers to angels, not people. It means “a prison, incarceration, place of restraint or a dark abyss.” This verse describes the imprisoning of the angels on earth as their “place of restraint” or “prison” after their rebellion during the pre-Adamic age. (Read our free booklet Who is the DEVIL? to learn more about this rebellion.)

We are now prepared to examine the third and final Greek word translated twelve times as hell in the New Testament. Jesus spoke of it when He said, “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 shall 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 shall 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).

This verse repeatedly refers to “hell” and “fire unquenched.” It also speaks three times of “worms that die not.” We will return to these terms.

In Matthew 5:22, Christ spoke of those who could “be in danger of hell fire.” We have already examined another of His warnings to “fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Christ describes destruction in this verse, not ongoing punishing.

In each case, the terms hell and hell fire are always translated from the remaining Greek word for hell, gehenna. It can be translated either as hell or hell fire. Understanding its meaning will explain the lengthy quote from Mark 9 cited above.

From Hasting’s Dictionary comes the following definition of this word: “Gehenna: the word occurs twelve times in the New Testament. This term ‘gehenna’ represents ‘the Valley of Hinnom’ (Neh. 11:30, II Kings 23:10, etc.). The place was…a deep narrow gorge in the vicinity of Jerusalem, understood to be on the south side. It is repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament (Jer. 19:6, etc.). It became an object of horror to the Jews, and is said to have been made the receptacle for bones, the bodies of beasts and criminals, refuse and all unclean things. The terrible associations of the place…the fires said to have been kept burning in it in order to consume the foul and corrupt objects that were thrown into it, made it [an]…unmistakable symbol of dire evil…absolute ruin. So it came to designate the place of future punishment.”

I have personally walked through this valley and examined its ledges, the design of its contour and its proximity to Jerusalem. It is a long, steep, trench-like ravine that is not particularly wide, but is quite deep. It is definitely a real place and looks exactly as the above description depicts it. The fires there burned continuously, much as we would see in certain city dumps of the past. Years ago, the city dump in my hometown of Lima, Ohio, constantly burned refuse. I saw this many times and have no difficulty understanding what Christ was referring to.

Some of the bodies that were cast into this valley never made it into the fires burning below. They would get hung up in the brush and trees on the ledges near the rim. In describing the wicked, when Christ stated that “their worms die not,” He was referring to the bodies of certain criminals that were thrown over the edge of the ravine but did not burn up because they got stuck on a ledge. They literally rotted and decomposed where they were. The maggots that entered their bodies completed the decomposition process without interruption from either the fire or anything else. These worms “died not,” so to speak, because they later developed into flies. This graphic picture is part of the reason that Gehenna was such a place of revulsion to all who were familiar with it!

The Lake of Fire

The Valley of Hinnom—Gehenna—came to represent a place of final punishment—a place of “absolute ruin”—for all who go there. The reference to hell fire actually refers to the “lake of fire” described in Revelation 20:13-15: “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 [hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

All who enter this lake suffer permanent death. They suffer complete destruction—a final punishment that is everlasting—eternal—permanent! It is not punishing but is rather punishment that is everlasting. Christ understood this just as anyone that knew of the fires in the Valley of Hinnom recognized that the bodies of criminals and animals thrown there burned up. When I walked the valley, I did not see any of them still burning. I could not even find any evidence that there had ever been fires there. Two thousand years have completely changed its appearance.

Jude 7 speaks of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having received the “vengeance of eternal fire” for their sins. Those cities are not burning today and have been so completely destroyed that archaeologists have never been able to prove with certainty their exact location. What happened to these cities does not reflect a permanent state of visible fire burning for all to see today. Their destruction was eternal. When those cities completely burned up, the fires went out. However, their punishment continues to this day!

It should be clear why Paul recorded that the wages of sin is death, not eternal punishing and torment in an ever-burning hell. Most people have seen fires go unquenched. But they always burned out after they consumed whatever combustible material was available to them. Read Jeremiah 17:27 and 52:13. Over twenty-five hundred years ago, after God warned Jerusalem that He would burn her with an “unquenchable fire,” if she did not repent, this happened. I have also seen Jerusalem. You, too, have probably seen it many times on television. It is not still burning today.

More Clear Scriptures

A God of mercy and compassion could never torture anything or anyone—let alone do it for all eternity. Carefully consider these verses:

Psalm 104:35: “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” Simply take this verse for exactly what it says, adding nothing to it. It is consistent with all that we have seen so far about the fate of the wicked. The next series of verses is stronger.

Psalm 37:9-12, 20, 22, 29: “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes upon him with his teeth…But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away…For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off…The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” There is no confusing this description of the fate of the wicked. Also, note that the meek do not inherit heaven but rather inherit the earth. Christ quoted this same verse when describing the inheritance that true Christians will receive (Matt. 5:5).

Examining the Supposed Hell “Proof Texts”

Hundreds of millions of people believe in an ever-burning hell because they have been told “the Bible says so.” By now, you have seen that the Bible states no such thing.

However, there are certain “proof texts” that many cite to prove the “ever-burning hell” fallacy. A thorough study of the subject would be incomplete without examining those scriptures. In this inset, we will examine texts most frequently cited as “proof.” As you read the six additional scriptures with points that follow, ask: Why would God directly contradict the plain statements seen elsewhere in His Word? Some require little explanation. Others require more detail to arrive at the correct understanding.

“Everlasting Punishment”

Matthew 25:41, 46: “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

Is this proof of an ever-burning hell?

It is not! The Greek word, aionios (from which comes the English word eon), translated “everlasting,” means “agelasting.” The event referred to is the 1,000-year Millennium, when Satan and his demons will have been thrown into the bottomless pit and bound (Rev. 20:2-3). There are three separate phases of Satan’s “hell”:

(1) II Peter 2:4 (latter part): The 6,000 years that he has been cast down to earth, as explained by the Greek word tartaroo, which means prison, incarcerate or place of restraint. II Peter incorrectly translates tartaroo as “hell.”

(2) Matthew 25:41: 1,000 years in the bottomless pit.

(3) Jude 13 (latter part): Contains a reference to Satan being cast into “outer darkness,” perhaps outside the universe, after the Millennium.

Matthew 25:46 also refers to an everlasting “punishment,” not “punishing.” Whenever death occurs, it is certainly an everlasting event—as far as the person is concerned. This helps to explain verse 41. Verses 41 and 46 must be understood together.

“Not Left In Hell”

Acts 2:31: “He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.”

The question here is this: How could Christ have died and putrefaction (“corruption”) of His body not have begun?

First, the Greek word translated “hell” is hades, which we have seen simply means the grave. A body can go several days or longer without corruption (beginning of decomposition), if all of the blood has been removed. Certainly Christ did shed all of His blood, making this more possible. However, due to the extreme temperature in Jerusalem, God would have had to supernaturally preserve Christ’s body from this natural process.

“Spirits in Prison”

I Peter 3:19-20: “By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

Are these “spirits in prison” evil people who “went to hell” that Christ “preached to” during the three days and three nights He was supposed to be in the grave? This view is easily and properly corrected by using these keys:

(1) The preaching occurred “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah”—not during Christ’s 72-hour period of death!

(2) The word translated “prison” is not eternal hellfire somewhere under the earth where the “damned” are roasting. Rather, it is the Greek word phulake, which means “a place of restraint or prison.” That place is earth—to where Satan and his demons (Luke 10:18, 20 “spirits”) have been cast down.

During some of the 120 years of Noah’s preaching—the Bible does not say for how long—Christ simultaneously preached to the fallen angels who followed Satan. II Peter 2:4-5 is a helpful reference, because we saw the word translated hell there is really the Greek word tartaroo, which has been explained earlier in this book.

“Them That Are Dead”

I Peter 4:6: “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.”

Some think this passage validates the claim that the dead are alive somewhere else, for example, in “heaven” or in an “ever-burning ­ hell.”

To understand this verse, it is vital to know who the “dead” are that Peter was speaking about. By the time this epistle was written, in A.D. 67-69, many thousands of Christians had already received the knowledge of God’s laws, as preached by the apostles, and were living their lives according to those laws. With the passing of time, some of these faithful followers had died in the faith, with others through history martyred by pagan leaders and religious ­ figures.

Recall that King Solomon wrote, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward…Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go” (Ecc. 9:5, 10). Those who are physically dead know ­ nothing—­ and are unable to receive any preaching or ­ communications.

Since the dead know nothing, those who were “dead” had received the gospel while they were still alive!

But there is another way the gospel is preached unto the “dead.” God’s Word states that those who have not repented of their ­ sins—­ their transgressions are not forgiven by ­ God—­ are sometimes referred to as “dead” (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13), meaning the spiritually dead.

These are “dead” in their iniquity. They have not received the gift of Christ’s sacrifice, nor God’s Holy ­ Spirit—­ the “earnest” or down payment of salvation—yet. Christ’s statement to a young man, “Let the dead bury their dead…” (Luke 9:60), was a direct reference to those who could not understand spiritual ­ matters—­ those still under the death penalty. The apostle Paul further explains that they are “…dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). Although still physically alive, by not hearing the words of ­ life—­ the gospel of the kingdom of ­ God—­ they are spiritually dead! Christ explains: “It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Today, God’s true Church has been commissioned to preach this same gospel to the world “as a witness unto all nations” (Matt. 24:14). However, most people do not heed this message, nor is God calling them at this time (John 6:44). Thus, they remain in ignorance and ­ sin—­ enslaved under the death penalty—which is the true curse of the law, spoken of in Galatians 3:13!

“The Smoke of Their Torment”

Revelation 14:11: “And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.”

Some assume that this verse refers to immortal souls burning forever in “hell.”

The timeframe of what is described here is yet to come. The passage is referring to “Babylon” (vs. 8), “that great city, because she made all nations drink of…her fornication.” This is the final, religious/political, ­ end-­ time revival of the Roman Empire also described in Daniel 2:42-43 as the “toes,” and in Daniel 7:7, 24 as the tenth horn. Revelation 13 describes it as the seventh and last horn, and Revelation 17:12 describes it as the seventh head, having ten horns (which has not yet appeared).

Revelation 14:9-10 states, “If any man worship the beast [this final ­ end-­ time revival] and his image, and receive his mark…he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…in the presence of the Lamb.” As long as the people who are participating in this “beast” system continue to rebel against God, they will receive “no rest day nor night” (vs. 11). This does not state that they will be burning in hell for eternity. What it does say is that once their bodies are burned up, the “smoke” ascends forever. The fire extinguishes itself but the gases from the smoke will continue to circulate in the atmosphere.

The fire that is referenced here is on the earth—­ not in it, as part of an ­ “ever-­ burning hell.” You will shortly see that Malachi plainly states, “And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts” (4:3).

“A Lake of Fire”

Revelation 20:10: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Does this verse state that the beast and false ­ prophet—­ human ­ beings—­ are tormented in the lake of fire forever, and are eventually joined in “hell” by Satan?

This lake of fire is the same one referred to in Revelation 19:20, which indicates that the Beast and False Prophet “were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” This is a localized lake of fire that long precedes the ultimate lake of fire (Rev. 20:14, 15; 21:8) to engulf the entire earth (Rev. 21:1) 1,100 years later before the New Heavens and New Earth arrive.

The fact that the lake of fire in Revelation 19:20 is referred to as “a lake of fire” and the one mentioned in Revelation 20:10 is referred to as “the lake of fire” is merely a translation error. The context of both accounts shows conclusively that both verses are referring to the same place. The translator’s assignment of “a” lake of fire in Revelation 19:20 is incorrect, while the assignment of “the” in Rev. 20:10 is correct. This is the case because in Greek, only the definite article “the” is used as in Revelation 20:10 and the use of “a” in Revelation 19:20 is simply a translation mistake, since Greek does not use such indefinite articles.

The phrase in Revelation 20:10, “where the beast and false prophet are,” is misleading. As indicated by the italics in the King James Version, translators erroneously added the term “are.” It should read, “where the beast and false prophet were cast.”

Recognize that Revelation 19:20 stated the beast and the false prophet were cast into that lake of fire at the very beginning of the millennial age. The devil and his angels were cast into that fire after the end of the millennial age (Rev. 20:10)—hence; this was an ­ age-­ lasting fire.

Satan will not be harmed by this fire, since he is a spirit being (Luke 20:36). Yet, the final Beast and False Prophet will have long since perished in the flames before Satan is cast into the lake of fire. Satan will be tormented by seeing all of his efforts to thwart God literally go up in flames. But this is especially true with the final lake of fire to occur later (II Pet. 3:10). The indication is that Satan is cast into this final, everlasting fire ­ (age-­ lasting or unquenchable until it has run its course purifying the earth), as shown in Matthew 25:41. Yet, Satan does not remain in this fire forever. The New Heavens and the New Earth then come down after the earth’s surface has been purified (Rev. 21:1).

Isaiah 66:24: “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” It was this passage that Christ quoted three times in Mark 9 regarding so-called “immortal worms.” These bodies will first rot. Then, after they are resurrected, many will be cast into the lake of fire—where “unquenched fire,” which will burn them up, awaits. Notice!

“For, behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 4:1-3). Anyone who walks through a fire of any size, that has burned itself out, understands that there would be ashes under their feet! This is the fate of the wicked.

A Summary

Herbert W. Armstrong’s article “IS THERE A HELL?” summarized the answer to the question with the following concluding quote:

“Do you know that the Bible teaches the resurrection of all who die? The apostle Paul said his hope was the hope of the resurrection! As the resurrection is true doctrine, then the pagan myth of an eternal torture, beginning at death, is as deceptive as Satan himself! If all unsaved—even all who never heard the only name Jesus Christ—are roasting, screaming, in such a hell, and can never get out, how can there be a resurrection!

“Thank God!—there is to be a resurrection to judgment, as well as a resurrection to eternal life of the dead in Christ!

“Yes, thank God, he so loved the world—we need not perish, but through Christ we may have everlasting life!”

The Meaning of Lazarus and the Rich Man

Surely some will ask, “What about Lazarus and the rich man? Didn’t they both die and go to heaven and hell, respectively? Isn’t this the lesson of the story?” Much of this booklet, to this point, has indirectly addressed the most common questions arising from this story.

Sadly, the account of Lazarus and the rich man is almost universally misunderstood. Nearly everyone asserts that it is not a parable but rather a literal representation of the afterlife. This statement cannot withstand the scrutiny of facts. All one must do is start with the assumption that it is literal and then attempt to explain the elements in it as though they can only be taken literally. The difficulty in doing this will be made clear by this exercise.

For those who remain unconvinced that it is a parable, turn to Mark 4:33-34. These two verses describe the pattern Christ always used to teach His disciples: “And with many such parables spoke He the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spoke He not unto them: and when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples.” Christ continually used parables to teach. In Mark 4, prior to these verses, He had just spoken three parables. The New Testament contains dozens of others. A parable is a story designed to illustrate a point. Apparently, in one way or another, Christ always used parables, for “without a parable spake He not unto them.” Remember—accept the Bible at face value. The story of Lazarus and the rich man is a parable and must be accepted as such.

The account of this parable is found in Luke 16:19-31. Take the time to read it—and get a complete picture of this story in your mind. Does it really say that when people die, they immediately go to either heaven or hell? We will see that it says no such thing!

We have only briefly touched on the subject of Christians (the meek) “inheriting the earth” as being the truth of the reward of the saved and how it supplants the common belief that heaven is their reward. This included a short examination of those who will awaken to immortality with God’s likeness at the time of the resurrection. Of course, we much more thoroughly discussed the subject of hell. Therefore, it will be considerably easier to clarify—to harmonize—the real fate of the rich man than that of Lazarus. The rich man suffered hell fire and Lazarus was saved. While this much is plain, what does it mean?

The account is best studied verse by verse with an open Bible. The explanation may periodically reference verses out of order so that we may sometimes examine a verse, phrase by phrase. Be prepared to take careful note of what the account does not say as well as what it does say. Also, look up each verse referenced (but not quoted) in the explanation.

Verses 19-21: These verses set the stage. They describe the parable’s two principal characters. Obviously, one is very wealthy and the other pitifully poor and miserable. One of the purposes of the parable is to demonstrate that Lazarus is a type of all Gentile Christians, who become Abraham’s children upon conversion. Read Galatians 3:7, 29.

Verse 22: Both men die. From this point forward, most people reading the account jump the track by making false assumptions. Most conclude that Lazarus is pictured as immediately arriving in heaven and the rich man as immediately arriving in an ever-burning hell. The account says neither of these things!

Notice! The verse says nothing whatsoever about either heaven or an ever-burning hell—period! Try to find these terms. They are not there. This verse states that Lazarus arrives at “Abraham’s bosom”—with no mention of when this occurs. The rich man is “buried!” That is all it says. Remember the rule: Take the verse for what it says—without adding to it or subtracting from it.

Lazarus’ presence at Abraham’s bosom depicts a very close, loving relationship. The apostle John is recorded as having reclined on Christ’s bosom as “the disciple whom Christ loved” (John 13:23). (Though John does not identify himself, probably because of modesty, it is clear whom the verse refers to.) So a special relationship is shown between Abraham and Lazarus, with no reference to either time or place. Describing a conversation during the time of Christ’s ministry, John 8:52-53 states (twice), “Abraham is dead.” At that point, Abraham had been dead for nearly 2,000 years. He is still dead! He is not waiting in heaven for people to come, immediately after death, and recline on his bosom. The meek inherit the earth when Christ returns to establish His kingdom! Abraham and Lazarus will be resurrected into the kingdom of God at Christ’s Second Coming. This is the meaning of the phrase.

Another rule of Bible study is found in II Peter 1:20. It cautions that “no…scripture is of any private interpretation.” Reviewing other essential scriptures makes this clear. Compare Daniel 7:18, 22, 27; Jude 14-15; and Revelation 5:10 with many other verses and it is obvious that the saints reign on the earth with Christ. Then notice that Matthew 25:31 shows that Christ returns with “the holy angels.” Recall that Lazarus was “carried by the angels” to Abraham’s bosom. Finally, compare this with Matthew 24:31 for further proof of the angels’ role in this way. (Read our free booklets Do the Saved Go to HEAVEN? and Just what is SALVATION?)

Verse 23: The rich man is obviously in hell. However, the word translated “hell” here is hades. This makes sense because hades is the grave and we read that the rich man had been “buried.” This means that he was put into a grave. There is no mystery about what happened to him. Therefore, the phrase “he lift up his eyes” also makes sense as no more than a reference to the resurrection described in John 5:29. We have previously examined this verse. This phrase is consistent with a resurrection, when people awaken—or “lift up their eyes.”

The rich man was also in “torments.” What does this mean? The Greek word translated “torments” is basanos. It is found in only one other place in the Bible. Its meaning is fascinating. It means “a touchstone, having to do with touching pure gold, against the particular stone, to test its purity and validity…to be under a severe trial, torture.” We will see that the rich man was, in fact, mentally tortured and in a severe trial. He was facing the lake of fire! Try to imagine a more serious trial than this. He had missed out on salvation and could clearly see Abraham and Lazarus in the kingdom of God.

Verse 24: This verse is usually cited to justify the classic version of hell where people burn but never completely burn up. Read it carefully. The rich man requests that Lazarus “cool his tongue” with a tiny amount of water—no more than a few drops on the tip of a finger. If you were roasting in a condition involving walls of fire all around you, would you merely ask for a few drops of water—and only for the purpose of cooling your tongue? Would you not rather ask for a whole pool of water to be dumped on you? I would! The rich man is again described as “tormented.” Understanding this word (“tormented”) is the key to explaining the rich man’s condition. It is not basanos.

The word translated “tormented” is odunao. It means, “to grieve, sorrow, torment, duress, distress, strain.” No reference to roasting or burning is included in its definition. The rich man is described as being in mental torment because he is facing the lake of fire. Fear has seized him and given him the condition commonly referred to as “cotton mouth.” Great fear and distress often dry up the mouth. The rich man was hoping for Lazarus to moisten his tongue. We might also ask the following question of all those who believe in the immortality of the soul and who wish to take this parable literally. Do immortal souls have tongues? The reader may ponder this.

The phrase “in this flame” is mistranslated. The actual meaning in the Greek is “by reason of this flame.” This critical mistranslation entirely changes the scenario. The rich man was not yet “in the flame” but was tormented by fear because he saw it coming. He had good “reason” to be in mental anguish and torment.

Verse 25: This verse reinforces the element of the passing of time to properly understand the parable. Abraham answers the rich man by saying, “Son, remember that in your lifetime…” What would be the point of using the word “remember” if the rich man’s lifetime had ended just a few seconds prior to this conversation? Typically, people use the word remember when they are speaking of events that happened long ago! The passing of much time, since the rich man’s death, is confirmed at the end of the verse, when Abraham says, “but now he [Lazarus] is comforted.” It is apparent that the two words remember and now are contrasted to one another because significant time has passed. Both men had lain in the grave for a great while, until the time of their respective resurrections from the dead.

Verse 26: This verse describes what is called “a great gulf fixed” between where Abraham and Lazarus were and where the rich man was. Some believe this is a picture of a great physical distance between the locations of heaven and hell. It certainly does not say that. What exactly is this “great gulf fixed?”

Notice: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities [lawlessness] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2). Also Jeremiah 5:25: “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good things from you.” Now read Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.”

These verses show that sin, in all of its forms, cuts people off from God! God cannot bless, protect, heal, guide or save people who do not repent of and forsake sin. God is holy—He does not have contact with sin. Because of His perfect righteousness, He cannot! The rich man’s sins had cut him off from God. This is why Abraham said that no one on either side of this “gulf” was able to cross to the other side. It was impossible, literally!

Verses 27-28: These two verses can be taken together because they both describe the rich man’s request to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. This would be a natural request for any man concerned about his family. The rich man would have been unaware of how much time had passed since his death. He would have had no way of knowing unless he asked—and the account does not record that he did.

Verse 29: Abraham’s answer to this question is extremely important because it says what everyone alive today should do in their own lives. He warns that the five brothers (and, by inclusion, everyone else who has ever lived) should listen to “Moses and the prophets.” Abraham is emphatic—“let them hear them.” This is Christ’s instruction to an entire world that ignores the Bible, in general, and the words of Moses and the Old Testament prophets, in particular! This warning is here for you, the reader, to consider!

Verses 30-31: These two verses are also tremendously instructive, but in a slightly different way. They represent an amazing insight into the careless neglect and general disregard of God’s word that is so typical of human nature. When taken together, these verses demonstrate that people who are determined not to obey God—who are determined not to heed Moses and the prophets—won’t even be moved to action by a well-known person resurrected “from the dead”! What a stunning indictment of human stubbornness in the face of the plain truths of God. These verses contain a warning. Will you hear them?

The rich man had been given his opportunity in his lifetime. He realized that he had missed out on salvation. He also recognized that Lazarus had been resurrected “from the dead.” The scripture does not say that he was resurrected “from life”—it says that he had been resurrected “from the dead.” The entire account of this parable was used by Christ to teach the resurrection of the dead! This account was never intended to teach the idea of immediately going to heaven or hell upon death.

Many Bible scholars have long understood that this parable was never intended to address the state of the dead. The New Bible Dictionary states, “Probably the story of Dives and Lazarus (Lk. xvi), like the story of the unjust steward (Lk. xvi.1-9), is a parable which made use of certain Jewish thinking and is not intended to teach anything about the state of the dead” (p. 388).

A Summary

Under the subhead “The Warning for YOU!,” Mr. Armstrong concluded his booklet LAZARUS and the RICH MAN with the following summary of the meaning of that parable:

“Finally, what is the real lesson?

“Jesus was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God—the New Testament gospel. He was showing salvation, the resurrection to eternal life as the gift of God—inheritance of the Kingdom of God on this earth.

“The apostle Paul plainly tells us that the New Testament Church of God is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Jesus said: ‘I will build my church.’ Paul reveals it was built on the foundation of the prophets as well as the apostles!

“Jesus…teaches you that if you refuse to hear Moses and the prophets—and Moses was one of the prophets—you have no hope of salvation! The Scriptures (Old Testament as well as New), according to II Timothy 3:15, are able to make us wise unto salvation. We are to take the whole Bible, not the New Testament only.

“Those who teach that the commandments of God are done away teach a message of doom! Those who teach the pagan doctrine of the immortality of the soul—going off to ‘heaven’ at death, or eternal punishing—teach contrary to what Jesus said!

“May you take heed, and hear all the Word of God!”

What About “Baptism With Fire”?

The Bible speaks of two kinds of baptism. It is common for people who have been baptized with water to express that they also want to receive the “baptism by fire.” Is this something that you should seek? What is the “baptism by fire”?

We have seen that God will destroy the wicked in the lake of fire. They will be burned up in this “lake.” Most lakes are composed of water, but the lake of fire probably will be a kind of “liquid fire.” The Bible does not tell us exactly what the liquid portion of the lake of fire will be like. However, it is easy to see that people could be described as being baptized into this lake of fire.

John the Baptist wrote, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me…shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire” (Matt. 3:11). Matthew 3 is the only place where the term “baptism…with fire” is found. A few verses earlier (vs. 7-8), John addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees who were also among the large multitudes (vs. 5) coming to him. He warned them, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.”

Vast numbers of people were listening to John the Baptist preach. Some were sincere and seeking “baptism with the Holy Spirit” and others were, in effect, told that they were candidates for the “baptism with fire.” John understood that both kinds of people were present in such a large audience. He was under no illusion about the attitude of the Sadducees and Pharisees. So these verses plainly connect fire with wrath!

Notice that the prophet Ezekiel also said, “Son of man, the house of Israel is to Me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus says the Lord God; Because you are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yes, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath…” (Ezek. 22:18-21).

Much of ancient Israel was as stiff-necked, stubborn and rebellious as their modern descendants (the democratic, Anglo-Saxon peoples of the Western World today). God has long planned to punish them in His wrath. Ezekiel was speaking of a time when God was going to “burn away” all those who were “dross.”

What then was the “wrath to come” to which John was referring? It was the same time period referenced by Ezekiel. In Matthew 3:10, John sets the stage for his reference to baptism with fire: “And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Plainly, this is not a fire anyone wants to have contact with! It is designed for people who did not bring forth good fruits. Remember, John had called the Sadducees and Pharisees “vipers” and warned them to “bring forth fruit meet (suitable or acceptable) for repentance.”

In verse 12, John continued, “Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The wheat represents the true saints of God and the chaff represents the wicked that will be burned up with “unquenchable fire.” The fire will not go out until there are no more wicked to serve as fuel for it.

The Wheat and Tares Prove It

Christ spoke a parable that explains these things in careful detail: “Let both [wheat and tares] grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn” (Matt. 13:30).

Christ continued by explaining the various terms He used in His parable: “The field is the world; the good seed [wheat] are the children of the kingdom; but the tares [chaff] are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of FIRE” (Matt. 13:38-42). When Christ “gathers out of His kingdom all things” is when He “purges His floor” (Matt. 3:12).

Some try to assert that “purging His floor” is a reference to Christ burning dross from the lives of Christians—thus purging them of sin or chaff in their lives. This faulty idea continues by assuming that the wheat of Matthew 13 is the good part of individual Christians that remains after the chaff (sin) in their character is burned up.

However, it is obvious that the “floor” of Matthew 3:12 is the same as the “field” of Matthew 13:24 in the parable of the wheat and tares. This parable explains that God’s angels are sent to “baptize” the tares—the wicked who are chaff—with fire! The wheat is gathered into His barn, which is His kingdom.

The parallels between Matthew 3 and Matthew 13 are unmistakable. However, we can examine several additional scriptures and more clearly understand the terms “purge,” “fan” and “wind.” Keep in mind that a fan is often used to create wind, which brings oxygen to a fire, intensifying it. Of course, fire always purges whatever it burns. John had said that God would baptize with fire as one “whose fan is in His hand.”

Consider several important verses!

What is chaff? In Hosea 13:3, God is speaking of unrepentant sinners (vs. 2) when He says, “Therefore they [lost sinners] shall be as the…chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor…” Jeremiah 51:1-2 further explains the relationship between wind and fanning: “Thus says the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon [the wicked of the soon-coming, final religious Babylon existing at Christ’s Return]…a destroying wind; and will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land…”

Daniel 2:35 explains these terms further. Notice: “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind [created by a fan held by God] carried them away…” Obviously, the chaff was carried away to be burned or purged. Ezekiel 20:38 explains who Christ will purge when He returns: “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me…and they shall not enter into the land of Israel…”

We have also previously studied Isaiah 66:24 and Malachi 4:1-3, which both explained that the wicked are burned up with fire at the time of God’s final wrath on those who have rejected His way of life.

When God says He is going to purge (baptize) with fire, He is not talking about a process of purifying saints. He is speaking of destroying or burning up sinners with fire—the hell fire described in His word and in this booklet. The above scriptures show that He will “fan” the flames so that the fire is hot enough to completely burn up and destroy all the “chaff” that did not choose to become “wheat” qualified to enter His kingdom. Be thankful that a loving God will not permit miserably unhappy, disobedient and unrepentant rebels to cause further suffering to others, or to continue to suffer themselves, for all eternity.

It should now be clear that none should ever desire to be baptized with fire—while all should desire, upon repentance, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit!

WHAT ABOUT HELL?

WHAT ABOUT HELL?

OUR ANSWER to this question begins with consideration of an earnest petition to God by the prophet Job. This patient man wished to escape the personal effects of Satan’s affliction. At the height of his agony, Job pleaded with the LORD: “O that thou wouldest hide me in sheol,…until thy wrath be past…” (Job 14:13 American Standard Version [ASV]). Sheol is a word in the Hebrew language, variously translated hell, grave and pit. All 31 appearances of the word ‘hell’ in the Old Testament King James version of the Bible are translated from sheol. This means that Job really asked to be hidden in hell!

Other significant uses of this important word must also be examined if one would really learn about hell. Perhaps you recall how the faithful patriarch Jacob feared that his grief and sorrow over the loss of his beloved son Joseph might hasten his death. What he said was that he would “go down into sheol [hell] unto my son mourning” (Gen. 37:35). And the prophet David foretold that Messiah would not be left in hell [sheol] (Psa. 16:10). On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter quoted from Psalm 16, and affirmed that its testimony, “Thou [God] wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades]…,” was written of Jesus (Acts 2:25-30). That Psalm and Peter’s quotation from it translated into Greek testify that the Hebrew word sheol, the Greek word hades, and the English word hell are all of the same meaning. Thus, Bible teaching is that at death not only the wicked, but also the righteous, are in hell.–Psa. 9:17, Prov. 7:27, 9:18, Isa. 14:15, Ezek. 31:17

This truth would be appreciated by more readers of the Bible if the KJV translators had used the same word to represent sheol each time it appears in the Hebrew manuscript. But they wrote ‘grave’ for sheol 31 times, often when reference was to faithful servants of God (four other Hebrew words are also translated grave); and they wrote ‘pit’ for sheol three times (nine other Hebrew words are also translated pit).

In an effort to eliminate such unjustified discrimination, the translation committee for the ASV Bible determined to leave sheol untranslated each of the 65 times it appears. That was in 1901, four years (1897) after Joseph Rotherham copyrighted The Emphasized Bible, which prints hades (the Greek equivalent) each time sheol appeared in the Hebrew manuscript.

No Activity in Hell

The Bible teaches that “the wicked” are “silent in sheol”; that “there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in sheol” (Psa. 31:17, Eccl. 9:10). This indicates that sheol (hades, hell) is not so much a location as a condition, status, or state. This is affirmed by the meaning given in Professor James Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament to word #86, hades, which we quote in full: “properly unseen, i.e. “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls.” The Bible’s repeated teaching that “the soul that sinneth it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4,20,24) is assurance that death is the state of all souls that have died. All captives in death are in the same condition or state, the status of death–non-existence.Although Job did not fully understand God’s plan to rescue mankind from death and its condemnation (Gen. 3:15 [Rom. 16:20], Gen. 12:3 [Gal. 3:8], Gen. 22:18), he prayed to God “…that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands” (Job 14:13-15). That affirmed his confidence in resurrection! Many other holy prophets of God also wrote of the coming time of blessing and resurrection.–Psa. 49:15, Isa. 65:9,17-19, Ezek. 16:53-55, Dan. 12:2,3, Hos. 13:14

And Jesus assured (in view of the sacrifice He was determined to complete) that all who die in Adam would at a future time “hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto a resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28,29 RSV) There is no justification for the word ‘damnation’ seen there in the KJV. The Greek word krisis means and has been translated ‘judgment’ in John 5:22,27,30 and in 38 other uses in the New Testament, and should be also in John 5:29, as it is in most translations. This promise of our Master is indeed good news when it is understood that in true judgment, a trial always precedes the sentence (the outcome of the trial). And when God’s “judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”–Isaiah 26:9

Sacrifice for Sin

Scriptures testify that we have been “bought with a price”; that Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all”; that Jesus shall reign so as to bless his entire “purchased possession” (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23, 1 Tim. 2:6, Eph. 1:14). The price of this purchase was His sinless human life given as a sacrifice for sin, that reconciliation between God and man might be effected. Paul testified further “that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust,” and that God “hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.”–Acts 24:15, 17:31The Biblical testimony regarding hades, only a portion of which is referred to in this folder, concludes in the book of Revelation. “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” (Rev. 20:13,14). In this manner Jesus showed the awakening of all the dead that are in hell; and also the blessing of all under the condemnation of death but not yet dead; and as well the blessing of all those unable to find reasonable solutions to the perplexing issues of daily life which keep them in restless turmoil and discontent–those in “the sea.” Specially note that death and hell are cast into the lake of fire after the dead which were in them shall have been delivered out of those states or conditions. What great cause for hope is that promise!

Full Opportunity to Learn and Obey

Earlier verses in Revelation 20 portray the ‘first-resurrection’ blessing bestowed upon all who had faithfully followed their dear Master. Those mentioned in the subsequent verses just discussed are the non-elect. When they are brought out of the condition of death, out of hell, they do not automatically enter into eternal life because there is no knowledge, no wisdom, no device in sheol. During the sleep of death there would have been no repentance, reformation, or progress to have prepared them for such a reward. Upon their awakening, the formerly unrepentant will learn many important lessons–and of their responsibilities to God and to their fellow men–and grow in faith, love, and obedience. They will have full opportunity to respond when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). They will come to appreciate God’s purposes through Jesus. For God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Only the wilfully wicked incorrigible ones whose names thereafter are not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. –Rev. 20:14,15, 21:8The “lake of fire” is one of many symbols used in the book of Revelation; it is not a literal place. It is a symbol of “the second death”…death from which there is no provision for an awakening (Rev. 20:14). “The second death” is in marked contrast to the universal death, which may be termed ‘Adamic death’, inherited from Adam by his entire human family. Adam died because of his wilful disobedience to God’s specific instruction, and all share in Adam’s dying life through the natural process of generation by procreation. “For as in Adam all die…” is the way the Apostle Paul expressed it in 1 Cor. 15:21. All descendants of Adam who die without having become members of God’s faith family, “the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10), will have their full opportunity to come to righteousness of character and perfection of being tomorrow, through repentance and belief in Jesus. All such will have full freedom of choice to cooperate with God when his righteous principles are written in human hearts during the coming Earthly Kingdom Age. That will be their time of individual eternal judgment which Jesus promised in John 12:47,48. Mankind will be freed from the present influence and deception of Satan, the wily opponent of truth and righteousness. He will have been effectively imprisoned, bound, restrained, so as not to deceive.–Rev. 20:1-3

Gehenna

Most New Testament appearances of the word ‘hell’ translate the Greek noun gehenna. The meaning of gehenna is entirely different from that of the noun hades. Gehenna is an English form of a Greek word constructed from two Hebrew words, one meaning gorge or valley, and the other, Hinnom. The valley of Hinnom was an actual valley in Jerusalem used as a garbage dump. Into it was thrown all kinds of trash of the city, including even carcasses of dead animals and sometimes even the dead bodies of executed criminals. But no living thing was ever thrown into it. Its fires consumed all that burned, and what was not consumed in that manner was eaten by worms. Isaiah 66:24 doubtless refers to that dump, where “their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched.”Jesus used gehenna as a symbol of utter destruction (Matt. 5:22,29, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15,33, Mark 9:43,45,47, Luke 12:5–see also James 3:6). It is of the same meaning as “the lake of fire” in Revelation, discussed above. The strongest use of gehenna is in the parallel accounts, Matt. 10:28 and Luke 12:5, where our Master emphasizes God’s authority and power. While the Pharisees could persecute their enemies to the death, only God’s judgment could prevent one from receiving an awakening from the dead, were their sins to be so totally wilful as to deserve the severest punishment.

http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/fbf/hell.html 

Discussion on Hell

The concept of a burning Hell where people are tortured eternally, is often thought of as a Bible teaching. It isn’t. Rather, the whole concept of a Hell as people see it today, where the bad are sent to an underground world that is ruled by an evil God, comes from a misunderstanding of the pagan Greek Mythology of Hades, the River Styx, and the God Pluto. For if you read Greek mythology, you’ll see that Hades was never a place of torture, but simply the place where the dead go to be judged. And thereafter in Greek Mythology, they either received blessings or damnation. So, Hades among Greek-speaking people was never a synonym for a burning Hell.

The Ancient Egyptians were probably the first to teach belief in an underground world, which people had to pass through after death on their way to a better life. And this teaching still survives in Christendom today in the doctrine of Purgatory, where the dead must go to be purged of their sins before being allowed entry into heaven. However, neither the word Purgatory nor its concept can be found in the Bible, so its roots probably come from ancient pagan sources.

Yet, Jesus and his Apostles did use the Greek word Hades; he did tell the story of someone who was there and being tortured; and there are numerous places in the Bible where we read of a ‘lake of fire,’ and of people being burned there eternally. So, why have we concluded that there is no such thing as a burning Hell? For an answer, let’s look at the history and uses of the word Hell in the Bible.

Sheol

The Hebrew word that is often translated as Hell is Sheol. And in the King James Bible, for instance, Sheol is translated variously as Hell, the grave, and the pit, but none of those words accurately translate Sheol, for it too is simply the place where the dead go to await judgment. 

The reason why these three different and conflicting terms were used, is because the translators believed in a burning Hell, but too many of the Bible references simply disprove the common concept of Hell Fire. So, in the many instances where the word obviously couldn’t mean a place of torture, Sheol is usually translated as grave, which isn’t truly accurate, but it works. For example, at Job 14:13 the faithful man Job prayed, ‘O how I wish that You would put me in [my] grave (Heb. Sheol) until Your rage has passed, and that You would set a time to remember me.’

And at Ecclesiastes 9:3-6 we read, ‘For the hearts of the sons of men are filled with evil and madness throughout their lives… and then they die. Then what association do they have with the living? They have no hope, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion. For the living know that they’re going to die, but the dead don’t know anything, nor do they have a reward, because they’ve been forgotten. Also, their love, hatred, and envy are now gone, and they won’t have any part in anything that is done under the sun through the ages of ages.’

Then in verse 10 we read, ‘Do whatever you can find to do with your hands, because in the grave (heb. Sheol) where you’re going, there’s no work, no learning, no knowledge, or wisdom.’

Because of this, most Bible scholars admit that the ancient Hebrews (and the ‘Old Testament” in general) had no concept of a burning Hell. So, did that idea come along with Jesus and the Greek ‘New Testament?’

Sheol Means Hades

It is interesting that the Greek Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew Bible (into Greek), which predated Jesus’ earthly life by almost two-hundred years, translated the Hebrew word Sheol as Hades in each instance where it was found. So, we must conclude that both words (Sheol and Hades) carried the same meaning to the translators. And remember that the Bible which many Jews used in Jesus’ time was the Greek Septuagint.

So, when Jesus came along, the typical Jewish use of the word Hades didn’t mean an underworld place of torture, it was a synonym for Sheol, and it still just meant The Place of the Dead.

Did Jesus Teach that Hades was Hell Fire?

However, Jesus used the word Hades in his story of ‘the Rich Man and Lazarus,’ which many claim was a description of a burning Hell… but was it? Not if you look at what Jesus was describing when he told the story. Notice the circumstances at Luke 16:14-16, ‘Now, the Pharisees (who loved silver) were listening to these things and were looking at him with contempt. So he said to them, You are the ones who claim to be righteous in front of men, but God knows your hearts. Things that are considered important by men are disgusting in God’s eyes.’

Then he went on to make the following two points:

First, (at Luke 16:16-18) he condemned the Pharisees by saying that ‘anyone who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery’ – so much for righteousness, because divorce was common among them.

Then, (at Luke 16:19-31) Jesus tells the story of a ‘rich man’ (like the Pharisees) and a ‘beggar’ (like the common people) who both ‘died,’ and of the outcome for each of them.

Were the Pharisees rich? Not necessarily (although many were), but because they were educated, they were considered ‘spiritually rich’ by the common people. However with the death of Jesus, this condition would be changed. They would no longer be the spiritual leaders of God’s people.

Jesus also spoke of a ‘poor man’ class, called Lazarus (a common Jewish name at the time). This man also ‘died.’ Notice that Lazarus hadn’t really done anything righteous; his only virtue was that he was extremely poor. However, he was ‘carried off into the favor of Abraham.’

Was that heaven? It couldn’t have been, because Jesus said (at John 3:13), ‘Nobody has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.’ So, Abraham hadn’t been resurrected yet.

Then, what was Jesus talking about? Well, this lowly, begging condition is similar to what the common people of Israel (such as Jesus’ disciples) were in spiritually, prior to that time. And Jesus was going to change all that and offer common people the opportunity to be favored in the eyes of their common faithful ancestor Abraham, when he is resurrected.

So, the second point that Jesus was making (and which the Pharisees doubtlessly, at least partially understood) is that; because they had failed to learn from the Law and the Prophets, their high position was being taken away and given to common people.

As you can see, this isn’t a tale that describes the torture of Hell Fire; it was an allegory or parable that Jesus told as a warning to the Pharisees, that, despite (and because of) their pride, they were soon to lose their elevated position as religious leaders (those in the favored position of Abraham).

GeHenna

Another word that Jesus used to describe the outcome for the wicked was GeHenna. It is usually translated as Hell Fire, as opposed to Hades, which is usually translated as Hell in other Bibles. GeHenna is the valley that bordered the SSW wall of Jerusalem, and served as the city’s garbage dump. Of course, when Jesus used this word (eleven times in the Bible altogether), he used it symbolically. As a symbol of what? One reference says, ‘It is a place of torment both for the body and the soul.’ But is that a natural conclusion? Being put ‘in the garbage dump’ would convey a totally different meaning to readers, if they didn’t already believe in a Hell Fire.

But, didn’t Jesus say (at Mark 9:47, 48), ‘If your eye traps you, throw it away. For, it’s better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye, than to have both eyes and to be thrown into the garbage dump (GeHenna) where there are always maggots and the fire is never put out.’

Oh yes, other Bibles render this verse, ‘than to be cast into Hell Fire where the worms dieth not and the fire is not quenched.’ However, remember that Jesus was talking about a garbage dump when he said (in Greek), ‘hopou ho skolex auton ou teleuta kai to pyr ou sbennutai,’ or, where the maggot of/them not finished and the fire not extinguished.’ Obviously, most ancient garbage dumps were kept burning and there were always maggots living there. So, does this natural description of a garbage dump really prove eternal torment? We feel that the answer is clear.

Also notice that these words of Jesus were not original; he was quoting from Isaiah 66:24, and there the true meaning can be clearly understood. It says, ‘Then they’ll go out and see the carcasses of men, those who rebelled against Me. Their worms won’t come to an end, and their fire will not be extinguished. And they’ll be a sight for all flesh [to see].’

So, according to God Himself, these destroyed people won’t be burning in an unseen place of torture, but after Armageddon their bodies will lie exposed on the ground for all to see, and that is where ‘their worms won’t come to an end, and their fire will not be extinguished.’

But, what about Jesus’ words at Matthew 10:28, where he said, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person. Rather, be afraid of Him who can destroy both the person and the body in the garbage dump.’

Well, notice how Luke phrased these same words of Jesus at Luke 12:5, ‘Let me show you who it is that you should be afraid of: Fear him, who after killing also has the authority to throw you into the garbage dump. Fear Him!’

So, Jesus wasn’t really offering immortality to the wicked, which would be required if they lived forever, for the Bible shows that it was only offered to the righteous (see 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54). And what Jesus was clearly telling his followers here is that they shouldn’t fear those who can kill the body, but that they should fear God who can kill them and choose not to resurrect them (or throw them into the garbage).

Is there any Bible precedent for calling God’s final judgment the garbage dump? Yes, for notice what King David wrote and sang about when mentioning such undeserving unrighteous ones at Psalm 21:9-12, ‘For You will throw them into an oven of fire, in Your Day [O God, Jehovah]. In Your rage You’ll disturb them and destroy them in fire. You’ll destroy their fruit from the earth, and their seed from the sons of men. For, their purpose toward You was to do bad things, and they argued over plans that were never fulfilled. So, throw them away with Your garbage (Gr. periloipois sou – leavings your), and prepare their faces for this.’

So, notice that as garbage or residue they are to be burned up in a fire.

The Lake of Fire

Ah, but those who wish to believe in a burning Hell for everyone who disagrees with them, point to ‘the Lake of Fire.’ Notice what we read about this at Revelation 20:10, ‘Then the Opposer who misled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the wild animal and the false prophet already are, and they will be tortured day and night for ages of ages.’

Isn’t this the concluding proof that the lake of fire is Hell and that eternal torture happens there?

No, for notice what Revelation 20:14 says, ‘Finally, death [Gr. thanatos] and the grave [Gr. Hades] were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire symbolizes the second death.’

So, what Bible translators have called Hell (Hades) will be thrown into something else they call Hell, the lake of fire, which the Bible says is simply the second (or eternal) death. And did you notice that death would be thrown there, as well as two political organizations (the wild animal and the false prophet)? So, the torture must be symbolic.

The Pit

Another Greek word that is found occasionally in the Bible is lakkon or pit. This appears to mean the same as GeHenna or the lake of fire… that a person who is sent there will not be resurrected. We gather this from the words of Psalm 28:1, where we read, ‘I’ll call out to You O Jehovah; my God I won’t remain silent, so You will never be silent with me, and make me like those who enter the pit.’

Then notice how just a few verses away David said (verse 5), ‘So, You will wipe them away, and never rebuild them again.’

Tartarus

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of ‘messengers’ who were put into ‘Tartarus’ for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 calls them ‘sons of God,’ and it tells of their coming to earth and marrying ‘the daughters of men’ (see the linked scripture and the linked notes).

Actually, the first mention of Tartarus in the Bible is found in the book of Job in the Greek Septuagint (the Bible of Peter’s day), and it may have been this reference that Peter was quoting. There (at Job 41:23), where the reference is obviously speaking of the Opposer, it says of him, ‘In dark places (Gr. Tartarus) he lives as a captive, and he thinks of the pit as his promenade.’

Peter’s use of the word Tartarus here has long been a cause of concern to thoughtful Bible students. In other Bibles, this Greek word has wrongfully been translated as Hell and Hell Fire. However, the term (from Greek Mythology) refers specifically to the place where gods (not humans) were sent. And as the result of past misunderstandings about the meaning of this word, many have come to believe that the Slanderer and his demons are in Hell watching over its flames and torturing human souls.

The question that has so concerned many Bible students is: Why did Peter use this pagan term that comes from Greek Mythology to describe the condition of unfaithful messengers of God? The appearance here is that the Bible had its roots in Greek myths. However, the opposite is true.

Anyone who takes the time to carefully consider Greek Mythology will notice close but sometimes opposite parallels to Bible stories told in Genesis Chapters Two through Six. Stories such as Hercules and the Golden Apples, Medusa, immoral Gods who came to earth, etc., seem to closely resemble the stories of Adam and the forbidden fruit, the snake in the Paradise, and the sons of God who came to earth and lived as humans. So, it isn’t surprising that they also had a name for the place where these sons of God (the gods) were sent after the Downpour. And since this correct idea was common at the time, Peter just used their word to convey what he was talking about to his readers.

Since these ‘sons of God’ who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah’s day couldn’t be destroyed by the Downpour (flood), and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears that this ‘fixing in one place’ means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as ‘possession.’ After all, Jesus and his Apostles cast out many demons… and demons even spoke to Jesus. So, Tartarus appears not to be just one place, but rather to a dark condition of earthly imprisonment where spirits seem to be able to live among things both animate and inanimate.

You will find several references to these caged demons in the ancient Hebrew texts, and also at Revelation 18:2. In the Septuagint they are called the syrene in Greek, and this is often translated as sirens, which people think of as mythical women who lure ships. Yet, the actual references (from the meaning of the word) is to spirits who are fixed in one place (Tartarus).

The Immortal Soul Problem

One of the reasons why there can be no Hell of eternal torture is because a person would need an ‘immortal soul’ to be sent there. In other words, a portion of his or her personality would have to be incapable of dying. And although this doctrine is taught by almost all religions, it simply can’t be found in the Bible. In fact, one of the things that differentiates the Bible from most (if not all) pagan religions and their sacred writings (such as the Koran), is that the Bible alone teaches that a dead person can be resurrected (brought back to life)… but only if God wills it. So, nothing inside us is incapable of dying (immortal).

Why, if you go to Genesis the Third Chapter, you’ll find that it was the Opposer (Satan) who first taught that men wouldn’t die, for we read at Genesis 3:5, ‘Then the snake told the woman, You won’t stop living and die. But, God knows that on whatever day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be gods who know good and evil.’

We find this first lie directly contradicted what God had just said at Genesis 2:16, 17, ‘You are free to eat from all the trees of paradise, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Bad. Because, on whatever day you eat from it, your life will end and you will die (Gr. thanato apothaneisthe, or, death from dying).’

Obviously souls can die, for notice what a soul is. Genesis 2:7 tells us this: ‘Then God formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life against his face, and he became a living creature (Gr. psychen zosan, or, person/soul living).’

Now, the words we translated as living creature here were psyche in Greek and Nephesh in Hebrew, and both words are the same ones that are translated as soul in other Bibles. So, the Bible’s own definition of a soul, is that it’s something made from the dust of the ground and has the breath of life… thus, it is a whole living person or animal, not something that lives inside. In fact, throughout the Bible animals are referred to as souls also. So, psyche really means (as we have often translated it) a living creature.

Actually, the best true Bible definition of the Greek word psyche is what the word implies in modern psychology, ‘the inner person,’ not, ‘the immortal person.’ With this understanding, we can see how God could refer to ‘My Soul.’ He wasn’t speaking of the individual we all believe that we know, but of the person He is on the inside.

As history shows, the pagan Egyptians believed that they had immortal souls, but righteous Hebrews made no mention of such a belief anywhere in the Sacred Scriptures of Israel (OT). It was only in the latter part of the millennium proceeding the time of Jesus that we first see this doctrine starting to creep into Jewish teachings.

Then, did Jesus and his Apostles teach that we have an immortal soul? No, for those two words (immortal soul) don’t appear together anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the words immortal and immortality (Gr. athenasia or undying) can only be found in three places in the Bible, and let’s see how the word is used in each of these cases:

• 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 – ‘He will show himself at his own set time… the blest and only ruler, the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords; the only one who has immortality and who lives in unapproachable light; he who no man has seen or can see.
• 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54 – ‘Then that which is decaying will put on cleanliness, and that which is dying will put on immortality. But, when that which is dying puts on immortality, the words that were written are fulfilled, Death is swallowed in victory.’

So, in the first case we can see that God is immortal, and in the second case we can see that immortality is offered as a reward to the righteous… so, it is not a possession of the wicked… thus they have no immortal soul that can be sent to burn in Hell.

The ‘Spirit’ Problem

We are always amazed at how quickly people will turn from the teaching of (but not their belief in) an immortal soul after reading those scriptures, and then say the thing that is immortal is the spirit (Hebrew – ruach, Greek – pneuma, Latin – spiritu, which can be translated as breath or wind, but means an unseen force). However, the Bible doesn’t ever speak of an immortal spirit either.

Scriptures that they like to quote to prove their point include the following:

• Luke 23:46, ‘Father, I leave my breath (‘spirit’ Gr. pneuma) in Your hands. And after saying that, he died.’
• John 19:30, ‘When he received the vinegar, Jesus said, It’s finished! Then he hung his head and quit breathing (‘gave beside the breath’ Gr. paradoken to pneuma).
• Ecclesiastes 12:7, ‘And the dust returns to the earth where it was, and the breath (‘spirit’ Gr. pneuma) returns to God who gave it.’

Now, in the first two cases above, the references are to Jesus and his final words and actions as he was dying, and the third case talks about what happens to normal men when they die. And the conclusion that many have reached is that Jesus himself returned to God that day (when his ‘spirit’ returned to God). However, the Bible says that he wasn’t resurrected until the third day, and he didn’t return to God in heaven for many days after his resurrection. So that can’t be true. And in the third case (in Ecclesiastes), they conclude it’s saying that we go to God (to the ‘light’) immediately when we die. However, did you notice that the other option such people also believe in, going to ‘Hell,’ isn’t even mentioned there?

So, let’s see exactly which ‘spirit,’ ‘breath,’ or ‘wind’ actually returns to God. What caused humans to live to begin with? Genesis 2:7 says, ‘Then God formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life (Gr. to pnoen zoes) against his face, and he became a living creature.’

Yes, the breath (Gr. pnoen, a conjugation of pneuma) of life came from God to begin with, so it returns to God when we die.

Now, we certainly don’t claim the ‘the breath of life’ that God breathed was just some form of artificial respiration to cause Adam to start living. Rather, it is obviously the power that God gave to all of Adam’s cells, which brought each of them to life. So, something more than breath or wind is implied here. However, literally millions of cells in our bodies die each day and the power of their life must return to God who originally gave it to Adam. This gradual form of death can be proven scientifically, and some cells continue to live long after clinical death (the death of the brain). So, the ‘breath’ that returns to God is obviously His record of who and what we are, which will allow Him to resurrect us (if He chooses) just as we were.

Our Conclusions

As you can see, it appears as though we are arguing against something that is proven by several words throughout the Bible. However, recognize that the teaching of a Hell Fire has thousands of years of background in pagan ideas throughout the religions of this world. And the fact that people have had to distort the meanings of such Bible words as Hades (grave), GeHenna (garbage dump), Lake of Fire (Second Death), and Tartarus (dark place of fallen gods) to try to prove the existence of a place that a God of Love would never approve of, shows a deep, dark, inward hatred. Nobody with any understanding of God’s love would ever accuse Him of torture; or worse yet, eternal torture. Such evil could come only from the minds of men, and from a desire to frighten others into following corrupt and empty religious teachings.

Yes, many people want to believe that there is a Hell. After all, shouldn’t there be such a thing for those like Adolph Hitler, who have committed such terrible crimes against humanity? On the other hand, it is only because such religious people as Adolph Hitler believed that God is to blame for such badness, that they have felt justified in their own acts of horror against humanity.

Then what happens to those who are bad? Proverbs 12:7 tells us, ‘When the irreverent are overturned they’ll disappear (Gr. aphanizetai), but the homes of the righteous will remain.’

The case against Hell

Did you know that there is a solid scriptural case to be made against the idea of Hell? Many non-Christians have rejected the concept of Hell, but it may come as a surprise to learn that there is a growing number of Bible-believing Christians who also reject the notion—not in spite of Scripture but because of it! This short study is meant only to raise some questions and provide brief answers. For further study, please refer to the links at the end of the article.

An open and unbiased study of the Bible, including many key Greek and Hebrew words as well as Church history will reveal some surprising things.

For instance, did you know that……..

“Hell” Is Not an Old Testament doctrine:

Popular myth : Hell is an established Biblical doctrine that is in the Bible from start to finish. This is not true! Two thirds of the Bible (the Old Testament) does not mention Hell at all. (“Sheol,” the Old Testament word that is sometimes translated as Hell, only means “grave” by definition, and it is where everyone in the Old Testament went when they died–good or evil, Jew or Gentile). Thus the Old Testament does not contain the concept of Hell!

Think about it………

If Hell is real, why didn’t God make that warning plain right at the beginning of the Bible? God said the penalty for eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was death- -not “eternal life” in fire and brimstone.

If Hell is real, why wasn’t Cain warned about it, or Sodom and Gomorrah , or any of those who committed the earliest recorded “sins?”

If Hell is real why didn’t Moses warn about this fate in the Ten Commandments or the Mosaic Covenant consisting of over 600 laws, ordinances, and warnings? The Mosaic Law simply stated blessings and cursings in this lifetime.

If Hell is real, why are its roots in paganism, rather than the Bible? Many nations surrounding Israel in the Old Testament believed in Hell-like punishment in the afterlife, for they served bloodthirsty and evil “gods,” while Israel simply taught the grave (sheol) and a hope of a resurrection. If Hell is real, why was the revelation of it first given to pagan nations, instead of God’s covenant people? Did God expect Israel to learn about the afterlife from the Pagan Gentiles? If so, why did He repeatedly warn Israel to not learn of their ways?

If Hell is real, why did God tell the Jews that burning their children alive in the fire to the false god Molech, (in the valley of Gehenna ) was so detestable to Him? God said that such a thing “never even entered His mind” (Jer. 32:35). How could God say such a thing to Israel , if He has plans to burn alive a good majority of His own creation in a spiritual and eternal Gehenna of His own making?

**FACT: The King James Bible erroneously translates the word “Sheol” as Hell a total of 31 times in the Old Testament, thus setting a foundation for that doctrine in the New Testament as well as the majority of Bible translations to follow the KJV. Even so, most new translations have completely eliminated Hell from the Old Testament, as honest and better scholarship has demanded. The Jewish version of the Old Testament (the Tanakh) has no concept of Hell in it. The importance of this fact cannot be over-emphasized. If a doctrine does not appear as seed form in the books of the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, it cannot fairly be taught as a major biblical doctrine, if indeed it can be taught as biblical at all!

Hell Is Not a New Testament Doctrine:

Popular myth: Jesus spoke of Hell more than He did of Heaven. This is not true! Jesus warned the Jews many times of impending destruction, both nationally and individually. He used several different terms to refer to punishment/destruction, some of which were erroneously translated as the same word, “Hell” by Bible translators. We do not deny that God will indeed judge the whole world, nor do we wish to make light of His judgments. We are challenging the belief that His judgment on sin and unbelief is eternal torment/Hell and never-ending separation from God. Certainly, Jesus spent a lot of his ministry warning people to repent or reap the consequences, (particularly “Gehenna.”) But could we be reading more into His warnings than He originally intended?

Think about it…….

If Hell is real, why were most of the warnings pertaining to punishment/Gehenna directed to Israel , particularly the Lord’s own disciples as well as the Pharisees? The first great cluster of references to Gehenna, are found in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:22, 29, 30), Jesus’ great sermon to His disciples in which He warned that one was in danger of Gehenna for the likes of calling someone a fool. This is a far cry from our modern Evangelical interpretation that says not accepting Jesus as your Savior is what sends someone to Hell. Are we perhaps missing the symbolism that Jesus originally intended?

If Hell is real, aren’t we taking verses out of context when we warn non-Jewish sinners who are not part of the Mosaic covenant God made with the nation of Israel about consequences for sin which have nothing to do with them since they are not under that covenant?

Since the concept of Hell doesn’t exist in the Old Testament, how could Jesus and his disciples teach that salvation was deliverance from a place that is not even found in their Scriptures? And if He was introducing the subject for the first time, why did He do it so casually, as though His listeners already understood what He was talking about?

If Hell is real, since some English translations use the word Hell for the Greek word “Gehenna,” in the New Testament, why didn’t this same place (Gehenna) get translated Hell in the many places where it appears in the Hebrew form “ga ben Hinnom” in the Old Testament?

If the Jews did not understand “Gehenna” as a symbol of everlasting torture, but rather as a place of shame, filth, and defilement (where Israel participated in the grossest form of idol worship), why does modern theology ascribe more to the word than the original meaning did? The teaching of Gehenna has evolved in Jewish teachings to include punishment in the afterlife; but even today, Gehenna still does not mean “endless” punishment to the Jews.

If Hell is real how could the Apostle Paul (who was especially commissioned by God to preach the gospel to the nations) say that he had declared the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27), when indeed he never warned of “Hell” in any of his letters? If Hell is real, wouldn’t Paul, of all people, warn of it repeatedly?

If Hell is real, the sin/death of Adam has had a far more powerful effect on the world than the resurrection life of Christ! And yet Paul declares in Romans 5 that Christ’s victory is far greater than Adam’s transgression! Listen to Paul’s confidence in the work of Christ! If Paul believed in eternal hell for the majority of men, how could he write the following verses?

“…Just as the result of one trespass (Adam’s) was condemnation for all men , so also the result of one act of righteousness (Christ’s) was justification that brings life for all men . For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. ( Romans 5:18,19).

“Since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22)

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4;10).

(The above verses are just a few of the many verses where Paul writes of a pre-eminent Christ that far transcends the traditional Christian view. This article is full of many more New Testament references by Paul that display his views of the Christ triumphant, unlimited, all-powerful, all-conquering, and victorious).

If Hell is real, why is it that the only time Paul even mentioned “Hell” in any of his epistles, was declare the triumph of Christ over it? (1 Corinthians 15:55). The word “Grave” in the passage is the Greek word “Hades.”

If Hell is real, why is it not mentioned once in the book of Acts in any the evangelistic sermons that were recorded by the early Apostles?

If Hell is real why do some of the best Bible scholars and Bible teachers say it is not in the Greek or Hebrew text? (William Barclay, John A.T. Robinson, Lightfoot, Westcott, F.W. Farrar, Marvin Vincent, etc.)

If Hell is real, why does the word itself come from the Teutonic “Hele” (goddess of the underworld “Hell” of northern Europe ). The description of this ancient mythological place has very little resemblance anymore to the modern Christian image of Hell. See any encyclopedia or dictionary for the origin of the word.

FACT: The apocryphal books of the intertestimental period had a tremendous impact on the Jews in the time of Christ. It is from these books, especially the book of Enoch, that many of the Jewish myths and fables concerning Hell, heaven, demons and angels and many other fables first became a part of Judaism and from there became a part of Christianity. The myths and fables of these books came from Pagan influences (namely Zoroastrianism), during and after the Babylonian captivity of Israel . In fact, Zoroastrianism looks more like modern Christianity in many ways than ancient Judiasm does!

If Hell is real, why did Paul warn Timothy repeatedly to stay away from Jewish myths and fables, the likes of which were influencing many in the early church? Rather than affirming such doctrines, Paul declares them to be profane fables. (1 Tim. 1:1; Tit. 1:14)

Hell Contradicts The Work of the Messiah:

Popular myth: Jesus came to save the sinner from his destination of everlasting Hell. Not exactly true! Hell was never a place that the Jews were hoping to be saved from, since they didn’t even believe in it! But they did need to be saved from their sins and consequences of them; namely death. Jesus came as the Anointed One to fulfill all of God’s plan for the earth—that through Him might come the salvation, deliverance of sin, peace, kingdom of God and all that God had promised through the Old Testament scriptures. There is much we can say here, but for the sake of brevity we will limit our points to a few key passages. Please take the time to look up the verses that are referenced.

Think about it…..

If Hell is real, why does Psalm 22 (one of the most prophetic passages in scripture concerning the Messiah) promise that because of the cross, “ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD , and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship , all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive ” (Psalm 22:27-29 NASB).

If Hell is real, did Jesus fail in His mission? He said, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47).

If Hell is real and most find their way to it, was Jesus lying when He said if He was lifted up (crucified) that He would “draw” (”drag” in the original Greek word, “helkyo”) all mankind unto Himself? (John 12:32)

If Hell is real and eternal, how can the Scriptures speak of the gathering of all things into Christ? (Eph. 1:10)

If Hell is real and eternal, how can all things be subdued unto Christ? (1 Corinthians 15:28, Philippians 3:21, Hebrews 2:8).

If Hell is real and eternal, how can it be that the scriptures promise that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord? (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10).

If Hell is real and eternal, how will Jesus ever see the travail of His soul and be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)? If the traditional understanding is correct, most of those He came to save will never experience His salvation. Do we believe that this would be satisfying to Jesus?

If Hell is real, and God sent Jesus to save people from it, can we really say that the will and pleasure of God has prospered in His hand, since, according to traditional theology, only a few will ever be saved? (Isaiah 53:10, and 55:11).

If Hell is real, and the devil is the one who deceives people into going there, isn’t he ultimately the winner in the war for souls? After all, traditional interpretation of the Bible says that more people will end up in Hell than in Heaven. If so, how can we really call Satan the defeated enemy and Christ the victor?

If Hell is real and most of mankind will remain in an eternal deathlike state of torment with no chance to repent or escape, how exactly are we to understand and rejoice in the fact that Jesus destroyed death and him that had the power of death (Satan)? (Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8, Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:55, 1 Corinthians 15:26 etc.)

If Hell is eternal, how can the increase of Christ’s government and of peace have no end? (Isaiah 9:7).

FACT: The term “saved” has evolved in Christianity to mean something different than it did to the original readers and hearers of Scripture. The Greek words, “sozo” and “soteria” embrace the broad meaning of being rescued, delivered, healed and saved from danger. These words were applied in a variety of ways throughout the New Testament. There is much more to the salvation of Christ than most Christians know. Sadly, much of the church is robbed of fullness of their salvation by embracing a limited and futuristic view of what it actually means– (i.e. “going to Heaven when they die”).

Popular Myth: “Eternity” is a theme that is throughout the entire Bible, including eternal punishment. Not exactly true! We are not denying that the New Testament is full of warnings of judgment, and that the words, “everlasting” and “eternal” appear often in most translations. However, a careful study of the words that are translated to mean forever or everlasting, will prove that they have been mistranslated. The question is not whether or not God will punish sin and rebellion, but rather how He does it, and for what purpose and how long the correc5ion lasts.

Think about it……

If Hell is forever, why is the Hebrew word Olam (which has been translated to mean “eternal/forever”) used in so many verses where it clearly does not mean “everlasting? A few examples: “Everlasting” is applied to the priesthood of Aaron; to the statutes of Moses; to the mountains and hills; and to the doors of the Jewish temple, to the length of time that reproach and shame should be upon the Jews. The word “forever” is applied to the duration of man’s earthly existence; to the time a child was to abide in the temple; to the continuance of Gehazi’s leprosy; to the to the duration of a king’s life; to the time a servant was to abide with his master; to the duration of the Jewish temple; to the time David was to be king over Israel; to the throne of Solomon; to the stones that were set up at Jordan; and to the time Jonah was in the fish’s belly. It should be obvious from the context that olam merely referred to an indefinite period of time–not forever!

Aion and related words ( aionian and aionios ) are the Greek equivalents of olam . Aion, literally means “age,” from which we get our English word, “eon.” Aion/age/eon, is merely a period of time. “Aionian and Aionios” are words that refer to the ages (plural) or pertaining to the ages. As long as time is being measured, it cannot be referring to eternity, which is a realm beyond the measurement of time. If “Hell” is forever, why is it described by words that pertain to the ages?

If the Greek word Aion and its derivatives mean eternal as some Bible scholars insist, why did contemporary Greek usage of it, at the time the New Testament was written, not carry with it the idea of endless eternity? (Works by Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Hippocrates and many others use these words in a limited, not an eternal sense).

If Hell is forever, how do we explain the fact that aion/olam did not mean eternal/unending to the original writers and hearers of Scripture?

FACT: Some would argue that if aionian and related words do not mean eternal, then God cannot be eternal, for these words also describe Him. To this we say, that just because God is described as the God of the eons, does not mean that He is not the God who also transcends the eons. In the same way, just because He is called the God of Israel , does not also mean that He is not the God of all the other nations. Also, there are other Greek words used to refer to the unending power and life of God. They are, aptharsia/apthartos, which means imperishableness and immortality; amarantinos/amarantos which mean unfading; and akatalytos , which means indestructable. They are usually translated as immortal, or incorruptible. Please refer to the following verses for reference: Hebrews 7:15-16, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Peter 5:4, 1 Timothy 1:17, Romans 1:23, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Romans 2:7, 1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Timothy 1:10, and 1 Timothy 6:16.

Popular Myth: One’s fate is sealed after death. If this is true, how do we deal with the following scriptures that indicate the opposite?

Think about it…….

“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him” (2 Samuel 14:14).

“The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave (sheol), and bringeth up.” 1 Samuel 2: 6

“See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Sheol/Hell); I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave (Sheol/Hell), I will be your destruction!” (Hosea 13:11-14).

“For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lam 3:31-33)

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26).

If Hell is a place of no escape, why did the early church teach Jesus went to Hell (Hades), preached to them and led captivity captive? (Eph. 4:8,9; Psalm 68:18; 1 Peter 3:18-20)

If Hell lasts forever, why the Psalmist confidently speak again and again about being rescued from it (sheol)? (Psalms 16:10, 30:2-3, Psalm 49:15, 86:13, 116:3-8, 139:8).

If Hell is real, how can Solomon teach that the spirit of man will return to the God Who gave it? (Ecc 12:7).

If the grave settled the matter forever, why did the early Christians offer up prayers for the dead? Why were they baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29).

“Hell” Was Not a Doctrine of the Early Church:

Popular myth: Universalism was recently introduced to Christianity in the 1800’s as the church became more liberal and modern and began to abandon their true biblical foundation. This is not true! A belief in the restitution of all things was a standard view in the early church, held by the majority of early Christians. It has also been held by a minority throughout all of church history even during the Dark Ages.

Think about it……

If Hell was real, why did the first comparatively complete systematic statement of Christian doctrine ever given to the world by Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 180, contain the tenet of universal salvation?

If Hell was real, why did the first complete presentation of Christianity (Origen, 220 A.D.) contain the doctrine of universal salvation?

If Hell was real, why do neither the Apostles Creed, nor the Nicean Creed, two foundational “doctrinal statements” for the early church, contain the concept of Hell?

If Hell was real, why did Church leaders as late as the fourth century AD acknowledge that the majority of Christians believed in the salvation of all mankind?

If Hell was real why did the early church appoint an avowed universalist as the President of the second council of the church of Constantinope in the fourth century? (Gregory Nazianzen, 325-381).

If Hell was real why did not a single Church council for the first five hundred years condemn Universalism as heresy considering the fact that they made many declarations of heresy on other teachings?

If Hell was real why didn’t Epiphanius (c. 315-403) the “hammer of heretics” who listed 80 heresies of his time not list universalism among those heresies?

If Hell was real, since most historians would acknowledge today that Origen was perhaps the most outstanding example of universalism in the church, when Methodius, Eusibius, Pamphilus, Marcellus, Eustathius, and Jerome made their lists of Origen’s heresies, why wasn’t universalism among them?

If Hell was real and found in the original Greek manuscripts of the Bible, why is it that it was primarily those church leaders who either couldn’t read Greek (For example, Minucius Felix and Tertullian), or hated Greek as in the case of Augustine, that the doctrine of Hell was advocated? Those early church leaders familiar with the Greek and Hebrew (the original languages of the Bible) saw universal salvation in those texts. Those who advocated Hell got it from the Latin, not from the original Greek and Hebrew. Who would more likely be correct–those who could read the original languages of the Bible or those who read a Latin translation made by one man (Jerome)?

If Hell was real then why did four out of six theological schools from 170 AD to 430 AD teach universal salvation while the only one that taught Hell was in Carthage, Africa, again were Latin was the teaching language, not Greek?

If Hell was real and a serious heresy, why was it not until the sixth century when Justinian, a half-pagan emperor, tried to make universalism a heresy? Interestingly, most historians will acknowledge that Justinian’s reign was among the most cruel and ruthless.

*The historical facts documented in the above section can all be verified through the books, “Universalism, the Prevailing Doctrine of the Early Church for the First 500 Years” by J.W. Hanson and “The History of Opinions on the Scriptural Doctrine of Retribution” by Edward Beecher.

Hell does not reflect the heart of God:

Popular myth: The justice of God demands a place like Hell in which the wicked shall be eternally punished for their sins. Not true! The justice of God demanded a perfect sacrifice for sin, and that man was Christ Jesus. The justice of God will certainly come to every person, and God may deal severely with our sins as He subdues and gathers all things to Christ, but to punish people endlessly for crimes committed in a short human lifespan defies all logic and justice. How is it just to have unending punishment for offenses that have limits?

Think about it……..

If Hell is real and all things were made for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:11), is it conceivable that God would derive pleasure from seeing those He created endlessly tortured? God says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ez. 33:11).

If Hell is a real place of endless torment, and God didn’t want anyone to end up there, why didn’t God just kill Adam and Eve and end the long terrible chain of misery that passed to their offspring before it began? After all, the Scriptures say that all died because of Adam. (Rom. 5:18)

If Hell is real, if God loves His enemies now, will he not always love them? Is God a changeable being? (James 1:17)

If Hell is real, if you had sufficient power would you not deliver all men from sin? If God would save all men, but cannot , is He infinite in power?

If Hell is real, and God can save all men, but will not , is He infinite in goodness and mercy?

If Hell is real, since God will have all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3 KJV), does that mean God’s power is not strong enough to have His will fulfilled?

If Hell is real and Jesus teaches us to forgive seventy times seven and yet He Himself will never offer forgiveness to anyone after they die, does that not make Him a hypocrite?

If Hell is real and God’s wrath abides upon billions of human beings forever, doesn’t that violate the Scripture which says His anger will come to an end? (Isaiah 57:16-18)

If Hell is real and God only loves those who love Him, what better is He than the sinner? (Luke 6:32-33)

If Hell is real, since some people receive many chances to “get saved,” some receive only a few chances and billions have never even received one chance, does that make God a respecter of persons? (Acts 10:34, James 3:17). After all, billions of people have been born and died on this earth without a chance to ever hear the name of Jesus, the “only name under heaven by which men may be saved.”

If there is a Hell and all who have sinned are destined to go there (which is everyone) unless they figure out how to avoid it, does that not consign all aborted babies and non-Christian children to Hell? (While some denominations teach a so-called “age of accountability,” it is not found anywhere in the Bible. It is just some people’s way of trying to make God more humane than the eternal torment teaching makes Him out to be).

If Hell is real, does that mean that motherly love is more powerful and enduring than God’s love? Do you know of normal parents who would endlessly torment most of their kids? Why do we believe our heavenly Father, Who is millions of times more loving than all of us combined, could do such an evil, wicked thing?

If Hell is real, why does the human spirit writhe under the horror of wars and prison camps, torture chambers and dictators? How can we judge these things as wrong, if Hell is real? After all, Hell far eclipses these earthly torments which came from the most sinful and beastly part of humanity. We say God is grieved by man’s violence and disregard for life, and yet believe that He Himself enforces the same principles for all eternity!

If Hell is real, how would endless misery benefit the Almighty, as the inflictor? How would endless misery benefit the saints, as spectators? How would endless misery benefit the sinner, as the sufferer?

If Hell is real, how does the threat of endlessly torturing us convince us that God loves us and that we should love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

FACT: While the church has gotten used to thinking of God as Someone who was forced to design a grandiose punishment called Hell, and against His own will sends the majority of His creation there, this concept of a God “who did the best He could” is totally against the Scriptural view of a God who is absolutely sovereign, powerful, all-wise and all-victorious. He never had to come up with a plan B or C, for Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It is time to give Him the glory He deserves for our God is truly awesome and wonderful far beyond the limited, and man-centered views of Him!

Come Up Higher!

Beloved, what is the “lens” through which you are interpreting the Bible? Traditional doctrines teach us to interpret the “victorious” scriptures in the light of the “judgment” scriptures. But what if God wants us to see it the other way around? What if we are to interpret the “judgment” scriptures in the light of the “victorious” scriptures? Is not Christ’s victory the greatest revelation in the Bible? Standing on this highest peak—that is, the finished work of the cross, causes us to see a much larger and far more beautiful panoramic view of God’s plan throughout the ages. We do not throw out one set of Scriptures in favor of another. Rather, we seek to harmonize them…For man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

In the time of Christ, most of Israel completely missed the Word of God when He was in their midst. They were too busy with their nose in the book, to perceive the Word Himself as He came and walked among them! Many Jews were afraid to believe in Jesus, since the majority of their leaders (Scribes, Pharisees, Saducees, Priests etc) who knew the scriptures better than they did, were convinced that He was not the Messiah. In the early days of the church, faith in Jesus Christ was heresy and to admit faith in Him was basically asking for scorn and rejection. Modern Christians point the finger at Israel of old, not realizing that we are following in their footsteps today. Most of us play it safe, siding with the denomination or movement that we happen to be a part of. While there is wisdom in honoring our spiritual fathers, we can never allow them to take the place of the Holy Spirit teaching us in our own lives.

The facts presented in this article should at least cause every reader who is truly hungry to know God, to search the scripture to see if these things be so. If what we are presenting here is false, it needs to be disproved. And if it is true, it cannot be ignored.

It is time to stop skipping the parts of the Bible that do not fit in with our theology. And if, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, our theology is not big enough to hold the entire counsel of Scripture, perhaps it is time to expand–lest we once again miss God!

And so we ask you again, beloved Christian, to ask yourself…

If the traditional teaching of Hell is real….

How can mercy triumph over judgment? (James 2:13)

How can it be true that, “where sin abounded grace did much more abound?” (Rom. 5:20)

When will all flesh come to God? (Psalm 65:2-4)

When will the poor of the earth be avenged and comforted by God? (Psalm 113:7, Psalm 140:12, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 31:9, Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 61:1, Jeremiah 22:16 etc.) (Bear in mind that most of the poor of the earth throughout history have not had a chance to accept Jesus as their savior).

When shall it come to pass that: “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 26:6-8).

When and how will “all nations” praise Him, come to Him, serve Him, be blessed in Him and bow to Him? (Psalm 45:17, Ps. 86:9, Isaiah 62:11, Daniel 7:14 Ps 66:1, Ps 72:11, Ps 102:15, Jer. 3:17, Ps 72:17, Isa. 2:2, Isa. 11:10, Isa. 52:10, Rev. 5:13 etc.)

How can the world be reconciled to God? (2 Corinthians 5:19, Romans 11;5, Romans 5:10).

Why would Paul the apostle say the goal of God’s creative plan was to ultimately be “all in all?” (1 Cor. 15:28)

How can it be true that God, Who works all things according to the counsel of His will, shall gather together all things in Christ, in the fullness of the times? (Ephesians 1:9-11)

How can Paul insist that “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).

How can the most often-repeated Biblical description of God be true? “His mercy endures forever” (literally, “His mercy/lovingkindness endures for the ages”). Certainly, as long as there are ages, and people in need of mercy, God’s mercy will endure.

How and when can there ever be a “restitution of all things?” (Acts 3:21)

A Final Test

We have tested the doctrine of Hell against many different Biblical topics and concepts and found it wanting. When scrutinized in the light of the entire counsel of Scripture, the doctrine of Hell is found to be full of holes. Now, test this doctrine against your own heart and see whether it can stand. Please take some time and prayerfully ask yourself these questions:

If there is a Hell and according to most denominations of Christianity the majority of mankind will go there, could you really enjoy heaven knowing your mother or father or children or best friend are suffering everlasting tortures the likes of which would make the Holocaust seem like a picnic?

If Hell is real, will you judge your mother, son, or other non-believers to Hell ? “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world”? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

If Hell is real and a place of terrible, unending pain, could you even send a dog to such a place?

If Hell is real and universalism is a heresy, why is it that those who believe God loves all and will save all find it easier to love all people than those who believe most people are going to Hell? (Think this through very carefully.)

If Hell is real, can you honestly rejoice in the victory, love, and wisdom of God, knowing that somewhere in His beautiful creation there will always be a black and stinking hell-hole crammed full of tortured souls who have no chance for relief or forgiveness–or even death? Even if there was only one person left in such a state, how could all of Heaven rejoice for all eternity knowing that there was still one soul who had not been touched by the victory of Christ and was suffering alone?

Is it good to desire all men to be saved? “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim.2:3,4).

• Do you ardently desire the salvation of all men?
• Is it true that God “openeth His hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing?” — (Ps. 145:16)
• Do you fervently pray for the salvation of all men? (1 Tim. 2:1)
• Do you pray in faith, nothing doubting? (James 1:6)
• Are you aware, “that whatsoever is not of faith is sin?” — (Rom 14:23)
• Would God require us to pray for all men, and to pray in faith, unless He intends all men should be saved?
• If you believe endless misery to be the truth of God, why should you desire and pray that it may prove false?

“HELL” IN THE BIBLE

“HELL” IN THE BIBLE What Does the Bible
Really Say About Hell?

http://www.jacksonsnyder.com

(1) The Bible hell (sheol/hades) is the realm of death; it is described as a place where there is no work, no device, no knowledge, nor wisdom. — Ecclesiastes 9:10 – many translations render “sheol” as “the grave” here.

(2) The only Old Testament word translated hell is sheol, to which the New Testament word hades corresponds.

(3) In the King James translation of the Bible, sheol and hades are translated hell 41 times, grave 32 times and pit 3 times and frequently when translated hell, the margin reads, “or, the grave,” or vice vera. — Psalm 49:15; 55:15; 86:13; Isaiah 14:9; Jonah 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 20:13.

(4) Many translations transliterate the words sheol and hades.

(5) Satan is a liar and the father of the lie. (John 8:44) It is Satan who has the world believing that a person does not really die, therefore he lies to the world that those who are bad are roasting somewhere for all eternity, thus making God appear to be some kind of fiend. With such a view being loudly presented by the traditionalists, no wonder thousands are turning away from the Bible and going to paganism, agnosticism and atheism. The doctrine of eternal roasting is a blasphemy to the Creator. Indeed, those who claim to be friends of the Bible are often its worst enemies.

(6) Satan uses all kinds of deceptive means to continue his lies, including spiritism, hypnotism, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, etc. “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” — Isaiah 8:19,20, New King James Version.

(7) Contrary to the idea that any part of hell is a place of fire, torture, shrieks, etc., the Bible says, “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest”; “in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [sheol] who shall give thee thanks”; “the grave [sheol] cannot praise thee: death cannot celebrate thee.” — Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18.

(8) Good people, as well as bad, go to sheol (hell) at death: e.g., Jacob went down to sheol (Genesis 37:35); Job prayed to go to sheol, to be hidden there, until the resurrection (Job 14:13). Nor do the good go to a section of sheol called “paradise” at death. (Paradise is never depicted as a section of sheol or hades.) Instead of going to paradise at death, David expected to be in condition in sheol where he could not give thanks to Yahweh and we further read that “the grave [sheol] cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee.” — Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18.

(9) Jesus “poured out his soul unto death” (Isaiah 53:10, 12; Matthew 26:38), and descended into hell, but “his soul was not left in hell [sheol/hades - a state of unknowing].” — Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27, 31.

(10) In old English the word hell simply meant to hide or to cover – helling potatoes meant putting them into pits, helling a house meant covering or thatching it, etc.; the word hell was therefore properly used as signifying the secret or hidden condition of death. It had no reference whatever to a place of torture until that meaning was attached to it by the theologians of the Dark Ages.

(11) Accordingly, hell (sheol or hades) means the unconscious, oblivious condition or realm of death, where all souls, good and bad, go at death, and from which only the awakening from death can deliver any.

(12) When God told Adam of sin’s penalty, He did not say, “In the day that you eat from it you will live forever in torture,” but He told him the truth: “thou shalt surely die [i.e., cease to live- or "dying, thou shalt die" - margin of KJV].” — Genesis 2:17.

(13) Adam began to die in that very (dying, thou shalt die — see KJV margin) day he ate the forbidden fruit.

(14) Contradicting God, Satan told the lie (John 8:44), “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), by which he has since deceived many into believing that the dead are not really dead, but that at death they live on, and, without waiting for the resurrection day, go directly into heaven or into eternal torment; whereas the Bible states plainly that “the dead know not any thing”. Thus “the dead praise not [Yahweh], neither any that go down into silence”; that “his sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them”. Additionally, Abraham and Israel (Jacob) in sheol are “ignorant of us.” — Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 115:17; Job 14:21; Isaiah 63:16.

(15) The Bible states plainly that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20); that “the wages of sin is death [cessation of life-not life in roasting]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” — Romans 6:23; Acts 4:12.

(16) “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish [i.e., forever cease to live], but have everlasting life”. “The man Christ Jesus” “gave himself a ransom [a corresponding price] for all [Adam and his race], to be testified in due time.” — John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4-6.

(17) If the penalty against Adam and his race had been eternal torment, Jesus would have had to suffer an eternity of torture to pay this debt; but, because the “wages of sin is death,” “Christ died for our sins,” He tasted death for every man; and He “was raised from the dead.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Hebrews 2:9; Romans 5:6-10; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:18.

(18) Jesus, when on earth, said, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.” — John 3:13; Acts 2:34.

(19) The Bible says the dead, good and bad, are “asleep” (2 Peter 3:4; 2 Kings 21:17, 18; John 11:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), i.e., oblivious, unconscious, in sheol or hades, waiting for the awakening; “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” — 1 Corinthians 15:13-18.

(20) God through Christ ransoms all, not from eternal torture, but “from the power of the grave [sheol]” (Hosea 13:14). None, however, come forth until Jesus calls them in the resurrection awakening at His Second Advent (John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23, 52), when (and not previously) St. Paul and others receive their crowns of life and rewards. — 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 1:5; 5:4; Luke 14:14.

(21) Eventually “all that are in the graves shall hear his [Jesus'] voice, and shall come forth” (John 5:28,29). When sheol or hades thus delivers up all who sleep in Adamic death, sheol or hades will forever cease to exist-”O grave [sheol] I will be thy destruction; “death and hell [hades; also the devil, the beast, the false prophet and the incorrigibly wicked] were cast into the lake of fire [fire destroys all combustible materials put into it, and therefore is used in the Bible as a symbol of destruction], This is [represents] the second death [utter, complete and eternal annihilation, from which none will ever be recovered].” — Hosea 13:14; Revelation 19:20; 20:14, 15; 21:8; Galatians 6:8; Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31; 12:29; 1 John 5:16; Jude 12, 13.

(22) Sodom and Gomorrah are set forth by God “as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 7) – not that the fire is still burning and is unable to destroy those cities, but that it brought upon them eternal destruction as cities, even as the “everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” will bring everlasting destruction upon them. — Hebrews 2:14; Ezekiel 28:19; Psalm 145:20.

(23) In Rev. 20:10 (compare 14:10, 11) the word translated “tormented” should have been rendered “tested” or “examined”. The evil deeds and teachings of the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be examined forever by the righteous, and will be recognized as highly deserving destruction. — compare Isaiah 14:15-17.

(24) “Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life,” but “broad is the way that leadeth [not to preservation in fire, but] to destruction.” — Matthew 7:13.

(25) The wicked “shall be punished with everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9); they “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1, 12); their “end is destruction” (Philemon 3:19); they “shall go away into everlasting punishment [not everlasting torture, but death, for 'sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death' (James 1:15; 4:12); everlasting death is everlasting punishment], but the righteous [who only will have everlasting life after the judgment -- Psalm 37:9-11] into life eternal.” — Matthew 25:46.

(26) Also, the New Testament word gehenna is translated hell in the KJV and many other translations; its Old Testament equivalent is ge-Hinnom — valley of Hinnom. Into this valley outside Jerusalem its refuse was cast, and it was destroyed there either by worms or by fire and brimstone. Gehenna., “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48), represents the Second Death-not that literal worms and fire will exist there eternally, but God’s destruction of the wicked is sure, pictured by everything cast into the valley of Hinnom being completely destroyed, either by the worms or by the fire.

(27) God “is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna]“. “Every soul which will not hear that prophet [Christ] shall be destroyed”. “[Yahweh] preserveth [only] all that love him: but the wicked will he destroy”. “They are extinct.” — Matthew 10:28; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Acts 3:23; Psalm 145:20; Isaiah 43:17.

(28) God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4) and will punish every sinner according to his guilt (Matthew 12:36; Luke 12:47,48), but His justice forbids His exacting a greater extreme penalty than the one He declared, i.e., death – “Shall mortal man [who unless debased would not consider torturing even a cat in fire for one minute, let alone for eternity] be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness.” — Job 4:17; 34:10.

(29) God forbade Israel to torture children with fire in Molech worship, condemning it and calling it an abomination which never came into His mind. — Leviticus 18:21; 20,2-5; Jeremiah 19:5; 32:34, 35.

(30) “God is love” and He desires us to “worship him in spirit and in truth,” out of love for Him, and not because of fear of punishment now and roasting in the hereafter- “perfect love casteth out fear [dread].” — 1 John 4:8-12, 16-21; John 4:24.

(31) There are those that claim that the doctrine of eternal roasting is needed to bring people into fear of God. Our fear (reverence) of him should be motivated by our love for him, not because of some fiendish plot to eternally roast us if we do not fear him. True reverence for God comes from an awe at the creation around us and within us, plus the fact that God sent his Son to die for us, to save us, not from eternal roasting, but from death.

Restoration Light
P.O. Box 16892
Philadelphia, PA 19142
http://reslight.net