Board index ‹ Heaven and Hell

[Jeannie]

I have a quick question. We have a friend who is very focused on hell and believes that there really isn't a hell/place of eternal damnation. He shared words like gehenna, hades, etc. and that these are different than traditional hell. I am a little lost as to how to help. His beliefs are putting a wedge in family relationships and causing a lot of stress. Can you share your thoughts or send a link to one of your posts to help enlighten me on hell from a Biblical perspective? I believe the traditional view that yes, there is hell and those who don't know Christ personally will go there. This friend is challenging me to think about it more and I am using you as a crutch to get more info! haha! Would appreciate hearing from you!

[jimwalton]

Hell is far more complicated than most Christians are taught. The different terms for “hell" all seem to speak of different parts of the picture of the afterlife (that’s what most Christians don’t realize). I distinctly and certainly believe that hell is a real place of eternal damnation, though also not as we were taught as children. Let me explain, and then you can ask more questions as you wish. Hopefully it will give you some resources for further conversation with your friend or to stimulate further questions for me.

There are generally four words used in the Bible to convey this part of the afterlife: Sheol, gehenna, hades, and hell. They’re all different, but related.

Hades and sheol are generally thought to mean the same thing, mostly “those who are dead.” These are generic terms for the land of the departed, whether good or bad, up or down, whatever. The ancient pagans wrote of divisions in hades/sheol (Elysiuma for the righteous dead and Tartarus for the unrighteous), just as Jews spoke of Abraham’s bosom (for the righteous) and Gehenna (for the unrighteous). In the Old Testament, sheol/the gate of Hades doesn’t mean anything more than that person is dead (Ps. 9.13; 107.18; Job 38.17). This is also spoken of as “the depths” or “down to the pit.”

In the NT Hades seems to have a "holding tank” kind of purpose, for an interim period. It receives souls after death and delivers them up again at the resurrection (Rev. 20.13). The righteous will enter glory, and the wicked will face Gehenna (Rev.19.20; 20.10, 14ff.; the lake of fire).

Gehenna is the place marked by fire and is usually translated as “hell.” Historically (and geographically), the Valley of Hinnom outside of Jerusalem was their garbage dump, a slash in the earth on the east and south side of the city. It was often on fire, and the continual addition of fuel (more garbage) kept it burning like an eternal flame. It became the default image for the eternal fate of the wicked. That figure was enhanced in the days of wicked kings who sacrificed their children there (2 Ki. 23.10). The bodies of criminals, the carcasses of animals, and all sorts of filth were thrown into the valley for burning, so it was a repulsive place, and hence its image.

Gehenna should be carefully distinguished from Hades(sheol), which is never used as a place of punishment. Hades is where should went who died, with no reference or implication of their moral condition.

Gehenna was often thought to be the antithesis of heaven.

Here are some notes from Dr. Clarence Mason which I find quite helpful:

The Eternal Destiny of the Wicked. Rev. 20.14-15; 14.9-11. Five words are considered in this study:
I. Sheol
A. This is the OT word. It is used 65 times, translated variously as:
i. Hell, 31 times: Dt. 32.22; Ps. 9.17; 18.5; Isa. 14.9
ii. Grave, 31 times: 1 Sam. 2.6; Job 7.9; 14.13
iii. Pit, 3 times: Num. 16.30, 33, Job. 17.16.
B. This is the abode of the dead. It is not just a state of being, but a place where beings are, which also involves a certain state of being. It is a conscious state of existence, Dt. 18.11; 1 Sam. 28.11-15; Isa. 14.9.
C. God, not the Devil, is sovereign over sheol. Dt. 32.22; Job 26.6. The Devil is simply the most notorious inmate—Public Enemy #1—of that place.
D. It is regarded as temporary. OT saints looked beyond it to the Kingdom Ave. The righteous will be resurrected to enjoy the promised blessing (Job 14.13-14; 19.25, 27; Ps. 16.9-11; 17.15; 49.15; 73.24.
II. Hades
A. This is practically the NT equivalent of sheol. It is translated Hell in every instance except one, where it is translated grave (1 Cor. 15.55). Hades generally speaks of the unsaved dead, since the resurrection of Christ. The word is never used of the eternal state, Mt. 11.23; 16.18; Acts 2.27, 31; Rev. 1.18; 6.8; 20.13-14.
B. Also consider Paradise: Lk. 23.43.
C. Also consider Abraham’s bosom, Lk. 16.22. “The two compartment theory.” This view says that until the Lord’s resurrection, the spirits of all the dead, righteous and wicked, at death went to sheol/hades; that sheol/hades was in two divisions or compartments, separated by a great gulf (Lk. 16.26), the righteous being in bliss in the upper part called Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom, and the wicked dead in “lowest hell” called Tartarus by the old Greeks. After Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, the righteous spirits were transported to the “3rd Heaven” now called Paradise (2 Cor. 12.4).
III. Gehenna. Mt. 5.22, 29-30; 10.28; 18.9; 23.15, 33; Mk. 9.43, 45, 47; Lk. 12.5; James 3.6.
A. This is a geographical term, especially in the OT. In the NT, the final judgment of the unrepentant is usually also in view.
B. In the OT it is a place of idol worship. Children were burned there as a sacrifice to gods, 1 Chr. 33.6, hence a place of fire. It is a place of judgment because it was overthrow by Josiah (2 Ki. 23.10); Jer. 7.323). It became a dumping ground for filth, the bodies of animals, and occasionally some human body, like the body of a criminal. Hence it was associated with the idea of uncleanness. Also, rubbish was continually burning there, so it became an apt illustration of eternal fire.
IV. Tartarus. This is the place of judgment on wicked angels. It seems to be identical to Gehenna as to ultimate place, 2 Pet. 2.4.
V. Lake of Fire. This is the place of the eternal destiny of the unsaved. Rev. 19.20; 20.10, 14-15; 21.8. It is a place of eternal, conscious suffering.

Now, as far as eternal punishment. Not all Christians, you should know, believe in the traditional concept of hell. There are theories about reconcilationism, semi-restorationism*, modified eternalism**, reconciliationalism*#, and annihilationism##, all with some kind of scriptural backing. In other words, hell isn't necessarily eternal for all who enter it. It may only be eternal for those who refused to be reconciled.

*Semi-restorationism: after an appropriate time of punishment, some will repent and be granted a modified experience in heaven, so their punishment won’t necessarily be eternal and certainly not unfair. So some unrepentant will suffer eternally, but those who eventually repent or have “served their time” will be reconciled to God on some level.
*Modified eternalism: some will suffer an appropriate amount of time, and then cease to exist
*#Reconciliationalism: God will somehow (unknown to us) reconcile all things to himself. This doesn’t necessitate that the wicked will not be punished, but we have no idea how it may be mitigated by the love and mercy of God.
##Annihilationism: The righteous dead will enjoy heaven, and the wicked dead will cease to exist.

I also don't believe that hell is fire. Hell is not "One Fire Tortures All." Fire is just the image of untold suffering, which is what one will experience when separated from God. We have strong hints that there are different degrees of punishment in hell (totally unlike the different levels of hell as in Dante's Divine Comedy, which is not Scripture).

- Matthew 11.22-24 & Luke 10.12: Jesus says it will be “more tolerable” for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than for the people of Capernaum. That would indicate to me a more harsh punishment and a less harsh punishment.

- Matthew 23.14: Jesus tells the Pharisees they will be punished more severely for the way they are deceiving the people and living as hypocrites.

- Revelation 20.13: Each is going to be judged according to what he has done. Since that is the case, then the punishments and rewards can’t be the same for everybody.

- and finally, Luke 12.47-48 (workers are punished with more or fewer blows). There are degrees of punishment, and even sins of ignorance are treated differently than sins
of intention.

Why I bother to point this out is because often those who consider hell to be unfair are picturing the same punishment for all, which is most likely not the case, and infinite punishment for finite crimes, which may also not be the case. People will be punished according to the works they have done (2 Corinthians 5.10; Rev. 20.13).

C.S. Lewis makes some interesting observations about hell. I'll reword them and summarize some of them here: You object to the doctrine of hell. What are you asking God to do? To wipe out past sins at all costs and to give anyone who wants it a fresh start, smoothing difficulties and offering help? But He has DONE that. That's what his death and resurrection were all about. OK, then, are you asking God to forgive you? It's a RELATIONSHIP. He will forgive anyone who wants it, and cannot forgive those who choose not to be forgiven. To leave you alone then? Well, I'm afraid that's what hell is. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it. If there is a way that must be found by the will, and by love, then it must be possible to refuse it. If the happiness of a person is honestly the result of self-surrender, then no one can make that decision except himself, and he may refuse. I would love to say everyone will be saved. But then I'd have to ask, "Will they be saved against their will, or with it?" If I say "against their will," I'm in the middle of a contradiction; how can self-surrender and love be involuntary? But if the answer is "With their will," it begs the question: "What if they will not give in?"


So, with all that has been said, and with all the disagreements, even from Christians, about hell, I can conclude with confidence with this statement: Those who turn away from God will be separated from the life of God. Though we can’t be sure about the form or duration of that separation, this we can be sure of: it will be a horrible experience, and God will be fair about the form and duration of it. If you reject God, you take your chances.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask more.