The Truth About Hell: Introduction

WTM SERIES ON HELL

INTRODUCTION

You are welcome to Insights from God's Word, a Bible Study Programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

Friends, we greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In this study, we bring you the introduction to our series on the subject of HELL. The subject of hell is among the topics in Scripture that has generated a lot of controversy within Christendom. It is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the Bible. The misunderstanding in relation to the subject of hell is borne out of how the word itself has been used in various translations of Scripture. For instance the word 'hell' is used 54 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Without a good knowledge of the original words that are translated as hell, one is likely to interpret many of these 54 usages of the word 'hell' as a place of burning. However, when we consider the totality of Scripture, the word 'hell' may often time denote something different other than a place of burning.

Friends, there are four main original words that are translated as 'hell' in the Bible. These original words are Sheol, Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus.

1) The Hebrew word 'Sheol' is translated 31 times as hell in the Old Testament (KJV); and means the grave or the abode of the dead. Here are some examples:

i) "The sorrows of hell (Sheol; the grave) compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me" (Psalm 18:5).

Key Explanation: In this text, David sorrowed at the possibility of his own death. He wrote this text at a time when he realized death was so close to him.

ii) "Her house is the way to hell (Sheol; the grave), going down to the chambers of death" (Proverbs 7:27).

Key Explanation: He who follows the prostitute is likely to end up in the grave.

2) The Greek word 'Hades' is translated 10 times as hell in the New Testament (KJV); and also means the grave. Here are some examples:

i) "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (Hades; the grave), neither his flesh did see corruption" (Acts 2:31).

Key Explanation: Hell as used in this text basically denotes the grave; the place where Christ rested after His death. It is this same place where the saints who have died in Christ also rest - awaiting the resurrection unto life (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).

ii) "O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55). When we consider the entire passage of 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, we come away with the understanding that the saints resurrect from Hades (that is, the grave; see verse 55). Thus friends, it is important to note that Hades cannot be a place of burning if it is the place the righteous dead rest until the resurrection (see also John 5:28-29). Hades is actually the Greek equivalent of Sheol which basically means the grave or the abode of the dead.

3) The Greek word 'Gehenna' is translated 12 times as hell in the New Testament and means a place of burning. Here are some examples:

i) "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" (Matthew 5:29; hell in this text is translated from Gehenna which means a place of burning).

ii) "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:22; hell fire in this text is translated from Gehenna which means a place of burning).

iii) "And death and hell (Hades) were cast into the lake of fire (Gehenna). This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14).

Notice that in Revelation 20:14, we are told by the apostle John that hell (hades; grave) will finally be cast into the lake of fire (Gehenna). Thus, the two words (that is, Hades and Gehenna) cannot denote the same place. As we noted earlier, 'hades' means the grave while 'Gehenna' is actually a place of burning. When God's executive judgement is set up, death and the grave (Hades) will be cast into the lake of fire (Gehenna).

4) The Greek word 'Tartarus' is translated 1 time as hell in the New Testament and typifies a place of darkness or restraint. From the second epistle of the apostle Peter, we come across the only text that utilizes the Greek word Tartarus. From 2 Peter 2:4, we read the following: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tartarus; a place of darkness or restraint), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment".

Friends, it is important to note that Tartarus as utilized in the epistle of 2 Peter does not refer to a place of burning but rather to a place of darkness; more specifically, to this dark world, where Satan and his host of evil angels settled after they were expelled from heaven (see Revelation 12:7-9).

Beloved, when we acquire these gems of knowledge in relation to the various original words that are translated as 'hell' in the Bible, we are placed on a better pedestal to understand the confusing subject of hellfire. This is because with this background knowledge, we can easily rule out all the original words that are translated as 'hell' but does not mean a place of burning - and focus only on the Gehenna texts.

Even though this approach is a good start, yet if we should open our Scriptures right away to focus only on the few Gehenna texts left, we are going to soon realize that the texts that deal with Gehenna (that is, the place of burning) are not so easy to comprehend. This is because the package of texts seems to present two opposing messages. While one group of the Gehenna texts present a message that hellfire is yet to come from God out of heaven; and will eventually go out after the wicked are burnt into ashes, a second group of texts seem to present the message that the spirits of the wicked go to hell immediately after death where they burn on and on in the fiery flames of hell.

Friends, outlined below are some key texts that bring out these two opposing viewpoints about hell:

i) "For the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be STUBBLE: and the day that cometh SHALL BURN THEM UP, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them NEITHER ROOT NOR BRANCH. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ASHES under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 4:1, 3; Capital Emphasis Added).

iii) "Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into EVERLASTING FIRE" (Matthew 18:8; Capital Emphasis Added).

iv) "43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into HELL, INTO THE FIRE THAT NEVER SHALL BE QUENCHED: 44 WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED" (Mark 9:43-44; Capital Emphasis Added).

On the surface, these two messages are so contradictory that both cannot be true. But glory be to God that the Bible has proven time and again to be consistent on every single subject. Thus, we can expect that the Bible will give us consistent answers as far as this confusing subject of hell is concerned. And so in this study, we are going to take our time to look closely at the total evidence of Scripture in relation to the subject of hell. The entire series is dubbed: The Truth About Hell. The topics in this Special Series of Bible Study are as follows:

1. Hell: Is it a real place or a myth?

2. When will the wicked burn in hell? Is it right after death or sometime later in the future?

3. Will the wicked burn forever and ever in the fires of hell?

4. "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched": an exposition on Christ's words in Mark 9:44.

5. "... for I am tormented in this flame...": An exposition on the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

6. The order of events that lead to hellfire.

Beloved, we believe that this 6 - Part Series of Bible Study is going to be a real blessing in your life. These studies will be highlighted with beautiful slides that will enable you to have a deeper understanding of the issues that are being discussed. We will want to encourage you to follow the studies closely one lesson at a time so you can fully understand and appreciate this series of Bible study. Moreover, we also want to encourage you to share the studies with your friends so they can also experience the rich blessings that come from studying God's Word.

Our next Bible study is captioned: Hell: is it a real place or a myth? The Bible study references for this study are Luke 12:4-5, Matthew 5:22, Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:9-10, 15 and Revelation 21:8. Please do well to go through these passages before the next study is released.

We wish you the rich blessings of God and encourage you to keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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