PART I Introduction, Sheol and Hades, Tartarus, Gehenna PART II Destruction and Decay vs. Eternal Life, John 3:16, Immortality of The Soul?, Difficulties with the Traditional Interpretation of The Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus, Origins of the ‘Torments of Hell’ Concept, Additional Considerations, Summary and Conclusion 
PART I
Introduction
Introduction Sheol and Hades
Why Are We ‘Translating’ Proper Names?
Sheol and Hades Are Exactly The Same Place
Roots of The Word "Hell"
Inconsistencies In Translation Additional Reasons Sheol/Hades Is Not "Hell"
Jacob Expected to Go To "Hell"?
People went Down Alive Into "Hell"
No One Can Be Rescued From "Hell", yet...
No One Can Be Returned to "Hell", yet... Location of Sheol/Hades
Duration of Sheol/Hades
Affliction in Sheol/Hades? Tartarus What And Where Was Gehenna?
In The Old Testament
In The New Testament Jesus and Gehenna
Introduction
The Importance of the Subjects of Heaven and Hell cannot possibly be over stated, since one or the other, is the final, unalterable, and eternal destination of every one of us. If salvation is deliverance from Hell, then Hell must be thoroughly understood!
Clear Cut Teachings? In the absence of a clear cut and fully developed teaching in the New Testament (which should tell us something), I originally presented both sides of the issue (annihilation and eternal torment) in this section, and left it to the reader to make up his, or her, own mind. However, the ambiguity of 'both sides of the coin' simply wasn't good enough. Either hell is a place of torment, or it is not. Either hell is eternal or it is not. There is no middle ground, and no room for fence sitting. Conflicting Arguments: The study is not an easy one. On the surface there appears to be an enormous amount of conflicting arguments, with both sides presenting seemingly compelling Scriptural evidence. However, knowing that the Bible does not contradict itself, all Biblical passages on this subject (and all other subjects) have to be taken into consideration. And when, as sometimes happens, two positions seem at odds with one another, they have to be examined to see which fits the overall teaching of the Bible. In other words, one has to consider the whole counsel of God. When it comes to hell, the deeper one delves into the subject, the less persuasive the argument in favor of the traditional view becomes. Presuppositions: However, it is totally pointless to embark on a investigation unless one is prepared to set aside one's denominational presuppositions, and other biases, and rely strictly on what the Word says. This seems to be easier said than done for many, if not most, Christians. Challenging The Traditional Viewpoint: As said by David Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries... "The doctrine of the duration of Hell has been so strongly held throughout the history of Christianity that few have dared to challenge it. Adding to the reluctance has been the fact that most modern challenges have come from the cults. Thus, a person who dares to question the traditional viewpoint runs the risk of being labeled a cultist" [1] or, at best, a Universalist. We are neither. A Core Doctrine?: Much of the problem with this topic centers around the fact that most Christians believe that an everlasting nightmare is a core doctrine of the church.. This is patently untrue. In the words of Keith Stump.. "The doctrine of hell evolved long after the core doctrines of the historic Christian faith were established. The views of the early Church fathers about hell were far from unanimous. It took the Christian community hundreds of years to come up with a consensus on the issue. The majority view -- that hell is a place of eternal fiery torment -- emerged only after a long debate within the Church... By the Middle Ages, the concept of a fiery underworld had become a dominant element in people's minds. To the medieval faithful, hell was a place of suffering and despair, of wretchedness and excruciating pain. The medieval Church used fire-and-brimstone rhetoric to its fullest to keep believers under control. The Church considered hell a useful prod to piety, a strong incentive to refrain from evil." [2]
Christians Do Not Really Believe In Eternal Torture: Eternity is, admittedly, a difficult concept to grasp, but it seems to me that very few Christians really believe in the doctrine of eternal fires of hell, no matter how much they profess to do so. The idea of unending, conscious pain, whether physical or mental, is beyond anyone's darkest imagination or worst nightmares, and should stir Christians into a state of near panic for the welfare of their unsaved relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Yet, when was the last time any of us tearfully went to an unsaved person that we care about, and begged them to 'repent and believe'? When was the last time you did so?
Translating Proper Names:
Much of the confusion about hell has arisen from the fact that several separate and distinctive words (Sheol in Hebrew, and Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus in Greek), were usually translated into the single English word 'hell'. However, what is particularly disturbing is that the four original words are proper names and should have been left untranslated.
Additionally, the English word "hell", now commonly used to signify the place of the damned, does not give the reader any clue as to where the word came from, and what it used to mean. Let me repeat that. We have taken several different proper names from two different languages, decided that, in many instances, they have to mean hell, which we associate with the place of the damned, and then translated them as such, without a single care as to what the original words meant, how they were used, and what the differences between them were. An English speaking person who reads only the King James Bible has absolutely no idea which of these words was used in the original manuscripts, nor what they mean. And, if I may remind the reader, it is ONLY the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts that were inspired and inerrant. Copies and translations made through the ages do not have the same authority. It is imperative that we know what impression the Biblical authors intended to convey when they used the specific word they wrote, not the word the translators substituted. Therefore, if the King James, or any other translation, says "hell", but the original Hebrew says Sheol, it is Sheol that the original authors wrote, and it is Sheol, not hell, that we have to carefully examine. Bearing that in mind, let us look at these different words used in the original manuscripts, starting with the Greek and Hebrew words Sheol and Hades...
Sheol and Hades Are Exactly The Same Place
Sheol: The word Sheol occurs sixty-five times in the Old Testament. The verb from which it is derived means, to ask, to demand, to require, to seek (See Proverbs 30:15,16). This name may have been given to the grave/regions of departed spirits, due to the insatiable demand it constantly makes of the living.
Hades: In the New Testament, "hell" has been translated from two seperate words... Hades (used eleven times), and Gehenna (which we will get to later). Hades is the New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament Sheol. Evidence for this is found in Acts 2:27, which is a quotation from Psalm 16:10. Luke used Hades in place of the Hebrew Sheol. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Heb. Sheol)" [Psalm 16:10] Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Gr. Hades) [Acts 2:27]
Also to be noted is that 1 Corinthians 15:55 is a loose quotation from Hosea 13:14. In it, Paul used Hades in place of the original Sheol. I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Sheol); I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? ..." [Hosea 13:14] O death, where is thy victory? O death (Gr. Hades), where is thy sting? [1 Corinthians 15:55]
Both Sheol and Hades are proper names and should have been left in their original form. Yet, not only were they translated, but, they were translated into different English words according to how the translators interpreted the text. The inconsistencies in translation are mind boggling... particularly in the KJV. (The American Standard version (ASV) Bible does a little better, leaving both Sheol and Hades untranslated almost every time either word appeared. (However, the ASV uniformly substituted the word hell for Gehenna, which we will come to later). Note: In Greek mythology Hades was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. While Zeus ruled the sky, and Poseidon the sea, Hades ruled the underworld. According to Greek and Latin literary sources, Charon ferried the souls of the dead across the rivers Styx, or Acheron, into Hades' abode, which was guarded by the watchdog Cerberus. A coin to pay Charon for passage, was sometimes placed in, or on, the mouth of a dead person. Although the New Testament writers chose to use the word Hades in place of the Hebrew Sheol, the concept behind Sheol differed very vastly from pagan Greek mythology. Therefore, we need to make sure that our ideas concerning Hades come from the Bible, not Greek mythology.
Roots of The Word "Hell":
But, what I find particularly interesting is that the English word hell, which is commonly believed to be a place inhabited by demons and the souls of dead people, in actuality, does not have it's roots in any notion of eternal torment, or even heat, but was derived from the Old English hel, helle (Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, page 348), which possibly stretches back to the Anglo-Saxon helan, to cover, or hide. The word "helmet," which is a covering for the head, and the word "heal" which is also a form of being covered over, are also derivatives of the same word.
I also understand that people in England spoke of storing their potatoes "in hell" for the winter, which simply meant storing them in a covered hole in the ground. Also, as Bible commentator Adam Clarke noted, the tiling or slating of a house was called heling in some parts of England (particularly Cornwall), as were the corers of books in Lancashire. So, to be fair, when the translators of the KJV used the English word hell in place of four different Hebrew and Greek words, it may be possible that they did not intend to convey the impression of fire and brimstone, but were referring to the grave as (perhaps) a place of covering.. We simply do not know. However, the fact remains that they picked and chose the English word that best fit their interpretation of the text, rather than simply using the Hebrew and Greek proper nouns, which has given us a completely biased translation.
Inconsistencies In Translation
The KJV does not uniformly translate the Hebrew Sheol into hell, but does so only thirty one times. If Sheol means hell, it should never ever been translated into anything else, but it was. Sheol was also translated into the English grave another 31 times, and into pit three times. As any English speaking person knows, while grave and pit can be loosely used interchangeably, there is a huge difference between the idea of a hole in the ground, and the traditional concept of hell.
Pit:
On three occasions the KJV translates Sheol into the English pit. Two of the three occurrences are in Numbers But if the Lord make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit (Sheol); then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah. So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit (Sheol): and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. [Numbers 16:30, 33]
The third is in the book of Job, where, in the space of four short verses, Sheol is translated first as grave, then as pit. If I wait, the grave (Sheol) is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit (Sheol), when our rest together is in the dust. [Job 17:13-16]
Additionally, one has to wonder why Sheol was ever translated into pit, when the Hebrew word bôr in the Old Testament actually means pit, cistern, dungeon, fountain, or well, and has been translated as such a total of 69 times. Also note the subtle distinction David made between Sheol and pit. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (bôr) . [Psalms 30:3]
Grave:
Also, what has to give a serious student of the Bible pause for thought, is the fact that, in the KJV, Sheol is translated into grave a total of 31 times, especially in places where the hell/torment idea would be ludicrous, as in Job 14:13 below... O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave [sheol], that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! [Job 14:13]
In consecutive verses in Ezekiel, the KJV translates Sheol into two different words, even though both of them are used in the same context. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave (Sheol) I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell (Sheol) with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. [Ezekiel 31:15-16. All Emphasis Added ]
Similarly, the KJV uses the word hell in Psalm 139:8, yet a parallel passage in the book of Job is translated as grave. [All Emphasis Added] If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, thou art there. [Psalm 139:8] If I wait, the grave (Sheol) is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. [Job 17:13-16]
And, as a final example, two other parallel verses which have been translated differently are found in the Psalms. [All Emphasis Added] O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave (Sheol): thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. [Psalms 30:3] For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Sheol); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. [Psalms 16:10]
Besides which, if the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament wished to convey the idea of an literal grave or sepulcher, in a specific physical location, then it is likely that they would have used the common Hebrew qeber qibrah, which along with the related word qâbar (to bury or inter), and qebûrâh qebûrâh (a burying place, grave), occur a total of about 214 times in The Old Testament. I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place (qeber qibrâh) with you, that I may bury (qâbar) my dead out of my sight. [Genesis 23:4] And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave (qeber qibrâh), shall be unclean seven days. [Numbers 19:16] And they took up Asahel, and buried (qâbar) him in the sepulcher (qeber qibrâh) of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day. [2 Samuel 2:32] And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher (qeber qibrâh) of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. [Kings 13:21] And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave (qebûrâh qebûrâh): the same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave (qebûrâh qebûrâh) unto this day. [Genesis 35:20] And he buried (qâbar) him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre (qebûrâh qebûrâh) unto this day. [Deuteronomy 34:6]
The fact that the Old Testament authors deliberately chose to use Sheol, rather than any of the[these?] other words indicates that they were speaking of something other than a literal grave, or burying place. So what's the difference? A grave is a particularly shaped hole dug for the specific purpose of burying a dead person, whereas Sheol seems to address the conditions surrounding the person(s) entombed, not the location, or type of burying place. Any person buried in a grave is in Sheol, but a person that is in Sheol may not be in a grave, but may be lying on the sea bed, in a ditch or forest somewhere, or may even have been cremated.
Additional Reasons Sheol/Hades Is Not "Hell".
Jacob Expected to Go To "Hell"?
There are only seven references to Sheol in the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible, a couple of which are very interesting. The first four occurrences of the word are attributed to the patriarch Jacob, and, unless we believe that Jacob was going to hell, we have to accept that Sheol/Hades is not the same place as the popular concept of hell. And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. [Genesis 37:34-35] And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. [Genesis 42:38] and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. [Genesis 44:29] it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. [Genesis 44:31]
People went Down Alive Into "Hell"?
The fifth and sixth reference to Sheol in the Pentateuch is in the context of three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who were said to have gone down alive into Sheol, which could not have happened if it was a future place of punishment. But if Jehovah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah. And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. [Numbers 16:30-33. All Emphasis Added ]
The final reference to Sheol is found in Deuteronomy, and was made in the context of the Israelites sacrificing to strange gods (Vs 15-17). The Lord warns the faithless Jews that, for their idolatry, all of them, young and old, will suffer tremendously at the hands of pagan nations in their lifetime... not in some future, after death punishment. The extent and severity of His anger is illustrated by the metaphoric language of burning to the "lowest Sheol", devouring the earth, and setting the foundations of the mountains on fire. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; They have provoked me to anger with their vanities: And I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap evils upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them: They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, With the poison of crawling things of the dust. Without shall the sword bereave, And in the chambers terror; It shall destroy both young man and virgin, The suckling with the man of gray hairs. [Deuteronomy 32:21-25. All Emphasis Added]
No One Can Be Rescued From 'Hell'
Yet, If we read a few of the psalms very carefully, we realize that the psalmist was very convinced that he would be rescued from Sheol. And, in the book of Hosea, God spoke of ransoming Israel from the power of Sheol. However, there is no rescue from the traditional idea of an eternal hell. Although the first quote below is a prophecy concerning our Lord's three days in the tomb, it is nonetheless, the words of David concerning himself, and his own salvation from Sheol). For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. [Psalm 16:10] But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. [Psalm 49:15] For great is thy lovingkindness toward me; And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol. [Psalm 86:13]. “I will ransom them (Israel) from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes”. [Hosea 13:14]
Similarly the prophet Jonah likens his ordeal in the belly of a large fish (whale?) to being in Sheol, but also says that he called out to the Lord from "the belly of Sheol". Not only did the Lord hear the prophet, but caused the whale to spit Jonah out on dry land. And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, and he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice. [Jonah 2:2]
Besides which, as far as I know, there are no literal fires in the stomach of gigantic sea mammals. No One Can Be 'Returned' to "Hell"
There is an interesting verse in Psalm 9:17, that says... the wicked shall be turned (Heb. shûb) into hell (Heb. Sheol), and all the nations that forget god"
The Hebrew word shûb was originally translated 'turned' in the KJV, but has since been corrected in other versions. It actually means 'turned again', or 'returned'...this amply demonstrated by it's use in other verses. in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Heb. shûb). [Genesis 3:19] and the waters returned (Heb. shûb) from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. [Genesis 8:3] but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned (Heb. shûb) unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. [Genesis 8:9] but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned (Heb. shûb) : for they laid the pleasant land desolate. [Zechariah 7:14]
In Psalm 9:17, Sheol cannot possibly mean unending torment, since no one has come from an eternity of suffering in fire, therefore cannot return there.
Location of Sheol
In the Old Testament, Sheol is always spoken of as being below where we are. For example
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. [Genesis 37:35] But if Jehovah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah. [Numbers 16:30] For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains. [Deuteronomy 32:22] Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. [1 Samuel 2:6] They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol. [Job 21:13]
Particularly relevant is the story of Saul and the spirit of Samuel. When Saul saw the host of the Philistines gathered for war, he was very afraid, and enquired of the Lord. However, since Saul had already fallen out of favour, the Lord did not answer him. Saul then turned to the witch of Endor and told her that he wished to consult with a spirit. Not just any spirit, but the spirit of Samuel the prophet. Note how often the words "bring up", or "come up" are used in the account. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. [6] And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. [7] Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. [8] And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee. [9] And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? [10] And Saul sware to her by Jehovah, saying, As Jehovah liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. [11] Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. [12] And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. [13] And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth. [14] And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. [15] And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. [16] And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary? [17] And Jehovah hath done unto thee, as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. [18] Because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day. [19] Moreover Jehovah will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines. [20] Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. [1 Samuel 28:5-20]
Duration of Sheol/Hades
However perhaps the most telling of all the passages in the Bible that refer to the duration of Sheol/Hades is found in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:9, where the apostle very clearly says that the unrighteous are being held until the day of judgment. [Emphasis Added]
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment [2 Peter 2:9]
After which, Sheol/Hades is destined to be destroyed. This makes perfect sense since no one will die in the world to come, Sheol/Hades will be redundant. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. [Revelation 20:13-14]
In summary, Sheol denotes the abode of the dead prior to the judgment. Which bring us to yet another important question regarding the mental and physical condition of the people in Sheol
Affliction in Sheol/Hades ?
On the one hand, Sheol is presented in the Old Testament, not as a place of fire, brimstone, and torment but as place of darkness, silence, and forgetfulness, where there is no work, knowledge nor wisdom. In light of the fact that King Hezekiah obviously believed in a future state, which was a land of silence, and a similar sentiment was expressed in several of the Psalms, as well as in Ecclesiastes, the images of fiery torments owe more to Dante's Inferno than to the Bible. But more about that later.
For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. [Isaiah 38:18] For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks? [Psalms 6:5] Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? [Psalms 88:11-12] The dead praise not Jehovah, Neither any that go down into silence; [Psalms 115:17] His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. [Psalms 146:4] Before I go whence I shall not return, Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; The land dark as midnight, The land of the shadow of death, without any order, And where the light is as midnight. [Job 10:21-22] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun...Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. [Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10]
When he was in the belly of the whale, Jonah "... cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell [Hebrew: Sheol] cried I, and thou heardest my voice. [Jonah 2:2]
Which makes it possible that some of those confined in Sheol suffer conscious affliction just as Jonah did. I use the word "possible" simply because, although Jonah's experience was a type (See Typology) of the death and resurrection of Christ, the fact remains that the prophet was alive in the belly of a whale, not dead in Sheol. In any case, the word translated affliction is the Hebrew tsârâh, which means adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble, NOT being tortured in literal fire. This word is used over 70 times in the Old Testament, and never once implies everlasting torment. [See FootNote I for examples]. Jonah's words may simply have been the extreme distress of a man who was not only in dire straits physically, but in mental anguish as well considering he had tried to run away from the task given him by the Lord. Besides which, it is hardly likely that the righteous dead suffer any kind of affliction. 2 Peter 2:9 (referred to earlier) very clearly states that the unrighteous are being held under punishment until the day of judgment [Emphasis Added]. Also note Samuel's words and tone when he was summoned by king Saul, through the woman at Endor. He did not seem too happy at being summoned, and asked Saul why hast Saul had "disquieted" him? [1 Samuel 28:15]. Christians will commonly say that Saul was not communicating with Samuel himself, but a demon disguised as Samuel. However, this is unlikely. How would any demon have been able to so accurately prophesy what Saul's fate would be the very next day, and give Saul the exact reason this would happen.. because he failed to obey the Lord and destroy Amalek. The Bible tells us that God takes a very dim view of anyone attempting to communicate with the spirits of the dead. In Saul's day, all wizards and all those who had familiar spirits had been "cut off" [1 Samuel 28:9]. In fact, one of the reason given for Saul's death was that he "asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby" [1 Chronicles 10:13] However, as far as I am aware, the Bible never says that it is impossible to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Tartarus
in Greek mythology, Tartarus, or Tartaros (from the Greek Tartarizo, meaning "shivering cold"), is both a deity and a place in the underworld — even lower than Hades. this word only occurs once (in 2 Peter 2:4) where it too is translated "hell"
"for if god spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Gr. Tartarus), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment ...."
There are no Biblical references to people going to Tartarus, which seems to be a separate place from Hades, reserved for fallen angels. However, they too are kept there only until the judgment. So, even if convinced that Sheol and Hades do not denote a place of torment in the future world, most traditionalists claim that Gehenna does convey that meaning. So ...
What And Where Was Gehenna?
In The Old Testament
An Actual Physical Location
The word Gehenna was the Greek name for Ge-Hinnom, an actual geographical site in Jerusalem, named after a real person. It is one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City... a deep and narrow rocky ravine to the South and West of Jerusalem. The earliest mentions of the valley of Hinnom are in Joshua 15:8 and 18:16, where the boundary line between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin is described as passing along the bed of the ravine. and the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward; [Joshua 15:8]
However this valley came to also be known as Topheth, which literally means "a place of burning", due in no small part to it's association with two kings of Israel… Ahaz and Manasseh. Moreover he [King Ahaz] burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. [2 Chronicles 28:3] He [King Manasseh] also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practised augury, and used enchantments, and practised sorcery, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. [2 Chronicles 33:6]
The fiendish custom of child sacrifice seems to have been kept up for a considerable period, finally coming to an end in the reign of king Josiah who put an end to these practices by, among other things, destroying the altar, and spreading human bones over it, thus rendering it ceremonially unclean (2 Kings 23:10). The Imagery of Gehenna in Prophecy
Despite Josiah's ending of the practice, God never forgot what had taken place there. When the prophet Jeremiah warned the Jews of God's impeding judgment on them by the hands of the Babylonians, he said that Jerusalem itself would be made like Gehenna, or Topheth... therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that this place shall no more be called Topheth, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:6] and shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury. Thus will I do unto this place, saith Jehovah, and to the inhabitants thereof, even making this city as Topheth: and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods. [Jeremiah 19:11-13]
Isaiah used the same imagery, in the sense that the Assyrian army would be completely destroyed as if it were a large pile of wood, set on fire by the breath of God, in the valley of Hinnom... For a Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is made ready; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. [Isaiah 30:33]
In The New Testament
The Same Physical Location
What is interesting is that this very same place, Gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), which has always been translated as "the valley of Benhinnom" in the Old Testament, is always translated Hell in the New. This does not make a whit of sense since both sections of the Bible are talking about exactly the same place.
It is claimed that, in later years, the Valley of Benhinnom became the common dump site for all the refuse of Jerusalem. Rubbish, animal carcasses, and the dead bodies of criminals were all said to be burned in Gehenna, consumed by a constant fire, kept burning, not to torment, but to disinfect. However, other sources state that there is neither archaeological, nor literary evidence in support of this claim, which is actually quite logical. Consider, Jerusalem was not a very large city, at least not by modern standards. And, life being much simpler in the first century, people did not have as many possessions as we do, and certainly did not produce anywhere near as much garbage as we do. And exactly how many animal carcasses, could there have been? For that matter how many criminals could there have been? So, all in all, the story of the eternal fires burning in the valley of Hinnom does not sound at all realistic. But, one way or the other, it is of no consequence. What does matter is the fact that you could have stopped any first century Jew and asked directions to Gehenna, and he could have pointed you in the right direction, or even drawn you a map that showed you exactly how to get there. So, the question has to be asked, when Jesus spoke about Gehenna, what association would His listeners have immediately made? I suggest that the Jewish audience, very familiar with the valley just outside their city, it's horrendous history, and it's imagery used to signify judgment by more than one prophet, would immediately associate Jesus' words with the valley of Hinnom, rather than a place of misery in another world.
Jesus and Gehenna:
It is very interesting that of the 12 times the word Gehenna appears in the New Testament, it was attributed to the savior 11 times. However, in several cases, one teaching is repeated by more than one of the Gospel writers. For example, Jesus uses Gehenna three times in the fifth chapter of Matthew, but the same basic teaching is repeated in Matthew 18:9 and Mark 9:43-47, where it is also used thrice. The verses below account for seven of the eleven times Jesus mentioned Gehenna.
but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell (Gehenna) of fire... And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna) . And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell (Gehenna). [Matthew 5:22, 29-30] And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), into the unquenchable fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell (Gehenna); where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell (Gehenna); [Mark 9:43-47] And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell (Gehenna) of fire. [Matthew 18:8-9]
Similarly Luke 12:5 is a repeat of Matthew 10:28, And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna). [Matthew 10:28] But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell (Gehenna); yea, I say unto you, Fear him. [Luke 12:5]
The final two uses of Gehenna are found in Matthew 23, in a diatribe against the Pharisees. Both verses convey a similar thought. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell (Gehenna) than yourselves. [Matthew 23:15] Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell (Gehenna)? [Matthew 23:33]
Summary of Jesus Teaching:
If one were to summarize Jesus' teachings when He used the word Gehenna, He said 1) a person who says "thou fool" is in danger of hell fire. 2) Hell is so serious that it is better to lose a limb, or an eye, rather than be consigned to hell. 3) People should only be afraid of the One that can destroy both soul and body in hell. 4) The scribes and Pharisees could not escape the judgment of hell, and they made their converts worse sons of hell than they were.
That Deafening Silence
What is truly amazing is, that if Gehenna, a place of endless woe and eternal torment, is the inescapable destination of everyone who ignores or forsakes God, then how do we account for the fact that other than these five or six uses by the Saviour, the rest of the New Testament authors, with the sole exception of James, never even once mentioned Gehenna?
John the Baptist, who called the Pharisees and Sadducees "offspring of vipers", and asked who had warned them to flee from the wrath to come, did not even once speak of Gehenna, or warn them about it. [Matthew 3:1-12] The Book of Acts is an approximate 30 year history of the early church, from it's fledgling beginnings to it's spread among the Gentiles. Yet, the early apostles who took the Gospel to men of all nations, never once saw fit to warn people of the torments of Gehenna, or even vaguely allude to it. Paul who wrote 14 different epistles which make up about two thirds of the New Testament and said he "shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God", never once mentions the horrors of Gehenna. He did however, speak of Hades in 1 Corinthians 15:55. This was in the context Jesus' triumph over it, which we will come to later. John, who wrote the gospel, three epistles, and the Book of Revelation, never once mentions eternal torment in Gehenna.
Even James did not speak of Gehenna in terms of future punishment, but simply said that the tongue can be a terrible instrument of evil and can do so much damage, that it is like the fire of Gehenna. And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell (Gehenna). [James 3:6] If the early apostles believed that this fiery damnation, this after-death punishment for all eternity, was what the Saviour taught, then what are we to make of their very strange silence, especially considering the magnitude of the subject? One would think that they would have spoken of Gehenna in the clearest possible terms, not once, not twice, but a thousand times, so that there was absolutely no mistaking the horrors of the place they were warning people to save themselves from. Yet, they said absolutely nothing. Which bring us to a point made earlier. Jesus was just about the only person in the New Testament to speak of Gehenna, and He was the only one in the New Testament, who's audience was, almost always, strictly Jewish. If Gehenna was a future place of punishment for all sinners, why were the warnings pertaining to Gehenna directed almost solely at the Jews? Did someone forget to tell the Gentiles, or did the early apostles conspire amongst themselves to not warn the Gentiles about the terrible punishment that awaited all sinners? And since no completely sane Bible believer would entertain either of these two possibilities, the answer has to lie elsewhere... which it does. Jesus spoke about Gehenna to his audience, simply because He was speaking of the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem. Gehenna's physical location, history, and role in prophecy, would have been familiar only to the Jews, therefore, it was only they who would have understood what He was talking about. The Gentiles would not have had a clue as to what Jesus was referring to, even if He had included them in His teachings. So, let us return to exactly what it was that Jesus said about Gehenna in the Gospels. The first time Jesus mentions it is in
Matthew 5:22
"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of Hell (Gehenna) fire."
The problem is that we have picked up on this verse without applying a modicum of common sense to it, or considering the context (which, unfortunately, is par for the course for much of the modern church). [See Context is Crucial] Common sense.
Our Lord gave the consequences of three remarkably similar situations. Angry with brother without a cause = danger of the judgment Calling a brother Raca (Gr. rhaka) = danger of the council Calling a brother a fool (Gr. moros) = danger of Gehenna fire
The Greek word translated fool is moros, which means dull or stupid, and is probably the origin of our English word moron. The Greek word rhaka means worthless, or even senseless or stupid. There is not a whole lot of difference between the two, certainly not enough to justify such a huge difference in punishment (the most the council could do would be to sentence someone to death, while Hell fire is popularly supposed to go on forever). In any case, any sensible person should realize that all three consequences are hugely out of proportion to the offenses. What we need to do, as always, is examine the context. And when we do, we will find that, as He often did, Jesus was making a very strong point, not literally relating a particular derogatory word with a particular punishment. Context
In many ways, Matthew 5 was a face-off between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees, who were distinguished by a scrupulous outward obedience to God's law in order to merit blessing, all the while bragging that they were not sinners like other men. They took great pains to avoid offense in very small matters, scrupulously observing the smallest technical details of the law, while ignoring the bigger moral issues of hypocrisy, deceit, oppression, and lust. In other words, they did a great job at keeping the ceremonial aspects, or letter of the Law, but ignored the spirit of it. For example, they seemed to completely overlook the fact that one of the basic precepts of the laws of Leviticus was that the widows and orphans be protected. As Jesus told them... "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation" (Matt. 23:14).
Beginning in the second half of Matthew 5, Jesus zeroed in on the spirit of the Law, considerably raising the bar. He quoted several of God's commandments (verses 21, 27, 33, 43) beginning each example with the words.. "You have heard that it was said, but I say to you …". He was showing how the scribes and Pharisees interpreted and outwardly obeyed each law, then revealed what God's true intent was in each case. [For More On This Topic See Jesus and The Law] In the first example, Jesus expanded the meaning of the sixth commandment "thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17), which is better translated you shall do no murder. Prior to this, unjustified negative feeling towards another human being was acceptable, as long as one did not actually commit murder. However, since murder, like all sin, begins in the human mind, Jesus was addressing the adverse emotion behind the deed and calling it wrong (Vs. 21-26), making the point that the perpetrator would be in danger of the judgment. (The apostle John elaborated on this when he said "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 1 John 3:15). Jesus then carried this concept over into adultery and lust. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. [Matthew 5:27-28]
Continuing His train of thought, Jesus them immediately adds [All Emphasis Added] But if your right eye offends you, take it out and throw it from you, for it is profitable to you that one of your members should perish and all your body not be thrown into Hell (Gehenna). And if your right hand causes you to offend, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is profitable to you that one of your members should perish and all your body not be thrown into Hell (Gehenna). [Matthew 5:29-30. Also See Matthew 18:8-9 and Mark 9:43-47]
In other words, Jesus was saying, in very strong terms, that it would be very unwise for any worldly (and temporary) benefit to stand in the way of our salvation, since nothing on this earth is worth forgoing eternal life for. Therefore, it is better to forfeit even those things we consider necessities, than to live in sin. In other words, He was warning them, and us, to follow holiness, without which, as the author of Hebrews would later say... "No one will see God". [See What is Holiness]. Jesus was certainly not telling people to gouge their eyes out.
"Unquenchable" Fire:
However, twice in 9:43-47, Mark quotes Jesus as using the Greek word asbestos, translated "unquenchable".
And if your hand offend you, cut it off. For it is profitable for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go away into Hell (Gehenna), into the unquenchable (Gr. asbestos) fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out. And if your foot causes you to offend, cut it off, for it is profitable for you to enter into life lame, than having two feet to be thrown into Hell (Gehenna), into the unquenchable (Gr. asbestos) fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye offends you, cast it out. For it is profitable for you to enter into the kingdom of God one-eyed, than having two eyes to be thrown into the Hell (Gehenna) of fire, [Mark 9:43-47]
Does this mean that the sinner is destined to burn forever in a fire that cannot be put out? Actually no! It doesn't! But in order to understand what Jesus meant, we have to turn to another use of the same Greek word, this time by John the Baptist, the man chosen to herald the coming of the saviour, who said... I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up (Gr. katakaio)with unquenchable (Gr. asbestos) fire. [Matthew 3:11-12]
The English "burn up" has been translated from the Greek katakaio, which means to burn down (to the ground), that is, completely consume. In other words, the object is burned up, but the fire itself cannot be quenched... God's fire/judgment cannot be stopped. John the Baptist's words simply echo those of other prophets in the Old Testament. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, mine anger and my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched (kâbâh). [Jeremiah 7:20] But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched (kâbâh). [Jeremiah 17:27] O house of David, thus saith Jehovah, Execute justice in the morning, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench (kâbâh) it, because of the evil of your doings. [Jeremiah 21:12] Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench (kâbâh) it in Beth-el. [Amos 5:6]
Perhaps the passages that best clarify this concept are in the book of Isaiah, in which the prophet prophesies that Edom would be permanently turned into a "burning pitch", the smoke from which would ascend for ever, since this fire can never be quenched. For Jehovah hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched (kâbâh) night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there; and all its princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches. [Isaiah 34:8-13]
The ancient land of Edom, is in what is now southwestern Jordan, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba [3]. If there was a place in the area where literal smoke rises up night and day, it would have been a scientific anomaly, which we would have all heard about. There is no literal smoke, and no literal burning pitch, anywhere in the south of Jordan. So, obviously, God was using metaphoric language, which graphically expressed the idea that the sentence passed on Edom would be permanent. God's fire cannot be quenched... No one, can stop His judgment. Nothing can stop His judgment.
Their Worm Does Not Die
Finally, when Jesus said "their worm does not die", He was quoting Isaiah 66:23-24.
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies 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. [Isaiah 66:23-24]
While I do not think anyone can be sure exactly what the prophet meant when he spoke of a worm that does not die, the fact remains that he very clearly states that the men, who have transgressed against Him, are dead. The verse points to their corpses and memory being shamed, not their spirits being tormented.
Matthew 10: 28 and Luke 12: 5
And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy (Gr. apollumi) both soul and body in hell (Gr. Gehenna) . [Matthew 10:28]
But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell (Gr. Gehenna); yea, I say unto you, Fear him. [Luke 12:5] These verses warn that the most that men can do is to destroy the body, but God is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. They say absolutely nothing about God's intention to torment, but refer to His ability to annihilate. The word translated destroy, is the Greek apollumi, which means to destroy fully or kill, made clear by the following examples Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy (Gr. apollumi) him. [Matthew 2:13] and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed (Gr. apollumi) those murderers, and burned their city. [Matthew 22:6-7] And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish (Gr. apollumi) . And he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. [Luke 8:24] by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (Gr. apollumi) [2 Peter 3:6]
(Apollumi, has also been translated "lost", which does not quite convey the seriousness of the message. See Footnote 2)
Hell in The Old Testament
Earlier on I made the point that Jesus was the just about the only person in the New Testament to speak of Gehenna, to an almost solely Jewish audience. I then asked
If Gehenna was a future place of punishment for all sinners, why were the warnings pertaining to Gehenna directed almost solely at the Jews? Did someone forget to tell the Gentiles, or did the early apostles conspire amongst themselves to not warn the Gentiles about the terrible punishment that awaited all sinners?
However, the question did not go far enough. What I should have asked is why the warnings pertaining to Gehenna were directed almost solely at the Jews of Jesus' day? The Old Testament Jews seemed to not know anything about endless punishment in hell. Why? Simply because there is no record of God ever uttering a single word on this subject. If the popular concept of endless punishment in hell is true, it is an unimaginably terrible fate. The related subjects of the salvation of Christ, and the horrors of Hell, should be the two most talked about doctrines in Scripture, replete with warnings in terms so clear that no one could possibly misunderstand what is in store for them if they do not obey God's commandments. Yet, as far back as the opening chapters of Genesis in the Old Testament, the Bible is strangely silent about "hell". Besides which, if you read any and all the books of the Old Testament, you will find that every transgression, be it by priest, king, or peasant, was promptly dealt with. The author of Hebrews makes a very pertinent remark about God punishing these transgressions. He said they received "just recompense". If they have already received "just recompense", then endless punishment cannot be true [Emphasis Added] For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; [Hebrews 2:2]
Adam and Eve
Note God's commandment to Adam...
And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [Genesis 2:15-17]
God said the penalty for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was death. Not only did He not say a word about any punishment beyond this life, but there is a huge difference between telling someone they will "die", and telling them that they will live in anguish for all eternity. Why in the world would God conceal such a dreadful punishment behind the relatively innocuous word "die", and not tell Adam that, after dying, he would be forever tormented in hell. Or, are we supposed to believe that God forgot to mention the most devastating consequence of all? In fact, the silence in the book of Genesis is deafening. Even after Adam and Eve transgressed, all we are told is that God did not want them to also partake of the Tree of Life and live for ever (Genesis: 3:22), therefore He banished them from the garden (Genesis: 3:23). The man was cursed with having to work for food, the ground, that was also cursed, would hand him thorns and thistles (Genesis: 3:17-19), and the woman was cursed with great pain in childbirth (Genesis: 3:16). All these curses would fade into insignificance compared to being forever punished in hell, yet not a single word is breathed about this. (Note that neither was a single word said about the supposed consequence of Adam's descendants inheriting his sin, and consequently not being able to respond to God. [See Original Sin.. Fact Or Fable? http://www.inplainsite.org/html/original_sin_fact_or_fable.html]
Cain and Abel
Similarly after Cain killed Abel, the Lord told him...
And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth. [Genesis 4:11-12]
God said absolutely nothing about endless torment beyond this life, and certainly Cain's concerns were confined to this life. And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me. [Genesis 4:13-14]
Noah and The Great Flood
In the days of Noah, the Bible tells us that
"the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually". [Genesis 6:5]
So except for Noah, his family, and the animals, aboard the ark, the Lord destroyed every living thing on the surface of the planet. And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark. [Genesis 7:23]
But, while we are given details that do not matter very much, such as on what precise day of the month the ark came to rest of Mount Ararat, and when the tops of the mountains became visible, not a single word is said about the most terrible part of the judgment ...the fate of the hundreds of thousands of people that perished in the water.
Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19)
These two cities are always spoken of as examples of extreme wickedness, yet, when the Lord brought judgment on them all that is said is that He...
"... rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; [Genesis 19:24]
In fact Jude 7 says Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. [Jude 1:7]
If Sodom and Gomorrah were, as Jude said, to be examples of what unrepentant sinners can expect, then all we have to go on is the visible evidence.. the total destruction of those cities along with most of the inhabitants. A fruitful land into a salt desert, For the wickedness of them that dwell therein. [Psalms 107:34]
Even, when other people were threatened with the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, God spoke about a land so desolate and so barren, that it would never be restored. He never once referred to the supposed ongoing torment of the inhabitants. and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them: therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; [Deuteronomy 29:23-27] Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them. [Zephaniah 2:9] And Edom shall become an astonishment: every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein. [Jeremiah 49:17-18]
Besides which, as previously mentioned, the fire is eternal, but the people who are cast into it are completely destroyed.
The Blessing and Curses
Deuteronomy chapter 28, verses 1-14 lists the blessings that would come to the nation of Israel if they obeyed the Lord's commandments. Then, from verse 15 on, the rest of the chapter is devoted to the curses that would come upon them if they did not hearken to His voice and keep all His commandments. These curses are numerous, and include every facet of their lives including, their offspring, their health, their land, and their crops and herds. (Read the entire chapter).
They are warned of consumption, fever, inflammation, boils, scurvy, and the itch. They are told that they would be oppressed and robbed, and that a man would get engaged, but another would sleep with his betrothed. He would build a house, but another would live in it. The stranger living among them would prosper as they themselves would not, and others would enjoy the fruits of their vineyards. They would suffer hunger, thirst, and the desolation of their country by their enemies. Finally, they would be scattered among the nations of the earth, but would find no rest, and never have assurance of safety. Not only was every single penalty to be imposed on them while they were on earth in their physical bodies, but this list of curses makes no mention of the worst one of all... an eternal hell. What kind of lawgiver keeps the worst penalty a secret? Not even when the corruption and idolatry of the nation reached it's zenith do we hear of the nation being threatened with eternal torment. Besides which, the entire history of the nation of Israel is a testimony to the fact that God carried out the penalties He threatened them with in Deuteronomy 28. When the people were obedient, they prospered, and defeated their enemies. But numerous calamities befell them when they rebelled, including being taken captive by the Babylonians for seventy years.
A Few Examples of People Who Received A "Just Recompense"
The Sons of Eli. After Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, disgraced the priesthood, and Eli himself did not restrain them, God prophesied that both of them would be killed in one day. They were both killed very shortly thereafter in the great battle with the Philistines in which the Israelites were completely routed, and the ark taken. See 1 Samuel 2:27 and 4:1-11. King Saul. The first king's reign was marked by a continuous disobedience to God's instruction beginning with his failure to wipe out the Amalekites. When he instructed the witch of Endor to summon the prophet Samuel, Samuel told Saul that because of his disobedience he would die the next day. [18] Because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day. [19] Moreover Jehovah will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines. [20] Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. [1 Samuel 28:18-20]
David, guilty of both adultery and murder, was specifically punished by the death of his son. However, in the final analysis David suffered a tarnished reputation, a kingdom in shambles, a disgraced daughter, several disgraced concubines, and four dead sons Jeroboam the first king of the northern Israelite Kingdom of Israel feared that if the people went to the temple in Jerusalem, their hearts would be turned to Rehoboam king of Judah. Therefore, he made two "golden calves," set them up in the sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan, and encouraged the people to burn incense and sacrifice to these idols [1 Kings 12:25-33]. When Jeroboam's son got sick, he sent his wife, in disguise, to the old prophet Ahijah, who knew who she was and sent a message to her husband that not only would the child die, but the Lord would utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, and that He would root Israel up from the land which he gave to their fathers, and scatter them beyond the River... "because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin." [1 Kings 14:10-16] Ahab and Jezebel. When Ahab, king of Israel married Jezebel, he actually built an altar to Baal in Samaria, provoking God to more anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. [1 Kings 16:33]. Jezebel also attempted to kill the prophets of the Lord (1Kings 18:13) except for those that Obadiah hid in a cave [1 Kings 18:4]. For their assorted evil deeds, as Elijah told Ahab, the Lord would bring evil upon him, make his house like the house of Jeroboam, and the dogs would eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. [1 Kings 21:20-23] Abimelech was one of the most cruel and most ambitious of the kings. To secure the kingdom he slaughtered 70 of his own brethren, except for Jotham the youngest, who escaped. Later on when the inhabitants of Thebez fled to a tower to escape him, Abimelech tried to burn the tower down. However, a woman threw a millstone down, breaking Abimelech's skull. We are told that it was thus that God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren. [Judges 9:56]
Nebuchadnezzar When king Nebuchadnezzar talked about the might of his power and the glory of his majesty, he was told that the kingdom would be taken from him, and he would be driven from men, and forced to dwell with the beasts of the field, sharing their grass, until he realized that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will". [Daniel 4:30-37] Belshazzar showed his utter contempt for the God of the Jews by drinking wine out of the sacred vessels of the Lord in honor of his idols of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. In reply to this offense, the fingers of a man's hand wrote a few words on the wall while they were yet celebrating. The prophet Daniel interpreted the words as meaning that the king had been weighed in the balance... and found wanting, therefore, his kingdom would be divided between the Medes and Persians. As it turned out Belshazzar's kingdom was sacked that very night, and Belshazzar himself was killed. [Daniel 5] Haman was hung on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Note, that in all the above examples, and the many more to be found in the Old Testament, specific punishment is inflicted on the transgressors while they lived, but the silence is deafening when it comes to any punishment after death. In fact the Bible often speaks of hell as a place of destruction... Continued in PART II Click HERE End Notes [1] Dr. David R. Reagan. The Nature of Hell. An Eternal Punishment or Eternal Torment?
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/reagan/dr5.html [2] Keith Stump. The Battle Over Hell. http://www.precipicemagazine.com/battle-over-hell.html [3] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179376/Edom [4] Dr. Norman Geisler in Hell—Part 2. (from Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Book House, 1999).
http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/_PDFArchives/theological-dictionary/TD3W1101.pdf [5] http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html [6] On the Resurrection of the Flesh. Chapter III.—Some Truths Held Even by the Heathen.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.v.viii.iii.html [7] Augustine of Hippo. Confessions 7. 20 [8] Origins of the Words "Jew" and "Judaism" Judaism 101! http://www.jewfaq.org/whoisjew.htm Footnote 1... Tsârâh
Example of the Hebrew word tsârâh, which means adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble When Joseph's brothers were speaking amongst themselves concerning what they had done to Joseph. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. [Genesis 42:21]
When God told Moses that the people would forsake Him and break the covenant He had made with them, chasing after strange gods. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? [Deuteronomy 31:17]
The next three verses show both God saving people out of their troubles and causing it. None show everlasting torment. but ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and by your thousands. [1Samuel 10:19] Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him. [Nahum 1:7] And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity [2 Chronicles 15:6] [PLACE IN TEXT]
Footnote 2... Apollumi
The Greek word apollumi, means to 'destroy fully' or kill, as seen in the following examples
Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy (Gr. apollumi)him. [Matthew 2:13] and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed (Gr. apollumi) those murderers, and burned their city. [Matthew 22:6-7] And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish (Gr. apollumi) . And he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. [Luke 8:24] by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (Gr. apollumi) [2 Peter 3:6]
However, the same Greek word apollumi, has also been translated "lost" But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost (Gr. apollumi) sheep of the house of Israel. [Matthew 15:24] For whosoever would save his life shall lose (Gr. apollumi) it: and whosoever shall lose (Gr. apollumi) his life for my sake shall find it. [Matthew 16:25] For the Son of man came to save that which was lost (Gr. apollumi) . [Matthew 18:11] For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose (Gr. apollumi) his reward. [Mark 9:41]
Something of the seriousness of the situation is lost, or watered down, by translating apollumi into the English "lost". This becomes apparent if we correctly insert the word destroy or destroyed in place of lost in the above verses. Please note, in another verse, a derivative of apollumi has been translated destruction. Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction (Gr. apoleia), and many are they that enter in thereby. [Matthew 7:13] [PLACE IN TEXT]
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Index to Section 9B... 
