Where and What is Hell?
When most people think of hell, they think of Satan in a red suit with two horns and a pitchfork tormenting souls day and night on some kind of giant char-broiler. Do something wrong in life and you're condemned to eternal fire and torture. None of this could be further from the truth.
I’m not suggesting there isn’t a hell or that there aren’t repercussions for sin, there is and there are. However, the key as with many phrases in the Bible is to know when to take them literally or when you’re reading a metaphor or figure of speech.
When God spoke to the authors of the Bible He communicated in terms they could understand for that time. Many figures of speech in the Bible are given in agricultural terms, for instance, reaping, sowing or harvesting. These are terms early man could identify with.
When Jesus spoke of God as a father, He was communicating one of the roles that God plays in those same terms. God has no form nor gender, therefore, He couldn’t actually be a father in the literal sense. They could relate to the concept of a father being one who protects, provides and produces a son. It’s a figure of speech in order to convey understanding.
This brings us to the concept of hell. The imagery of a perpetual torment in hell was often used to instill fear in the faithful. If you don’t repent of your sins and blindly obey the church you’ll burn in hell. But is this what the Bible really says about hell or has this become just another tradition of man?
Using scripture in its original language to prove scripture is the way to truly clarify any topic in the Bible, not by using man’s traditions.
Lets start with the word itself. The English word hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon hel, or in the genitive case helle, which means a "hidden place". Helle comes from the Anglo-Saxon word helan, meaning "to hide".
The word for hell in the Old Testament is The Strong's Concordance #7585, sheol. It’s a Hebrew word but divine in origin. Sheol appears 65 times as the grave, 31 times as hell, and 3 times as pit. As shown in appendix 131 of The Companion Bible, it should be rendered “the state of death" or simply "the grave".
In the New Testament there are several words used in connection to hell. One of them is Strong's Concordance #86, hades. It’s a Greek word that occurs 11 times. It is rendered hell all but one time where it’s rendered grave. Its meaning in Greek is human in origin and therefore we should refer back to what the Holy Spirit intended for hades to mean. By referring back to sheol, hades also means “the grave” or “the state of death”.
Another word for hell in The New Testament is geenna or gehenna. It’s a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Gai Hinnom or Valley of Hinnom. It’s Strong’s Concordance #1067 and appears 12 times in the New Testament as the word hell. The word refers to a valley outside of Jerusalem where Molech worship or child sacrifice had been practiced. During the time of Jesus this idolatry had ended, but the fires remained as a means to destroy the city’s trash. Geena or Gehenna was a word used to symbolize the fire of the final judgement of God and to portray a state of degradation and death.
There is one final word used for hell in the New Testament in II Peter 2:4. It is the word tartaroo and it’s meaning is to thrust down to Tartarus. It’s Strong’s Concordance #5020 where it states that it’s the deepest part of Hades and means to incarcerate in eternal torment or to cast down to hell. Again, this is a Greek definition of this place. The word appears only once in the Bible and is not found in the original Septuagint manuscripts.
This place the Greeks called Tartarus is thought to be where the “prison” is in I Peter 3:19. It is where Jesus went to herald His triumph over the “spirits”, or fallen angels and is also referenced in the book of Jude. It is also thought to be the bottomless pit of the book of Revelation. In all cases it’s meant as a prison for fallen angels and not the resting place of the dead.
Whether it's the word sheol in the Old Testament, or gehenna or hades in the New Testament, they all simply mean either the grave or the state of death.
Lets look at what the Bible says about what happens to us after death and this may help in determining exactly where hell is.
We know that the soul leaves the body immediately after death and returns to God in Heaven to await the consummation of this age and then judgment.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it”. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:20-31? We are shown exactly where all the dead are when the soul leaves the body and where hell is.
Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus and in the book of Luke we read of Lazarus dying and awakening in the presence of Abraham. It also speaks of a rich man who had everything in life and died at the same time but awakens in a different area. It’s said of the rich man in verse 23, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
From this verse we can see hell exists in proximity of a holding area for those that have overcome in life and are awaiting judgment. However, there is a “great gulf” that separates the two areas as stated in verse 26:
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Hell is the area set aside for those who are in the state of death in spiritual bodies but who are not saved.
Now lets cover the particulars of hell.
As we read in Luke 16:23, they are aware of their surroundings and of their failings but separated from the saved souls until judgment. We read the rich man was in torment but what does that really mean? Was he in torment because he was on fire as the traditional imagery suggests?
The word “torments” in verse 23 is Strong’s Concordance #931 and means “touchstone”. A touchstone was a stone used in antiquity to determine the purity of metals. One would drag the item of unknown purity across the stone, whether it be a coin or other form of metal. The resulting streak on the touchstone would reveal the purity of it compared to an item of known purity.
In other words, the rich man is in “torments” because he knows he hasn’t measured up to the standard of purity needed to be saved. He’s not in torment because he’s on fire but of the anguish he feels.
Now lets look at the “fire” aspect of hell in verse 24. The rich man asks to, “…send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” Water on the tongue isn’t going to put out a flame because he’s not literally on fire. Another figure of speech. The water the rich man is referring to is the Living Water (Jesus) through which salvation comes.
The word “torment”, used here in verse 24, is Strong’s Concordance #3600 which means “to grieve”. He’s grieved from failing the test that is life and he’s asking for salvation.
The flame he’s experiencing is the incredible grief, torment, and shame from within himself because of the probability that he’s going to lose his soul. He’s asking for salvation from Jesus, not to be extinguished from a fire.
Does it make sense that everyone in paradise can look over and see people on fire and have a conversation with them as the rich man and Abraham had? Can a person in a spiritual body actually be on fire? Hell is not a fiery pit of torture but a tormented state of being that comes from within you.
Another verse that is widely used as an example of burning in hell is Matthew 5:22, “…shall be in danger of hell fire.” The term is used several times in the New Testament but in all cases it’s Strong’s’ Concordance #1067 which the concordance states is used figuratively.
There is a lake of fire however which is often confused with hell. This fire is the real deal and shows the finality of Satan, death, and even hell itself. The lake of fire is the only “fire” a soul will experience.
In Revelation 20:10 it states:
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”.
This may look like a reference to an eternal fiery hell with the “tormented day and night for ever and ever”, but don't let this verse confuse you. How do we know this is a figure of speech? Let’s cross reference this verse with other scripture.
Revelation 14:11 states, "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:" It's the smoke from the extinguishing of their soul that rises forever, not the burning of their actual being.
This smoke is compared to a lamb on a spit in Psalm 37:20:
“But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away”.
Notice in this verse that the wicked perish and are consumed. You can’t be consumed or perish if you’re burning forever.
Confirmation of this appears also in Revelation 20:13:
13. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”.
The lake of fire is God’s final judgement and where He terminates all sin and resistance to Him.
If hell were a place of fiery torment for ever then how can it be cast into a lake of fire? Notice also that being cast into the lake of fire results in the second death.
The first death is of the flesh, but the second death is of the soul. You don’t continue to burn forever if you’re dead, you simply cease to exist. The second death is as final as it gets.
Another verse that speaks of the second death is Matthew 10:28:
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.
In other words, your spiritual body and your soul can be destroyed in the state of death/hell if there is no repentance. It will not burn for an eternity”.
Confirmation that the second death is final and not an eternal burning are seen in Ezekiel 18:4:
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”.
It states here that the soul will die, not burn for ever.
We see it again in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” One more in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”
A different view of the second death comes with the use of the word “consume”. This word is important because it will show not only where the lake of fire comes from but that the consuming is indeed final.
In Psalm 90:7 it states “For we are consumed by Thine anger…” In the book of II Esdras 7:87 it states “…they will waste away in shame and be consumed in disgrace…” The consuming being done here in Psalms and II Esdras is done by God.
God is called a consuming fire many times in the Bible.
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24)
For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth… (Deuteronomy 32:22)
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 104:35)
For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29)
The Jewish term for this fire is Shechinah Glory. Christians call it the Glory of God. It’s always portrayed in the Bible as pure blinding light and energy. All matter in the universe comes from this energy of God. As science tells us, energy can’t be destroyed it just takes different forms. Such is the case with the Lake of Fire. When cast into the Lake of Fire, your being is consumed by God and the energy that is you returns to God who gave it and you cease to exist.
Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. (Psalm 21:9)
Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: (Isaiah 30:27)
And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. (Isaiah 30:30)
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (II Thessalonians 1:8-9)
We read in Revelation 20:10 that the devil will be cast into the Lake of Fire. At the judgment of Satan in Ezekiel 28:18-19, we see this event taking place:
18. “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon theearth in the sight of all them that behold thee".
19. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more..”
Satan is the greatest of all sinners for his revolt against God. Notice in these verses that Satan will be destroyed from a flame within him. He will be devoured and reduced to ashes and “never shalt thou be any more.” God consumes him and he ceases to exist.
If the biggest enemy of God has a fate such as this why would God take the mere mortal sinner and torture them for ever in flames? He wouldn’t.
In II Peter 2:6 we see that Sodom and Gomorrah were examples of being reduced to ashes for their sin, “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;”
Again let me make this clear, there is a hell as we discussed above and there are repercussions for sin. This article is meant to show that the repercussion is not eternal torture but simply the extinguishing of your soul.
The Lake of Fire is a concept given to man at his level of understanding at that time. Fire is the word he would most understand in this situation.
The Lake of Fire will occur at the Great White Throne Judgment for the sole purpose of eliminating Satan, death, unsaved souls, and their holding place, hell.
They all come to an end as seen in Psalm 37:37-38:
37.” Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off”.
Why would a loving God have someone burn forever in an eternal hell with the saved souls in a peaceful, harmonious heaven knowing that this is happening to people they may even know? He wouldn't. He’s not even going to do this to Satan. Once you enter the Lake of Fire, it's over. God is far more loving and has better things to do with His creation than eternal torture.
One way or another you're going to heaven when you die. What side of heaven you're on will be determined by your actions in the flesh. Get it right now so that you don't end up in hell like the rich man in torment and anguish knowing that you blew it when you had the chance. That is hell!
Interesting article. I am going to have to pray and read on this Jerry. It would make much more sense then the version we all know to be sure as God is a loving God and would not subject those who belong to Him with the spectacle and the knowledge that someone they knew or even loved is being roasted alive and we get to bear witness to it.