Understanding what Sheol, Hell, Hades mean.

[Hobie]

The root of the problem here is the Biblical meaning of the words 'eternal fire', 'for ever', and the various forms of 'unquenchable', i.e. 'not be quenched'. Most people, understandably so, misunderstand the Biblical concept of these terms. In the Bible these terms sometimes do and sometimes dont equate to our modern meaning of "forever". In today's usage these terms mean 'for the ceaseless ages of eternity' for the most part though not exclusively. For example:
A married couple: they tell each other "I'll love you forever" but we all know that people die. What they are truly saying is 'they love each other until death', right? This is a parallel to see how even in modern times "forever" doesnt necessarily mean the ceaseless age of eternity.

So, let's go over what the Bible writers concept of forever was:
Genesis 43:9 - I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
Genesis 44:32 - For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
This was pre-incarnate Jesus talking to the Father in regards to mans sin. Now, will Jesus bear the blame forever? No. (see Hebrews 9:28) The day will come when there is an end to sin. So the meaning here is clearly meant as until it is done.

Exodus 12:14 - And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:17 - And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:24 - And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
But we know that the feasts were done away with when the Old Covenant was fulfilled by Christ. Exodus 12:14 is talking about the institution of the Passover; later Jesus became our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). The key in this verse is the part that says by an ordinance. We know that the ordinances were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14); and there arent any ordinances in the 10 Commandments. So again we find that forever does not mean the ceaseless ages of eternity as is commonly misunderstood.

Let's get some more examples:
Exodus 19:9 - And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
The question here is, how can the people believe thee for ever if they were mere mortals? They could not, of course, unless they were saved and would get ressurected at Christ's second coming. They died and the dead know not anything (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The meaning here is that they would believe for as long as they lived, not the ceaseless ages of eternity. Also, the thick cloud that could be seen by day (it was a fire from the sky at night) was no longer seen after Moses death. So, again, for ever does not equate to our modern understanding of forever.

Exodus 21:6 - Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
Would it be possible for a servant or master to live forever? No. Is a man still a servant to another after death? No. This clearly means that the servant would be a servant for the rest of his life and not the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Exodus 27:21 - In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Exodus 28:43 - And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.
Did the earthly tabernacle and its ceremonies last forever? No. (see Col. 2:14) Again, we find the meaning of for ever to mean until it is done.

In the case of man, this means "as long as he lives" or "until death." (See 1 Samuel 1:22, 28; Exodus 21:6; Psalm 48:14.) So the wicked will burn in the fire as long as they live, or until death. This fiery punishment for sin will vary according to the degree of sins for each individual, but after the punishment, the fire will go out; it will not last for the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Jeremiah 17:27 - But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering 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.
We all know that Jerusalem is not still burning today; as such the fire that 'shall not be quenched' means that it cannot be put out UNTIL it has done God's purpose. No man can quench it; only God can. And God obviously did quench that fire else it would still be burning to this day.

 

[GracePeace]

There are those who say that if you are acquainted with the Bible and deny the eternal punishment of the wicked, you are not honest. That if the judgment of the wicked is not forever, then salvation of the saints is not forever, because the term of forever is used of both.
So is the judgment of the wicked forever or can they escape it by doing a little time in the fires of hell as some teach. Can the Devil as a being created by God, also continue forever then in a abode under the ground, and sin continue, I would say not. So what is meant by the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades/Hell and how did it get twisted into this idea of a fiery underworld with Satan in charge, lets begin with some of the pagan ideas that caused much of the confusion, lets start with Purgatory and the Greek ideas that came in.

Purgatory as a doctrine teaches that a Christian's soul must burn in purgatory after death until all of their sins have been purged. To speed up the purging process, money could be paid to a priest so he could pray and have special masses for an earlier release, and much money was made with this doctrine. Purgatory is given as a way that no matter how sinful or unbelieving, when you die, you go to Purgatory and get things sorted out and finally get to heaven, so no acceptance of Christ is needed, you can buy your way in. But is it in the Bible, if you look it doesnt show it anywhere, so where did it come from. It comes from apostasy, it is a corrupt pagan doctrine, which was allowed into the church.

This pagan idea began creeping into the church around the end of the sixth century, and it has no scriptural support. In fact, Jesus warned us about this pagan practice in Matthew 23:14 when He spoke of those who devoured widows houses and made long prayers for a pretense. Psalm 49:6-7 tells us that a person couldn't redeem a loved one, even if such a place did exist: "They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:"
Peter addresses this issue in Acts 8:20 when he says, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." God's word is clearly against the doctrine of purgatory.

The Greeks, as in some measure the Egyptians before them, created myths of the afterlife which spread throughout the Hellenistic world, and even into words which were used when the Hebrew text was translated into the Greek. Scripture clearly rejects the Greek notion of the immortality of the soul disembodied from the here and now as spirit beings, and early Christians affirmed the resurrection of the body just as Lazuras was resurrected by Christ. So there is no place for a underworld depicted in Greek myths or place of cleansing by fire such as purgotary where spirit beings are left till they are ready to be reunited with God, it comes from other origins which we shall see.

Purgatory as a transitional condition has from many sources, a origin from the pagan belief of caring for the dead and praying for them, and to the belief that prayer for the dead contributed to their afterlife purification. Pagan tradition created this place of purgatory which leaves hope after death for the wicked, who, at the time of their death, are unrepentant and cling to their love of sin.

In Egypt, substantially the same doctrine of purgatory was taught as in modern times and its priests created grand funerals and masses for the dead, along with celebration of prayer and other services for the soul of the dead. The priest who officiated at the burial service was selected from the grade of Pontiffs who wore the leopard skin; but various other rites were performed by one of the minor priests to the mummies, previous to their being lowered into the pit of the tomb after that ceremony. They practiced elaborate ceremonies to prepare the pharaohs for their next life, constructing massive pyramids and other elaborate tombs filled with luxuries the deceased were supposed to need in the hereafter. The famous Book of the Dead, a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary and ritual texts, describes in great detail how to meet the challenges of the afterlife. The pagan Egyptian belief was when the body died, parts of its soul known as ka (body double) and the ba (personality) would go to the Kingdom of the Dead. While the soul dwelt in the Fields of Aaru, Osiris demanded work as restitution for the protection he provided. Statues were placed in the tombs to serve as substitutes for the deceased.

The Egyptian belief in the immortality of the soul existed centuries before Judaism, Hellenism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. According to Herodotus, eventually the Greeks adopted from the Egyptians the belief in the immortality of the soul. He wrote: 'The Egyptians also were the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man is immortal . . . This opinion, some among the Greeks have at different periods of time adopted as their own.' The Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 B. C.) traveled to Egypt to consult the Egyptians on their teachings on the immortality of the soul. Upon his return to Greece, he imparted this teaching to his most famous pupil, Plato.......

In Greece the doctrine of a purgatory was spread through the Greek mystery religions and even was spoken by one of its major philosophers. Plato, speaking of the future judgment of the dead, holds out the hope of final deliverance for all, but maintains that, of "those who are judged," some must first "proceed to a subterranean place of judgment, where they shall sustain the punishment they have deserved." The ancient Greeks sacrificed on the thirteenth day (after death) to Mercury as the conductor of the dead, they also had sacrifice which, according to Plato, "was offered for the living and the dead, and was supposed to free them from all the evils to which the wicked are liable when they have left this world.

In ancient Rome, the pagan priests also picked up and spread purgatory to the pagans, but as a belief in the early church it was not immediately picked up. From earliest times Greek religious beliefs were a strong influence in Italy, and the Graeco-Roman world was essentially one in its religious and philosophic views of the afterlife. There was no mention of the doctrine during the first two centuries of the church, it has no basis in scripture, the apostles did not teach it, nor did Christ.

Funny, I was just talking with ChatGPT about this very issue.

I think some (few) have eternal punishment, because they are guilty of an infinitely offensive sin (blaspheming the Spirit) that they can never repay. Mt 18 "you will not get out of there until you have paid the uttermost farthing", so, it seems they are repaying the "debt" of glory they owe God by being objects of His wrath (the revelation of His attribute of wrath glorifies Him), and, afterward, they are released.

"It will be more tolerable for Sodom in the Day of Judgment" : how could there be varying degrees of tolerability if it is just an eternal penalty for just any sin?

Luke 12 also speaks of "few" and "many" lashes (variability in duration of punishment).

There are other points that could be made, but this should be enough for now.

The issue with this interpretation is that Paul says "the unrighteous will not inherit God's Kingdom", so where would these people go if they paid their debt and were released afterward? One speculation I've entertained is they would be the "nations" bringing their glory to the New Jerusalem (and New Jerusalem wouldn't be Jewish believers, but all believers--ie, the Nations wouldn't be the Gentile believers).

 

[Hobie]

Reader...


I heard a famous preacher once say...>"The people who dont believe in hell and who teach that there is no hell, are trying to Air Condition it before they move in".....

Here are some facts about Hell.

1.) It was created before Adam was created, and it was designed to house, = "created for the DEVIL, and His Angels".

Now, the DEVIL, is the Term for SATAN, after He was cast down here, ........as in Heaven, He was Lucifer.

2.) Where is HELL found?

Its found at the end of A Christ Rejecting LIFE< and a lot of people died and went to hell, before you will finish reading my post.

Believe it.

3.) Hell is not a "trash bin" or a " burning garbage dump" located near Jerusalem. How do you know? Its because Hell was created before Adam was created and Adam was created a long time before Jerusalem was built.

4.) Another fact about Hell.

Everyone who went there today, now believes it exists, and they all now also Believe in Jesus, and this does not SAVE THEM, because you can't be born again in Hell.
Why?
Because once you are there, you now SEE that Hell is real, and now you have proof you can SEE that leads you to believe that JESUS is Real.
And that is not FAITH.
FAITH, is TRUST, and in the case of Christianity, its TRUST IN WHAT YOU CAN'T see, so your belief is from the HEART, and not from your EYES..
Understand?
So, once in Hell, you SEE that Hell exists, and that PROOF, shows you that JESUS is REAL, and that is not FAITH..

God requires FAITH, in, what you can't SEE....to save YOU.

5.) How long does Hell last?

It lasts until its cast into the Lake of Fire.

6.) How long does Eternal Damnation last....?

This.. JOHN 3:36

It lasts for as long as you are held accountable for dying as a Christ Rejector, never born again.

So, God will hold you accountable for as long as Christ lives.

7.) "but behold, my church believes that God is going to let everyone out of Hell".

And put you where? ????

Heaven?
Really?
God is going to put the CHRIST REJECTORS, who are in their SIN, next to the BORN AGAIN who Trusted in Christ, and are FORGIVEN THEIR Sin?

That will never happen. (There is no sin found in Heaven.. no sin found in the Kingdom of God). = No sinners found there...ever.

8.) Reader, there are 2 Types of Eternal Life.

One is found "in Christ" who Himself is Eternal Life, and ALL the born again are "IN Christ"..."one with GOD"..

The other type of Eternal life is the ""2nd Death"".. and what is that? That is the 1st Death continued for Eternity.

What is the first death ? = ITs to be spiritually separated from GOD, = never born again......So "2nd Death" is to never be able to be born again,.. You died never born again..... and you are that way now and for eternity, .. separated from GOD, separated from Heaven, separated from Christ.

= That is "Eternal Damnation". = That is the "2nd Death".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dont want to go to Hell?

You don't want to go to Hell ????????.... You are concerned about this right now?

Then turn to Christ by Faith... right now, Reader.

= BELIEVE that you need to be forgiven, because you do, and turn to Christ by FAITH... and Let God forgive you.
He will do it for "all who call on the Name of Jesus, shall be saved"
"All that Believe in JESUS< shall be forgiven, shall be saved".

"but behold, im a terrible person.. if you only knew what ive done, im so ashamed...."..

Reader, .. Listen to me..... "all have sinned",....... and God knows what you've done........all of it, and He says..>"COME HOME>.. You are welcome here"..."Come HOME"...... "Trust in my Son, and i will make you MINE.. forever and ever".

= That is God's promise, and He will do it for you Today, now.... right now.

"NOW is the day, now is the time... for your Salvation"....


- God bless you to believe it.

The Second Death is complete and unreversable separation from God, and it's that simple..