Hell

The words translated throughout the Bible which describe the place of eternal punishment are the subjects of much debate and interpretation. These terms have historically been been translated by using one word in the English, "hell;" but, one must understand the range of meaning in the original (such as "love" being translated from "eros," "phileo," or "agape") to get an accurate picture of what is meant by "hell."

For example, when the Bible refers to the "abyss," this is understood to include all of the entire underworld, though "depths" only speaks of the fathoms of the seas. The connotation of "abyss" includes all that is mean by "Sheol," "Hades," "Gehenna," "Tartarus," even "the Lake of Fire." The "abyss" is a pit.

The idea of "Tartarus" is "bottomless abyss." Some understand this to mean the lowest level of the abyss. Tartarus is the prison of the angels who sinned (Jude 6).

"Sheol" is the Hebrew term to mean the destination of all the dead. The range of meaning includes "grave," "pit," and "hell." Sheol is understood to be a boggy place, and as a final destination, one looked forward to a dismal existence there. Context helps with meaning as we may read of a person being laid in a "grave" but will not find a person being laid in a "sheol." The Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament uses "Hades" for "Sheol."

"Hades" is known as the place the lost receive a measure-for-measure punishment, the "Lex Talonis" (after the Roman legal term), or "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" payment. Throughout history (Homer, Virgil, Plato, etc) Hades has been described as an incredibly awful place for the torments administered. For example, Plato warned his intiates that murderers will suffer punishment in Hades by suffering the same fate in the afterlife. In Gorgias (written about 525 BC), Plato speaks of the worst sinners hanging in the prison of Hades, to serve as examples for those who will forever dwell there. Homer, though mentioning four rivers and a lake in Hades, describes the everlasting thirst of those who are never able to reach them. This does no injustice to the Lake of Fire, as mentioned in scripture (Homer never says what kind of lake there is).

Jesus spoke of Gehenna (Gehinnom) in His descriptions of the place of eternal separation and pain. The basis for His language was an actual place known by the inhabitants of Jerusalem as a place of child sacrifice from their past history. That everyone knew about this site left no room for misunderstanding and the place was all the more wretched when they came to know this was their garbage dump. Fires were always burning, consuming the waste, so Jesus had no trouble communicating the intense heat which would torment rebellious mankind for eternity.

Many theologians feel they cannot fall asleep in church without being confronted by this horrible, truthful picture so they try to erase this reality for others by denying its existence with faulty arguments. If there is no eternal place of punishment, whether translated "hell" or otherwise, then Jesus is a liar.

The Lake of Fire (limne pyr) is a term that summarizes all that implied by "hell" in the gospels. The Bible does affirm that, of all the places used to describe the place of torment, Satan and all his angels will have this place as a final abode. Those who do not inherit the kingdom of God will find their punishment there as well (John 3:3; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 19:20; 20:10; 20:14-15; 21:8)--which should stand as a louder warning because this place was created for the destruction of the devil and his angels! How much worse will it be for the man who does not repent of his sins!

Works consulted:

Constable, Henry. "Hades; or, The Intermediate State of Man." London: "The Faith" Press, 1893.
Himmelfarb, Martha. "Tours of Hell: An Apocalyptic Form in Jewish and Christian Literature." Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983.
Martin, Walter. "The Kingdom of the Cults." Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1974.
Pache, Rene. "The Future Life." Chicago: Moody, 1962.
Sabiers, Karl. "Where Are the Dead?" Los Angeles: Robertson Publishing, 1940.
Vine, W.E. "An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words." New Jersey: Fleming Revell Co., 1966.
Woodson, Leslie H. "Hell and Salvation." Old Tappen, 1973.