“Basic Baptist Doctrine, Lesson 26”
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Basic Baptist Doctrine
BBD #26 Hell
From a lesson taught by
Eld Aaron Hood 3.14.08

Hell

This is not a topic frequently visited by "mainstream Christianity". It has become unpopular to speak of sin and its consequence. In an effort to draw greater numbers of people, organizations tend to stray from subjects which might offend or cause distress. Unfortunately, Hell is a real place and its purpose is a very real punishment for sin and those caught in it. Our effort tonight will be focused upon distinguishing the different Greek words translated "Hell" in the KJV and to note the importance of understanding the differences.

I. Reference Material

Hell

The place of eternal punishment for the unrighteous. The NKJV and KJV use this word to translate Sheol and Hades, the Old and New Testament words, respectively, for the abode of the dead.

Hell as a place of punishment translates Gehenna, the Greek from of the Hebrew word that means "the vale of Hinnom" –a valley just south of Jerusalem. In this valley the Canaanites worshipped Baal and the fire-god Molech by sacrificing their children in a fire that burned continuously. Even Ahaz and Manasseh, kings of Judah, were guilty of this terrible, idolatrous practice (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6).

The prophet Jeremiah predicted that God would visit such destruction upon Jerusalem that this valley would be known as the "Valley of Slaughter" (Jeremiah 7:31-34; 19:2,6). In his religious reforms, King Josiah put an end to this worship. He defiled the valley in order to make it unfit for pagan worship (2 Kings 23:10).

In the time of Jesus the Valley of Hinnom was used as the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Into it were thrown all the filth and garbage of the city, including the dead bodies of animals and executed criminals. To consume all this, fires burned constantly. Maggots worked in the filth. When the wind blew from that direction over the city, its awfulness was quite evident. At night wild dogs howled and gnashed their teeth as they fought over the garbage.

Jesus used this awful scene as a symbol of hell. In effect he said, "Do you want to know what hell is like?" Look at the valley of Gehenna." So Hell may be described as God’s "cosmic garbage dump". All that are unfit for heaven will be thrown into hell.

The word Gehenna occurs 12 times in the New Testament. Each time it is translated as "hell". With the exception of James 3:6, it is used only by Jesus (Matthew 5:22,29-30; 10:28; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43.45.47; Luke 12:5). In Matthew 5:22; 18:9 and Mark 9:47, it is used with "fire" as "hell fire". So the word hell (Gehenna) as a place of punishment is used in the New Testament by Him who is the essence of infinite love.

In Mark 9:46,48, hell is described as a place where "the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched." Repeatedly Jesus spoke of outer darkness and a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:42,50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). Obviously this picture is drawn from the valley of Gehenna.

The Book of Revelation describes hell as "a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). Into hell will be thrown the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20). At the end of the age the devil himself will be thrown into it, along with death and hades, and all whose

names are not found in the Book of Life. "And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" Revelation 20:10b.

Because of the symbolic nature of the language, some people question whether hell consists of actual fire. Such reasoning should bring no comfort to the lost. The reality is greater than the symbol. The Bible exhausts human language in describing heaven and hell. The former is more glorious, and the latter more terrible, than language can express.

(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

(Copyrighted 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

II. Definitions of Hell

There are three words in the Bible (1) Hebrew / Old Testament and (2) Greek / New Testament that have been translated the word "Hell" in our English version. It is VERY important that we understand the differences in order to understand scripture properly.

1. SHEOL

She’ol (7585), "Sheol". The 66 occurrences of this word are distributed throughout every period of biblical Hebrew.

First, the word means the state of death: "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psalm 6:5; 18:5). It is the final resting place of all men. "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave (Job 21:13). Hannah confessed that it was the omnipotent God who brings men to she’ol (death) or kills them (1 Samuel 2:6). "Sheol" is parallel to Hebrew words for "pit" or "hell" (Job 26:6), "corruption" or "decay" (Psalm 16:10), and "destruction" (Proverbs 15:11).

Second, "Sheol" is used of a place of conscious existence after death. In the first biblical appearance of the word Jacob said that he would "go down into the grave unto my son mourning" (Genesis 37:35). All men go to "Sheol" – a place and state of consciousness after death. (Psalm 16:10). The wicked receive punishment there (Numbers 16:30; Deuteronomy 32:33; Psalm 9:17). They are put to shame and silenced in "sheol" (Psalm 31:17). Jesus alluded to Isaiah’s use of she’ol (Isaiah 14:13-15) in pronouncing judgment on Capernaum (Matthew 11:23), translating "Sheol" into "Hades" or "Hell", meaning the place of conscious existence and judgment. It is an undesirable place for the wicked (Job 24:19) and a refuge for the righteous (Job 14:13). Thus "Sheol" is also a place of reward for the righteous (Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16:19-31 seems to reflect accurately the Old Testament concept of she’ol; it is a place of conscious existence after death, one side of which is occupied by the suffering, unrighteous dead separated by great chasm from the other side peopled by the righteous dead enjoying their reward.

(From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

(Copyright 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

2. HADES

Hades (86), "the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the ascension of Christ). It had been thought by some that the word etymologically meant "the unseen" (from a, negative, and eido, "to see"), but this derivation is questionable; a more probable derivation is from hado, signifying "all-receiving." It corresponds to "Sheol" in the OT. In the KJV of the OT and NT, it has been unhappily rendered "hell" (Psalm 16:10); or "the grave" (Genesis 37:35); or "the pit", (Numbers 16:30-33); in the NT the revisers have always used the rendering "hades"; in the OT, they

have not been uniform in the translation, e.g. in Isaiah 14:15 = "hell" (margins "sheol"); usually they have "Sheol" in the text and "the grave" in the margin/ It never denotes the grave, nor is it the permanent region of the lost; in point of time it is, for such, intermediate between decease and the doom of Gehenna. For the condition, see Luke 16:23-31.

The word is used four times in the Gospels, and always by the Lord, (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23); it is used with reference to the soul of Christ (Acts 2:27,31); Christ declares that He has the keys of it (Revelation 1:18), in Revelation 6:8, it is personified, with the signification of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to give up those who are therein (Revelation 20:13), and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

Note: In 1 Corinthians 15:55, the most authentic scripts have thanatos, "death" in the 2nd part of the verse, instead of "hades" which the KJV wrongly renders "grave" ("hell" in the margins)

(From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

(Copyright 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

3. Gehenna

Gehenna (1067) represents the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom (the valley of Trophet) and a corresponding Aramaic word; it is found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which are in the Synoptists, in every instance as uttered by the Lord Himself. He who says to his brother, Thou fool (see under FOOL), will be in danger of "the hell of fire", (Matthew 5:22); it is better to pluck out (a metaphorical description of irrevocable law) an eye that causes its possessor to stumble, than that his "whole body be cast into hell," (verse 29); similarly with the hand (verse 30); in Matthew 18:8,9, the admonitions are repeated, with an additional mention of the foot; here, too, the warning concerns the person himself (for which obviously the "body" stands in chapter 5); in verse 8, "the eternal fire" is mentioned as the doom , the character of the region standing for the region itself, the two being combined in the phrase "the hell of fire, (verse 9). To the passage in Matthew 18, that in Mark 9:43-47, is parallel; here to the word "hell" are applied the extended descriptions "the unquenchable fire" and "where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched."

That God, "after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell," is assigned as a reason why He should be feared with the fear that keeps from evil doing (Luke 12:5); the parallel passage to this in Matthew 10:28 declares, not the casting in, but the doom which follows, namely, the destruction (not the loss of being, but of well-being) of "both soul and body".

In Matthew 23 the Lord denounces the scribes and Pharisees, who in proselyting a person "make him two-fold more a son of hell" than themselves (verse 15), the phrase here being expressive of moral characteristics, and declares the impossibility of their escaping "the judgment of hell" (verse 33). In James 3:6, "hell" is described as the source of the evil done by misuse of the tongue; here the word stands for the powers of darkness, whose characteristics and destiny are those of "hell".

For terms descriptive of "hell", see Matthew 13:42; 25-46; Philippians 3:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 10:39; 2 Peter 2:17; Jude 13; Revelation 2:11; 19:20; 20:6,10,14; 21:8).

(from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

(Copyright 1985, Thomas nelson Publishers)

III. Quick Q & A regarding Hell

1. It is imperative that we understand the different definitions and usages of the word "hell" in the KJV. Otherwise, we can get thrown off doctrinally quite quickly!!

2. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41) and is NOT intended for mankind originally.

3. It is the perfect punishment created by the perfect God. Can you imagine how awful it must be to have been created by God Himself?!?!

4. Hell is the complete opposite of Heaven. As beautiful and perfect as Heaven will be, Hell is equally horrible and depraved.

5. The descriptions we have of Hell are very likely akin to our descriptions of Heaven. There are not sufficient words in all the languages of the world to adequately describe the splendor of Heaven or the horrors of Hell.

6. Jesus used an earthly glimpse as an illustration of what Hell is like (the valley of Hinnom)

7. Some suggest that the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man is a parable (Luke 16). It is not, but even if it were….a parable was meant to describe the magnitude of something to come. Can you imagine the awfulness of Hell as based upon the words of the Rich Man?

8. Are there degrees in Hell (various levels, per se)? Matthew 23:14-15 says that there is….as does Matthew 10:15

9. If people are in hell today, do they get a break when they stand in judgment? We have heard the question before and the answer best given is this…"Do you think it will be a relief for a soul to stand before Almighty God and be judged and condemned for all of eternity?"

10. Will there be a new hell like the new heaven and new earth that we spoke of last week? There is no need for such. It is contaminated with sin…and that is its’ purpose! It is perfectly awful "as is"! We need to remember that the "hell" referred to in Revelation 20:14 is Hades (grave).

11. Is hell-fire and brimstone the primary motivation to get saved? Nope….but it is half of the account. We also must be also and willing to preach the remedy to sin and the savior of the world, JESUS! Every good law has a reward for obedience AND a punishment if it is broken.

12. Did Jesus go to Hell at one point?

Acts 2:27 has been a point of contention over the years. The "hell" referred to is "grave" not hellfire. Psalm 16:10 is the original scripture quoted there and it is David referencing Christ not being left in the grave…but rather being resurrected!! Others think that Revelation 1:18 refers to such, but again the word is "hades" or grave or the grave / unseen state. If Jesus would ever go to Hell to preach….there wouldn’t be anyone there!! ALL would repent in order to escape that awful place.

13. Heaven will rejoice over hell. We will rejoice over the destruction of sin and the victory of the Lamb!

People are dying and going to hell every day. It is a reality and a horrible truth. We are commissioned to warn the lost to flee the wrath that is to come! This most certainly not a game and the Lord holds us all accountable for how well we "sound the alarm".