What Does The Bible Teach About Hell?
- Some in the brotherhood are denying the Bible teaching on hell:
- Edward Fudge - The Fire That Consumes teaches the Jehovah's Witness position on hell - annihilationism - cessation of existence
- F. LaGard Smith - denies the Bible teaches eternal, fiery torment
- Some fail to teach anything about it, thus causing people to fail to give hell due consideration (Heb 2:1-4; 2 Pet 1:1-13).
- Hell in the Old Testament
- From the Hebrew - she'ol (shee-owl)
- Has various meanings which must be determined by context:
- Translated "hell" 31 times, "grave" 31 times, & "pit" 3 times
- a pit, or deep crevice:
- Numbers 16:30-33 Korah swallowed by the earth
- Psalm 139:8 (probable intent of author)
- the grave, i.e., the abode of the dead:
- Genesis 37:35
- Psalm 16:10
- the place of punishment for the wicked:
- Psalm 9:17
- Proverbs 23:14
- Hell in the New Testament
- "Hell" appears 23 times in the New Testament, with three different words so translated: hades, Gehenna, Tartarus
- Hades - 11 times
- translated "hell" 10 times KJV; "the grave" in 1 Cor 15:55
- transliterated in the ASV, RSV, NASB, NKJV
- NIV confusing = "hades," "the grave," "hell"
- the place where all the dead, both righteous and wicked, await the Judgment: Matthew 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31
- Tartarus - appears one time -- 2 Peter 2:4
- translated "hell" in the KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NIV -- but all translations footnote and transliterate in the margins.
- transliterated in McCord, Estes, and Littrell translations
- appears to be a special region of the torment side of hades
- Gehenna - 12 times
- refers to the eternal place of punishment for all the wicked
- Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43-48
- How does the New Testament describe hell? It is . . .
- a place of FIRE and AGONY -- Mark 9:43-48
- a place of DARKNESS -- Matthew 8:12
- a place of WEEPING & GNASHING of TEETH -- Matt 8:12
- a place where God's WRATH is poured out in FULL STRENGTH -- Revelation 14:10 (cf Matthew 25:41)
- a place of TORMENT -- Revelation 14:11
- a place where there is no REST -- Revelation 14:11
- a place of SEPARATION from God -- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
- an ETERNAL place -- Matthew 25:46
- A PLACE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COST!