Hell

In this video we're going to examine a topic that has generated a lot of fear and a lot of confusion over the centuries and that's hell. Where is it, what is it, and most importantly, what does the Bible actually say about it.

For many people the word hell immediately brings to mind a place of burning fire. A place where the wicked are tortured forever. But that image of hell as a place of eternal torment doesn't come primarily from the Bible. Much of our current perception of hell was shaped by later sources such as the Vision of Tundale and the famous 14th century poem called The Divine Comedy. In them hell is portrayed as a massive underground world made up of nine circles of torment each designed to punish different kinds of sinners. But the question that we need to ask is simple: does the Bible actually describe anything like it? To answer that, we need to start with a more basic question. What happens when a person dies?

The Bible gives a very clear answer. In Psalm 146 it says:

"When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish."

Ecclesiastes tells us:

"There is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."

According to these passages when a person dies their thoughts cease, there's no consciousness, the dead are not active in another world, instead they rest in the grave.

The Hebrew word for grave is Sheol. It appears many times throughout the Old Testament and depending on the translation it may be rendered as the grave, the pit, or sometimes as hell, but all of those translations refer to the same place, the grave. In fact, even the prophet Jonah used this word Sheol when describing his experience inside the great fish. It says he cried out from Sheol even though he was still alive. So the word in the Hebrew simply describes a place of darkness and of death, not some fiery place of torment.

Throughout the Bible Sheol is repeatedly described as the destiny of all mortals. Psalm 49 says:

"Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish … Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol."

In other words, death is something that all living creatures share.

So, what about the idea then that hell is this place of punishment after death. Many people believe that when a wicked person dies, they immediately go to a place of torment. Yet the Bible shows us something very interesting, even Jesus himself was in hell. In the book of Acts the apostle Peter quotes a prophecy from King David about the resurrection of Christ. And Peter says:

"… He was not abandoned in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption."

So, if Hades is referring to the same fiery place of torment, are we to assume that Jesus, a sinless and perfect man, had been in hell for a period of time? Well of course not. Here Hades is simply the Greek equivalent of Sheol. It also means the grave. After Jesus was crucified, his body was placed in a tomb. In other words, he was in Hades, the Greek word for grave. So, when the scriptures say that Jesus was not abandoned to Hades, it simply means he wasn't left in the grave.

You can see the same understanding in the story of Lazarus. When Lazarus died, Jesus told his sister, Martha:

"Your brother will rise again."

And Martha replied:

"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

Martha understood something very clearly. She understood that the dead are not alive somewhere else. They are waiting quietly in the grave until the resurrection. This is a consistent hope presented throughout the Bible. The dead sleep in the grave until the day when Christ returns and calls them out. That's also why the New Testament says that judgment occurs in the future when Jesus returns. Paul wrote to Timothy:

"Christ Jesus … is to judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom."

So, judgment doesn't take place immediately after death. It takes place when Christ returns and until then, the dead remain asleep in the grave.

So then, the great enemy that the Bible speaks about is not a place of eternal torture, the enemy is death itself, and the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to defeat that enemy. When Christ returns the faithful will be raised from the dead and given immortality and at that time the words of scripture will be finally fulfilled which says:

"O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"

Because death and the grave will finally lose their power.

But there's one final thought worth considering because the idea of this place where people are tortured forever raises an important question about the character of God. The Bible consistently describes God as merciful, patient, and compassionate. In fact, God himself says in Ezekiel:

"I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked … but that the wicked turn from his way and live."

So, God's desire is not to torment people. His desire is to save them. He calls people to repentance. He invites them to turn back to Him. The message of the Bible isn't one of endless torture, it's a message of resurrection, judgment, and ultimately life. When Jesus returns he will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness and those who are found faithful will receive the incredible gift of immortality and that is the true hope held out in scripture.