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Much confusion is had over the four different words rendered "hell"
in the King James Version of the Bible. The Hebrew word "Sheol" is
translated "hell" in many Old Testament passages (Ps. 9:17; 16:10).
This means the unseen world. In the New Testament the corresponding
Greek word is "Hades" and is found in Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 16:23;
Acts 2:27,31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14. This is the paradise the
spirits of righteous people go at death and also the torment the
wicked spirits go to at death. According to Revelation 20:13, 14 this
place will be cast into the lake of fire at the time of the
resurrection of the dead and judgment. The word "Tartarus" is rendered
"hell" in 2 Pet. 2:4 as the place the sinful angels await the judgment.
The fourth word is "Gehenna" and refers to everlasting punishment for
the wicked.
1. The word "Gehenna" is the Old Testament valley of Hinnom. In this
place an idol was built and the worship of the idol Molech took place.
Little children were sacrificed to this idol by burning them in the
great bronze arms of this image. This was so terrible that the
reforming king Josiah abolished the worship and strewed human bones
over the place, making it unclean (2 Kings 23:10). The inhuman
practices conducted in the valley of Hinnom gave this place a horrible
character, and caused its name to be detested and used as a figure for
the place of torment. In New Testament times it was where the unusable
refuse of the city of Jerusalem was burned. Bodies of animals that
died, or some have even said that the bodies of leprous beggars of
the city were burned in Hinnom. The fires were kept burning in order
to consume the foul and corrupt objects thrown in it. This made it a
symbol of the place of punishment for the polluted, sin breeding,
incurable, morally bankrupt people of the world.
2. Gehenna Hell is found 12 times in the New Testament and 11 of
those times it is Jesus Christ who speaks of this place. Jesus says,
"whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
(Mat. 5:22). He also said, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck
it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one
of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell." (Mat. 5:29,30). Jesus speaks of the whole body being cast
into hell and calls hell a fire.
Jesus tells us to fear God because of the possibility of going to
hell. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell." (Mat. 10:28; Lk. 12:5). One motive of serving God is
to escape hell.
Jesus also says, "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one
eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."
(Mat. 18:9). In Mark 9:44,46 & 48 Jesus also said that hell is a place
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." This is
another way of his saying that there is a place of everlasting
punishment. Jesus also calls this place "everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels" (Mat. 25:41).
3. The question needs to be asked of who will go to hell?
1) In answer to this it will be everyone who does not go to heaven.
Christ made the way to heaven possible (John 14:1-6). We are
invited to go there (Mat. 11:28-30). Heaven is said to be a rest
in Hebrews 4 and we are exhorted, "Let us labor therefore to
enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief." (Heb. 4:11).
2) Those who refuse to put away from their lives those things that
offend God will go to hell according to Jesus in Matthew 5:29,30
and Mark 9:41-48. Sinful actions, words, and attitudes are the
things here under consideration.
3) Those who know not God and obey not the gospel will have this
everlasting destruction according to 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. It
is very important to obey the gospel (Rom. 1:16; 6:17, 18).
4) Those who have no compassion on their hurting fellow men will go
to this everlasting fire which is everlasting punishment
(Mat. 25:41-46).
5) Those who are morally corrupt and do not come out of their
sinful acts will go to this lake of fire and brimstone. "But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8). People can believe,
repent and be baptized and have forgiveness from these things
if they will just do it (I Cor. 6:9-11; Acts 18:8).
6) Those who turn their back on Christ and Christianity after once
enjoying its blessings and die in this condition will be lost in
hell (2 Pet. 2:20-22; 2:9). People can repent, confess sins and
pray and be forgiven if they will just do it (I John 1:9;
Jas. 5:16; Acts 8:22).
FRIEND DETERMINE TO GO TO HEAVEN NOT TO HELL.
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