Where in the Hell is Hell
in the Bible?
by Clothman
(Sorry this didn't transfer over well from my Word program to the website.)
Here is a brief overview of how I didn’t find Hell in the Bible. Because of space restrictions, I’ve only included a sampling of verses on most topics below.
Paul’s Letters
It all started for me with a sermon series I did through Romans. I found myself constantly saying something like, “Paul says ____, but he really means _____.” Why? Because what Paul says doesn’t fit a doctrine of hell and the end time’s judgment of eternal doom that supposedly awaits most people.
Yes, Paul says all humans are sinners (3:9-20). Yes, he speaks of God’s wrath in Romans (1:18; 2:5; 2:8; 5:6) and judgment (2:5; 2:12-16); and there is no doubt a day of judgment ahead for the whole world (14:12; also see Acts 17:31). However, no where does Paul speak about an endless suffering for sinners. Instead he is shockingly optimistic about the future for all sinners (notice all the all’s in Paul’s writings). For example: 1:1-8; 3:21-24; all of 5; 6:10; 8:28-39; 14:11. Romans 9-11 is an extended argument where Paul uses the Jewish unbelief to defend that God has every right to extend his mercy to all humans. In summary, Paul teaches that all are judged so all may be saved.
A quick survey of the rest of his letters confirms Paul’s doctrine of God’s redemptive plan for all humans (1 Cor 3:10-15; 15:20-28; Eph 2:1-10; Phil 2:10-11; Col 1:15-23; 1 Tim 2:1-7; 4:9-10; 2 Tim 2:8-13). (By the way, 2 Thess 1:5-12 is problematic only when taken out of the context of rest of Paul’s writings, for Paul wrote both 2 Thess 1:8-9 and Rom 5.)
POINT: Hell is not in Paul’s Letters
Apostolic Writings
The same can be said for the rest of the Apostolic writings in the NT. I found it amazing that in Acts, which is the story of the gospel being preached to all the known world that hell is never mentioned. The call is to repent, be baptized, received the gift of forgives and be identified with Jesus Christ. The message was, “Jesus Christ is Lord” not “Believe in Jesus or you are doomed to hell.” The reason why you have never heard a hell sermon preached from Acts, Peter, James, etc. is because it is not there.
POINT: Hell is not in the writings of the Apostles
Where in the hell is Hell?
Preaching that series through Romans I found myself violating one of my primary goals in life: “Never shape scripture; scripture must shape me.” I was so certain that my doctrine about hell couldn’t be wrong that I assumed my reading of scripture was. However, the studies I briefly outlined above told me that indeed something was wrong with my doctrine. That is when I decided to really go searching for hell in the rest of the Bible. Here is an overview of what I found.
Searching for “Hell”
The KJV uses the word hell 54 times. (31 OT; 23 NT)
The NIV uses the word hell 14 times. (0 OT; 14 NT)
The original Hebrew uses the word hell 0 times
The original Greek uses the word hell 0 times
Hell: -The word hell originated from “Hel” the Norse goddess of the dead and who was queen of the underworld.
-The concept of hell comes from Greek mythology. It is similar to Hades the underworld in
Greek mythology (Hades was the name of the God of the underworld).
-Hell did not become an official doctrine of the church until the Council of Constantinople in
543AD. This decision was to counter the belief of most of the church fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa. For the first three centuries after Christ, most of the
church subscribed to universalism and a rehabilitatory view of the after life for
unrepentant sinners and even demons. It wasn’t until Augustine (354-430 AD) that our modern view of hell began to truly take form. He believed in a combination of spiritual and natural penalties for sin and that “hell” was retributive in nature and unending in duration. In the middle ages that folks like Aquinas and Dante (Dante’s Inferno) added
the torment and eternal nature to hell. The reformers later added the concept of
predestination (that God prepared hell and those whom he would send there to give an eternal display of his justice).
POINT: Hell is not in the original languages of the Bible or doctrines of the church
Sheol, Hebrew word used 66 times in the OT and means death, grave, the next world
-KJV translates it as hell 31 times / NIV never translates Sheol as hell, for good reason
-Sheol is where ALL people go - nowhere in the OT is Sheol described as a place of torment or punishment for the wicked. At most it is a place of confinement away from the land of the living.
POINT: Hell is not in the Sheol and thus not in the Old Testament
Gehenna, used 12 times in NT
-Translated hell in the KJV and NIV every time
-Is literal a place just outside the E. gate of Jerusalem
-Comes from Hebrew word Hinnom, as in the Valley of (Ge)Hinnom (also called “Tophet” the place of burning) which is where King Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6) offered hideous child sacrifices to the god idol Moloch.
-Jeremiah prophesied against it (Jer 7:30-34; 19:1-14) and Josiah destroyed it (2 Kings 23:10)
-Eventually became a cursed place and the dump of Jerusalem with endless fires to burn refuse and bodies of animals and unburied criminals as well as a haunt for the throw-away people rejected by the religious system of the day
-When Jesus said Gehenna his audience thought of this place just as Jesus intended and
expected them to. The traditional view of Hell didn’t even exist yet.
-Gehenna is the proper name of a valley which has unexplainably been “translated” Hell. I’m
unaware of any other literal geographical location in the NT which has been renamed.
POINT: Hell is not in Gehenna
Hades, used 10 times in NT.
-Translated hell 10 times in KJV. NIV = 5 times Hades, 2 depths, 2 grave and once hell.
-It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Sheol (see above) in the Septuagint (the Greek OT) which of course meant death or the grave
-Hades was the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. This underworld eventually became known in Greek mythology as Hades – may have originated with Homer
POINT: Hell is not in Hades
Tartarus, used once in NT (2 Peter 2:4)
-Is translated hell in both KJV and NIV
-In Greek mythology, the place to restrain sinning gods and where angels await judgment
POINT: Hell is not in Tartarus
Luke 16:19-31
-Context: Parables of the Great Banquet, Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son, Shrewd Manager
yet NIV subtitle doesn’t say “Parable of” in front of “The Rich Man and Lazarus”
-4 major doctrines of hell come from this passage.
-The Greek word used here is Hades (similar to OT Sheol – see above), not Gehenna
-Parable or Literal? We conclude parable - which means you can’t teach doctrine from it.
Otherwise, for example, we could make it a doctrine that the mustard seed is the
smallest seed in the garden – which it isn’t, Jesus was simply making a point. He never intended us to take parables literally and to form concrete doctrine from the details contained within.
-A literal interpretation of this text implodes the doctrine of hell (works determine who goes to
heaven or hell, not faith; poor people automatically go to heaven; our bodies are sent to hell, not just our souls; people in heaven and hell can see each other and converse).
-Note the point of the Luke 16 parables is to point out that no one is lost. Even the son who rejected the father (God) is never not a son to the father during the whole time he is lost. He does loose his inheritance (rewards), but not his relationship with his father (salvation).
POINT: Hell is not in Luke 16:19-31
Matthew 25:31-46
-Mt 23 Jesus’ judgment upon the religious and their system
-Is Mt 24-25 addressing the 2nd Coming of Christ or The Fall of Jerusalem?
Mt 24:3 says the fall of Jerusalem (disciples weren’t even certain about Jesus’ first coming yet, it is impossible for them to be asking about Jesus’ second coming).
-Account of the actual fall of Jerusalem in 67-70AD and the Jewish Wars are remarkably similar to Jesus’ predictions.
-Examined other world history around 67-70AD
-“world” in v.16, trans in Lk 2:1 “Roman Empire”
-Plain meaning of “this generation” and “you” in 24-25 means the Jewish people of that day, not us
-Parallel passage in Luke 21 clearly indicates Jesus was talking about the fall of Jerusalem, not his 2nd Coming. Luke 21:20.
Context Conclusion: apart from vv27-31, which may have a double meaning (referring to the 2nd Coming) Mt 24-25 is about the Fall of Jerusalem
-Mt 25:1-13 Be prepared keep watch for coming disaster (destruction of Jerusalem)
-Mt 25:14-30 Live wisely – judgment is coming – fall of Jerusalem
Thus, this parable is about the fall of Jerusalem, not an end times judgment.
Understanding Matthew 25:31-46
-Note: The NIV again omits “Parable of” before heading of “Sheep and the Goats”
-Judgment of nations, not individuals v.32 (“the people” in the NIV actually reads “them” in Greek)
-Judgment (Lk 16:24; Mt 24:9; Is 42:1-3; Mt 12:15-21; Is 26:9, 16; Hb 12:9,10; 1Cor 3:11-15)
-Judgment based upon deeds, not faith
-Parable or Literal - again, must be a parable
-Verse 46:
-“eternal” – Greek word “aion” “aionian” comes from Hebrew “olam” and it literally
means “age” not “eternal” we get English word eon, eons from this
-in Ephesians alone, translates “aionian”: age, world, ages, eternal, forever and ever.
-Greek word for “world” is kosmos, used dozens of times in NT, so translating “aion”
as “world” is a poor translation.
-aion, aionian means a period of time, which could be endless, but never eternal. The vast majority of the time aion is used it refers to a period of time with a beginning and an end.
-Only God is eternal (without beginning or end), nothing created is, including time
-so neither the punishment nor the life here are eternal, but they do come from the
Eternal One, just as the “eternal fire” in Jude 7 is not still burning but did come from God, the Eternal One
-“punishment” is Greek word “kalasis” which means “to prune” trees in order for them to grow better. It can also mean remedial punishment. The concept is clearly punishment with a redemptive purpose – as are all of God’s judgments.
Summary: this is a parable talking about a judgment of nations, not individuals, in regard to
works, not faith - all in the context of the fall of Jerusalem (except where it could have a double meaning regarding the 2nd Coming in vv27-31). Furthermore, this judgment is redemptive. The nations are sentenced to an age of “pruning” in order to make them better in the long run.
POINT: Hell is not in Matthew 25:31-46
Matthew 5:27-30; 18:9 / Mark 9:42-48
-These parallel texts contain 6 of the 12 uses of Gehenna in the NT – that’s half.
-Clearly, Jesus’ main point in these texts is to address the sins of adultery and causing others (especially children) to sin – not hell. The application is about life on earth, not the after life.
-The above understanding enhances the meaning of these passages – that Gehenna was a literal, cursed garbage dump just outside Jerusalem where the fires and maggots never died. These passages give no absolutely no support to the traditional view of hell.
-If we’re to take the eternal fire, the never dying worm and hell literally then we must also take literally the chopping off of hands and plucking out of eyes to avoid sin. We must also expect to see people in heaven who are still missing hands and eyes. No, as he often did, Jesus was using rabbinical hyperbole to shock the listeners into paying attention to the main message of the teaching. He never expected us to take this literally.
-“Eternal Fire” in Mt 18:9 is same configuration as Jude 7 (See Sheep & Goats above).
Appears Jesus is using it synonymously with Gehenna in v.9. Thus, it isn’t a reference to a traditional hell but to Gehenna just outside the gates of Jerusalem. Regardless, it provides absolutely no description upon which to build a view of a literal hell.
Point: Hell is not in Mt 5:27-30 & Mk 9:42-48
(I’ll let you do your own study of the remaining uses of Gehenna in the NT. Here they are.)
Matthew 10:28 / Luke 12:5 (Parallel texts containing 2 more uses of Gehenna in NT - we’re up to 8 of 12.
Matthew 5:22 -Use 9 of Gehenna.
Matthew 23:15, 33 -Uses 10 and 11 of Gehenna.
James 3:6 -Final use.
Matthew 12:22-32 The Unpardonable Sin /
-Is there is a sin that can never be forgiven? Did Jesus only die for some sins? Most Christians admit they have committed it. Are they all going to hell or have we misinterpreted Jesus?
John 3:16-21
John 3:16 must be read with 3:17. To interpret “perish” as “eternal hell” is an impossible stretch. “Everlasting life” is better translated “life of the ages” Regardless, we can’t conclude that Jesus will condemn people to hell when the very point of these verses is that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it.
TRUTH
-Truth is a person, not a commodity Jn 14:6
-To know the truth means first and foremost to know God Jn 4:39-40
-The truth that sets us free is not if hell is real or not, or if Mt 24 & 25 are about the destruction of Jerusalem or the 2nd coming of Christ, though seeking truth in about these is vitally important. The fact is knowing God is what sets us free. Jn 8:32
-God has children/friends everywhere regardless of their denomination, view of hell, etc.
-Does that mean all paths lead to God? No, 1 Tim 4:10, Jesus leads all people to God
-Goal of truth: to love God, others and self.
-God, not any person or group, has the corner on truth. The second we think we do, we just lost it.
SUMMARY
Whether or not one agrees with my conclusions, it is certain that Hell is not as certain as once thought. Though there is much, much more that I could present (the bad news gospel of salvation by works that hell produces is an even more powerful argument against a literal hell than the above), it is clear that the uncertainty of a literal hell should at least be allowed to the table of discussion and not dismissed so quickly as heresy. Frankly, I’ve become convinced that mercy has triumphed over judgment and that as Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22).