The Real Hell

 “Christianity is a religion of losers.  I don’t want anybody to die for me.  I’ve had a few drinks, and a few girlfriends, and it that’s gonna put me in hell then so be it”

–        Ted Turner speaking to the Dallas Morning News

Obviously, Mr. Turner has not read the Bible.  Otherwise, he would have a terrible fear of his eternal resting place.  Others have attempted to change the concept of hell by stating that God is Love (1 John 4:8) so how can He convict a soul to Hell for all eternity.  That doesn’t sound like a loving God, does it?  First of all, God does not convict a soul to Hell, each one of us convict our own souls to Hell.  The world offers terms such as Purgatory in place of Hell, but the Holy Bible never speaks of such terms so man is better off forgetting them and studying what the Bible DOES say.

What is the “Real Hell?”

In the 17^th Century, when the King James version of the Holy Bible was written, English vocabulary did not have an exact word to express the differences in the Greek manuscripts.  So, the translators of the Bible used one word Hell to express 3 distinct and different words.

1. Sheol “Hebrew” or Hades “Greek”

These words are translated into hell.  Matthew 16:18 reads, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it:”  G.C. Brewer calls the hell spoken by Christ as “the unseen world of spirits, invisible to us.”  It was often regarded as the “world of departed spirits.” Hades is the Hell that Christ overcame after death, Psalm 16:10.  According to Luke 16, the Hadean realm is divided up into two parts: 1) Paradise, Luke 23:43 or “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22) and Torment (Tartarus), Luke 16:23.

2. Tartarus “Greek”

This rendering of the hell means an “abyss or dungeon.”  The only rendering of this word in scripture is found in 2 Peter 2:4.  “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”  This location is referred to as well in Jude 6, hence this is where the rich man was in the parable of Luke 16.  This hell is often called the “waiting place for wicked before judgment.”

3. Gehenna “Greek” or Ge’ Hinnom “Hebrew”

This word represents the real hell.  Matthew 18:9, “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast if 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.”  The term “Gehenna” is translated in the New Testament 12 times, and when used, 11 of the times Christ is the speaker.  This hell is the eternal lake of fire, Revelation 20:10. 

Tell a place by inhabitants

Often, we can discover the identity of a place by observing the type of people association in the location.  For example, if I see doctors, nurses, medications, machines, I might speculate that I am in a hospital.  If I see classrooms, children, books, desks, I might speculate that I am in a school.  The Bible tells us distinctly the inhabitants of hell.  1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminates (homosexuals), abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners)--2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (those who do not know God, those that do not obey the gospel).

What can Hell offer us?

No Rest–Revelation 14:11, Matthew 18:8

Torment–Matthew 25:30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 25:46

Everlasting Punishment--Mark 9:43-48

Have you fully complied with God's will? In order to do so, you need to: