TEN THINGS YOU PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT HELL
Some scholars also say that several passages say that Hell is a place of everlasting or eternal fire. (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 13:41-42; Matthew 18:6-9; Mark 9:43-48; Jude 1:7)
Some Bible scholars say that several passages in the Bible show that Hell is a place of darkness. (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30. 2Peter 2:4,17)
IF the fire in Hell is literal fire, as we understand fire, THEN Hell cannot be a place of darkness.
According to Google AI, "the lake of fire is widely interpreted as a place of destruction."
Yet, Revelation 20:14 (KJV) says "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire."
The clear implication is that hell will cease to exist, just as death will cease to exist (Revelation 21:4).
Note, also, the last part of Revelation 20:14 ... "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The "lake of fire" is referred to as the "second death" ... and "death" is the cessation of life ... So, how can a person experience "death" and "eternal life" (in hellfire) at the same time? Answer: he can't.
A lot of people believe hell and the lake of fire are the same thing/place ... because of passages like Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10 and Revelation 20:15.
But notice what Revelation 20:14 says ...
- Revelation 20:14 (KJV) says "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
IF "hell" was cast into "the lake of fire", THEN they can't be the same thing.
For hell to be cast INTO the lake of fire, they must be separate and different.
NOTE: When we say Hell is not scriptural, we mean that Hell is NOT in the Holy Scriptures.
The word "hell" may be in the Bible (or most versions of the Bible)
BUT ...
the word "hell" is NOT in the Holy Scriptures (the original, inspired documents), which were in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.
The word "hell" is an English word, derived from either "Hel" or "helle" in Norse mythology.
The actual inspired words were "sheol", "hades", "gehenna" and "tartarus".
Hell is an English word ... and Jesus did NOT speak English.
(As a 1st century Jew, Jesus would have spoken Aramaic and Hebrew and probably Greek and Latin.)
Jesus would have spoken about sheol, hades and gehenna ... NOT Hell.
- Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
- Matthew 5:29 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.
- Matthew 5:30 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.
- Matthew 10:28 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.
- Matthew 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
- Matthew 16:18 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.
- Matthew 18:9 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.
- Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
- Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
- Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
- Mark 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
- Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
- Luke 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
- Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
- Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
- Matthew 5:22 22 but I -- I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
- Matthew 5:29 29 `But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.
- Matthew 5:30 30 `And, if thy right hand doth cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.
- Matthew 10:28 28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.
- Matthew 11:23 23 `And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades shalt be brought down, because if in Sodom had been done the mighty works that were done in thee, it had remained unto this day;
- Matthew 16:18 18 `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
- Matthew 18:9 9 `And if thine eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee; it is good for thee one-eyed to enter into the life, rather than having two eyes to be cast to the gehenna of the fire.
- Matthew 23:15 15 `Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye go round the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever it may happen -- ye make him a son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves.
- Matthew 23:33 33 `Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna?
- Mark 9:43 43 `And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
- Mark 9:45 45 `And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
- Mark 9:47 47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire --
- Luke 10:15 15 `And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades thou shalt be brought down.
- Luke 12:5 5 but I will show to you, whom ye may fear; Fear him who, after the killing, is having authority to cast to the gehenna; yes, I say to you, Fear ye Him.
- Luke 16:23 23 and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,
Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost.
- Luke 19:10 10 for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'
- 1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
The way He saved the lost was by paying the penalty for their sins.
What was the penalty for their sins? DEATH.
- Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
- Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins ... by His death ... when He died in our stead.
- 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
- Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
- Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
- 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
- Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
- Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
The doctrine of Hell is NOT a Christian doctrine ... because it is really a pagan doctrine, masquerading as a Christian doctrine.
The doctrine of Hell predates Christianity.
The doctrine of Hell has roots in Egyptian mythology and Greek mythology, both of which has concepts of an underworld where people lived after death in the upper world.
The words "Hel" and "helle" were also a part of Norse mythology. According to Google AI ... In Norse mythology, Hel is both the goddess of death and the bleak underworld realm she rules. "Helle" typically refers to this same deity or the underworld (the English word "Hell" traces back to her name).
The modern idea of Hell as a place of eternal, conscious torment can be traced back to Dante (who wrote about an inferno in his play, The Divine Comedy) and Augustine (who taught, essentially, that divine punishment must be eternal if the divine gift of life was eternal)
The doctrine of Hell contradicts the truth of what the Bible says about God being the Saviour of the world … and the Saviour of all men.
The early Church, as founded by the Apostles, did not believe in the concept of an eternal hell. It should not surprise us, therefore, that such a concept originated in pagan philosophy. Many of the “Church Fathers” believed in the doctrine of hell, but many years before one of the earliest Church Fathers was born, the concept of eternal punishments had been discussed in Greek philosophy.
- Some of the Church Fathers, like Tertullian (160-220 AD), Jerome (347-420 AD) and Augustine (354-430 A.D.), were very influential, highly-venerated Roman Catholic saints, who strongly believed that punishment of the wicked would continue forever in hell.
- Centuries before they were born, however, Plato (427-347 B.C.), the famous Greek philosopher, had written about “eternal punishments” in his dialogue ‘Gorgias’.
There can be no doubt that belief in eternal punishment in Hell was a pagan belief, embraced by Roman Catholicism in the very early years of Christianity.
In 382 A.D., Pope Damasus commissioned Jerome, who was a Roman Catholic by birth, to make a translation of the Bible.
Round about 405 A.D., Jerome produced a revised translation of the complete Bible in Latin known as the Latin Vulgate.
Jerome mistranslated and misinterpreted several key Hebrew and Greek words to support the already established Roman Catholic doctrine of Hell.
The Latin Vulgate, which was regarded to be free from any doctrinal errors, became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the Middle Ages (from the 5th century to the 16th century), the Latin Vulgate reigned supreme for over 1000 and the doctrine of hell became deeply entrenched in the psyche of Christians as a true biblical doctrine.
Jerome, through the Latin Vulgate … and Augustine, through his book, City of God, are the most important and influential figures in the development of Roman Catholicism.
Augustine was canonised and recognised as a Doctor of the Church in 1298 A.D. by Pope Boniface. Augustine has profoundly influenced both Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider him one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther and John Calvin looked on him as the inspiration for their understanding of the Gospel. It is ironic that Augustine, reputed to have combated heresies in the church, was himself the very one who championed belief in the greatest church heresy of all time, namely, the doctrine of hell.
From 590-1517 A.D., the Roman Church reigned supreme and dominated the western world. It controlled religion, philosophy, morals, politics, art and education, and became a very wealthy institution. This was the dark ages for true Christianity. The vital doctrines of Biblical Christianity had from all appearances, disappeared from the scene.
During the Dark Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church refused to allow Scripture to be available in any language other than Latin. Those in possession of non-Latin scriptures were persecuted and sometimes even killed. Only priests were educated to understand Latin, and this gave the church ultimate power – power to control and rule the masses without question. The church capitalised on this forced ignorance of the peoples for over a thousand years.
The first hand-written English language Bible translation was produced in the 1380s A.D. by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar and theologian. Wycliffe translated it from the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to him. Pope Martin V was so infuriated by the activities of Wycliffe and his translation of the Bible into English such that 44 years after Wycliffe’s death, he ordered the bones of Wycliffe to be dug-up, crushed and scattered in a river!
In 1517 A.D., Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic German monk, openly confronted the unbiblical practices of Roman Catholicism. Luther famously posted his 95 theses in Latin to display his displeasure with the abuses of Roman Catholicism, most notably the sale of indulgences. This revolt by Martin Luther changed the course of Western civilisation by initiating the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther abandoned many of the unbiblical teachings and practices of Roman Catholicism. He understood the biblical truth of Righteousness by Faith, which is a gift from God. However, unfortunately, Luther failed to see the really Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that ultimately, God will grant the gift of God’s Righteousness to all people in God’s time and order.
Martin Luther could not break loose from the greatest Roman Catholic heresy of all time, the doctrine of Hell. This was because of the supremacy of the Latin Vulgate and the profound influence of Augustinian theology. Sadly, Martin Luther died without knowing the full extent of the love and forgiveness of God towards all people whom he created in His own image and Luther left this life with an intense hatred and unforgiveness in his heart towards Jews.
Some of the most influential figures in Christendom, Jerome, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius, all believed in the doctrine of hell. God did not reveal the Mystery of the Ages to these individuals, which is the truth of Universal Salvation and Reconciliation.
It is not surprising that the translators of the KJV (1611 A.D.) were greatly influenced, both directly and indirectly, by the Latin Vulgate and they simply copied many of the translation errors made by the Latin Vulgate in support of the doctrine of hell.
Do you know that the KJV was originally published with the spurious books of the Apocrypha, as contained in the Latin Vulgate?
The KJV was the standard version of the Bible for Protestant Christianity for nearly 350 years and it has been translated into many languages. The KJV has had a major influence on formulating the traditional Protestant Christian doctrine of Hell, which is of course similar to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Hell.
Many subsequent versions of the Bible have corrected translation errors found in the KJV to varying degrees. However, the most popular versions of the Bible like the NIV, the NKJV, the NAS, the RSV and others have still retained the basic translation errors, which support the doctrine of hell. Some versions of the Bible like YLT (Young’s Literal Translation) have been true to the literal meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and they have entirely eliminated the doctrine of Hell from the Bible.
The false teaching of the doctrine of hell is a heresy of the greatest proportion. It changes the great victory of Jesus Christ on the cross over sin and death for all people into a great defeat for most people. It is about time that Christians worldwide woke up to the truth of the Bible that tells us Jesus is the Saviour of the world. It is about time they broke free from the false teaching and belief in the doctrine of Hell, the greatest church heresy of all time.
‘The Origin and History of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment’ by Thomas B Thayer, published in 1881, is also available to read for free online. In this thoroughly-researched book, Thomas B Thayer argues that ancient Egyptians believed in the concept of eternal torment, and it spread from them to the Greeks and Romans.
The word "hell" is really a mistranslation and a misrepresentation of the Hebrew word, sheol, and the Greek words, hades and gehenna.
The Hebrew word, sheol, and the Greek word, hades, mean, essentially, the same thing: grave or pit. The Greek word, gehenna, is a reference to an actual place, in the valley of Hinnom, to the south-east of Jerusalem. It refers to a location that, in the time of ancient Israel, was used for child-sacrifice and, by the time of Jesus, had become a dump for garbage, dead animals and dead people.
With those understandings in mind, it should be easy to see why no living people would be in hell (either as a grave or as a dump).
Hell can be said to be NOT pro-God ... or anti-God ... because of the way it presents God. It puts God in a terrible, very bad light.
Think about it ... What kind of God would create a place like Hell?
What kind of God would tell His people (the Israelites) to NOT burn their children as child sacrifices ... but, then, turn around and burn His own children ... and do so, NOT for a few minutes, or hours, or months, or years, or centuries, BUT for the rest of eternity???
How could a God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving, allow someone (who did not ask to be born) to be born, knowing that that person would end up in Hell for all eternity???
Conclusion ... NOT only is the idea of a Hell where there is eternal, conscious torment illogical, absurd ... BUT it posits a god who is uncaring, merciless, wicked, even genocidal. ... a god who is nothing like Jesus Christ.
After much thought ... and careful consideration ... it is hard to believe in the existence of a place called Hell, as a place of eternal, conscious torment. There is no real proof of its existence.
BUT many people still believe in Hell.
IF your someone who believe in Hell ... THEN here are some questions to think about ...
- Where is Hell?
- When was Hell created? According to Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth (nothing about Hell) ... Also Genesis tells us that God rested from creating ... and everything He had created was very good. Is there anything about Hell that could be viewed as good?
- Who created Hell?
- Why was Hell created?
- Why didn't God tell Adam about Hell?