Rethinking Hell

Intro
The focus for this paper is to do a word study on hell. Mainly, I will do a Biblical study but will also look at some historical and etymological information. This will be a natural follow-up to a prior paper of mine on another hot topic, Rethinking Wrath. We will be leafing through numerous passages in the Old and New Testaments along with researching the etymology of the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) words that have commonly been translated "hell" by many English Bible Translations. Blue Letter Bible is my main source for studying the Greek and Hebrew words and definitions.

First, I want to preface this paper with some necessary, personal words. I want to tell you WHAT I'M NOT SAYING, since dancing around a firey topic such as hell can stir up lots of heat. I'm not denying the existence of an afterlife, judgment, or even a "hell" of sorts. I'm also certainly not claiming to have a corner on the market regarding the doctrine of hell. WHAT I AM SAYING is that I no longer believe in the place of eternal conscious torment most think of when they hear the word hell. Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, denying the existence of eternal torment is not, AT ALL, some new idea. It's actually as old as the first century church. Do some historical research for yourself (make sure you're reading legitimate sources). In doing so, you will find that the eternal torment doctrine wasn't a popular one in the early church; also, well-respected theologians, pastors, and lay folk among nearly all sects and denominations of Christianity have denied or, at least, strongly questioned its existence. The Eastern Orthodox Church is commonly known for opposing this school of thought, and they've even remained quite open to Christian Universalism being a strong possible truth for the afterlife. I say all that to say, if you want to throw stones, there's a whole lot of individuals and ministries you'll be hurling them at.

So really, my only aim is to revisit what the Bible says about the various words that have been translated as hell. I don't want to convince anyone that a place of eternal torment doesn't exist, but I do want to find out what the Bible says about this depressing doctrine that has been so widely accepted into Christianity. You decide for yourself what you believe by doing your own research, praying, etc. As we go through the Bible, I will be viewing these passages through the lens of a familial Trinity (Trinitarian Theology) that contains a loving Father, an incarnate Son, and an encouraging Holy Spirit. My belief is that these three beings are both distinct, yet in perfect union. Their desires are the same. And, most importantly, we must keep in mind that God the Father is EXACTLY LIKE JESUS. I believe the greatest error lies in creating this horrid place of fiery eternal torment because people believe that God is "out to get them." Lastly, I believer that most of Jesus' "judgment" passages, refer to the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in AD 70. I do believe that some passage still refer to this "future judgment," but certainly not all. Just some crucial paradigms to keep in mind as we go through this word study.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. It is extremely easy to make the Bible say whatever you want, so I'm not saying that I can't understand how people have come to believe in this eternal torment doctrine. I used to believe in it too, but the more I began to understand just how loving and kind the Father is toward me and humanity, the more I wrestled with how He could create a place where He knew trillions of his kids would go to burn forever and ever and ever.  

Okay, here we go...

Gehenna
Gehenna is a place located outside the walls of Jerusalem, that today, is actually quite beautiful. However, its beginnings are quite horrific. In circa 900 BC, Solomon started the mess when he infiltrated his kingdom with over 1,000 pagan women, consisting of wives, princesses, and concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Solomon's selfish ways were in direct disobedience to God's command of not associating with women from the outside nations because they would bring their pagan gods along with them; this is exactly what happened. These women brought their idols and detestable worship to Israel, most notably the god Molech (photo). A common practice of worshiping Molech was children sacrifice. Gehenna was the chosen place for this horrific act. It's historically noted that for a sacrifice to be accepted by this cannibalistic deity, the children's parents had to remain motionless and emotionless while their child was offered to Molech, and burned alive. To mute the torturous screams, priests banged on their drums. I can't even believe this happened. It is absolutely disgusting and makes my stomach turn. I only share this information to give proper context for the tragic acts that took place at Gehenna.

Thankfully, in 640 BC, King Josiah came to rule as a godly king. He tore down all the pagan idols and their temples, one being Molech's. Things had gone so awry, that Israel set up idols in Yahweh's temple, and also, even in their homes. In the gospels, we see that Jesus often refers to Gehenna. At the time of Jesus, Gehenna had become a full-fledged garbage dump. Fires continually burned to keep down the stench and rid of all the filth. Bodies of criminals and those denied a proper burial were also dumped there. It was commonly described to be: wretched smelling, populated by scavenging animals, and having perpetual smoldering fires. Clearly, not a very welcoming place. Aside from one use in James 3:6, Jesus is the only one to use this word. In the O.T., Gehenna was called the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (probably due to its first landowner). Before diving into some Biblical studies, it's quite interesting to realize that, today, Gehenna looks a lot more like Central Park than a garbage dump. It's full of lush, green grass where nearby inhabitants commonly picnic, go for walks, and enjoy the large shade trees on a hot day (photo).

Matthew 5:22- "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell (Gehenna)."

Matthew 5:28-30- "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Gehenna). If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell (Gehenna)."

If we think of Gehenna as being a literal place of eternal torment, Jesus is saying that calling someone a "fool" warrants being burnt to a crisp forever. Likewise, looking at a woman with lust also justifies eternal fire. Is this what Jesus wanted to communicate? By no means! When his audience heard, "Gehenna," they saw a mental image of a burning dump-site that reeked of filth. Now, the most important matter for this passage is to understand that, first and foremost, Jesus is pointing out the impossibility of following all the Old Testament laws. One of Jesus' main ministries was frustrating people with the law's unattainable demands, so they would come to the end of themselves and recognize their need for a Savior. Setting that aside, when Jesus uses the word Gehenna, he is alluding to the destructive consequences that a lifestyle of sin creates. So much of Jesus' teachings and parables have to do with learning how to live a life of peace with your fellow man, and yes, even your enemies. Unfortunately, through the centuries, the teachings Jesus have been over-spiritualized and made out to be more about the afterlife than anything else. Gehenna represented some really crappy life circumstances. Walk down a city alley, or fly to a third world country. You will see what Gehenna on earth looks like firsthand. Jesus knew his hearers would get it. He always used culturally relevant terms to effectively communicate his message.


Matthew 10:28- "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna)."

For the proper context of this verse, we must understand that Jesus is referring to the religious persecutors who will try and quench this new way of faith that Jesus preached. Jesus says, "...do not fear them (religious persecutors) for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed (v26)..." As he said so often in his teachings, Jesus wants to heighten the people's awareness to the safety his love brings. To show them his compassionate love he says, "So do not fear. Your life is more valuable than many sparrows (v31)." He is assuring his followers that even though the persecutors might take their breath away, they cannot take away this living faith that has taken hold of them. It's definitely worth noting that the "Him (God)" is added in by the translators. In my opinion, it would more accurately read, "you should fear your own ability to create a life of destruction through your own actions." Or, "you will create your own hell if you live recklessly."

Looking toward the end of the verse, soul is the word psyche in Greek. It has been wrongly taught to be "the part of a person that goes to heaven or hell." It actually refers to a person's vitality, or their breath. If you have soul, you are alive on earth. If you don't, you are dead. It alludes to an earthly existence, not an afterlife experience. Look it up for yourself if you don't believe me. To summarize, Jesus wants his flock to comprehend the fact that they are in control of their earthly destiny. Living a life counter to peace will produce a Gehenna-like existence-- being buried in, and surrounded by putrid, burning filth!

Sheol
For a simplistic definition, Sheol is a grave or a pit. It's referred to as the home of the dead. In the Old Testament, the only idea of an afterlife rested in what Sheol was known to be: a place that ALL PEOPLE went after they died. Obviously, because this is from the Old Testament times, it precedes the idea of believing in Jesus for "salvation." The origin of the word is highly questionable, but many scholars suggest it finds its origin in words that translate: "keep asking" or "a hollow place." Interestingly enough, the results of sin find strong connection to both definitions-- sin's consequences leave one as though he is stranded on an island, longing for more (continued asking) and thus, unsatisfied (hollow). A great source for some more insight into this word's origin and meaning at Abirim Publications. Here's some insight on Sheol, according to the website:

• the falling apart, either of one's private body (death), one's name, or one's offspring
• place of dissipation (Job 7:9)
• turning to dust (Job 17:16)
• denotes not only the realm of death but also the quality of mortality while still living (Ps. 18:5 & 116:3)
• as a rule, Sheol is the destiny of all the living
• the Lord still reigns there (Psalm 139:8 & Amos 9:2)

Genesis 37:35

At face value, people in the Old Testament simply had no understanding of this idea being tied to Sheol. Therefore, it is effortless to deconstruct the notion that Sheol is a literal place of eternal torment. The usage we see in Genesis 37:35 supports this false claim about Sheol.

The story being told is the familiar one of Joseph. Out of jealousy for Joseph, his older brothers plotted to kill him; however, they knew they must lie about it to their father, Jacob, since Joseph was his favorite son. So, they decided to throw Joseph into a pit but tell Jacob that he had been attacked by a wild animal. To help reinforce their fabricated story, they slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's tunic in its blood, making it look like he really had been brutally massacred by some ravenous beast. In verse 35, we see this distraught father's reaction to finding out of his son's apparent death. "Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, 'Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.' So his father wept for him." 

I think this passage speaks for itself in communicating the fact that Jacob's reference to Sheol had nothing to do with a place of post-mortem torment; rather, it had to do with his current state of emotional torment he was facing in grieving his most beloved son's alleged death (about 17 years old at the time). 

Psalm 139:8

It is commonly taught that hell is a state of separation from God. Well, let's see what this psalm has to say about that. David asks, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascent to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there." Even if we were to hold onto the idea that Sheol is a place of everlasting torment for the unbelievers, this verse tells us that God is ever-present there. Like Paul says at the end of Romans 8, nothing can separate us from the love of God-- not a hellish life on earth, not even the afterlife..."nothing" means NOT A THING! 

1 Kings 2:6

King David is nearing the end of his life. In this chapter, he is giving his son, Solomon, instructions to carry out once he passes on. "So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace." Most Bibles have used "grave" to translate the meaning of Sheol here, to which I fully agree. David is commanding Solomon to kill a man called Joab who had breached their contract of peace. These were war-laden times. Peace was a thing to be cherished. If you swore an oath of peace with someone, you had better keep your word. These were days of an eye for an eye, so if you betrayed your word of peace, you could expect death. David would not allow this act of betrayal to go unpunished. He would have his revenge, even if it would come after his death. In summary, this passage has nothing to do with the "hell" of eternal torment. It alludes to the grave one enters after being killed. 

Hades
Hades and Sheol are interchangeable. Hades is only used in the New Testament because it is a Greek word that did not exist in Old Testament times. It is basically the equivalent of Sheol, which as stated earlier, is a Hebrew word only used in the OT. When studying Hades and Sheol, we can compare and contrast verses with both uses because these two words have the same meaning. An example would be like comparing the English word bathroom to the Spanish word bano.

Now introducing: Greek mythology. Hades is derived from made-up stories about gods who ruled different parts of the world. Hades was the god of the underworld, to which the underworld was eventually also referred to as Hades. Homer wrote of these details in his Iliad in circa 8 BC. To quickly summarize the Greek mythology-- Kronos was the god who ruled over everything. He then passed on dominion-ship to his three sons: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus was given rule over the sky (heavens). Poseidon was given the sea. Hades (also called Pluton) was given the underworld (hell). Because of the heavy influence of Greek writings into all aspects of surrounding cultures, these ideas seeped their way into Christian doctrine. Simply speaking, Hades (like Sheol) was most commonly understood to be the realm of the dead. Then, Greek mythology added meaning to the word once their influential thinkers and poets developed fantastical stories that made Hades into a god of the underworld. Much of the contemporary Church's understanding of hell derives from Greek mythology. The eternal torment idea originated in mythology, not Christianity.


Matthew 11:23
Here, we find Jesus teaching that cities who refuse to repent (change their beliefs) will experience the realm of the dead, on earth. In this particular verse, He's essentially saying, "Listen guys, your wicked ways will cause self-destruction." He follows it up by reminding them of what happened to the people of Sodom-- they destroyed themselves as a result of their foolish, shallow lifestyles. Jesus is explaining to the city of Capernaum [in my words], "If Sodom would have seen me do these miracles, even they would have changed their minds about who my Father really is. Your unbelief (sin) leads to poor choices, which creates a hell-on-earth experience; not because of me do you experience wrath, but because of your own darkened understanding." Jesus is teaching these people about natural consequences, that their choices paint their world, so to speak. Verse 24 could be one that trips people up because of how we've been brainwashed to think "the day of judgment" will be the moment when God sends people to either heaven or hell, based on whether or not they've prayed the sinner's prayer. Remember, context always matters when looking at Biblical passages. What was going on with these people during this time period? In this instance, Jesus is not referring to a time when one's afterlife will be determined. He is simply stating that just as Sodom's flesh-driven ways led to its destruction, so shall Capernaum if they do not begin to think and live differently. The Evangelical church has put such a huge emphasis on the afterlife that she has tipped the seesaw. So many of Jesus' here and now lessons have been improperly taught to be about a future life. This isn't to say that the two can't sometimes go hand-in-hand; however, verses need to be studied and interpreted with context held under a microscope of scrutiny.

Luke 16:23
In this passage, Jesus tells the story of "The Rich Man and Lazarus." It spans from verses 19-31. To preface, this is a very debated parable among theologians. Many claim that it gives proof to the existence of the eternal torment hell. Others say it has much more to do with lessons for how we treat people in our time on planet Earth.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the best insight into this story. Truthfully, I find it to be quite frustrating and perplexing, but I don't want to ignore such passages.

It is important to note that when attempting to interpret parables, we must not try to make every single aspect stand for some spiritual or doctrinal principle. Any worthwhile theologian would agree that doctrines should never be built from parables. There can be multiple meanings to a parable, and they are always told to get people to think. They often appear to contain many layers with various meanings. Just like the rest of the Bible, a parable must always be studied through the lens of cultural context for that time period. A good question to ask is, "What would this story communicate to its original audience?" Things such as war and violence, social class, and their ideas of God would be critical considerations while trying to answer this question. Putting yourself in the audiences' shoes is of utter importance when trying to decipher what Jesus wanted to say through his parables.

To gain some helpful context, we need to backtrack to verse 14: "Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him (Jesus)." This Rich Man and Lazarus parable is told to prideful, religious money-lovers. It isn't told to "sinners," non-believers, or anyone else that the church so frequently deems to be "on a highway to hell." This is a tantamount point! Don't let this pass you by without thinking about it, at least for a brief moment.

Now, based on the teachings of modern Evangelicalism, it is impossible to build an eternal torment doctrine from this story because there is nothing at all mentioned about the necessity of belief. Instead, Jesus presents the neglect of a poor beggar by a wealthy religious man, called Lazarus. Jesus' opening statement, "He habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day," would have communicated to his audience that this was a religious leader. Based on the facts from this parable, the man was sent to "hell" for not treating the poor man better. Even this is an inference because Jesus never even says the rich man treated him poorly. He says, "Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were licking his sores." It seems safe to assume that the religious guy wasn't doing all that he could to make Lazarus' life better. Although, the rich man had a duty to uphold the 613 laws under the Old Covenant, and associating with a "dirty sinner" would cause him to be impure in the eyes of his fellow Jewish legalists. That's why they were so offended when Jesus (also a Jew) spent so much of his time with Gentile "sinners."

Another point, which I heard from this awesome Jeff Turner teaching, is that the doctrine of salvation through confession and belief, that Evangelicals hold so tightly, would be destroyed if this parable is actually taken literally. In verse 31, Jesus says that repentance comes from Moses and the Prophets, ie THE LAW. If Jesus was teaching a mini-sermon on how to get into heaven or hell, this would have been an opportune time to slip in the whole believing-in-Him thing. Instead, he says that change comes from Old Covenant figures. Interesting, isn't it?

So, in considering the entirity of the Bible, it would be illogical to use this passage as a proof-text for a place of eternal torment when, for all we know, the rich man was sent there for simply not breaking the law to help this poor fellow. Personally, I believe Jesus used strong imagery in this parable to convey the significance of treating your fellow man in a kind and loving way. Jesus was introducing "The Way of Peace & Unity" for Jews and Gentiles (all non-Jews) alike. He was using extremely strong imagery so people who heard the story would begin to think about their treatment of all people they came in contact with, and not just those who were of the same lineage. Today, we might refer to this style as "shock and awe."

Acts 2:27,31
This usage of Hades is actually a quote from one of King David's psalms. "You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One (Jesus) to undergo decay. You have made known to me the ways of life." David was ahead of his time. He foresaw the coming Messiah and frequently brought this future promise into his present reality. In this passage from Acts, Luke goes on to say, "Brethern, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with is to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay." 

From this passage, we see that Hades and Sheol have the same meaning because this Old Testament passage, which used Sheol, now uses Hades when written in the New Testament Greek. This audience would have understood it to mean a physical death of the body, or the body being placed in a pit or grave. Also, because of the popularity of Greek mythology and their false gods, Hades would have represented this "god of the dead, or his underworld." Mythology is obviously a myth (which still usually contain some truth but are never to be taken literally), but the stories had so permeated the culture, and even the church, that these aspects of mythology began to be thought of as reality.

There may not really be monsters under a little girl's bed, but if she believes them to be there, it sure seems real to her. Fear is an extremely powerful force, even if it is fear produced by an illusion.

Lake of Fire
The Lake of Fire is only found in the book of Revelation. The verdict is out on what Revelation means for us today, and because I have done little study on this book, we still stay away from eschatological (end times) ideas in this post. What we will do is allow the Bible to interpret itself, which it does so well.

In the Bible, "fire," can be used as a literal or figurative description. Often, Jesus' eyes are referred to as "a flame of fire (Rev. 19:12)." Also, our God is called "a consuming fire." Right away, this awareness gives recognition to the fact that Biblical uses of "fire" as not always negative; in fact, the uses often denote something quite pleasurable: LOVE.

Revelation 19:20
"And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." 

Firstly, we see that this lake of fire burns with brimstone. Brimstone is the Greek word theion, which is defined as fire from heaven; divine incense having the power to purify. Interestingly enough, theion originates in the word we use for "God," theos. 

Often, we have this idea that hell is separate from God's presence, but let's allow this statement from Revelation 14:10 to define God's relation to hell: "...he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LAMB." This "Lamb" is clearly alluding to Jesus, the "Lamb slain before the foundation of the world." 

Revelation 20:10
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

Starting with the obvious, we see that the devil, the beast, and the false prophet will all be throw into the lake of fire. Will they be destroyed? Or, will they be restored? I don't know, and scholars continue to debate this, today. Although, it is worth noting that the Greek word that's been translated "tormented" is basanizo. Blue Letter Bible defines this word as to test by rubbing with touchstone which is a black siliceous stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by the colour of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal; to be put to the test. We think of torment referring to torture, often physical; however, this Greek word denotes the unveiling of a precious metal that may have been marred, causing its original beauty to be hidden. This touchstone process is for the sole purpose of revealing truth.

One point I want to touch on is the translation of aion, which in this verse has been translated "forever." Other interpretations for aion are: an age, this age, that age. Here lies a heavily debated Greek word among Biblical scholars in reference to what this word really means. In my opinion, the words more often refers to a period of time than it does in the way we commonly think of eternity as being forever and ever. But, the point I want to make here is that it would be fantastically naive to hold a concrete view that aion must always be interpreted as forever and ever without end. 

Revelation 20:14-15
And death and  hell (Hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Take notice to the phrase I highlighted. This deconstructs the commonly taught idea that Hades AND the lake of fire are this same place of "hell" when this verse tells us that one (Hades) is "thrown into the other" (the lake of fire).

Another significant finding from this passage is, to me, the most telling definition we have in all the Bible for what the lake of fire really is: "the second death." Now, there could be an entire book written on what this "second death" is, but let me simply remind us that the first paramount death we are told of in the Bible is the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore, could it be that these first and second deaths are symbolic of something wonderful? Let me quickly try to explain.

At the time of Christ's death, the outlook looked somewhat bleak for Jesus' followers, but how quickly things changed! His death was our death. All of humanity mystically hung on that tree with him, died with him, were buried with him, resurrected with him, and then ascended with him. This was a death to sin the disease, which was reeking havoc on humanity because of the way we viewed ourselves and our God. We saw ourselves are wretches and our God as an angry pagan deity who demanded blood sacrifice and faultless behavior. Jesus' death set us free from these lies. His death revealed to us that the REAL GOD would rather suffer torture and death than to live without a restored relationship with mankind. Jesus revealed God's true nature, and destroyed the false one that we created in our fallen mindsets. Clearly, this was a very necessary death, which provided us with LIFE.

Therefore, could it be possible that this "second death" or "lake of fire" will put to death once and for all this false belief that mankind still oft operates in? I'm by no means downplaying the death of Christ; rather, I'm speaking to the belief system that we have maintained, despite the victory that Christ's death provided. Looking at it simply and logically: our world is still a mess, so even though Christ's death contained the power to conquer all of sin and death, it seems that another death could destroy this cancer that still reigns in peoples' belief systems. Sure, I could be flat-out wrong. Anyway, just some food for thought.


Conclusion
I think the number one reason I am finally letting go of the eternal torment doctrine is because I simply can no longer believe that my loving Papa created a place where He knew that so many of His children would be tortured there, without end. Call me crazy for embracing reason and logic in my spirituality, but this is what my spirit is telling me. I'm not saying you have to proclaim, "To hell with my hell," but this is where I stand right now. One thing I have come to learn is, we must allow our theology and doctrines to be fluid. If they remain concrete, then you are basically telling yourself, and the world, that you knew everything from day one of your Christianity. That seems quite silly to me. Ask questions. Challenge ideas. Research, learn, and grow. This is part of life. Don't take things at face value solely because a guy with a divinity degree and fancy suit tells you so. Think for yourself, you owe yourself that much.

I'll end with a quote from Michael Hardin of Preaching Peace Ministries. "Give me a congregation of thinkers."