It is actually a no-brainer. Scripture is written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek and therefore no one should expect to find the word “hell” there.
However, you will find the word in most English Bible translations. The reason is that sheol in the Hebrew Scriptures, and hades and Gehenna in the Greek scriptures are mostly translated “hell”. Whether the translation is correct, needs to be considered. Most Christians have been taught that hell is to be associated with-
- the fear of God, because He has the power to give one over to Satan” to cast into hell” (Luk 12:4-5)
- where upon death the unsaved are “cast into hell fire” (Mat 18:9).
- ..”the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev 21:8)
- “…fire that shall never be quenched.”(Mark 9:43)
- “the everlasting fire” (Mat 18:8)
- For “everlasting punishment.” (Mat 25:46)
- where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 8:12)
- where there is an unbridgeable chasm separating hell from heaven (Luk 16:26)
- Jesus said some won’t be able to “escape the condemnation of hell.” (Mat. 23:23)
- where fallen angels have been cast into and are kept “into chains of darkness” (2 Pet 2:4)
Is this what you believe? Have you checked these Bible verses carefully? Let us go back and examine them:
- the fear of God, because He has the power to give one over to Satan” to cast into hell” (Luk 12:4-5)
This passage does not say Satan is the one who is casting into hell. It is God the Father. The Greek word for hell is Gehenna. It refers to the valley of Hinnom outside the city of Jerusalem, which was used as a garbage dump. Carcasses of dead animals and corpses of criminals were also cast and burnt there. For the Jew to be denied a decent burial was a terrible shame -see Eccl 6:3, 2 Kings 9:35, Isa 14:19,20; Jer 8:2, 22:19. Jesus was talking to people of Israel that had their hope pinned on the prophesied kingdom – see Luk 12:31-32. During the kingdom era, the law of Moses will be implemented and strictly enforced. (See Mat 5:17-48) God will cause the death of the wicked and their corpses will be burnt, “ashes under the soles of your feet” – Mal 4:3, – “an abhorrence to all men” Isa 66:24. Other passages tell us that after the 1000 years kingdom era, there will be a resurrection of all that were dead – which will include those whose first death was such a shame – John 5:28-29, Rev 20: 5).
This passage was addressed to followers of Jesus. He was not warning them about the possibility of ending up in hellfire – He was encouraging them not to fear men, but rather be in awe of the power of God and to know that God cares for them. “You are of more value than many sparrows” (verse 7).
- where upon death the unsaved are “cast into hell fire” (Mat 18:9).
This section is not about what is happening after one’s death The words “upon death,” do not appear in this verse. It is about what will take place when the kingdom of God is on earth. It followed on the question posed by the disciples, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”: (verse 1)
Jesus’ answer is that it will be the humble ones. On the other hand, the wicked and the criminals will be executed by God or His servants and their bodies cast in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) where the city garbage was to be incinerated. (Refer to the explanation above for Luk 12:4-5).
- ..”the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev 21:8)
This lake of fire is on the scene after the thousand years, after the resurrection of all those who had been dead (Rev 20:5). It does not apply to the first death, but the second death (Rev 21:8). It is very likely not a literal fire, because in figurative language it says Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. (Rev 20:14).
This verse has nothing to do with the fate of unbelievers when they die.
- “…fire that shall never be quenched.”(Mark 9:43)
As was the case at the garbage dump at the Valley of Hinnom, in the kingdom era the fire will be kept burning, to incinerate the refuse.
- “the everlasting fire” (Mat 18:8)
Many renowned scholars (eg. Dr Weymouth, Dr Marvin Vincent, Dr Frederick Farrar, Dr Nigel Turner, William Barclay, Louis Abbot) state that the word “everlasting” is a poor translation. The Greek is related to aion (the noun) which means” age” or “era” and aionios (adjective), which means “age-lasting”.
In some passages the King James translators had no choice but to avoid the word “eternal/everlasting/eternity.” Here are a couple of examples:
…His Son….by whom He made the worlds [aion](Heb 1:2). It should have been translated “ages” (see the New King James marginal note), but they could not use “eternities” because how can one have more than one eternity? It simply would not have made sense.
….the harvest is the end of the world [age -New King James][aion] Mat 13:39). To translate this to “the end of eternity” would have been absurd.
…written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ages – New King James][aion] have come..(1 Cor 10:11). To translate this “to the end of eternities” would have been absurd.
…deliver us from this present evil world [age – New King James] [aion]. According to the will of God …to whom be glory for ever and ever [aion aion](Gal 1:4-5). Notice how in the same passage aion that appears more than once, is translated differently. Also how absurd it would have been to write “this present evil eternity”.
…promised before the world [time – New King James] [aionios] began (Titus 1:2). To translate this “before eternal times/eternity” would not have made sense.
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, the word aion is translated age, course, eternal, ever, evermore, world in the King James Version. One may legitimately ask the question: how can one word be translated in so many different ways, with such diverse meanings?
There are many other examples of such inconsistencies in translating aion and aionos.
By the way, even the expression “eternal life” should have been translated “age-lasting life.” It is not that the truth of eternal life is wrong, but that the Greek words for “immortal” and “incorruptible” and “no more death” substantiate that concept, and not the Greek words that mean age or age lasting.
Mat 18:8 deals with the fire of the Valley of Hinnom, which admittedly, may be also symbolic of the punishment of the wicked in other cities during the kingdom age. But it will not be everlasting. The time will come when there will be a New Jerusalem and a new earth, where the former things will not be remembered (Rev 21:1, 4; Isa 65:17)
- For “everlasting punishment.” (Mat 25:46)
As mentioned “everlasting” should be translated “age lasting”.
- where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 8:12)
Here we don’t find that fire is mentioned, but “outer darkness”. These are people of Israel who will be denied entrance into the kingdom of God. This has nothing to do with people’s fate after death – and whatever their fate is, it is not forever. The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is typical Hebrew colorful language to describe deep regret and disappointment.
Bullinger’s Companion Bible states that this expression was used by Jesus on no less than seven occasions, which is referring to “the end of the age” when the Lord will come to deal with the wicked and unprofitable servants.
Again, this expression does not refer to unbelievers upon their death.
- where there is an unbridgeable chasm separating hell from heaven (Luk 16:26)
This was mentioned in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This was a story that Jesus told the Pharisees, who were lovers of money and despised the poor, and believed that on death they will be at Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man sees the beggar Lazarus at Abraham’s bosom, he cried out for water. Then Abraham said no one can pass from where they were to the other side where the rich man was. Now in telling this story, which was partly based on what the Pharisees believed, Jesus was not trying to picture what happens after death. He was definitely not referring to a lake of fire, for at least three reasons: (1) somebody in a lake of fire will not engage in conversation with another individual (in this case, Abraham); (2) he will not complain of thirst and ask for a little bit of water, he will shriek with excruciating pain; (3) Abraham will not decline the rich man’s request to send Lazarus with water because of an unbridgeable gap, but because he wouldn’t want Lazarus to end up being scorched in the lake of fire.
The Pharisees at the time of Jesus enjoyed the highest status (cf Mat 23). This parable was to warn them that their status as such would not continue beyond their temporary life in this world.
- Jesus said some won’t be able to “escape the condemnation of hell.” (Mat. 23:23)
The word “hell” is translated from Gehenna. Some, especially the Pharisees and those who have that self-righteous judgmental attitude, will not be able to escape having their corpses cast into that garbage dump
Jesus may also have had in mind the destruction of Jerusalem at 70AD, as a type of the fulfilment of the end of the age prophecy.
There is nothing indicating that this verse applies to unbelievers who have died.
.
- where fallen angels have been cast into and are kept “into chains of darkness” (2 Pet 2:4)
Here is a completely different word than Gehenna, namely tartarus, which most of the English Bible translators also translated as “hell’ This however, refers to the restrained condition of some of the fallen angels. Nowhere are humans mentioned in relation to tartarus.
Hell in the Bible
The Old Testament word sheol, which is translated “hell” in most translations, literally means “the unseen.” It refers to the grave (symbolically as the abode of the dead). It is not “hell” as it is understood today. It is the abode of all the dead, whether they have been righteous or wicked.
David wrote, thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Ps 16:10) which Peter later declared to be a prophecy concerning Jesus (Acts 2:27).
Jesus warned the Jews of not being allowed to enter the kingdom and of the wicked in the kingdom being executed and their bodies thrown into the dump yard of Gehenna to be consumed by fire. He never pictured or referred to hell as it is being commonly understood today.
It is noteworthy that the word “hell” does not occur in the apostle John’s writings (except the Book of Revelation) and neither does it in any of Paul’s writings. One would think that if hellfire was the destiny of Gentiles and unbelievers, the Apostle Paul would somewhere have warned people about it. But there is not one such warning.
You will find that several of the more literal Bible translations do not contain the word “hell.” The ones I know of are Youngs Literal Translation, the Concordant Version, Rotherhams Emphasized Bible, Emphatic Diaglott (Wilson), The New Testament in Modern Speech (Weymouth).
The Early Church
The early Church did not believe in hell as it is understood today. That is why you won’t find it in the earliest church creeds.
The first person who wrote about “eternal hell” was Tertullian (160-220 CE) who is considered the Father of the Latin Church. But even then it was a minority view in Christendom.
It was only more than 100 years later, through Augustine (354-430 CE) that the doctrine of eternal hell fire became widely accepted. It was at a time when the Church was the official church recognised by Rome. The idea of endless suffering of the wicked is a pagan concept that was, among many other unscriptural beliefs, introduced and embraced by the church at that time.
The Truth
The truth is that God is not a hateful cruel God. He will not let Krishna Naidoo, who grew up as a Hindu in Calcutta and died at the age of seven, without hearing of Jesus, burn forever in hellfire. No, He is the God of love who teaches us to love our enemies and who lets the rain fall on the righteous and the wicked. He is Love. And yes, there is judgment to come, but He will exercise mercy and justice.
Additional Reading:
Hope Beyond Hell – Gary Beauchemin
Bible Threatenings Explained – J W Hanson
“Hell” in the Bible – J W Hanson
At the End of the Age … The Abolition of Hell – Bob Everly
Raising Hell – Julie Ferwerda
(All available at Amazon)
***
THE WORD “HELL” DOES NOT APPEAR IN SCRIPTURE
It is actually a no-brainer. Scripture is written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek and therefore no one should expect to find the word “hell” there.
However, you will find the word in most English Bible translations. The reason is that sheol in the Hebrew Scriptures, and hades and Gehenna in the Greek scriptures are mostly translated “hell”. Whether the translation is correct, needs to be considered. Most Christians have been taught that hell is to be associated with-
- the fear of God, because He has the power to give one over to Satan” to cast into hell” (Luk 12:4-5)
- where upon death the unsaved are “cast into hell fire” (Mat 18:9).
- ..”the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev 21:8)
- “…fire that shall never be quenched.”(Mark 9:43)
- “the everlasting fire” (Mat 18:8)
- For “everlasting punishment.” (Mat 25:46)
- where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 8:12)
- where there is an unbridgeable chasm separating hell from heaven (Luk 16:26)
- Jesus said some won’t be able to “escape the condemnation of hell.” (Mat. 23:23)
- where fallen angels have been cast into and are kept “into chains of darkness” (2 Pet 2:4)
Is this what you believe? Have you checked these Bible verses carefully? Let us go back and examine them:
- the fear of God, because He has the power to give one over to Satan” to cast into hell” (Luk 12:4-5)
This passage does not say Satan is the one who is casting into hell. It is God the Father. The Greek word for hell is Gehenna. It refers to the valley of Hinnom outside the city of Jerusalem, which was used as a garbage dump. Carcasses of dead animals and corpses of criminals were also cast and burnt there. For the Jew to be denied a decent burial was a terrible shame -see Eccl 6:3, 2 Kings 9:35, Isa 14:19,20; Jer 8:2, 22:19. Jesus was talking to people of Israel that had their hope pinned on the prophesied kingdom – see Luk 12:31-32. During the kingdom era, the law of Moses will be implemented and strictly enforced. (See Mat 5:17-48) God will cause the death of the wicked and their corpses will be burnt, “ashes under the soles of your feet” – Mal 4:3, – “an abhorrence to all men” Isa 66:24. Other passages tell us that after the 1000 years kingdom era, there will be a resurrection of all that were dead – which will include those whose first death was such a shame – John 5:28-29, Rev 20: 5).
This passage was addressed to followers of Jesus. He was not warning them about the possibility of ending up in hellfire – He was encouraging them not to fear men, but rather be in awe of the power of God and to know that God cares for them. “You are of more value than many sparrows” (verse 7).
- where upon death the unsaved are “cast into hell fire” (Mat 18:9).
This section is not about what is happening after one’s death The words “upon death,” do not appear in this verse. It is about what will take place when the kingdom of God is on earth. It followed on the question posed by the disciples, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”: (verse 1)
Jesus’ answer is that it will be the humble ones. On the other hand, the wicked and the criminals will be executed by God or His servants and their bodies cast in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) where the city garbage was to be incinerated. (Refer to the explanation above for Luk 12:4-5).
- ..”the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev 21:8)
This lake of fire is on the scene after the thousand years, after the resurrection of all those who had been dead (Rev 20:5). It does not apply to the first death, but the second death (Rev 21:8). It is very likely not a literal fire, because in figurative language it says Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. (Rev 20:14).
This verse has nothing to do with the fate of unbelievers when they die.
- “…fire that shall never be quenched.”(Mark 9:43)
As was the case at the garbage dump at the Valley of Hinnom, in the kingdom era the fire will be kept burning, to incinerate the refuse.
- “the everlasting fire” (Mat 18:8)
Many renowned scholars (eg. Dr Weymouth, Dr Marvin Vincent, Dr Frederick Farrar, Dr Nigel Turner, William Barclay, Louis Abbot) state that the word “everlasting” is a poor translation. The Greek is related to aion (the noun) which means” age” or “era” and aionios (adjective), which means “age-lasting”.
In some passages the King James translators had no choice but to avoid the word “eternal/everlasting/eternity.” Here are a couple of examples:
…His Son….by whom He made the worlds [aion](Heb 1:2). It should have been translated “ages” (see the New King James marginal note), but they could not use “eternities” because how can one have more than one eternity? It simply would not have made sense.
….the harvest is the end of the world [age -New King James][aion] Mat 13:39). To translate this to “the end of eternity” would have been absurd.
…written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ages – New King James][aion] have come..(1 Cor 10:11). To translate this “to the end of eternities” would have been absurd.
…deliver us from this present evil world [age – New King James] [aion]. According to the will of God …to whom be glory for ever and ever [aion aion](Gal 1:4-5). Notice how in the same passage aion that appears more than once, is translated differently. Also how absurd it would have been to write “this present evil eternity”.
…promised before the world [time – New King James] [aionios] began (Titus 1:2). To translate this “before eternal times/eternity” would not have made sense.
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, the word aion is translated age, course, eternal, ever, evermore, world in the King James Version. One may legitimately ask the question: how can one word be translated in so many different ways, with such diverse meanings?
There are many other examples of such inconsistencies in translating aion and aionos.
By the way, even the expression “eternal life” should have been translated “age-lasting life.” It is not that the truth of eternal life is wrong, but that the Greek words for “immortal” and “incorruptible” and “no more death” substantiate that concept, and not the Greek words that mean age or age lasting.
Mat 18:8 deals with the fire of the Valley of Hinnom, which admittedly, may be also symbolic of the punishment of the wicked in other cities during the kingdom age. But it will not be everlasting. The time will come when there will be a New Jerusalem and a new earth, where the former things will not be remembered (Rev 21:1, 4; Isa 65:17)
- For “everlasting punishment.” (Mat 25:46)
As mentioned “everlasting” should be translated “age lasting”.
- where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 8:12)
Here we don’t find that fire is mentioned, but “outer darkness”. These are people of Israel who will be denied entrance into the kingdom of God. This has nothing to do with people’s fate after death – and whatever their fate is, it is not forever. The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is typical Hebrew colorful language to describe deep regret and disappointment.
Bullinger’s Companion Bible states that this expression was used by Jesus on no less than seven occasions, which is referring to “the end of the age” when the Lord will come to deal with the wicked and unprofitable servants.
Again, this expression does not refer to unbelievers upon their death.
- where there is an unbridgeable chasm separating hell from heaven (Luk 16:26)
This was mentioned in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This was a story that Jesus told the Pharisees, who were lovers of money and despised the poor, and believed that on death they will be at Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man sees the beggar Lazarus at Abraham’s bosom, he cried out for water. Then Abraham said no one can pass from where they were to the other side where the rich man was. Now in telling this story, which was partly based on what the Pharisees believed, Jesus was not trying to picture what happens after death. He was definitely not referring to a lake of fire, for at least three reasons: (1) somebody in a lake of fire will not engage in conversation with another individual (in this case, Abraham); (2) he will not complain of thirst and ask for a little bit of water, he will shriek with excruciating pain; (3) Abraham will not decline the rich man’s request to send Lazarus with water because of an unbridgeable gap, but because he wouldn’t want Lazarus to end up being scorched in the lake of fire.
The Pharisees at the time of Jesus enjoyed the highest status (cf Mat 23). This parable was to warn them that their status as such would not continue beyond their temporary life in this world.
- Jesus said some won’t be able to “escape the condemnation of hell.” (Mat. 23:23)
The word “hell” is translated from Gehenna. Some, especially the Pharisees and those who have that self-righteous judgmental attitude, will not be able to escape having their corpses cast into that garbage dump
Jesus may also have had in mind the destruction of Jerusalem at 70AD, as a type of the fulfilment of the end of the age prophecy.
There is nothing indicating that this verse applies to unbelievers who have died.
.
- where fallen angels have been cast into and are kept “into chains of darkness” (2 Pet 2:4)
Here is a completely different word than Gehenna, namely tartarus, which most of the English Bible translators also translated as “hell’ This however, refers to the restrained condition of some of the fallen angels. Nowhere are humans mentioned in relation to tartarus.
Hell in the Bible
The Old Testament word sheol, which is translated “hell” in most translations, literally means “the unseen.” It refers to the grave (symbolically as the abode of the dead). It is not “hell” as it is understood today. It is the abode of all the dead, whether they have been righteous or wicked.
David wrote, thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Ps 16:10) which Peter later declared to be a prophecy concerning Jesus (Acts 2:27).
Jesus warned the Jews of not being allowed to enter the kingdom and of the wicked in the kingdom being executed and their bodies thrown into the dump yard of Gehenna to be consumed by fire. He never pictured or referred to hell as it is being commonly understood today.
It is noteworthy that the word “hell” does not occur in the apostle John’s writings (except the Book of Revelation) and neither does it in any of Paul’s writings. One would think that if hellfire was the destiny of Gentiles and unbelievers, the Apostle Paul would somewhere have warned people about it. But there is not one such warning.
You will find that several of the more literal Bible translations do not contain the word “hell.” The ones I know of are Youngs Literal Translation, the Concordant Version, Rotherhams Emphasized Bible, Emphatic Diaglott (Wilson), The New Testament in Modern Speech (Weymouth).
The Early Church
The early Church did not believe in hell as it is understood today. That is why you won’t find it in the earliest church creeds.
The first person who wrote about “eternal hell” was Tertullian (160-220 CE) who is considered the Father of the Latin Church. But even then it was a minority view in Christendom.
It was only more than 100 years later, through Augustine (354-430 CE) that the doctrine of eternal hell fire became widely accepted. It was at a time when the Church was the official church recognised by Rome. The idea of endless suffering of the wicked is a pagan concept that was, among many other unscriptural beliefs, introduced and embraced by the church at that time.
The Truth
The truth is that God is not a hateful cruel God. He will not let Krishna Naidoo, who grew up as a Hindu in Calcutta and died at the age of seven, without hearing of Jesus, burn forever in hellfire. No, He is the God of love who teaches us to love our enemies and who lets the rain fall on the righteous and the wicked. He is Love. And yes, there is judgment to come, but He will exercise mercy and justice.
Additional Reading:
Hope Beyond Hell – Gary Beauchemin
Bible Threatenings Explained – J W Hanson
“Hell” in the Bible – J W Hanson
At the End of the Age … The Abolition of Hell – Bob Everly
Raising Hell – Julie Ferwerda
(All available at Amazon)
***