The Truth About "Hell"—What It Is and Who Is Going There

Are you worried that you might end up in "hell"? Or worse, that someone you love is there now suffering in agony for all eternity? Well... the truth is Hell is not what most people think.

Many think of "hell" as a fiery place of torment where some people go when they die to suffer forever.
But is that what the Bible really says? Would a loving God really create human beings and have the vast majority of them literally burn in agony for eternity?
In this video, we're going to explain the Biblical truth about "hell" in 4 simple points so that you know what it is, who's going there, and why.
Be sure to stick around for all 4 points because "Hell" is real, but it's probably not what you expect.
And don't just believe us, but look up these verses and prove this from your own Bible.

Point # 1: "Hell" has 3 meanings from 4 different words

English translations of the Bible have made "hell" pretty confusing because 4 different words in the original languages have all been translated "hell."
You can use any concordance or lexicon to see this.
The word "hell" in your Bible could be referring to the Hebrew word sheol, or the Greek words hades, gehenna, or tartaroo.
And the problem is, not all of these words mean the same thing.

For example, the Hebrew sheol in the Old Testament, simply means "grave" or "pit." So does the Greek word hades in the New Testament. Many translations maintain this rendering. In fact, the New International Version never translates sheol as "hell." But not all translations are as clear. The King James Version translates sheol as "hell" 31 times. Yet, sheol and hades simply refer to a pit or the grave—a place where the dead are buried to decompose and return to dust.
"As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave (or sheol) does not come up." (Job 7:9)

Now, the Greek word Gehenna is different. This word is derived from the Hebrew expression ge hinnom—a reference to the valley of Hinnom to the south of Jerusalem. Anciently, the valley of Hinnom was used as a place to dump Jerusalem's trash. Fires burned continuously and fed on the city's garbage, which included the dead bodies of condemned criminals. As a result, "Gehenna" became a symbol of judgment associated with fire. So this "hell", or gehenna fire, is a reference to the final fate of the wicked, which we'll cover further in Point #3.

And lastly, the Greek word tartaroo is based on the Greek word tartarus. This word denotes a condition of restraint, and it applies not to human beings, but rather to fallen angels. This word is found only once in the Bible. In 2 Peter 2:4, it says, "God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment." This "hell" is only for angels and is completely different from sheol & hades, or gehenna.

So, when it comes to understanding "hell", the first thing we need to do is ask, "which 'hell' are we talking about?"
In the Bible, "Hell" can be describing three very different places or conditions. It can be a pit or the grave. It can refer to a place of fiery judgment. Or it can indicate the confinement of fallen angels.
Using the one word "hell" to convey all three of these meanings has caused confusion, and does not accurately communicate the truth of the Bible.
Point # 2: The dead are not in any way alive or conscious in "hell."

As mentioned, when "hell" is speaking of the grave it is simply speaking of the place where the dead remain. Historically, when people die, their bodies have often been buried in a grave, where the bodies naturally decay and turn again to dust. So, sheol and hades—or, 'the grave'—is often characterized as the 'realm' where the dead go down into, picturing the mortal end of all men.
But the dead are in no way alive or conscious in sheol or hades.
This is how the Bible describes the state of the dead:
"For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing...." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave (sheol) where you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down in silence.” (Psalm 115:17)
"For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave (‘in sheol’) who will give You thanks?" (Psalm 6:5)
And as Psalm 146 explains, when a man dies, "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish." (Psalm 146:4)

Видео The Truth About "Hell"—What It Is and Who Is Going There канала Tomorrow's World