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Heaven and Hell

Author

Michael Pleasant
August 21, 2024

HEAVEN AND HELL

A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF HELL

The word “Hell” is not found in the New or Old Testament. The word “Hell” was added in the KJV and likely derived from Norse mythology. “Hel” was the Norse ruler of the underworld which was called “Hel/Helheim.” In Scripture, there are two words that are translated as “Hell” (four originally in the KJV [Sheol and Hades additionally]) later on. These two words are “γεέννῃ” or “Gehenna” and “ταρταρώσας” or “Tartarus.”

  • Gehenna: derives from the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew “ge-hinnom”, meaning “Valley of [the sons of] Hinnom.” This valley was an evil place where Israelites would conduct sorcery and child sacrifice by fire to the Canaanite god molech. During Jesus’ time the valley became a place where they continuously burned trash outside of Jerusalem. Jesus used the physical location as a figurative description of what we know as Hell (Ex. Matthew 10:28 & Matthew 18:6-9).[1]

  • Tartarus: derives from Greek Mythology, just as the word Hades does. Tartarus in Greek mythology was a place of the dead that was much worse than Hades. It was reserved for “ferocious monsters and the worst of criminals.” It is used only once in the NT in 2 Peter 2:4.[2]

    • Check out Luke 8:26-31 and 2 Peter 2:4.

Aside from these two words we see plenty of figurative language to reference Hell such as “Outer Darkness” (Matt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), The Second Death (Rev. 20:14; 21:8), and the Lake of Fire/Sulfur.

Why do we use the word Hell if it isn’t in Scripture?

  • Well, it is the same reason New Testament writers used Hades and Tartarus.

“The quickest and most accurate way to get a concept into another language is to use the word that already exists among speakers for the semantically equivalent concept.[3]”

  •  Example: “media naranja” translates from Spanish literally as “middle orange” but to the Spanish speaker, this phrase means “Soulmate.” If I were to write subtitles for a Spanish speaking romance movie and the characters were to call one another their “media naranja” how should I translate it to English? Should I translate it literally? No of course not.

  • Now we can ask, well why do they choose to use that word to describe it, but at the end of the day that is not up for us to decide.

  • “No one person or committee of persons prescribes what words will mean or how they will be used in combination. The users of a language determine meaning and usage.[4]”

So why Gehenna? Jesus was communicating eternal punishment in a way that His Hebrew audience would understand. A place in Israel where sinners populated and now has a fire constantly burning would have communicated to the Israelite the idea Jesus was conveying about the lake of fire.

So why Tartarus? Peter was communicating eternal punishment in a way that his Greek/Roman audience would understand. A place worse than Hades where monsters are punished would have communicated to the Greek the idea Peter was conveying about where demons will go.

So why Hell? The KJV translators were trying to communicate Gehenna, Tartarus, Sheol, and Hades in a way that their European audience would understand. A place of the dead that was already a commonly used term would have communicated to English reader the ideas that were already being conveyed about the afterlife.

In my opinion: I believe the KJV is in error when it comes to its translation of Sheol and Hades. The reality is that Hades and Sheol seem to be completely different than Gehenna and Tartarus. One depicts the place of the dead/the grave, the other depicts the lake of fire. Clumping them all together muddies their meaning, which is why modern translations mostly keep Hades and Sheol as is.

Although we know the Lake of Fire/the Outer Darkness/the Second Death as Hell today, it does not seem as though Hell was meant to be its definitive title. Rather, just as Jesus uses Gehenna as a figurative picture of this lake of fire, it should be the same with “Hell.” I believe the other words we see throughout Scripture (Lake of Fire/the Outer Darkness/the Second Death) are just as, if not more, effective in how we communicate the idea of “Hell.” I also believe when we communicate Hell as a place of punishment, we see many more links to the Old Testament than we do with “Hell.” This also defeats the arguments of Hell not existing in the OT.

DIFFERING VIEWS OF HELL[5]

1. Eternal Conscious Torment

Biblical Defense: Isaiah 66:22-24; Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 18:6-9; 25:31-46; Mark 9:42-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Jude 1:7,13; Revelation 14:9-11;20:10, 14-15.

What is Hell according to this view? 1. Final Separation, 2. Unending Experience, 3. Just Retribution

Arguments against this view[6]:

Arguments against eternal torment are not typically over its existence in Scripture, but rather its theological implications about God.

  1. A loving God would not send people to hell.

    1. Ephesians 2:8–9, Thessalonians 1:5-6, Ezekiel 18:32, John 3:16, and Romans 12:19 would disagree.

    2. Also, who are we to define and determine what is right and wrong as morally corrupt beings?

  2.  A just God would not send people to hell.

    1.  “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done’” -C.S. Lewis[7]

  3. Eternal Punishment is merely a scare tactic to enforce a particular brand of allegiance or behavior.

    1. This would be an effective argument if the concept of Hell did not exist in Scripture.

    2.  Matthew 10:28, Revelation 14:11, and Ezekiel 18:32 would disagree.

2. Terminal Punishment

Biblical Defense: Psalm 1:4-6; 2 Peter 2:6; Matthew 10:28

Not all uses of the word “eternal” or “forever” are literally eternal/forever. (Exodus 12:24-25; 29:4-9; 1 Kings 8-6, 12-13; Hebrews 6:1-2; 9:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Mark 3:28-29)

Example: God is giving Moses instruction on the line of Aaron being used as priests when He says in Exodus 29:9 (ESV), “and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.” “Olam” is the Hebrew word for “forever” and is frequently used when something is being described as permanent or eternal. But, there is no longer a need for the priesthood through Jesus.

  • Through this defense one could argue when the NT speaks of “eternal torment,” eternal does not mean forever as we tend to think. Instead, one who argues this way would lean on to Scripture such as 2 Thessalonians 1:9 and Matthew 10:28 as a description of Hell.

  • One who believes in terminal punishment typically believes that punishment through eternal torment puts to question God’s love.

  • Rather, there is a time of punishment for sins through torment, but the final punishment is complete destruction or nonexistence.

This promotes the idea of Annihilationism.

What is Hell according to this view? A time of punishment later destined to Utter Destruction/Nonexistence.

Arguments against this view:

This view requires the reader to take Scripture less literally, which can be a slippery slope.

  1. Who are we to question God’s method of judgment.

  2. Hellfire meaning annihilation just does not make logical sense.

3. The Universalist View

We will not have time justifiably cover all that is in this view. This view rests largely on the character of God and the metanarrative. While I do not believe this view is Scripturally consistent, it does not mean we should not try and understand the perspective.

Biblical Defense: Romans 5:18; 11:23; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Philippians 2:11; Colossians 1:19-20

The basis of the belief is that God will reconcile all people.

  • There is a time of temporary punishment, but God will eventually deliver everyone back into His Kingdom.

  • This is not a new belief; Universalism was very common in the early church around 200-400AD/CE.

What is Hell according to this view? A time of temporary punishment designed to retore one to Heaven.

Arguments against this view:

The majority of arguments boil down to it being based on poor hermeneutics and is more conceptual than scriptural.

In my opinion: I believe Eternal torment to be the most biblically sound interpretation of Hell. If we take the Bible literally, it is hard to not see it this way. It can feel at times as though this is unfair, but in these times we must seriously evaluate who we are and who God is. However, if God wanted to perform His judgement in a way we do not expect, who are we to judge? What we can lean on what is true for the believer. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Whatever Hell holds, that if not for the believer to stress over. Our place is being prepared (John 14:3), and what is in store is beyond anything we could ever imagine.


[4] Moo, Douglas. We Still Don’t Get It: Evangelicals and Bible Translation Fifty Years After James Barr. Presentation from the 2014 ETS Annual Meeting. Zondervan, 2014. https://vialogue.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/we-still-dont-get-it/

[5] Burk, Denny, Jerry Walls, Robin Parry, and Stackhouse. Four Views On Hell: Second Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2016.

[7] Lewis, C. S. The Great Divorce: A Dream. HarperCollins ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001, p.339.