| The Destination of HELL | Added: June-29-05 |
The same all-wise, all-knowing God who designed and created heaven also designed and created hell. All things were created by Him (Colossians 1:16-17). God's hell is a literal place with physical consequences for those who end up there. It was created for all who are deemed unfit for heaven.
Hell was not prepared for humans, but for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). However, all those who have died without accepting God's plan of escape, by the very nature of rejection, have accepted the devil's plight and plan (I John 3:8). Such people are referred to in Scripture as the "children of disobedience" (Ephesians 5:6). These people have the devil's spirit; they are even called the devil's children (John 8:42-45). God's wrath will be their inheritance, because they are the children of wrath (Ephesians 2:2-3; 5:6; I John 3:10). But praise be to God that there is a way of escape for all who will accept it (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9).
Sadly, hell is a subject that many of today's theologians do not take very seriously. It has become out of step with the thinking of modern society: Many contend that it is difficult enough to defend Christianity without having to explain hell. But, like it or not, hell is more than a theological discomfort; it is a reality. Most assuredly, Jesus portrayed hell that way. It was more than a scare tactic or spooky phenomenon used by Jesus in His ministry. So if Jesus took hell seriously, so should we. It is our duty to learn all we can about hell and the plight of those who go there.
The Destination of Hell: The word "hell" is translated in the King James Bible from three Greek words in the New Testament and one Hebrew word in the Old Testament. The Greek words are: haides (hades), geena (gehenna), and tartaroo (tartaros). The original Old Testament Hebrew word for "hell" is sheowl. Sheowl or Sheol has a double application that is sometimes used to designate the grave and other times to refer to the place of departed spirits.
In reality, the hells of both Old and New Testaments are different stages and/or divisions of the one place of torment. The stages and divisions are explained as follows:
1. Hades. This is the same as the Old Testament word sheowl, the place where we find those of both Old and New Testaments who have died (and are dying) without accepting God's plan of escape. We discussed the two compartments of Hades in the previous chapter (When Death Comes), however, Hades does not presently include the paradise side because Christ emptied paradise when He led captivity captive (Psalm 68:18; Ephesains 4:8). Those who die without having accepted Christ, in addition to the disobedient of Old Testament times, are held in Hades until the Great White Throne Judgment takes place (Revelation 20:12). We know that Hades is a place of torment as described in Luke 16:19-31. As mentioned earlier, Jesus descended into Hades before He ascended into heaven (Acts 2:24-27; Eph. 4:8-10; I Peter 3:18-20).
2. Tartaros. Tartaros is from the Greek tartaroo and is found in II Peter 2:4. Tartaros is the lowest abyss of Hades. Both Peter and Jude inform us that this is where the fallen angels are being kept. These fallen angels are those of the spirit-world who were cast out with Satan (Revelation 12:4; Jude 6). They are evidently locked in this abyss and are restrained from roaming the higher elevation of Hades. Tartaros, this lowest abyss of hell, is the bottomless pit. It is called the "bottomless pit" simply because it has no bottom. If one could do so, one could descend to the very center of the Earth, but would merely have to stop, because there is no bottom. To continue to move in any direction, one would immediately begin to ascend (as the Earth is round). The very word "bottomless" gives reference to the downward direction of this place. The demons besought Christ not to cast them into the deep when Christ met the man at Gadarene (Luke 8:26-36). This "deep" is abussos, which is "abyss (bottomless) pit." Note: These beings of Luke 8:2636 were not cast into the abyss when the fallen angels were cast there after their expulsion with Satan (then called Lucifer). These demonic creatures were the spirit-flesh beings, or offspring, of the sons of God (angels as sons - Job 1:6; 2:1) and the daughters of men (Genesis 6:2-5). The offspring of this union are referred to as the Nephilim, from the Hebrew word nephiyl, meaning "giant" (Genesis 6:4). These beings were part human, part fallen angel. This is where such legends as half-god, half-human heroes were born, including Hercules and many others. When these offspring physically died, the fallen angel spirit within lived on (for spirits cannot die, Genesis 6:3). Hence, these beings (demons) became disembodied spirits. These disembodied spirits are ever searching for new bodies to inhabit. They do not die when the bodies of their victims die. This is why so many people are drawn to the occult through psychics, mediums, familiar spirits and a belief in reincarnation. Upon opening themselves up to the occult, that is, the world of "familiar" spirits, they become possessed, or at least persuaded, by these immortal beings who have lived in previous bodies. The re-embodied spirit, having the thoughts and memories of previous victims, conveys those thoughts and memories to the new victim. The new victim is convinced that he or she has lived a previous life. This is one of Satan's many deceptive tactics.
3. Geenna or Gehenna,
the everlasting hell, will be the eternal abode of the "dead" who are
judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Matthew 5:22; 23:33;
Revelation 20:11-15). It will also be the eternal dwelling place of
Satan and all other fallen angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10),
and all humans who have rejected God's plan of escape (Hebrew 2:3). The
Great White Throne Judgment does not occur until after the Millennial
Reign; this eternal stage of hell has not yet begun. Its eternal nature
will begin when the beast and the false prophet of Revelation 19:20 are
cast there (see author's book, The Unveiling). Geenna (gehenna) is the "lake of fire" of Scripture (Revelation 19:20; 20:10,14,15) which is the second death (Rev. 20:14). Gehenna as a garbage dump will be discussed shortly.