What is Hell?
The Bible, in English versions, makes many references to "Hell" throughout its pages. However, the problem with the misconceptions about Hell all come mainly from the mistranslation of one word. But we'll get to that in a moment. To understand what Hell actually is, we only need to start where it is first mentioned. Simply put, Hell is nothing more than the place of departed souls, where they remain until judgment. Hell is simply the place of the dead - the grave. The Tanakh ('Old Testament') uses only one word for Hell, and it is Sheol.
Sheol - [equated to] hades or the world of the dead (as if subterranean), includ. its accessories and inmates: - [lit.] the grave, Hell, pit. (Strong's # 7585)
As you can see, the word used for Hell in the Tanakh, sheol, simply refers to the place of the dead - the departed souls. It is actually most properly translated as "the grave." "The grave" is the figurative name given to the place of the dead, sheol, and does not necessarily mean a literal tomb or burial grave (there is a different Hebrew word used for that). Sheol, when used as "the grave," refers to the grave in general. The dead are buried in a tomb or grave within the surface of the earth, and thus the grave is considered the place of the dead. The tombs and graves are considered the "mouth of the grave" and "the grave" (sheol) is the collective place of the dead within the the earth. Based on this single word used, and the context in which it is used throughout the Tanakh, there is nothing even close to suggest that Hell/Sheol is an "eternal place of fire." The problem with adding eternal fire to Hell comes from the mistranslation of New Testament scriptures. The NT does indeed speak of "Hell," and it uses a Greek word that nearly perfectly corresponds to the Hebrew word (sheol) for Hell. The word used in the NT scriptures, that accurately translates as Hell, is Hades.
Hades -- "Hades," or the place of departed souls: - grave, Hell (Strong's # 86)
Again, based on the word used, and the context in which it is used, Hell/Hades is nothing more than the place of the dead - the place where departed souls (the dead) remain until the resurrection. Hades is never associated with fire. Need proof? Just get out your Greek concordance and look up every occurence of the word 'Hades' in the New Testament. Not once is it used in association with fire. There is one other word which indirectly refers to Hell - not just Hell, but the deepest parts of Hell. That word is used once and is Tartaros.
Tartaros -- (the deepest abyss of Hades): - to be cast down into Hell (Strong's # 5020)
But from these definitions of the words used in scripture, along with biblical descriptions of Hell, we can gather a clearer picture of what Hell really is. It is simply the place of the dead, where all departed souls remain at rest until the resurrection and judgment. The dead are buried within the surface of the earth - the "mouth of the grave." Of all the dead, "the grave" is the encompassing phrase used to describe the place of the dead buried beneath our feet, in the ground. And Tartaros describes the deepest part of the grave, far within the depths of the earth where the disobedient angels are imprisoned (Jude 6). That is what Hell is.
So how does "eternal fire" get confused with Hell? As I hinted before, it is due mainly to one single mistranslated word. That word is Gehenna (Strong's # 1067). Gehenna is the only word used in reference to fire punishment. Every single time that Yahshua spoke of "hellfire" or "eternal fire," the word used is Gehenna. Yahshua used Gehenna to refer to the lake of fire. He did this because of its familiararity to those with whom he spoke. Gehenna is from the Hebrew for the 'Valley of Hinnon.' The Valley of Hinnon was a huge trash dump where garbage was thrown and burned. Because of the constant daily addition of more trash, the fire burned continuously, giving the appearance of a perpetual lake of fire. So Yahshua used this familiar place as a metaphor for the future lake of fire judgment. Gehenna is not Hell - it is the Lake of Fire. In Rev 20:10, we see that it is the Lake of Fire that is "for ages and ages." And in Mark 9:43 & 45, Yahshua speaks of the same unquenchable fire and he does not refer to Hell (hades), but he refers to Gehenna. Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are the same place of unquenchable, "for ages and ages" fire. Hell has nothing to do with eternal fire. But because translators decided to lump Hades and Gehenna together, we now have millions of people thinking that Hell is some eternal place of fire.
So far, this not only descibes what Hell is, but also uncovers its purpose. It is simply a temporary place where deceased souls rest, until they are resurrected into either eternal life, or judgment (Daniel 12:2). It is at judgment, that Hell (the grave, sheol) will give up the dead (not living tortured souls) it has held (Rev 20:13).
The other main misconception about Hell, is that Hell is in itself, a set place in eternity where its inhabitants will supposedly be tortured forever. This just isn't true, and is foreign to the Bible. Hell (the grave) will be thrown into the Lake of Fire at the end judgment. What it means for Hell itself to be (figuratively) thrown into the Lake of Fire, is that the power of Hell (the grave) and death, will be rendered powerless. And the place of Hell will no longer remain; the earth/ground will no longer be a place to hold the dead, for there will no longer be any dead. This is the final and thorough judgment of God. It is important to understand that Hell exists and is present at this very moment and that the Bible even says that Hell enlarges itself (it's population) daily, obviously as more people die each day. But it is important to understand what hell actually is. Hell is simply where the deceased go at death and 'sleep.' Everyone who has ever died is there now awaiting the resurrection. Until the final judgment, Hell (the grave, sheol) will be the place of all the dead, at which point Hell will then give up the dead it has held at the resurrection, and some will be resurrected to be judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:13), while believers and the righteous will be resurrected into eternal life.
But does the Bible really tell us where the location of Hell is now, including the Tartaros, the deepest part of Hell? Indeed it does.
Where is Hell?
Along with the misguided beliefs about Hell, a lot of people have speculated about where Hell is - is it a literal, physical place, or is it a place of spiritual torment in the spiritual realm? Well, the answer is surprisingly simple - that is, if you use scripture as your source for the answer. Once we realize that Hell is nothing more than the grave (sheol) where the dead rest, most of the confusion is instantly cleared up. But Hell/sheol reaches deeper than just the grave for our bodies, and for thoroughness, I'll explain from scripture it's location. We mustn't forget, we still have Tartaros, the deepest part of Hell. Throughout the Bible, both 'Old' and 'New' Testament, scripture very clearly teaches us that Hell is indeed the grave within the Earth, as I said earlier. And when considering that the surface of the earth becomes the grave for our dead bodies, then one can see how the belly of the earth is what is meant by the phrase, the "depths of the grave" - this is Tartaros, where those disobedient angels are chained (Jude 6). There is even biblical answers to why Hell is in our Earth, but first let's read some scriptures that clearly teach that Hell's location is part of Earth.
It's important to note that in these scriptures, many times man is being addressed, and when Hell/Sheol is referred to it is nearly always considered below or down from (under) man, who inhabits Earth. Logically, below or under man, is none other than within the Earth, for no matter where a man stands on the Earth, the belly of Earth is always directly below him.
Matthew 11:23 - "Hades" Strong's # 86
(NIV) - "you will go down to [the depths]"
(KJV) - "shalt be brought down to [Hell]"
(NLT) - "you will be brought down to [the place of the dead]"
II Peter 2:4 - "Tartaros" Strong's # 5020
(NIV) - "but sent them to [Hell], putting them in gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;"
(KJV) - "but cast them down into [Hell],"
(NLT) - "He threw them into [Hell], in gloomy caves and darkness until judgment day"
Amos 9:2 - "Sheol" Strong's # 7585
(NIV) - "Though they dig down to the depths of [the grave],"
(KJV) - "Though they dig into [Hell],"
(NLT) - "Even if they dig down to [the place of the dead], I will reach down and pull them up."
Numbers 16:31-33 - "Sheol" Strong's # 7585
(NIV) - "the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, ...They went down alive into [the grave],"
(KJV) - "the ground clave asunder that was under them. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, ...They, ...went down alive into the [pit],"
(NLT) - "the ground suddenly split open beneath them. The earth opened up and swallowed the men, ...So they went down alive into [the grave],"
Those scriptures alone are enough to declare that Hell is definitely, according to the Bible, within and part of the Earth. But there are more. The following scriptures may not contain a word for "Hell" in them, but are clearly in balance and scriptural harmony with the above scriptures, that Hell is indeed within the Earth. These scriptures are in relation to Yahshua's own descent into Hell/the grave (Hades - the place of departed souls) through his own death.
Ephesians 4:9
(NIV) - "What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the depths of the earth"
(KJV) - "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth"
This verse in Ephesians references when Christ died. He was laid in the grave, dead. He slept as all the dead, within sheol.
Romans 10:7
(NIV) - "'Who will descend into the deep?' (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead)."
Philippians 2:10
(NIV) - "that at the name of Yahshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," [whose knees will bow under the earth? - Those in Tartaros, located within/under the earth! The order is this: 'in heaven' is all the heavenly hosts and inhabitants of the heavens; 'on earth' is every living person; 'under the earth' is all the captive fallen angels in Hell/Tartaros within the earth. Even those rebellious angels in Hell will submit to Messiah's authority and bow to their knees.]
There are many more scriptures which teach us that Hell's location is within the earth, however, I don't wish to use up too much space. Scripture is very clear on that point. But hopefully, this very brief look at the concept, misconceptions and scriptural truths about hell will enlighten those of you who have taken the time to read this. In short, hell is just the grave, not a fiery pit of eternal torture. Everyone goes to hell.
(As a side note, there is a theory that the Lake of Fire may actually be our Sun. The Sun is essentially an enormous lake of fire - literally a huge fiery ball of gas. This is a very plausible theory, but since it involves so much speculation without solid biblical evidence [other than the fact that the Sun is partially made of burning sulphur], it will have to remain a theory for now. I may write a paper on this theory sometime in the future.)
If you'd like to learn more about death & the lake of fire, read the article, "After Death."
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