We read in the four gospels about Lazerus and the rich man.
The Bible reads "in hell he lift up his eyes." This is where a big problem arises when we look at the scriptures, and what is commonly taught. If Lazerus and the rich man could see each other, and the rich man could see Abraham, then they were both in the same place. The Greek word "Hades" here for hell is actually the same word as "sheol" in the OT, just a different language...Greek. Hades has the same definition as sheol...the place of the dead. In the new testament, hades is sometimes used as "the grave", but here it is used for the place of the dead...it is obvious, Lazerus and the rich man are dead, and they are in the same place. Lazerus was not in heaven as is commonly taught. Doesn't scripture say that no man has ever entered into heaven? Pharisees are very good at decieving and being decieved. It's not hopeless. All a Pharisee has to do is stop being a Pharisee, and start teaching truth. Thats what Paul did, and that is what I am doing.
How does hell get the description of being on fire? Nowhere in the Bible does it say that hell (sheol, hades) is on fire. The rich man was not on fire, he wasn't standing in fire, nor was there any fire close to him. Just because he was thirsty does not mean he was on fire. How long can you go without water or something to drink before you get thirsty. One hour? Two hours? I personally start getting thirsty within 30 minutes of my last sip. There is no indication how long he was there, but if he was there just one day, he would be extreemely thirsty...even to the point that one drop on the tip of Lazerus' finger would give him comfort. His torment was not fire, it was seperation from YHWH, and no such comforts as water. That would be "hell".
When the Pharisees were told they were in danger of "hell's fire", the word hell here is the Greek word "gehenna" or "gee-hinnom" given to describe the fire pit in the Hinnom Valley on the south east side of of the temple mount where the animal waste, trash, and strangers who died within the city were put. This is where our savior would have been put by the Roman soldiers if Joseph had not begged for his body to put into his own tomb. Criminals who were crucified were cast into Gehenna because they were not worthy of being buried or placed into a tomb. Dead strangers were cast there because they had "no place" to be buried, and all the cities trash and scraps left from animal sacrifices were put there. It burned day and night, and sulfer was thrown into the fire to keep the stench of rotting and burning flesh down. Much like lime can be put on rotting smelly things to neutralize stench. This is also where Judas "hung" himself. He actually didn't hang himself, he jumped from a rocky cliff and fell into Gehenna, thus his "bowels gushed out," as described by Paul.
The word hell here is sort of symbolic more than literal when warning the Pharisees. The symbolism is, because they changed the law, and made doctrines and teachings difficult and impossible for believers to live by, then their adding to and taking away symbolizes what YHWH will do to them on judgement day. When the Pharisees died, they didn't go to a burning hell, they went to hades/sheol, the place of the dead. They weren't thrown into Gehenna, they were buried in prominent tombs and graves, because the rich and prominent men throughout the ages have always been buried in the best tombs and graves. The literal truth is, when YHWH judges the just and unjust, some will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented in flames for eternity. This is also where death, hell (Gehenna) and the grave (hell, sheol) will be put. The blind will lead the blind right into the ditch with their doctrines of devils.
In the NT hell is used for Hades, Gehenna, and one more word that is used only one time in the entire Bible. It is the Greek word "tartarus. or tartaroo." This word means "abyss," or the deepest depths of Hades/Sheol. Apparently there is a dungeon or basement, or lower place in the depths of "the place of the dead." The Bible describes this place as the place where YHWH put the fallen angels that disobeyed and rebelled against Him. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that men go there when they die. This is a place that is reserved for its only purpose. I believe this is the"pit" that satan is put into for a thousand years, and the bottomless pit that the "demons" come out of in the book of Revelation.
So. the OT Sheol is translated to hell. In the NT Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus are translated into hell, and it is very unfortunate that the Pharisees of today use "firy hell" as a threat and force to control believers to comply with their form of religion. As long as they continually preach the threat of hell's fire to you, and you earnestly desire to listen to these things, you are under the bondage of religion, and not under the yoke of our savior who says His yoke is easy, and His burden light, and He will walk every step of the way with you. As long as you continue to be under the bondage of religion, the savior is not by your side, you are on your own, because the Pharisees won't even share the load (of bull) they have put on you. The sad thing is, they don't even know it. Modern day Pharisees (preachers) are teaching tradition, not truth. Truth will set you free from the burden of religion.
If you have been enlightened by what you've read here, then the best thing you can do is stop listening to the lies of the Pharisees (all preachers), and start seeking the truths of YHWH. I have found that there are few men who are teaching truth. A lot has left one religion only to be caught up into another religion. Religion only brings bondage. A different religion only makes for different bondage. All religious people are members of their denomination or religion because the bondage there is easier to bear than the bondage that other religions have to offer them.
The only way we can obtain salvation is to become unreligious or non-religious. This is a difficult undertaking when you consider that we are taught from the first time we draw a breath, that we have to be religious, or we are going to hell. It is up to us to determine which "denomination" has the truth.
The truth is, we all go to hell (sheol) when we die. The only difference is, which side of the "great gulf" will we be on when we get there. Home <---Back