Hell In The New Testament

The English word “hell” is found in the King James New Testament a total of 23 times.  We learned in the previous post, Hell In The Old Testament, that hell was always translated from one Hebrew word – “sheol”.  The King James New Testament however translates three Greek words into the English word “hell”.  Let’s take a look at each of these words and get a better understanding of their meaning… the Greek words are “hades“, “gehenna“, and “tartarus“.

Hades
The Greek hades is translated as hell ten times in the New Testament.  It is defined as: properly unseen, that is, “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls: – grave.

That should sound familiar if you read my previous post, Hell In The Old Testament.  We learned in that post the Hebrew sheol means grave, and now we see the Greek hades also means grave.  Hebrew sheol shares the exact meaning as Greek hades.  Let’s look at scriptural proof:

Acts 2:27 KJV  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(Greek hades), neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 16:10 KJV  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(Hebrew sheol); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:27 is referencing Psalms 16:10, and in doing so has made Greek hades the divine scriptural equivalent of Hebrew sheol.  Hades means sheol; hades and sheol mean grave… always.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of hell(hades) in the New Testament:

Matthew 11:23 KJV  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell(hades): for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

If you read the text around this verse you see that Jesus was scolding Capernaum for their arrogance, high-mindedness, and unwillingness to repent considering the mighty works they had seen.  This woe that Christ proclaimed against Capernaum is true for all of the self righteous.  They will be brought low… they will fall from their high pinnacle and they will be humbled and bow before the Lord.  Christ goes on to say that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in judgment than for Capernaum.  How is one verdict of eternal torture more tolerable than another?  Please study these scriptures and see how foolish the hell doctrine really is.

Matthew 16:18 KJV  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell(hades) shall not prevail against it.

We know that all men are appointed to die (Heb 9:27)… but note the word “gate” in Matthew 16:18.  Gates can be open or closed… they can even be locked.  I believe we find in Revelation 1:18 that Christ holds the keys to this gate.  Death and the grave will no longer prevail once Christ opens the gate.  Remember, all men experience hades… all men, but it is only temporary because Christ saves us from the power of death and the grave.

Luke 16:23 KJV  And in hell(hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

This is a parable and is not about a literal hell… it is about Judah and the nations, but most people are so deceived regarding the hell doctrine that it will require a post of it’s own to explain.  This is in fact the last of a five part parable that begins in chapter 15.

Revelation 20:14 KJV  And death and hell(hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Uh-oh!  Hell was cast into hell?  I wanted to include this verse because many people believe that the lake of fire is also the fiery, torturous hell of most Christian doctrine.  If that were so it would be rather difficult to throw hell into hell, wouldn’t it?  The lake of fire is certainly not hell either but that will also require a separate post.  Most will be shocked to learn who or what the lake of the fire really is.

One more interesting fact.  There is one time in the New Testament that King James’ translators translated the word hades correctly:

1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV  (55)  O death, where is thy sting? O grave(hades), where is thy victory?

Now ask yourselves why they didn’t translate hades to hell in this one and only instance.  I would love for all who come across these truths to see and hear… but sadly it is prophesied that most will stay behind the veil of deception.  Pray for understanding and a love for the truth.

Gehenna and Gehenna Fire
Twelve times the King James translators translated the Greek word gehenna to our English hell.  So what is gehenna?  Of Hebrew origin; valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem.

Gehenna is a transliteration of the Hebrew Gai Hinnom, the Vally of Hinnom, or the Valley of the sons of Hinnom.  Reference to this exact New Testament Gehenna is found in the Old Testament eleven times, such as:

Nehemiah 11:30 KJV  Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley(Hebrew gai) of Hinnom(Hebrew Hinnom, originally a Jebusite).

This valley of Hinnom, gai Hinnom, or Gehenna(Greek) is the location where idolatrous Israel passed their children through the fires in the worship of Molech.

2 Chronicles 28:3 KJV  Moreover he(King Ahaz) burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

Take note that this practice of burning children in fire was “the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel”.  God has always given strict warning to his people not to worship in the way of the heathen.  Almost all pagan doctrines, customs, and traditions can be traced back to Egypt… and God warned Israel not to practice these beliefs.  God’s people are to be separate from these worldly things.  We have to see how blasphemous it is to associate such a pagan doctrine of burning children to our mighty God.  He does not do the very thing he gave strict orders for us not to do.  The Christian Hell Doctrine is not only unscriptural but it is an utmost sin to accuse our Lord of such a thing.  God’s judgment is never about purposeless torment and torture but about correction.

Gehenna in Jesus’ day was no longer used to burn children, but the fires still continually burned for the destruction of Jerusalem’s refuse.  Jesus spoke figuratively of these fires as the destruction associated with the judgment of God.  God’s judgment is not about burning for all time in endless torment… but of burning the chaff, wood, hay, and stubble from the gold, silver, and precious stones of our lives.

Matthew 3:12 KJV  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 KJV  (12)  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  (13)  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  (14)  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  (15)  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The instances of hell translated from Gehenna confirm the above scripture:

Mat 5:29  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell(gehenna).
Mat 5:30  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell(gehenna).

This is figurative language.  What good would it really do to cast an eye or a hand into hell?  The eye means perception and the hand represents works.  It is the false doctrines and works of the flesh that must be cast into the fire.  The lusts of the flesh have to be burned away because “flesh and blood do not enter the kingdom of God”. (I Cor. 15:50)

The scriptures tells us over and over that we are saved by fire and that God is a consuming fire.  It is an evil and blasphemous idol of the heart to associate God and his means of correction into the Hell Doctrine of Satan.

As I asked in my post Hell In The Old Testament, where do we see mention of condemned souls, devils, punishment, Satan, being separated from God, evil, misery, or torment?  We don’t see those evil doctrines in the holy scriptures and Israel did not see them in the oracles of God… these doctrines and practices were and still are the ways of the heathen. (See Lev 18:3, Deu 12:30, Jer 10:2)

Tartarus
Regarding the Greek tartarus which only appears in II Peter 2:4 – Tartarus was derived from mythology as a place of restraint, an abyss.  II peter 2:4 is speaking of angels and reserving them or restraining them until judgment, a time in the future.  This concerns the judgment of angels… not ours.  (See Jude 1:6)  A better translation may have simply been abyss or the original Greek word as we have no English word for it.

I hope that a look at hell in both the Old and New Testament of the King James will open your eyes and ears to God’s truth, and create in you a desire to study scripture as we are commanded to do.  The Good News is actually good, and so is God… unlike what so many believe.

Here is a listing of all verses that translate hades to hell:
Mat 11:23, Mat 16:18, Luk 10:15, Luk 16:23, Act 2:27, Act 2:31, Rev 1:18, Rev 6:8, Rev 20:13, Rev 20:14

The one time they got it right, hades to grave:
1Co 15:55

Here is a listing of all verses that translate gehenna to hell:
Mat 5:22, Mat 5:29, Mat 5:30, Mat 10:28, Mat 18:9, Mat 23:15 , Mat 23:33, Mar 9:43, Mar 9:45, Mar 9:47, Luk 12:5, Jas 3:6

Here is the verse that translates tartarus to hell:
2Pe 2:4

Here is a listing of all Old Testament verses referencing Gai Hinnom or Gehenna:
Jos 15:8, Jos 18:16, 2Ki 23:10, 2Ch 28:3, 2Ch 33:6, Neh 11:30, Jer 7:31, Jer 7:32, Jer 19:2, Jer 19:6, Jer 32:35