Sermon Tone Analysis

Different Levels of Hell

I was recently exposed to a doctrine that I had never heard before.

The idea is that there are three Greek words for hell interpreted as Gehenna, Hell, and the Lake of Fire - all with different meanings.

As explained to me, Gehenna is where apostate believers go for a time (a millennium), Hell is where the unbelievers go until the final judgment when they are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

In addition to Gehenna I understand that there is another place believers in need of punishment will be sent and that place is the outer darkness (. 22:13, and 25:30).

In these accounts the argument is that Jesus is speaking to believers.

In he refers to the "sons of the Kingdom" being cast out into the outer darkness.

In the guests at the wedding are assumed to be saved but one is throw out.

He is not condemned eternally but is punished for his sins in the outer darkness.

I was recently exposed to a doctrine that I had never heard before.

The idea is that there are three Greek words for hell interpreted as Gehenna, Hell, and the Lake of Fire - all with different meanings.

As explained to me, Gehenna is where apostate believers go for a time (a millennium), Hell is where the unbelievers go until the final judgment when they are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

In addition to Gehenna I understand that there is another place believers in need of punishment will be sent and that place is the outer darkness (. 22:13, and 25:30).

In these accounts the argument is that Jesus is speaking to believers.

In he refers to the "sons of the Kingdom" being cast out into the outer darkness.

In the guests at the wedding are assumed to be saved but one is throw out.

He is not condemned eternally but is punished for his sins in the outer darkness.

refers to servants (or believers) but one is throw out into the outer darkness once again, a believer is thrown out but not eternally.

This doctrine is backed by verses such as (where "hell" is actually Gehenna).

The argument is that Christ is speaking to believers and warning them of the punishment that awaits them if they fail to be faithful.

The idea of rewards, such as in , is that those who DO more for the kingdom will receive more rewards than others and those who are saved but live in sin or apart from God will still be saved from eternal damnation but will be punished in Gehenna (or the outer darkness - this speaks to three levels of heaven - the Kingdom of Heaven, the Outer Darkness, and Gehenna - the believer's hell).

refers to servants (or believers) but one is throw out into the outer darkness once again, a believer is thrown out but not eternally.

This doctrine is backed by verses such as (where "hell" is actually Gehenna).

In the Bible, there are a number of different words for the abode(s) of the deceased.

In the Hebrew Old Testament we find terms like "new earth," "Sheol," "Abaddon" and various words for "the pit."

In the Greek New Testament and in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), we find terms like "new earth," "Heaven," "Gehenna," "Hades," "Tartarus," "abyss" and "Lake of Fire."

Sheol is usually translated by "Hades" in the Septuagint.

It is a very general term referring commonly to the parts of the world that lie beneath the surface of the earth (e.g., ; ; ), including the grave (), and to the abode of both the righteous (e.g., ; ) and the wicked (e.g., ) after death.

Other Old Testament texts equate Sheol with "death," as does Paul ( with ).

Abaddon is a place of destruction in the Old Testament, and Revelation indicates that it is also the name of the angel of the abyss ().

It is frequently associated with Sheol (; ; ), and sometimes with death () or a tomb ().

"The pit" is usually a hole in the ground, i.e., a grave.

However, in some instances it may refer to the collective abode of the dead ().

Gehenna is a place of punishment, torment and destruction (e.g., ; ; ; ), and it is characterized by fire (; ; ; ).

It would seem that the spirits in Gehenna are not disembodied (e.g., ,; ), which suggests that it is at least a place of eternal punishment after the general resurrection ().

But Gehenna also appears to exist and to be an active force in the present (), before the resurrection, suggesting that it is also a place of disembodied torment prior to the judgment.

The Lake of Fire is mentioned only in Revelation (; ,,; ), where it is described as the final place of torment for the wicked.

Gehenna is not mentioned in Revelation.

Judging from the descriptions of Gehenna and the Lake of Fire, they seem to be one and the same.

Hades is used in the New Testament to refer to the abode of the wicked after death () and for the grave or tomb of the righteous ().

In Revelation, it is closely associated with "death" (; ; ,).

It is mentioned in in the context of the story/parable of Lazarus and Dives.

Answer

Tartarus is only used once, so we have very little information on it.

It is where the fallen angels are temporarily imprisoned (), prior to the judgment.

In the Bible, there are a number of different words for the abode(s) of the deceased.

In the Hebrew Old Testament we find terms like "new earth," "Sheol," "Abaddon" and various words for "the pit."

In the Greek New Testament and in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), we find terms like "new earth," "Heaven," "Gehenna," "Hades," "Tartarus," "abyss" and "Lake of Fire."

Sheol is usually translated by "Hades" in the Septuagint.

It is a very general term referring commonly to the parts of the world that lie beneath the surface of the earth (e.g., ; ; ), including the grave (), and to the abode of both the righteous (e.g., ; ) and the wicked (e.g., ) after death.

Other Old Testament texts equate Sheol with "death," as does Paul ( with ).

Abaddon is a place of destruction in the Old Testament, and Revelation indicates that it is also the name of the angel of the abyss ().

It is frequently associated with Sheol (; ; ), and sometimes with death () or a tomb ().

"The pit" is usually a hole in the ground, i.e., a grave.

However, in some instances it may refer to the collective abode of the dead ().

The Bible distinguishes heaven as a temporary place of blessing for disembodied believers ().

After the general resurrection, believers will leave heaven and live perpetually on the New Earth (; ; ; ).

Gehenna is a place of punishment, torment and destruction (e.g., ; ; ; ), and it is characterized by fire (; ; ; ).

It would seem that the spirits in Gehenna are not disembodied (e.g., ,; ), which suggests that it is at least a place of eternal punishment after the general resurrection ().

But Gehenna also appears to exist and to be an active force in the present (), before the resurrection, suggesting that it is also a place of disembodied torment prior to the judgment.

The Lake of Fire is mentioned only in Revelation (; ,,; ), where it is described as the final place of torment for the wicked.

Gehenna is not mentioned in Revelation.

Judging from the descriptions of Gehenna and the Lake of Fire, they seem to be one and the same.

Hades is used in the New Testament to refer to the abode of the wicked after death () and for the grave or tomb of the righteous ().

In Revelation, it is closely associated with "death" (; ; ,).

It is mentioned in in the context of the story/parable of Lazarus and Dives.

Scholars are divided in their opinions as to whether Jesus affirmed this view of Hades or simply borrowed it for the sake of an illustration.

Potentially, it affirms that Hades may legitimately be used to refer to a place where unbelievers are tormented before the judgment.

In Revelation, the Abyss is mentioned mainly as the abode of demonic forces and curses (,,; ; ; ; ), and the same is true in .

But in Paul speaks of the Abyss simply as the abode of the dead, and specifically as where Christ went when he died.

Since the Bible indicates that Jesus did not suffer torment after his death (), the Abyss does not appear to be restricted to the wicked and to demons.

The word "abyss" itself refers to a deep or bottomless pit, so that the image is closely associated with "the pit" and perhaps with "Abaddon."

Probably, its meaning is as broad as that of "Sheol" and "Hades."

Tartarus is only used once, so we have very little information on it.

It is where the fallen angels are temporarily imprisoned (), prior to the judgment.

It is also associated with the idea of a pit.

It may have been used exclusively as a description of a place of punishment, but we can't be sure based on its one appearance.

It use in reference to the abode of the demons makes it a close match with "Abyss."

Since the Abyss is probably not for the wicked exclusively, Tartarus may also be a place for the righteous.

Hell is an English catch-all term that different translations use in different ways.

It is not directly related to any of the terms in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures.

Outer darkness is a term used in Matthew to refer to a place of cursing, cut off from the blessings of God (; ; ).

It is fairly equivalent to Gehenna, except that we have no references to it that mention fire.

Tartarus is also described as being in darkness ().

It is reserved for those who are not of God's elect (), that is, for unbelievers.

The Millennium is the current age, spanning the entire time between the first and second advents of Christ.

For further into, see the following Q&A's:

answer.asp/category/nt/file/99930.qna

answer.asp/category/nt/file/99798.qna.

Analysis of the Terms

As you can see, there is quite a bit of overlap between many of the terms listed above.

The doctrine of the afterlife is not laid out very clearly in the Old Testament, and in fact most texts that speak of it do so only in the vaguest terms.

It is in the New Testament that we find more detailed information.

But that does not mean that we should ignore the implications of the Old Testament.

For example, Sheol can mean a wide variety of things, and "Hades" is the Greek word most commonly used to translate Sheol in all its uses in the Septuagint.

Therefore, we ought to expect the meaning of "Hades" in the New Testament to be as broad as the meaning of "Sheol" in the Old Testament.

And in fact, this expectation seems to be fulfilled.

In general, it would appear that "Sheol" and "Hades," as well as "Abaddon," "the pit" and "Abyss," and perhaps even "Tartarus," largely cover the same semantic ground.

They are perhaps nuanced differently, but we probably ought not to make hard and fast theological distinctions between them.

These terms do not give us a clear picture of what happens to people when they die, or of what happens to them after the judgment.