The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Heaven, Yes - Hell, No

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans
The word “hell” is not in this epistle, so we have that out of the way from the first.

In Romans 6:7, we come up against this, – “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Paul follows this up at the end of the chapter with “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (verse 23). Now if you remember what I said earlier about the Jubilee, you know that if we think of sin as our master, and Paul does mention us becoming slaves to sin, then at the start of the Jubilee, we go free, back to our inheritance. Paul is telling us the same, that death is our Jubilee, setting us totally free from our master, sin. It begins to look like a natural progression: bondage to sin, then death, release from sin, God’s gift, and eternal life. Hell is not mentioned here at all! Ah! Do you see what this means? It means, if we are to believe Paul, that the common opinion among Christians that upon death, we are sent to Heaven or Hell, may just be totally false. No, Paul is telling us that though we sin now and die later, God intervenes with the GIFT of freedom from sin, and with that freedom, eternal/age-long life as well. Our part is simply to believe it, accept it, and have faith in His promise.

By the end of Chapter 8, in verses 38 & 39, Paul is ready to declare, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He does not even mention Hell as a factor. Rolling verse 35 into verse 37, “Nay, in all these things (tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword) we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Note that Hell does not make the list of things which might separate us from the love of Christ!

Paul says rhetorically in 10:6-7, “…WHO SHALL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, WHO SHALL DESCEND INTO THE DEEP? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)”. “Deep” here is CCR footnoted as “abyss,” a word seen only a few times in the New Testament. It is the same abyss the demons feared Jesus would send them to, and begged to be sent into pigs instead. Digging deeper (so to speak), I find that Paul paraphrased his source, Deuteronomy 30:12-14 very loosely. Given what we can read about the abyss, especially in the Revelation, I have difficulty thinking of Jesus being there, and it is certainly not directly comparable to Hell. Anyway, in verse 9, Paul adds that God raised Jesus from the dead, with the abyss not mentioned.

At 10:20, Paul quotes Isaiah, but I’ll just go back and quote the prophet directly (65:1-2): “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good…”. The latter group would be twelve-tribed Israel, and the former would be the pagan nations of the world. Yet Paul says in 11:1-2, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid…God hath not cast away his people…”. We see here that there is hope for both groups in the Plan of God.

Continuing the thought, Paul goes on in Chapter 11, verses 12, 15, 23, 26, 29, & 32: “Now if the fall of them [Israel] be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles [nations]; how much more their fullness?..For if the casting away of them [Israel] be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them [Israel] be, but life from the dead?..And they [Israel] also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again…And so all Israel shall be saved…For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance [CCR footnoted “irrevocable”]…For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” The Israel Paul spoke of was not just the Kingdom of Judah, a Roman province at that time, for the Jews of Paul’s day were just a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of Israel. Most of those who descend from Israel, from ALL those tribes, have no knowledge of their descent. In Paul’s day, as in ours, Israel represents a LOT of people, but their identity is outside our scope. Paul’s conclusion is in verse 16: “For if the firstfruit [Jesus] be holy, the lump [us] is also holy: and if the root [Jesus] be holy, so are the branches [us].” Jesus said Himself, as recorded in John 15:5 – “I am the vine, ye are the branches…”. Vines have roots, do they not? So, truly, as Paul says in verse 32, God will surely have mercy on us ALL!

At 14:11, Paul quotes Isaiah 14:23 (a little loosely) – “For it is written, AS I LIVE, SAITH THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD.” Pardon me, but if anyone is in Hell, why would they bend the knee or confess to God? Conversely, if anyone bends the knee and confesses to God, what would they be doing in Hell?

There is no Hell here, and nothing more of interest to our Question, but many riches nevertheless. Paul gives us a suitable conclusion: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (Romans 13:12).

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Again, the word “hell” is not to be seen here, and “hades” is only found as a CCR footnote to 15:55, where it is rendered “grave” in the text. This may be a short section…

Paul brings up fire in Chapter 3: “Now if any man build upon this foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble…it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide (CCR footnoted as “endures”) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by [CCR footnoted as “through”] fire.” (verses 12-15). Can this really be any clearer? We are not burned, but saved, at least so it seems to me what Paul is saying. It is our works that are burned, or will be burned – the wood, hay, and stubble. What do these represent? Paul says, in verse 11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Given this foundation, then, men build on it things which endure, or things which do not. The term “no man” is “all men” in reverse – no one, believer or not, can avoid the foundation of Jesus Christ. The things built on His foundation would not be material, but surely they are the Fruits of the Spirit, of which He spoke. Paul enumerates them in Galatians 5:22 as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. These are the gold, silver and precious stones, which will endure the fire. In 5:19-20, Paul lists the wood, hay and stubble: “…Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like…”. These do get burned up, these Tares. Can you begin to see that those who have built on the foundation of Jesus Christ (again, that’s everybody) are not burned up, but only their bad works? Even those failing to produce good Spiritual Fruit, but only chaff, will be saved – they will, however, lack rewards.

In Chapter 5, Paul instructs the church at Corinth, “To deliver such an one [heinous sinner] unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh…”. Is that to send him to Hell? No: “…that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (verse 5). Hell is not mentioned here, and I see no reason to think the recommended action takes place on any other place than the Earth, which is the only place we have seen Satan operating in, besides brief appearances in Heaven (see Job).

We see the fruits of the Spirit again in Chapter 6, along with loss: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (verses 9-10). Paul does not state that such people go to Hell. Given what we covered in Chapter 3, I insist that these types suffer the loss of their wood, hay, stubble, chaff and tares, and with that, the reward of inheritance in the kingdom. Think of any kingdom in this world – does every resident have the right to inherit? No, only those of the family of the king have that right. Now, those who become Sons and Daughters of God by adoption, also become members of the family of the King. They have the right to inherit in the Kingdom of God, but this other group (at best) will be the commoners of that Kingdom – but this is my own interpretation.

When Paul says, in 7:9, that “…it is better to marry than to burn.” remember that “burn” is CCR footnoted as “burn with passion,” not burn in Hell There are no points for Hell here.

I am not much into so-called proof texts, but we have this in Chapter 15: “…since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. [Not, “All who are in Christ shall be made alive.”] But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God…he [Christ] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (verses 21-26). It seems Paul is outlining three resurrections:

  1. Jesus the Christ, along with those few in Jerusalem who were raised at His death, as recorded by Matthew.

  2. Those who belong to Jesus the Christ (the believers) at His Second Coming.

  3. All the rest of humanity, after Jesus the Christ has overcome all enemies (put under His feet), including death.

Interestingly, the Law given to Moses connects three harvests with three feasts – barley with Passover, wheat with Pentecost, and grapes with Tabernacles. I won’t go into this in detail, but note that barley is easy to thresh, wheat requires more work, but is gathered into the barn (unlike tares), and grapes must be stomped and pressed. Think of what the Revelation says about God’s wrath and the winepress - it will be far better to be in one of the first two resurrections!

Lastly, the last resurrection takes place after Death is destroyed. Looking ahead, for all these things connect, the Revelation tells us that at some point in time, Death and Hell (CCR footnoted as “Hades,” so it could/should be grave/sheol) are thrown into the Lake of Fire. We now know from I Corinthians 15:26 that Death is destroyed, so I’m thinking the destruction takes place when Death is thrown into the Lake of Fire. What this means is that afterward, no one can still be dead and/or in Hell, right? It also means that the Lake of Fire cannot be Hell, and that the doctrine of an eternal Hell cannot possibly be true if Death is to be destroyed. There, proved.

Moving on just a bit, be aware that the passage above speaks of a time far ahead of anything in the Revelation, the “end,” when Jesus “…shall have put down all rule and all authority and power…then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him…that God may be all in all.” (verses 24 & 28). As I asked above, if God is to become All in all, and the verses just quoted say so, then how can ANYONE still be dead and/or in Hell at that time? No, it is simply not possible, but I still have a few nails to pound into Hell’s coffin…

As Paul winds up Chapter 15, he taunts death and the grave: “…the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality…Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (verses 52-55). This is for believers, the second resurrection, and we see it as following the Law of the Jubilee – the trumpet sounds and all go free to their inheritance (Leviticus 25:8-13). Those in the third resurrection will not inherit, or it seems so to me.

Well, it was not a short section, but one that really begins to lay the Hell theory to rest. In this epistle, I have noticed that “judgment” is often replaced with the more loaded and intimidating “condemnation” and “damnation.” Be aware of such tricks, still operating by way of bad translation in an epistle where Hell cannot be found.

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Hell and Hades are not mentioned in this epistle either. We find little of interest until Chapter 10: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…” (verses 4-5). Now if we think of Hades and Hell as theories, with all their baggage, both emotional and intellectual, it becomes easier to view them as strongholds. I believe an unbiased look at the evidence (the Biblical text) proves that this stronghold’s props and foundations are rather shaky. Further, we can see the works of Dante, Milton and Baxter for what they are: literature, fictions, imaginations - not the Word of God. Even with the first two being epic poetry, they are still just works of human imagination – impressive as literature, but not founts of Truth - at least, not when they address Hell. Given what we have seen, the Hell doctrine should be viewed as a sort of theological graffiti.

There is no Hell, then, in II Corinthians, but ah, a short section this time.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians
Hell is quickly in trouble, for Paul says, “…though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed [anathema].” (1:8). Have we seen that Hell, as preached today, was a part of Old Testament belief? Have we seen that any of the Gospels set forth any Hell doctrine? Have we seen Hell promoted in any epistle? No, we have not. We must assume, then, that Paul is not thinking of Hell as part of “that which we have preached unto you.” On the other hand, since Paul never preached Hell, it just might be one of those other gospels. Good news? No, Hell would not have been good news then, and still isn’t today.

In 5:14, Paul reminds his readers of what Jesus had said before: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Surely, a God Who instructs us so follows the same principle – does He love us enough to refrain sending anyone to Hell? Given what we have so far, we an answer YES! We know this because He loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus the Christ. For His part, Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him, when He could have asked His Father to punish them, and I won’t say by sending them to Hell, for it seems not to exist. Can you really think of a worse crime in the eyes of God than to murder His Son? No, I can’t either…so the rest must be forgiven as well. It just makes sense, in a short epistle where Hell cannot be found.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
Early on, Paul mentions this, in 1:10: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he [Jesus] might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him.” Now, the fullness of times may be far, far in the future, but that is up to God. What I want the reader to notice is “gather together in one ALL things in Christ” [emphasis added]. Paul makes no exception for anyone – it is all things in heaven and on earth. No one is relegated to Hell, no, all are gathered in Christ, the same Christ Who asked His Father to forgive the worst kind of sinners. “ALL things gathered together” is another fail for the Hell Theory. Some may, and probably will, argue that “all” doesn’t really mean ALL. On the other hand, I’d rather be simple and take God at His Word.

Paul speaks of Jesus in Chapter 4: “…WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE…(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?..)” (verses 8-9). Now there is no reason to think that this captivity is Hell, for unless you assume it, it is not there in the text – our common slavery to sin fills the bill quite nicely, thank you. In the same way, the phrase “the lower parts of the earth,” is fulfilled by the tomb in which Jesus’ body spent three days and nights – there is no need to assume He went to Hell unless you already assume Hell exists. What Paul says in verse 14 is very telling: “…we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” I have pointed out a number of times where the text of this Book has been altered in translation, by sleight, by trickery, by cunning craftiness:

A neutral “judgment” was replaced by the more fearsome words “condemnation” and “damnation.”

To reinforce that, “age” was replaced by “world,” to veil God’s plan for heaven and earth over long ages. With “world” in place, it was easy for the church to serve as gatekeeper to the next “world.”

Pagan words such as “Hades” and “Hell” were brought in, again confusing the Truth about man’s fate after death.

God’s Name was diminished to “LORD,” while pagan gods got their unearned due.

I’m sure there are things I’ve missed, but as Jesus said, we need to be as wise as serpents, and not be taken in by such trickery.

In 5:5, Paul reminds the readers of his epistle that, “…no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” A lot of people who already have Hell as a construct on the foundation of Christ, assume that these nasty folks go to Hell. As we have shown over and over, Hell is uncreated, unthreatened, unstressed, unpreached, unmentioned and unproven in the pages of this Book. I believe the Bible is a Reference Standard of Truth, and the Hell Theory just does not make the cut. This means that the doctrine of Hell is just one more load of wood, hay and stubble to be burned off. The doctrine’s followers will suffer loss, but be saved as through fire as the Bible says. The damnationists may even be raised in the resurrection of the just. The miserable company of verse 5 will come before a stricter judgment, including loss of inheritance, but Hell will not be a part of it. Read 5:5 again – it does NOT say the listed folks go to Hell – that is an overlay, an assumption. Do you not think here of what Jesus said about the splinter and the beam? We should not think to judge the 5:5 crowd, for our judgment may come back on us if we think they are to sent to Hell…not that we will, either, but still, let us not be present-day Jonahs.

Neither Hell nor Hades are to be found in Ephesians.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians
“Perdition” shows up in 1:28, but there is no reason to think it has anything to do with Hell. It seems to refer to the adversaries of the Good News, and their expectation that the followers of Jesus will be

In 2:10, Paul tells us, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” There is no reason to think he is referring to Hell here, but only to those in the grave, who will bow the knee after being resurrected, just like those now alive “in earth.” Further, if these things should be, at some point in the future, they will be, and Hell (even if it exits) will not prevent it.

At 3:14, Paul refers to a prize: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” What is this prize? Backtrack to verse 11: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” To be in the resurrection of the believers – a worthy goal! However, notice that unlike the modern “fire insurance” preachers who stress Hell-avoidance, Paul has no concern for any possibility of ending up in such a place.

Chapter 3 ends with an answer to those who limit God, Father and/or Son, by ideas such as Hell being final (no exit), or that we place ourselves there, and close the proverbial door behind us. Paul speaks of God’s power to Glorify our carnal bodies, “…according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (verse 21). So, Jesus is able to subdue ALL things, but will He? Yes, look at II Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” There you have it – Jesus is able and Jesus is willing. What can we add to that? Salvation is looking like a done deal, even if the process of salvation is not finished yet.

So, given ABLE and WILLING, we can say with Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (4:4).

Another Pauline letter closes without Hades or Hell, but with much said of joy and love.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
The first chapter of Matthew stated that the Messiah would be named Jesus (CCR footnoted as literally meaning “Savior”) for He would save His people from their sins, with saving them from Hell not mentioned. Years later, Paul in this letter, says the same, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins…” (1:14). Again, Hell is not mentioned, so that must not be part of Jesus’ mission or purpose. Let’s get down to it – if Hell does not exist, saving people from it is a fool’s errand. Jesus was and is no fool, so if He did not pursue saving us from Hell, failed to teach His disciples to save us from Hell, and we see His disciples following the same pattern, then concluding that there is no Hell is just intelligent and rational. Now if Hell does exist, and God both doesn’t care who goes there, and has failed to tell us about it, we’re going to have a problem with the idea that God and Jesus are good, loving and truthful. It is very difficult to make a case for God and Jesus being bad, hateful liars. Do you know many Christians who would be willing to say it? Would it be sacrilege or blasphemy? Both? I don’t know, but it would not fly in any church I know of. The conclusion must be then, that Hell does not exist in a Cosmos created by a God Who said, “Let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18).

The idea of 1:14 is expanded on in verses 19 and 20: “For it pleased the Father…having made peace through the blood of his [Jesus’] cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.” Do you see that “all things” here means everything in the created Cosmos? Yes, it would cover everything in Genesis 1 and 2, neither of which mention Hell.

Paul winds up Chapter 1 with, “…warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (verse 28). So, what happens to those not presentable as perfect? It’s a fair question, and many would answer that they go to Hell, but what about “every man in his own order”? Let’s not forget too quickly what Paul told us in I Corinthians 15 about the End, and how Death would be the last enemy to be conquered. If a time comes when death is no more, those who are dead MUST be resurrected, and if God is then to be All in all, these not-presentable-as-perfect folks must have had their dross, chaff, wood, hay, and stubble dealt with, cleansed, or burnt off. However it is done, they MUST be presentable at this point, and that means they cannot be in Hell.

I see mention of spiritual treasures in this epistle, but not of Hell.

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians
Now we stressed in our comments about the last epistle that Jesus was and is saving us from our sins. Here, in 1:10, Paul says more: “…Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” He echoes John the Baptist who asked some (who had come to him) who had warned them to flee from the coming wrath (Luke 3:7). This wrath could be the soon-coming siege of Jerusalem, or it could be end-times events. It was not declared to be Hell, unless Paul was using code-words, and being the plain-speaking man that he was, I doubt that.

At the end of Chapter 4, Paul gives his readers a quick glimpse of the Second Coming. Heaven gets a mention, and the Earth is implied, but Hell is absent - since only the believers are mentioned, we would expect that. In the beginning of Chapter 5, Paul says, “…the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them…” (verses 2-3). Remember that Hell is not mentioned here, and unless told otherwise, we should assume destruction is something happening in the real, literal world.

We cannot find Hades or Hell in this epistle.

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians
We may be in trouble here in 1:8-9 – “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power…”. However, I have three points to make:

  1. Hell is not mentioned here - a consistent lack in all of Paul’s epistles.

  2. We have established, at least I hope I have in the minds of my readers, that the fire of God is for cleansing, for purification, and ultimately for salvation. Remember my comments on Colossians.

  3. Then there is “everlasting.” I looked it up, as I do many texts, in an interlinear version on the www. Yup, the Greek is our now-familiar “aionion.” The verse should read, then, “age-long destruction.” This means, as I keep stressing, that the unbelievers will have their dross burned away, will suffer loss, and fail to inherit - yet they will be saved in the End.

In Chapter 2, Paul speaks of the appearance of the “son of perdition,” with a connection to Satan, and a “falling away.” In verse 7, he mentions the “mystery of iniquity” which is in his day, already at work. He then states God’s response: “…for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (verse 11). In the centuries after these times, the purity and simplicity of the Good News was diluted and polluted by layer after layer of theology, tradition and accommodation to pagan ways. Pagans were brought in, in name only, but not really made fit for the Kingdom. The Doctrine of Hell was only a part of the problem, but it may be the part repelling more unbelievers in the present age than any other. That is why I write.

That is everything of interest to our Question in this epistle in which neither Hades nor Hell can be found.

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy
Early on, Paul advises Timothy, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling” (1:4-6). This text makes me wonder if I am ministering questions – I’d rather be doing charity/love out of a pure heart, but if I can resolve this Hell question in a way that glorifies God, I can edify even so, and not be just a vain jangler.

In 1:15, Paul reminds us: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Yes, sinners, as He said Himself. Remember the parables of the Shepherd who left the 99 sheep to find 1 straying sheep. Recall the parable of the feast, where the Master of the house ordered His servants to compel random people on the road to come into His feast. Jesus made His disciples Fishers of Men, and these men fished not with spears or hook and line, but with nets. Nets take fish in bulk, and are not at all choosy. Are these facts compatible with the Hell theory which leaves a large part of mankind permanently in the lurch?

Winding up the first chapter, Paul mentions two men, “whom I have delivered unto Satan.” (verse 20). Once again, we see Satan in operation on the Earth, in this literal world we live in. Paul’s purpose: “…that they may learn not to blaspheme.” Whatever happened to these two men, they must not have died and had their souls dragged off to Hell, as many would assume here.

Now in 2:4-6, we have a text which should be able, on its own, to bring the Hell Theory crashing down: “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all…”. So God will have all men saved? “Will have” is CCR footnoted “desires to,” so we have willing, but how about able? Willing and able were covered just a few pages ago, at the end of the coverage of Paul’s Epistle to the Phillipians. Further, are God’s sovereignty and His omnipotence not doctrines in most churches? Yes, they are, and we also know that God has used His Powers over and over to overthrow the puny wills and actions of men. How about Noah’s flood? How about the destruction of Sodom and several other cities? How about the killing of all those Canaanites? I really wish I could stop the mouths of some of those theologians who babble on about how God would not violate the wills of men, but regretfully lets them enter Hell. Rubbish!

OK, we’ve got willing and able, but notice as well, that God is willing (and able!) to save all men, and that Jesus is a ransom for all men, in perfect accord with His Father, and with what we have read thus far. As I said, this should resolve the whole question, but let’s move on, keeping in mind that what we read must agree with what we have already read.

Chapter 4, verse 1, says, “…that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to…doctrines of devils.” Well, the doctrine of Hell is just chock full of devils, isn’t it? Then verse 10 expands on 2:4-6: “…we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.” Of course, He is the savior of believers, but note carefully – of all men as well. How is the Hell Theory to stand when this epistle has already stated three times that all men are saved? Paul concludes the thought: “These things command and teach.” (verse 11). I’m trying to do just that.

The last thing I want to comment on is 6:13 – “…God, who quickeneth [CCR footnoted “gives life to”] all things…”. This is God’s Way – to create, to make life, to maintain life, to restore life. In the Cosmos of such a God, death is only a temporary aberration, not a permanent destination.

As ever, there is no Hell here.

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy
“For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him…if we deny him, he also will deny us.” (2:11-12). What does this mean? It goes well for the believer, but for the unbeliever, denying Jesus places him in the not-presentable-as-perfect group, to be raised from the dead only later, missing out on the first resurrection, suffering loss and probably the Lake of Fire.

Paul advises us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2:15). It is not sufficient to sit under the preaching of any man, especially in these days where ministers are typically trained in seminaries, and trained by professors who pursue ideas which the average member of their denomination might think quite odd. I found this out myself when my father and I took a night course on the Old Testament at the local Baptist seminary. My father disagreed with the professor so much that he dropped out. I tell you, Christian, there is just no substitute for your own reverent study of the Word, using some helps such as a good concordance, as accurate a Bible translation as you can possibly find, and internet helps with the Hebrew and Greek. A good knowledge of both sacred and secular history is a benefit too. There are things in the Word which leave us wondering, but the basic message is the same, from one end to the other. Study then, but do not be one who is “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” (3:7 & 5). The basics are easy to understand and spiritually discerned, so that children and fools understand, but the learned do not – such is the mystery of God’s doings in this age.

When he wrote this letter, Paul was in chains, in prison, and awaiting his death. He seems cheerful, but warns Timothy that, “…the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (4:3-4). The sound doctrine he mentions would be what we have read in the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles. None of them establish Hell. What lust would turn Christians to the fiction and fable of Hell? I think it is the all-too-human lust to have vengeance on our personal enemies, and to separate ourselves (in our own minds) from those sinners over there. Remember that one’s enemy is also a child of the same God Who told us to forgive them, and even to minister to them.

That is my take on II Timothy, an epistle where, once again, Hades and Hell cannot be found.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus
Hades and Hell are not mentioned in this epistle. I only care to quote this: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (1:2). It is just as Jesus told His disciples, that if things were not so, He would have told them. It is just as Paul writes, never bringing up the subject of Hell. Blessed hope! Eternal security!

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Philemon
This closes out the epistles of Paul, and as ever, he fails to mention Hades or Hell.

The Epistle to the Hebrews
This epistle is largely about the priesthood of Jesus, and there is nothing relevant to our Question until 10:26-27 – “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Wait – should that not have read, “devour the sinner”? Nope, the judgment and fiery indignation will devour the adversaries, and might that be our carnal nature, our tendency to sin? Yes, I think so, and it is fully consistent with the cleansing fire burning away our dross, chaff, etc. Otherwise, who can be saved, for have we all not sinned since knowing the Truth? Nevertheless, we should toe the line carefully: “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (verse 29). In this passage, with judgment, fiery indignation, devouring and sore punishment, there is no mention of Hades or Hell. On the other hand, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (verse 31).

The epistle speaks of shaking: “Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (12:26-27). This sounds a lot like the burning of wood, hay and stubble so that the gold, silver and precious stones only may remain. Hebrew parallelism again, and then verse 29: “For our God is a consuming fire.” This is not a bad thing, as we see in verse 10: “For they [earthly fathers] verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.”

The epistle advises, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines…” (13:9). Perhaps the reader thinks my no-Hell slant is strange, but be aware that I do not offer it as a doctrine – it is more like an anti-doctrine. Further, at the time this epistle was written, the concept of Hell was restricted to the pagan systems of belief, and did not displace the doctrine of universal salvation until about 400 AD. Given what we have seen and read so far, I think it is fair to say that Hell can be classed as one of those “divers and strange doctrines.”

Whoever wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews did not write of Hades or Hell.

The Epistle of James
We run into hell here, in 3:6 – but it’s a mistranslation of Gehenna, that literal city dump where literal things are literally burned.

The concept of Hell is dependent on the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and that is dependent on the notion that you have a soul, some ineffable and immortal thing within you. Both ideas have come into Christianity from Greek philosophy. However, in the Hebrew understanding, you are a soul, and are dead when you die. The Hell theory dictates that when you die, you are immediately in Hell, or in Heaven if you are very lucky. This is what James has to say: “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (4:14).

There is no support for Hell in this epistle.

The First Epistle of Peter
We run into a baffling passage in Chapter 3, which says that Jesus was “…quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing…” (verses 19-20). We are not told what this prison is or was, or what the fate will be of the spirits held there. We do know that Peter does not identify it as Hell, so I think those who say that Jesus descended to Hell and preached there are in error, even if Hell exists, which it does not. No, it must be quite the opposite – these antediluvians died in the flood, their bodies were buried in mud, their souls were no more, and their spirits returned to God. God may have sequestered those spirits, but we are just not given enough information to state anything worthwhile here. I don’t care to try to erect any theology on such an obscure text, or on the one following in 4:5-6 – “…him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead…”. I understand the judging of the living and the dead, but not the preaching of the gospel to the dead. In Chapter 1, Peter refers to things angels desire to look into, and I think I am like that in relation to these texts.

A serious caution if given in 4:17-18 – “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And IF THE RIGHTEOUS SCARCELY BE SAVED, WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?” Peter speaks rhetorically, and provides an answer only by implication, but note that he does not say the ungodly and the sinners go to Hell. They go to judgment to be sure, we all do, but we must decide from other texts what the end of them is. I see no reason yet to change the idea that they will suffer loss, but yet be saved.

Another caution is in Chapter 5: “…your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (verse 8). This looks scary on the surface, but have you ever considered that the verse implies that there are some whom he may not devour? It would not be so much from any virtue in us, but by way of God’s protection.

This epistle does not support Hell.

The Second Epistle of Peter
In case the reader has this book as his first exposure to the idea of the salvation of all, and he/she reads in the epistle, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (1:20), be aware that I have explored the entire Bible using my common sense, comparing books, chapters and verses, trying to tease out the truth concerning Hell and everything associated with it. I have been as fair in my assessment as I could be, but I have found that the Hell Theory is a massive 404 (not found). Further, if the reader still thinks my interpretation is private, he or she must ignore the many writers of the Bible, the One who inspired them, and numerous church fathers. None of them spoke of Hell in the beginning.

Two verses later, in 2:1, Peter warns, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them…”. I maintain that Hell is one of those “damnable heresies,” and “damnable” in the CCR footnote is “destructive,” which has a different spin. “Damn,” “damnation,” “damnable,” they all have to do with being sent to Hell, and so are loaded terms and misleading. They are part of what Peter is talking about.

Three verses after that, we run into hell again: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment….”. We have a new word here, as “hell” is CCR footnoted as “tartarus,” and this is the only place where it appears in the Bible. Just like the term “Hades,” this new term comes from Greek mythology, and it brings in a lot of baggage with it just as “Hades” did. It might shed some light on the abyss mentioned in Luke 8, to which the demons begged Jesus not to send them. I am seeing a pattern here, of various words translated as “hell” to throw a prop under a theory. Consider this short list of terms so often translated as “hell”:

sheol
Hades
Gehenna
Tartarus

An honest translation of these terms would make Hell seem a lot less real.

Peter says of some sinners, “…these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed…shall utterly perish in their own corruption.” (2:12). This may sound like the annihilation of the wicked, but there is no reason to think “perish” refers to anything other than natural death. Peter fails to say their sad fate is eternal, as he also does in 3:7, where he mentions “…the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

In 3:9, Peter is more upbeat: “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Lastly, Peter comments on the epistles of Paul, “…in which are some things hard to be understood.” (3:16). Oddly, I find more in Peter’s epistles that I have a hard time understanding. At least, there is no doubt about the lack of Hell in either man’s epistles.

The First Epistle of John
John tells us, “…now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him…” (3:2). I have mentioned this before, but note that we are the sons of God NOW in this age, and will be so much more in the next age, so much so that we will be like Jesus! This must be one of the rewards of the righteous.

In 3:8, John tells us “…the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” We all know that the devil worked and works lies, sin and death, and that sin’s wages are death. Now if Jesus is here to destroy such works, and I don’t think for a moment that “might destroy” places any doubt on the outcome, then He will, He shall. Again, if He destroys lies, sin and death, how can anyone then be dead and/or in Hell? It is excluded. We can now understand Romans 6:23 in more depth: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” If the sinners and the wicked are in Hell, then Jesus has failed in destroying the works of the devil – but He does not and will not fail.

In Chapter 5 we read, “…whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world…” (verse 4). Apparently, the world needs to be overcome, but Hell is not mentioned, so maybe the avoidance of Hell is not an issue with John.

Ending his epistle, John fails to caution the readers to avoid Hell, but tells them to avoid idols – perhaps the latter is a much bigger issue in an epistle where Hades and Hell are not to be found.

The Second Epistle of John
John writes of truth and falsehood, but doesn’t mention Hades or Hell.

The Third Epistle of John
Again, John writes of truth, falsehood, good and evil, but fails to mention Hades or Hell.

The Epistle of Jude
Jude speaks of certain angels, “…reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (verse 6). It is easy to see that when the great day arrives, though a long way off, the chains may or may not come off. Was Jude writing for effect? The word he used, “aidiois,” does support the KJV word choice, but here it must mean a long time.

Writing of Sodom & Gomorrah, Jude says they, “…are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (verse 7). The Greek word here means age-long, eternal, or a very long time. We all know that those cities are not now burning, but the results of their burning are still with us.

In verse 9, we read a mention of Michael being involved in some dispute with the devil over the body of Moses. As ever, we see the devil operating on the Earth, not in Hell.

Jude goes on at length about ungodly people in the church, who he calls, “…wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (verse 13). In this case, “for ever” means age-long, but still a long time. Jude paints a vague, bleak future for these folks, but does not insert Hades or Hell into his epistle.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ
This book will be Hell’s last stand, and it does appear four times, each time translated from “Hades.”

The first instance of “hell” is in 1:18 – “I am alive…and have the keys of hell and of death.” The Greek, as I said, is “hades,” the equivalent of “sheol.” Jesus is telling John that He can open or close death, sheol, the grave, the pit.

Hell is next seen with the pale horse and its rider: “…a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” (6:8). With a theological Hell not established, and “hell” CCR footnoted as “hades,” we must see this as just a lot of dying, and bodies going into the grave, pit, sheol, hades.

The last two instances are close together: “…the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them…and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire…” (20:13-14). Hell is not mentioned again in the Bible, and as ever, it’s hades, and as usual it’s associated closely with death. So, the sea gives up its dead, OK. Death also gives up its dead, OK, but with no one dead, how can anyone be in Hell? Now if you really subscribe to the Hell of Dante, Milton and Baxter, how do you get around the plain wording of your KJV that Hell will give up the dead that are in it? What about “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” – Did you know that it was written by Dante, and is not a part of the Bible? Again, as so often, it’s theology based on fiction, in this case, epic poetry, the Divine Comedy. Do you see how if you put the Doctrine of Hell under the magnifying lens, you kill it just like an ant on a summer day? You don’t even have to be a theologian to do it!

Backtracking now, let’s take a look at what else we can find in the Revelation. In 2:13, we read: “I know…where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat [throne] is…where Satan dwelleth.” Where is that? In the city of Pergamos, a literal place. So here’s Satan in the Earth again, not in Hell.

Speaking of a false prophetess in Thyatira, Jesus says that He, “…will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation…And I will kill her children with death.” (2:22-23). All that suffering…but no one is relegated to Hell.

Chapters 8 and 9 have to do with the opening of the seventh seal and the blowing of the seven trumpets. By the time all is done, 1/3 of mankind is killed, but the rest fail to repent of their evil. Is that all God asks and desires of us? I think so, for with repentance, He can then begin His work in us. Astonishing – all this death and destruction because men won’t repent. In all of it, Hell is not mentioned.

In Chapter 10, a mighty angel swears by Him, “…who created heaven…and the earth…and the sea.” (verse 6). As ever, Hell is left out of the list.

Chapter 12 tells the tale of the birth of the man child, apparently Jesus, and the dragon who tries to devour Him at His birth. After that, there was a war in Heaven, and we can’t put a date to it, not knowing if it happened just after Jesus was taken up, or just after the woman fled into the wilderness, or 1,260 days or years after that. At any rate, “…the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…he was cast out into the earth.” (verse 9). As ever, we see that Satan is here on Earth. If we remember the opening scene of the Book of Job, this will make sense: “…neither was their place found any more in heaven.” (verse 8) and “…the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (verse 10).

Chapter 13 tells us the fate of some who do wrong: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” (verse 10). He that sendeth to Hell shall be sent to Hell? No, there is no such judgment here.

Chapter 14, verses 10 and 11, seem to support Hell: “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Is this Hell? No, it is not, for several reasons. First of all, look at the setting – this entire section of the Revelation is set in Heaven. The torment of these particular wicked people is taking place in front of the holy angels and the Lamb, so it is taking place in Heavenly places, not in Hell, right? Further, they are being tormented with fire and brimstone. Now I am well aware that these are associated with Hell, but we know by now that the fire has to do with the way God deals with wickedness and spiritual dross – the fire is at least, metaphorical. Brimstone, aka sulfur, was in ancient times, used as a fumigant and ritual cleanser, and that would have been well understood by the first-century readers. It was often found at hot springs and volcanoes, so it should be apparent that the elements of Hell were cobbled together from Earthly things – hot, steamy, fiery, and sulfurous. However, we see sulfur here in the Heavenly places. Further, we are told that the smoke of this burning goes up “for ever and ever” – but does it? An interlinear version gives the Greek transliterated as “aionas aionon” or in English as “ages of ages.” So you see, this is not the forever-and-ever-amen Hell, it is more like Purgatory, with an exit to Paradise at the end of a temporal suffering. Do you see that the sufferers have no rest day or night, but it is not said that they suffer forever. Lastly, be very aware that this is not called Hell in the text. This word, hell, was added in later, as witnessed by all those many CCR footnotes: “or sheol,” “or hades,” “or Gehenna,” “or Tartarus.” The translators showed their hand in these two verses, where they dared not insert “hell” because the venue was obviously not in their boogeyman-land, of Hell. This is just another example among others, where I have pointed out that words were translated according to context and setting, as well as simple wording.

Chapter 14 ends with a symbolic depiction of the two resurrections. First, we see the resurrection of the just in verse 16: “…he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” Now that sounds simple and easy.

But then, “…Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel…cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” (verses 17-20). It is easy to see that the wicked receive a much rougher treatment! We are told in verse 18 that an angel having to do with this reaping/resurrection “had power over fire.” If the fire symbolism is consistent, then God’s cleansing power is to be applied to this group, but first His wrath.

I got to wondering how much blood came out of the winepress, and how many people it represented. I had to convert the Greek stadion (as furlong was CCR footnoted) into feet, for which I took a high and a low figure, estimated the height of a horse’s bridle above the ground, and made all the unit conversions I needed to arrive at total gallons. Calculations and approximations gave me 31 to 55 million gallons of blood, assuming a cylindrical pool five feet deep. Assuming 1.24 gallons of blood for an adult, I arrived at an estimation of 25 to 44 million people in the grape harvest or resurrection of the wicked. You might think me an optimist if you expected the figure to run into the billions, and these figures could be far off the mark, as the shape of the pool of blood is not given, and the data given in the Revelation may be only symbolic.

Chapter 18 is all about the Whore of Mystery Babylon and her destruction. In 19:3 we see that the smoke of the burning of the Whore and her City goes up, “for ever and ever.” Again, the Greek means “ages of the ages.”

The rest of Chapter 19 concerns a very short war between Jesus and His heavenly armies versus the gathered forces of the Beast and the False Prophet, and “…both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (verse 20). Is this Hell? We won’t say here, for the final answer is (finally!) close at hand, but here the translators have held back with the hell word, as the venue is again, too obvious. The rest were killed (again, no Hell) and given as food to the birds.

In Chapter 20, we see Satan get bound for 1,000 years in the bottomless pit, aka the abyss (see the Greek). After this sentence is completed, Satan gathers those He can deceive for a final battle - a short one - for they are devoured by the same fire from Heaven that we have seen so many times. I suppose they go directly into the Lake of Fire, just as “…the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” “Day and night” are correct, but “for ever and ever” is our usual “ages of the ages.”

With Satan, the one who accuses the brethren day & night before God (Revelation 12:10), out of the way, comes the Great White Throne Judgment. It looks like God is going to keep His own council, and is not willing to hear anything from the “prosecutor’s bench.” Given that judgment is based on what is already written, this Judgment would be like a legal formality. We don’t know exactly when this occurs, but everyone who ever lived seems to be there to be judged: “…the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them…death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (verses 13-15). First, remember that we have covered this before – it should read “Hades,” not “hell” in these verses. Second, note that the sea, death and hades have given up their dead – that would be all the dead, and plus the living, would be all of humanity, Adam and Eve forward. Third, death and hades are cast into the Lake of Fire, and that must mean that there is no further death, except for those who were being cast in as well. Finally, note that the fate of those whose names were not written in the book of life, is to be cast into the lake of fire – BUT the “tormented day and night for ever and ever” does not apply to them, only simple death, as I have stated over and over from Genesis on.

Now is the answer to a big question: Is the Lake of Fire Hell? No, it is not Hell, the place of eternal conscious, torment in fire. They have fire in common, but the resemblance ends there, as the Lake of Fire is temporal, lasting only ages of the ages, holding dead (unconscious) people, who are therefore not tormented.

In Chapter 21, we read “…there shall be no more death.” (verse 4). However, some are still dead in the Lake of Fire: “…the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (verse 8). I don’t know if these two things are concurrent, or if “no more death” is a looking ahead to a far future.

In Chapter 22, along with the closing comments, is this: “…without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” I assume these are outside the New Jerusalem in the Lake of Fire.

This wicked group is not left there, but refer back to First Corinthians 15:24-26 - “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God…when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” With death destroyed, the Lake of Fire MUST give up its dead, just as the sea and the grave did so long before. With dross, tares, wood, hay, stubble burned away, leaving what gold, silver and precious stones remain, these will suffer loss, but will be saved through fire, presentable at last to God and the Kingdom!

And death shall have no dominion!

THE SHEOL CHAPTER

In this chapter, I am going to adjust my focus from the general text of the Bible to a single term, “sheol,” generally defined as the realm, state or abode of the dead, apart from the literal grave. The decision to do so grew from a seed of suspicion, when verses with “hell” kept turning up, though it (hell) was translated from “sheol,” which was also often rendered by the much less theologically-loaded “grave” or “pit.” Was this honest translation or was there a slant to which verses were translated one way or the other? I started in Strong’s Concordance, but it said, “SHEOL, See HELL.” Consulting the entry for “Hell,” I had before me all the verses containing the word “Hell” in the KJV, from Deuteronomy to the Revelation (see my comments on pages 10 and 11). Now as I said much earlier, “sheol” is translated in the KJV three ways: grave, pit or hell, so we have our categories, and we can ignore instances where any of these three are derived from other words, such as those meaning the literal grave.

First, here is a list of the verses with “sheol” translated as “grave” or “pit” in the KJV:

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. Genesis 37:35

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Genesis 42:38

And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Genesis 44:29

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. Genesis 44:31

But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. Numbers 16:30

They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. Numbers 16:33

The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. I Samuel 2:6

Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. I Kings 2:6

Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood. I Kings 2:9

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. Job 7:9

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! Job 14:13

If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. Job 17:13

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Job 21:13

Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned. Job 24:19

For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psalm 6:5

O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Psalm 30:3

Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Psalm 31:17

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. Psalm 49:14-15

For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. Psalm 88:3

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. Psalm 89:48

Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. Psalm 141:7

Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: Proverbs 1:12

The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. Proverbs 30:16

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Ecclesiastes 9:10

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Song of Solomon 8:6

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Isaiah 14:11

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. Isaiah 38:10

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. Isaiah 38:18

Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. Ezekiel 31:15

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Hosea 13:14

Now for a list of verses, with “sheol” translated as “hell” – about an equal number:

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. Deuteronomy 32:22

The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; II Samuel 22:6

It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? Job 11:8

Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. Job 26:6

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Psalm 9:17

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. Psalm 18:5

Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. Psalm 55:15

For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. Psalm 86:13

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Psalm 116:3

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Psalm 139:8

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Proverbs 5:5

Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Proverbs 7:27

But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. Proverbs 9:18

Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men? Proverbs 15:11

The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. Proverbs 15:24

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Proverbs 23:14

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. Proverbs 27:20

Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. Isaiah 5:14
Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Isaiah 14:9
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isaiah 14:15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Isaiah 28:15
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. Isaiah 28:18
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. Isaiah 57:9
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. Ezekiel 31:16-17
The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Ezekiel 32:21
And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. Ezekiel 32:27
Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: Amos 9:2
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. Jonah 2:2
Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: Habakkuk 2:5
Observations – Overall, I can think of no good reason to separate “sheol” into three words, as the translators have. They could have very well let “sheol” stand transliterated, to let it be understood by context and usage. However, they let about half the instances fall to the literal “grave” or “pit,” and about half to “hell.” I suppose they needed some support for their Hell in the Old Testament, for besides sheol-to-hell, there is so very little to go their way.
In comparing the “grave/pit” list and the “hell” list, I find a strong tendency (not consistent) for “sheol” to be rendered as “grave” or “pit” when the context places the instance in the real world. The verses in the “hell” list mostly lack context to connect them to the real world, but this is, again, not consistent. In the “hell” list of this chapter are Isaiah 57:9, Ezekiel 31:16-17, and Ezekiel 32:27, which have real world contexts. It might be useful for better understanding, to read each verse and mentally insert “hell” for “grave/pit,” and vice versa. I think the reader will see what I am saying about context.
Besides context, there are solid reasons why some verses were translated in one way or another, mostly theological reasons. Consider I Samuel 2:6 – I’m sure the translators would have been happy to have rendered it as, “…he bringeth down to hell…”, but what would they have done with the following, “…and bringeth up.”? It would have violated the doctrine and belief that damnation is final and irreversible. We can see the same thing going on with Psalms 30:3, 49:14-15, 89:48 and Hosea 13:14, all quoted in the “grave/pit” list.
We have the same problem in reverse, in the “hell” list. Psalm 16:10’s “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell…,” should have been given over to the “grave/pit” camp, thus avoiding the ban on exit from Hell. As it reads, the translators made a mistake, from their point of view. We see it again in Psalm 86:13, Psalm 139:8 and Amos 9:2.
The translators did make a few other mistakes. In our “hell” list is Deuteronomy 32:22, which depicts hellfire burning in the real world, out of its proper bounds. Lastly, we have Jonah’s prayer from “out of the belly of Hell” (2:2). Well, no, verse one correctly gives it as the “fish’s belly” - let’s not forget where the prophet really was, but the translators forgot the context, or at least, they forgot to be consistent.

The Hades Chapter

Short chapter here, - this will be straightforward. I noticed in my chart from Tentmaker that “hades” was translated as “hell” consistently, except for one time. I wondered if it were a matter of context allowing for it, as it was for “sheol.” So, I examined each instance, all eleven of them, and found that context did allow in ten, if a whole town (Capernaum) going to Hell is not too much to swallow. The one time when “hades” was rendered as “grave,” was in I Corinthians 15:55. Now context might have allowed, but Paul’s taunt of, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” follows after Hosea 13:14 – “O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction…”. If either were rendered as “hell,” it would have violated the no-exit/eternal-Hell doctrine, and the whole idea would have been exposed if Hell were robbed of its victory and subject to destruction. The KJV translators must have been cunning to have made sure the OT and the NT agreed like this, so I’m glad the center-column references were innocently added later, for they were quite a tip-off to me.

The last two instances of “hades” to “hell” are in the Revelation, 20:13 & 14. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them…And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” As these verses stand, they are confusing, and just muddy the waters – “hades,” in the sense of the realm/place of the dead, would be clearer, and that is precisely what the center-column reference suggests. Those cunning translators may have over-reached themselves here, however – Hell delivering up its dead, and Hell cast into the Lake of Fire (destruction?) violate the no-exit/eternal-Hell doctrine. Using “grave” would have cleared up the problems, but judging from my “Hell Words” chart, the KJV translators seem to have been on a roll by this time.

The Hell Chapter

In the time of John the Apostle when he wrote down the Revelation, this word “hell” would have been some archaic form, spoken by tribes with which the early Christians as yet had no contact. I got curious, so I looked in the OED again, and here are some old forms of “hell”:

Old English – hel
Old Frisian – helle, hille
Old Saxon – hellja, hella
Middle Dutch – helle
Old High German – helle
Old Norse – hel, heljar
Gothic – halja
Original Teutonic - halja

Among the linguistic notes were some very old meanings, such as “literally, the coverer or hider,” (as a noun) and “to hide, conceal” (as a verb). By the way, the OED has dated examples of the use of most words, and for “hell,” the earliest was in an Old English document, dated about 825 AD. This was well after Christian Britain had been overrun by the then-pagan Saxons, Angles and Jutes. By this time the Roman Church had long possessed the Latin Vulgate Bible, using forms of “infernum” to replace “sheol” and “hades.” It was a fine word as used then, and originally meant “beneath” or “buried,” in the same sense as “sheol,” etc. The word only acquired the fiery meaning it has today after the rise of Hell theology. Of course, the idea and doctrine of Hell were already in existence by that date, but if you look into mythology, you will find that the Greek, Roman and Pagan myths all support some form of Hell. It should not surprise you to learn that Christianity went from the Jews, to the Greeks, to the Romans, and on to the so-called Barbarians, to eventually reach what would become the English-speaking world. I think Christianity picked up a lot more than just converts along the way.

Besides all that, I found that “Hel” was the name of the Norse goddess/ogress of their underworld, as well as the name of the supposed underworld itself. Hel’s supposed realm was also known as “Helheim,” meaning “House of Hel.” Interestingly, the roots of the word “Hel” hark back to the original meanings of “sheol” and “hades” – that is to say, “covered” and “hidden.” [source: Orel, Vladimir. 2003. A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, pp. 156, 168.]

Now, this is almost funny – “Hel” is pagan, but “Hell” is part of most Church Doctrine. Do you see the problem, reader? Pagans will tell you that Christianity has “pagan DNA,” and here it is all too clear to see. We need to look a little further – most Christians seem to subscribe to the view that people die, and their souls go immediately to Heaven, Hell or maybe Purgatory. The Bible never says anything of the sort, but gives us the promise of the Resurrection. Now if we are already in Heaven, then doesn’t the Resurrection seem just a bit creepy? I’ve never heard anyone tell me how being in Heaven right now and later getting Resurrected are even compatible. As for Hell, it gets really absurd when you consider dying and going there. So you’re dead. But…conscious torment in Hell requires you to be alive, right? But you’re dead. But you must be alive to suffer Hell. But you’re dead… There is no logical solution, unless you opt for the pagan Greek concept of the Immortality of the Soul, and mainstream Christianity did just that. This concept, this doctrine arose from the teachings of Socrates and Plato, and many early church fathers were Platonic in their outlook. See the next chapter for more on the nature of man, and what being alive really means.

“Hell” is a verb, as well as a noun, and is derived from an old Germanic word, meaning, as I said, “to cover.” My father told me about this years ago – if a farmer lacked a root cellar or a cellar/basement under the house, and needed a place to keep veggies or fruits over the winter, he would do the following. First, he would dig a pit or trench to below the local frost line. Then, he would line the bottom with straw. On top of that, he’d place a layer of, say, potatoes. More straw went on top of the potatoes, and he would finish the job by shoveling in the dirt previously dug out. Note – it is called “helling the potatoes.” Now in the case of Korah and the others who fell alive into the pit which opened under them, they were helled by God, and died in the pit, in the grave, in sheol. An eternal, conscious abode in the Hell of Dante, Milton, and Baxter is not mentioned or implied, so there is no need or reason to interpret it so. Many passages in the Bible having to do with death are subject to the same interpretation.

Picking up our historical thread again, the true Britons, now pushed into such corners as Wales and Cornwall, had a purer version of Christianity than the invading tribes were later converted to, as it had arrived in Britain in the first century – but that is another story. Since the Saxons had Hel, goddess and realm, and the Greeks had Hades, god and realm, I suspect the Saxons had long contact with the Greeks before they moved north and west – but again, that is another story. That, reader, is my take on how “hell” got into the English language, and some of my historical information may not be absolutely accurate, but the very similarity of “hel” and “hell” should send the serious Bible student on a word-study quest. It should also give pause to anyone who subscribes to the doctrine of Hell, as the very name of this Saxon underworld exposes the pagan roots of Hell for all to see. Further, I am confident that this exploration of the linguistic basis of Hell knocks a major prop out from under ECT.

DUST, BODY, SPIRIT, SOUL

What are we, anyway? What happens to us when we die? Versions of “you’ll have pie in the sky when you die” are common, and mourners are consoled with the idea that their lost loved one is in “a better place.” Just like the harp-on-a-cloud version of Heaven, the Bible says nothing like this, but holds out the Promise of the Resurrection. I propose that before we consider the afterlife, we need a proper understanding of body, soul, and spirit – how we were made.

It’s easy to miss what’s going on in Genesis when God made Adam, so let’s look at those few, meaningful words: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living soul.”
(Genesis 2:7 KJV II)

First, God took some dirt (in fact, the Miao people refer to Adam as the “Patriarch Dirt”): “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground…” (Genesis 2:7, KJV II.)

dirt/dust --> [God made it into] --> a lifeless body.

OK, we’ve got a body, and we can’t even call it dead, as it has not yet lived, but: “…God…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7, KJV II.)

lifeless body --> [God breathes into it the Breath/Spirit of Life] --> Adam, a living soul, a living person with breath.

Simplified, we have:

body + breath/spirit = soul

Now we’ve got a soul, which by the implied Biblical definition, is the living, breathing person, not some ineffable, ethereal thing. Also implied, is that you do not HAVE a soul, but you ARE a soul. This is widely misunderstood.

Still with me? I tell you, it’s hard to make people understand this! It’s a mindset, a stronghold, but we need to understand it in the way God sets it out, not the way the world does. I believe the rest of the Bible uses this understanding of “soul” consistently, and this understanding makes some passages of the Bible plain, which otherwise are confusing.

To deepen your understanding, let’s reverse the process. When you die, a lot of things happen, such as the heart and pulse stopping, lack of brain activity, but ultimately decomposition, the returning to dust, is the final marker. The Biblical view equates life with having breath, so I’m going to stick with that as being the death indicator.

Made simple: soul - breath = body.

Expanded a bit, we get:

living person (soul) - life (breath) = dead/lifeless body.

It’s just the making of Adam in reverse, and what do we end up with? One thing implied by the proper Biblical understanding of body, spirit, and soul may surprise you.

The Breath/Spirit returns to God, who gave it. It belongs to Him, and since it is most certainly one of the seven Spirits of God, it is part of Him. That being so, it doesn’t go to Hell if it’s part of God, does it? To say so is close to blasphemy, in my opinion.

The body begins to decay, and one way or the other, returns to the ground, which gave it. As God Himself said, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken – for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19, KJV II). That being so, it doesn’t go to “Hell,” except in the sense of being in the grave - there’s no point in sending lifeless bodies to an eternity in Hell, is there? The idea seems absurd to me.

Oops! What happened to the soul? Gone, gone! It no longer exists, just as the living person no longer exists. It doesn’t return to anything - it’s just like a chemical molecule when it is broken up into its component atoms. Poof! Consider a water molecule undergoing electrolysis - the hydrogen bubbles off the cathode, and oxygen bubbles off the anode. Asking where the soul went is as pointless as asking where the water went. For the Soul to be alive in Hell, it must be remade by putting Breath/Spirit back into a body - but then you’ve got that part of God in Hell again, absurd and blasphemous. I suspect that those who preach and teach Hell have not thought the matter through to the end. However, I hope I have demonstrated that eternal, conscious torment in Hell is utterly impossible, just as I have shown in previous chapters that Hell itself is non-existent.

So there you are – of Spirit, Body, or Soul, none can be sent to Hell. For those who insist that God can resurrect people and send them to Hell, I can only reply on two levels. First, advocates of Eternal Torment have misunderstood the character of a loving God. The God of the Bible is a God of the living, not the dead. At some point, as written in the Revelation, both Death and Hell (the Grave, actually) are cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Further, we are told that Death is the last enemy to be destroyed (I Corinthians 15:26). Two verses later, we are told that God will become All in all.

This leads us to two of the three questions I asked earlier in this book:

How can anyone be dead and/or in Hell after Death has been destroyed?

If anyone is still dead and/or in Hell, how can God become All in all?

The only conclusion this writer can come to is the taunt of I Corinthians 15:54-55: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

It really is that simple. Note that I am not saying people will escape responsibility for their evil works, or be punished for them. I am saying that a loving God punishes for a purpose, and for a time, not for torment’s sake and not for eternity. Keep in mind the principle of the Law of the Jubilee, which states that at a set time, all debts are cancelled, and everyone in bondage goes home free to their lands and homes. God instituted the Jubilee for an ancient society, but it points to a future where everyone will have their sins forgiven, and they will go free of the bondage of sin to enjoy their inheritance, as co-heirs with Jesus the Christ. This will certainly involve the New Earth, and possibly the New Heavens as well. The Law of the Jubilee may be found in Leviticus 25:8-16.

Secondly, Hell, as most people think of it, is a concept but not a reality. Let me explain. For the first few centuries AD, the doctrine of universal salvation was orthodox, especially in the eastern churches. However, with many pagans coming into the body of believers, pagan mindsets and ideas came in as baggage with them. Former ideas and concepts were (and are!) hard to get rid of, and began to color Christian theology and Biblical understanding. Little by little, Sheol became thought of more and more as being like Hel, Hades and Hell. The Greek concept of the Immortality of the Soul, began to replace the Biblical concept of death and resurrection. Immortality of the soul also made eternal life in a place of fire possible in the minds of men. Oddly, lots of Christians today subscribe to both the idea of the Immortal Soul, and death and resurrection at the same time. Most never see the contradiction. In time, these concepts also affected Bible translations, so that we see words translated as “Hell” which mean no such thing. There are good translations not containing the word at all. I have found that, in the centuries since the concept of Hell entered Christianity, that all the literature on the subject has been theological (I prefer “theo-illogical”) speculation or fiction. Yes, fiction, from the epic poetry of Dante and Milton, to the prose of Mary K. Baxter and many, many movies and “Ewetoob” videos. None of it can be verified, as far as I know, but we should trust the Word of God, in a translation not steeped in medieval theology.

Here’s how our reconciliation with God goes, as the eons pass:

dirt --> [God makes it into] --> a body

body --> [God gives it a bit of His Spirit/Breath] --> a soul

soul --> [God gives it more Spirit (the Earnest)] --> a justified soul

justified soul --> [God gives it the fullness of the Seven Spirits after death & resurrection] --> a Glorified Soul

Job done, rest and eternity ensue.