There was no 'hell' in the Hebrew language. Israel understood "fiery judgment" to be national judgment and there was only "sheol" which means "the grave" in the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says "Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to sheol" (the grave) "there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom". The patriarch Job said "Oh that you would hide me in sheol". He wanted God to hide him in a burning hot hell? [Job 13:14]
- Isaiah chapter 14, verse 11 says Lucifer will end up "in sheol" with "maggots as the bed beneath him and worms as his covering".
- It's only in the New Testament Greek, that the grave became "hades, the abode of the dead". However, the abode of the dead is still "the grave"! When Ephesians 4:9 says "He descended into the lower parts of the earth" it's assumed to mean 'hell', however, "the grave" is still in "the lower parts of the earth".
- Jude (verse 6) wrote that the angels "who left their first place" (rebelled) "are being held in chains of darkness awaiting judgment". Of course this has been interpreted to mean they are chained and sitting in 'hell' (sentence before trial) but what it actually refers to is they are in "chains of darkness" because once they changed their course away from perfection and goodness, they could not reverse their course back to perfection, because now, they were imperfect! Jude goes on to say (verse 7) that Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of "hellfire" and the smoke of their burning will rise up forever and ever. Well? is there flames of fire there now? No, they are mounds of dust and ashes. The smoke is the memory which will rise up forever. And this life is the memory of how one cannot walk away from God/Life/Perfection without becoming the opposite of life, which is non-life and "the grave".
- All who die before being "saved" (from death/the grave) will take part in "the Second Resurrection". And it's not until after a long day of the examination of all things, all human history, etc, that they will hear the notorious words "those not believing will go to the Second Death". But who, after all that, isn't going to "believe"? [This is my own theory, I've not heard that anyone else has found it!]
- One more note - when Jesus spoke of ending up in 'hell' because of doing evil, He said "in Gehenna" which was the dump site outside of Jerusalem where the bodies of criminals were burned [Matthew 5:29 and Strong's Greek Concordance #1067].
- Isaiah chapter 14, verse 11 says Lucifer will end up "in sheol" with "maggots as the bed beneath him and worms as his covering".
- It's only in the New Testament Greek, that the grave became "hades, the abode of the dead". However, the abode of the dead is still "the grave"! When Ephesians 4:9 says "He descended into the lower parts of the earth" it's assumed to mean 'hell', however, "the grave" is still in "the lower parts of the earth".
- Jude (verse 6) wrote that the angels "who left their first place" (rebelled) "are being held in chains of darkness awaiting judgment". Of course this has been interpreted to mean they are chained and sitting in 'hell' (sentence before trial) but what it actually refers to is they are in "chains of darkness" because once they changed their course away from perfection and goodness, they could not reverse their course back to perfection, because now, they were imperfect! Jude goes on to say (verse 7) that Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of "hellfire" and the smoke of their burning will rise up forever and ever. Well? is there flames of fire there now? No, they are mounds of dust and ashes. The smoke is the memory which will rise up forever. And this life is the memory of how one cannot walk away from God/Life/Perfection without becoming the opposite of life, which is non-life and "the grave".
- All who die before being "saved" (from death/the grave) will take part in "the Second Resurrection". And it's not until after a long day of the examination of all things, all human history, etc, that they will hear the notorious words "those not believing will go to the Second Death". But who, after all that, isn't going to "believe"? [This is my own theory, I've not heard that anyone else has found it!]
- One more note - when Jesus spoke of ending up in 'hell' because of doing evil, He said "in Gehenna" which was the dump site outside of Jerusalem where the bodies of criminals were burned [Matthew 5:29 and Strong's Greek Concordance #1067].
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