1. THE MEANING OF HELL

2. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED The 15th study in the series. Studies written by William Carey. Presentation by Michael Salzman. All texts are from the New King James version. All rights reserved.

3. The Meaning of Hell The word “HELL” is used 55 time in the KJV Bible and come from 4 different Greek and Hebrew words with 3 different meanings. Thirty one times in the Old Testament it comes from sheol and 11 places in the New Testament it comes from the Greek word hades: these words have identical meanings. Compare Ps. 16:10 with Acts 2:31.

4. 1MH The Meaning of Hell What do the words hades and shoel mean? 1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (O death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? – KJV)

5. 1MH The Meaning of Hell One time hades is translated “grave” (Margin, “hell”) in the KJV. The prime meaning of hades and sheol is the grave One time in the New Testament “hell” comes from the Greek word tartarus (2 Peter 2:4), which means a dark abyss. In this particular text it refers to this dark world, to which Satan’s angels were cast down when they were expelled from heaven to this earth, Rev. 12:9

6. 1MH The Meaning of Hell 12 times in the New Testament “hell” comes from the Greek word gehenna, which refers to that final lake of fire into which the wicked will be cast alive in bodily form with all their members after the second resurrection at the end of the 1,00 years of Rev. 20. There is no place in the Bible where “hell” means a lake of fire which is burning now, or where the wicked will be burning through all eternity.

7. 2MH The Meaning of Hell What about those who worship the beast and his image? Revelation 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead or on his hand,

8. 2MH The Meaning of Hell 10- “he same shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

9. 2MH The Meaning of Hell 11- “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

10. 2MH The Meaning of Hell The disobedient are spoken of here as having no rest day nor night: this refers to the suffering they must endure during the seven last plagues which come upon sinners just before Jesus come the second time.

11. 2MH The Meaning of Hell The smoke of their torment ascending forever does not mean that they will be burning through all eternity (for they become ashes, Mal. 4:1-3), but that they will be forever burned up. There is no resurrection from the second death, Rev. 21:8. Also compare Rev. 19:3 with Rev. 18:8,21.

12. 3MH The Meaning of Hell What about the term “forever”? I Samuel 1:22,28 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.”

13. 3MH The Meaning of Hell 28- “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshipped the LORD there.

14. 3MH The Meaning of Hell Biblical terms are best understood by their usage in the Bible. The word “forever” is used sometimes to denote just an ordinary lifetime. See also 1 Sam. 28:2; Ex. 21:1-6; Gen. 44:32.

15. 4MH The Meaning of Hell Are there any other used of the word “forever” in the Bible? Jonah 2:6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed about me forever; Yet you have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.

16. 4MH The Meaning of Hell Here the word “forever” meant only three days and nights – this time of such great distress seemed forever: a type of the sinner’s lot. So the word “forever” according to Biblical usage means a period of limited duration as well as an infinite duration.

17. 5MH The Meaning of Hell What is the punishment for sin? Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

18. 5MH The Meaning of Hell The punishment for sin is not eternal life in misery, but death – THE SECOND DEATH, which will last through all eternity, Rom. 6:23; Rev 21:8. So the punishment of the wicked will last just as long as the eternal life of the righteous. The righteous receive everlasting life, and the wicked receive everlasting death, which is the everlasting punishment mentioned in Matt. 25:46.

19. 6MH The Meaning of Hell What is everlasting punishment? II Thessalonians 1:7-9 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

20. 6MH The Meaning of Hell 8- in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9- These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

21. 6MH The Meaning of Hell Destruction is called a punishment: therefore everlasting destruction must be the everlasting punishment.

22. 7MH The Meaning of Hell Will the wicked inherit? Psalms 37:9,10 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10- For yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.

23. 7MH The Meaning of Hell There is not and cannot be any such thing as an eternally burning hell, because the time is coming when the wicked will not exist – even his place shall not exist. The story of the rich man in hell and Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in Luke 16:19-31 was not told by Christ to show what happens to people when they die.

24. 7MH The Meaning of Hell Before this story, He had declared in plain language that the wicked would not be cast into the fire until the end of the world (Matt. 13:40-42), and that every man would be rewarded at His second coming, Matt. 16:27.

25. 7MH The Meaning of Hell This story harmonized with the idea which the Pharisees had of the hereafter, and was given to rebuke them for their covetousness in teaching that riches are a mark of God’s favor, and that poverty is a mark of His curse.

26. 8MH The Meaning of Hell What will be left of the fires of hell? Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before!

27. 8MH The Meaning of Hell When God gets through with the wicked, there will not be enough fire in hell to warm a man’s hands on a cool morning. What will happen to the wicked? The Bible tells us in 15 places that they will die: which means that they will cease to live; in 12 places the Bible says that they will PERISH, which means they are blotted out of existence.

28. 9MH The Meaning of Hell Will there be an end to pain? Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

29. 9MH The Meaning of Hell There will never again be pain – this could never be so if there were an eternal hell-fire. God will have a clean universe free from sin and sinners, Rev. 5:13.

30. The Meaning of Hell Do you have a better understanding of everlasting punishment? The End