Questions about Hell, Abraham's Bosom & the Lake of Fire

[jgh7]

Hello. I'm not sure if this issue is resolved or still debated among the Christian community. I only recently took notice of it. There are two passages I know of which deal with this topic.

"And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelations 20:13-15)

The second passage comes from the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke ch.16:19-31)

My question is about the nature of Hell, and the ultimate destiny of those who don't get into Heaven. For a while I thought they would spend eternity in Hell, maybe not being tortured, but perhaps in some sort of misery/anguish. But now I don't know.

Questions:

1)Does Hell mean the same thing as Hades?
2) The revelations passage says that Death was thrown into the lake of fire? Does this mean that Death is some sort of being?
3) If Hades means the same thing as Hell, then does the Revelations passage suggest that Hell is a temporary place? Also, does the lake of fire mean that people who go there will simply cease to exist?
4) If this is true, then is it still possible for someone who has been sentenced to Hell to be saved? Or is everyone who has been to Hell going to be judged as not saved?
5) I assume that not all people go to this temporary Hell. I'm guessing bad people go there. So, is there also a temporary place where good people go? I think the Luke passage referred to it as "Abraham's bosom". Are people who go to this place automatically saved, or is it still possible for them to be sent to the lake of fire?
6) You can disregard this question if my other assumptions are false. Ok, so assuming that there is the temporary place of Hell and Abraham's bosom, are there people who go to neither? Do you have to go to one or the other, or can you simply be dead and just be resurrected at the time of judgment?

[Mark75]

Questions:

1)Does Hell mean the same thing as Hades?
2) The revelations passage says that Death was thrown into the lake of fire? Does this mean that Death is some sort of being?
3) If Hades means the same thing as Hell, then does the Revelations passage suggest that Hell is a temporary place? Also, does the lake of fire mean that people who go there will simply cease to exist?
4) If this is true, then is it still possible for someone who has been sentenced to Hell to be saved? Or is everyone who has been to Hell going to be judged as not saved?
5) I assume that not all people go to this temporary Hell. I'm guessing bad people go there. So, is there also a temporary place where good people go? I think the Luke passage referred to it as "Abraham's bosom". Are people who go to this place automatically saved, or is it still possible for them to be sent to the lake of fire?
6) You can disregard this question if my other assumptions are false. Ok, so assuming that there is the temporary place of Hell and Abraham's bosom, are there people who go to neither? Do you have to go to one or the other, or can you simply be dead and just be resurrected at the time of judgment?

Hi jgh7,

I'm new to this site, and this is actually my first interaction with a post by someone. To give you my background briefly so that you know where I'm coming from, I teach ancient languages at a seminary among other subjects. And it seems that the answers to many of the questions you posed, which are great questions btw, have to do with language conventions. I'll just give a summarization of answers to each question listed at the end of your post:

1. Yes, Hades is actually the Greek term for what we call "Hell."

2. Many times, in languages such as these, impersonal nouns and adjectives are used as a personification of all individuals who are part of the word in question. In this case, the personification of "Death" would mean basically "all which destroys (i.e. makes dead). The implication is that anything associated with death is being removed permanently from the presence of God, as well as, the righteous who are with God.

3. Yes, actually Hell is a temporary place, so to speak. It is where all those who have died not knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord dwell until the Great White Throne Judgment which you are reading about in Rev 20. At that time, all those in Hell are resurrected and given a new body and are then judged according to their works.

4. No, all those in Hell will be judged according to their works, meaning that it will be seen if these individuals "earned" their way back into God's fellowship. However, we know from Eph. 2:8-9 that no amount of works will earn God's salvation. Therefore, all those judged at this judgment will be found to be coming up short, and as a result, will be thrown into the lake of fire.

5. Let me first clarify something you said in this section. Hell is not a place for "bad people" only; it is where all those who die without that salvation relationship with Jesus. Whether the person has acted good or bad is irrelevant here - remember from #4 above that no amount of being good, that is, doing good works will earn anyone into Heaven.
Now, regarding this single mention of "Abraham's bosom" in all the Bible, this is another linguistic convention. All Jewish people considered Abraham to be their father, and subsequently wanted to be with Abraham after death, that is, "gathered to their fathers." This is a phrase used many times in the Old Testament. In this instance, Abraham is in Heaven, in the presence of the Lord. Therefore this phrase is a Hebraism (a phrase that was meant to speak to the Jewish people) for Heaven. Paul teaches in 2 Cor. 5:6-8 while speaking to the Christians in Corinth, that to be absent from the body is the same thing as being present with the Lord; therefore, we can know that the instant a saved person dies, his or her soul is instantly with God in Heaven. From all this information, we can conclude, therefore, that this obscure phrase "Abraham's bosom" is simply referring to Heaven, or "where Abraham is."

6. Just to put all of this in perspective, to answer your final question: Yes, when a person dies, that person will immediately be in one of two places: Heaven or Hell. And the single determining factor is whether the individual is saved or not.

These are great question, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to them. I hope that I've made some sense here.

[Skyler]

Hello. I'm not sure if this issue is resolved or still debated among the Christian community. I only recently took notice of it.

There is no such thing as a resolved issue in the Christian community. Satan takes care of that.

1)Does Hell mean the same thing as Hades?

I'm not sure if the Greek text *always* distinguishes the two in the same way, but yes, I think there is a difference. Hades, as far as I have learned, would be where the reprobate dead go after death but before judgment day, whereas the elect go to Abraham's bosom.

2) The revelations passage says that Death was thrown into the lake of fire? Does this mean that Death is some sort of being?

This may be symbolic language, referring to the fact that there would be no more death, and therefore death and Hades(the temporary "storage place") would be disposed of.

3) If Hades means the same thing as Hell, then does the Revelations passage suggest that Hell is a temporary place? Also, does the lake of fire mean that people who go there will simply cease to exist?

As for your first question, as I answered above, Hades would be the temporary holding cell until judgment day. Hell, or the lake of fire, is the eternal punishment referred to elsewhere.(Matt. 25:46, for example)

4) If this is true, then is it still possible for someone who has been sentenced to Hell to be saved? Or is everyone who has been to Hell going to be judged as not saved?

What is it with asking two questions at a time?

Everyone who has been to Hades went there because they were reprobate--they had not placed their faith in Christ. There is no scripture that I am aware of that would suggest that these people have a chance to repent and have their names "written in the book of life".

5) I assume that not all people go to this temporary Hell. I'm guessing bad people go there. So, is there also a temporary place where good people go? I think the Luke passage referred to it as "Abraham's bosom". Are people who go to this place automatically saved, or is it still possible for them to be sent to the lake of fire?

People who go to Abraham's bosom go there because they're saved, not the other way around.

So no, they're not going to the lake of fire.

6) You can disregard this question if my other assumptions are false. Ok, so assuming that there is the temporary place of Hell and Abraham's bosom, are there people who go to neither? Do you have to go to one or the other, or can you simply be dead and just be resurrected at the time of judgment?

Yes, there are people who go to neither. Those are the ones who are "caught up with Him in the air", that are still alive when He returns.

No, you cannot simply be "dead" and be resurrected at the time of judgment. Your body, yes, it will be dead. However, one's soul will go either to Hades or Abraham's bosom. The Scripture gives no third option that I am aware of.

Finally, if I may comment on some things you said, mcarma:

I'm new to this site...

Welcome!

Skyler

[Mark75]

Finally, if I may comment on some things you said, mcarma:

mcarma wrote:
I'm new to this site...


Welcome!

Skyler

Thanks, Skyler. I appreciate that. I have to say, also, that I have no problem at all with what you said in your post. You and I said the same things with different wordings as far as I see. I look forward to seeing you around.

Mark

[myth-one.com]

My question is about the nature of Hell, and the ultimate destiny of those who don't get into Heaven. For a while I thought they would spend eternity in Hell, maybe not being tortured, but perhaps in some sort of misery/anguish. But now I don't know.

The unsaved simply perish, because the wages of sin is death and they have no Savior from the wages of sin:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The revelations passage says that Death was thrown into the lake of fire? Does this mean that Death is some sort of being?

No. After all humans have either been born again into everlasting spiritual life or cast into the lake of fire and suffered their second death, there is no longer any need for the concept of death. At this point, everyone in existence is a spiritual body which will live forever. No one will ever die again. The word hell used in Revelation 20:14 is better translated into English as grave. Since death is no longer a valid concept, there is no longer any need for a grave. Because no one will ever die again, no one will ever be buried in a grave again. Therefore, the concepts of death and hell (the grave) are both cast into the lake of fire and destroyed:

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

Now that there are no more living humans, death has been totally defeated. There will be no more death! Death and the grave are thus cast into the lake of fire and destroyed as prophesied:

The last enemy that shall be defeated is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)

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Regarding Abraham's Bosom: The rich man and Lazarus have both died and been buried:

The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (Luke 16:22)

We are told that the rich man was buried. The beggar died and was buried also because we are told he was carried into Abraham's bosom. Abraham has long ago died and been buried. Therefore, Abraham's bosom is the grave:

The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. (Genesis 25:10)

Abraham's bosom is not in heaven:

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)

[myth-one.com]

Hello Mcarma,

3. Yes, actually Hell is a temporary place, so to speak. It is where all those who have died not knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord dwell until the Great White Throne Judgment which you are reading about in Rev 20. At that time, all those in Hell are resurrected and given a new body and are then judged according to their works.

Is this "new body" of which you write their "incorruptible" physical body which can experience suffering but never die?

No humans go to hell immediately upon death, unless by hell you mean their grave. Nonbelievers may be cast into the lake of fire after their judgment:

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And 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. (Revelation 20:13-15)

4. No, all those in Hell will be judged according to their works, meaning that it will be seen if these individuals "earned" their way back into God's fellowship. However, we know from Eph. 2:8-9 that no amount of works will earn God's salvation. Therefore, all those judged at this judgment will be found to be coming up short, and as a result, will be thrown into the lake of fire.

What is the point of judging them if they are all guilty? Does God want to simply humiliate them before casting them into hell?

6. Just to put all of this in perspective, to answer your final question: Yes, when a person dies, that person will immediately be in one of two places: Heaven or Hell. And the single determining factor is whether the individual is saved or not.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)

When a human dies, he is dead and returns eventually to dust. He or she knows nothing until they are raised back to life at their resurrection:

...the dead know not anything... (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

Looking forward to your response,