What is Death and Hell?

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We have taken a look at who or what causes death in past studies (see  The God of Death – Part 1 and  The God of Death – Part 2  ; also    Does God Kill People? and  Does God Kill …. A More Thorough Response).  But we have yet to take a look at what death really is….where do the dead go….and what about hell?

In the 8-lesson class I teach, THE BIBLE’S DESIGN, I get into death and hell in lesson 5.  The following are my notes from that lesson.  Get your Bible out, because you’re going to need it as you work your way through this study.   The reality of death will become clear as you take in a quantity of Scripture regarding this subject.

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Christians today, for the most part, do not believe that death is really death, but merely a crossing over into another plane of existence. We’ll take a look at an abundance of Scripture (by no means exhaustive) to see what GOD says of death, and also a little history to see how this idea that the dead have crossed over to another type of life came into being.

Death is referred to as SLEEP.  Not just in the Old Testament, but in the New as well.

Deut 31:16    Job 7:21   Dan 12:1-3    Jn 11:  Cor 11:30; 15:51    I Thess 4:14 5:10

Old Testament, Hebrew word SHEOL (translated grave, hell, pit), which in the New Testament, is the Greek word HADES (translated grave, hell). It is the state of the dead or gravedom.  It is where Jesus was for 3 days and 3 nights during his death.

Acts 2:30-32   Therefore (David) being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of His loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne; he seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (hades), neither his flesh did see corruption.  This Jesus has God raised up, of which we all are witnesses.

The devil is responsible for death.  For all death.  Everywhere, at all time.

Hebrews 2:14, 15   Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Jesus, and Jesus alone, has the keys (metaphorically speaking)  to allow escape and freedom from the bondage of death and hell.  His Father, God, gave him this power over death and hell.

Revelation 1:18  I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.  Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Death and hell shall be destroyed.

I Corinthians 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

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

Gehenna – hell fire, place of burning (is also translated “hell” in NT)….so, when you see “hell” in the New Testament, you have to determine which Greek word it is….Hades or Gehenna….each is used about the same number of times.  You can usually determine which it is from the context. If it’s talking punishment, it’s talking Gehenna.

The Jews, judged solely by the evidence of the OT, unlike their neighbors, had no relationship with the dead; they did not worship them, sacrifice to them, visit them, hope to reunite with them in the afterlife, nor did they anticipate any kind of interaction with God after death.

Alexander the Great (332BC) conquers Israel…controlling it for 150 years. Many Jews lost the ability to read their own Scriptures, as Greek became prevalent in Israel. The Septuagint (250BC) was the Old Hebrew Testament translated into Greek. The word chosen for SHEOL (where no one was alive) was HADES (where, according to Greek mythology, people just “crossed over”, and either wandered forever, or, if good enough, came back (reincarnated) to the regular world,  or made it to the Elysian Fields (nirvana)).

Because the word HADES was chosen for SHEOL in the Septuagint translation, the idea that the dead were alive sprang into Jewish thought!

Another factor which contributed to the idea that being saved means going to heaven when we die was the rise of asceticism, which was strong by 3^rd century.   This philosophy said that earthly pleasures had no value and were even harmful. So earthly things and endeavors were renounced and ascetics attempted to cleanse their souls by strict discipline and denial of worldly pleasures.  They renounced worldly wealth, the taste of fine food, fine clothing, companionship of women, and regular sleep.  This gave rise to the idea that earthly experience was evil, even demonic, and so this system of thought looked for a heavenly spiritual place which was devoid of earthly influence, where eternity would be spent. Thus the idea that death brought a blissful heaven.   In reality, this was the god of death, the devil, trying to make death look good!  What a liar he is!

BUT, the truth is that the dead are NOT alive.

Death: What it is:         Ps 6:5; 30:9; 115:17     Ecc 9:4-10     Is 38:18,19                            No one who is dead knows that he/she is dead.  In death, there is no sense of a passage of time.  No pain, no hope, no longing, no rejoicing, no work, no worship.  No…….anything!

Death is an enemy…..of God, of life:   Jn 10:10    I Cor 15:26     Heb 2:14,15                     Deut 30:15-20

Who is in heaven? Life after death occurs only at the resurrection of the dead.
Jn 3:13 11:21-26         Jesus is the resurrection from the dead.

Is death just a “rolling judgment”? It would have to be if people go to heaven or hell immediately at death.  God would have to convene His court of judgment every time someone died.

Lk 14:14 – this is when the rewards come. In the future!!!  That is when the dead become alive.

I Thess 4:13, 16, 17.  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope…..For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1)  God does not want us to be ignorant concerning those that are dead.
2)  Why would the dead get raised up, if they were already alive?

The dead become alive at the resurrection:  (or, if born of the spirit in this age of grace, at the return of Christ).                                                                                                          Job 14:1-15    Ps 49:12-15      Is 26:19-21     Ez 37:12-14     Acts 2:29-34                 Matt 22:23-32      Jn 5:25,28; 14:3      I Cor 15:15-26, 42-58                                            I Thess 4:13-18; 2:29       Rev 20:11-13        Matt 16:27        Jn 5:22,28,29            Acts 17:31

In the garden: The lie of the serpent was ….”You shall not surely die.” Gen 3:4

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Above are many many verses that give a clear picture of death.

In the class, THE BIBLE’S DESIGN, we learn that the Bible interprets itself in the SCOPE OF TOPIC, one of the keys of which is that “the few seemingly contradictory verses must be understood in light of the many clear.”

Today, people have ignored the many, many very clear verses regarding death and hell, and have taken a very few verses of Scripture, speaking of death, which can be understood to contradict the many clear verses.  They have used these few sections of Scripture to support the erroneous doctrine that the dead are really alive in heaven at this moment.  Let’s take a look at those Scriptures:         Lk 16:20ff, 23:43 II Cor 5:1-10 Phil 1;20-25

When Jesus spoke of Lazarus and the rich man, was he speaking of specific people?  Why?  What other time did he ever speak of specific anecdotes?  Real events?  He always spoke in parables.   You never read of him saying, “Yesterday I met a guy, who told me…….”   Or, “That reminds me of a time where I was……”   Or, “I used to know this guy named…..”     No. he never spoke this way, according to the 4 Gospels.  Then why would we think that he is speaking of a real, actual event here?

Regarding II Corinthians 5 & Philippians 1, the problem is that most people think there are only 2 possibilities….either  1)  you’re alive, or  2)  you’re dead and in either heaven or hell.
But there are 3 possibilities…either you’re 1)  alive, or  2)  dead and in the grave, or  3)  alive after being raised.

Now, when you read the above “difficult” verses, see the 3 possibilities. Paul’s greatest desire was to be gathered together with the Lord, being clothed upon (or housed) by his new body. But this he had no control over, because it wouldn’t/couldn’t happen until Jesus returns to gather together his body of believers.   Meanwhile, he was either going to be alive…..or dead (asleep, waiting the resurrection).
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