What does“hell” mean?

Hades Hades (Greek) = realm of the dead; 11 occurrences

Sheol (Hebrew) = the grave

Victory over Hades:◦ Christ’s victory (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:23-31; Ps. 16:8-11)◦ Our victory (I Cor. 15:54-57; Hos. 13:14)◦ Christ’s power over death and Hades (Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13-14)

Pre-judgment place

Two parts of Hades: paradise and torment (Luke 16:22-23; 23:43)◦ Impossible to cross from one part to the other◦ Souls are conscious – able to feel anguish or comfort

Tartarus Tartarus (Greek) = deep, dark pit; 1 occurrence

◦ Part of Hades; torment

II Peter 2:4-9 (illustrates certain doom of false teachers)◦ Sinful angels cast into hell (Tartarus)◦ Wicked reserved for punishment there

I Peter 3:19 (those who perished in the flood)◦ “spirits now in prison”

Dungeon– prisoners kept in torment, awaiting final judgment

Gehenna – Old Testament

Gehenna (Greek) = Valley of Hinnom (lamentation); hell

Judah-Benjamin border; near Jerusalem (Josh. 15:8; 18:16)

Ammonite god Molech and child sacrifice (Lev. 20:1-5)

Judah’s involvement in child sacrifice (II Chron. 28:3; 33:6)

Josiah’s cleansing (II Kings 23:10)◦ Topheth = “burning place” (part of the Valley of Hinnom)

Judah’s guilt (Jer. 32:28, 35)

God would make the valley a mass grave (Jer. 7:31-34; Jer. 19)

Associated with pain, sorrow, fire, and death

Gehenna – first century Gehenna (Greek) = Valley of Hinnom; hell (English); 12 occurrences

◦ Jerusalem’s waste management system – a burning dump

Matt. 5:22; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:15; James 3:6

Post-judgment place – final and eternal destination

Things associated with Gehenna to the first-century Jew:◦ Fire never stopped burning◦ Trash, waste, dead bodies◦ Repulsive history of child sacrifice◦ Place of punishment and mass grave for evil Jews about 6th century

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