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How Is Hell Described In The Bible

Where In The Bible Does It Say Jesus Descended Into Hell

How is HELL Described in the BIBLE? Featuring Chris Date.

His descent to the underworld is alluded to in the New Testament in 1 Peter 4:6, which states that the good tidings were proclaimed to the dead. The Catholic Catechism interprets Ephesians 4:9, which states that descended into the lower parts of the earth, as also supporting this interpretation.

Biblical Terms Describing Where The Dead Are

  • Sheol – a Hebrew term simply describing the grave or death Does not refer to hell specifically
  • Hades – A Greek term that usually refers to hell a place of torment
  • Gehenna – A Greek term that always refers to hell a place of torment
  • Lake of fire- the final abode of unbelievers after they are resurrected
  • Abrahams bosom – a place of eternal comfort
  • Paradise – a place of eternal comfort
  • With the Lord – a key phrase describes where church age believers are after death
  • New heavens and earth where believers will be after they are resurrected

What Do Jesus Looks Like

For many scholars, Revelation 1:14-15 offers a clue that Jesuss skin was a darker hue and that his hair was woolly in texture. The hairs of his head, it says, were white as white wool, white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace.

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What Is Hell Like

While Scripture doesnt have much to say about what Hell is like, it doesnt take much to know that it is not a nice place.

The most popular image associated with hell is the lake of fire. However, there is disagreement about whether the lake of fire exists in reality. Some think that it is a metaphor to describe how terrible hell is going to be.

Regardless of whether the lake of fire exists in reality or it is a metaphor, it communicates the point. Hell is a terrible, painful place. A place that you want to avoid at all costs.

So, ultimately, it doesnt matter what it looks like as long as you recognize that you dont want to go there and are willing to seek the solution repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.

And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15 ESV

Hell Is A Place Of Complete Darkness

What Does the Bible Say About Hell?

Jesus spoke of those who would be cast out into outer darkness . Jesus does not merely describe Hell as darkness but as the darkness, as if to emphasize that it will be infinitely worse than any physical, moral, mental, or spiritual darkness ever experienced here on earth.

Elsewhere, Peter writes of those who have eyes full of adultery and are trained in covetous practices, and then pronounces their doom: blackest darkness is reserved for them .

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What Sends A Person To Hell

God has never sent anyone to hell. God will never send anyone to hell. Actually, people do this themselves by their unbelief. God never sends anyone to hell just as He never forces anyone into heaven, but the good news is that God desires that no one perish and suffer eternal torment and He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked . People send their own selves to hell by choosing not to believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Jesus can save you today . You simply have to believe in Him and place your trust in Him . There is no other way on earth to escape hell except through faith in Jesus Christ . It may well be that you are reading this for a reason. That reason could be that this very day is your day of salvation . That is my hope and prayer for anyone that reads this. Just believe in Him and you will be saved .

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Issy

I believe Ive seen Hell, in a dream after a trip to Mount Sinia, Egypt. My late Mother-in-Law was there, who was very troublesum to me and others whilst alive she looked very grey, infact everything looked grey. She came up to me and seemed to be looking for help but then wandered off as though she had no control of where she was going. I remember the torment on her face and dispair, the dream was very vivid and although happened several years ago I still clearly remember it as if it were yesterday.

How Can I Avoid Hell

If you were an all-powerful God who ruled the universe how would you deal with sin? How would you remove pain and heartache fairly for eternity? God wants to destroy sin, but at the same time lovingly save the sinner. If we continue to hold on to sin we will be destroyed along with sin. If we let go and confess, sin alone will be destroyed. If sin is not completely eradicated it will infect every part of earth. There can be no peace with sin in existence. Lets look again at Ezekiel 33:11, which says, “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel? God is calling you, not out of fear of hell, but out of love. He is pleading with you to get rid of every sin in your life so some day you can enjoy an everlasting heavenly home where no pain or suffering exists. Why not listen to a fair, compassionate God who loves you and doesnt want anyone to suffer, but come unto Him.

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Nature Of Hell: Eternal Conscious Punishment

The traditional, biblical understanding of hell consists of three parts: eternal, conscious, and punishment. The duration of hell is eternal. Because people are made to last forever, they will either live eternally in heaven or eternally in hell. The prophet Daniel wrote about the eternal nature of heaven and hell when he said, And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt .

The experience of hell is conscious. People in hell are not asleep or annihilated instead, people are awake and aware of their experience. Jesus said, While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .

Hell is also a just punishment for sins. Hell is not an unearned sentence but a lawful condemnation of sinners who deserve the penalty they receive. Jude explained the penal nature of hell when he wrote, Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire .

Rapture Hell Described In Bible

What Hell Really Looks Like In The Bible

In recent years, some fundamentalists have interpreted the Book of Revelation as part of a larger conspiracy involving the coming of messianic priests, the rise of Antichrist, the return of the Jewish kingship, and the rapture of Jesus. The beliefs of the antichrist are not based on any biblical scripture, however. The conspiracy theories are of Christian creation. The beliefs about the future of the universal human and the significance of the book of revelations is also of a Christian creation. The book of revelations is much more than an ancient Jewish text, and the interpretation of the book of revelations and the meaning of eschatology can be valuable to people of all faiths and walks of life.

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Who Are The 7 Fallen Angels

The fallen angels are named after entities from both Christian and Pagan mythology, such as Moloch, Chemosh, Dagon, Belial, Beelzebub and Satan himself. Following the canonical Christian narrative, Satan convinces other angels to live free from the laws of God, thereupon they are cast out of heaven.

Parables Of Jesus Concerning The Hereafter

In the eschatological discourse of Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says that, when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, and will consign to everlasting fire those who failed to aid “the least of his brothers”. This separation is stark, with no explicit provision made for fine gradations of merit or guilt:

Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. …whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.

Matthew 25:4143

In a parable about “The Rich Man and Lazarus” in Luke 16:19-31, the poor man Lazarus enjoys a blissful repose in the “bosom of Abraham” , while the rich man who was happy in life is tormented by fire in Hades , the two realms being separated by a great chasm .

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What Does The Bible Say About Hell

Both the Old Testament and New Testament talk about hell. Although they approach it very differently. Because of that I broke the topic of hell in the Bible into two parts. First we will look at hell in the Old Testament and then hell in the New Testament.

You can read the top 100 verses about hell in the Bible here: What Does The Bible Say About Hell

So, what does the Bible say about hell?

Hell In The Old Testament

The concept of hell in the Old Testament is vague to say the least. The concept of hell in the Bible doesnt really pick until the New Testament. But that doesnt mean theres nothing, so lets take a look.

The word the Old Testament uses thats sometimes translated as hell is sheol and its used 65 times. This is where the difficulty comes in. This word translates as the grave, death, destruction, the pit, and sometimes hell. Thats quite the spectrum of possible definitions.

At very least sheol is referring to death. At most sheol may refer to some sort of afterlife human existence for the wicked.

Ezekiel 32:17-32 offers us the longest description of the afterlife for the wicked in the Old Testament. Still its only a few glimpses and nothing solid. The picture he paints is one of separation for the wicked and judgment for their deeds. There are hints that the wicked feel shame, but also that they are comforted.

Ezekiel isnt the only example. Heres a few more:

Hell In The New Testament

Its no coincidence that Jesus chooses this word to describe hell.

What The Hell: Finding Out Hell Isnt In The Bible

A Catholic Life: How Could Christ Descend into Hell?

Hell. Possibly one of the most influential ideas in history, holding the power of eternal punishment for believing the wrong things. As an evangelical teenager I found myself sobbing on the floor as I realized how many people were going to hell every moment, and how little there was I could do about it. My tears dried and I got up off the floor, but I couldnt escape the reality of hell and still maintain my loyalty to the Bible. Could I?

In my Christian university, a professor leading a group discussion slowly raised the idea of universalism. The class jumped on him like Christians have always jumped on heretics. Everyone in the room was trying to prove why he was wrong, and I led the charge. I had all the biblical tools in my tool belt. I fired passage after passage at him, asking how he could possibly deny eternal punishment in hell. What about Matthew 16? Matthew 25? Revelation 20? He didnt give me direct answers, but also didnt seem fazed. I threw out the implications too without a hell, what is salvation? What is the point of a Christians life if not to make converts? Why did Jesus have to die? He kept giving responses that didnt make sense to any of us, and the room grew more and more heated.

Ive done a fair amount of study in Hebrew and Greek, so I decided to check out the actual word for hell in the Bible. I was surprised to find there isnt one: there are four.

That is good news.

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Can We Comprehend What Hell Is Like

We know from New Testament readings that no place on earth indeed compares to hell. No human truly has a sense of what hell looks like or feels like. No experiences of pain and torment on this earth parallel the pain and agony one would experience in hell. It is even hard to comprehend what hell is like from the Bibles descriptions.

As believers, we know that hell is real, but it is still hard to comprehend fully. Descriptions of hell are dark and scary. While it is not easy to wrap our minds around it, as Christians, we must fully understand it to understand God and His love for us.

Don Stewart : : What Terms Does The Bible Use To Describe Hell Or Everlasting Punishment

1. Place Of Souls Of The Wicked

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell .

2. Fiery Furnace

and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they. . . The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire .

And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.’ So all Israel stoned them with stones and they burned them with fire after they stoned them with stones .

3. Place Of Unquenchable Fire

He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire

And if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire .

As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them . . . are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire .

4. Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth

The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .

5. Place Of No Rest6. Condemnation7. Destruction8. Separation From God’s Presence9. Outer DarknessSummary

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Who Goes To Hell

Revelation 21:8 describes who goes to hell: the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liarstheir place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. A critically important word in this list is the unbelieving. Who are the unbelievers that go to hell? John 3:18b is clear that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ suffer eternal punishment, whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son. Anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ, anyone who does not repent of their sin, and anyone who does not ask for forgiveness, is doomed to eternal separation from God and His holy angels.

Where Does The Soul Go After Death Bible Verse

A Description of Hell

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says tells us what happens when a person dies. It says, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. In other words, when a person dies, his or her spirit goes back to God, the body returns to dust and the soul of that person no longer exist.

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The New Testament Book

In the New Testament, the Book of Revelation appears twice: once as a part of the larger apotheosis, the teaching of John the Baptist, and once as part of the prophetic book of Matthew. In addition, the book also appears in the first half of the book of Acts. The meaning of these various appearances is not the same in all interpretations. While some see the Book of Revelation as a prophetic recount, others view it as an important teaching tool for the early church. In this article, I will show how important the Book of Revelation is to Christians, how it compares to the other two books of the bible, and what role it plays in todays ecumenical movements.

The Book of Revelation belongs to the genre of Eschatology, which refers to the interpretation of the esophageal or sacred history of the church. The book is a prophecy of the end of days, and specifically of the Tribulation Period. The modern church has interpreted this meaning in different ways. Some see the Book of Revelation as a prediction of the Tribulation Period as a sign that the Christian will be persecuted, while others see the book as a foretelling of the end times that will occur before the rapture occurs.

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