____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ May 24, 1992 ____________________________________________________ Hell by Tom Edwards Is hell an actual place? Will lost souls really spend an eternity there? To some, hell is not real at all--it is only a fictitious abode spoken of to deter people from a life of immorality and lawlessness. To others, as the old preacher used to say about their view toward death, ``when you're dead, you're dead like Rover--dead all over.'' This is what many Jehovah Witnesses believe about all those who die in a lost condition and to which they refer to it as the ``total annihilation'' of the soul. I once was talking with a J.W. girl who asserted this by citing Ezekiel 18:4 as her justification; it states, ''...the soul that sinneth it shall die.'' To her, this was ``proof'' that the sinner is completely destroyed and will not have to experience a literal, eternal hell. If the total annihilation theory were true--and the body, soul, and spirit of the wicked were utterly destroyed--then why all the warnings in the Bible about hell's eternal suffering? Would this not be a lie, if punishment for the wicked meant only to become completely non-existent? If that's all hell were then it would really be a blessing compared to the excruciating trials of life that many people today endure--trials that involve physical and emotional suffering which can sometimes seem almost unbearable. Surely, hell would be better than all this agonizing if it meant that the sinner simply becomes no more. Getting back to the passage cited by the J.W. girl, in what sense does the soul that sins die? God had clearly warned Adam, even before Eve came into the world, that he would ``surely die'' on ``the day'' that he would eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). As the Bible narrative continues, we see that not only Adam, but also Eve, took from this tree. As a consequence, they died the day they took from it, as God said they would. But did they die physically that day? No, for they lived on the earth until many years later. Apparently, it was a spiritual death that the Lord had reference to, which has been defined as simply a ``separation from God.'' According to Isaiah 59:1,2, it is sin that separates the transgressor from the Lord and also causes God to turn a deaf ear to the one who has done so. Let it also be said that to be spiritually dead does not mean that the individual no longer has a ``spirit''; rather it expresses that the one who is this way no longer has fellowship with God. The spirit of man is not literally destroyed because of sin; it still exists. In Ephesians 2:1-5, Paul speaks of the former life of the Ephesian brethren who had at one time been ``dead'' because of their trespasses and sins, but they were now made ``alive together with Christ.'' James also declares of this type of spiritual death to which sin can lead in James 1:13-15. In Luke 16:19-31, the Lord tells of two men--the rich man and Lazarus--who both went, as Joshua and David would say, ``the way of all the earth'' (Josh. 23:14; 1 Kings 2:2). Jesus shows that death did not terminate their true essence: both of these individuals were not only still existing, but also experiencing either joy or suffering in their new, temporary dwelling. For the rich man, who had ignored God, it was torment in Tartarus (the compartment in Hades where all the lost souls await the Judgment Day). For Lazarus, however, it was an experience of joy and blessing as he dwelt in ``Abraham's bosom'' (a metaphorical expression that connotes blissfulness. For Lazarus had gone to Paradise, the other compartment in the Hadean realm to where the righteous temporarily await the Day of Reckoning). Tartarus is referred to in 2 Peter 2:4: ``For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;'' ``Hell'' in this verse is from the Greek word "Tartaroo,'' which is derived from the Greek word ``Tartarus'' that has been defined as ``the Greek name for the abode of the damned.'' (Cf. Jude 1:6) This particular "hell" is not to be confused with the eternal hell ("Gehenna"). Though the King James version often uses the term ``hell'' as the rendering for these two different Greek words, the New American Standard shows the distinctions by using the translations of "hades'' and ``hell.'' One of the major differences being that hell is eternal, while hades is only temporary. As seen in the NASV, ''...And death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them...And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire'' (Rev. 20:13,14). Perhaps one analogous way we should view death is by likening it to a move to a new location: though the body returns to the dust, the true essence of the individual takes up residence in a different realm. If we are in a lost state when death comes, we will then be joining the fallen angels in Tartarus and awaiting the final judgment with them. On the other hand, if our sins will be washed away by the blood of Jesus when death comes and removes us from our temporary tabernacle of flesh, we will then be translated to Paradise to await the Judgment Day with all the redeemed who are there. Jesus defines hell ("Gehenna") as a place of ''...unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched'' (Mark 9:43,44). Nothing can ever cause the flames of torment there to cease--for they are everlasting. The eternal nature of hell is also seen in Matthew 25:46: ``And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'' This same word (which is also the same in the Greek) is used to describe the duration of heaven and hell: the word ``eternal.'' However long heaven is to be, this is the same length of time that hell will be. Since ``eternal life'' indicates life with ``no end,'' the same is also true about the ``non-ending'' nature of hell; it will never cease. Revelation 20:10 has this to say about the devil, the beast, and the false prophet in hell: "...they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Consider also Rev. 14:11: "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image...." Who will end up in hell? Though we can't always judge the hearts of men, the Bible tells us it will be ''...those who do not know God'' and ``those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus....'' (2 Thes. 1:7-9). This includes not only the atheist and the agnostic, but also the Christian who ceases to submit himself to the commandments of the Lord; the child of God who dies unfaithful will wind up in this same place of punishment. There are only two places after the Judgment Day that one can go: heaven or hell. Though hell was made originally for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), there is no other place a lost soul can go in eternity. Let us note that no one will ever be lost in the Judgment Day because that is what the Lord wanted, for His ultimate desire is for the salvation of all (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). God wants so much for man to be saved that He sent Jesus His Son to die on behalf of all sinners (John 3:16). What a supreme sacrifice both of them made in order that the price could be paid that would redeem fallen man and help him to be upright in God's sight once again. Man, however, has a free will that he must use in making his choice for this salvation of his soul. What will your choice be? Don't let the world deceive you. Listen to Jesus today by hearing His word in the Gospel. Believe Him and obey Him by repenting of your sins, confessing your faith in Christ, being baptized for the remission of sins, and being faithful unto death that you may one day enter into eternal joy rather than eternal torment. He waits for you now. Don't disappoint Him--if you do, you will learn in the Judgment Day that it will be your greatest disappointment as well. Now is the time you can make heaven your destination. Come join the many of us who are already on the road that leads to everlasting life, and we can help each other to avoid the road that leads to eternal separation from the goodness and blessings of God. ___________________________________________ For a free Bible course, send your request to the address shown below. We have an eight-lesson course and also a six-lesson study on the Acts of the apostles. The former involves brief studies in the Old and New Testaments. The latter concentrates on conversion, the church, and the Holy Spirit. It will take you through the entire book of Acts. We would be happy to share these with you. Just write and let us know. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________