The Original Christian View of Hell

Did Bible translators make a mistake when translating three different words with three different meanings into a single concept of hell?

Is it possible that the translators either of their own volition or by direct order, attempted to influence our concept of hell in order to scare people into being obedient Christians?

Heaven is mentioned in the Bible 551 times, compared to hell which is only 54 times. Yet we seem to be a generation of Christians who enjoy one-upping those awful heathens (joking here), threatening them with eternal suffering instead of helping them find the joy and peace of the Almighty God and the Messiah.

Hades simply means the abode of the dead, Sheol means the underworld or the abode of the dead, and Gehenna refers to the trash dump of Jerusalem.

So where did the use of the word "hell" come from? Unfortunately, it was not in the original manuscripts according to ancient philosophers, such as Cicero. The concept of the fire and brimstone of hell were ushered in by new Christian converts, converting from and yet holding on to their heathen beliefs. The Latin translation of the scriptures solidified the transition by translating the three words into the one-word concept of hell. Later translations were rendered from the Latin version, continuing the process. Even today, with all of the study tools available, the majority of preachers seem to love to warn their loyal flock of the horrors of hell. There is no excuse for this. A preacher, above all others, should study the word deeply, not just on the surface of a particular translation.

Timothy tells us in II Timothy chapter 2, verse 15...

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Why do you suppose he used the word "dividing" here? The logical answer is that we are to divide what is true from what is false. If we are to divide it, then it must be surrounded by something false or it would not need to be divided at all.

What about the word "eternal?"

The word "eternal" can simply mean that no one can put out the fire or change the judgment of death. The pronouncement of death is eternal, it cannot be changed. The eternal fire of hell simply means that death cannot be stopped nor the fire put out. You cannot change the course of events once you have been thrown into the grave.

The fire at Gehenna, which was the town dump for Jerusalem, is certainly not still burning today, nor did the garbage that was dumped there continue to burn forever. It was burned up until only the ashes were left. The fire continued to burn, but not the object or body thrown into the fire. Eventually, all the garbage was left as a heap of ashes.

FACT: The fire at Gehenna is NOT still burning, so obviously we have misinterpreted the word which was translated into "eternal."

This leads us to a verse that many who prefer the fiery hell concept often quote to emphasize their point:

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

In this verse the beast and the false prophet are doomed, not everyone. Plus, the words "for ever and ever" can mean an age, a period of time, or literally forever.

We should assume it is a period of time because of the following verses...

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell (Note: meaning the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The only logical conclusion is that the lake of fire destroys unto death (as is stated in verse 14) whatever is thrown into it.

It is not perpetual torment, but it is perpetual death.

The end.

For further study, search for an online version or get the book, Strong's Concordance, and see the actual meaning of the words before the translators decided how they wanted to translate it, and therefore control what people believe. The God I have learned about as my heavenly Father would never enjoy torturing and tormenting his children, even those who did not believe in Him. Each believer should take time to study the scriptures carefully for the TRUTH is hidden in them.

Strong's Concordance contains every single word in the Bible and lists where to find that word. It also contains the original Hebrew or Greek word that the English word was translated from and shows the meanings of those words. The software version is the easiest to use and it can be found freely online.

Scripture passages above are from the book of Revelation in the King James Version of the Bible.