by Mustang Girl

Created on: March 23, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

What is Hell?

"For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10

Many people think that hell is a place of fiery torment where the wicked suffer after death, but in order to be tormented, don't we need to be conscious? It is impossible for the dead, who are "conscious of nothing at all," to experience any kind of pain or anguish.

What, then, is hell?

There are two types of "hell" mentioned in the bible: Sheol and Gehenna. Sheol is the abode of the dead, the common grave. Gehenna refers to the valley of Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem. In bible times, this valley was used as a garbage dump, "where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every other kind of filth was cast." (Smith's Dictionary of the Bible) The fires were kept burning by adding sulfur to burn up the refuse.

As mentioned earlier, the dead are "conscious of nothing at all" so death is a state of nonexistence. So when we die WE ALL GO TO SHEOL (hell), the common grave.

Not convinced? Look at Job 14:13 "O that in Sheol you [God] would conceal me". Now, Job had lost his sons and daughters and livestock (his source of income). He had boils all over his body. To top it off, his friends, instead of being supportive of him, berated him and told him that he had sinned because otherwise all these tragedies would not have befell him!

Do you think he was being tormented while he was alive? Of course he was! Now, why would he ask to go to Sheol (hell) to be concealed, protected, if this was a place of torment?

Is Gehenna a literal place where we are tortured for all eternity? No, as stated earlier it was a valley outside of the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus used this valley as a proper symbol of everlasting destruction (Matthew 5:22). Think of it this way, when you burn up paper, does it keep burning forever? No, it ceases to exist, it's destroyed forever!

So is hell a place of torment and fiery torture where all the wicked go to when they die? NO!

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