Heaven and Hell

There are several Greek and Hebrew terms that have been translated as "heaven" or "hell", depending on the Bible translation being used. Combine that with modern hollywood conceptions of the terms and one finds that there is quite of bit of confusion about them - even among Christians. Herein, I hope to clarify things.

First, both heaven and hell are places. Exactly where they are is not made clear in the Bible, though the implication is that they are located somewhere in the spiritual dimension - not in our 3D universe. Second, the fact that the Bible does not go into extensive detail about either place indicates that such detail is relatively unimportant. We must always be on our guard against majoring in minors.

The Hebrew conception of heaven is three-fold. The first heaven is considered the atmosphere - the place of clouds and birds, of weather and wind. It is sometimes referred to as the "firmament." Interestingly, it was also considered by the ancients (not just the Hebrews) to be the abode of spirits, such as demons. The second heaven is the realm of moon, sun, and stars - basically the universe beyond Earth's atmosphere - or, outer space. This is the usage when Genesis mentions that God created the heavens and the Earth¹. The third heaven is considered the abode of God - or at least His servants, the angelic hosts. This is a spiritual realm and we should not expect to find it anywhere in space.

This third heaven is what we typically mean when we talk about "heaven". It is a place untouched by sin, filled with God's servants who spend much time worshipping Him. God's presence is experienced here in a way that is not elsewhere. Exactly how that works, I don't know. Obviously, God is outside of His creation such that talking about Him being in some place only makes sense in a metaphorical way.

The words "Paradise" and "Abraham's Bosom" are also used to refer to a place of comfort and rest beyond death. I tend to think of them as synonyms for Heaven. However, there are those who consider them to be a place of rest for the dead prior to the final judgment. I'm somewhat skeptical simply because the Bible doesn't make it clear. In any case, by the time of the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation, any such "resting" place (if such exists) will be cleared out once and for all and become irrelevant. Only heaven and hell are permanent.

The Hebrew word "sheol" simply means the "grave". Anyone in the grave is obviously dead and their spirit resides where ever the spirits of the dead rest until the final judgment, thus sheol could mean, by extension, the place where the dead rest until the end. Using it as a synonym for hell is simply wrong in any case. The Greek word "hades" is equivalent.

Tartarus is a Greek word that is only used once in scripture (usually translated as "hell") by Peter: "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..."² This seems to indicate a special holding place for fallen angels, but "hell" doesn't seem like a good translation to me.

References are made to a place called "the abyss" or "the pit". In one instance, demons begged Jesus not to banish them to the pit³. In Revelation, there is a reference to the abyss⁴, which seems to be currently "locked" to keep in evil creatures. It seems very similar in character to Tartarus and I assume they are the same.

Gehenna is a reference to a cursed valley known for pagan worship and child sacrifice. In Jesus' day, it had became a place where corpses of criminals, dead animals, and all manners of refuse were thrown to be destroyed. Thus, the Gehenna Valley was a place of burning sewage, refuse, and flesh. Maggots and worms crawled through the waste, and the smoke smelled strong and sickening. It was a place utterly filthy, disgusting, and repulsive to the nose, eyes, and mind. Gehenna presented such a vivid image that Jesus used it as a symbolic depiction of hell: a place of eternal torment and constant uncleanness, where the fires never ceased burning and the worms never stopped crawling.⁵

The Lake of Fire. This is the "hell" of the New Testament. It is a place of eternal fire. Gehenna is used as a symbolic description. Jesus describes how this eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels.⁶ That is, it was not designed for humans. Nevertheless, those who follow the devil will also follow him into hell, sharing his ultimate fate. Revelation specifically records that the false prophet (the antiChrist) and then the devil are thrown into this fire. This is hell.

A few things to note: hell is not the "home" of Satan. It is the place of his impending eternal punishment. Satan and his angels do not hang around, tormenting damned souls with pitchforks in this place. They are terrified of it because it is their destined punishment. As mentioned above, it is a place prepared for Satan and demons; it is a place of eternal torment. It isn't a place where you can walk around fires - it is fire. If you are in hell, you are burned in eternal fire. Constantly. There is no relief from the agony. Thanks be to God for providing an escape from this consequence of our sins through Jesus!

I've talked more extensively about heaven in past articles, but let me just bring up a point or two about heaven. It is not the boring representation of people sitting around on clouds, playing harps. Nor will it be the sterile bureaucracy of some hollywood representations. It will be a place of wonders, new creation, exploration, and revelation. Our physical and mental condition will be far beyond anything we are familiar with. In short, heaven is nothing like it is represented by the world. Thank God for that!

Who knows, exactly, what happens before the final judgment? The Bible is not very clear on that, which indicates that it is not important. What is very clear is that there are only two possible eternal destinations for us humans (and all created beings): heaven or hell. Heaven is a place for those beings that never rebelled (angels) and those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. It is a place where the Presence of God is somehow more tangible than elsewhere and where there is no sin. Hell is an eternal fire created for the Devil and His angels (demons), into which those who have rebelled against God (and have not been redeemed by Jesus) will also be consigned. The final disposition of every created thing will occur at the Great White Throne judgment described in Revelation.

1 Genesis 1:1
2 2 Peter 2:4
3 Luke 8:31
4 Revelation 9:2,11
5 Matthew 10:28;, Mark 9:47-48
6 Matthew 25:41,18