two kinds of hell

while 'Scripture cannot be broken' (John 10:35, NIV), there are many words which are lost in translation. we should not assume that Scripture always uses the same word in the same respect and at the same time. after all, there is one will in two senses, one election in two senses and two kinds of works. there are also many different kinds of love!

we should not assume that there is only one kind of hell. in fact, there are two kinds of hell - Hades/Sheol/'the heart of the earth' (Matthew 12:40, NIV) and Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom/'the lake of fire' (Revelation 20:15, NIV).

1. Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth is a literal place in the heart of the earth. it is where believers and unbelievers who have died sleep until they are resurrected on the day of Christ and the day of the LORD respectively.

2. Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom/the lake of fire is a literal place in the Middle East. it is where unbelievers are thrown into after they are resurrected and judged on the day of the LORD.

3. after His death on the cross, Jesus descended to Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth, where He slept for three days and three nights until He was resurrected. Jesus did not go to Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom/the lake of fire and get tormented for our sins there!

4. believers who have died are not playing their harps in heaven in right now. they are sleeping in Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth. they will be resurrected at the first resurrection, on the day of Christ - the first day of the millenial kingdom. 'they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years' (Revelation 20:6, NIV).

5. both Enoch and Elijah died. they are not playing their harps in heaven right now. they are sleeping in Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth. they will be resurrected at the first resurrection, on the day of Christ - the first day of the millenial kingdom. 'they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years' (Revelation 20:6, NIV).

6. unbelievers who have died are not being tormented in Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom/the lake of fire right now. they are sleeping in Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth. they will be resurrected at the second resurrection, on the day of the LORD - the last day of the millenial kingdom. they will then be judged and 'thrown into the lake of fire' (Revelation 20:15, NIV).

7. 'they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever' (Revelation 20:10, NIV) means 'they will be tormented day and night until the first heaven and the first earth pass away', not 'they will be tormented for eternity'.

8. both Hades/Sheol/the heart of the earth and Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom/the lake of fire will cease to exist when the first heaven and the first earth pass away.

9. purgatory does not exist.

10. the story of the rich man and lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is a parable.