What does the Bible mean by "hell"?

Is it a literal place that exists now, later, or both?

Let us dig out our Bibles and explore this question that Lobo asked in the Where Really Are The Dead topic.

Thanks Daryl, I appreciate you staring this post. Let me start off the discussion.


“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell [tartaroo], and delivered [them] into chains of darkness [zophos], to be reserved unto judgment;” 2 Pet 2:4


“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness [zophos] unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 1:6

“tartaroo” – “the name of the subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to Gehenna of the Jews” (Strongs)

“zophos” – “darkness, blackness, the darkness of the nether world” (Strongs)


So from these two texts we see that hell is a dark place that at least some demons (fallen angels) are held (chained) until the judgment.

Now according to Strongs this placed mentioned in these two texts above is literal and where demons and people (souls) are right now.

Now some may say that this place is not literal now. However, when we look at other scripture we will see that that idea just isn’t true.

“And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep [abussos].” Luke 8:31

“abussos “ - “bottomless, unbounded, the abyss, the pit, of Orcus, a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons” (Strongs)

Some may say that the “abyss” the demon was afraid to be sent to in this passage was this earth. However, that idea has little merit as the demon in question was already on this earth talking to Jesus. In addition, if this idea were true than Jesus would be made a liar as Jesus agreed to not send the demon into the “abyss”, and the pigs Jesus actually sent the demon into were also on this earth. So if the “abyss” is this earth, Jesus, in fact, would have sent the demon to the abyss, contrary to what He promised.

So it’s clear from this passage that the “abyss” is not this earth and that demons are sent there.

Now according to Strongs, the abyss is the same thing mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6, which is HELL. However, to further prove that the “abyss”, “Pit”, and “Hell” are the same thing I will post more scriptural evidence:

“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isa 14:15

“I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.” Eze 31:16

So now that we have established that Hell, the pit, and the abyss are the same place and that some demons have been sent there being held against their will until judgment, let’s look at if people are being held there as well:

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” 2 Pet 2:9

Notice that Peter uses the very same language for people as he did for angels? Angels are “reserved” in hell for judgment (2 Pet 2:6), and people are “reserved” for judgment in this text above. So since we have the same language used we can conclude that they are in the same place, hell.

Now combine these scriptural facts with what Jesus stated about hell, and I think we have a very solid case for the existence of hell now where evil angels and people are being “reserved” for judgment: Matt 5:22, 29-30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:33; Mark 9:43, 45-47; Luke 12:5, 16:23.

Notice that Jesus literally states that people will be SENT to hell in these texts.

So based on LITERAL scripture it is clear that hell is a real literal place where both angels (demons) and evil people are right this very minute waiting for the judgment.


Now that we have established these facts, let’s look at some other interesting facts about this topic:

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” 1 Pet 3:18-21

Notice that this text indicates that while Jesus was dead (after the cross) He went to preach to the “spirit” in prison. Notice that these were spirits of people who had died long ago during the time of Noah. Although this text doesn’t say this “prison” is hell or the abyss, Paul say that that is where Jesus went when he died, the pit or hell (Rom 10:7).

So we see that Jesus went to the abyss, pit, or hell while he was dead to preach to those “spirits” who were there.

Now when we look at the end time events it ties this truth all together:

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit [abussos]. And he opened the bottomless pit [abussos]; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” Rev 9:1-2

So we see that the demons, who have been held in hell, abyss, or the pit come out of it during the end time events. This again shows that it is a literal place.


Well, these are the bible facts as I see them and they are all consistent with scripture.

Wow, evidentially this topic is of little interest to those posting on this site. I would concur that it’s not pivotal to anyone’s salvation, but due to the shear diversity of beliefs I thought it would raise more discussion.

It still will, however, there are presently some other topics on the go at the moment eating away my time.

Lobo,

You've raised an interesting question. From the texts you have referenced and a few others it seems possible that there is a prison within the earth where some of the fallen angels are kept. One time I read the suggestion that there was a cavern between the Bermuda triangle off the coast of Florida and the Devil's triangle off the coast of Japan where those angels were kept. The author suggested that whenever the gates to that cavern were opened, strange things happened on the surface such as mysterious fogs, ships or planes disappearing, etc. He was using the scriptural references to create an explanation for the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle.

It's not clear, however, that any dead people would be kept in that cavern, even if it did exist. Dead people may exist in some form which the Bible calls a soul or a spirit, but since they are not alive, there wouldn't be much reason to rebury them in some cavern. More likely, what the Bible refers to as souls or spirits of dead people are simply a record on some media of all their characteristics. In Bible times, such a record would be unthinkable. But today with our floppy disks, removable hard drives, CD-ROMs, etc., it is easy to see how God could keep a complete record of a person which He would later download into the body He makes for that person at the resurrection. But I digress.

More to the point, you referenced I Peter 3:18-21 as if it supported the presence of living humans in hell. You are overlooking the fact that at the time Jesus was in the grave, both Jesus and the people of Noah's day were dead. In many places and in many ways, the Bible makes it clear that when a person dies, he is no longer cognizant. And Peter makes it clear that the preaching he refers to took place "long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah," not during the time Jesus rested in the tomb.

But some of the angelic spirits in a prison? That is a possibility that seems to be supported by the Bible.

Bob Lee

Lobo,

You show an interesting example of texts which can be read in more than one way depending on prior assumptions one makes. In Jude 1, there is no apparent connection between verses 5 and 6 as you seem to make. There were people from Egypt who were destroyed (v 5) and demons who are kept in darkness and chains (v 6). The chapter does not say the demons were destroyed nor does it say the people from Egypt are in chains!

Similarly, there is no evidence in verse 7 that the people of Sodom or Gomorrah are in chains, only that they were burned up. As for that word "eternal" in v 7, compare it with the same word in verse 6 which says the demons were bound only until the judgment (presumably the one spoken about in I Cor. 6 in which you and I will be the judges).

We all make assumptions as we interpret our Bible (or anything else we study). But unless there is more evidence to back up conclusions based on one's assumptions than what you have posted, it may be wise to refrain from criticizing the conclusions someone else makes based on their assumptions.

An interesting example of diverse conclusions comes to us from the study of light at the beginning of the last century. Two mutually exclusive concepts about the nature of light were being taught. That is, if one concept was correct, the other could not be correct. To make a long story short, however, it turned out that BOTH were correct! (Ask any physicist for details). Perhaps a similar solution is involved here and in other Biblical studies.

Bob Lee

“3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Jude

The Greek term Jude uses in verse 7 for “in a similar way” is “hos”, which means “as, like, even as”, (Strongs). So contextually, Jude is stating that “as, like, or even as" the angels in vs 6 where “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”, the same or similar thing happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Contextually, Jude has connected verse 6 to 7 by using the term “hos”. As such, the conclusion that they both are related and share a common fate (as Jude indicates) is not assumption, but based on appropriate exegesis of the passage.

It would seem, Lobo, that you are still trying to make connections where there are none. In Jude 1:5, the people of Egypt were destroyed. In verse 7, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. But in verse 6, the angels were NOT destroyed, they were kept in chains for a later day.

Therefore the words "In a similar way" must refer back to the people of Egypt who came to a similar fate, NOT to the angels in chains who were still alive. Those preconceived ideas will get you if you don't read the words carefully.

Bob Lee

So let me get this straight; your exegesis is that Jude in verse 7 is skipping all the way back to verse 5, skipping verse 6, when he stated “in a similar way”? Are you also aware that Jude did not state that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed? That was your inserted idea. So your method of reading and determining the meaning of scripture is to add concepts not stated and skip around to support your ideas?

Well, that type of exegesis is too shaky for me.

Since Jude made no reference to Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed in verse 6 and made a direct reference to the previous verse (six) by saying “in a similar way, and the fact that Jude knew good and well that Sodom and Gomorrah was not still visibly burning when he wrote that, the exegesis is clear. Jude feels that Sodom and Gomorrah “in a similar way” had the same outcome as the angels in verse 6.

So contextually, an exegesis that skips verses and inserts concepts that are not stated like Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed, is clearly not appropriate exegesis for this passage or any other.

Perhaps it’s Jude you feel had preconceived ideas because he does not support your position?