Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would express it by saying that the Greek word "hades" is used in the New Testament to refer to a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection. It is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew term "sheol". The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God -- the part of sheol (or hades) called "heaven," "paradise," or "Abraham's bosom".

In the New Testament, the Greek word "gehenna" (derived from the Hebrew word "hinnom") is used for "hell". This place, which is mentioned only in Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10, and Revelation 20:14-15, is the final hell, the place of eternal punishment for all unrepentant rebels, both angelic and human (Matthew 25:41). It is described as a place of burning sulfur, and those in it experience eternal, unspeakable agony of an unrelenting nature (Luke 16:24; Mark 9:45-46). Those who have rejected Christ and are in the temporary abode of the dead in hades/sheol have the lake of fire as their final destination.

July 03 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report