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The following are quotes added to my Jesus is Jehovah unclassified quotes database in August 2008.
The date format is dd/mm/yy. See copyright conditions at end.
2008: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug (1), Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
20/08/2008
"By means of his written Word upon which the light of fulfilled prophecy was shining Jehovah led the
remnant to appreciate more the importance and preciousness of his name. They came to appreciate that they
were a people, not for the name of Jesus, but for the name of Jehovah ... " ("Of Which God Are You a
Witness?," The Watchtower, February 15, 1964, pp.104-111, p.109)
20/08/2008
"HADES (Ha'des). This is the common transliteration into English of the corresponding Greek word
hai'des. It perhaps means `the unseen place.' In all, the word `Hades' occurs ten times in the earliest
manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures.-Mt 11:23; 16:18; Lu 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Re 1:18; 6:8;
20:13, 14. The King James Version translates hai'des as `hell' in these texts, but the Revised Standard
Version renders it `Hades,' with the exception of Matthew 16:18, where `powers of death' is used, though
the footnote reads `gates of Hades.' `Hades' rather than `hell' is used in many modern translations."
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.1015. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"In all but two cases in which the word Hades is used in the Christian Greek Scriptures it is related to death,
either in the verse itself or in the immediate context; the two other instances are discussed in the following
paragraph. Hades does not refer to a single grave (Gr., ta'phos), or to a single tomb (Gr., mne'ma), or to
a single memorial tomb (Gr., mne·mei'on), but to the common grave of mankind, where the dead and buried
ones are unseen. It thus signifies the same as the corresponding word `Sheol,' and an examination of its use
in all its ten occurrences bears out this fact.-See GRAVE; SHEOL." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society,
"Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY,
1988, p.1016. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"GRAVE. A place of interment. Though today the term `grave' is generally understood to apply to an
excavation in the earth for use as a place of burial, a common method of burial among the Hebrews and other
Oriental peoples was by use of a natural cave or a rock-cut tomb, or vault. The Hebrew word qe'ver is the
common word used to designate a burial place, a grave, or a graveyard. (Ge 23:7-9; Jer 8:1; 26:23) The related
word qevu rah' similarly may refer to an earthen grave or to a tomb excavated in rock.-Ge 35:20; 1Sa 10:2.
In Greek the common word for grave is ta'phos (Mt 28:1), and the verb form (tha'pto) means `bury.' (Mt
8:21, 22) The word mne'ma (Lu 23:53) refers to a tomb and the word mne·mei'on (Lu 23:55) refers to a
memorial tomb. Since these Hebrew and Greek words refer to an individual burial place or grave site, they are
often used in the plural as referring to many such graves. They are, therefore, distinct from the Hebrew
she'ohl' and its Greek equivalent hai'des, which refer to the common grave of mankind, or gravedom,
and hence are always used in the singular. For this reason many modern translations have not followed the
practice of the King James Version, in which she'ohl' and hai'des are alternately rendered by the words
`hell,' `grave,' and `pit,' but have instead simply transliterated them into English.-See HADES; SHEOL."
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, pp.994-995. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"GEHENNA (Ge·hen'na) [Gr. form of the Heb. Geh Hin·nom', `Valley of Hinnom']. This name appears 12
times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and whereas many translators take the liberty to render it by the
word `hell,' a number of modern translations transliterate the word from the Greek ge'en·na. - Mt 5:22 ...
The deep, narrow Valley of Hinnom, later known by this Greek name, lay to the S and SW of ancient
Jerusalem and is the modern-day Wadi er-Rababi (Ge Ben Hinnom). (Jos 15:8; 18:16; Jer 19:2, 6; see
HINNOM, VALLEY OF.) Judean Kings Ahaz and Manasseh engaged in idolatrous worship there, which
included the making of human sacrifices by fire to Baal. (2Ch 28:1, 3; 33:1, 6; Jer 7:31, 32; 32:35) Later, to
prevent such activities there in the future, faithful King Josiah had the place of idolatrous worship polluted,
particularly the section called Topheth. - 2Ki 23:10. No Symbol of Everlasting Torment. Jesus Christ
associated fire with Gehenna (Mt 5:22; 18:9; Mr 9:47, 48), as did the disciple James, the only Biblical writer
besides Matthew, Mark, and Luke to use the word. (Jas 3:6) Some commentators endeavor to link such fiery
characteristic of Gehenna with the burning of human sacrifices that was carried on prior to Josiah's reign
and, on this basis, hold that Gehenna was used by Jesus as a symbol of everlasting torment. However, since
Jehovah God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was `a thing that I had not commanded
and that had not come up into my heart' (Jer 7:31; 32:35), it seems most unlikely that God's Son, in discussing
divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna."
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.905. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"HELL. A word used in the King James Version (as well as in the Catholic Douay Version and most
older translations) to translate the Hebrew she'ohl' and the Greek hai'des. In the King James Version
the word `hell' is rendered from she'ohl' 31 times and from hai'des 10 times. This version is not
consistent, however, since she'ohl' is also translated 31 times `grave' and 3 times `pit.' In the Douay
Version she'ohl' is rendered `hell' 64 times, `pit' once, and `death' once. In 1885, with the publication of
the complete English Revised Version, the original word she'ohl' was in many places transliterated into
the English text of the Hebrew Scriptures, though, in most occurrences, `grave' and `pit' were used, and `hell'
is found some 14 times. This was a point on which the American committee disagreed with the British
revisers, and so, when producing the American Standard Version (1901) they transliterated she'ohl' in
all 65 of its appearances. Both versions transliterated hai'des in the Christian Greek Scriptures in all ten of
its occurrences, though the Greek word ge'en·na (English, `Gehenna') is rendered `hell' throughout, as is
true of many other modern translations." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures,
Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.1086. Emphasis
original)
20/08/2008
"SHEOL (She'ol). The common grave of mankind, gravedom; not an individual burial place or grave (Heb.,
qe'ver, Jg 16:31; qevu·rah', Ge 35:20), nor an individual tomb (Heb., ga·dhish', Job 21:32). While
several derivations for the Hebrew word she'ohl' have been offered, apparently it is derived from the
Hebrew verb sha·'al', meaning `ask; request.' Regarding Sheol, in A Compendious Hebrew Lexicon,
Samuel Pike stated that it is `the common receptacle or region of the dead; so called from the insatiability of
the grave, which is as it were always asking or craving more.' (Cambridge, 1811, p. 148) This would indicate
that Sheol is the place (not a condition) that asks for or demands all without distinction, as it receives the
dead of mankind within it.-Ge 37:35, ftn; Pr 30:15, 16. The Hebrew word she'ohl' occurs 65 times in the
Masoretic text. In the King James Version, it is translated 31 times as `hell,' 31 times as `grave,' and 3 times
as `pit.' The Catholic Douay Version rendered the word 63 times as `hell,' once as `pit,' and once as
`death.' " (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2: Jehovah - ZuZim,"
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.922. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"TARTARUS (Tar'ta·rus). A prisonlike, abased condition into which God cast disobedient angels in Noah's
day. This word is found but once in the inspired Scriptures, at 2 Peter 2:4. The apostle writes: `God did not
hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits
of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment.' The expression `throwing them into Tartarus' is from the
Greek verb tar·ta·ro'o and so includes within itself the word `Tartarus.' A parallel text is found at Jude 6:
`And the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has
reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day.' Showing when it was
that these angels `forsook their own proper dwelling place,' Peter speaks of `the spirits in prison, who had
once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah's days, while the ark was being
constructed.' (1Pe 3:19, 20) This directly links the matter to the account at Genesis 6:1-4 concerning `the
sons of the true God' who abandoned their heavenly abode to cohabit with women in pre-Flood times and
produced children by them, such offspring being designated as Nephilim. ... From these texts it is evident
that Tartarus is a condition rather than a particular location, inasmuch as Peter, on the one hand, speaks
of these disobedient spirits as being in `pits of dense darkness,' while Paul speaks of them as being in
`heavenly places' from which they exercise a rule of darkness as wicked spirit forces. (2Pe 2:4; Eph 6:10-12)
The dense darkness similarly is not literally a lack of light but results from their being cut off from
illumination by God as renegades and outcasts from his family, with only a dark outlook as to their eternal
destiny. Tartarus is, therefore, not the same as the Hebrew Sheol or the Greek Hades, both of which refer to
the common earthly grave of mankind. This is evident from the fact that, while the apostle Peter shows that
Jesus Christ preached to these `spirits in prison,' he also shows that Jesus did so, not during the three days
while buried in Hades (Sheol), but after his resurrection out of Hades.-1Pe 3:18-20. ... The word `Tartarus' is
also used in pre-Christian heathen mythologies. In Homer's Iliad this mythological Tartarus is represented
as an underground prison `as far below Hades as earth is below heaven.' In it were imprisoned the lesser
gods, Cronus and the other Titan spirits. As we have seen, the Tartarus of the Bible is not a place but a
condition and, therefore, is not the same as this Tartarus of Greek mythology. However, it is worth noting
that the mythological Tartarus was presented not as a place for humans but as a place for superhuman
creatures. So, in that regard there is a similarity, since the Scriptural Tartarus is clearly not for the detention
of human souls (compare Mt 11:23) but is only for wicked superhuman spirits who are rebels against God."
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2: Jehovah - ZuZim," Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, pp.1068-1069. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"The Old Testament teaches that there is a life after death. It represents all men as going down to Sheol (the
Hades of the New Testament). The wicked, of course, go there (Ps. 9:17; 31:17; 49:14; Isa. 5:14). Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram are said to have gone down alive into Sheol (Num. 16:33). But the righteous also go
there (Job 14:13; 17:16; Ps. 6:5; 16:10; 88:3). Jacob looked forward to going to his son Joseph in Sheol (Gen.
37:35; cf. 42:38; 44:29). Hezekiah looked upon death as an entering `the gates of Sheol' (Isa. 38:10). The idea
of going into Sheol is probably also present in the oft-recurring phrase, `he was gathered to his people'
(Gen. 25:8, 17; 35:29; 49:33; Num. 20:24; 27:13; Deut. 32:50; Judg. 2:10)." (Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D.,
"Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, Revised, 1977, p.381)
20/08/2008
"In the New Testament also, both the wicked and the righteous are represented as going down to Hades
before the resurrection of the Lord. The rich man, we are told, went to Hades, and he and Lazarus were
within speaking distance of each other in that region (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus himself went down to Hades
(Acts 2:27, 31). Christ now has the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18), and some day both of these will
deliver up the dead in them (Rev. 20:13f.). The word `Hades' occurs ten times in the New Testament (Matt.
11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13f.). The two words, Sheol in the Old
Testament, and Hades in the New Testament, are by common consent held to be exact equivalents."
(Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI,
Revised, 1977, p.381)
20/08/2008
"If, then, the Scriptures teach that there is an existence after death, is it a conscious existence? The Old
Testament is not explicit on this point. To be gathered to one's people, to go down to one's son, and similar
expressions, imply such an existence, though they do not state it. Eccl. 9:5f., 10 seems to deny that it is a
conscious existence, for it declares that `there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol where you are
going.' But we must remember that this book is written from the standpoint of knowledge under the sun, that
is, from the viewpoint of the natural man. Divine revelation alone can tell us of the true nature of life after
death. Isa. 14:9-11, 15-17 definitely teaches that it is a conscious existence. And that which is hinted at in the
Old Testament is clearly taught in the New Testament. Jesus taught it in Matt. 22:31f. and in the story of the
rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:1931). The rich man and Lazarus could talk, think, remember, feel, and care.
The same things are implied in Jesus' statement to the penitent thief that today he should be with Christ in
Paradise (Luke 23:43)." (Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949],
Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, Revised, 1977, p.381)
20/08/2008
"Incidentally, the New Testament seems to teach that there were two compartments in Hades, one for the
wicked and one for the righteous. The one for the righteous was called Paradise; the one for the wicked is
not named, but it is described as a place of torment. Thus, it is clear that the term `sleep,' when applied to
death, refers to the body only (Matt. 27:52; John 11:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:14; 5:10)."
(Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI,
Revised, 1977, p.381)
20/08/2008
"After the resurrection of Christ there seems to have come a change. From that time on, believers are
represented as going into the presence of Christ at death. Thus, Paul represented his embodied condition as
one in which he was `absent from the Lord,' and his disembodied condition as one in which he would be `at
home with the Lord' (2 Cor. 5:6-9). He expressed his desire to `depart and be with Christ, for that is very
much better' (Phil. 1:23). We also see the `souls of those who had been slain' under the altar and conscious
(Rev. 6:9-11). They still go to Paradise, but Paradise is now above (2 Cor. 12:24). It is possible that when
Christ arose, he took with him not only a first-fruit of men whom he raised bodily (Matt. 27:52f.), but also the
souls of all the righteous in Hades. Now all believers go into Christ's presence at death, while unbelievers
continue to go to Hades, as in Old Testament times." (Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in
Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, Revised, 1977, pp.381-382)
20/08/2008
"'ades hades .... In Homer and Hesiod the word is spelled Haides meaning obscure, dark, invisible.
Hades, the region of departed spirits of the lost (Luke 16:23). It corresponds to Sheol in the OT which
occurs 59 times. In the NT, Hades occurs only 10 times. It is found nowhere in John's gospel, the epistles
of Paul, the Epistle to the Hebrews, or the General Epistles. Three of the occurrences are on Christ's lips
(Matt. 11:23 [with Luke 10:15]; 16:18; Luke 16:23). In two of these, the words are obviously used in a
figurative sense: in the case of Capernaum to express an absolute overthrow, a humiliation as deep as the
former loftiness and pride had been great; in the case of the Church, to express a security which shall be
proof against death and destruction. The third occurrence, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke
16:19-31), is of a different kind and has even been taken to put our Lord's confirmation on the Jewish idea of
two compartments in Hades, distinct from and yet near one another. In Acts 2:27, 31, the word Hades
occurs in a quotation from Ps. 16:10 in an application of OT faith in the advent of Christ, His death, and His
resurrection. Therefore, it has again the meaning of the world of the departed into which Christ passed like
other men, but only to transform its nature from a place accommodating both believers and unbelievers to
one for unbelievers only (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14). In all the NT
passages except Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15, Hades is associated with death. It expresses the general concept of
the invisible world or abode into which the spirits of men are ushered immediately after death. The prevalent
idea connected with it in its association with death are those of privation, detention, and just recompense.
The thought of the relative reward of good is subordinate, if expressed at all, to the retribution of evil and to
the penal character pertaining to Hades as the minister of death. In none of the passages in which the word
itself occurs have we any disclosures or even hints of purgatorial fires, purifying processes, or extended
operations of grace. The state of human beings in Hades is immediate and irreversible after death, although
it does not constitute the eternal state, for Hades itself later becomes the exclusive place for unbelievers. It
is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14), while the reign of the just becomes paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4;
Rev. 2:7) which is ultimately absorbed into the final heaven (Rev. 21:1). Our Lord conclusively teaches in the
story of the rich man and Lazarus that there is no possibility of repentance after death. It is in this light that
1 Pet. 3:18-20 should be viewed (cf. phulake ..., prison). Unfortunately, both the OT and NT words have
been translated in the KJV as `hell' (Ps. 16:10) or the `grave' (Gen. 37:35) or the `pit' (Num. 16:30, 33). Hades
never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost. It is the intermediate state
between death and the ultimate hell, Gehenna (Geenna ...). Christ declares that He has the keys of Hades
(Rev. 1:18). In Rev. 6:8 it is personified with the meaning of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to
give up those who are in it (Rev. 20:13), and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). Syn.: Geenna
..., the final destiny of the wicked, hell; tartaroo ..., the prison of the fallen angels or evil spirits;
abussos ..., abyss, the place where the dragon (drakon...), i.e., Satan, is bound during the millennial
reign (cf. Luke 8:31; Rev. 9:11); limne ... and tou puros ... lake of fire, the place into which the beast and
the false prophet are cast after their defeat by Christ. An additional statement in Rev. 21:8 describes those
who have their part in the lake of fire, compare the description of those who are outside the city (Rev. 22:15).
Ant.: paradeisos ..., paradise; kolpos Abraam .... Abraham's bosom; ouranos ... heaven." (Zodhiates,
S., "The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament," AMG Publishers: Chattanooga TN, 1992,
Reprinted, 1994, pp.81-82. Emphasis original)
20/08/2008
"One of the most important considerations when discussing the topic of hell with Witnesses is the fact that
the word has carried different meanings over time. Today the word hell is equated with the fiery place of
the damned, and the Witnesses are right in pointing out that this is not the historic meaning of the term. In
prior eras, hell merely indicated the place of the dead, which is the original meaning of the German word
Hoelle, from which the English hell is derived. In a similar fashion, Witnesses begin on the right foot by
acknowledging that the Greek word hades ('hades') and the Hebrew word she'ol ('sheol') do not
unequivocally refer to a place of torture. Hades and she'ol, like the original meaning of the word hell,
simply meant `the place of the dead.' That is why Job wished to be there [Job 14:13] and why the dead will
be delivered from it [Rev 20:13]. Thus, in the Apostles' Creed, the Church affirms that Jesus descended into
hell, though he was never in the place of the damned." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses,"
Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.130-131)
20/08/2008
"Since hell has traditionally meant the place of the dead, the Witnesses capitalize on the modern alteration
of its definition and conclude that hellfire is therefore an unbiblical invention. Does Scripture warrant such a
conclusion? No. Rather, it says that the damned `shall be tormented with fire and sulfur ... the smoke of their
torment ascends forever and ever, and day and night they have no rest' (Rev. 19:10-11). When faced with
this passage, the Witness is forced to conclude that it cannot refer to conscious torment, since the
Watchtower teaches that the dead are not conscious. Moving behind the English, the Greek word for
torment is basanizo, which refers only to punishment, torment, or vexation, not to annihilation and
unconsciousness (cf. Matt. 8:6, 29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28). There is no reference in Scripture to unconscious
torment, as it is a contradiction in terms. Therefore, the idea of hellfire is not `a myth invented by Satan,' as
the Watchtower asserts; rather it is an `everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels' (Matt. 25:41), a
`lake of fire and sulphur, where ... they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever' (Rev. 20:10)."
(Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.131-132)
20/08/2008
"In another Bible passage dealing with conscious torment after death, Jesus tells his listeners of Lazarus
and the rich man: `[T]he beggar died and he was carried off by the angels to the bosom [position] of
Abraham. Also the rich man died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, he existing in
torments, and he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in the bosom [position] with him. So he called and said,
`Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, because I am in anguish in this blazing fire.' (Luke 16:22-24; brackets around `position' in original)'
Though Luke never identifies this story as a parable, the Watchtower maintains that it is a metaphor. What
it represents, Watchtower sources do not agree upon. In Reasoning from the Scriptures, for example, the
suffering of the rich man is said to represent the torment the Jews underwent when given the judgment
messages in the book of Acts (5:33; 7:54) . The Watchtower, however, reads the following into the text: `The
rich man represents the ultraselfish class of the clergy of Christendom, who are now afar off from God and
dead to his favor and service and tormented by the Kingdom truth proclaimed.' [Let God Be True, 98.]
These ideas-so foreign to the commonsense interpretation of the passage-show to what lengths the
Watchtower goes to explain away the biblical evidence for eternal torment." (Evert, J., "Answering
Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, p.132)
20/08/2008
"Jesus stated that the place of the damned is likened to Gehenna, which was previously the center of an
idolatrous cult that offered children as sacrifices. This `Valley of Hinnom' was located southeast of
Jerusalem and was used in the first century as a garbage dump where trash was burned day and night. Our
Lord informs his listeners that the place of the damned is like that, a place `where the maggot does not die,
and the fire is not put out' (Mark 9:48). It is the place where the wicked are sent, and from this `everlasting
fire' (Matt. 18:8) will come `weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth' (Matt. 8:12)." (Evert, J., "Answering
Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.132-133)
20/08/2008
"In contrast to this, the Watchtower argues that, `Living humans were not pitched into Gehenna; so it was
not a place of conscious torment.' [Let God Be True, 173] However, this line of reasoning does not come
from Scripture, which indicates the opposite in Revelation 19:20: `While still alive, they both [the beast and
the false prophet] were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulphur' (emphasis and brackets added).
While there can be everlasting fire without conscious torment (as if corpses were being incinerated), there
can be no `wailing and grinding of teeth' without consciousness. If the damned are unconscious, as the
Watchtower contends, it is absurd that Jesus would choose such contradictory illustrations as Gehenna
and the rich man in flames to convey this." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers:
El Cajon CA, 2001, p.133)
20/08/2008
"In every biblical account of the final separation of the wicked and the just, the consciousness of both
parties is presumed: `There is where [your] weeping and the gnashing of [your] teeth will be, when you see
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside'
(Luke 13:28; brackets in original; cf. Matt. 8:11-12). There is no indication that the first group is conscious,
while the second is not. Rather, Jesus emphasizes the consciousness of the damned." (Evert, J., "Answering
Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, p.133)
20/08/2008
"Another classical objection to eternal torment is the appeal to the love of God. People espousing this belief
maintain that God's love precludes the possibility of his allowing any creature to be tormented eternally. But
does God's love actually prohibit the existence of suffering in the afterlife? The answer is no, because if the
existence of suffering in this life does not detract from the fact that God is love, neither does suffering in the
next life. If anything, the goodness of God would seem to be more challenged by the suffering of the
innocent in this life than by the punishment of the wicked in the next (though even that does not challenge
his goodness, since God will simply compensate the innocent in the next life for what they suffered in this
one). God is love, and he offers his presence and love to anyone who will accept it. Should individuals
refuse this proposal, God honors their choice and gives them what they asked for-eternity apart from his
presence and love. `Eternal damnation' is not God's initiative; he desires the salvation of all. Rather, hell is
the reality of people's refusal of God's love-and continuing to do so after death. If the damned were to
repent, they would be accepted by God. But at death the will becomes fixed, either on good or evil, so the
lost remain lost because they continue to choose to reject God's love. Consequently, God is not to blame for
people's choices, and his goodness is not impugned because some refuse to accept him." (Evert, J.,
"Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.133-134)
20/08/2008
"But what of the claims that eternal damnation is a teaching that originated with the ancient Babylonians
and other pagans? It is worth noting that the doctrine of an eternal paradise to come was also held by many
pagan religions. Thus one could argue that if the doctrine of eternal damnation is false because pagans
believed it, then an afterlife paradise must, by the same token, be a pagan myth. This reveals a fundamental
problem with much of the Witnesses' teaching. They often denounce things as being pagan in origin, but
they do so only selectively. When they want to denounce a Christian concept (e.g., eternal torment), they
accuse it of being pagan, based on parallels in other religions. But when they want to keep a Christian
concept (e.g., eternal paradise), they do not denounce it as pagan even when there are parallels in other
religions. Often the pagan parallels that Witnesses cite simply aren't there. For example, the Babylonians did
not believe in an eternal fiery punishment. As The Epic of Gilgamesh reveals, their concept of the afterlife
was bleak, but it is altogether different from the idea of hell. For the Babylonians, the afterlife is bleak for
everyone, there being no distinction between the saved and the damned." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's
Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.134-135)
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"That many ancient cultures knew of punishment in the afterlife only strengthens the case for the teaching.
It demonstrates that human nature knows that it is contrary to God's justice for sin to go unpunished. To
simply withhold the reward of paradise by leaving the damned unconscious forever is no real punishment,
since they are not aware of anything. For the sake of argument, suppose that Hitler is damned. Would not
the justice of God require that he receive a worse punishment than an eternity of rest for torturing and killing
millions? Beyond that, do all of the damned deserve the same punishment? Scripture indicates that, just as
there are degrees of glory, there are degrees of punishment (Matt. 11:20-24). Some will be beaten more
severely than others (Luke 12:48). But this cannot be the case if death and damnation amount to
annihilation, for there are no degrees of nonexistence." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses,"
Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, p.135)
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"HELL. + The English word `hell,' as employed in the KJV, translates four words in the original biblical
languages: Heb. se'ol, and Gk. hades, geenna (Gehenna) and tartaroo (a reference to Tartarus).
The RSV transliterates as Sheol and Hades; these names generally signify the abode of all the dead, whether
blessed or damned. On the other hand, the RSV associates both geenna and tartaroo with hell,
signifying, as used in the New Testament, a special place of punishment for the wicked. The progressive
biblical use of these terms provides a history of the development of the doctrine of hell as the eternal
destiny of the damned. Although seeds of the later doctrine of hell exist in the Old Testament; particularly in
the prophets, the doctrine did not approach its developed form until intertestamental and New Testament
times." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted,
2000, p.478. Emphasis original)
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"Sheol The KJV translates Heb. se'ol thirty-one times as `hell,' thirty-one times as `the grave,' and three
times as `the pit.' Both the literal meaning of the word and its derivation are unknown; none of the theories
proposed is universally accepted. Attempts to derive it from Akkadian have failed to convince man scholars.
Some scholars relate the term to Heb. sa a `to lie waste'; Sheol then would refer to a desolate. inhuman
region where no life can exist and which is a horror to all who behold it. Since such a region was thought to
be located under the earth, some have suggested `underworld' as the best translation. Others believe that
se'ol means `cavern, hollow, deep: (place),' from the Hebrew root sl. Another widely accepted view is
that se'ol derives from a root meaning `ask, inquire.' This theory connects Sheol with the practice of
necromancy, the consultation of the dead through mediums. Sheol would be the abode of the spirits thus
consulted." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987,
Reprinted, 2000, p.478. Emphasis original)
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"Whatever the precise meaning of Sheol, the Old Testament speaks of it as the abode of the shades (Job
26:5-6; Ps. 88:10 [MT 11]; Prov. 2:18; 9:18 [RSV mg.]; Isa. 14:9; 26:14, 19). The Hebrew word for shades
(repa'im) means lit. `the limp, powerless ones.' Other texts characterize Sheol as dark. gloomy, chaotic, and
silent (Job 10:21-22; Ps. 94:17). a `land of forgetfulness' whose inhabitants are weak, cut off from the
experience of God's presence, and no longer praise him (Pss. 88:4-6, 10-12 [MT 5-7, 11-13]; 115:17; Isa. 14:9-
10; 38:18). Yet there the weary find rest (Job 3:17), and Sheol is not beyond the reach of God's presence and
power (Ps. 139:8; Amos 9:2) Old Testament writers employ various images of Sheol including a gated city
(Job 38:17; Isa. 38:10) or a voracious mouth which swallows up the dead (Isa. 5:14). Except for an oblique
reference to Sheol as a place of thirst (v. 13), the Old Testament nowhere suggests that it is a place of
torment for the wicked. Rather, it is the general abode of all the dead." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans
Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000, p.478)
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"Hades The LXX consistently uses Gk. hades to translate se'ol. The Greek term had a long history of
usage it the classics, where it designates the underworld in general, the abode of all the dead. Hades is
translated as `hell' in the KJV but is transliterated in the RSV. Acts 2:27 quotes Ps. 16: 10 with reference to
the resurrection of Christ. It is literally the `gates of Hades' (Matt. 16:18, RSV mg.) that shall not prevail
against the Church; the RSV suggests that the image of the gates represents the power of Hades, the
`powers of death.' In the story of the rich man and Lazarus. however, the rich man in Hades is said to be in
torment and suffering from thirst (Luke 16:23-24; cf. Isa. 5:13). The reference to flame as the source of the
torment suggests that, in this parable at least, Hades is virtually synonymous with Gehenna. Rev. 20:14
maintains the distinction between Hades and the place of torment by fire (usually Gehenna in the New
Testament) but depicts their ultimate union when Death and its realm, Hades, are thrown into the lake of
fire." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted,
2000, p.478. Emphasis original)
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"Gehenna. The word Gehenna represents the nearest biblical approach to the developed doctrine of hell
as the place of the damned. Thus the RSV employs the English word `hell' almost exclusively for Gehenna
(Gk. geenna). The name comes from the Hebrew expressions ge hinnom, ge ben-hinnom, and ge
bene-hinnom, which mean respectively `valley of Hinnom,' `valley of the son of Hinnom,' and `valley of the
sons of Hinnom.' All refer to a valley south of Jerusalem which became infamous for its sacrificial site called
Topheth where children were offered to the god Molech during the reigns of such wicked kings of Judah as
Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). King Josiah defiled the site during his reforms so that children no
longer would be sacrificed there (2 Kgs. 23:10), but the valley may have been used again for-such practices
after his time (Jer. 7:31-32; 19:2-6; 32:35). As punishment for this, Jeremiah proclaimed that in the future the
valley of the son of Hinnom would be called the valley of slaughter since many would be slain there and, for
lack of room elsewhere, the dead would be buried in Topheth (7:32; 19:6)." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans
Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000, pp.478-479. Emphasis original)
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"In later Jewish thought the name of this place of infamy and horror became associated with the growing
belief in the existence of a place where the wicked would be punished for eternity (cf. Isa. 66:24). Likewise
the conviction was growing that a final resurrection and judgment would come, separating those destined
for `everlasting life' from those destined for `everlasting contempt' (Dan. 12:2). The site of this judgment was
variously placed in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:12ff. [MT 4:12ff.]; according to tradition this is the
Kidron valley) and on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:3ff.). The image of Gehenna as the place of punishment
for the wicked is also used in later Jewish writings (As. Mos. 10:19; 2 Esdr. 7:36; 2 Apoc. Bar. 59:10; 1 En.
27:2-3; 48:9; 54:1; 90:2627; 103:8), where it often has strong associations with darkness and burning fire."
(Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000,
p.479)
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"The New Testament use of Gehenna continues the development of the concept of a place of eternal
punishment. Except for Jas. 3:6, it is used only in the Synoptic Gospels. Drawing heavily on Jewish
apocalyptic literature, the Gospels characterize Gehenna as a place of `unquenchable fire' (Matt. 5:22; 18:9;
Mark 9:43; Jas. 3:6; cf. Matt. 3:10, 12; 7:19; 18:8; 25:41; Luke 3:9, 17 where fire is mentioned without, naming
Gehenna), and as a valley or pit into which one's body may be cast (Matt. 5:29-30; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5).
It is probably safe to assume that the lake of fire of Rev. 20:14 is identical with Gehenna, into which Death
and Hades are thrown. The limited use of the Gehenna-fire imagery in the New Testament should be noted.
Although it cannot be ignored, particularly since it appears primarily in the teachings of Jesus, its limited
use and the nearly total lack of concrete imagery for hell in Paul's writings suggest that this is not the only
way to speak of the destiny of those who reject God." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary,"
Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000, p.479)
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"Tartarus The only other appearance of English `hell' in the RSV is in 2 Pet. 2:4 where the Greek text uses
a verb form of the classical name Tartarus meaning `consigning to Tartarus. ` In classical thought Tartarus
was the lowest part of the underworld and a place of punishment over against Elysium, the place of the
blessed. Thus it was distinct from Hades, the general abode of the dead, although in popular usage the two
terms may have been, interchangeable. In 2 Peter the name is used of the infernal region to which the
rebellious angels were consigned, and hence here signifies a place of punishment of the wicked." (Myers,
A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000, p.479.
Emphasis original)
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"SHEOL [she'ol] (Heb. se'ol, se'ol). The abode of the dead (e.g., Ps. 49:14 [MT 15]; Prov. 9:18; KJV
usually `grave,' `hell'), both the wicked (Ps. 31:17 [MT 18]) and righteous (e.g., Ezek. 32:21, 27). The LXX
renders the term Gk. hades. Often synonymous with death itself (e.g., Gen. 42:38; 1Kgs. 2:6, 9), Sheol is
depicted as located in the depths of the earth (e.g., Gen. 37:35; Prov. 15:24; Ezek. 31:15-18), indeed, the
deepest place of all (Deut. 32:22; Job 11:8). It is a place of gloom (Job 10:21-22; cf Eccl. 9:10) and decay (Isa.
14:11), from which there is no escape (Job 7:9; cf. Isa. 5:14); only God can rescue his people from the
clutches of Sheol (Ps. 49:15 [MT 16])." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans:
Grand Rapids MI, 1987, Reprinted, 2000, p.939. Emphasis original)
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"GRAVE (Heb. qeber, qeburu). + An excavated place for burial of the dead. In general terms graves
were located outside cities or villages in biblical times, although exceptions were made for rulers.
Occasionally a person was buried beneath his house (1 Sam. 25:1; 1 Chr. 33:20), a custom attested by
excavated Canaanite dwellings. The usual practice was to bury a person in an individual grave within a
family burial complex, hence the expressions `to sleep with one's fathers' (e.g., 2Kgs. 14:16; 20:21) and `be
buried with one's fathers' (e.g., 14:20; 15:7). Archaeological excavations in Palestine have uncovered a large
number of ancient graves. Graves varied widely in their form, and no specialized vocabulary for their
classification or description is encountered in the Bible. In its simplest form the grave was merely a shallow
trench, perhaps covered with a heap of stones to protect the remains (cf. Josh. 7:26; 2 Sam. 18:17) and
appropriately marked (e.g., Gen. 35:8, 20). Caves frequently were used for interment because of their
convenience (cf. 25:9), with bodies lowered into them from above. Large burial chambers were built into
them, including horizontal compartments into which bodies were deposited. Sometimes a semicircular niche
was hewn into the rock, creating a ledge onto which the body was placed: Also, a kind of stone coffin could
be made by digging a trough in the niche floor (cf. Matt. 27:59-60). Although no evidence of cremation has
been found, secondary burials are attested at 2 Sam. 21:12-14 and by the numerous ossuaries discovered
dating to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The grave often has a figurative meaning in the Bible. The
Hebrews believed that after earthly life the dead continued to exist, separated from God, in a twilight world
called Sheol (Heb. se'ol, often translated `the grave' in English versions). For example, the biblical writers
compared jealousy (Cant. 8:6) to the grave and the words of adulteresses (Prov. 5:5; 7:27) to Sheol. A
frequently expressed hope is that God will rescue the dead from the grave (Ps. 49:14-15; cf. KJV, Hos. 13:14;
1 Cor. 15:55)." (Myers, A.C., ed., "The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1987,
Reprinted, 2000, p.439. Emphasis original)
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"Hell. In the Old Testament this is the word generally. and unfortunately used by our translators to render
the Hebrew Sheol. It really means the place of the dead, the unseen world, without deciding whether it be
the place of misery or of happiness. It is clear that in many passages of the Old Testament Sheol can only
mean `the grave,' and is so rendered in the Authorized Version; see, for example, Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 1 Sam.
2:6; Job 14:13. In other passages, however, it seems to involve a notion of punishment, and is therefore
rendered in the Authorized Version by the word `hell.' But in many cases this translation misleads the reader.
In the New Testament `hell' is the translation of two words, Hades and Gehenna. The word Hades,
like Sheol, sometimes means merely `the grave,' Acts 2:31; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 20:13, or in general `the
unseen world.' It is in this sense that the creeds say of our Lord, `He went down into hell,' meaning the state
of the dead in general, without any restriction of happiness or misery. Elsewhere in the New Testament
Hades is used of a place of torment, Matt. 11:23; Luke 16:23; 2 Pet. 2:4 [sic], etc.; consequently it has been
the prevalent, almost the universal, notion that Hades is an intermediate state between death and
resurrection, divided into two parts, one the abode of the blest and the other of the lost. It is used eleven
times in the New Testament, and only once translated `grave.' 1 Cor. 15:55. The word most frequently used
(occurring twelve times) in the New Testament for the place of future punishment is Gehenna or
Gehenna of fire. This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead
animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their destruction. [See
HINNOM.]" (Peloubet, F.N. & M.A., eds, "Smith's Bible Dictionary," [1863], Thomas Nelson Publishers:
Nashville TN, 1987, Revised, 1990, pp.240-241. Emphasis original)
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"Hin'nom (lamentation), Valley of, otherwise called `the valley of the son' or `children of Hinnom,' a
deep and narrow ravine, with steep, rocky sides, to the south and west of Jerusalem, separating Mount Zion
to the north from the `hill of evil counsel,' and the sloping rocky plateau of the `plain of Rephaim' to the
south. The earliest mention of the valley, of Hinnom is in Josh. 15:8; 18:16, where the boundary line between
the tribes of Judah and Benjamin is described as passing along the bed of the ravine. On the southern brow,
overlooking the valley at its eastern extremity, Solomon erected high places for Molech, 1 Kings 11:7, whose
horrid rites were revived from time to time in the same vicinity by the later idolatrous kings. Ahaz and
Manasseh made their children `pass through the fire' in this valley, 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6, and the
fiendish custom of infant sacrifice to the fire-gods seems to have been kept up in Tophet, which was
another name for this place. To put an end to these abominations the place was polluted by Josiah, who
rendered it ceremonially unclean by spreading over it human bones and other corruptions, 2 Kings 23: 10,
13, 14; 2 Chron. 34:4, 5, from which time it appears to have become the common cesspool of the city, into
which its sewage was conducted, to be carried off by the waters of the Kidron. From its ceremonial
defilement, and from the detested and abominable fire of Molech, if not from the supposed ever-burning
funeral piles, this later Jews applied the name of this valley-Ge Hinnom, Gehenna (land of Hinnom)-to
denote the place of eternal torment. In this sense the word is used by our Lord. Matt. 5:29; 10:28; 23:15;
Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5." (Peloubet, F.N. & M.A., eds, "Smith's Bible Dictionary," [1863], Thomas Nelson
Publishers: Nashville TN, 1987, Revised, 1990, pp.249-250. Emphasis original)
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"Hell, a term which in common usage designates the place of future punishment for the wicked. Other
meanings in many instances are expressed by this term, which must be recognized to prevent mistakes and
confusion. In some cases it refers to the grave, in others to the place of disembodied spirits without any
necessary implication as to their happiness or unhappiness. This fact, however, does not militate against the
correctness of the belief indicated by the common use of the term, a belief which rests upon many passages
of Scripture for its support. 1. Scripture Terms. The words of the original Scriptures rendered `hell' in the
English A.V. are three in number. With a solitary exception (II Pet. 2:4 tartaroo, to incarcerate) they are the
only words thus translated. These, however, are not the only terms, as we shall see, in which the idea of a
place of future penal suffering for the wicked is clearly and strongly expressed. The three words are as
follows:" (Unger, M.F., "Unger's Bible Dictionary," [1957], Moody Press: Chicago IL, Third edition, 1966,
Fifteenth printing, 1969, p.467. Emphasis original)
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"(1) Sheol. Without entering into the discussion as to the derivation or root meaning of :his term of the
Old Testament Scriptures, it may be sufficient to say, that this word occurs sixty-five times. In our A.V. it is
translated thirty-one times `grave,' thirty-one times `hell,' and three times `pit.' The general idea is `the place
of the dead;' and by this is meant, not the grave, but place of those who nave departed from this life. The
term is thus used with reference to both the righteous and ,he wicked: of the righteous (Psa. 16:10; 30:3; Isa.
38:10, etc.), of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Psa. 9:17, et al.). This is in accordance with the general
character of the Old Testament revelation, which presents much less clearly and strongly than the New the
doctrine of the future life with its distinct allotments of doom. But there are many hints, and more than hints,
of the difference in the conditions of the departed. The Psalmist Drays: `Draw me not away with the wicked,
and with the workers of iniquity' (Psa. 28:3; see also Isa. 33:14; 66:24; Dan. 12:2)." (Unger, M.F., "Unger's
Bible Dictionary," [1957], Moody Press: Chicago IL, Third edition, 1966, Fifteenth printing, 1969, p.467.
Emphasis original)
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"(2) Hades. One of the New Testament terms rendered `hell' like the Old Testament `sheol' is
comprehensive, and has a quite similar significance. It refers to the underworld, or region of the departed,
the intermediate state between death and the resurrection. It occurs eleven times in the New Testament, viz.:
Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 11:27, 31; I Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14. The A.V. renders
the word `hell' in every case with one exception, viz.: I Cor. 15:55, where it gives `grave.' The R.V., however,
substitutes `hades' for `hell,' leaving the word untranslated, thus representing, as it is held, more correctly
the original idea. It is not to be denied that the distinction thus recognized between `hades,' and `hell,' as a
place of misery is a valid one. Nevertheless it is equally plain that our Lord, in certain of his words,
associated judgment and suffering with the condition of some of the inhabitants of `hades' (e. g., Matt.
11:23; Luke 16:23). See Hades." (Unger, M.F., "Unger's Bible Dictionary," [1957], Moody Press: Chicago IL,
Third edition, 1966, Fifteenth printing, 1969, p.467. Emphasis original)
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"(3) Gehenna (q.v.), the valley of Hinnom. A place where the Jewish apostasy, the rites of Moloch, were
celebrated (I Kings 11:7). It was converted by King Josiah into a place of abomination, where dead bodies
were thrown and burnt (II Kings 23:13, 14). Hence the place served as a symbol, and the name was
appropriated to designate the abode of lost spirits. In this way the term was used by our Lord. The word
occurs twelve times in the New Testament, and in every case it is properly translated `hell,' denoting the
eternal state of the lost after resurrection. That is, the meaning of the English word which overbears all
others is particularly the meaning of Gehenna (see Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47;
Luke 12:5; James 3:6). The distinction between hades (the intermediate state) and Gehenna ('eternal hell') is
of importance, because not only is it necessary to the understanding of quite a large number of passages in
the New Testament, but also it may prevent misconstruction and remove uncertainty as to Christ's teaching
with regard to the future state of the wicked. It also has important bearing upon the doctrine of `Christ's
descent into hell' (hades) and that of the `Intermediate State.'" (Unger, M.F., "Unger's Bible Dictionary,"
[1957], Moody Press: Chicago IL, Third edition, 1966, Fifteenth printing, 1969, p.467. Emphasis original)
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"2. Scripture Synonyms. The Bible doctrine of hell is by no means confined to the terms above
mentioned, and to the passages in which they appear. There are many phrases in which the overshadowing
idea is presented with great distinctness, such as `unquenchable fire,' `the blackness of darkness,' `furnace
of fire,' `torment in fire and brimstone,' `the smoke of their torment,' `the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone,' `where their worm dieth not,' `the place prepared for the devil and his angels.' Van Oosterzee well
remarks: `There is no doubt that Holy Scripture requires us to believe in a properly so-called place of
punishment, in whatever part of God's boundless creation it is to be sought. That the different images under
which it is represented cannot possibly be taken literally will certainly need no demonstration; but it is
perhaps not unnecessary to warn against the opinion that we have to do here with mere imagery. Who shall
say that the reality will not infinitely surpass in awfulness the boldest pictures of it?'" (Unger, M.F.,
"Unger's Bible Dictionary," [1957], Moody Press: Chicago IL, Third edition, 1966, Fifteenth printing, 1969,
p.467. Emphasis original)
21/08/2008
"Gehen'na (ge-hen'a; Gr. Geenna, for the Heb. hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom), a deep, narrow glen to
the south of Jerusalem, where the Jews offered their children to Moloch (II Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31; 19:2-6). In
later times it served as a receptacle of all sorts of putrefying matter, and all that defiled the holy city, and so
became the representative or image of the place of everlasting punishment, especially on account of its ever-
burning fires; and to this fact the words of Christ refer when he says `the fire is not quenched.' `The
passages of the New Testament show plainly that the word `gehenna' was a popular expression for `hell' of
which Jesus and his apostles made use, but it would be erroneous to infer that Jesus and his apostles
merely accommodated themselves to the popular expression, without believing in the actual state of the
lost.' In the N. T. the word gehenna falls many times from the lips of Christ in most awesome warning of the
consequences of sin (Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). He describes it as
a place where `their' worm never dies and their `fire' is never to be quenched. Gehenna is identical in meaning
with the `lake of fire' (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15). Moreover the `second death' and `the lake of fire' are identical
terms (Rev. 20:14). These latter Scriptural expressions describe the eternal state of the wicked as forever
separated from God and consigned to the special abode of unrepentant angels and men in the eternal state.
The term `second' is employed relating to the preceding physical death of the wicked in unbelief and
rejection of God (John 8:21-24). That the `second death' ('lake of fire' or gehenna) is not annihilation is
shown clearly by Rev. 19:20 and 20:10. After 1000 years in the lake of fire the Beast and False Prophet still
exist there undestroyed. The words `forever and ever' ('to the ages of the ages') describing the destiny of the
lost in Heb. 1:8, also apply to the duration of the throne of God as eternal in the sense of being unending.
Thus is represented the punishment of the wicked. Gehenna, moreover, is not to be confused with Hades or
Sheol (q.v.), which describe the intermediate state of the wicked previous to the judgment and the eternal
state. See Hades, Lake of Fire: Hell, Hinnom." (Unger, M.F., "Unger's Bible Dictionary," [1957], Moody
Press: Chicago IL, Third edition, 1966, Fifteenth printing, 1969, pp.394-395. Emphasis original)
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"The entire New Testament distinguishes clearly between Hades, the intermediate state, and Gehenna (hell),
the place of final punishment. Hades is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Sheol. In the Old
Testament, human existence does not end with death. Rather, man continues to exist in the nether world.
The Old Testament does not speak of man's soul or spirit descending to Sheol; men continue to exist as
`shades' (rephaim). The rephaim are `weak shadowy continuations of the living who have now lost
their vitality and strength.' They are `not extinct souls but their life has little substance.' Sheol, where the
shades are gathered, is pictured as a place beneath (Ps. 86:13; Prov. 15:24; Ezek. 26:20), a region of darkness
(Job 10:22), a land of silence (Ps. 88:12; 94:17; 115:17). Here the dead, who are gathered in tribes (Ezek. 32:17-
32), receive the dying (Isa. 14:9, 10). Sheol is not so much a place as the state of the dead. It is not non-
existence, but it is not life, for life can be enjoyed only in the presence of God (Ps. 16:10, 11). Sheol is the Old
Testament manner of asserting that death does not terminate human existence." (Ladd, G.E., "A Theology of
the New Testament," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997, pp.193-194)
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"There are a few intimations in the Old Testament that death will not be able to destroy the fellowship that
God's people have enjoyed with him. Since God is the living God and the Lord of all, he will not abandon his
people to Sheol, but will enable them in some undefined way to enjoy continued communion with him (Ps.
16:9-11; 49:15; 73:24; Job 19:25-26).2 These passages do not have a clear teaching of a blessed intermediate
state, but they embody the germ of such a teaching. The psalmists cannot conceive that communion with
God can ever be broken, even by death. In the Old Testament, Sheol is not a place of punishment. The fate
of the righteous and unrighteous is the same. In Judaism there emerges a distinct doctrine of Sheol as a
place of blessedness for the righteous but a place of suffering for the unrighteous (En. 22-23; IV Ez. 7:75-
98)." (Ladd, G.E., "A Theology of the New Testament," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997,
pp.193-194)
24/08/2008
"Jesus has almost nothing to say about Hades. The word occurs a few times (Mt. 11: 23 = Lk. 10:15; Mt.
16:18) as a well-known concept. In one parable Jesus draws upon contemporary ideas about Hades to set
forth the danger men face if they refuse to hear the word of God. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus
(Lk. 16:19-31) has often been taken as a didactic passage to teach explicitly the state of the dead. This,
however, is very difficult, for if this is a didactic passage, it teaches something contrary to the rest of Jesus'
teaching, namely, that wealth merits Hades and poverty itself is rewarded in Paradise. This parable is no
commentary on contemporary social life, nor does it intend to give teaching about the afterlife. It is really
not a parable about the rich man and Lazarus, but about the five brothers. Jesus used contemporary
folkmaterial to set forth the single truth that if men do not hear the word of God, a miracle such as a
resurrection would not convince them." (Ladd, G.E., "A Theology of the New Testament," Eerdmans: Grand
Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997, p.194)
24/08/2008
"To the dying thief who expressed faith in Jesus, he promised, `Today you will be with me in Paradise' (Lk.
23:43). Here is a clear affirmation that the soul or spirit of the dying man would be with Jesus in the presence
of God. `Paradise,' meaning park or garden, is used in the LXX of the garden of Eden (Ezek. 28:13; 31:8) and
is sometimes used of the messianic age when the conditions of Eden will be restored (Ezek. 36:35; Isa. 51:3).
The word is also used in intertestamental literature of the messianic age of blessedness (Test. Lev. 18:10f.;
Test. Dan. 5:12; IV Ez. 7:36; 8:52; Apoc. Bar. 51:11) . There also developed in this literature the idea that the
blessed dead were at rest in a garden of God (En. 60:7, 23; 61:12). The word appears only three times in the
New Testament-in the passage in Luke, in II Corinthians 12:3, and in Revelation 2:7-where it simply
designates the dwelling place of God. We must conclude that Jesus gives no information about the state of
the wicked dead, and only affirms that the righteous dead are with God." (Ladd, G.E., "A Theology of the
New Testament," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997, pp.194-195)
24/08/2008
"HELL. The New Testament word for the place of final punishment is Gehenna, which derives from the
Hebrew ge hinnom. Ge hinnom was a valley south of Jerusalem where sacrifices were offered to
Moloch in the days of Ahaz and Manasseh (II Kings 16:3; 21:6). The threats of judgment uttered over this
sinister valley in Jeremiah 7:32; 19:6 are the reason why the Valley of Hinnom came to be equated with the
hell of the last judgment in apocalyptic literature. In the Synoptics, Gehenna is a place of eternal torment in
unquenchable fire (Mk. 9:43, 48). While only the bodies of men are in the grave, the whole man can be cast
into hell (Mt. 10:28). It is pictured as a fiery abyss (Mk. 9:43), as a furnace of fire (Mt. 13:42, 50), as an eternal
fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). Vivid pictures of the punishments to be endured in hell,
which are frequently met in apocalyptic writings, are quite lacking in the Gospels. On the other hand, final
punishment is pictured as outer darkness (Mt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). This suggests that both fire and darkness
are metaphors used to represent the indescribable. `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers' (Mt.
7:23); `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you' (Mt. 25:12). Exclusion from the presence of God and the
enjoyment of his blessings-this is the essence of hell." (Ladd, G.E., "A Theology of the New Testament,"
Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997, pp.195-196)
24/08/2008
"Sheol can be pictured in a number of ways: chiefly as a vast sepulchral cavern (cf. Ezk. 32:18-32) or
stronghold (Pss. 9:13; 107:18; Mt. 16:18); but also as a dark wasteland (Jb. 10:22) or as a beast or prey (e.g.
Is. 5:14; Jon. 2:2; Hab. 2:5). This is not definitive language, but poetic and evocative; and it is matched by
various phrases that highlight the tragedy of death as that which silences a man's worship (as here; cf. 30:9;
88:10f.; 115:17; Is. 38:18f), shatters his plans (146:4), cuts him off from God and man (88:5; Ec. 2:16) and
makes an end of him (39:13). These are cries from the heart, that life is all too short, and death implacable and
decisive (39:12f.; 49:7ff.; cf. Jn. 9:4; Heb. 9:27); they are not denials of God's sovereignty beyond the grave,
for in fact Sheol lies open before Him (Pr. 15:11) and He is `there' (Ps. 139:8). If He no longer `remembers' the
dead (88:5), it is not that He forgets as men forget, but that He brings to an end His saving interventions
(88:12; for with God to remember is to act: Cf., e.g., Gn. 8:1; 30:22). For the most part, the Old Testament
emphasis falls on death as the great leveller (cf. Jb. 3:13-19), although sometimes depths beyond depths can
be made out, to which tyrants, in particular, are consigned, as in Isaiah 14:13; Ezekiel 32:18ff But at rare
moments the Psalms have glimpses of rescue from Sheol, in terms that suggest resurrection, or a translation
like that of Enoch or Elijah (cf. 16:10; 17:15; 49:15; 73:24 ...) and in at least two places in the Old Testament
the former of these hopes is spelt out unmistakably (Is. 26:19; Dn. 12:1-3)." (Kidner, D., "Psalms 1-72: An
Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms," Tyndale Press: London, 1967, pp.61-62. Emphasis original)
25/08/2008
"According to many modern interpreters the New Testament writers adopted this Jewish doctrine not only
in substance but in its details. (1.) They are represented as teaching that all the people of God who died
before the advent of Christ, were confined in Sheol, or the under-world. Sheol or Hades, as stated above, is
constantly spoken of `as the gloomy realm of shades, wherein are gathered and detained the souls of all the
dead generations:' The soul at death is said to be dismissed `naked into the silent, dark, and dreary region of
the under-world.' (2.) That when Christ died upon the cross, He descended `ad inferos,' into Hades, or Hell,
for the purpose of delivering the pious dead from their Prison; and that they were the redeemed captives of
whom the Apostle speaks in Ephesians iv. 8-10, as led by Christ into heaven. (3.) That those who die in the
Lord since his advent, instead of being admitted into heaven, pass into the same place and the same state
into which the patriarch passed at death before his coming. (4.) And as the Old Testament saints remained in
Sheol until the first coming of the Messiah, so those who die under the New Testament, are to remain in
Hades, until his second coming. Then they are not only to be delivered from Sheol, but their bodies are to be
raised from the dead, and soul and body, reunited and glorified, are to be admitted into heaven. Such is the
scheme of doctrine said to be taught in the New Testament." (Hodge, C., "Systematic Theology," [1892],
James Clark & Co: London, Reprinted, 1960, Vol. III, pp.734-735.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/hodge/theology3.iv.i.iii.html)
25/08/2008
"Such is the scheme of doctrine said to be taught in the New Testament. Our Lord is regarded as giving it
his sanction in the par able concerning Lazarus. Paul is made to teach it when he speaks of Christ as
descending to `the lower parts of the earth,' which is said to mean `the parts lower than the earth,' that is, the
underworld.. His object in thus descending was, according to the theory, to deliver the souls confined, in
the gloomy prison of Sheol. Christ's triumph over principalities and powers is referred to the same event, his
descent into Hades. Mr. Alger, representing a large class of writers, says that according to Paul's doctrine,
`Christ was the first person clothed with humanity and experiencing death, admitted into heaven. Of all the
hosts who had lived and died, every one had gone, down into the dusky under-world. They were all held in
durance waiting for the Great Deliverer.' [Alger, W.R., "A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life,"
Philadelphia, 1864, p.284] The fate of those who die since the advent is no better, for they, as Paul is made to
teach, are `all to remain in the under-world' until the second coming of Christ, `when they and the
transformed living shall ascend together with the Lord.' [Ibid. p.288]" (Hodge, C., "Systematic Theology,"
[1892], James Clark & Co: London, Reprinted, 1960, Vol. III, p.735)
25/08/2008
"St. Peter is made to teach the same doctrine in still more explicit terms. In his discourse delivered on the day
of Pentecost, he argued that Jesus is the Christ from the fact that God raised Him from the dead. That He
was thus raised he argued from the sixteenth Psalm, where it is written, `Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption:' That these words cannot refer to David, Peter
argued, because he did see corruption; and his sepulchre remained until that day. The words of the Psalmist,
therefore, must be understood of Christ, whose soul was not left in hell (Sheol), neither did his flesh see
corruption. As for David, he `is not ascended into heaven.' (Acts ii. 34.) Something, therefore, happened to
Christ that did not happen to David or to any other man. Christ was not left in hell; David and all other men
were thus left. Christ did ascend to heaven; David did not; and if David did not, then other saints of his time
did not. Thus it is that Peter is made to teach that the souls of the pious dead do not ascend to heaven, but
descend to the gloomy abode of Sheol, Hades, or Hell, all these terms being equivalent." (Hodge, C.,
"Systematic Theology," [1892], James Clark & Co: London, Reprinted, 1960, Vol. III, pp.735-736)
25/08/2008
"hades [Hades] A. hades in Later Judaism. a. Used for the Hebrew Sheol, the realm of the
dead, this term came to denote the place of temporary sojourn prior to resurrection (cf. Is. 26:19). b. In this
place the good were then seen to be separated from the bad (Eth. En. 22; cf. Lk. 16:23, 26). c. The good were
finally thought to be already in bliss (Lk. 16:9, 23ff.). B. hades in the NT. 1. The Link with
Judaism. The NT view is close to that of Judaism (cf. Lk. 16). a. There is no soul-sleep. b. One goes
down into Hades (Mt. 11:23; 12:40). c. The stay is limited (Rev. 20:13). Sometimes all the dead seem to be in
Hades (Acts 2:27), but elsewhere believers are in paradise (Lk. 16:9, 23ff.), or with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), or
under the altar (Rev. 7:9). Hence Hades is sometimes just the abode of the wicked (Lk. 16:23; Rev. 20:13-14).
2. The Early Christian Reconstruction. Faith in the risen Lord gives assurance that believers are
secure from Hades (Mt. 16:18) and go to be with Christ (Lk. 23:43). Jesus is the Lord of Hades (Mt. 16:18;
Acts 2:31). The descent shows this. Distinctive here is that Christ preaches in Hades (1 Pet. 3:19ff.) and that
he has the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18)." (Jeremias, J., "Hades," in Kittel, G. & Friedrich, G., eds.,
"Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in one Volume," Bromiley, G.W., transl., Eerdmans:
Grand Rapids MI, 1985, Reprinted, 1988, p.22. Emphasis original)
25/08/2008
"geenna [Gehenna] 1. geenna is the Greek form of the Hebrew name for the Wadi er-Rababi.
This acquired a bad reputation because of the sacrifices offered to Moloch there (2 Kgs. 16:3). Judgment
was pronounced on it (Jer. 7:32), and it thus came to be equated with the hell of the last judgment (Eth. En.
90:26). Later it was also used for the place where the wicked are punished in the intermediate state. The LXX,
Philo, and Josephus do not have the term; Philo has tartaros instead. 2. The NT distinguishes
between hades and geenna: a. the former is temporary, the latter definitive (cf. Mk. 9:43, 48);
b. the former is for the soul alone, the latter for the reunited body and soul (Mk. 9:43ff.; Mt. 10:28).
geenna is preexistent (Mt. 25:41). It is manifested as a fiery abyss (Mk. 9:43) after the general
resurrection. Those who fall victim to divine judgment (Mt. 5:22; 23:33) will be destroyed there with eternal
fire. The ungodly are sons of geenna (Mt. 23:15). They go to it with Satan and the demons (Mt.
25:41; cf. Rev. 19:20; 20:10-11). The threat of geenna in the NT is used to show the seriousness of sin
and to awaken the conscience to fear of the divine anger (Mt. 10:28; 23:33). Even contemptuous words must
be avoided (Mt. 5:22); no sacrifice is too costly in the war against sin (Mt. 9:43ff.)." (Jeremias, J., "Gehenna," in
Kittel, G. & Friedrich, G., eds., "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in one Volume,"
Bromiley, G.W., transl., Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1985, Reprinted, 1988, p.113. Emphasis original)
25/08/2008
"kolazo [to cut short, punish], kolasis [punishment] kolazo. This means `to cut short,'
`to lop,' `to trim,' and figuratively a. `to impede,' `restrain,' and b. `to punish,' and in the passive `to suffer
loss:' A common use is for divine chastisement. In inscriptions the deity punishes those who violate cultic
laws. Some classical authors regard evil as divine retribution. Philo finds in beneficence and retribution the
two primary powers of being, though God would rather forgive than punish, and punishes only those who
are not amenable to reason. Punishment brings blessing by freeing from a false frame of soul. The NT uses
kolazo in Acts 4:21 and 2 Pet. 2:9. Only the latter refers to God's punishment. The wicked will be
under punishment between death and judgment, i.e., until their destiny is finally fixed. kolasis. This
word, meaning `punishment,' is used for divine punishment in 2 Macc. 4:38; 4 Macc. 8:9. In the NT it occurs
in Mt. 25:46: Those who fail the practical ethical task will go away to eternal punishment. The only other
instance is in 1 Jn. 4:18, which says that fear is its own punishment (cf. 3:18). This fear is driven out by love,
which is free from every fear." (Schneider, J., "Hades," in Kittel, G. & Friedrich, G., eds., "Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in one Volume," Bromiley, G.W., transl., Eerdmans: Grand
Rapids MI, 1985, Reprinted, 1988, p.451. Emphasis original)
26/08/2008
"Where Are the Dead? ... What happens to a person when he dies? Is he still conscious somewhere?
Is there a real hope that the dead will live again? ... Where was Adam before God formed him from the dust
and gave him life? Why, he simply did not exist. At his death Adam returned to the same lifeless,
unconscious state. He went neither to a fiery hell nor to heavenly bliss, but died ... The Bible clearly teaches
that the dead are unconscious and lifeless in the grave. Note what Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 (AV) says
regarding the condition of the dead: `For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any
thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Whatsoever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest.' This means that the dead cannot do anything and cannot feel anything. Their thoughts
have ceased, as the Bible states: `Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no
help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.'-Psalm 146:3, 4,
AV ..." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible
& Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, pp.34-35. Emphasis original)
26/08/2008
"WHAT IS HELL? ... Many religious organizations teach that the wicked are tormented endlessly in a
hellfire. But is this belief taught in God's Word? You may know the meaning that your own particular church
organization gives to `hell,' but have you ever investigated to see the meaning given it in the Scriptures?
What is hell according to the Bible? ... In the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible the word `hell' is translated from
the Hebrew word sheol'. This word occurs 65 times in all. The King James Version of the Bible,
however, translates sheol' 31 times as `hell,' 31 times as `grave,' and 3 times as `pit.' The Catholic
Douay Version of the Bible translates sheol' as `hell' 63 times and as `pit' once and as `death' once. In
the Christian Greek Scriptures the word `hell' is sometimes translated from the Greek word hades.
Both the King James and Douay versions translate hades as `hell' in each of its ten
occurrences. ... Is hell a hot place? Do sheol' and hades refer to some place where the wicked
suffer after death? It is plain that they do not, for we have already seen that the dead are not conscious and
therefore cannot suffer. The Bible does not contradict itself with regard to the condition of those in hell.
This is proved by the fact that the Bible says that Jesus was in hell. (Acts 2:31, AV, Dy)
When the apostle Peter stated this on the day of Pentecost, he clearly meant that Jesus had been in the
grave, not in a place of fiery torment. (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) In saying this the apostle quoted from Psalm
16:10 [15:10, Dy]. Here the Hebrew word sheol' was used, and at Acts 2:31 this word is
translated by the Greek word hades. This shows that sheol' and hades refer to the
same thing. The Bible `hell' is actually mankind's grave." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The Truth
that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, pp.41-42. Emphasis
original)
26/08/2008
"As further proof of this, consider the case of Job, a righteous servant of God who suffered much. He
prayed to God: `Who will grant me this, that thou mayst protect me in hell [sheol'; the grave,
AV], and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a time when thou wilt remember me?' (Job 14:13,
Dy) How unreasonable to think that Job desired protection in hell if it is a fiery-hot place! Clearly,
this `hell' is simply the grave, and Job desired to go there so that his sufferings might end. Good people as
well as bad people go to the Bible `hell,' the common grave of all mankind." (Watchtower Bible & Tract
Society, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968,
pp.41-42)
26/08/2008
"There is one place where hades occurs, however, that has caused some persons to believe that the
Bible hell is a place of physical torment. That is where Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus, and said
that the rich man died, and in hades experienced torment. (Luke 16:22-31) Why is the use of
hades here so different from its use in other places? Because Jesus was giving a parable or
illustration and was not speaking of a literal place of torment. (Matthew 13:34) Consider: Is it reasonable or
Scriptural to believe that a man suffers torment simply because he is rich, wears good clothing and has
plenty to eat? Is it Scriptural to believe that one is blessed with heavenly life just because he is a beggar?
Consider this too: Is hell literally within speaking distance of heaven so that an actual conversation could be
carried on? Also, if the rich man were in a literal burning lake, how could Abraham send Lazarus to cool his
tongue with just a drop of water on the tip of his finger? What, then, was Jesus illustrating?... In this
illustration the rich man stood for the class of religious leaders who rejected and later killed Jesus. Lazarus
pictured the common people who accepted God's Son. The Bible shows that death can be used as a
symbol, representing a great change in one's life or course of action. (Compare Romans 6:2, 11-13;
7:4-6.) A death, or change from former conditions, happened when Jesus fed the Lazarus class spiritually,
and they thus came into the favor of the greater Abraham, Jehovah God. At the same time, the false religious
leaders `died' with respect to having God's favor. Being cast off, they suffered torments when Christ's
followers after Pentecost forcefully exposed their evil works. (Acts 7:51-57) So this illustration does not
teach that some dead persons are tormented in a literal fiery hell." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The
Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, pp.42-43. Emphasis
original)
26/08/2008
"Perhaps someone may object and say that the Bible does speak of `hell fire.' (Matthew 5:22, AV,
Dy) True, some versions use this expression, but in such cases the original Greek word here used for
`hell' is Geenna, and not hades. Gehenna occurs twelve times in the Christian Greek
Scriptures, and refers to the valley of Hinnom outside the walls of Jerusalem. When Jesus was on earth this
valley was used as a huge garbage dump where fires were kept burning by adding brimstone (sulfur) to burn
up the refuse. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, Volume I, explains: `It became the common lay-stall
[garbage dump] of the city, where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every
other kind of filth was cast.' So when Jesus said that persons would be thrown into Gehenna for their bad
deeds, what did he mean? Not that they would be tormented forever. Jesus used that valley (Gehenna) of
fire and brimstone as a proper symbol of everlasting destruction. That is what his first-century listeners
understood it to mean. The `lake of fire' mentioned in Revelation has a similar meaning, not conscious
torment, but `second death,' everlasting death or destruction. It is evident that this `lake' is a symbol,
because death and hell (hades) are thrown into it. Such things cannot literally be burned, but they
can be done away with, or destroyed. - Revelation 20:14; 21:8." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The
Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, pp.43-44)
26/08/2008
"Where Are the Dead? What happens to us when we die? ... The world's religions offer differing
answers to these questions. Some teach that if you live a good life, you will go to heaven but if you live a
bad life, you will burn in a place of torment. ... Still other religions teach that the dead go to an underworld to
be judged ... Such religious teachings all share one basic idea-that some part of us survives the death of the
physical body. According to almost every religion, past and present, we somehow live on forever with the
ability to see, hear, and think. Yet, how can that be? Our senses, along with our thoughts, are all linked to
the workings of our brain. At death, the brain stops working. Our memories, feelings, and senses do not
continue to function independently in some mysterious way. They do not survive the destruction of our
brain." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible
& Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, 2005, pp.57-589. Emphasis original)
26/08/2008
"What happens at death is no mystery to Jehovah, the Creator of the brain. He knows the truth, and in his
Word, the Bible, he explains the condition of the dead. Its clear teaching is this: When a person dies, he
ceases to exist. Death is the opposite of life. The dead do not see or hear or think. Not even one part of
us survives the death of the body. ... After Solomon observed that the living know that they will die, he
wrote: `As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.' He then enlarged on that basic truth by saying
that the dead can neither love nor hate and that `there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in
[the grave].' (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10) Similarly Psalm 146:4 says that when a man dies, `his thoughts do
perish.' We are mortal and do not survive the death of our body. The life we enjoy is like the flame of a
candle. When the flame is put out, it does not go anywhere. It is simply gone." (Watchtower Bible & Tract
Society, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York:
Brooklyn NY, 2005, p.58)
27/08/2008
"Turning the `Hose' on Hell In harmony with Brother Russell's strong desire to remove from God's
name the foul stain that resulted from the teaching of a hellfire of eternal torment, he wrote a tract featuring
the subject, `Do the Scriptures Teach That Eternal Torment Is the Wages of Sin?' (The Old
Theology, 1889) In it he said: `The eternal torment theory ... was unknown to the Lord and the apostles
...' ... Brother Russell ... in 1896, in the booklet What Say the Scriptures About Hell?, ... presented ...
every text in the King James Version in which the word hell was found, so readers could see for themselves
what these said, and then he stated: `Thank God, we find no such place of everlasting torture ...Yet we have
found a `hell,' sheol, hades ... and that `hell' is the tomb-the death condition. And we find
another `hell' (gehenna-the second death-utter destruction) ... Brother Russell firmly upheld the
proposition that `death is death, and that our dear ones, when they pass from us, are really dead, that they
are neither alive with the angels nor with demons in a place of despair.' " (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society,
"Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY,
1993, pp.128-129. Emphasis original)
27/08/2008
"The Hebrew word sheol occurs sixty-five times in the Old Testament. In the King James Version it is
translated hell thirty-one times, grave thirty-one times, and pit three times. If the translators of the Revised
Version had been thoroughly disentangled from error, they would have done more to help the English
student than merely to substitute the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades as they
have done. They should have translated the words. But they gave us sheol and hades
untranslated, and thus permitted the inference that these words mean the same as the word hell has become
perverted to mean. Yet anyone can see that if it was proper to translate the word sheol thirty-one
times grave and three times pit, it could not have been improper to so translate it in every other instance."
(Russell, C.T., "What Say the Scriptures About Hell?," 1881).
27/08/2008
"Luke 16:23-'In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.' These words form part of a parable-that of
the rich man and Lazarus. To our understanding, the rich man represented the Jewish nation. At the time of
the utterance of the parable, and for a long time previous, the Jews had `fared sumptuously every day'-being
the special recipients of God's favors. Lazarus represented the outcasts from Divine favor. Although these
included publicans and sinners of Israel, in the main they were Gentiles-all nations of the world aside from
the Israelites. These, at the time of the utterance of this parable, were entirely destitute of those special
Divine blessings which Israel enjoyed. They lay at the gate of the rich man. When, as a nation, Israel
rejected Christ, the `Rich Man' soon found himself in a cast-off condition-in tribulation and affliction. In
such condition Israel has suffered from that day to this. In the parable the dissolution of the Jewish polity is
well illustrated by the symbol of death, and their dispersal amongst the nations by the symbol of burial. To
these symbols our Lord added a third: `In hell [hades, the grave] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeth Abraham afar off.' The dead cannot lift up their eyes, nor see either near or far, nor converse; for it is
distinctly stated: `There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave'; and the dead are
described as those who `go down into silence' (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 115:17). But the Lord wished to
show that great sufferings or `torments' would be added to the Jews as a nation after their national
dissolution and burial, and that they would plead in vain for release from the hand of the formerly despised
Gentiles. And history has borne out this parabolic prophecy. " (Russell, C.T., "What Say the Scriptures
About Hell?," 1881. Emphasis original).
27/08/2008
"Sheol.... com. (m. Job 26:6; f. Isa. 5:14; 14:9); orcus, hades, a subterranean place, full
of thick darkness (Job 10:21, 22), in which the shades of the dead are gathered together (rephaim
which see), and to which are attributed both valleys [rather depths] (Pro. 9:18) and gates (Isa. 38:10); Gen.
37:35; Num. 16:30, seqq., Psa. 6:6; Isa. 14:9, seqq., 38:18; Eze. 31:16, seqq., 32:21, seqq. (Syr. ... f. and AEth.
...); hell, purgatory, limbus Patrum. I think that I have lighted on the true etymology of the word. For I
have no doubt that etymology is for sho'al, a hollow and subterranean place, just as the Germ.
hoelle is of the same origin as hohle and Lat. coelum is from the Gr. koilos,
hohl, hollow. It is commonly derived from the idea of asking, from its asking for, demanding all,
without distinction; hence orcus rapax, Catull. ii. 28, 29.)" (Tregelles, S.P., transl., "Gesenius' Hebrew
and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids: MI, 1949, Eighth Printing,
1967, p.798. Emphasis original. My transliteration)
27/08/2008
"The entire New Testament distinguishes clearly between Hades, the intermediate state, and Gehenna (hell),
the place of final punishment. Hades is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Sheol. In the Old
Testament, human existence does not end with death. Rather, man continues to exist in the nether world.
The Old Testament does not speak of man's soul or spirit descending to Sheol; men continue to exist as
`shades' (rephaim). The rephaim are `weak shadowy continuations of the living who have
now lost their vitality and strength.' They are `not extinct souls but their life has little substance.' Sheol,
where the shades are gathered, is pictured as a place beneath (Ps. 86:13; Prov. 15:24; Ezek. 26:20), a region of
darkness (Job 10:22), a land of silence (Ps. 88:12; 94:17; 115:17). Here the dead, who are gathered in tribes
(Ezek. 32:17- 32), receive the dying (Isa. 14:9, 10). Sheol is not so much a place as the state of the dead. It is
not non- existence, but it is not life, for life can be enjoyed only in the presence of God (Ps. 16:10, 11). Sheol
is the Old Testament manner of asserting that death does not terminate human existence." (Ladd, G.E., "A
Theology of the New Testament," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, 1974, Reprinted, 1997, pp.193-194).
27/08/2008
"What, then, did Jesus mean when he said in one of his illustrations: `The beggar died, and was carried by
the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell [Hades] he lift up his
eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom'? (Luke 16:19-31, King
James Version) Since, as we have seen, Hades refers to mankind's grave, and not to a place of torment, it
is plain that Jesus was here telling an illustration or a story. As further evidence that this is not a literal
account but is an illustration, consider this: Is hell literally within speaking distance of heaven so that such a
real conversation could be carried on? Moreover, if the rich man were in a literal burning lake, how could
Abraham send Lazarus to cool his tongue with just a drop of water on the tip of his finger? What, then, was
Jesus illustrating? ... The rich man in the illustration stood for the self-important religious leaders who
rejected Jesus and later killed him. Lazarus pictured the common people who accepted God's Son. The death
of the rich man and of Lazarus represented a change in their condition. This change took place when Jesus
fed the neglected Lazarus-like people spiritually, so that they thus came into the favor of the Greater
Abraham, Jehovah God. At the same time, the false religious leaders `died' with respect to having God's
favor. Being cast off, they suffered torments when Christ's followers exposed their evil works. (Acts 7:51-57)
So this illustration does not teach that some dead persons are tormented in a literal fiery hell." (Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower Bible & Tract
Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, 1989, pp.88-89. Emphasis original)
27/08/2008
"Is the account, at Luke 16:19-31, literal or merely an illustration of something else? The Jerusalem
Bible, in a footnote, acknowledges that it is a `parable in story form without reference to any historical
personage.' If taken literally, it would mean that those enjoying divine favor could all fit at the bosom of one
man, Abraham; that the water on one's fingertip would not be evaporated by the fire of Hades; that a mere
drop of water would bring relief to one suffering there. Does that sound reasonable to you? If it were literal,
it would conflict with other parts of the Bible. If the Bible were thus contradictory, would a lover of truth use
it as a basis for his faith? But the Bible does not contradict itself. What does the parable mean? The
`rich man' represented the Pharisees. (See verse 14.) The beggar Lazarus represented the common Jewish
people who were despised by the Pharisees but who repented and became followers of Jesus. (See Luke
18:11; John 7:49; Matthew 21:31, 32.) Their deaths were also symbolic, representing a change in
circumstances. Thus, the formerly despised ones came into a position of divine favor, and the formerly
seemingly favored ones were rejected by God, while being tormented by the judgment messages delivered
by the ones whom they had despised.-Acts 5:33; 7:54." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Reasoning
from the Scriptures," [1985], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition,
1989, pp.174-175. Emphasis original)
28/08/2008
"she'ol. The grave, hell, pit. The Km uses `grave' thirty-one times, `hell' thirty times, `pit' three times.
The ASV and RSV translate as `Sheol.' NIV uses `grave' with a footnote `Sheol.' The etymology is uncertain.
... The word obviously refers in some way to the place of the dead. There is much difference of opinion on
the meaning of the term, occasioned in part by differing approaches to the OT teaching on a future life. ...
One problem with she'ol is that both good men (Jacob, Gen 37:35) and bad men (Korah, Dathan, etc., Num
16:30) go there. This led the early church to hold that the OT saints went to a limbus patrum, a kind
of upper level of Sheol from which Christ delivered them at his resurrection (1 Pet 3:19; Eph 4:9-10). ... Rather
than a two-compartment theory, it is easier to hold to a double meaning of she'ol. It can be held that
originally the word meant just `the grave' and became specialized for `hell.' This is the viewpoint of the KJV.
`Hell' is more in point in the later passages than in the Pentateuch. Still Num 16:30, 33 and Deut 32:22 are
`hell' in the KJV." (Harris, R.L., "she'ol," in Harris, R.L., Archer, G.L. & Waltke, B.K., eds, "Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament," Moody Press: Chicago IL, 1980, Twelfth Printing, 1992, Vol. II, pp.892-893. Emphasis original)
28/08/2008
"A proper fear of the Creator even eliminates what is generally viewed as the greatest unwholesome fear-a
morbid fear of death, especially of a violent death. This fear of death has been a tool by which ruthless men
have controlled many people. Succumbing to fear of torture or execution, many men and women have gone
against their conscience and obeyed the orders of dictatorial superiors to commit horrible atrocities against
their fellow humans. This has not been the case with fearers of Jehovah God. They know that the present
life is not all there is. Even though men may kill them, they do not doubt God's promise of a resurrection.
They, therefore, act in harmony with Jesus Christ's words: `Do not fear those who kill the body and after
this are not able to do anything more. But I will indicate to you whom to fear: Fear him who after killing has
authority to throw into Gehenna,' that is, a symbolic place representing total annihilation. (Luke 12:4, 5;
Matt. 10:28) Yes, not man, but God can destroy in Gehenna a person's title to be a living being." ("Fear Has
Its Place," Awake, July 22, 1976, p.3)
28/08/2008
"An unbridled tongue `spots us up' completely. For instance, if we are caught lying repeatedly, we may
become known as liars. How, though, does an unruly tongue `set the wheel of natural life aflame'? By
making life like a vicious circle. A whole congregation may be upset by one uncontrolled tongue. James
mentions `Gehenna,' the Valley of Hinnom. Once used for child sacrifice, it became a dump for the disposal
of Jerusalem's refuse by fire. (Jeremiah 7:31) So Gehenna is a symbol of annihilation. In a sense, Gehenna has
lent its destructive power to the unruly tongue. If we do not bridle our tongue, we ourselves may become
victims of the blaze we have started. (Matthew 5:22) We may even be expelled from the congregation for
reviling someone.-1 Corinthians 5:11-13." ("Faith Moves Us to Action!," The Watchtower, November 15,
1997, p.17)
28/08/2008
"Those who are sentenced to Gehenna do not enter into the kingdom of God, either the heavenly rule with
Christ or its earthly realm during the millennial reign of Christ. Those whom God sentences to Gehenna do
not enter into life at all, even though having all their body members. Hence, Gehenna pictures the state of
nonexistence, annihilation, destruction by the adverse judgment of God. Just as the hypocritical scribes and
Pharisees of Jesus’ day stumbled themselves into Gehenna, so a dedicated, baptized Christian of today can
stumble himself into being sentenced by God to Gehenna, everlasting destruction. Let us remember Judas
Iscariot." ("Have Salt in Yourselves," The Watchtower, August 15, 1977, p.506)
28/08/2008
"To the average Jehovah's Witness, hell is Sheol, literally, `the grave,' the place where mortals wait the
resurrection. Their chief argument is that in translation, one word means one thing and has no area of
meaning. This is a typical Jehovah's. Witness approach and again reveals the linguistic failings of the
organization. First of all, the very example the author of the chapter uses concerning bread, fish, and meat, is
a reality in the text of the Bible ... A little research would have revealed this truth to him, but it remains for us
to clarify. In the Hebrew text, the word lechem is translated bread 238 times, 1 time as `feast,' 21 times as
`food,' 1 time as `fruit,' 5 times as `loaf,' 18 times as `meat,' 1 time as `provision,' 2 times as `victuals,' and 1
time as `eat.' This puts to silence the argument that Sheol always means the grave. It is clear that it has an
area of meaning which must be decided from the context, not the conjectures of misinformed authors."
(Martin, W.R. & Klann, N., "Jehovah of the Watchtower," Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington MN,
1953, Reprinted, 1981, p.75. Emphasis original)
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"In the second place, Jehovah's Witnesses have conceived of death as being unconsciousness or
extinction, a definition which cannot be found in the Bible. Death, in the biblical sense, never means
extinction or annihilation, and not one word, Greek or Hebrew, in either Testament, will be found to say that
it does." (Martin, W.R. & Klann, N., "Jehovah of the Watchtower," Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington
MN, 1953, Reprinted, 1981, pp.75-76)
28/08/2008
"Jehovah's Witnesses claim that, `in all places where `hell' is translated from the Greek word Gehenna it
means everlasting destruction or extinction.' ["Let God Be True," 1946, p.77] This is indeed a bold-faced
misrepresentation of the Greek language and certainly ranks next to the `a god' fallacy of John 1:1 as an
outstanding example of complete falsehood. There is no evidence that Gehenna ever means `annihilation'
in the New Testament, but rather abundant evidence to the contrary. In Matthew 5:22, Gehenna is portrayed
as literally `the hell of fire'; in 10:28, coupled with apolesai, `to be delivered up to eternal misery' (see
Thayer, [J.H., "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament," 1956] p. 64), it indicates everlasting misery,
and in Matthew 18:9, the same words corroborate 5:22, `the hell of fire.' If we are to follow through with
Jehovah's Witnesses' argument, then Gehenna simply means the smoldering furnaces of Hinnon: But is that
fire everlasting? No! For today the valley of Hinnon is not burning; so unless Jesus meant the example for
just those living at that time, and this not even Jehovah's Witnesses will affirm, then Gehenna must be what
it is, the symbol of eternal separation in conscious torment by a flame which is unquenchable (Is 66:24)."
(Martin, W.R. & Klann, N., "Jehovah of the Watchtower," Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington MN,
1953, Reprinted, 1981, pp.76-77)
28/08/2008
"It is fruitless to pursue this analysis of the Greek any further, for it must be clear from the contexts that
more than the grave or extinction is portrayed in Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna. Without benefit of any
complicated textual exegesis, we shall let God's Word speak its own message and commit to the reader the
decision as to whether eternal punishment, rather than annihilation, is Scriptural doctrine." (Martin, W.R. &
Klann, N., "Jehovah of the Watchtower," Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington MN, 1953, Reprinted,
1981, p.76)
28/08/2008
"The following verses collectively refer to a place of everlasting conscious torment where Satan and his
followers must remain in future everlasting wounding or misery, separated from God's presence and "the
glory of his power" (2 Th 1:9; cf. Thayer, [J.H., "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament," 1956], p.
443a on olethros and Latin vulnerare, to wound"). And I say- unto you, That many shall come from the
east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth
(Mt 8:11-12). And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Mt
13:42, 50). Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into
outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 22:13). Strive to enter in at the strait gate:
for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is
risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord,
Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye
begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall
say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall (Martin,
W.R. & Klann, N., "Jehovah of the Watchtower," Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington MN, 1953,
Reprinted, 1981, pp.77-78)
29/08/2008
"geenna [al. would accent geenna, deriving it through the Chaldee. In Mk. ix. 45 Rec. st geena], -
es [B. 17 (15)], e (fr. ge hinnom Neh. xi. 30; more fully ... ['the valley of the son of Hinnom'] Josh. xv. 8;
xviii. 16; 2 Chr. xxviii. 3; Jer. vii. 32; ... ['the valley of the children of Hinnom'] 2 K. xxiii. 10 K'thibh; Chald. ...],
the valley of the son of lamentation, or of the sons of lamentation, the valley of lamentation, ... being used
for ... lamentation; see Hiller, Onomastic; cf. Hitzig [and Graf] on Jer. vii. 31; [Bottcher, De Inferis, i. p. 82
sqq.]; acc. to the cont. opinion .... is the name of a man), Gehenna, the name of a valley on the S. and E. of
Jerusalem [yet apparently beginning on the W., cf. Josh. xv. 8; Pressel in Herzog s. v.], which was so called
from the cries of the little children who were thrown into the fiery arms of Moloch [q. v.], i.e. of an idol
having the form of a bull. The Jews so abhorred the place after these horrible sacrifices had been abolished
by king Josiah (2 K. xxiii. 10), that they cast into it not only all manner of refuse, but even the dead bodies of
animals and of unburied criminals who had been executed. And since fires were always needed to consume
the dead bodies, that the air might not become tainted by the putrefaction, it came to pass that the place was
called geenna to puros [this common explanation of the descriptive gen. to puros is found in Rabbi
David Kimchi (fl. c. A.D. 1200) on Ps. xxvii. 13. Some suppose the gen. to refer not to purifying fires but to
the fires of Moloch; others regard it as the natural symbol of penalty (cf. Lev. x. 2; Num. xvi. 35; 2 K. i.; Ps. xi.
6; also Mt. iii. 11; xiii. 42; 2 Th. i. 8, etc.). See Bottcher, u. s. p. 84; Mey., (Thol.,) Wetst. on Mt. v. 22]; and
then this name was transferred to that place in Hades where the wicked after death will suffer punishment:
Mt. v, 22, 29 sq.; x. 28; Lk. xii. 5; Mk. ix. 43, 45; Jas. iii. 6; geenna tou puros, Mt. v. 22; xviii. 9; Mk. ix. 47 [R
G Tr mrg. br.]; krisis geennes, Mt. xxiii. 33; uios tes geennes, worthy of punishment in Gehenna, Mt. xxiii.
15. Further, cf. Dillmann, Buch Henoch, 27, 1 sq. p. 131 sq.; [B. D. Am. ed.; Bottcher, u. s. p. 80 sqq.;
Hamburger, Real-Encycl., Abth. 1. s. v. Holle; Bartlett, Life and Death eternal, App. H.]." (Thayer, J.H., "A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's Clovis Novi Testamenti Translated
Revised and Enlarged," T & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Fourth edition, 1901, Reprinted, 1961, p.111. My
transliteration)
29/08/2008
"geenna, es, e Gehenna, Grecized fr. ge hinnom Josh 15:8b; 18:16b; Neh 11:30) Targum ... (cf. Dalman,
Gramm.2 183), really ge bene hinnom (Josh 15:8a; 18:16a; 2 Ch 28:3; Jer 7:32; cf. 2 Kings 23:10, where the
K'thibh has the pl.: sons of H.) Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, a ravine south of Jerusalem. There, acc. to
later Jewish popular belief, the Last Judgment was to take place. In the gospels it is the place of punishment
in the next life, hell: krisis tes g. condemnation to G. Mt 23:33. ballesthai (eis) (ten) g. (cf. Sib.
Or. 2, 291) 5:29; 18:9; Mk 9:45, 47; eubalein eis ton g. Lk 12:5; apelthein eis (ten) g. Mt 5:30; Mk
9:43; apolesai en g. Mt 10:28; uios g. a son of hell 23:15 (Semitism, cf. uios 1cd; Bab. Rosh ha-
Shana 17b ... Cf. the oracle Hdt. 6, 86, 3: the perjurer is `Orkou pais). Enochon einai eis ten g. (sc.
blethenai) 5:22. As a place of fire g. (ton) puros (PGM 4, 3072 genna puros; Sib. Or. 1, 103) hell of
fire Mt 5:22; 18:9; 2 Cl 5:4. Fig. phlogizomene upo g. set on fire by hell Js 3:6.- GDalman, RE VI 418ff;
PVolz, Eschatol. d. jud. Gem. '34, 327ff; GBeer, D. bibl. Hades: HHoltzmann-Festschr. '02, 1-29; Billerb. IV '28,
1029-1118. M-M. B. 1485." (Arndt, W.F. & Gingrich, F.W., "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature," University of Chicago Press: Chicago IL, Fourth edition, 1952, Revised,
1957, p.551)
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"HELL 1. GEENNA (geenna) represents the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom (the valley of Tophet) and a
corresponding Aramaic word; it is found twelve times in the N.T., eleven of which are in the Synoptists, in
every instance as uttered by the Lord Himself. He who says to his brother, Thou fool (see under FOOL), will
be in danger of `the hell of fire,' Matt. 5:22; it is better to pluck out (a metaphorical description of irrevocable
law) an eye that causes its possessor to stumble, than that his `whole body be cast into hell,' ver. 29;
similarly with the hand, Ver. 30; in Matt. 18: 8, 9, the admonitions are repeated, with an additional mention of
the foot; here, too, the warning concerns the person himself (for which obviously the `body' stands in
chapt. 5); in Ver. 8, `the eternal fire' is mentioned as the doom, the character of the region standing for the
region itself, the two being combined in the phrase `the hell of fire,' Ver. 9. To the passage in Matt. 18, that in
Mark 9:43-47, is parallel; here to the word `hell' are applied the extended descriptions `the unquenchable fire'
and `where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.' That God, `after He hath killed, hath power to
cast into hell,' is assigned as a reason why He should be feared with the fear that keeps from evil doing,
Luke 22:5; the parallel passage to this in Matt. 10:28 declares, not the casting in, but the doom which
follows, namely, the destruction (not the loss of being, but of well-being) of ` both soul and body.' In Matt.
23 the Lord denounces the Scribes and Pharisees, who in proselytizing a person `make him two-fold more a
son of hell' than themselves (ver. 25), the phrase here being expressive of moral characteristics, and declares
the impossibility of their escaping `the judgment of hell,' ver. 33. In Jas. 3:6 hell is described as the source of
the evil done by misuse of the tongue; here the word stands for the powers of darkness, whose
characteristics and destiny are those of hell. For terms descriptive of hell, see e.g., Matt. 13:42; 25:46; Phil.
3:19; 2 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 10:39; 2 Pet. 2:17; Jude 13; Rev. 2:11; 19:20; 20:6, 10, 14; 21:8." (Vine, W.E., "An
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: With Their Precise Meanings for English Readers,"
Oliphants: London, 1940, Nineteenth impression, 1969, Vol. II., pp.212-213. Emphasis original)
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"For the rendering `hell' as a translation of Hades, corresponding to Sheol, wrongly rendered `the grave' and
`hell,' see HADES. ... The verb tartaroo, translated `cast down to hell' in 2 Pet. 2:4, signifies to consign to
Tartarus, which is neither Sheol nor Hades nor Hell, but the place where those angels whose special sin is
referred to in that passage are confined `to be reserved unto judgment;' the region is described as `pits of
darkness,' RV." (Vine, W.E., "An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: With Their Precise
Meanings for English Readers," Oliphants: London, 1940, Nineteenth impression, 1969, Vol. II., p.213.
Emphasis original. )
30/08/2008
"geena (geena, Mk 9:45, Rec.), -es, e (perh. through Aram. ... from Heb. ge hinnom, Ne 11:30; ...
Jo 18:16; ... IV Ki 23:10; valley of (the son, sons of) lamentation); [in LXX the nearest approach to
g. is gaienna, Jos 18:16 (Gai `Onnom A), elsewhere pharagx `Onom, (Jos 15:3, al.), v. Swete on Mk
9:43;] Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jerusalem, which as the site of fire-worship from the time of Ahaz,
was desecrated by Josiah and became a clumping-place for the offal of the city. Later, the name was used as
a symbol of the place of future punishment, as in NT: Mt 5:29,30 10:28, Mk 9:43, 45, 47, Lk 12:5, Ja 3:6; g. t.
puros, Mt 5:22; 18:11, prob. with ref. to fires of Moloch (DB, ii, 119b); uios geennes, Mt 23:15; krisis
geennes, 23:33." (Abbott-Smith, G., "A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament," [1921], T. & T. Clark:
Edinburgh, Third edition, 1937, Reprinted, 1956, p.89. My transliteration)
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"geenna; gen. geennes, fem. noun. Hell, the place or state of the lost and condemned (Matt. 5:29, 30;
10:28 [cf. 23:15; James 3:6]). Represents the Hebr. ga-Hinnom (the Valley of Tophet) and a corresponding
Aramaic word. Found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which are in the Synoptic Gospels and in every
instance spoken by the Lord Himself. Many times the word Hades ... is wrongly translated `hell' or `grave.'
Terms descriptive of hell are found in Matt. 13:42; 25:46; Phil. 3:19; 2 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 10:39; 2 Pet. 2:17; Jude
1:13; Rev. 2:11; 19:20; 20:6, 10, 14; 21:8. The word Gehenna is derived from the Hebr. expression, ga
Hinnom Valley of Hinnom (Josh. 15:8; Neh. 11:30) which is an abbreviated form of `valley of the son of
Hinnom' (2 Kgs. 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Josh. 18:16; Jer. 7:31, 32; 19:2, 6). In the Sept. this name appears
variously as pharagx (5327), ravine, Onom or Ennom (Josh. 15:8); gaienna (Josh. 18:16);
Gaibenthom or Gebeennom (2 Chr. 28:3); ge Bane Ennom or ge Beennom (2 Chr. 33:6). Elsewhere
we find generally pharagx, ravine, of the son of Hinnom. This place became so notorious through its evil
associations that it was simply called `the valley' (Jer. 2:23; 31:40), and the gate of Jerusalem leading toward
it `the valley gate' (2 Chr. 26:9; Neh. 2:13, 15; 3:13). This valley lay to the south and southwest of Jerusalem.
Topographically, it provided the boundary between Judah and Benjamin (Josh. 15:8; 18:16) and the northern
limit of the district occupied by the tribe of Judah after the captivity (Neh. 11:30), and it lay in front of the
gate Harsith of Jerusalem (Jer. 19:2). Religiously it was a place of idolatrous and human sacrifices. These
were first offered by Ahaz and Manasseh who made their children to `pass through the fire' to Molech in
this valley (1 Kgs. 16:3; 2 Kgs. 21:6; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). These sacrifices were probably made on the `high
places of Tophet which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom' (Jer. 7:31 [cf. Jer. 32:15]). In order to put an end
to these abominations, Josiah polluted it with human bones and other corruptions (2 Kgs. 23:10, 13, 14). But
this worship of Molech was revived under Jehoiakim (Jer. 11:10-13; Ezek. 20:30). In consequence of these
idolatrous practices in the Valley of Hinnom, Jeremiah prophesied that one day it would be called the `valley
of slaughter' and that they should `bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury' (Jer. 7:32; 19:11). It is
also referred to as a place of punishment for rebellious or apostate Jews in the presence of the righteous.
Gehinnom or Gehenna is not actually mentioned with this meaning in the OT, but it is this and no other place
that is implied in Is. 50:11, `in a place of pain shall ye lie down' (a.t.). Furthermore, in Is. 66:24 it bears this
new connotation and the punishment of the apostate Jews is conceived of as eternal: `They ... shall look
upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall
their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.' The punishment of Gehenna is implied
also in Dan. 12:2, `some to shame and everlasting abhorrence' (a.t.). This particular word `abhorrence' occurs
in these two passages only, and the reference in both is to Gehenna. Therefore, Gehenna was always
conceived of as a place of both corporeal and spiritual punishment, not only for the Jews, but for all the
wicked in the presence of the righteous." (Zodhiates, S., 1992, "The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New
Testament," AMG Publishers: Chattanooga TN, Reprinted, 1994, pp.360-361. My transliteration)
30/08/2008
"In the NT Gehenna is presented always as the final place of punishment into which the wicked are cast
after the last judgment. It is a place of torment both for body and soul as indicated in Matt. 5:29, 30, `It is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body go into Gehenna'
(a.t.). The Lord Jesus did not have the living in mind here, but the dead, for it is not until after the final
judgment that the wicked are cast into Gehenna. At the resurrection, the spirit and the body are united. Both
are punished in Gehenna. Gehenna as the last punishment was conceived of also as the worst. It slays both
soul (the incorporeal spiritual part of man) and body (the corporeal)-not in the absolute sense of
annihilation, but relatively in that it permitted a change of state that could suffer the pain and punishment of
Gehenna. Thus in Matt. 10:28, `Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna' (a.t. [cf.
Luke 12:5]). Gehenna is conceived of as a fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9); an unquenchable fire (Mark 9:45); a place
where `their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched' (Mark 9:48); a `furnace of fire' (Matt. 13:42, 50);
`the outer darkness' (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30); a `lake of fire' (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8). Because fire is
often used as an apocalyptic symbol of judgment (especially eschatological judgment) it is difficult to insist
that the flames are material. Nevertheless, such a symbol clearly represents a real and painful judgment.
Hades, the place of the disembodied wicked spirits, is finally cast into it (Rev. 20:14). In the NT, Hades and
Gehenna seem never to be confused together. See Hades ... the place of the departed souls often
translated `hell,' but mistakenly so; abussos ..., abyss, bottomless pit; tartaroo ... to incarcerate in
eternal torment, spoken of the fallen angels." (Zodhiates, S., 1992, "The Complete Word Study Dictionary:
New Testament," AMG Publishers: Chattanooga TN, Reprinted, 1994, p.361. My transliteration)
31/08/2008
"The King James Version of 1611 always uses the word `hell' to translate three distinct Greek words,
Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus. Modern translations often differentiate between these words, but not
consistently so, as does the New World Translation. Hades, transliterated from the Greek, literally
means `the unseen place.' Peter’s use of it, as noted at Acts 2:27, shows that it is equivalent to the Hebrew
word Sheol (the common grave of mankind), whereas Gehenna, descriptive of the Valley of Hinnom to
the southwest of Jerusalem, denotes everlasting destruction. Tartarus occurs but once, at 2 Peter 2:4, and
applies only to the fallen angelic spirits." (WB&TS, "Bible Translations-Does It Matter Which One?," The
Watchtower, August 15, 1979, p.16)
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"ades, ou, o (w. var. spellings Hem. +; inscr.; PGM 1, 345; 12, 241; LXX, Philo; Jos., Ant. 6, 332; Test. 12
Patr.; Sib. Or.). 1. Hades (orig. proper noun, name of god of the underworld), the underworld as the place of
the dead Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15[16]:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6,
332). In the depths, contrasted w. heaven Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (cf. Is 14:11, 15); 16:23. Accessible by gates (but
the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K. = 23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence
pulai adou (since Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; PsSol 16, 2) Mt 16:18 (s. on petra lb and
pule 1); locked exo tas kleis tou thanatou kai tou adou Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Suppl.
Epigr. Gr. VIII 574, 3 [III An] to tas kleidas exonti ton kath' `Aidou] or poss.; in the latter case death and
Hades are personif.; s. 2). odines tou adou (Ps 17:6 [18:5]) Pol 1:2 (cf. Ac 2:24, where D, Latins, Pesh. also
read adou for thanatou). eis adou (sc. domous, Hom. +; Bar 3:11, 19; Tob 3:10) Ac 2:31 v.l.; 1 CI
4:12; 51:4 (Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 30, 179 en adou keisthai ton krisin). 2. personif., w. thanatos (cf. Is 28:15; Job
38:17) Rv 6: 8; 20:13f; 1 Cor 15:55 v.l.-GBeer, D. bibl. Hades: HJHoltzmann Festschr. '02, 1-30; (Stade-)
ABertholet, Bibl. Theol. II '11, 397f; ERohde, Psyche4 I 54ff; 309ff; ADieterich, Nekyia '93; Bousset, Rel. 3
285f; 293ff; Billerb. IV 1016-29; JoachJeremias, TW I 146-50; AHeidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and OT Parallels2,
'49, 173-91; LESullivan, Theological Studies (Woodstock, Md.) 10, '49, 62ff. S. also s.v. pneuma 2 and 4c.
M-1VI. B. 1485." (Arndt, W.F. & Gingrich, F.W., "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other
early Christian Literature," University of Chicago Press: Chicago IL, Fourth edition, 1952, Revised, 1957, p.16.
Emphasis original. My transliteration)
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"ades, -ou, o, [in LXX chiefly for she'ol ...] 1. in Hom., Hades (Pluto), the god of the underworld. 2. the
abode of Hades, the underworld; in NT, the abode of departed spirits, Hades : en t. a., Lk 16:23; Ac 2:27,
31; pulai adou, Mt 16:18; kleis tou a., Re 1:18; metaph., eos a., Mt 11:23; Lk 10:16; personified, Re
6:8; 20:13,14 (Cremer, 67, 610; MM, VGT, s.v.). (Abbott-Smith, G., "A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New
Testament," [1921], T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Third edition, 1937, Reprinted, 1956, p.9. My transliteration)
31/08/2008
"'Aides, 'ades, -ov, o, (for the older 'Aide, which Hom. uses, and this fr. a priv. and idein, not to
be seen, [cf. Lob. Path. Element. ii. 6 sq.]); in the classics 1. a prop. name, Hades, Pluto, the god of the
'lower regions; so in Hom. always. 2. an appellative, Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead [cf.
Theocr. idyll. 2,159 schol. ton tou 'adou krouei pulen tout' estin apothaneitai]. In the Sept. the Hebr.
she'ol is almost always rendered by this word (once by thanatos, 2 S. xxii. 6); it denotes, therefore, in
bibl. Grk. Orcus, the infernal regions, a dark (Job x. 21) and dismal place (but cf. geenna and
paradeisos) in the very depths of the earth (Job xi. 8; Is. lvii. 9; Am. ix. 2, etc.; see abussos), the
common receptacle of disembodied spirits : Lk. xvi. 23; eis 'adou sc. domon, Acts ii. 27, 31, acc. to a
very common ellipsis, cf. W. 592 (550) [B. 171 (149)]; (but L T Tr WH in vs. 27 and T WH in both verses read
eis 'aden; so Sept. Ps. xv. (xvi.) 10); pulai 'adou, Mt. xvi. 18 (puloroi 'adou, Job xxxviii. 17; see
pule); kleis tou 'adou, Rev. i. 18; Hades as a power is personified, 1 Co. xv. 55 (where L T Tr WH read
thanate for R G 'ade [cf. Acts ii. 24 Tr mrg.]); Rev. vi. 8; xx. 13 sq. Metaph. 'eos 'adou [katabainein
or] katabibazesthai to [go or] be thrust down into the depth of misery and disgrace : Mt. xi. 23 [here L Tr
WH katabainein]; Lk. x. 15 [here Tr mrg. WH txt. katabainein]. [See esp. Boettcher, De Inferis, s. v.
'Aides in Grk. index. On the existence and locality of Hades cf. Greswell on the Parables, App. ch. x. vol. v.
pt. ii. pp. 261-406; on the doctrinal significance of the word see the BB.DD. and E. R. Craven in Lange on
Rev. pp. 364-377.] " (Thayer, J.H., "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's
Clovis Novi Testamenti Translated Revised and Enlarged," T & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Fourth edition, 1901,
Reprinted, 1961, p.11. My transliteration) [top]
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Created: 29 August, 2008. Updated: 20 September, 2008.