Paul's sermon to the church at Corinth wraps up a summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Cor 15:1-4)
Sage Advice given to you by His WORDS: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
**********
Everyone has pondered whether Hell is real at some point in their lives. There are many misconceptions of Hell that have been told throughout history. According to the Barna Research Institute, just over 80 percent of Americans believe in some form of afterlife, and 71 percent believed in Hell. However, how those 71 percent defined "Hell" varied from person to person. According to Barna, only one-third of Americans believe that Hell is an actual place of punishment:
HELL: is not a place where Satan rules but Hell was created for Satan and his followers. Hell comes from the Saxon word 'helen' and it means to cover. Hell is translated eleven times in the New Testament. Hell is used throughout the KJV 54 times.
In the ancient Greek, Hades - the home of disembodied spirits. Hades refers to the abode of the unsaved dead prior to the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). It is a prison (1 Pet 3:19) with gates and bars and locks (Matt 16:18 Rev 1:18) and it is downward (Matt 11:23 Luke 10:15). in the Septuagint LXX, Hades is used to translate the Hebrew word Sheol.
Gehenna - is another term translated as Hell in the Bible. These two terms are quite different. The Jerusalem trash heap in the time of Christ: Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds o,f filth, were cast and consumed by fire, always kept burning. It thus, in process of time, became the idiom of the place of everlasting destruction. Jesus uses it in this sense 11 times (Matt 5:22,29,30; 10:28 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5). Hades is a covered place within the earth itself....Gehenna is a place outside of time as in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Hades is only temporary, Gehenna is eternal.
There is another type of Hell that is mentioned in the Bible. It is known as (bottomless) pit.) (Rev 20:3).. (ἄβυσσος ábyssos, ab'-us-sos; (as a negative particle) and a variation of Strong's G1037; depthless, i.e. (specially) (infernal) "abyss":—deep, Also known as Tartarus,. the name of a subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to the Gehenna of the Jews, see γηννα); to thrust down to Tartarus (sometimes in the Scholiasts) (cf. s Grammar, 25 (24) n.); to hold captive in Tartarus: τινα σειραῖς (which see) σοφοῦ,(2 Peter 2:4) ( cast down to hell (making the dative depend on παρέδωκεν)).
Homer's Iliad states: Tartarus, very far hence, where there is a very deep gulf beneath the earth, and the iron portals, and a brazen threshold, as far below Hades as heaven is from earth.
********
Hades is divided into two sections in separate locations. Elysium, the equivalent of paradise and Tartarus, the dark place of punishment.
Jesus tells those around him a story about a certain rich man and a poor begar named Lazarus. Some have referred to this story as a parable but the majority do not. A parable never give proper names....A parable is instructive lessons and or principles. The Rich Man and Lazarus is a very descriptive story (not a parable) about the two parts of Hades (Hell).
(Luke 16:19).."There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:" (This rich man (unnamed) was obviously living in peace & prosperity and in extravagant luxury.)
(Luke 16:20-21).."And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores." (It is also obvious that the only kindness Lazarus was receiving was the licking of his sores by the dogs.
(Luke 16:22).."And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;" While the rich man was buried, the beggar had an angel carry his soul to a specific place known as Abraham's Bosom.
(Luke 16:23).."And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. " The 'he' is the rich man. Notice this verse tells us his soul is in Hell and he is already suffering from multiple torments(plural). We are told that his soul can see what is going on around him and we are told that Abraham's Bosom is also located in the general area as Hell/Hades.
(Luke 16:24).."And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." The soul of the rich man can speak (communicate) and did so with Father Abraham (see genealogy of Israel). In this verse we can see one of the torments the rich man is getting while we understand the places where Abraham and the rich man are, is very close (within shouting distance).
(Luke 16:25).."But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." Notice Abraham can also speak and does so reminding the rich man how he and Lazarus had lived in their previous lives. ?How did Abraham know how the Rich man and Lazarus lived?
(Luke 16:26).."And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." Here we find the place where the rich man and the place where Abraham are in two different places. Notice "A great gulf" between them which obviously has fixed walls on both sides which cannot be breached from either side.
(Luke 16:27-31).."Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
From verse 27 to 31, we see a conversation between the rich man and Abraham. Through all these verses, we can see that regardless which place one was at, their soul was conscious, had all senses (touch, smell, taste, hear with all cognitive activity (thinking reasoning and remembering).
We find the torments in area of the rich man (Hell) are real. Those same torments were not spoken of by Abraham or anyone else that was within the area called Abraham's Bosom. There are many awaiting the White Throne Judgement in this area known as HELL.
Yes, Hell is Real
***********
“to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6)
The
Authorized King James Edition (1611, 1769) was used exclusively as
other versions are somewhat different depending upon the year of
their printing.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2Ti 3:16)
(Note:
we have placed all
scripture in RED for your convenience)
God
is considered the author of all 66 books through 40 writers including
those of Psalm 2 by the author of this blog.
**********
Writer’s Comments
Because
none of us know when our eternity
will begin and our time
on this earth is at an end; it
is paramount that you know exactly where
you are in your walk with Jesus Christ.
Since your justification/salvation
is not determined by the church you
attend, the amount of good work you do,
your status in society,
etc.; I
urge you to make sure of your personal
relationship with Jesus Christ in
the privacy of your own mind, your own time.
Don’t put it off, Time is Short --- there are no second chances after death!
**********
___________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
1. Angels Volume II, Messengers from the Metacosm, Chuck Missler
2. Delphi Complete Works of Homer, location 42829
3. Koinonia House, koinoniainstitute.org
***********
This article was originally published in the
2/24/2020, 'Sharing God's Word' @ Justifiedends.blogspot.com
