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The Bible uses 4 words translated as 'hell' - the 3 Greek terms are 'Hades, tartaroo/tartarus, and gehenna. The Hebrew uses 'sheol' which is the same as the Greek Hades - it simply means the 'grave or pit.'

The Greek term 'tartaroo/tartarus' is only used once here for spiritual angels:

2 Peter 2:4New King James Version (NKJV) Doom of False Teachers4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

Hades/Sheol is the most common and means the 'grave or pit' the ultimate place for all when dead - even Jesus was in sheol for 3 days and 3 nights.

Gehenna refers to the trash heap outside of Jerusalem where everything, including some dead bodies was thrown to be completely burned-up. In this heap are tons of maggots-flies which gives the appearance of what Isaiah described as 'the worm that did not die.' So continually fed with trash that the fire never died and the maggots-flies continually multiplied and died in their cycle of life - a metaphor:

Isaiah 66:24New King James Version (NKJV)

24 "And they shall go forth and look

Upon the corpses of the men

Who have transgressed against Me.

For their worm does not die,

And their fire is not quenched.

They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

The Bible clearly tells us that we all will be called to Judgement. All the people in 'hades or sheol' as we call hell, will be raised to the judgement process. Those who refuse to repent, with the incorrigible few will go to the 2nd and final death of their physical lives, losing the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23):

Revelation 21:8New King James Version (NKJV)

8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

We are all admonished as physical creatures of God:

Matthew 10:28New King James Version (NKJV)

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Eternal punishment is for the spiritual demons and Satan. Humans who do not wish to live by God's Law, repenting of their sins against it, will mercifully be thrown into the encroaching Lake of Fire, to become ashes and die for all eternity. There is no eternal punishment for mankind - that is the idea of Dante's Inferno and some others.

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13y ago

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