A doctrine of Christian belief which has been much distorted by the Dark-age superstitions is that which pertains to the punishment of those who disobey the divine law. We have seen the plain teachings of the Bible to be that “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) We have found the scriptural definition of death to be a state of unconsciousness—symbolically described as sleep. We also found that the death penalty applies to the “soul,” or complete being, and is not limited merely to the disintegration of the human organism. In view of these simple, but definitely stated truths of the Bible, many will naturally and properly inquire about the doctrine of eternal torment for the wicked.
The answer to this apparent difficulty becomes obvious when we realize that the eternal torture theory is purely a man-made dogma and has no support whatsoever in the sacred Scriptures. True, the Bible does say a great deal about hell, even the expression “hell fire” is to be found in the sacred record; yet, upon investigation, it is found that the Bible hell is not a place of torment at all, but is merely the condition of the dead; and that condition, we have discovered, is one of unconsciousness.
All know, of course, that our English Bible is a translation from the Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament and the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Hence, in order to have a definite foundation of fact upon which to base conclusions on this important matter pertaining to the divine purpose and plan, it is necessary to consult authorities on the Hebrew and Greek languages as to the actual meaning of the various ancient words that are translated “hell” in our English Bible. In doing this, a flood of surprising information at once opens up to us.
We find, for example, that there is only one Hebrew word in the entire Old Testament that is translated hell, and that word is sheol. This word appears, in all, 65 times. In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated 31 times grave, 31 times hell, and 3 times pit. Dr. James Strong, Professor of Hebrew and Greek, defines sheol as being “the world of the dead.” But in order to arrive at a definite conclusion as to the exact condition that exists in this “world of the dead,” it is necessary to consult the Bible itself.
The Hebrew word sheol appears in Ecclesiastes 9:10, where it is translated “grave.” We quote: “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 [sheol] whither thou goest.” This is the inspired definition of the Hebrew word sheol—the only word translated hell in the Old Testament. It makes clear that this “world of the dead” is a silent, sleeping world, in which there is no knowledge, no consciousness. For four thousand years, from the creation of Adam to the First Advent of Jesus, Jehovah employed no other word than this to describe the condition of the dead. If eternal torture is the penalty for sin, would it not have been most unkind and unjust to keep the people in ignorance of it for so long a period of time?
The good Prophet Job knew that sheol was a condition of unconsciousness comparable to sleep, and for this reason, when he was suffering so acutely, both mentally and physically, he asked the Lord to let him go down to this condition. Yes, Job actually prayed to go to the Bible hell. His prayer reads, “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave [sheol], that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” Note that Job wanted to go to sheol in order to escape God’s wrath. How different this is from the creedal theory that hell is the place where God visits his wrath most spitefully upon all who go there! Another point to be noted here, is that Job was a faithful servant of the Lord, yet he expected to go to the Bible hell when he died. What can this mean?
A careful examination of all the texts in the Old Testament in which the word sheol appears will reveal that this “world of the dead” is a condition into which both good and bad, saint and sinner, go at death. It is not necessarily, however, a permanent condition of death. As a matter of fact, Job did not expect to remain in death, so in concluding his prayer, he asked the Lord to remember him by calling him forth from sheol. He asks the question, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” and then answers his own question by affirming his hope in the resurrection, thus, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.”—Job 14:13-15
Only once in the Old Testament is the thought of pain associated with the word hell, and that is in Psalm 116:3, which reads: “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell [sheol] gat hold upon me.” David is the speaker in this passage, and while he had yielded to temptation at times, nevertheless, on account of heart loyalty to his Creator, he was said to be a man after “God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22) Certainly such a one would not be a proper subject to suffer the tortures of a creedal hell. What, then, does he mean when he says, “The pains of hell gat hold upon me”?
The meaning of David’s words in this text is apparent when we take the context into consideration. He is telling how the Lord delivered him from death, even though he was actually sick enough to die. The “pains of hell” to which he refers are clearly the pains and sufferings incident to the dying process—the sickness that finally did result in the prophet’s death, although for a time he was delivered from it. Viewed from this standpoint, we can see that all the suffering in the world that eventually leads to death could properly be considered as being the “pains of hell,” because it eventuates in the condition of death, sheol, the Bible hell.
HELL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Greek word hades is used in the New Testament to translate the Hebrew word sheol, when quoting from the Old Testament. An interesting example of this is Acts 2:27, which reads: “Because thou will not leave my soul in hell [hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” These words are a quotation from the 16th Psalm, where, according to the Apostle Peter’s inspired testimony, the Prophet David foretold the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this prophecy David uses the Hebrew word sheol, and in translating it the apostle uses the Greek word hades. From this we know that hades of the New Testament has exactly the same meaning as sheol of the Old Testament. Inasmuch as the prophet in Ecclesiastes 9:10 defines sheol as being a condition of unconsciousness, there seems no room for doubt as to the New Testament meaning of the word hell.
David’s prophecy of Psalm 16:10 which, as before noted, Peter interprets as referring to the death and resurrection of Jesus, is specially interesting because of the fact that it puts Jesus in the Bible hell during the time he was dead. Thus it is apparent that the Bible hell is not the sort of place that Dark-age theology has represented it to be; for surely we could not think of Jesus as having gone to a place of torture. But, when we remember that the Bible hell is the state or condition of death, we can see why it was necessary for Jesus to go to hell. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus, in his redemptive work for the human race, took the sinner’s place in death, that he became a ransom, or corresponding price, for the sins of the world. In doing this, he tasted “death for every man,” hence, went into the condition of death, the Bible hell.—Isa. 53:3-10; I Tim. 2:3-6; Heb. 2:9
COMING BACK FROM HELL
In order to be fully assured that the Bible hell is not a place of eternal torture as traditional theology would have us believe, let us turn to Revelation 20:13 and 14. In this passage the Greek word hades, translated “hell,” is used in the Bible for the last time. We quote: “The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Three outstanding facts become apparent as we study the foregoing passage: First, that the Bible hell is not necessarily a permanent abode of either the wicked or the righteous, for it is said to deliver up its dead. Second, that the Bible hell is not the lake of fire. Third, that those who are here said to have been in hell were dead while there, and not alive suffering the alleged agonies of the Dark-age abyss of the damned.
As already noted, this is the last mention of hell in the Bible, and here we find it described as a place or condition, entirely emptied of its inhabitants, and then burned up or destroyed in a symbolic lake of fire. Fire is one of the most destructive elements known to science, and it is here employed by the Lord to picture, or symbolize, the fact that hades, the condition of death that resulted from the transgression of our first parents back in Eden is finally to be completely destroyed.—I Cor. 15:26
THE KEYS OF HELL
In Revelation 1:18 the possibility that hell must eventually deliver up its dead is brought to our attention by Jesus himself, in the following words: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever- more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Keys are used to unlock doors or gates. Jesus purchased these symbolic keys of hell and death by his own death. This gives him the divine authority to unlock the great prison house of death and set its captives free; and in the passage which declares that “death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them,” this is exactly what is shown as taking place.
That Jesus now possesses the divine right to raise the dead is also pointed out by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:9, which reads: “To this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.” As the Lord of the dead, he has promised to use his official authority and power, the “keys of hell,” to restore the world to life. This is the import of the Master’s own words as recorded in John 5:28,29: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection by judgment.”—Revised Version
This evacuation of the dead world from sheol, or hades, will be followed, as indicated in Revelation 20:14, by the destruction of hell. This was not a new thought to the New Testament writers, for it had been prophesied long before in the Old Testament. Through the Prophet Hosea, the Lord says: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues: O grave [sheol], I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Hos. 13:14) Notice the blessed assurance given in this passage: “Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” That is, the Lord had definitely determined to destroy death and hell, and this is sure to be the glorious consummation of his loving purpose on behalf of the fallen race.
THE RICH MAN IN HELL
Those who insist that the Greek word hades in the New Testament signifies a place of endless torment, rather than a condition of unconsciousness in death, as the Bible so clearly teaches, cite the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in an effort to prove their contention. It is true, of course, that the word hell in this parable is a translation of hades; but a careful and unbiased examination of the account will show that it cannot be consistently used to prove that good people go to a place of bliss when they die, while evil persons are consigned to a place of torture.
Professor Benjamin Wilson, author of the Emphatic Diaglott translation of the New Testament, knowing that hades does not signify a place of torment, was puzzled to understand the manner in which it is used in this parable, so he presents a footnote in which is offered evidence that the entire parable may be an interpolation and not actually a part of the sacred writings at all. Whether this be true we cannot say; however, when the account is viewed in the light of its being a parable rather than a statement of literal facts, there seems to be no necessity to doubt its authenticity. In order that we might have the details of the parable clearly in mind, we suggest a careful rereading of the account as found in Luke 16:19-31.
STRANGE, IF LITERAL
According to Dark-age theology this parable is sup- posed to teach that all good people who believe in Christ go to heaven when they die, and that all evil persons who do not accept Christ in this life go to a place of eternal torture at death. Yet, strange though it may seem, a careful scrutiny of the parable indicates that nothing at all is said about either good people or evil people; nor is anything said about heaven. All that is said of the supposedly virtuous man of the parable is that he was poor and covered with sores, that he ate crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, and that the dogs licked his sores. Of the rich man it is related merely that he fared sumptuously, wore good clothing, and permitted the poor man to lie at his gate.
Nor, according to the parable, did the diseased beggar go to heaven when he died, but instead was carried by the angels to “Abraham’s bosom.” If this is a statement of literal fact, it would preclude the possibility of anyone else ever being blessed with a similar reward at death, for the reason that there would not be room for more than one sick beggar in Abraham’s bosom. On the other hand, if Abraham’s bosom is understood to be symbolic of heaven, and the beggar representative of those who are qualified for heaven, then the only hope for any of us is in becoming poor beggars full of sores before we die—yes, and having dogs lick our sores.
There are many other inconsistencies in this parable if viewed in the light of traditional theology. As a matter of fact, there is not a single item in it that is in harmony with the theory that Christian believers go to heaven when they die, while unbelievers go to a place of torment. The one point in the account that theologians have seized upon to bolster up the God-dishonoring dogma of torture is that the rich man is said to be surrounded with tormenting flames after his death. But what could Jesus have meant by this strange account?
We have already referred to this passage of Scripture as being a parable. In this thought lies the solution of what it really means. In a parable the things said are not to be understood literally. We may not be able to determine dogmatically what Jesus intended to teach by this parable, but the prominence given to “Father Abraham” seems to indicate that it has to do in some way with the experiences of the natural seed of Abraham; as they were the ones in Jesus’ day who called Abraham their father. (Matt. 3:9; John 8:33,39; Rom. 4:1) It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the rich man of the parable is intended to illustrate the Jewish nation. This is not an uncommon symbolism, as even today we have “John Bull” to typify the British nation, and “Uncle Sam” to typify the United States.
The Jewish nation was a royal nation in God’s sight, chosen by him as the channel through which his promised blessings were to flow out to all other nations. This royal standing of the natural seed of Abraham was represented in the parable by the purple clothing of the rich man. He also wore fine linen, which was illustrative of the typical righteousness that came to the Jews as a result of their endeavor to keep the Mosaic Law, and also through the sacrifices of the Tabernacle services. By virtue of all the rich promises made to them, they fared sumptuously every day, even as the parable states. Indeed it was the rich blessings of the Lord to them that proved to be their stumbling block. Paul, quoting from Psalm 69:22, says: “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them.”—Rom. 11:9
The beggar in the parable seems to be a fitting illustration of the Gentiles at the time of Jesus’ First Advent. From the standpoint of God’s favor, they were indeed poor. All the promises had been made to the Jews and through the Jews. Any Gentile up to that time who desired the blessings of the true God was required to become a Jew by being made a proselyte. To the Jews, the Gentiles were “dogs,” unworthy of any special consideration.
The status of both Jews and Gentiles was greatly changed shortly after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Jews had rejected and crucified their Messiah and as a result were cast off from divine favor. In this sense of the word they died. They lost their place of chief favor before the Lord, and as a nation went into oblivion. But as a people they have continued to live; and from that day until now the flames of persecution have engulfed them almost constantly.
The beggar also died; that is, the Gentiles ceased to be a people wholly ignored by God, but instead divine favor was extended to them, and as many as believed were carried into Abraham’s bosom. That is to say, they became heirs of the promises made to and through Abraham. Concerning this Paul says, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen [Gentiles] through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham.” (Gal. 3:8) While it has been possible all through the Gospel age for individual Jews to become Christians and thus become spiritual children of Abraham, divine providence has so overruled the matter as to make the Gentiles the special recipients of his favor along this line—they have occupied the place of chief favor, as illustrated by “Abraham’s bosom.”
Just as the rich man in the parable petitioned Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water to cool his tongue—to ease his suffering—so more than once down through the age the Jews as a people have implored God to send a measure of relief through Christian sources! But the hardships and persecutions have continued. There has indeed been a great gulf fixed between Jew and the spiritually favored Gentile during all this long period—a gulf that has been impossible to bridge. Nothing in the parable, however, indicates that this torment of the rich man was to last forever. Other Scriptures show clearly that the time is even now here when the Jewish nation is to be restored to her former place of divine favor as the natural seed of Abraham.
Another interesting point in the parable is that the “five brethren” mentioned by the rich man were also said to have Abraham as their father. When the nation was released from their captivity in Babylon, under a decree given by King Cyrus of Persia, 500 years prior to our Lord’s First Advent, those who actually returned to Palestine were mostly of two tribes, although a few from all tribes returned. (II Chron. 36:20-23; Ezra 2:1) If this one rich man stood for the two tribes, then the other ten tribes, the majority of which did not have the opportunity of coming in direct contact with the teachings of the Messiah at his First Advent, may be properly represented by the five brethren.
Thus seen, every detail of the parable is found to be in harmony with the Bible as well as with historical facts; whereas if we undertake to think of it as being a literal statement intended to show the final rewards of the righteous, it is most inconsistent and absurd. Not only so, but it would mean that the Bible is contradictory and unreliable because, as we have already seen, sheol in the Old Testament and hades in the New Testament are specifically stated to be conditions where there is no knowledge, whereas in this parable there is said to be torment in hades. All is clear when we realize that it is national death here referred to, while the people of the nation continue to live and to be persecuted.
UNDYING WORMS—UNQUENCHABLE FIRE
While sheol is the only Old Testament word translated “hell,” hades, its Greek equivalent, is not the only word translated “hell” in the New Testament. Just outside of ancient Jerusalem was a valley in which dead carcasses and other refuse of the city were burned; and it is said that brimstone was used as an aid in this work of destruction—probably as a disinfectant. This place was called in the Hebrew the Valley of Hinnom; and the Greeks called it Gehenna. So this Greek word Gehenna is used a few times in the New Testament, and in the King James Version is translated by our English word “hell.” It is said that the dead bodies of certain criminals considered by the Jews as unworthy of a resurrection were cast into Gehenna; hence Jesus employs this word to describe a condition of eternal destruction into which wholly wilful sinners must ultimately go.
This word Gehenna is translated “hell” in Mark 9:43-48, which reads as follows: “If thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
In each instance in the foregoing passage the word hell is a translation of the Greek word Gehenna, and is clearly, therefore, an allusion to the symbolic significance of the destructive effects of the fires that burned continuously in the Valley of Hinnom. The whole picture is one of destruction rather than of torment. Even the mention of the worms that die not, intensifies this picture of destruction; as these worms are unquestionably those which infest all dead carcasses. The translators of this passage, of course, believed in the theory of eternal torture and they did the best they could to give us a translation that would seemingly lend support to their superstitions. Hence the “unquenchable” fire and the “undying worms” give the text an appearance that convinces some that eternal torture in a hell of fire must indeed be the fate of the wicked.
If we will but use common sense, however, we shall find that the passage presents no problem of this kind at all. Any fire that completely consumes that which is being burned is properly called an unquenchable fire. A fire that continues to burn until all combustible material at hand is consumed is a fire that is not quenched, yet it is not an eternal fire. So Jesus was here illustrating the fact that sinners would not be able to escape the full penalty of sin, which is death, or destruction—that the fires of destruction will not be quenched. Also, that in case the symbolic fire did not for any reason complete the work of destruction the ever- present “worms” would. Hence from every standpoint we can see that the Master was here using a symbol of destruction, which again bears out the united testimony of the Scriptures that the “wages of sin is death.”— Rom. 6:23
The remainder of this passage of Scripture is also symbolic. One’s eyes, hands, and feet are esteemed most highly because of their usefulness, and Jesus’ suggestion that the Christian part with them rather than lose everlasting life is just another way of saying that we should be willing to make any kind of sacrifice in this life rather than jeopardize our eternal existence.
The first application of the passage evidently is only to Christians—those who have covenanted to follow in the footsteps of Jesus—although the same principle will apply to the wilfully wicked during the Millennium. Christians are now on trial for life, and the surest way of gaining the victory is through the sacrifice of every- thing in the divine service.
Isaiah 66:24 describes the destruction of wilful sinners during the Millennial age in similar language as used by the Master. Jesus may have been quoting this passage, applying the symbolism of destruction to those who are now on trial for life. We quote: “They shall go forth, and 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 SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT
Revelation 14:10,11 is sometimes cited as proof of the torment doctrine. This portion of Scripture reads as follows: “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
If the foregoing passage is intended by the Lord to be a literal statement of fact, then not many of the world of mankind need to be especially concerned about it, for the torment is said to be upon those who worship either a beast or the image of a beast. While some in heathen lands have worshiped beasts, few, if any, have ever worshiped a literal beast such as is here described — a beast like a leopard, with the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, and with seven heads and ten horns. (Rev. 13:1,2) The passage is still more puzzling from a literal standpoint when we note that the tormenting takes place in the presence of the holy angels, which could easily be construed to mean in heaven. Surely such a condition of things in heaven would make that a totally different kind of place from what many have thought it to be.
The Book of Revelation is one of symbols, and this passage is no exception to the rule. The “beast” here is evidently a false religious-political system that demands the worship of men; and the thought symbolically presented is that those who profess to follow the Lamb and worship the true God yet give allegiance to this beast instead are to be subjected to troubles of various kinds, partaking of the sufferings that are to come upon all false systems during the great “time of trouble” with which this age will finally end. There is nothing in this passage to indicate that the torment takes place after death.
The “smoke” of their torments is evidently a symbolic way of saying that the evidence, or remembrance, of their torments will ever continue to be a reminder of the result of worshiping anything or anybody except the true God. Regardless of what all the details of this pas- sage may signify, it certainly cannot be consistently used to prove the Dark-age theory of the eternal torture of the wicked.
HOW SATAN WILL BE TORMENTED
Some, in seeking to “prove” the doctrine of eternal torment, have seized upon the statement of Revelation 20:10, claiming that it supports the torment theory. We quote: “The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” We have already seen that the Bible makes a clear distinction between the “lake of fire” and “hell,” or hades, in that the latter is said to be cast into the former. (Rev. 20:14) This “torment” said to come upon Satan is evidently limited to him and could not apply to those who are delivered from hell, and who are said to have their “tears wiped away.”—Rev. 21:4
How, then, is Satan to be tormented? Is the Dark-age theory applicable to him if not to anyone else? We do not think so. The Greek word here translated “tormented” is, according to Professor Strong, from the Greek word basanos, the literal meaning of which he gives as “touchstone.” The same word is translated “vexed” in II Peter 2:8, where we are told of the effect of the wicked deeds of the Sodomites upon the soul of righteous Lot. The thought in Lot’s case evidently is that he was daily learning by comparison the terrible results of a life of godlessness.
To get the correct thought of how the devil is to be “tormented” it is helpful to consider the prophecy of Isaiah 14:15-17. We quote: “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [sheol], to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners [of death]?”
Comparing this prophecy relative to the destruction of Satan with the statement of the Revelator concerning his “torment,” the thought seems clear that the devil is to become an everlasting example of the terrible results of a course of rebellion against God, that throughout the ages of eternity the saved of mankind will continue to hold him in derision. Not that the devil himself will actually be conscious of the derision in which he is held. This would not be necessary within the meaning of the text. For example, in our own manner of speaking we sometimes hear it said of one who had been disliked in his community, “Now that the man is dead, let him rest, as nothing can be accomplished by continuing to talk about him.”
Actually, of course, nothing that we might say or do would affect in any way one who has died, just as the everlasting ignominy that is to be heaped upon Satan will not affect him when he is finally destroyed in the lake of fire; nevertheless, the people will not let him rest; they will continue to hold him up as an example of the dire results of an evil, selfish course. Thus the divine permission of evil will be seen to result in an everlasting blessing to all the willing and obedient of the human family, being a “touchstone” by which all will be able to discern intelligently between good and evil. Doubtless the majority will choose the good.