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What is Hell?
I did some more reading on this word and found some interesting information on it. I cut and pasted the following which you will just have to accept as food for thought:
The Authorized King James version of the Bible, and several other
English translations, takes 3 different Greek terms, Hades, Gehenna, and
Tartarus, and mixes them all in a blender (kinda like a Frozen Daiquiri),
and calls them "hell." Perhaps to make them more palletable? Because the
English translations do not make these distinctions, we are not supposed
to either. We are to blindly accept that these three Greek terms are all
the same.
The term Gehenna is a Hebrew term. Literally translated it means
Ravine of Hinnom. It referrs to a valley, just below Jerusalem, where
garbage was burned. The city's offal. Remember, they didn't have
compactors then. They did have garbage dumps, like we do today. It is
translated in the NT 9 times as "hell" and three times as fire. Couldn't
they make up their minds?
Geenna can be referred to as fire, because the garbage that was
dumped there was burned. Now living in a big city like Jerusalem, you can
imagine how much garbage this city could generate. So the fire that burned
all this garbage, was always going, continually. To the citizens of
Jerusalem, this fire was everlasting. Well, at least it seemed that way.
Today, whenever a vagrant's body is found, without identification,
and without any money, the city assigns a "John Doe" identification to
him/her. After the body has been to the city morgue it is burried in a
"Potter's field." These are some of the city services that our tax money
pays for. After all, we can't have dead bodies laying around, can we? In
Jerusalem, the bodies of vagrants and criminals were "burried" in this
Valley of Hinnom referred to as Gehenna. Their bodies were burned in this
garbage pit because these were considered useless citizens. It was
considered a disgrace to be "burried in Gehenna. If it was generally known
that one of your family members was "burried" in Gehenna, well, let's just
say that you would not put that on your resume.
Yes Jesus referred to Gehenna. And He referred to the dishonor of
being "burried" there. Yet there is one more point I would like to make.
In the case of Hades, the Hebrew term Shoel is used throughout the OT. By
the time we come to the NT, it has become a farmilar term. Also, Hades is
mentioned in the Book of Revelations. It's conclusion is documented. This
is not the case with Gehenna. There is no mention of Gehenna in the OT or
in Revelations. It is only used in the NT and mostly by Jesus, though it
is used in the Book of James. This would suggest to me, that this term, or
place, was not part of God's eternal plan. Or that some of the
documentation on Gehenna is missing from our Bibles.
Anyone who believes that the KJV is God's word, would never admit
that some of our Sacred Scriptures were not included in this English
version. But how would they explain Gehenna missing from the OT, or
Revelations? Oh, I know! Interpurtation! Another one of those statements
that start with, "the Bible clearly states."
Gehenna was a garbage pit, a physical place.It was not a realm beyond
the veil. Read the passages relating to Gehenna and you will see this.
This is NOT conclusive proof that there is a "hell." You can follow the
KJV. You can follow religious leaders who teach the doctrine of "hell." Or
you can follow Jesus, and be guided by His Spirit of Truth. But you can't
follow both:
Matt 6:24 (YLT) `None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate
the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the
other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.
Matt 6:24 (KJS) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Again, I was able to do this without all the traditional name
calling. Let's not forget what Jesus said about that particular activity:
Matt 5:22 (YLT) but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his
brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may
say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and
whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
Matt 5:22 (KJS) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. {Raca:
that is, Vain fellow}
God grant us all the wisdom to follow in His Son's footprints.
BigD
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