August 6
HELL / PART 5
HADES
According to J. W. Hanson:
-"The Greek Septuagint, which our Lord used when He read or quoted from the Old Testament, gives "Hades" as
the exact equivalent of the Hebrew "Sheol", and when the Savior, or His apostles, use the word, they must mean the same as
it meant in the Old Testament. When "Hades" is used in the New Testament, we must understand it just as we do ("Sheol" or
"Hades") in the Old Testament.
Dr. Campbell well says: "In my judgment, it ought never in scripture to be rendered "hell", at least, in
the sense wherein that word is now universally understood by Christians. In the Old Testament, the corresponding word is "Sheol",
which signifies the state of the dead in general without regard to the goodness or badness of the persons, their happiness
or misery. In translating that word, the seventy have almost invariably used "Hades". It is very plain, that neither in the
Septuagint version of the Old Testament, nor in the New, does the word "Hades" convey the meaning which the present English
word "hell", in the Christian usage, always conveys to our minds."
Le Clere affirms that "neither "Hades" nor "Sheol" ever signifies in the Sacred Scripture the abode of evil
spirits, but only the sepulchre, or the state of the dead." ( The Bible Hell, J. W. Hanson )
According to J. W. Hanson:
-"That "Hades" is the kingdom of death, and not a place of torment, after death, is evident from the language
of Acts 2:27, "You will not leave my soul in hell: neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption." Verse 31: "His
soul was not left in "hell", neither His flesh did see corruption," that is His spirit did not remain in the state of the
dead, until His body decayed. No one supposes that Jesus went to a realm of torment when He died. Jacob wished to go down
to "Hades" to his son mourning, so Jesus went to "Hades", the under-world, the grave. The Apostle's Creed conveys the same
idea, when it speaks of Jesus as descending into "hell". He died, but His soul was not left in the realms of death, is the
meaning." ( The Bible Hell, J. W. Hanson )
-1st Corinthians 15:55 tells us that "hell" ( "Hades" ) will be destroyed. It states, … O death,
where is your sting? O grave ( "Hades", "hell" ) where is your victory? So we can see that "hell" ( "Sheol", "Hades"
) is the grave, or the place of the dead. We can also now see that "hell" ( "Sheol", "Hades" ) is not to endure forever, but
is destined to be destroyed. This is also in harmony with Revelation 20:13,14, which tells us that death and "hell" ( "Hades"
) shall be consumed by the fire of God. This is speaking of the purifying fire of God. AWESOME!
-O "HELL" ( "HADES", GRAVE ), WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?-
