Why does the Old Testament teach that there is no hell?

Question

while the New Testament teaches that there is? The idea of "progressive revelation" does not explain the conflicts in the biblical texts.

Answer 1

Because there is water, then earth, then air, then firmament, then heaven. That's it. There was no room in the original plans for hell. The Jews figured that god was their god. Heaven was for Jews and who cared about everyone else. It wasn't like you could convert.

Then the Christians came along and changed the plans. First they grew by letting people convert. But that meant that they needed an incentive for people to convert. Hence they added the dungeon of hell and decorated it with torture chambers for those with the courage to say no.

Answer 2

The Old Testament does refer to Sheol and Gehenna. Sheol is clearly rather different from Mediaeval Christendom's take on Hell, which is arguably Biblical, but Gehenna is a lot closer, though in the Old Testament that doesn't seem to refer to Hell as such. Actual depictions of Hell in the New Testament are quite sparse. The only unequivocal description of Hell as somewhere in which damned souls reside consciously is in the parable of Dives and Lazarus, so far as i remember, and here there may be a strong figurative element because Lazarus and Dives are described as being able to see each other, which may not make sense. 2 Peter refers to Tartarus, but since it's pseudepigrapha, that seems a bit suspect. Jehovah's Witnesses and some other Christian-allied groups do indeed believe that there is no Hell as such, but that unsaved souls are either annihilated or ultimately saved. Therefore, although i don't know the details, it's clearly possible to justify this through scripture.

Answer 3

Christians are more of followrrs to the New Testament, while Catholics, which pre-date Christianity teach about the Old Testament, Catholics and Christians have some different beliefs concerning the bible, and hell is not an issue. They believe mostly that if you are a good person you can be in life, you will go to heaven, but sin, there is a "form" of hell, which the Christians always describe as being underground surrounded with fire and eternity of suffering.
I'd much rather being Catholic than Christian, they at least don't force their beliefs onto everyone else as much as Christians do, and their way of remembering all of the suffering that jessu was supposed to have gone through for everyone (showing him on their cross when Christians don't) gives a broader sense of just what one person sacrificed for everyone.

Answer 4

1) because there is no Hell, this is a concept made up by the early (european) christians to convert the masses through terror..

2) Because the Old Testament is take from the larger Hebrew faith. (Jesus Christ was Jewish) and the Jews never did nor do they believe in a "Hell". They basically believe that if you live a just life then you will be treated justly in the afterlife, if you live an unjust life then expect unjust treatment, but either way we all come from the one God and we shall all return to become part of the One God when we pass on.

Answer 5

The Old Testament does not expressly say that people go to Heaven when they die, either. All that stuff about going to Heaven when you die seems to found in the New Testament.

In fact, the Old Testament says very little about the afterlife.

There is a brief mention of people being swallowed alive into the ground (Exodus), as well as at least one prophet being taken alive into Heaven (Judges). But other than that, it does not seem to expressly say where people go.

It never says that there is no Hell.

Answer 6

shes right in a way people new testament never say hell either it says lake of fire like once. The bible does not exactly call it hell. and in the old testament niether heaven nor hell are mentioned just a place call sheol, a place for the dead. I have read the whole bible and hell is not a word ive seen in older versions.

Answer 7

The old testament is old. Older then the idea of hell. Hell is a new, christian idea. In the old testament there is just Sheol, a cold and dark place far away from the light of god.

Answer 8

GOOD question!
Because the Jews did not believe in hell or a place of eternal torment. When the Greeks (who had very distinct beliefs in good versus evil) invaded that area in the 400 years between testaments, they began imposing their beliefs on the people of that region.
Note that there is also NO demonic possession in the O.T. either.. this was also a Greek belief as well.
Hence, the N.T rife with demons (seems like one under every rock there) and hell/fire/brimstone.

Answer 9

Jesus is our salvation. Salvation from what? Why does God promote Jesus, thoughout the whole Bible, if there is no reason for Him to die?
Four words in the King James version of the Bible are translated into "hell"; one Hebrew, the three others Greek words.

Sheol:

-Hebrew word meaning "world of the dead".
-Not an eternal place for souls (see Psalm 86:13; Psalm 49:15).
-Both righteous and unrighteous souls went to Sheol (Genesis 37:35; Job 14:13; Psalm 16: 10)
-The righteous and the wicked did not experience the same thing in Sheol. The righteous experience rest, while the wicked experience imprisonment (2 Kings 22: 20; Jonah 2: 6)

Hades:

-Greek word meaning "place of departed souls"
-it is synonymous to Sheol - same word, different language.
-Proof: in Psalm 16:10, we have the word Sheol (translated hell) and in Acts 2:27, Peter quotes this passage but the word translated "hell" is Hades.
-the account in Luke 16 adds detail to how things work in Hades: the wicked are in torment and are separated from the righteous who are experiencing rest (Abraham's bosom)

Gehenna:

-Greek word from a Hebrew name; it means "the valley of the son of Hinnom".
-the valley of Hinnom was the city dump where garbage burned day and night, year round. Before becoming a dump, this valley was a place where the wicked worshiped the false god Molech (which consisted of burning infants alive). All in all, the valley of the son of Hinnom was the perfect picture of a terrible cursed place.
-unlike Sheol/Hades, Gehenna is a place of spiritual AND PHYSICAL punishment (see Matt. 10:28).
-and again, unlike Sheol/Hades, Gehenna is a place of eternal punishment (see Mark 9: 42-48: if the worm never dies, then there is always a body to eat, and if the fire is never quenched, then there is always a body to burn).

Tartaroo:

-Greek word meaning "the deepest abyss of hell"; and in this context hell is the Greek version of hell which was a subterranean, dark place where wicked spirits were punished.
-it would seem that Tartaroo is yet another section reserved for wicked angels, or demons (see 2 Peter 2: 4).


So, what is the purpose of all these "hellish" places ? Here is, as far as I understand it, what happens to a wicked person when he dies:

1. the soul of the wicked goes to Hades/Sheol where he is imprisoned and in torment. His physical body remains in the grave where it decays naturally.

2. when the hour of the Great White Throne judgement comes (Rev. 20), the soul of the wicked is brought out of Hades/Sheol where it is joined with his resurrected body.

3. the wicked is judged and condemned for his sin.

4. the wicked is cast to the Lake of Fire (Gehenna), both bodily and spiritually, where he will suffer torment forever.


My point: The wicked are going to Hades, where they will be tormented for a time, and then they will take part in the Lake of Fire forever. This is a terrible thing, especially when we realize that all of us (even the most righteous of Christians) deserve no less. The only reason I am not going to suffer this condemnation is because God was gracious to me. Like Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah 3, I am a brand plucked from the fire!

Now consider those who haven't received God's gracious gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. What a terrible punishment! And that's exactly what we should keep in mind when we read Matthew 5: 38-45:

Answer 10

There is no hell in the Torah. The Christian Bible added the idea.

I'd say that would fit under progressive revelation: the Torah does not say there is no hell; it is silent on the subject.

If you think that's the only conflict between books you haven't read them closely At All.