A Question for Jehovah's Witnessess?

Question

I posted a question a while back and a Jehovah's Witness answered. He/she said something that I found very odd. They claimed that Hell doesn't exist and that it is a pagan concept and that the Bible does not talk of such a thing. Now I'm not a Christian or a Biblical scholar... But I recall a great many locations that Hell is discussed. Jesus talking of going where the fire is never quenched and what not. I believe the word Hell was even used exactly. (Not just referencing to it, but actually using the term.) I'm curious as to how an idea of Hell not existing can be held when the Bible blatantly speaks of its existence. Thanks for your reply!

I was under the impression that they followed the New Testament... I'm guessing I was false in that assumption then?

From wikipedia:

"The central theme of their preaching is God’s Kingdom with Jesus Christ as its king."

So I was right in assuming they followed Christ. Thus my question still stands... How do they/you not believe in Hell when Jesus blatantly speaks of it?

Im getting the impression from Wikipedia that the idea of Hell was implemented into the Bible at a later time? This is because it says they reject this idea because they feel the second coming already happened (invisibly) and thus any Christian teaching that came after it is invalid. So Im guessing the idea of Hell came after this? This confuses me because I believe Jesus speaks of Hell.

Answer 1

It seems useful to mention that the bible does NOT teach that a "soul" is some immortal otherworldly entity that exists apart from a physical body. Instead, in the bible "a soul" is simply "a life"; at death a person's "soul" or "life" returns to Jehovah in that life originates from God, and all future prospects for a resurrection of that life rest with Jehovah God.

(Job 12:9-10) The hand of Jehovah itself has done this, In whose hand is the soul of everyone alive And the spirit of all flesh of man

(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning - it itself will die.

(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]

(Acts 3:23) Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.


The bible teaches that after Armageddon, there will be a resurrection of nearly all humans who have ever died, to a restored paradise earth. The graves will be emptied!

(John 5:26-29) For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. ...the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out

(Acts 24:15) There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.


Now, regarding the so-called "hell", it is interesting to reflect on the fact that the Old-English word "hell" merely meant "underground". Some rural folks still refer to the practice of "helling potatoes" which refers to the fact that they are buried, and has nothing to do with cooking. Re-read Scriptures that use the term "hell" and note that the vast majority make perfect sense when the word "underground" is substituted.


This is not perfectly consistent, because there are actually three different Greek words that English bible translations commonly translate as "hell", including the King James Version. Those terms are "Tartarus", "Hades", and "Gehenna".


Tartarus
The bible never uses the term "Tartarus" in connection with humans, but only in connection with demonic former angels. Since only spirit creatures are involved, "Tartarus" seems to be a CONDITION rather than a PLACE. The word “Tartarus” is also used in pre-Christian heathen mythologies. In Homer’s Iliad this mythological Tartarus is represented as an underground prison ‘as far below Hades as earth is below heaven.’ In it were imprisoned the lesser gods, noteworthy in that the bible and other ancient literature consistently uses the term "Tartarus" exclusively in connection with superhuman creatures.

(2 Peter 2:4) God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment


Hades
The term "Hades" is not a fiery place of torture, but rather the common grave of mankind (the state of being dead). The bible plainly teaches that Jesus himself was in "Hades" after his impalement but before his resurrection. Also, the bible teaches that "death and Hades" will be destroyed forever after God resurrects everyone (and "empties" Hades.

(Acts 2:22-33) Jesus the Nazarene... fastened to a stake by the hand of lawless men and did away with. But God resurrected him... David says respecting [Jesus], ‘...you [Father] will not leave my soul in HADES... [David] was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that he would seat one from the fruitage of his loins upon his throne, he saw beforehand and spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in HADES nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God resurrected, of which fact we are all witnesses. Therefore because he was exalted to the right hand of God

(Revelation 20:13-14) Death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.


Gehenna
The bible term "Gehenna" refers to death without hope of resurrection. Interestingly, the bible term "Hades" ("hell") is destroyed in Gehenna once that grave has been emptied by resurrections. The grave will no longer be needed since humans will then live forever! The term "Gehenna" is synonymous with other bible terms such as the "second death [different from first death allowing resurrection]" and with the "[metaphorical] lake of fire [which destroys the dead one's remembrance]".

(Matthew 10:28) And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

(Revelation 20:13-14) Death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050501/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/index.htm?article=article_04.htm

Answer 2

The Watcthower took its understanding on hell and "soul sleep" from the Adventists in the 1800's, and there is still some parallel with Seven Day Adventists doctine on this.

The Bible has very specific references to a burning hell, so these are dismissed by the Watchtower as figurative.

It is interesting to see more and more Churches saying that hell is not a place of torment, as this goes against the concept of a loving God. The Anglican Church no longer believe in hell as a place of torture. Just this year the Catholic Church as dropped their teaching of unbaptised babies going to Limbo.

I wonder if these religions use the "light gets brighter" justification for changes in the same way the Watchtower does when changing doctrines?

Answer 3

A lot of good answers above.

Hell - Archaic English - meaning: a burial hill.
Hill in dialect was pronounced hell and spelt hell.

The concept of Hell or a Hell is not what Jesus taught.

Come on even religionist of two thousand years ago knew better than eternal punishment for temporal “sin”.

But religions have used this idea to control and inflict the unlearned.

Sheol is often translated as the grave.

Ecclesiastes 3
19. For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity.
20. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.

And

2Corinthians 5
6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.


Gehenna was the garbage dump outside the walls of Jerusalem this was also known as the Valley of Hinnom.

Refuse was dumped and consumed by fires that were always burning.

Tartarus - a pit used as a prison. This is used and defined in specific in 2Peter 2:4
…the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them into pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment. This is the only place that “Tartarus” is used.

If you really want to get primitive and believe this nonsense go back and Dante’s Inferno to see where a lot of these ideas are congregated and variations are still used today.

Two other non Christian ideas are Limbo and Purgatory.

A good place to start is:

Answer 4

Hell, as taught in the Bible is not place of fiery torment but the common grave of all mankind. It is impossible for the dead to suffer torments or enjoy bliss since the Bible teaches that the dead are conscious of nothing. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, Psalms 146:4) The soul is not something that exist apart from the body. The Bible clearly states that the soul dies. (Ezekiel 18:4) The teaching of the resurrection is one of the primary or basic beliefs. (Hebrews 6:1,2) A resurrection would be unnecessary if a person continued to live on after death.

Answer 5

well, I think they refer to the fact that such a think as "hell" per say, is not mentioned, the word the bible, if you look at old King James bibles, you'll se the word seol (i think that's how you write it) or hades, there are other synonyms. but the thing is that they don't believe in a firery, hell with flames and heat, and the devil with a ponty tail, and the trident, you know what I mean. The bible never mentions that kind of hell, it does mention a lake of fire, but it mentions it as a future thing, something that God will create when the day of judgement comes.

of course, you know I'm not a jehova witness. so...I'm just hoping they back up my statement. hahaha.

;-)

Answer 6

What Has Happened to Hellfire?
- What --REALLY-- Is Hell?
- - Life After Death?
- - Unending Torment or Common Grave?
- - Hellfire--All-Consuming?
- - Hell will be Emptied!
http://watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_01.htm

Others have already given you the gist, but this ^ article will help fill in the gaps. Also...

The 'Lake of Fire', and 'Second Death' signify permanent loss of life -- without any hope of resurrection. Gehenna was a place --just outside the wall of Jerusalem-- kept burning 24/7, to burn garbage & dead animals & bodies of criminals, thus a sort of crematorium in some instances. The Bible speaks of Death & Hades being thrown --along with Satan-- into the lake of fire... How could those be tortured? They are to be totally anihillated.

"All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She′ol, the place to which you are going." --Ecclesiastes 9:10

"The soul that is sinning--it itself will die." --Ezekiel 18:4

"... you will ... return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19
http://watchtower.org/e/20010715/article_01.htm

Not even God's greatest adversary will be tortured by God! That is against God's principles, and one thing he can't do is break his own principles! (If he could... would we really want him to expend & waste his energies doing so? That wouldn't make him very wise, would it? Certainly, not loving!)

Answer 7

The word "hell" is found in many Bible translations.In the same verses other translations read "the grave","the world of the dead" and so forth.Other Bibles simply transliterate the original-language words that are that are sometimes rendered "hell",that is,they express them with the letters of our alphabet but leave the words untranslated.Namely the Hebrew word she'ohl' and the Greek equivalent hai'des,which refer,not to an individual burial place but to the common grave of dead mankind;also the Greek ge'en na,which is used as a symbol of eternal destruction.However, in both Christendom and in many non-Christian religions it is taught that hell is a place inhabited by demons and where the wicked,after death,are punished (and some believe this to be with torment).
This is in harmony with the Bible teachings such as found at Eccl.9:5:"For the living are conscious that they will die,but as for the dead they are conscious of nothing at all."
Ps.146:4:"His spirit goes out,he goes back to his ground, in that day,his thoughts do perish.
Romans 6:23 tells us that:" the wages sin pays is death." - not eternal torment in a fiery hell.
The concept of a fiery hell go back to ancient Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs that the "nether world...... is pictured as a place of horrors,and is presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness"(The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria,Boston,1898,Morris Jastrow,Jnr., p. 581)
Early evidence of the fiery concept of Christendom's hell is found in the religion of ancient Egypt.(The Book of the Dead,New Hyde Park,N.Y.,1960, with introduction by E.A.Wallis Budge,pp.144,149,151,153,161).

Answer 8

Jesus went to hell for 3 days yet no sin was found in him...Lazarus went to hell yet he was a righteous friend of Jesus....Job begged to go to Sheol and remembered in the resurrection.
Hell is translated in the Catholic Douay Version and Authorized Version into Greek-Hades and Hebrew-Sheol
it is also translated as grave and pit and death.
The New Twentieth Century Dictionary -simply a covered over place.
In old English the expression "helling" potatoes simply meant to place the potatoes in the ground or cellar.

Answer 9

When Jesus talks about the place "where the fire is never quenched" he is referring to "Gehenna" which has become synonymous with "hell". In reality Gehenna was the city dump where they burned the garbage and the fire never extinguished. The place was also where they sent the petty criminals and lepers, who were forced to live there and tend to the fires and burn the garbage. This was a place where no good Jew ever wanted to be for fear of catching some dreadful disease. Jesus taught in parables and it was the same for hell. He wasn't talking about some underworld of devils and fires but was speaking of spiritual torment and comparing it to living in the city dump.

Answer 10

In 1611 KJV the word hell actually meant 'a place of covering'

vegetables were stored in 'hell' to keep them cool, and fresh.

Over the centuries the picture of hell has changed to what we 'believe' today.

Answer 11

You realize by promoting the idea of eternal torment in Hell, all you do is feed the evidence bag atheists like to use against the idea of a God.