Hell: God's Curse

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:4-5 ESV)

The word for Hell has two different meanings in Greek, Gehenna and Hades. The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology (Erickson, Millard J. (1986) Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506) defines Gehenna as the final resting place of the ungodly and is a transliteration of the Hebrew for the Valley of Hinnom; A valley south and west of Jerusalem. In the days of the evil kings of Judah, it was the site of child sacrifice. Accordingly, … it has come to represent the place of everlasting punishment. Hades is the Greek word used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew Sheol, the place of the dead or the intermediate state of souls between life on earth and the final state.

Psalm 91 describes the Lord as our refuge and fortress (see verses 5 & 6) and we are not to fear the things of this world. In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus tells you to not fear the one who can destroy the body meaning death, for nothing can take you from the hand of God once you are in Christ. You are to understand man consists of dust (body) and soul (spirit) and that the soul will live eternally. In Eccl. 12:7, Solomon, speaking of death, says that the dust returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God who gave it. The death spoken of here is the end of life in the body, but the Spirit goes directly to be with God. Thus, when Jesus commended His Spirit to the Father on the cross and Stephen commended his Spirit to Jesus at his stoning, it meant the soul was freed from the body to return to God. Those who do not know Christ as Savior need to fear Him because He can and will send their lost soul to Hell. This Hell is the place of the dead Hades (Sheol). This is where the one who rejects Christ experiences the result of spiritual death, which is separation from God but it is not their final place of judgment.

6 Happy and greatly blessed are those who are included in this first raising of the dead. The second death has no power over them; they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they will rule with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6 GNT)

In this passage we see mention of the second death. This is the eternal death where the lost are delivered into the lake of fire. This is the Greek reference Gehenna, the place of everlasting punishment (see Mark 9:43, 48). In Gehenna, the soul and body are reunited for everlasting punishment. This judgment will be permanent, for the time to repent will have passed and the torment is unimaginable.

For Thought:

1. Believers will not experience Hell in any form. When you are separated from your physical body at death, you will in a moment be with Jesus. In the resurrection, the body of believers will be one with their body and God forever.

2. Do you understand that those who have not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before the death of the body will not have a second chance? They will go to Hell where they will live in torment until the final judgment when they will be reunited with their bodies to be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

As you sit before God today, pray for those who are in need of salvation. Plead for the Heavenly Father to bring them into the saving knowledge of His Son. Ask God to bring you the courage and wisdom to speak to them about their relationship with Christ. Lastly, ask God to bring to mind those you can invite to the Mount where they may see the love of Christ in action and understand what is meant to be a believer.