“In the first place bear in mind that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. The word “hell” is an English word sometimes selected by translators of the English Bible to express the sense of the Hebrew word “sheol” and the Greek words “hades”, “tartaroo”, and “Gehenna”, sometimes rendered “grave” and/or “pit”.

The word “hell” in the Old English usage before Papal theologians picked it up and gave it a new and special significance to suit their own purposes simply meant to conceal, to hide, to cover, hence the concealed, hidden or covered place. For example compare Job 14:13 with Psa 86:13.

The Former reads, “Oh, that you would hide me in the grave (Sheol), That You would conceal me until your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!”, while the latter reads, “For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of hell (Sheol).”

The Hebrew word being the same word “grave” should have been used in both cases. Now let us apply a little common sense, how absurd would it have been for Job to pray to God to hide him in a hell of eternal torment?

The word “hell” occurs 31 times in the Old Testament and in every instance it is “sheol” in the Hebrew. It does not mean a lake of fire and brimstone nor anything at all resembling that thought not in the slightest degree. Quite the revers, instead of a place of blazing fire it is described in the context as a state of “darkness” (Job 10:21) instead of a place where shrieks and groans are heard it is described in the context as a place of “silence” (Psa 115:17); instead of representing in any sense pain and suffering, or remorse, the context describes it as a place or condition of “forgetfulness” (Psa 88:11, 12). “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, in the grave “[sheol]” whither thou goes.” (Eccl. 9:10)

The meaning of “sheol” is “the hidden state,” as applied to man’s condition in death, in and beyond which all is hidden, except to the eye of faith; hence, by proper and close association, the word was often used in the sense of grave e.g. the tomb, the hidden place, or place beyond which only those who have the enlightened eye of the understanding can see resurrection, restitution of being. And be it particularly noted that this identical word “sheol” is translated grave thirty-one times and pit three times in our Common Version by the same translators more times than it is translated hell; and twice where it is translated hell, it seemed so absurd, according to the present accepted meaning of the English word hell, that scholars have felt it necessary to explain in the margin of modern Bibles that it means grave (Isa. 14:9 and Jonah 2:2). In the latter case, the hidden state, or grave, was the belly of the fish in which Jonah was buried alive, and from which he cried to God.” (What Say the Scriptures about Hell, Pages 2, 3)

“The Bible declares that sin is disobedience to the expressed will of God, and that the penalty for sin is death! God warned Adam he would die if he disobeyed Him, that the wages of sin was death, he said nothing about the penalty being eternal torment.

Death is the cessation or end of life; not a continuation of life somewhere else. “Thou were made of dust and unto dust shall thou return.” Gen 3:19

Question: Does dust have life, does it have conscious or being? Then how then can it suffer eternal torment?

The Bible reveals that when a man dies he loses all consciousness, knowledge, feeling, wisdom and etc. (Eccl 9:5, 6, 10)

Adam willfully disobeyed his Creator, and with Eve was sentenced to death, so by heredity “all have sinned” all Adam’s children, all mankind have been born under his condemnation.

Man is placed into the grave (“sheol”) where he sleeps until Christ’s return, and the resurrection of the dead.

Some ignorantly teach that man has a soul and that even if the body returns to dust the soul, which they claim is immortal lives on, and that this is what goes into eternal torment. This belief is not taught in the Bible, for nowhere in the scriptures do we find the term, “immortal soul” or that the soul is immortal. To the contrary we find that man IS a soul, not that he has one, Gen 2:7 is quite clear on this matter, viz.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man BECAME a living soul (or being).”

“The soul (the being, the individual) that sins shall die.” (Ezek 18:4)

God made no mention of Adam’s soul going anywhere after his death. The power which animates life, i.e. the breath of life returns to the fountain of all life, God, and the body which was formed from the dust returns to the dust from whence it was taken. Without the body and the gift of life the individual, the soul, dies.

Question: Since a soul is not made of matter (flesh) in this human theory, how then can it be roasted and burned?

This Satanic doctrine, which was borrowed from heathen religions has caused more fear in the hearts of man, than any other of the “doctrines of demons” used by the clergy. It purposes was to keep the people in absolute subjection. And so it has, to those who do not know the true nature and character of their God. As it is written,

“Those who guide these people mislead them and those who are guided are led astray”. Isa 9:16

No such place as a hell of eternal torment is mentioned in the scriptures, if it were would not the Apostle Paul have mentioned it, did he not declare to us that he, “…shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God?” Acts 20:27

If there were indeed such a punishment held out for all evil doers and non-believers why would he fell to mention such an important fact? Why? Because there was no such thing to declare, “The wages of sin is death” as he had stated (Rom 6:23)

In Revelation many have taken the symbolic language used in Chapter 20 Verses 14 and 15 and in Chapter 21 Verse 8 to indicate such a place of torment does indeed exist. However note carefully in 20:14 that death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.

Question: How then can hell, if it be the lake of fire, be cast into hell?

Notice the rest of the verse as well as 21:8 gives the proper explanation as to what the lake of fire really is, “This is the Second Death”. from which there is no resurrection.”

What then is the “lake of fire”, since it is not a literal lake? As we have seen Rev 21:8 confirms the “lake of fire” to be the “second death”, or total destruction. Remember fire does not preserve that which is tossed into it, but rather it consumes that which is place in it until it is gone period. That is why fire is used to represent total destruction. Thus we can truly believe what is stated in Rom 6:23

“For the wages of sin is DEATH but the gift of God is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We can either believe in the doctrine taught by men or in the truth as taught by God and the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Bible. We cannot believe both.

But if as yet you are still not convinced as to the truth on this subject, I summit the following; let God be the final judge on this matter,

It is men who teach of eternal torment and, raging fire where sinner are sent for all eternity to be burned alive, this false doctrine had its origins in the “Dark Ages” of papal domination. It is BLASPHEMOUS for men to put this EVIL and false idea to our God, for the very idea of burning someone alive is EVIL and shows how depraved someone can be. But it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to do anything Evil.

“The expression, “BLASPHEMY”, in our day, is usually given only a coarse meaning, as if it related to the most vulgar forms of cursing and profanity only. But, in its true significance, the word “blasphemy” is applicable to any indignity offered to God. “Blasphemy is to attribute to God that which is contrary to his nature, and does not belong to him—and to deny what does.” Thus, Blasphemy is a sin that is commonly committed not only by unbelievers, but ALSO by many professed Christians, this they do, (mostly through ignorance), every time they ascribe to God, any one of the many false teachings commonly held by Christendom. One such Blasphemy is the FALSE DOCTRINE concerning Hell, and God’s plans to condemn and eternally torture the vast majority of His creation. This is a blatant Blasphemy, and is definitely attributing to God that “which is contrary to his nature”. This doctrine is in direct contention with the Scriptural statement that “God is Love”.

What saith God on this subject let Him answer for Himself, instead of listening to man?

“They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, NEITHER CAME IT INTO MY MIND…” Jer 19:5

Well there we have it, straight from God’s on words, God never mention anything about burning anyone alive and the very thought of doing so which is evil never even entered into His mind. So how could men say that God plans to burn men alive in eternal torment?

“Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding.” Prov 3:13

The Truth shall set you free.