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6 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 25

So we see that the real MEANINGS of Note, too, that the Greek word
three different Greek words -- “hades” (“sheol” TARTAROS, which has also been translated
into the English word “hell,” occurs only once in
the New Testament (II Peter 2:4) and does not
refer to humans, but to the RESTRAINED
condition of fallen angels. Its meaning,
translated into English, is “darkness of the
material universe,” or “dark abyss,” or “prison.”
And what about “gehenna”? This Greek
word represents “the Valley of HINNOM which
lay just outside of Jerusalem and was the place
refuse was constantly being burned up." Trash,
filth, and the dead bodies of animals and
DESPISED CRIMINALS were thrown into
gehenna. It was like some of our city dumps
today, only on a larger scale. Ordinarily,
everything thrown into this valley was
DESTROYED by fire -- COMPLETELY
BURNED UP. The Messiah used it to picture the
A typical tomb found in the Jerusalem area. It is a terrible fate of UNREPENTANT SINNERS!
“hell” (Greek: “hades”) -- or HOLE in the ground But of the foregoing, remember this
or side of a hill. That is what the Greek word especially: In MOST of the passages of the
“hades” really means! NEW TESTAMENT where we see the word
“hell” in our English Bible translations, the
in Old Testament), “tartaros,” and “gehenna” -- ORIGINAL GREEK WORD was a DIF-
have been confused with each other because FERENT word than the word “gehenna.” This
translators have attempted to make the ONE other different word is the word “hades” --
English word “hell” cover all THREE meanings! which does NOT refer to FIRE at all, but has an
But now let us amplify the foregoing facts: entirely different meaning. Yet the translators
The original Old Testament HEBREW have used the ONE English word -- “HELL” --
word “sheol” and the New Testament Greek for these TWO entirely different GREEK words
word “hades” mean the SAME THING -- THE that have TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
GRAVE. These original words have been MEANINGS!
translated “grave” in many places in the Bible. Let’s understand.
“Hell” is an old English word, and over 380 1. Does Luke 12:5 contain the word
years ago, when the Authorized Version was “hell”?
translated, the people of England commonly COMMENT: YOU can plainly see that
talked of “putting their potatoes in HELL for the this verse does have the word “hell” in it. Were
winter" -- a good way of preserving potatoes -- you to look up the ORIGINAL GREEK WORD
for the word then meant merely A HOLE IN that is here translated into the English word
THE GROUND which was covered up -- a dark “hell,” you would find it to be GEHENNA.
and silent place -- a GRAVE. But PAGAN “GEHENNA” MEANS A PLACE OF PUN-
TEACHINGS gaining popular acceptance have ISHMENT, and the Messiah indicated this
caused people to apply to the English word would be carried out by FIRE!
“hell” the FALSE MEANING which came out 2. BUT now notice the SAME ENG-
of the lurid IMAGINATIONS of Dante. LISH WORD “HELL” in Acts 2:31!

What is “Hell”?