Hades and Hell

A lot of confusion surrounds Hades and Hell. Mainly because, in the King James version of the Holy Bible, Hades has been mistranslated as Hell.
Hades is also called the pit or the bottomless pit (the abyss), in the Old Covenant it is called Sheol and is the holding place for disobedient spirits that are held in torment until the Day of Judgment (the White Throne Judgment) Jude 6. These spirits include both the spirits of men whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life, and those of fallen angels. Jesus in his story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) gives us a detailed picture of Hades and the bosom of Abraham (the Paradise of God).

Jesus in his death went to Hades and preached the Good News to those in prison there(1Peter 3:18-20, 4:6), and when he resurrected he led forth a host of captives (Eph. 4:8-10). Jesus never went to Hell. The Correct Translation of Acts 2:27 is "Because You will not abondon My soul in Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to decay." a quote from Psalms 16:10, "For you will not abandon My soul to Sheol, neither will you allow your Holy One to decay."

Hades in the Old Covenant is called Sheol, the Pit, or the Grave. Sheol is always linked with Death in the Old Covenant as Hades is linked with Death in the New Covenant.

Num. 16:28-35

And Moses said, "By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing. If these men die the Death of all men, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord." Then it came about as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah, with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, "The earth may swallow us up!" Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

Deu. 32:21-22

"They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol, And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains."

2Sam. 22:5-6

"For the waves of Death encompassed me; The torrents of Destruction overwhelmed me; The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of Death confronted me.

Job 17:10-16

"But come again all of you now, For I do not find a wise man among you. My days are past, my plans are torn apart, Even the wishes of my heart. They make night into day, saying, 'The light is near,' in the presence of darkness. If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness; If I call to the Pit, 'You are my father'; To the worm, 'my mother and my sister'; Where now is my hope? And who regards my hope? Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?"

Job 26:5-7

"The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. Naked is Sheol before Him And Abaddon has no covering. He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing.

Psa. 6:4-5

O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Thy lovingkindness. For there is no mention of Thee in Death; In Sheol who will give Thee thanks?

Psa. 9:13-17

Be gracious to me, O Lord; Behold my affliction from those who hate me, Thou who dost lift me up from the gates of Death; That I may tell of all Thy praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Thy salvation. The nations have sunk down in the Pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. The Lord has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah. The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.

Psa. 16:8-11

I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psa. 18:4-5

The cords of Death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of Death confronted me.

Psa. 30:2-3

O Lord my God, I cried to Thee for help, and Thou didst heal me. Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Psa. 55:15

Let Death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

Psa. 88:10-12

Wilt Thou perform wonders for the dead? Will the departed spirits rise and praise Thee? Selah. Will Thy lovingkindness be declared in the Grave, Thy faithfulness in Abaddon? Will Thy wonders be made known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psa. 89:47-48

Remember what my span of life is; For what vanity Thou hast created all the sons of men! What man can live and not see Death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Psa. 107:17-22

Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food; And they drew near to the gates of Death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their Destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing.

Psa. 116:3, 6-9, 15

The cords of Death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow..... The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For Thou hast rescued my soul from Death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the Lord In the land of the living........ Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the Death of His godly ones.

Psa. 139:7-8

Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.

Prov. 1:11-12

If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the Pit."

Prov. 5:4-5

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to Death, Her steps lay hold of Sheol.

Prov. 7:26-27

For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of Death.

Prov. 9:17-18

"Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Prov. 12:27-28

A slothful man does not roast his prey, But the precious possession of a man is diligence. In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no Death.

Prov. 14:31-32

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.

Prov. 15:11, 24

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, How much more the hearts of men!..... The path of life leads upward for the wise, That he may keep away from Sheol below.

Prov. 18:20-21

With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Prov. 23:13-14

Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you beat him with the rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with the rod, And deliver his soul from Sheol.

Prov. 27:19-20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

Ecc. 2:15-16

Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity. For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

Ecc. 3:17-21

I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man, for a time for every matter and for every deed is there. I said to myself concerning the sons of men, God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts. For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath(spirit) of man ascends upward and the breath(spirit) of the beast descends downward to the earth?

Ecc. 8:8-10

No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of Death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and evil will not deliver those who practice it. All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt. So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.

Ecc. 9:2-7

It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the Dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the Dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.

Ecc. 12:5-8

Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the breath(spirit) will return to God who gave it. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!"

Isa. 5:13-14

Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

Isa. 14:3-21

And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say," How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution. The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy. Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.' Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us. 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, And worms are your covering.' How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home? ' All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the Pit, Like a trampled corpse. You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth and fill the face of the world with cities."

Isa. 26:11-19

O Lord, Thy hand is lifted up yet they do not see it. They see Thy zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Thine enemies. Lord, Thou wilt establish peace for us, Since Thou hast also performed for us all our works. O Lord our God, other masters besides Thee have ruled us; But through Thee alone we confess Thy name. The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore Thou hast punished and destroyed them, And Thou hast wiped out all remembrance of them. Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified; Thou hast extended all the borders of the land. O Lord, they sought Thee in distress; They could only whisper a prayer, Thy chastening was upon them. As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries out in her labor pains, Thus were we before Thee, O Lord. We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, We gave birth, as it were, only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth Nor were inhabitants of the world born. Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

Isa. 28:15-22

Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with Death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception." Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. And I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the level; Then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the secret place. And your covenant with Death shall be canceled, And your pact with Sheol shall not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. As often as it passes through, it will seize you. For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night. And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means. The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in. For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon; To do His task, His unusual task, And to work His work, His extraordinary work. And now do not carry on as scoffers, Lest your fetters be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, Of decisive Destruction on all the earth.

Isa. 38:16-19

quot;O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these is the life of my spirit; O restore me to health, and let me live! Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who hast kept my soul from the Pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; a father tells his sons about Thy faithfulness.

Isa. 57:1-2

The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace. They rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way.

Eze. 28:7-8

Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, The most ruthless of the nations. And they will draw their swords Against the beauty of your wisdom And defile your splendor. 'They will bring you down to the Pit, And you will die the Death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas.

Eze. 31:14-18

In order that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the clouds, nor their well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to Death, to the earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the Pit. 'Thus says the Lord God, "On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the Pit; and all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath. They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its strength lived under its shade among the nations. To which among the trees of Eden are you thus equal in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. So is Pharaoh and all his multitude! '"declares the Lord God. "

Eze. 32:18-32

"Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and bring it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the nether world, with those who go down to the Pit; 'Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and make your bed with the uncircumcised.' They shall fall in the midst of those who are slain by the sword. She is given over to the sword; they have drawn her and all her multitudes away. The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, 'They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.' Assyria is there and all her company; her graves are round about her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, whose graves are set in the remotest parts of the Pit, and her company is round about her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living. Elam is there and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, who instilled their terror in the land of the living, and bore their disgrace with those who went down to the Pit. They have made a bed for her among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around it, they are all uncircumcised, slain by the sword (although their terror was instilled in the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the Pit; they were put in the midst of the slain. Meshech, Tubal and all their multitude are there; their graves surround them. All of them were slain by the sword uncircumcised, though they instilled their terror in the land of the living. Nor do they lie beside the fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, and whose swords were laid under their heads; but the punishment for their iniquity rested on their bones, though the terror of these heroes was once in the land of the living. But in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those slain by the sword. There also is Edom, its kings, and all its princes, who for all their might are laid with those slain by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the Pit. There also are the chiefs of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who in spite of the terror resulting from their might, in shame went down with the slain. So they lay down uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the Pit. These Pharaoh will see, and he will be comforted for all his multitude slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army," declares the Lord God. Though I instilled a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he will be made to lie down among the uncircumcised along with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude," declares the Lord God.

Amos 9:1-2

I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said, "Smite the capitals so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of them all! Then I will slay the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will flee, Or a refugee who will escape. Though they dig into Sheol, From there shall My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down.

Jonah 2:1-2

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish and he said, "I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice.

Hab. 2:4-5

"Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith. Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like Death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.

Zec. 9:9-11

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless Pit.

Matt. 11:23-24

"And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."

Matt. 16:16-19

And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Ones Called Out and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Luke 8:30-31

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. And they were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the Abyss.

Luke 10:14

"But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!"

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus Said, "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the Dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the Dead.'"

Acts 2:26-33

'Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will abide in hope; Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.' Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Rom. 10:5-8

For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring the Messiah down), or 'Who will descend into the Abyss?' (that is, to bring the Messiah up from the Dead). " But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

Eph. 4:8-10

Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men." (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

1Pet. 3:18-20; 4:5-6

For the Messiah also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to Death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water..... but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

2Pet. 2:3-4

And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their Destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Hades and committed them to Pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

Rev. 1:17-18

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

Rev. 6:7-8

And when He broke the Fourth seal, I heard the voice of the Fourth Living Creature saying, "Come." And I looked and behold an ashen horse; and he who sat upon it had the name "Death"; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Rev. 9:1-2, 1 1

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the Bottomless Pit was given to him. And he opened the Bottomless Pit; and smoke went up out of the Pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the Pit...........They have as king over them, the angel of the Abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon(Destruction), and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon(destroyer).

Rev. 11:7-8

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

Rev. 17:7-8

And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the Abyss and to go to Destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Rev. 20:1-3

And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the Abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the Abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Rev. 20:13-15

And the sea gave up the Dead which were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the Dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

(the Gehenna of Hell fire)

Hell is not the depository of unsaved souls as is depicted in so much literature. Biblically that reference should be made to Hades. The Gehenna of Hell Fire that Jesus refers to (Matt. 5:22) is actually the Lake of Fire mentioned in Revelation as the Second Death (Rev.19:20, 20:10,14-15):, and where Isaiah says that "their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched" (Isa. 66:23-24). The Antichrist and his partner the False Prophet/Apostle are the first to be cast into the Lake of Fire (Hell) at Jesus coming. At the end of the Millennium after Satan's final defeat, he too will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Hell). When the Thrones are set up for the White Throne Judgment and the End Resurrection has taken place Death and Hades will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Hell). The books will be opened and all who's names are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Hell).
Isa. 66:22-24; Matt. 5:21-22, 27-30, 10:27-28; Mark 9:41-50; Rev. 20:10-15

Isa. 66:23-24

"And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me," says the Lord. Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Matt. 5:21-22

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery Hell."

Matt. 5:28-30

" but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into Hell."

Matt. 10:24-28

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell."

Matt. 18:7-9

"Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the Eternal Fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery Hell."

Matt. 23:14-15

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as yourselves."

Matt. 23:29-33

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of Hell?"

Matt. 25:41-43

"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the Eternal Fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'"

Mark 9:42-48

"And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into Hell, into the unquenchable Fire, where their worm does not die, and the Fire is not quenched. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into Hell, where their worm does not die, and the Fire is not quenched. And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into Hell, where their worm does not die, and the Fire is not quenched."

Luke 12:4-5

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!"

Rev. 20:7-10

And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Rev. 20:13-15

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Rev. 21:6-8

And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone, which is the second death."

Please contact me by E-Mail at:

E. C. King
Santa Margarita, California
fortheking@tcsn.net

Last update: 6/6/02