Hell And Heaven Essays - Hell, Christian Eschatology,

Hell And Heaven Matthew Jay Krachunis May 2000 Hell The idea of heaven entices and encourages believers and non-believers alike. It is enjoyable to envision a place of eternal rest and relaxation, in the presence of God and loved ones. Heaven does exist according to the Bible, and is the destination of the believer in Jesus Christ at the completion of life on this earth. What is not encouraging is the fact that there is a place for those whom God chooses will not inherit everlasting life. This place is commonly referred to in the English language as hell. It is not metaphorical nor is it mythological, it is real in every sense of the word; a true literal hell. It is a time as Guthrie says in New Testament Theology, ? to inquire about the state of the lost, a subject which tends to be neglected or else glossed over.....the final state of those who are not in the book of life? (Guthrie p. 887). This will be the focus of this discussion, the eternal state of those individuals whose name will not be found in the book of life. To fully understand the implications of the declaration of a place of eternal damnation, one must first understand what that place is. The common use of the word ?Hell? is considered colloquial and comical to some. In the bible, the idea of the term ?hell' is expressed in more ways than one. The terms Gehenna (Matthew 5:22), Hades (Matthew 11:23), and Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15) are terms that have been interpreted to believe as hell. The term ?Gehenna' occurs twelve times in the King James version of the bible. It occurs in all three of the synoptic gospels, but most notably in the book of Matthew in which it occurs seven times. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines Gehenna as ? A name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment:-hell? (Strong's p. 19). Jesus Christ spoke of Gehenna and warned people of it. Jesus said in Matthew chapter five verse thirty, ? for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go to hell?. It is as Guthrie says, ? There is no way of avoiding the conclusion that Jesus firmly accepted that there was a counterpart to heaven for those who were condemned before God ? (Guthrie p.888). It is clear that Guthrie believes that there is an eternal and literal hell. Therefore, because Jesus stated it, and Guthrie supported it, shows that it must have a certain importance about it. In Mark chapter nine verses forty-two through fifty, Jesus is talking about the importance of understanding of the implications of a sinful life and where it will lead. In the following passage, the usage of the word ?hell' is interpreted as the Greek word ?Gehenna' and Jesus says, ?If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out? (Mark 9:43). It can be construed from this statement that Jesus is adamant about the reality of the conditions in hell. It can be assumed that Jesus is not advocating the actual removal of the hand, but is speaking about the horrifying reality of hell. He is admonishing those who are listening to understand that theoretically, not having one of your hands would be better than spending eternity in hell. As Stamps says in the notes of the Full Life Study Bible, ? the place of unquenchable fire is so terrible that every influence of sin must be opposed and rejected no matter what the cost ?(Stamps p. 1497). Clearly, hell is an eternal existence that would be far worse than a missing limb. Next, Stagg states in The Broadman Bible Commentary that Gehenna was a term that ?came to symbolize the place of judgment for the wicked? (Stagg p. 109). Furthermore, Stagg declares that Gehenna is derived from Hinnom, a valley west of Jerusalem, where the garbage was burned from the city (Stagg p. 109). The aforementioned passages reinforce the idea that hell is not a