What was the purpose of hell/Sheol for?

[Aunty Jane]

I don’t believe we have really went over much about hell/Sheol, or have pulled up any Old Testament scripture from what I have went through here.

What did the ancient Jews believe about the dead? Were they still alive somewhere?
Not according to David and his son Solomon. Sheol is not just a grave but "the abode of the dead"...the place where all the dead "rest in peace".
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10....
"For the living know that they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their memory is forgotten. 6 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. . . Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going." (NASB)
Read that carefully......the dead do not know anything.....even their love and zeal have perished. There is "no activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going." Not just your body, but YOU. He was addressing everyone.

Although Sheol has already consumed countless numbers of dead people, it always seems to hunger for more. (Proverbs 30:15-16)
Unlike any literal burial site, which can hold only a limited number of the dead, ‘the Grave [sheol] is never satisfied.’ (proverbs 27:20) That is, Sheol never becomes full. It has no limits. Sheol, or Hades, is not a literal place in a specific location, but rather, it is the common grave of dead mankind, the figurative location where most of mankind "sleep" in death.

Even Job prayed to go to sheol to end his suffering. (Job 14:13) He referred to his hope of the resurrection. The resurrection is a return to life, not a continuation of it. Jesus promised to raise the dead when he was ruling as King of God's Kingdom in the future. (John 5:28-29)

You may know a lot about it, but what really is it? What is Sheol? Where did it come from? How did it come about? Is there scripture that shows this? Is there depictions of this Sheol place that can be seen in the Bible, even (Hades)?

These are the questions being answered Matthew G....but your rejection of the "sleep" of death is getting in the way.

"Hades" is the Greek equivalent of "sheol" so it means the same thing. It is a place where the dead "sleep" awaiting the resurrection.
Hades gives up it dead...and then hades is thrown into the lake of fire to be destroyed....(Revelation 20:13-14) Death is the "last enemy" of mankind to be conquered. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26) With no death, there is no need for sheol.....it came into existence as a consequence of Adam's sin....the only cause of death.

These are the questions I’m trying to get others to think about and consider, to search and find. Do you think these answers are possible to find?

You have the answers.....they may not be what you want to believe however....

 

[MatthewG]

Hello Auntie,

You answered enough to make your point.

Thank you, I just dont believe your premise of “the soul not being eternal” or whatever even with the little scripture you used in turn looking and see Revelation and seeing that all people are resurrected, some going into the kingdom of heavenly Jerusalem and those outside.

I do not think I believe your individual looking at the scripture. Thank you again and maybe I am wrong for my view. You may believe in soul sleep, however I reject that teaching.

It is good to see the whole point of the apostolic record in accordance to the Old Testament, to the victory of Jesus for all individuals, conquering over, Satan, his demons, hell/ Sheol, sin, even conquering over all death.

 

[farouk]

Hello Auntie,

You answered enough to make your point.

Thank you, I just dont believe your premise of “the soul not being eternal” or whatever even with the little scripture you used in turn looking and see Revelation and seeing that all people are resurrected, some going into the kingdom of heavenly Jerusalem and those outside.

I do not think I believe your individual looking at the scripture. Thank you again and maybe I am wrong for my view. You may believe in soul sleep, however I reject that teaching.

It is good to see the whole point of the apostolic record in accordance to the Old Testament, to the victory of Jesus for all individuals, conquering over, Satan, his demons, hell/ Sheol, sin, even conquering over all death.

@MatthewG Romans 8.38-39 contains a glorious promise to the believer about Christ preserving us from being separated by death from His love.

 

[MatthewG]

Yes there sure is thank you for sharing.

 

[quietthinker]

Hell is a place where the dead people go.

must be.

Good or bad, the people who died in the Old Testament went there from Adam to Moses, to Jesus.

Hell was a place that kept people who couldn’t get to God in their own place until Jesus conquered over Sin, Death, Hell, and Satan.

Everyone who died had sinned but Jesus. His death recovered and covered all sin to be paid for and met and God is appeased by this.

Where did you get those ideas from Matthew?

 

[MatthewG]

It is good to see the whole point of the apostolic record in accordance to the Old Testament, to the victory of Jesus for all individuals, conquering over, Satan, his demons, hell/ Sheol, sin, even conquering over all death having been resurrected according to the Gospel of Christ.

Quietthinker.

If people don’t believe this it’s fine. It’s what the Bible teaches in my best estimation.

 

[farouk]

It is good to see the whole point of the apostolic record in accordance to the Old Testament, to the victory of Jesus for all individuals, conquering over, Satan, his demons, hell/ Sheol, sin, even conquering over all death having been resurrected according to the Gospel of Christ.

@MatthewG
Paul describes that victory and its outcome for us in 1 Corinthians 15.57-58.

 

[quietthinker]

If people don’t believe this fine. It’s what the Bible teaches in my best estimation.

May it be to your surprise Matthew, the bible doesn't teach what you assert re this matter. Thats the long and short of it.
I have no interest in arguing with you, however if you want to be believable more than just your estimation, you will need to present a plausible case......otherwise it just goes into the trash.

 

[MatthewG]

My encouragement is for people to check the Bible for themselves, no one has to believe me.

It’s really about having faith trusting Jesus and what he has done, even the revelation. Also to love God first and others second.

Thank you so much,
In Christ,
Matthew Gallagher

(Go against the grain of mainstream traditional thinking of man, and see what God has done to reconcile the world through Christ back to himself.)

 

[Robert Gwin]

If memory serves, the KJV translates 4 or 5 different words as "hell."

Sheol is a place where the dead await the resurrection. The Greeks called it hades.

Tartarus is more akin to the Lake of Fire, which doesn't exist yet.

Tartarus is actually a judgment Happy, likely you realize the demons were given that judgment, it is not a place as they were given that judgment during the time of Noah, yet they were not cast out of heaven until Jesus cast them out to the earth when receiving the crown. they now reside on the earth, the next step is for them to be removed from the earth for a millennium, then released for a short while, and then cast into the lake. Very accurate in your explanation of hell though, everyone in hell will be resurrected, then no longer a need for it, it as well will be cast into the lake of fire Rev 20:13,14

 

[MatthewG]

Thank you for your comments Robert, always encouraging to see others point to the victory of Jesus our Lord and savior not only of us, but for the whole world in which the free gift of (age during life is given which one builds life now here today with God for the afterlife tomorrow). Or they simply choose to not, build into that relationship which God still will resurrect them, give a spiritual body; just like believers will get only different possibly not as well equipped to be in the light and be placed outside the city Gates of Heaven.

Praise be to God and the victory of Jesus.

 

[MatthewG]

The book of Job talks about Sheol.


Not sure who is talking during these verse could be Job, could be jobs friends.


Job 7:9; Job 11:8; Job 14:13; Job 17:13; Job 17:16; Job 21:13; Job 24:19; Job 26:6 (I looked all these scriptures in Young’s Literal.)

 

[MatthewG]

Here are some of the very first occurrence for the use of the word Sheol; which is considered to be the covering place for the dead.

Gen 37:35 and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuseth to comfort himself, and saith, 'For—I go down mourning unto my son, to Sheol,' and his father weepeth for him.



Gen 42:38 and he saith, 'My son doth not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he by himself is left; when mischief hath met him in the way in which ye go, then ye have brought down my grey hairs in sorrow to sheol.'



Gen 44:29 when ye have taken also this from my presence, and mischief hath met him, then ye have brought down my grey hairs with evil to sheol.



Gen 44:31 then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol;

 

[MatthewG]

Here are 4 more verses founded in the Bible also pertaining to this same topic:

1Sa 2:6 Jehovah putteth to death, and keepeth alive, He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.


2Sa 22:6 The cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been the snares of death.


1Ki 2:6 and thou hast done according to thy wisdom, and dost not let his old age go down in peace to Sheol.


1Ki 2:9 and now, acquit him not, for a wise man thou art , and thou hast known that which thou dost to him, and hast brought down his old age with blood to Sheol.'

 

[Ronald Nolette]

This doesn’t have so much to do with evil, as it has to do with Hell/Hades/Sheol.

Can we get a biblical understanding using the Bible?

That is the topic, brother.

I have not read all the responses so I hope I am not repeating the answer.

Hell/Hade/Sheol are all the same place in three languages. It is the common grave where prior to Jesus ascension, all souls of the dead went.

Prior to Jesus ascending hell had three "compartments" or "destinations" if you will.

1. the angels who sinned in Gen. 6 are chained in Tartarus awaiting the lake of fire.
2. the lost dead are in the place of torments where the rich man in the account of Lazarus and the rich man is. They await the second resurrection to be cast into the lake of fire.
3. The righteous dead in the OT went to Paradise/Abrahams Bosom. This was simply a holding chamber for the OT saved until Jesus actually shed His blood and poured itout on teh mercy seat in heaven. Once Jesus ascended these souls went to heaven and Paradise is now closed for as Paul wrote when one is absent from teh body, they are present with the Lord.