The ‘keys of death and hades’ (Rev. 1:18 (ESV); ‘keys of hell and death’ (KJV)) are a metaphor for authority over death and the grave. Sometimes in the Bible ‘keys’ represent authority. For example, in Isaiah 22:22 God says the following about Eliakim: …I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of [...]
Answers about hades
The belief that Jesus descended into hell when he died is based on a misunderstanding of three Bible passages. Here is one of them. Acts 2:25-27 (New English Translation): 25 For David says about him, ‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will [...]
No. Hades is a Greek word which occurs several times in the New Testament, but it is translated either hell or grave in the King James Version of the Bible. In some Bible translations (e.g., the ESV), the word hades is left untranslated. For example Acts 2:27 For you will not abandon my soul to [...]
In the King James Version, the word hell occurs 54 times, but in almost every case it is a translation of one of three different words, each with its own meaning. So to understand hell, we really need to understand the original Hebrew and Greek words that are translated hell. These are: Sheol, Hades and [...]
