Answers about hell

What is the fate of children who die?

You say: I had two beautiful daughters, one had down syndrome and the other is autistic. Sarah the one who had down syndrome died five years ago from a heart condition that wasn’t treatable. Where would you say she is at? Does the Bible say anything about special needs children? also, would children who died [...]

Topics: , , ,

Can a person lose their salvation?

You say: If someone is saved and baptized when they are young, possibly a teenager, and later in life, they say they believe in God but when asked if they believe that Jesus died for their sins so that they may have everlasting life, and they state that they don’t know, or they guess so, [...]

Topics: , , ,

What do verses like Jude 1:23 mean? Is there an eternal fire burning for those who do not believe?

Jud 1:22-23  And have mercy on those who doubt;  (23)  save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Clearly the fire cannot be completely literal; a literal fire consumes fuel, using oxygen to produce heat and smoke. Fire in this [...]

Topics: , , , , ,

What are the keys to hell and death? (Revelation 1:18)

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 [...]

Topics: , , , ,

When Jesus was crucified, did he descend into hell for a period of time before rising again?

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 [...]

Topics: , , ,

Will atheists go to hell?

Most atheists are not going to be judged by God at all.  No one is judged by God unless they knew and believed his law, and still broke it:  Romans 4:15; 5:13;7:7; 1 John 3:4.  However, no one goes to ‘hell’, as it is popularly thought of.  The usual idea of ‘hell’ does not exist [...]

Topics: , , ,

Is Hades in the King James Bible?

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 [...]

Topics: ,

Who is the woman in the nether-world and why is she there?

This question is based on Proverbs 5 from the JPS translation: Proverbs 5:3-5 (JPS) For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on the nether-world; [...]

Topics: , , , ,

Where is hell?

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 [...]

Topics: , , ,

What is the punishment of the wicked?

The hope of eternal life in God’s kingdom is described many times in the Bible. But what about the destiny of the wicked? What happens to them? Here is a selection of Bible passages which describe their fate: the wicked will perish: … they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. (Psalm 37:20). the wicked will be [...]

Topics: ,