Herb Evans on Hell vs HADES/SHEOL

Used by permission of  Dr. Herb Evans.

HELL versus HADES/SHEOL

IF hades is a place of TORTURE as you suggest then even CHRISTIANS are being tortured as the word "hades" means the GRAVE (see Acts and I Corinthians) and ALL dead people are there including the saints! -- UNTIL the resurrection!!!!  So are all CHRISTIANS being tormented in hades? – Cultist College President

Hell’s Prison Paradise versus Hell’s Penal Prison

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Odd that the cultist should characterize us as having HADES as a place of torture rather than a place of punishment. The Geneva Convention is against torture. Still, the saints once occupied one part of SHEOL/HADES (the unseen world) in the nether parts of the earth, and the saints were once comforted in this paradise prison (GARDEN OFEDEN) like Lazarus and could drink water water. The thief on the cross went to this prison paradise until Christ rose from the dead. This is also where Abraham and the patriarchs went after being gathered unto their people. Nevertheless, the wicked occupied and still occupy another part of SHEOL in the nether parts of the earth, where they like the rich man were and are tormented. They are all tormented in the flame of hell’s penal prison.

Hell is the Hole or Pit

Psa 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Deut 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

2 Sa m22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; Psa 9:17

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

If you were in the navy, you would well know what being thrown in the hole meant. The English word HELL means hole and it is no secret that the Hebrew word SHEOL is also translated PIT as well as hell. The lowest hell (the grave of the soul and not the body) is where the souls go to experience either sorrows and everlasting burnings or comfort. Fire and burnings are to be found there and also trees and water, depending to which part the souls go.

Hell’s Contrasts of Comfort and Torment

Ezek 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.

Ezek 31:18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

2 Cor 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Still, SHEOL (O.T.) HADES (N.T.) WAS a place of conscious punishment AND also a prison paradise of conscious comfort with a great gulf fixed between. The saved portion of this paradise was Eden with trees and water, something the rich man saw and wanted. The lost portion was and still is the Penal prison of torment.

Christ Released the Paradise Prison Captives

Judges 5:11, 12 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

Psa 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Mat 27:52, 53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Christians do not any longer go to HADES. Hades has been emptied of the saints, where they were held captive until after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, then they were taken to heaven. Some of those which arose from the dead appeared to many. Christ led captivity captive. So, Luke 16 is not a parable and does not have the interpretation that your wackiness tries to pontificate, as you and your cult gainsay and contradict the Lord Jesus Christ. When prisoners were taken in war, said captivity was led captive and marched to the prison. When they were released from the enemy’s prison by their leader, the captivity was led captive and marched to freedom in VICTORY.

Instead of dwelling on the Hebrew and Greek words Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tarturus, folks might start calling the various hells as Hell # 1, Hell # 2, Hell # 3, the devil’ hell, the final hell, the angel’s hell, and etc.

–by Herb Evans