The Bible, in the Old as in the New Testament, speaks of an “after” death. Death is never an end there, but the beginning of a new state. In Athens, Paul calls his hearers to repent, because God “has set a day when he will judge the world with justice” (Acts 17:31).
The biblical vocabulary
Sheol. This Hebrew word appears about 65 times in the Old Testament. It can simply mean the grave, or else the realm of the dead. The context, and the interpreter’s choice, decide the meaning.
Hades. In the New Testament, it is often translated “realm of the dead” (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27; Revelation 1:18; 20:13). It generally corresponds to Sheol, with the same two possible meanings.
Gehenna. This word is far more explicit. It always refers to the place of final judgement (Matthew 5:22, 29; 10:28; 23:15, 33). Apart from James 3:6, every use comes from Jesus himself. The word comes from the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem. This place had been defiled by idolatrous sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:31), and Jewish tradition made it the image of the judgement of the ungodly. According to a later tradition, attested in the Middle Ages (David Kimhi, around 1200), refuse was also burned there.
Since Jesus spoke of it several times, this theme must be preached. His whole ministry stresses the need to be reconciled with God.
Death is not an end
This is a thread running through the Bible. For the believer, to die is to be with Christ. Jesus says to the thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And Paul prefers “to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
But Jesus also announces that believers and unbelievers will rise: “those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgement” (John 5:29). See also John 6:39-44, 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
Hell
The Bible describes heaven and hell with images. Not all the texts are therefore to be taken literally.
According to 2 Thessalonians 1:9, hell is first of all a separation: unbelievers will be punished with “eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord”. Yet Jesus speaks of the fire of Gehenna (Matthew 5:22; 18:8-9; Mark 9:43-48), of a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12) and of “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46). The author does not think that hell is a place of flames in the literal sense, as it has often been painted. But we must take seriously the fact that it will be a place of suffering.
The annihilationist view
Some Christians reject the idea of conscious and eternal punishment. In their view, after the judgement, God will simply make those who are not reconciled with him disappear. They quote texts that speak of “perdition” or “destruction” (Philippians 3:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Peter 3:7).
This course does not adopt this position. These texts do not clearly prove a disappearance: the word “destruction” can describe the pain of judgement without meaning annihilation. For the author, this view comes mainly from the difficulty of conceiving of a God who is both love and justice.
One judgement or several?
Dispensationalists, an evangelical school of thought, distinguish several judgements to come: a judgement of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46) which would determine who enters the thousand-year reign (Revelation 20), a judgement of believers’ works (2 Corinthians 5:10) and the judgement of the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15).
Heaven
Many texts present heaven as God’s dwelling place. Jesus teaches us to pray: “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The Lord says: “Heaven is my throne” (Isaiah 66:1). See also Deuteronomy 26:15 and Psalms 2:4 and 123:1.
Should heaven be understood as a geographical place, above our heads? In the Bible, “heaven and earth” can also refer, figuratively, to the invisible and the visible (Colossians 1:16). The question remains debated among evangelicals, notably because of the account of the ascension (Acts 1:9-11) and Stephen’s vision (Acts 7:55-56).
We must remain cautious. The Bible conveys a divine message with human words and representations, those of its time. These debates are not necessary for salvation. They can be studied, but without being dogmatic.
Who will go where?
One thing is certain: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We would all be separated from God, without Jesus and his cross.
Whoever puts their faith in Christ, acknowledges that they are a sinner, accepts that Jesus died for them and chooses to live according to his teaching, is reconciled with God and will spend eternity with him (John 3:16-18, 36; 5:24).
Unbelievers will appear for judgement (Romans 2:5-11). Each will be judged according to what they knew (Luke 12:47-48), and there seem to be degrees of judgement (Matthew 11:22-24). Believers too will appear before the judgement seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). But since “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), this judgement will be for them a judgement of reward.
Conclusion
Heaven and hell must not paralyse us with fear. They should move us to tell those around us that they need to be reconciled with God. As for the various theories about how the judgement will unfold, everyone is free to adopt one, provided they present it as a theory and not as absolute truth, and never make it a cause of conflict.
Key points
- The Old Testament speaks of Sheol and the New of Hades, two words that can refer to the grave or to the realm of the dead.
- Gehenna refers to the place of final judgement, and Jesus is almost the only one to use this word.
- The images of fire are not necessarily literal, but they express a serious reality of suffering and separation from God.
- This course does not adopt annihilationism, which it does not find grounded in the texts.
- All have sinned, and only faith in Christ reconciles us with God, while believers will appear in order to receive a reward.
- Debates about the location of heaven or the course of the judgement must not divide Christians.
To think about
- Does the thought of judgement frighten you, or does it move you to speak about Christ to those around you?
- How can we speak about hell seriously without making it a matter of fear or controversy?
Further reading
- John 5:24-29
- Matthew 25:31-46
- 1 Corinthians 15