This is our second session of addressing what happens to the unbeliever when they pass away. Last time we looked at a number of false views not found in Scripture concerning the destiny of the unbeliever. Today, I want to look at some of the key words that are used for the afterlife.
1. Sheol. This is a word that is found in the Hebrew and the Old Testament. It is all over the Old Testament. We could go to any number of passages, but the word basically means, the grave or a synonym for death. So, when we talk about people going to Sheol, it is more of a physical thing. It is a death. It’s a grave. It doesn’t give us a lot of insight as to where that person is after death.
2. Hades. In the New Testament we come to the word Hades, which is often translated, especially in the King James as, hell. As we will see there is more than one word translated hell, there are three different words in the New Testament. So, we want to distinguish them. Hades is found in places such as Luke 16:22, which is one of the most expansive passages in the New Testament concerning the issue of hell or Hades. It says, “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.” Of the number of places in the New Testament that uses the word Hades, often it is a synonym for the term Sheol, the grave or death. We have at least four passages in the New Testament that would give us maybe a different dimension to Hades where there is a spiritual dimension, and this passage here is probably one of the key passages for that. So, we see that the poor man here, Lazarus is gone to be in Abraham’s bosom. We talked about that, last week. We have the rich man here who has gone to Hades and in Hades he is in torment, and he sees Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. So, the Old Testament understanding seemed to be that there was a place called Hades. They only had two compartments, Paradise or Abraham’s bosom, where the believers went and now eventually Hades is where the unbelievers went. So, we find this is a place of judgment. He is being tormented here . . .
